WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

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◈ Alone Against the Tower ◈

Chapter 83: A Poor Decision

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The joy of growth far outweighed the pain of my body burning.

That was why I had been able to keep taking the Emerald Wyvern's attacks despite having no resistance to pain.

The two resistance skills I had newly acquired each reduced overall magical damage and damage with the spell attribute.

After searching the Community, I learned that the property of mana in its natural state, before its nature had been altered, was apparently called the “spell attribute.”

It seemed that various hindering effects caused by magic were also mostly considered spell attribute effects.

Calling it non-attribute would have made more sense, but if that was how the system worked, then so be it.

Anyway, I had succeeded in obtaining the Jade Elixir, the quest objective.

It was a little disappointing that there was no other loot after I had nearly died, but I wasn't terribly dissatisfied.

I hadn't come here for a reward in the first place.

I had come to ask the Dark Elf queen about the World Tree, to find some answer regarding Souls.

I wanted to know the nature of the immense presence I felt from Eleanor.

If someone asked what I would do once I found out, I had nothing to say. Honestly, I didn't know either.

I only had to ignore it and move on, as I always had.

What was wrong with a Non-Player Character acting like a Non-Player Character? I had changed my mind once, but I could always change it back.

The thoughts and memories I had shared with Eleanor, the emotional exchanges between us, I only had to treat them all as though they had never happened.

I just had to return to how things used to be. There was nothing that could become a problem.

Even now, I was growing this smoothly.

[Jade Elixir]

The moment I looked down at the elixir in my hand, I suddenly felt disgusted.

When had I started thinking so inefficiently, telling myself it was fine even without a reward?

I was so irritated that I briefly considered throwing away the elixir in my hand, but I stopped myself.

Well, this was a quest. An Epic Quest, at that. There was no reason to abandon a quest I had already completed.

Calming the mana that churned dangerously within my chest, I left the dungeon.

* * *

After returning to the Dark Elf village, I immediately requested an audience with the queen.

Thanks to my status as Eleanor's betrothed, meeting the queen was not difficult, and I was soon able to hand over the elixir.

The quest completion reward was nothing special, just experience, Gold, and an opportunity to speak with the queen.

I had worried that the elixir might not work, or that she might refuse to see me, but neither happened.

Creeeak.

The queen, leaning back against a creaking bed, glared at me. Her eyes still resembled those of a withered old tree.

“You said you had something to ask me.”

The queen's voice was a little different from when I had heard it on the seventh floor. It was far drier now.

“I have a few things I'm curious about concerning the World Tree. There can't be anyone among the Dark Elves who knows more than you.”

“That is correct.”

“Actually, I didn't come after narrowing down my questions, so it isn't really just a few. I want to hear everything you know.”

The queen slowly blinked. Perhaps because she was closer in age to a fossil than an old woman, even that movement looked like a still life.

Then, without warning, she spoke.

“The royal scepter held by the Forest Elves and the crown held by the Night Elves possess the power to interfere with the World Tree.”

As if she had already realized what I wanted to know.

“With that power, one can interfere with the flow of circulating Souls.”

Then she immediately added,

“That is all. Now you know everything about the World Tree.”

There was nothing more she could tell me.

* * *

The queen's clouded eyes looked straight at me.

I couldn't easily believe what she was saying. That was the only thing I didn't know about the World Tree?

But no matter how much I pressed her, her answer remained the same. That was everything. The World Tree held no hidden secrets.

After that, the queen began telling me everything she knew about the World Tree.

But there was nothing new among it. What the queen told me was not very different from what Erwen had said.

“I see.”

I let out a sigh. I had learned nothing new about either Souls or the World Tree.

It felt pointless. Had I gone through all that trouble for a little experience and Gold?

“Even if you asked the Forest Elves, their answer would be the same. There are no secrets that neither they nor I know.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Even if some secret were hidden, what would it have to do with you? The World Tree has already withered and lost its power.”

