The Player Hides His Past

Chapter 623 – The Stormy Period (1)

Just from these two lines of messages, I could figure it out.

That Alter Ego of the World Tree—it’s our Hiel.

I suppose it’s about time.

Why? Because the way she’s been avoiding answering me reminded me of that time. That stormy adolescent phase. When my damn Wensu used to slam her door shut whenever I tried talking to her…!

‘If I had to guess the reason…’

It’s probably me, Lee Hoyeol.

‘Because I am not someone worthy of controlling Hiel.’

Thinking back on my connection with Hiel.

The only reason I could even see a spirit like her in the first place—

Was entirely thanks to Grandfell’s purity.

‘…Though to put it nicely, that’s just sugarcoating.’

If I were to phrase it as it is, it was actually thanks to his cringe-worthy, middle-school syndrome self that I could perceive Hiel.

Since I hadn’t forgotten that fact, I wasn’t too surprised by the message telling me that Hiel had broken free from my control.

That dignified appearance.

That upright posture.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That impeccable sense of grooming.

‘Because Hiel is not my alter ego—she is Grandfell’s.’

Obviously, I, Lee Hoyeol, know how to understand my place.

Without Grandfell here,

I have no right to feel disappointed in Hiel.

And yet—

“…I will embrace it all.”

I had to desperately continue acting as Grandfell.

‘Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to face him when he returns.’

At the very least, until Grandfell comes back—I had to be perfect.

…Clench.

I silently clenched my fist where Bellier wouldn’t notice. She looked rather dumbfounded. Understandable, considering the words that had just left my mouth.

‘…She must be wondering why I suddenly brought up Hiel.’

Let’s see, what would Grandfell say here?

‘No, wait—you wouldn’t have said anything at all.’

You were always a man of action rather than words.

By now, you would have already opened a portal to the Arcana Continent and begun tracking Hiel’s presence.

You would have already identified the situation.

But like I said—I am not you.

“……Chief Lee.”

Bellier hesitated to continue.

I could already guess why she wasn’t asking outright.

She knew how Grandfell’s temper worked.

I opened my mouth.

“Thanks to you, Senior Mage Bellier.”

“Pardon? W-What did I do wrong…?”

…Hah.

That was meant to be a genuine compliment.

But her reaction—seriously, Grandfell, what kind of life did you lead?

I corrected myself.

“Thanks to you planting the World Tree’s leaf in the Healing School’s private garden, I was able to detect the World Tree’s rampancy.”

Bellier’s eyes widened.

“R-Rampancy, you say…?”

The World Tree’s rampancy.

Bellier looked astonished, probably wondering how I managed to deduce that just from a mere sapling—but knowing how the World Tree functions, it wasn’t that surprising.

“Besides, there’s a message that never lies.”

I discreetly checked the quest window that had popped up.

[World Quest: The Will of the World Tree]

The World Tree, the Arcana Continent itself.

In the face of an impending catastrophe, the World Tree has begun to reveal its true will. Only the one blessed by the First World Tree may confront this unfolding will.

-Confront the rampaging World Trees. (In Progress)

“More accurately, it’s World Trees, Senior Mage Bellier.”

She said this sapling grew from just one leaf, right?

If one had already grown like this, there must be more out there.

I maintained Grandfell’s formal speech and explained the situation.

“The Demon World’s invasion. The resurrection of the Ten Thrones. The Will of the Arcana Continent, which remained dormant through every crisis, has finally begun to move. It is rampantly growing new World Trees, desperately trying to protect Arcana Continent. However, this process is out of control.”

Out of control.

It was a Grandfell-esque reprimand, but I meant it.

Honestly, I just didn’t understand.

Where was the World Tree all this time, only now causing this mess?

‘Then again, I shouldn’t really be the one to talk—given that I am still receiving its blessing.’

At the same time, I know how powerful the World Tree’s blessing is.

I glanced around the Healing School’s private garden once more.

‘These are no longer ordinary medicinal herbs.’

They had already transcended into elixirs.

Just like the elixirs in the Garden of Dignity at the Yusra Kingdom—these were no longer just medicinal plants.

‘Elixirs are not something that can be grown so easily.’

Without the care of someone like Hiel or Elsidore, whose affinity with nature is unparalleled, it wouldn’t matter how advanced the cultivation techniques were.

It would take an enormous amount of time and effort.

‘This must be the effect of the newly emerging World Trees.’

Just look at how influential the World Tree is.

The capital of the Empire, Antonium, is recovering faster than ever.

That’s all because of the World Tree that took root in northern Antonium.

With that in mind, my question was simple.

‘If these World Trees had started growing all over the Arcana Continent earlier, the Cataclysm wouldn’t have happened in the first place.’

Of course, I couldn’t ignore the Primordial Evil’s interference.

Which is why this situation made even less sense.

‘If the World Trees are rampantly growing now, they are definitely going to become targets.’

Even protecting one World Tree required a monumental effort.

But protecting all the newly sprouting ones across the entire Arcana Continent?

It was impossible.

‘…What exactly does the World Tree want now?’

Hadn’t we already overcome the worst of it?

I gritted my teeth.

‘…I might have to postpone the Demon World expedition.’

