1283 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Mua. The Forgotten World Tree. It was a being I had encountered during the past Demonic Realm Gate transfer incident, and I later learned that it originally took root in the Central Plains. It was also the being that revealed to me that my mother was the Master of Myriad Worlds. ‘The one who designated me as an apostle.’ It was also the being that gave me the Apostle's Mark. ‘Could it exist?’ Does such a being as Mua exist in this world? I am not certain. I did see something beneath the Gu family’s underground, but— ‘This place isn't completely perfect.’ As much of this is a fabricated world, not everything has been perfectly crafted and designed. There are definitely places that don't exist here. ‘Mua might not exist here.’ Mua might not be in this world. Nevertheless, I intended to search for it. “Dark King.” I turned to the Dark King nearby and asked. He looked at me. “Have you ever seen a gigantic tree in this world?” “……A gigantic tree?” “Yes. Not just big, but absurdly large.” “How big?” “Big enough to overshadow all the clouds?” The Mua of my memory was quite large. Maybe somewhat smaller than the tree on the volcanic mountain of Myriad Worlds? “I haven’t seen anything like that.” The Dark King said he hadn’t seen a tree of that magnitude. That’s disappointing. ‘It’s not like the Dark King has explored every corner of this world.’ Still, with his authority, he seemed to know a lot about this place, but he hadn’t seen such a tree. ‘……Could it be nonexistent?’ I had considered that possibility. Or perhaps, ‘It might be hidden, making it unfindable.’ Since Mua wasn’t an ordinary tree, that might be the case. ‘In that case.’ It seems I’ll need to search for it myself. The only way was to venture myself in search of it. I nodded and began to wander through the cave. The first person I found was Mi Hyoran. She was resting, appearing quite exhausted. “……You’ve come?” “Yes. What about the Vice-chief of the Divine Dragon Troop?” “The Vice-chief is in the same condition as well…….” “I see.” I scratched my cheek. “Is something the matter……?” “Not really. I think I’ve done all I need to here. I’m planning to head out for a bit.” “……Head out? Where to?” Mi Hyoran straightened up from her leaning position as she responded to my words. “I’m not planning to go far. I’ll need a few days. There’s something I need to find.” “……A few days?” “Yes. I’ll probably return to the hideout where I met Miss Mi.” “But why all of a sudden…….” “I already told you that I have some work to do. So, please don’t worry about me and focus on your own tasks.” “…….” A look of unease flitted across her eyes. Was she hoping to ask something more of me? I’m not sure if that was the case. “I’m off then. Please relay this to the others.” “H-hey…….” I turned my back on Mi Hyoran decisively. Now wasn’t the time to worry about Mi Hyoran or Namgung Jin. ‘Faster.’ I needed to handle these matters quickly, whether they pertain to this world or concerns here. * * * I exited the cave. Outside, the Dark King was waiting. Was he planning to come along with me? “You don’t need to accompany me, Dark King.” When I said this, he gave me a look of surprise. “It’s convenient to use your power, but I think I can manage this time. Please take care of our party instead.” He didn’t respond. He merely stared at me intently. What kind of look is that? As I pondered over it, “Oh.” I realized. “I’m not running away or anything.” “…….” I wondered if he was concerned I might flee due to our contract. “That's not it.” The Dark King clarified that wasn’t the concern. “If not, is it something bothering you?” “It doesn’t matter that you’re leaving alone. It’s just.” He gestured towards my vicinity and continued. “Beware of the Iron-Blooded Warrior. He targets you.” “Oh.” He's concerned about the encased armor. I nodded, understanding. “I understand.” He meant not to release the seal and sorcery on the armored encasement. I got it. I wasn’t keen on getting further entangled with that elder right now. “See you later, then.” I left the Dark King and gathered my strength under the moonlight. Whoosh-! I leapt into the air. To conserve my energy, I wouldn’t fly for now. It might seem excessive to conserve like this, but with scarce resources, I have no choice but to be frugal. ‘Now then.’ I hovered slightly above the ground, looking around. ‘Where should I start?’ I had no fixed location in mind. There was no certainty that Mua would be where I knew it to be. Finding it through brute force seemed like the only answer for now. ‘Hold on.’ As I turned my head, I recalled something I’d forgotten. Now that I think of it, ‘Don’t I have a mark on me?’ Mua's Apostle's Mark, left on me. Though I had already used it in my past life, so I hadn't paid much attention to it in this one. ‘Maybe.’ Could it still be useful? Plop. I landed softly and immediately closed my eyes. I needed to awaken a certain sense within me. ‘Where is it?’ It had been ages since I last used it. Would it still linger? I had shed my old self, and my body changed with various energies long ago. It was doubtful whether anything from back then remained. ‘……Let me see.’ Still, it seemed like the best way, so I focused on searching. As I struggled and strained for some time, Wooong. ‘Ah.’ I found it. Not within the flesh, but in the soul. A faint sense linked to something. This must be it. ‘It’s faint now, but.’ Indeed, it was the mark Mua had placed on me. I concentrated on it. Since it was faint, I was intensely focused so as not to lose it. Wooooong--!! Slowly, I began to feel a response. Using that as a guide, ‘Connect it.’ I infused my senses. Fwhooooosh-!!! ‘……!’ Feeling the extending tether, I turned my head. ‘Found it.’ It was there. Fortunately, Mua existed in this world. As soon as I sensed it, I propelled myself forth with full force. Boom-!! I became a flash tearing through the sky at my maximum speed. The environment shifted. My vision blurred, and I felt pressure on my body from the speed I was traveling at. It had been a while since I’d moved with such velocity. How long had it been since I'd flown this fast? About half to a full shichen (Half a shichen ≈ 1 hour). Around that time, I reached my destination. ‘Somewhere around here?’ The instinct was pointing me to this vicinity. But where? I couldn’t see any tree resembling Mua. ‘……Huh.’ What's going on? Where could it be? I squinted my eyes. It seemed probable that, ‘It’s hidden.’ It seemed deliberately concealed. As soon as I realized that, I opened my spiritual eyes. Hwaaah-. Everything looked different. Threads of subtle magical spells floated in the air. I searched for any suspicious areas as I gazed around. Finally, after some searching, ‘Oh.’ I found an odd spot. There was a faint weaving of threads that I could see. I descended toward it. ‘This is it.’ Something was entangled here. I reached out my hand. Sshh. The threads responded. They didn’t seem too difficult to unravel. With a few swift motions of my hand, The tangled threads unwound and coiled around my hand. When I severed them, Snap-! The sensation shifted, and the view before me wavered. Saaah-!! Like a curtain being lifted, the scenery changed from what appeared to be an endless forest into a small clearing. “……Found it.” This was the place. I took a step forward. Step. I tread onto the clearing, searching for Mua. But then, ‘……What?’ This was definitely the place, as indicated by the mark and confirmed by unsealing the magic. Yet Mua wasn’t visible. ‘A tree of that size shouldn’t be concealed so easily.’ The enormous World Tree, Mua, couldn’t be covered up that simply. But why couldn’t I see it? I was puzzled as I continued to walk. All the while, the mark kept guiding me. Following the sensation, I walked forward. ‘Hmm?’ I saw something up ahead. A lone tree standing conspicuously in the open field. Is that Mua? But then, ‘It's too small.’ It was much smaller than the Mua I knew. While it looked slightly larger than other trees, calling it Mua didn’t seem right. However, ‘……Why is the energy pointing there?’ My mark was unmistakably directing me to that tree. Was that truly Mua? ‘That small?’ Mua wasn’t that small. No matter how I looked at it, something was off. I slowed my pace and approached cautiously. I needed time to inspect it. Narrowing my eyes, I moved closer to the tree. ‘……What is this?’ I halted abruptly. The small tree seemed familiar. It looked identical to the Mua I had once seen. The only difference seemed to be its drastically reduced size. ‘Is it real?’ Is this really Mua? “Hey.” I attempted to address it. Back then, Mua had responded to me. “……Mua. Can you hear me?” Silence. There was no response. I frowned. Was something wrong? Could they have possibly failed to recreate Mua accurately? ‘Tsk.’ That would be inconvenient. I touched Mua's trunk with my hand. The bark felt cold under my fingers. “Say something.” Still silence. I moved to check the condition of the tree. “……If I do it like this…… Huh?” I turned around and froze. “……What?” I couldn’t help but be shocked. Someone was bound to Mua. A familiar face. A woman with white hair and gently closed eyes. It was her. “……Mother?” My mother.