‘Wasn’t that something you shouldn’t say so lightly?’
Come to think of it, I had never once heard anything about Ryu Cheon’s parents.
It was truly strange that no one knew who the parents were of a successor from such a famous guild like Skyscraper—especially one with the title of the youngest Level 8 Awakener.
Other than her grandfather, Ryu Wang-jin, there was no known information about her blood relatives.
Even Yu Bihong, who stuck to her like a sister, wasn’t actually related by blood.
Watching Ryu Cheon still tilting her head in confusion, I subtly gave Yu Bihong a look.
“Should we pretend we didn’t hear that?”
“Sigh.”
Yu Bihong shook her head as if there was no helping it.
Regardless, Ryu Cheon looked blank, as if she had no idea why Yu Bihong had sighed.
“It doesn’t matter anyway.”
“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter, miss…?”
“Mr. Kyu-seong isn’t a stranger. Ara is my family.”
At some point, without us realizing, we’d become part of her family.
“My father was an Awakener. He met my mother in a dungeon, and that’s how I was born.”
“That’s really unexpected.”
“I was born with strong mana and a weak body because of that.”
So that was it. No wonder—it had been an unprecedented case so far.
She was born Awakener, and not just that, but Level 8 from birth.
From what we learned about elves, they seemed to wield magic, so maybe they were naturally gifted with mana from birth.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, why did you suddenly bring up elves…?”
“Oh, I happened to come across an elf by chance. So I was curious if you knew anything about them.”
“You met an elf?”
Yu Bihong asked again, startled.
Ryu Cheon also looked at me with wide, round eyes.
“Yes. It just happened by chance.”
“‘Happened by chance,’ you say…”
Though my words sounded a bit ridiculous, the two of them nodded slowly, seemingly accepting it.
Then Ryu Cheon finally spoke up.
“I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you everything I do know.”
But when I actually tried to ask, I wasn’t quite sure what to ask about.
Honestly, I found myself more curious about Ryu Cheon’s parents than elves.
“Hmm, first, I’m curious about the elves’ culture and habits. I did a bit of research through the guild, but there wasn’t much data.”
“I’ve heard they don’t lie. So by human standards, they might come across as a little strange.”
“Do you happen to know anything about their magic?”
“Oh, right. Elves don’t go through an Awakening like we do, but they’re born with mana. I’ve heard they use that to perform what we call magic.”
That seemed to be something common not just to the elves we met, but all elves.
But if her mother was an elf, wouldn’t she have seen it herself? Yet for some reason, Ryu Cheon’s words all sounded like secondhand information.
‘I want to ask, but it would be rude.’
From Yu Bihong’s expression, I could tell it wasn’t something to ask unless she brought it up herself.
“Ryu Cheon, is your mother an elf?”
Then!
Our Ara asked the very question that had been scratching at my curiosity.
She must’ve been thinking about it this whole time, tilting her head, waiting for the right moment to ask.
“You do look a little similar!”
“I do?”
“Yeah! You’re pretty!”
“…You’re cute.”
Staring blankly at Ara for a moment, Ryu Cheon finally confessed the thing we’d all been wondering.
“My father was a promising Awakener. You may or may not have heard of him—his name was Ryu Hwei. He was fairly well known.”
That was the first time I’d heard that name.
As both Ara and I looked puzzled, Yu Bihong added an explanation.
“He wasn’t famous enough for his name to reach Korea. He was a rising star, really. At the time, he was ranked 5.”
So maybe he had some recognition within China, even if not internationally.
As Ara and I listened, eyes wide with interest, Ryu Cheon continued her story.
“Then one day, he happened to discover a dungeon inhabited by native beings. That’s where he met the elves.”
“Aha.”
“My father fell for the elves’ charm and ended up living with them. That’s probably when he married my mother. He didn’t even tell my grandfather, of course.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, he acted completely on his own like that?
If it was Ryu Wang-jin back then, he must have exploded with rage.
“He lived in secret with the elves and eventually had me. But because I was born with a weak body, my father eventually decided to return to the outside world.”
“Oh dear.”
Didn’t even need to see it to imagine.
His son, who had vanished for over a year, suddenly reappeared with a newborn daughter.
And that daughter was in very poor health.
I couldn’t imagine how Ryu Wang-jin or Skyscraper felt back then.
‘I don’t even want to picture it.’
It seemed Ryu Cheon’s father had a very different personality from mine.
“Then… what about your father now…?”
I didn’t think he would’ve gone back to the dungeon after bringing Ryu Cheon out.
“He passed away.”
“Ah! I–I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay. I don’t really remember him anyway.”
I had put my foot in my mouth.
I hadn’t expected that he was already gone.
I didn’t know how he died, but what a turbulent life it must have been.
And now I understood a bit better why Ryu Wang-jin doted on his granddaughter so much.
“The dungeon where my mother lived—there’s been no word from it since. My father never told anyone the location, so we don’t even know where it is. We don’t know if it was cleared or if a Break occurred.”
What happens to a dungeon when it’s cleared?
Many scholars had proposed theories, but no one knew for sure.
When a dungeon is cleared, the raiding team is allowed to exit, and the entrance closes.
So what happens to the dungeon itself?
Does it remain?
‘It’s possible.’
