Chapter 72: Core (2)

While exploring the gallery, you can come across interesting things very often.

From trash posts with absolutely no meaning, to texts that unexpectedly have quite a bit of depth.

And what does that mean?

That you can easily find the information you’re looking for, or on the contrary, something completely bizarre might appear.

On top of that, the gallery isn’t divided into specific categories and everything is mixed together in one place, so the amount of content is absurd.

‘And there are even homonyms too, how annoying.’

I had been searching for information related to cores.

Just in case, I typed “guardian core” into the search bar, but I didn’t find anything truly useful.

The most valuable information was that cores were one of the rarest materials and possessed enormous magical value.

Especially because the core itself was an enormous mass of mana, so it had countless uses.

‘So should I give it to AllFather or StarlightPrincess?’

Either way, for me it was a troublesome object.

On top of that, it was huge.

They said a normal guardian’s core was about the size of a fist, but the one I obtained was almost the size of a basketball.

The larger the core, the stronger the guardian, so I had been quite lucky.

‘If it hadn’t been an orichalcum guardian, would I have died?’

The orichalcum guardian had the characteristic of being extremely sensitive to mana.

That ended up working both as an advantage and a disadvantage, and thanks to that I barely managed to win.

I stared at the extinguished core before scratching my head.

‘First, I’ll ask.’

The only thing certain was that it would hardly have any use for me.

It couldn’t be absorbed like an elixir, nor could it be carried around like the crystal sphere.

I couldn’t even use it to play ball. It was so hard that it felt like I’d break my bones if I kicked it.

Though it was pretty round, so Wonmo could probably roll it around really well. But for that, I’d rather just get a soccer ball.

Title) I want to get rid of the core

WildGrills

(Photo of the core with a hole in the center)

It doesn’t seem useful to me at all. Does anyone want it?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) And what can be done with that?

ㄴWildGrills) I’m not really sure either. According to DwarfPassingBy, it’s like fuel or something.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) I don’t think I would need it.

ㄴWildGrills) Understood.

ㄴSwordmaster) It’s easier to think of a core as the highest-quality battery possible.

ㄴWildGrills) And how does that help me?

ㄴSwordmaster) Pretty trash?

ㄴWildGrills) ;;;

ㄴAllFather) I don’t really need it either. I’ve already mastered all research related to cores, so it has no meaning for me.

ㄴWildGrills) Do you think it could be useful for me?

ㄴAllFather) Not particularly. You don’t have machines and you also can’t use magic, so for you it would be little more than a burden.

ㄴWildGrills) What about carrying it around to absorb mana whenever I run low? That doesn’t sound too bad.

ㄴAllFather) If it were small, that would be different, but it’s far too large, so it would be difficult. Still, it’s not a bad option. Though it would need repairs.

ㄴWildGrills) If I have to repair it, then I’d rather just give it to someone else.

ㄴStarlightPrincess) I also recently changed the power source of my laboratory, so I don’t need it either. If I had known this, I would’ve waited a few days. What a shame.

ㄴWildGrills) That’s unfortunate. It seems cores really are pretty useful.

ㄴStarlightPrincess) They are portable masses of mana. Considering how much mana things like refrigerators consume, they’re quite practical.

The general evaluation was this.

It was a good item, but with very limited uses.

That it wasn’t worth spending money on just to use it as a battery and things like that.

In short, it was an inconvenient object to handle.

‘Maybe the best thing is to put it up for auction…?’

Just as I was thinking that.

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Excuse me! If you don’t need the core, would you trade with me?

ㄴAnd what are you doing here?

ㄴSometimes she just appears out of nowhere.

ㄴShe’s probably about to say something stupid again ;;

LetsPlantTrees made a proposal in an energetic yet respectful tone.

But why all of a sudden?

Honestly, LetsPlantTrees’ proposal was completely unexpected.

‘Though she does comment from time to time.’

LetsPlantTrees was a fairly famous user.

But in a bad way.

Even based on the information circulating around the gallery, she was an elf with an excessively imperialistic mindset.

And she also justified territorial invasions, though you could never tell whether she was serious or joking.

‘She feels like the complete opposite of the moderator?’

Both were active, but public opinion and each of their ways of thinking were completely different.

Maybe because of that, I felt like I was unconsciously treating her with prejudice, though I managed to restrain myself.

After all, she was still a user willing to trade for a core that, to me, was nothing more than a nuisance.

ㄴWildGrills) I can trade it, but what can you offer? If it’s trees or seeds, I reject it immediately.

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) How about some saplings from Alvenheim?

ㄴWildGrills) What I already have the most around me are trees ;;

ㄴSeriously makes you want to punch her in the solar plexus hahaha

ㄴAt this point it’s not even that she has no shame, she literally has none.

ㄴAverage elf hahaha

I hoped she was joking.

Please let it just be a character.

The gallery was full of people doing absurd roleplay.

If it wasn’t acting, then that was a pretty serious problem.

