Chapter 67

I obtained the Star Heir class, and just like my magic power turned into holy power, I had to be prepared for such variables.

‘Excellent.’

My thumb naturally shot up.

Panginea is a place where countless variables exist.

It was a game of overcoming variables.

Naturally, with one variable blocked, it couldn't be anything but excellent.

‘High Druid’s Great Nature.’

The hidden trait, Druid’s affinity with nature, evolved into High Druid’s Great Nature.

Although it evolved, I still couldn’t feel it.

Similarly, I wasn’t sure if it was a trait specialized for elementals, or if it had additional functions like how the ‘Heart of the Eternal Overlord’ deleted the dungeon’s conditions.

‘I’ll have to experience it to know.’

Still, there was something I could check right away.

‘What is this skill?’

A skill was created.

The name of the skill that appeared after eating the World Tree’s fruit was none other than...

...Rapid Growth.

There was no proper explanation.

After pondering for a moment, I decided to use it on myself.

It didn’t seem to be a skill that targeted the body.

How about the flower in the pot?

Mirazia, a flower that nobles in Panginea often kept for ornamental purposes, was on the windowsill of this room.

When I used the Rapid Growth skill on it, it took effect.

What kind of change would there be?

Would it grow quickly and then die?

“Hmm...?”

It was completely different from what I expected.

Crack!

Squeak!

The roots of the flower grew wildly, breaking the pot and slowly climbing up the windowsill and the room.

“What, what’s happening... Huh?!”

“...!!”

Isaac and Isabella, who entered due to the commotion, were shocked at the scene in the room.

The roots, which had spread like tentacles, filled the room.

*

Beep-

Beep-

In a sterile patient room, a man opened his eyes.

The man, who had dilated his pupils, quickly removed the breathing apparatus covering his mouth and got up from his bed.

“M-Master! If you suddenly get up...!”

In the monitoring room where the man was being checked, an old man hurriedly tried to stop him.

“Master Oliver. You need to rest. Getting so excited is harmful to your heart.”

But the man called Oliver paid no attention.

“The Great One will come. How could I not be excited?”

“Eh? What, what do you mean by that?”

“Melson. Go to Korea and escort that person. You must ensure that they can come here comfortably, without a single flaw. That’s why Melson must go.”

Melson’s eyes widened.

This was the first time he had seen Oliver so excited.

Oliver, who was naturally frail and had no interest in other people’s affairs.

Oliver, who was detached from worldly matters and found living a burden.

And yet, the Great One.

‘It doesn’t seem like something that should be said between people.’

...It was almost as if he was treating a deity.

Phantom. No, Mr. Park Hyun-myeong?

Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked.

When I tilted my head,

“Eh...!”

Isaac opened his mouth even wider.

Only then did I realize he wasn’t looking at me but behind me.

I slowly turned around.

‘Ah, I see.’

One of the roots was mimicking my movements.

When I moved my hand to the left, the root moved to the left.

The same for the right.

After about 30 seconds, it quickly withered.

“What, what was that just now?”

“It’s a new skill I obtained.”

“A skill...?”

What kind of skill could be so bizarre?

A skill to grow roots and move them at will.

Even a High Druid, a guardian of the forest, couldn’t do such a feat.

I stroked my chin and looked at the withered root, coming to a conclusion.

“I need to do some experiments.”

*

Rapid Growth was more efficient when used on seeds rather than already grown plants.

It quickly sprouted, rooted, and moved for about 2 minutes before withering.

‘I can use this for traps.’

I thought about the uses of this skill.

Growing plants to bear fruit and selling them could help the household, but the growth wouldn’t last that long.

Growing roots and moving them seemed suitable for traps or to trip people.

‘The skill’s versatility will increase as the level goes up.’

The skill was still at level 1.

Who knows, maybe at level 10, I could grow trees like the World Tree.

‘I can use it like the Entangle spell, create obstacles...’

Entangle, a spell that grows small roots to trip people.

The size can be adjusted, and the condition is to plant seeds in advance, but with enough seeds, there’s no limit to the number of uses.

It could also be used to create obstacles or build walls.

It seemed useful for preparing for the upcoming ‘Abyss Labyrinth.’

‘Seeds were more efficient than grown plants. Among seeds, there must be some that are even more efficient.’

Pursuing extreme efficiency is a Korean racial trait, isn’t it?

I was no exception.

I swept all the plant seeds from the castle’s warehouse and began experimenting with them one by one.

*

Melson, who arrived at Gimpo Airport, slowly looked around.

‘Korea. It has developed so much.’

Melson had been to Korea in the distant past, during the time when it was a developing country.

Compared to then, Korea had changed so much.

It seemed like a country that had been in a constant state of tension due to the Cold War.

To think this place, which had struggled to even launch a proper airplane, now had such a large airport.

People’s faces were filled with a certain ease.

‘The person Master Oliver spoke of is here.’

Honestly, he was still skeptical.

Oliver, who was extremely wary of outsiders.

Oliver, who had almost no contact with his family, was actively trying to meet someone.

While it was a welcome task for Melson, he had no information about the person Oliver wanted to meet.

All Melson knew was that he was a Korean and his name.

-Mr. Park Hyun-myeong.

He held a sign with the man’s name.

If someone who knew Melson saw him, they would have been shocked.

But Melson didn’t care.

After all, he came here in secret, and no one in Korea knew him.

Most importantly, it was Master Oliver’s earnest request. He would gladly do it, no matter the place.

How much time had passed?

“Gracia!”

“Gracia! Just one word, please!”

“Are you leaving Korea?”

Suddenly, the outside became noisy.

