A few days had passed since Seong-Hwi visited the Windmill Orphanage.

He thought, I know it isn’t easy, but... Isn’t it taking too long?

He sat at the Fence Hotel’s cafe terrace and shuffled the Tarot Deck of Destiny out of habit. He should have received word from Kang-San by now. He wondered if Kang-San had failed to make contact with Keter, the Fifth Lord.

Many clans have already taken the opportunity to go to the outskirts of Forestis, Faber included.

Steel King Bafor had returned to Ferrum after completing discussions about the establishment of the Underground Confederation. After that, Faber, the dwarf society, advocated neutrality in the World Tree War and began to sell items.

Weapons become a necessity in wartime, so the dwarves will probably profit immensely. Well, an ally’s growth in strength is a good thing.

According to rumors, Faber had set up a supply station on the southeast edge of the fourth zone.

They chose a place that would facilitate cooperation with humans if necessary. It must have been Remy Martin’s idea.

Faber’s supply station was near Manaus, one of the cities destroyed by the World Tree’s rampage. Human clans lurking around Forestis had restored Manaus and established it as their temporary base of operations.

Kang-San’s contact is necessary for the Union to make a statement of participation. Why hasn’t he contacted us yet? Did something go wrong?

He felt like a headache was coming as the situation seemed to be flowing in a different direction than what he had expected. The air felt unsettling.

We have the means to stop the World Tree’s rampage. They should have no choice but to negotiate with us.

In this negotiation alone, the humans had absolute superiority over the elves.

Or what? Have the elves given up on the World Tree? Seong-Hwi thought as he shuffled the Tarot Deck of Destiny faster, and his thought process quickened with it. Have they done something to Lee Kang-San, despite him holding an absolute trump card for negotiation? Were my calculations wrong? Or is there some kind of circumstance I’m not aware of?

His thoughts raced toward the worst possible scenario. If humanity lost Kang-San, the Union would undoubtedly turn upside down, and the Underground Confederation, which had only been recently established, would falter.

Was it a mistake to send him? No, no one but him had even the possibility of meeting with Keter. Did he even meet Keter in the first place? Could a battle have broken out in Elvenheim? What is Radix doing? He hasn’t contacted either.

Seong-Hwi’s shuffling could no longer be followed by the naked eye as various questions swirled in his head.

Just then, Jurie rushed into the cafe terrace, her blonde hair fluttering, and shouted, “Seong-Hwi! We received word from Sefirot!”

“What?!”

“But...” Jurie slurred.

The following words that came out of her mouth caused Seong-Hwi to drop his tarot deck, and the cards fell to the ground.

He recited, “We captured Lee Kang-San... so tell us how to stop the World Tree’s rampage?”

A game of chicken to determine whose balls were bigger had begun.

***

Lee Bong-Seong, an old man with white hair and a long beard, the Immortal Marine, third in the human ranking, slammed his fist on the table and shouted, “Pioneering faction! What the hell have you done?!”

He, Remy Martin, Evgeny Lazarev, and Seong-Hwi were gathered in a secret conference room in the Empire State Building.

Bong-Seong, his eyes blazing intensely and his facial blood vessels bulging, continued, “Lee Kang-San was captured? In the closed-off Elvenheim, no less? What kind of absurdity is this?!”

Remy, who had been keeping silent, said, “Kang-San went to Elvenheim to make a deal with Sefirot, moments before it was closed off.”

“How could he have been so complacent?! He walked into the Mirror World’s largest powder keg of his own accord?”

“The Union would have reaped unimaginable benefits if the negotiation had commenced as expected. Underground could have grown even—”

Bong-Seong slammed the ground with his cane, stopping Remy’s explanation short. “The most essential condition to a negotiation is to think about what you’d lose before thinking about what you’d gain! Have you even considered the immense impact it would have on humanity if we lost Lee Kang-San?!”

None could retort to Bong-Seong’s screams.

Bong-Seong glared at the three people and asked, “Just what do you have that made you so sure that negotiations with Sefirot would go without a hitch?!”