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Then there’s no helping it. How about a bow?

ㄴWildGrills) I already have a crossbow. I don’t think I need one.

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Didn’t you say before that you belonged to a race skilled with bows?

ㄴWildGrills) Not all elves are good with bows, right?

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Ah. Now I understand perfectly. Very well! Then what about cigarettes made from World Tree leaves?

ㄴWildGrills) Cigarettes? Are you talking about tobacco?

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Yes!

She was so calm while proposing to trade a core for cigarettes that it completely baffled me.

I wasn’t worried about the smell. After all, I had already smoked things before, so the smell of tobacco wasn’t an issue.

But the fact that she said it with such confidence made me feel curiosity more than disbelief.

ㄴWildGrills) You sound so confident that it almost seems like they’re good.

ㄴThey are. They’re one of Alvenheim’s most famous products.

ㄴWhat if I told you it’s a cigarette that’s good for your health? They’re better than many medicinal herbs.

ㄴWildGrills) In what world does a healthy cigarette exist?

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) In this one!

I wasn’t convinced at all.

This world had a less developed civilization than Earth.

Although some fields could compare to or even surpass Earth, there were still many shortcomings.

And even so, it took an extremely long time on Earth to discover how harmful tobacco really was.

Even if it were made from World Tree leaves, it didn’t seem trustworthy to me.

‘I think they just consider it luxury tobacco.’

I searched the gallery and, sure enough, they treated it almost like a premium cigar.

Some people said it helped with mana circulation methods or internal techniques, while others said it could be used as incense and similar things.

Since none of those posts seemed remotely trustworthy, I completely ignored them.

Either way, for someone like me, whose priority was survival, a recreational product like tobacco was just another nuisance.

And above all, if I were a smoker, I would’ve simply bought it from the auction house.

ㄴWildGrills) I’d prefer items that actually help my survival.

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) Then how about some gloves?

ㄴWildGrills) What kind of gloves?

ㄴLetsPlantTrees) World Tree gloves! They’re made with silk produced by worms raised on World Tree leaves.

ㄴWildGrills) Are they good?

ㄴOf course they are ;; We’re talking about the World Tree!!!

ㄴThis guy lives trapped in a forest and knows nothing about the outside world hahaha

ㄴAnd the place he lives in is even more absurd lol

It seemed they weren’t just good, but extremely rare.

I listened to the explanation of their properties.

That they were lighter than any other gloves, that they felt like wearing nothing at all, that they were durable and difficult to tear.

And the most impressive ability was regeneration. As long as they were supplied with mana, they could repair themselves to a certain extent.

‘Aren’t these amazing?’

For someone like me, who constantly uses his hands, they seemed like an excellent item.

Until now I hadn’t mentioned it, but my hands were pretty wrecked.

Chopping trees, starting campfires, cleaning fish, organizing charcoal, sword training, and many other things.

My hands were practically never in good condition.

Even though I did have the gloves DwarfPassingBy gave me, they were more of a basic model.

On top of that, they were designed for rough work like combat or construction, so they were uncomfortable for tasks that required precision.

‘In a way, hands are even more important than feet.’

I thought this was definitely worth it and accepted LetsPlantTrees’ proposal.

After all, the core was practically a burden and I just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

[LetsPlantTrees has registered an item for the trade.]

[LetsPlantTrees: Thank you very much for this excellent trade! Don’t you need anything else?]

[WildGrills: Not for now. But these really are good, right?]

[LetsPlantTrees: I can guarantee it while betting the pride and dignity of the elves!]

[WildGrills: Thanks. By the way, what are you planning to do with the core?]

[LetsPlantTrees: I cannot explain it in detail, but I will be able to plant trees much more efficiently.]

A combination of imperialist and environmentalist mentality.

Not even caramelized dog meat skewers would be such a bizarre combination.

Still, she helped me a lot, so I decided to go along with her a little.

[WildGrills: Do you like planting trees?]

[LetsPlantTrees: Yes! My goal is to plant the beautiful trees of Alvenheim all over the world!]

[WildGrills: From what I heard, it sounds like there’s a lot of opposition are you sure that’s okay?]

[LetsPlantTrees: You have nothing to worry about!]

And that only made me more worried.

What kind of existence were the elves of this world?

Normally elves symbolized nobility, but this person was practically a walking calamity.

Of course, all that information came solely from the gallery, so I shouldn’t let prejudice guide me.

But when the first elf you trade with turns out like this, it was inevitable to become suspicious.

[LetsPlantTrees: Thank you very much for accepting the trade! May the blessing of the World Tree be with you!]

[WildGrills: Thank you.]

Well, she seemed like a good person, so I decided to let it slide.

I finished the trade with LetsPlantTrees and checked the items.

“Hmm?”

But this person sent some pretty strange things.

And not just a few.

The bow made with high-quality materials I could understand.

Even the tobacco, though I had no idea why she sent it.