Surrounded by numerous reporters, someone was entering the airport.

Gracia.

The strongest Dimension Warrior who had been staying in Korea!

He had appeared at the airport, intending to leave Korea.

*

As soon as I arrived at the airport, flashes went off, and the surroundings became noisy.

‘Gracia.’

The cause of the commotion.

The moment I saw the man at the center, I knew who he was.

Not only because he was widely covered in the media, but also because I recognized him instinctively.

‘They say the day you leave is the day of misfortune.’

Of all days, it had to be the day Gracia was leaving.

Moreover, I thought I saw Kim Hana among the reporters.

I tried to pass by quietly, pressing my cap down.

If I recognized him, he might recognize me too.

After walking for a while, I found an old man holding a sign with my name.

He had white hair and a dignified, gentlemanly appearance.

“I am Park Hyun-myeong.”

“Who invited you?”

The old man spoke Korean fluently.

“Oliver.”

The old man smiled brightly upon hearing the answer.

“I am Melson, Master Oliver’s butler. Please follow me comfortably.”

Melson started walking, folding the sign, as if he couldn’t afford to waste time.

He headed straight somewhere without waiting in line or going through any procedures.

When we entered a building marked ‘SGBAC,’ the staff bowed 90 degrees to Melson and greeted him warmly.

But they tilted their heads when they saw me standing behind.

“Who is this...?”

“He is coming with me.”

“Oh! I apologize. I will quickly assist with the procedures.”

Melson’s words changed the way they looked at and treated me.

Following the staff’s guidance, the immigration, quarantine, and customs procedures were completed swiftly, without any waiting. The whole process took less than 10 minutes.

Only then did I realize this was a VIP terminal for private jets.

A place where domestic and international VIPs could come and go quietly and secretly.

‘Hudson didn’t mention this.’

He just said it was a ‘wealthy family,’ not that they were rich enough to have a private jet.

If I had flown first class, I wouldn’t have been this surprised.

But I couldn’t just be amazed.

‘Gracia...’

Because he was there.

After passing the check-in counter, I saw Gracia again.

Gracia, who had also flown in from the U.S. on a private jet.

The problem was Gracia’s gaze.

He was alternating his gaze between me and Melson.

‘Did he recognize me?’

I had that thought for a moment, but the possibility was low.

Gracia and I had no connection. I recognized him instantly because he had been in the news a lot.

There was no one in Korea who didn’t know Gracia’s face.

But I couldn’t be 100% sure.

In Panginea, there were thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of ways to identify someone.

He might have recognized me as a player, as Randolph.

After all, Gracia had been a player for much longer than I had.

There was a possibility that he knew something I didn’t.

‘If a battle were to break out...’

I considered the worst-case scenario.

If Gracia recognized me and we ended up fighting.

At least, if Gracia ‘descended,’ I couldn’t win.

But if, as Hudson said, a player’s real body was no different from an ordinary person’s, a surprise attack might work in this state.

No, that’s not right.

A surprise attack wouldn’t work.

The Goddess’s rights.

He must have the same ‘Protective Wall’ as me.

You get a Protective Wall for ranking in the top of Main Quest 3, and Gracia was in first place.

Even though he was pushed to second place by me, he still had a level 9 Protective Wall.

‘The Protective Wall protects the body in the place you logged out from.’

Of course, we were in the real world, where we had logged in.

So, the Protective Wall wouldn’t activate.

But I dismissed this thought.

‘He must have many more rights than me.’

There must be other rights similar to the Protective Wall.

There had to be.

If he used those rights to buy time and descend...

There was no need to elaborate on what would happen next.

‘His gaze is piercing.’

Until boarding the private jet, Gracia kept looking at me and Melson.

Coincidentally, his private jet was right next to ours.

His gaze continued until the entrance of the private jet closed.

*

There’s nothing more to gain in Korea.

Gracia made this final judgment.

He didn’t find the owner of the Hydra Dragon’s soul, a material for a unique-grade sword, and when the ‘Dimensional Rift’ opened, he gained nothing.

At the time, Gracia was in Korea, not the U.S., so public opinion in the U.S. was not in his favor.

‘I need to prepare for the Abyss Labyrinth.’

He let go of his attachment.

The Abyss Labyrinth was more important.

To break through the Abyss Labyrinth, he needed to return to his home country and entrust his body to someone he could trust.

Because of the labyrinth’s insane condition that resets upon logging out.

‘A place where absolute secrecy is guaranteed.’

He couldn’t trust anyone.

He needed a place and a person to hide himself.

The other 8 Heroes?

He couldn’t trust them either.

They might send an assassin to hinder or kill him.

While most attacks would be blocked by his rights, they weren’t infinite.

If he logged out due to an external attack, he would face the disaster of the labyrinth resetting.

‘I might be able to obtain the Hydra Dragon’s soul in the Abyss Labyrinth.’

But there was a reason he had to challenge it despite the harsh conditions.

The Labyrinth Merchant.

There were rumors that when the merchant appeared, the location was announced to all participants.

Rumors that the ‘Labyrinth Merchant’ sold things that were almost impossible to obtain through normal means, including various souls.

Moreover,

‘Rai Lee, the Sword Saint.’

Someone who, like him, continued the lineage of the Sword Saint.

‘I will kill Rai Lee.’

There can only be one Sword Saint in an era.

Two cannot coexist.

Even if the ruler of the labyrinth, he couldn’t tolerate someone using the name ‘Sword Saint.’

By killing Rai Lee, he would announce to the world that he was the true Sword Saint.

He would sink the ancient Sword Saint completely into the abyss.

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