That was true. Even if I learned more about the World Tree or Souls, there was nothing I could do with that knowledge.

Still, I hadn't expected the queen to say something like that.

Didn't she still have regrets about the World Tree? Wasn't that why she had accepted the High Elves' offer of peace and given Eleanor to them?

“What regrets could I have for a withered old tree? I only wished for peace for my daughter.”

“It doesn't seem like your daughter wants that.”

“A warlike nature is not easily changed. Once that child experiences war, her thoughts will change.”

After saying that, the queen looked up at the ceiling as though gazing at distant mountains.

“I was the same. I hated the Forest Elves who monopolized the World Tree and drove us out. Before I became queen, and after I became queen, I wanted to wipe them out.”

“We, who had suffered persecution, had the right to do so. The right to defeat them and advance toward a wider world.”

“But after living longer than anyone else, I came to realize one thing. War never changes.”

Come to think of it, I only knew about Dark Elf history on the level of background setting.

“No matter who fired the arrow, no matter how justified that arrow may have been, no one knows who will be pierced through and killed by it.”

“From the moment the bowstring is released, everyone only suffers until they do what should have been done from the beginning.”

The queen said that as she glared at me with sharp eyes.

“Until they sit down together and talk.”

The queen clearly resented me.

* * *

After my long conversation with the queen ended, I stepped outside and blankly looked up at the sky.

“Haah...”

Now I knew that the elf crown and royal scepter could be used to interfere with the World Tree and the flow of Souls.

But knowing that didn't mean I could do anything. No matter what I did, I probably wouldn't be able to obtain them.

And in the first place, since the World Tree had withered, I was told that even possessing them would not let me do anything.

Keeping Eleanor alive, that something I assumed was a Soul that I could sense.

It wasn't as though I had planned to do anything about it, but somehow, it felt empty. What had I really wanted to do?

“Status Window.”

I had gained a level from the quest reward. The new skills I had gained from the Emerald Wyvern caught my eye.

“My stats are crazy.”

I let out a hollow laugh as I looked at stats that did not suit either my level or the floor I was climbing.

I had already become strong enough that playing solo was no longer a problem.

At this rate, clearing the Tower of Trials would probably be easy.

Honestly, if I focused entirely on raising my floor count, I could reach the twenty-fifth floor in no time.

I did not need to risk my life searching for treasure chests in the Labyrinth Area or hidden elements on every floor.

There was no particular need to stay on this floor for a long time and train either. I could practice Mana Manipulation anytime.

Eleanor.

Rizmel.

Erwen.

No matter how much they seemed like people, they were ultimately all Non-Player Characters. Once the quests ended, they would turn into nothing more than empty kiosks.

What could I do when that was how the Tower of Trials had been designed? I too was ultimately a being within the Tower's system.

I received the Tower's invitation, grew through the system granted by the Tower, and moved forward in the way the Tower prescribed.

I only had to continue as I was. As long as I did not stray down another path, I could achieve my goal.

“Yeah. Let's throw it away.”

I had decided never to stop. I should not hold on to regrets anymore.

Just as I always had, just as I had done with other desires, I only had to cut it off and throw it away.

I had castrated every desire. The desire for sleep, hunger, sexual desire, all of it.

This was nothing.

* * *

The next day, I went to Eleanor and spoke to her.

“You're going to help the Reconnaissance Team again?”

The three major factions were still constantly clashing and creating friction. War was already steadily approaching.

Naturally, a Challenger's role in this quest was to help their faction gain the upper hand.

The method was, of course, to complete various subquests. Once I cleared a certain number of quests, Chapter 2 would be over.

Now that I had decided, I had no intention of moving sluggishly. I would clear the quests as quickly as possible and move on to the ninth floor.

“I'm very pleased that you offered that first. Shall I reward you with a kiss?”

“Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Hmm, you're colder than usual today. Somehow, it reminds me of when we first met.”

Of course it did. This was how I had originally treated NPCs.

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