Time passed quickly.
Despite Eli’s warnings, the outside world still revealed nothing, and as a result, the tension gradually faded, and life slowly returned to how it used to be.
Even though various countries had actively promoted awareness among Awakeners, nothing was found, and not a single trace of dimensional invasion was discovered.
In the end, unlike the early days when even Level 9 Awakeners were taking active steps, people began returning to their own tasks.
“….”
And here.
Unlike the others, there was someone whose stress worsened day by day.
Eli had recently been wasting away, unable to eat properly.
Despite being a Level 9 Awakener, he experienced chills, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, jaw pain—complications caused by severe stress.
His subordinates, unable to bear watching him suffer, recommended that he rest.
But he couldn’t even properly rest.
Would he not want to rest?
However, when he tried to rest, the anxieties and unease swirling in his mind only made it harder to relax.
‘Ah……………….’
Then suddenly.
Eli remembered something that had happened not long ago.
The time he had tended trees with Hassan in Hassan’s city.
Back then, with Hassan and a slime by his side, he had emptied his mind and truly enjoyed healing time.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he contacted Hassan.
—What’s the matter?
“…Would it be alright if I visited you now?”
—Old man always welcomes you anytime.
Thus, Eli took a short leave and set off.
When he arrived in Hassan’s city, he immediately noticed a massive tree—twice the size it had been the last time he saw it.
“Welcome.”
“That’s an unbelievable size. It was already the biggest on Earth when I last saw it, but now, there’s nothing to compare it to.”
“Haha. Thanks to that, it takes a lot more care. Could you help me tend to it?”
“Ahem. That’s not why I came, but I suppose I can lend a hand.”
Though he said that, Eli’s eyes were already filled with excitement.
Unbeknownst to him, the anxiety and worries that had consumed his mind were already starting to fade.
And so, the three began tending the World Tree.
However, contrary to Hassan’s words, the tree—now partially grown—had become larger, but there was less to manage than before.
Still, there was work to do, so Eli cleared his mind and leisurely polished and rubbed the tree.
Swoooosh—
The World Tree swayed, almost as if to say thank you.
At first, Eli thought it was his imagination, but then a message appeared in his vision, confirming it was real.
[The World Tree thanks you.]
Previously, this message had not appeared, but now, thanks to the bond he’d built with the tree, Eli could communicate with it.
And the changes didn’t stop at just the message.
“Sigh.”
Eli wore a satisfied expression.
All his anxiety and worries had vanished, and the chronic headaches that had always tormented him were gone.
In fact, he didn’t even realize his headaches were gone—he simply worked with a happy smile, observing the tree’s reactions.
“Hey, Eli.”
“Hmm?”
“Aren’t you curious? Thanks to the tree’s growth, the interior space has become much larger.”
“Oh. That does make me curious.”
As Eli nodded eagerly, a message suddenly appeared in his vision again.
[Recognized by the World Tree]
[You are invited inside.]
“Thank you.”
As if to welcome him, the World Tree moved and opened a path leading inside.
“Haha. Seems it’s taken a liking to you.”
“…Let’s go in.”
Eli entered first, followed by Hassan and Mark2.
Soon, a vast interior was revealed.
As the tree had a diameter of over 100 meters, it was wider than expected, but its true highlight was the endlessly rising vertical space.
“It’s roughly 900 square meters wide.”
In terms of pyeong, that’s about 270.
But given its towering height, the space felt even larger.
“Old man.”
“Yes?”
“I heard you cleared everything around here—nearly 50 kilometers of land.”
“That’s right.”
“Just asking, but… is the tree going to grow that big?”
“I can’t say it won’t. Honestly, I don’t know exactly. But I thought it might grow close to that size, so I prepared in advance.”
It was hard to imagine.
The diameter had just surpassed 30 meters—yet 50 kilometers? Was that even possible?
‘Planes flying would be dangerous. Surprisingly, sunlight would be fine.’
One strange thing he noticed from tending the tree—
The World Tree’s leaves let light through.
Not just any light—it filtered ultraviolet rays, making it an incredibly beneficial plant.
Thanks to that, sunlight could be fully enjoyed without worrying about UV damage to the skin.
They soon began moving through the World Tree’s interior.
Inside were stairs and even elevators built into the trunk for convenience.
“Amazing.”
Things that hadn’t been there before.
Now, there were even doorways resembling rooms.
“That’s my room,” Hassan said, pointing to one.
They stepped inside to take a look and found Hassan’s modest room.
“…Nice.”
But why was that?
To Eli, that simple room felt incredibly enviable.
‘I wish I had a room like this.’
The thought slipped into Eli’s mind, startling him.
Since becoming a Level 9 Awakener, he had lived a flashy life every single day.
Though he’d been caught up in many scandals, he’d lived without concern.
Yet here he was, envying such an unremarkable, modest room?
Surprising as it was, it was his genuine feeling.
He glanced at Hassan, wondering if he could have a room of his own here.
“It’s not much, but I’ve been staying here every day lately. Strangely, I feel healthier waking up here. Haha.”
“Jealous.”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
Hassan, shocked that Eli would admit to being jealous, asked again.
“I’m jealous. I wish I had a room, too.”
“Haha. Didn’t expect you to express your feelings so honestly.”
At that moment—
[Recognized by the World Tree]
[The World Tree assigns a room to Awakener Eli.]
A message suddenly appeared in his vision.
Eli, seeing it, widened his eyes in surprise and froze in place.
“They’re giving me a room too?”