Considering things like the infinite dungeon I’ve been staying in, clearing it doesn’t seem to make the dungeon disappear.
Maybe only the passage connecting Earth and the dungeon vanishes, while the dungeon itself remains.
If so, then there’s a high chance Ryu Cheon’s mother is still alive, somewhere in another dimension.
“No way.”
“Yes?”
“Oh! It’s nothing. I was just thinking about something.”
…Could Ryu Cheon’s mother be in the dimension I ended up in?
Still, you never know.
I’ll try casually asking next time I visit tomorrow.
“Ryu Cheon, don’t you ever want to see your mother?”
“I am curious, but that’s all.”
Ryu Cheon shook her head side to side.
Her expression didn’t show a single hint of emotion.
Well, she had been brought outside as a newborn, so she probably never even felt their presence.
And judging by how Ryu Wang-jin treated her, it seemed she’d received plenty of love.
‘Though that must’ve come with its own struggles.’
While we were exchanging stories about Ryu Cheon’s past and the elves, Jung So-yeon—who had briefly stepped away—returned with someone.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor? Oh, Elder!”
It was Hassan.
Everyone seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance of a Level 9 Awakener.
“Hoho, sorry about that. As soon as I came through the portal, this young lady caught me.”
“Uh, everyone. This is Elder Hassan. Elder, this is Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong from the Skyscraper Guild, and Ms. Jung So-yeon of Ara Hongryeon.”
“Are you Hassan al-Din Sinan? It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Yu Bihong of Skyscraper Guild.”
“Ryu Cheon.”
After a brief round of introductions, Hassan explained why he’d come.
“There seems to be something unusual happening with the World Tree. Mark2 keeps going bbyong bbyong.”
“Mark2’s going bbyong bbyong?”
What’s going on?
We politely excused ourselves from the guests and decided to follow Hassan.
Since it was just a quick trip through the portal, it wasn’t much of a burden.
As soon as we crossed over and headed toward the World Tree, we could see that it had already grown to a dizzying height.
‘That was fast.’
We’d barely moved since exiting the portal, and yet the World Tree was already in sight—at this rate, in about a year, it might be like the one in the dungeon.
Judging by its size, it could easily hold an entire village inside.
Bbyorong!
“Mark2! What’s going on?”
“Mark2! Long time no see!”
Mark2 popped out just in time and greeted us warmly.
And then, an unexpected person appeared behind him.
“Huh? Hello there.”
It was Eli, the Harmonizer.
He bowed slightly and greeted us like he knew us.
Was this just a random visit?
—That thought crossed my mind just as Eli spoke.
“Thanks to you, I’m doing well.”
“Oh, are you living here now?”
“Yes.”
Seems like he’s settled in for good.
Unexpected.
“Hello, indeed.”
“Hi.”
While he exchanged greetings with Ara, Mark2 was saying something to me.
Bbyong bbyong!
“He really is going bbyong bbyong.”
From what I could gather, the World Tree had entered adolescence.
And now, it seemed like it might be possible to connect it to the one in the dungeon.
If I understood Mark2 this well, then I was definitely getting better at deciphering him.
Still, just in case, I asked Ara to translate, and it turned out I was pretty much right.
“Oooh, fascinating.”
“The World Trees will be connected…?”
Hassan and Eli were both surprised by this revelation.
Especially Eli, who seemed intrigued by the fact that there was another World Tree in the dungeon I stayed in.
“So that’s why you had the World Tree seed.”
“Yes. But it’s not like you can just get a World Tree seed easily.”
“Of course. If such an incredible tree were that easy to grow, that would be even more strange.”
But ever since earlier, Eli had been unusually friendly and gentle.
He hadn’t seemed this polite the last time I saw him.
“Have you taken a liking to this place?”
“Hm? Ah, I won’t deny it. These days, I feel at peace, like I’m living a second life.”
“That’s wonderful!”
It looked like Eli had become a prisoner to the World Tree.
Which, from my point of view, wasn’t a bad thing at all.
“Well then, let’s find out how to make the connection.”
“Mark2! How do we do it?”
When I asked Mark2 how to connect the World Trees, he started explaining enthusiastically, complete with bbyong bbyong sounds.
“You’ll need fairy enchantments and elf magic.”
“…Fairy enchantments and elf magic?”
What kind of requirement is that?
Honestly, I thought once the World Tree grew enough, the connection would just happen automatically.
But thinking about it, of course it wouldn’t be that easy.
“This is more complicated than I expected.”
“Fairy enchantments? Elf magic?”
Hassan and Eli were also surprised by the unexpected list of ingredients.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“You’ll also need the ancient blessing of a High Elf!”
“Oh come on…”
Why does the list keep getting longer?
“And the Awakening Elixir of the Fairy Queen! Plus, an elven relic!”
“T-That’s a lot of stuff?!”
But if I think about it…
I actually have all of it.
‘If I manage to build enough trust with the elves, I might be able to ask for their help?!’
The problem was, I couldn’t bring the elves outside the portal.
I wasn’t sure of the exact requirements, but if the elves needed to directly interact with the World Tree, then this could become a real challenge.
‘Wait a second! Doesn’t the elf village have its own World Tree too?’
…This might work.
Maybe I can try linking to the elf village’s World Tree first!
Cliche Novel 