But the small tree with glowing bluish leaves was impossible to ignore.

A flowerpot with a sapling.

‘No way.’

Did she really give me this so I would plant it?

I could strongly feel her obsessive will to plant trees.

The bow and the tobacco were probably little more than bribes to make it happen.

Though, since she did give me some really good gloves, I had no reason to complain.

‘Well. I can plant it, but I’ll leave the rest to nature.’

I checked the gloves LetsPlantTrees gave me.

And honestly.

‘…Don’t these look like work gloves?’

They looked like cotton gloves without the red rubber coating.

The difference was that they were whiter and had a much softer texture.

I stared at those strangely familiar gloves before quietly putting them on.

‘These aren’t bad at all.’

The feeling while wearing them was excellent.

They even had good ventilation, so much that I could feel even the softest breeze.

It felt like my hands would never sweat in them again.

I wanted to test their other abilities too, but I decided to leave that for later.

‘She even gave me three pairs.’

According to what they said, they were extremely expensive and rare, but she was pretty generous.

The next thing I checked was the tobacco made from World Tree leaves.

At first glance, it looked more like a cigar than a normal cigarette.

‘She gave me quite a lot.’

There were a total of five cigarettes stored inside a small wooden box.

It could even be opened and closed repeatedly, and it had a compartment that seemed to function as an ashtray.

Finally, I looked at the noble-looking, gleaming bow.

I tried pulling the string to see how much strength it required.

“Ugh!”

But the tension was far stronger than expected and barely moved.

It reminded me of the first time I received the crossbow from the dwarf.

“Graaah!”

Only after letting out a shout and exerting all my strength did I manage to pull it fully.

I had definitely become stronger since then, but even so this was absurdly heavy.

What kind of person was the elf who used this bow?

Especially LetsPlantTrees.

‘Weren’t archers supposed to be agile characters?’

Or was the monster actually the user of the bow?

All of this confused me quite a bit.

It seemed mastering this bow would take a very long time.

And by the day I could properly use it.

How much would I already have adapted to this place?

Sincerely hoping that day would never come, I turned my head.

And there was the sapling carefully placed inside the flowerpot.

“……”

Yeah. Whatever. I’ll plant it.

It wasn’t that hard to make a confirmation post.

***

Title) I got another pet.

WildGrills

(Photo of the strangely adorable sapling)

LetsPlantTrees gave me this cute little sapling. Thank you very much.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) What kind of plant is it?

ㄴWildGrills) I don’t know. I just accepted what she gave me.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) I have a bad feeling about it, but it really is pretty.

ㄴWildGrills) I guess it’ll take a really long time to grow.

ㄴSwordmaster) If an elf gave it to you, it probably won’t be anything ordinary.

ㄴWildGrills) Do strange plants exist too?

ㄴSwordmaster) Of course. There are even carnivorous plants.

ㄴWildGrills) …..

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) This guy got something weird from a pointy-eared bastard hahaha

ㄴWildGrills) What’s so weird about a sapling? She helped me a lot, so I wanted to return the favor at least with this.

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Well. The Forest of Four Seasons is neutral territory, so nobody will be able to touch it.

ㄴBut that damn elf really is persistent hahaha. In the end she managed to plant it.

ㄴI don’t know whether to call it determination or pure obsession ;;

ㄴThose arrogant elves are pretty stubborn lol

ㄴAnd to think someone actually managed to break the stubbornness of those old elf geezers?

ㄴLooking at it that way, the elf queen is completely crazy too hahaha

“Heh. How pleasant.”

Golden hair shining as if woven from threads of gold.

Dazzling beauty and pointed ears, traits characteristic of elves.

Green eyes that seemed to directly represent the vegetation of the forest.

And even though she wore an elegant dress, it was impossible to hide the curves of her body.

“Now even in the Forest of Four Seasons, the trees of Alvenheim have taken root.”

An elf openly expressed her satisfaction.

Her mature appearance combined with a youthful aura gave her a dizzying charm.

Knock, knock.

[Your Majesty. I have answered your summons.]

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

The elf closed the gallery window before responding softly.

“Come in.”

A calm and crystal-clear voice.

With permission granted, the door slowly opened and another elf appeared.

“You have arrived.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But why did you summon me…?”

“Let us say the time has come to prepare the foundation for a great cause.”

“Huh?”

The elf widened his eyes at the incomprehensible words of the queen.

Then the queen lowered her gaze toward the round sphere resting on her lap.

The core she obtained through trading with Grills.

The very same core pierced by a sword.

The elf queen observed the core with a deep smile before speaking again.

“Prepare the experiment immediately. We have already secured the power source.”

“B-but the elders…”

“……”

“I-it’s nothing! I’ll prepare it immediately!”

The elf stopped talking and hurriedly left.

It almost looked as though he was fleeing.

The elf queen watched that with a satisfied smile before quietly murmuring.

“Let’s make Alvenheim great again!”