“Haha. That’s great news.”
Hassan clapped his hands with joy.
“You can use the inside of the World Tree however you wish—basically, you can just create and use any room as needed. However, when the World Tree directly assigns a room like this, it has a different meaning.”
“A different meaning?”
“There are all sorts of additional effects. Didn’t I just mention it? That I feel more refreshed than ever when I wake up after sleeping here. It seems only those who are assigned a room can receive those effects.”
“Oooh.”
Eli was eager to see his room.
Conveniently, his room was located directly opposite Hassan’s.
After circling around the inner perimeter of the tree, Eli finally entered his room, only to find an empty space inside.
[You have entered the room of the World Tree.]
[You have entered your personal room. All sorts of beneficial effects will be applied.]
– Greatly increased fatigue recovery speed
– Greatly increased mana recovery speed
– Significant stress reduction
– Condition restoration
– Slight daily increase in mana recovery
– Slight daily increase in total mana
A series of descriptions popped up, but he pushed them aside momentarily and stared blankly around the room.
Then, finally checking the full explanation, Eli’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“W-What in the world is this…!”
“Can you see it too? The World Tree’s benefits.”
Even just fatigue recovery and condition restoration were decent abilities.
But the mana recovery boost was a highly desirable benefit for high-ranking Awakeners.
Yet what truly shocked Eli were the next effects.
“My mana and mana recovery increase? Just by staying here?”
Of course, the amount was described as slight, but Eli knew just how absurdly difficult it was to increase one’s mana at all.
Especially for Level 9 Awakeners who had completed all quests—unless they were lucky enough to find an item like an elixir, they couldn’t grow any further.
If people found out about this, they’d definitely come running with fire in their eyes.
‘Besides, an increase in mana recovery… I’ve never even heard of such an ability. I’ve seen items that increase mana, but…’
True, high-level magic like Katrina’s grand spells had sub-effects that boosted mana recovery.
However, the fact that such an ability, never before available through items, could now be gained simply by living here—it was astounding.
“Hassan.”
“Thinking of moving in?”
He read him like a book.
Hassan already guessed why Eli had called him.
“I don’t need furniture. I’ll just use whatever the World Tree provides.”
“Haha. Wonderful. I’ve got a new neighbor.”
And thus, Level 9 Awakener Eli officially became a resident of Hassan’s city—more precisely, of the World Tree.
***
“This is a new crop—apples.”
Having gone out for the first time in a while, I stopped by Ara Hongryeon to showcase the newly cultivated produce.
Thanks to stabilized apple production, I could finally share them.
“As you can see, the effect is meditation. Awakener Jeong So-yeon told me there would be significant demand.”
“As always, Kyu-seong, your crops are unpredictable.”
Han Seok-jun looked truly astonished as he gazed at the apple.
Then he took a sample apple and ate it right there.
Crunch.
It was small, disappearing almost in one bite.
Seeing Han Seok-jun chew with a serious expression, Ara’s face lit up with excitement.
“How is it? How is it?”
“As expected, it’s an amazing taste. The meditation effect is highly useful, but the flavor rivals even that—excellent.”
Han Seok-jun gave a solid thumbs up.
Only then did Ara nod in satisfaction with a beaming smile.
“Mm! That’s all I needed to hear!”
Her adorable reaction made both Han Seok-jun and I burst out laughing.
“Oh, Guildmaster, this is jam and syrup my mother made using the apples.”
“Oh my, something this precious…”
Though he said that, the guildmaster accepted them eagerly.
He carefully tucked them away like they were treasured goods.
“My wife and kids will love this. Thank you, Kyu-seong.”
“I’ll make some more from time to time and bring them for you.”
“Oh, I’d feel bad if you went through all that trouble.”
Though he said that, his eyes clearly hoped for more.
Han Seok-jun, the Guildmaster, felt much closer now.
He used to seem much more senior and distant before.
‘Reminds me of Han-ul.’
While chatting and sharing updates, an unexpected topic came up.
“Kyu-seong, this time Iron Blood and Terror will co-host a competition.”
“A competition?”
“It’s an entertainment-style contest hosted by Iron Blood Entertainment. It’ll air on terrestrial TV and will be broadcast live.”
“Oh wow, you even planned something like that!”
“If you’re interested, would you like to join, Kyu-seong? Actually, Iron Blood strongly requested Ara’s appearance, so I thought I’d ask.”
An entertainment competition…
Occasionally, there were shows where Awakeners displayed their abilities.
But this seemed much larger, as if Korea’s three major guilds were coming together.
‘I know most of them, so it’s not too much pressure.’
I’d probably appear more like a guest since I’m only a 1st-level Awakener.
Ara, on the other hand, would likely be in the spotlight.
Ever since Seon-ah went to China, Ara’s YouTube uploads had become sporadic.
Fans were eagerly awaiting her appearances, and we hadn’t gone out much lately, so it was time for her to be in the public eye again.
“I’m ready! I’ll win first place!”
Ara shouted with fiery determination, her face resolute like a general heading into battle.
“Haha. Ara’s up for it too. We’ll join.”
“Great. It’s scheduled for about two months from now, so there’s still time.”
“Got it.”
Two months.
Plenty of time.
As we continued discussing the show’s outline and schedule—
Something appeared in my vision.
Ding!
[The Demon King’s city, Chiyon, has fully restored its original form.]
[The Demon King’s influence grows stronger.]
[The portal expands. The Demon King can now personally invade dimensions once a month for 30 minutes.]
Cliche Novel 