Given what Raymond Sean had revealed in the update logs, the Arcana Continent was now overrun with new factions.

If they got their hands on the World Tree’s blessing—

The difficulty level would skyrocket.

‘…This is getting out of hand.’

Grandfell.

Sealed away in the Demon World.

That final moment.

The bitter smile you wore flashed vividly in my mind.

Bellier spoke.

“In that case, the Magic Tower must act, Chief Lee.”

I flinched.

‘The Magic Tower must act?’

Certainly, that would be a huge help.

Handling the rampaging World Trees across the entire Arcana Continent alone would be too much for me.

“…However.”

……?

At the same time, this was all still just my own speculation.

Unlike Grandfell, who sometimes seemed to see the future, I couldn’t even predict what would happen next.

‘For something like this, I can’t just use the Magic Tower’s authority so carelessly.’

As I remained silent, Bellier continued.

“In this complicated situation, only one person can guide the Magic Tower.”

“…!”

“That person is you, Chief Mage Lee Hoyeol.”

Lee Hoyeol.

Was Bellier talking about the real me?

Or was she talking about Grandfell?

…I decided not to think about it.

Yeah, Hoyeol.

You made a vow, didn’t you?

No matter what—never lose your nerve.

So, I straightened my neck and spine.

And with my own will, I declared:

“I shall repay your trust, Senior Mage Bellier.”

*

AAU Korea Branch

“Senior, about the new factions in this update…”

“Yeah, I’m organizing the details right now.”

“Can I take a quick look?”

“What, something new?”

“Ah, Hyun-joon, you probably wouldn’t know.”

The Cataclysm had erupted shortly after Sung Hyun-joon was officially hired at Cosmo. As a result, the perpetual rookie Sung Hyun-joon had never fully grasped the database from when Arcana Continent Chronicles was merely a game.

Click.

As soon as he clicked the mouse, Sung Hyun-joon’s mouth gaped open.

“Wow. The art design team must have really struggled with this.”

“Don’t even get me started. One of Katrina’s seniors was in charge of monster art, and they were so immersed in their work, it was like they were possessed.”

“Really? Either way, just looking at them, you can tell these are high-level monsters. Originally, these guys were supposed to appear at this stage, right?”

Land, ice, lava, forest—you name it.

[Guardian of the Lush Green Forest: Lv.1,000]
[Molten Meteoric Entity: Lv.1,100]
[Warrior of the Polar Star: Lv.1,200]
…
Yoon Soo-gyeom looked at the monitor with satisfaction.

“Well, yeah? If you just go by level, they’re way beyond the average player level… but considering their actual combat experience, they should still be manageable. After all, these are the players who defeated dragons.”

Level alone didn’t determine everything.

That applied to boss monsters as well—but dragons were on an entirely different scale, something that couldn’t be measured by mere numbers. The players of today had faced dragons head-on and withstood their Dragon Fear.

Unconsciously, Sung Hyun-joon smirked.

“With the Demon World portal closed, the Evil Eye gone, and no petty interlopers left to interfere, this is finally looking like an update we can enjoy for once. The players seem more motivated than ever.”

Right after the update was announced—

Countless major guilds had already started entering the Arcana Continent. Now that Antonium had stabilized, there was no longer any need to set up separate base camps.

“They all have their own reasons for being so proactive.”

Suddenly, Sung Hyun-joon muttered.

“What exactly is Raymond Sean thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, sometimes it’s like he wants the world to burn, dropping one insane update after another… But now? Now he’s giving players an update that’s actually beneficial.”

True.

“We really can’t predict his pattern.”

But one thing was certain: Raymond Sean was no ally.

Why? Because Branch Manager Park had personally ripped into him over his ambiguous stance before.

“We just haven’t figured out what that bastard is plotting yet. In the end, what Raymond Sean wants is destruction. Who was responsible for the Cataclysm? Who was the one that pulled Arcana Continent’s beings into reality? It was that bastard, Raymond Sean.”

It was almost nostalgic.

The early branch manager meetings back during the initial days of the Cataclysm.

As Yoon Soo-gyeom was reminiscing—

Click. Click. Click.

Urgent mouse clicks echoed throughout the room.

Then—

“Soo-gyeom!”

“Senior Soo-gyeom!”

“Is Yoon Soo-gyeom at his desk?!”

Every AAU member was suddenly calling for him.

Or rather, to be precise—

“We need those documents from the American branch—NOW!”

At that moment, Sung Hyun-joon’s monitor pulled up data on the newly updated monsters.

While Yoon Soo-gyeom hurriedly shared the files, he also tried to grasp the situation.

“…The players have returned to the Magic Tower?”

Already?!

The players who had meticulously prepared before entering Arcana Continent—

Were returning to reality much earlier than expected.

And soon, a more specific explanation arrived.

As the branch manager, Park Min-jae, examined the report,

His face twisted as if he had expected this all along.

“Ha. Of course.”

Because the database information and the players’ testimonies—

Didn’t match.

[Blessed Guardian of the Lush Green Forest: Lv.2,000]
[Blessed Molten Meteoric Entity: Lv.2,200]
[Blessed Warrior of the Polar Star: Lv.2,400]
“That bastard Raymond Sean is pulling his usual bullshit—TWICE as hard this time…!!”