Seong-Hwi, who had been silent until now, answered, “I cannot say.”

“RASCAL!”

Blue mana flashed from Bong-Seong’s eyes, and a tsunami of mana engulfed Seong-Hwi. Bong-Seong was considered to have approached the level of a Spare Ranker, but Seong-Hwi also possessed S-rank Magic. Bong-Seong’s mana wave was destroyed as if it had collided with a seawall.

Bong-Seong’s face reddened with fury at the sight, and he shouted at Seong-Hwi, “You cannot say after worsening the situation to this extent? Are you kidding me right now?!”

“All you need to know is that it is something that can stop the World Tree’s rampage,” Seong-Hwi replied.

“All I need to know? You goddamn daredevil! I turned a blind eye when you came up with that troublesome Operation Pest Control, and this is how you repay me?!” Bong-Seong turned to Remy and said, “Remy! What about him made you agree to this reckless gamble?! He’s obviously all sizzle and no steak! It’s not like you!”

Remy remained silent, also thinking he had been too complacent. I should have known his successes up to this point don’t guarantee future successes. Did I trust him too much because he has a prophecy D Weapon? I should have been more careful.

Remy stared at Seong-Hwi, but couldn’t read what he was thinking from his expression. His black eyes were flashing with a storm of bizarre mana.

Bong-Seong continued, “The conservative faction guards the headquarters while the pioneering faction deals with external issues. That was our trade-off relationship!”

“That’s perfect, then. Lee Kang-San went to Elvenheim to deal with an external issue,” Seong-Hwi retorted.

“You...” Bong-Seong grimaced.

A chilling sound came from his hand, and his cane split into two, a sign that Bong-Seong was genuinely furious.

He screamed, “YOUR PETTY PLAN IS DEAD IN THE WATER, SO GIVE THE ELVES WHAT THEY WANT NOW AND BRING BACK LEE KANG-SAN!”

Seong-Hwi stared apathetically at Bong-Seong and answered, “I will not.”

“You’re just a brat who knows nothing about war! Are you planning to drive your people toward extinction?!”

“This is a game of poker where the one who folds gives up everything.”

Two cards flew out of the Tarot Deck of Destiny—the Knight of Swords and the Ace of Cups.

Seong-Hwi grabbed the Knight of Swords and said, “Either they kill Lee Kang-San.” He then grabbed the Ace of Cups with his left hand and continued, “Or we dispose of the item that can stop the World Tree’s rampage, so that it never sees the light of day.”

“Wait, Cheon Seong-Hwi. Are you saying you’re willing to give up on Kang-San’s life?” Remy asked with a stiff expression.

Seong-Hwi did not answer, which was answer enough for Remy.

Evgeny shook his head and remarked, “Nothing is more important for humanity than Kang-San right now. It’s unfortunate, but... we failed. Humanity lost the moment he was captured. This is reality, not a game of poker.”

“Captured, huh?” Seong-Hwi mumbled.

Keter, the Fifth Lord, was certainly more than capable of capturing Kang-San, but Seong-Hwi knew something that the others did not.

Keter currently can’t use his full power.

In his past life, Keter had not shown himself on the battlefield for over a year since the World Tree War began. People came up with theories about why the leader of the elves stayed hidden as countless elves were being killed, and the most credible one was that he was restricted from doing so because he was suppressing the World Tree’s rampage from getting worse.

Despite that, Keter is still the Fifth Lord. If they fight, Kang-San has no chance of victory. But if they did, could Kang-San have been captured so quietly without any word getting out whatsoever?

Seong-Hwi organized his thoughts and asked, “Have they shown proof that Lee Kang-San was captured?”

“No, they only secretly sent an envoy. He introduced himself as a high elf of House Qof, the thirty-second bloodline,” Bong-Seong replied calmly as if waiting to see what kind of bullshit Seong-Hwi would spout this time.

Seong-Hwi nodded and said, “Let’s kill him.”

“What... did you say?”

“Let us kill him and see how Sefirot responds,” Seong-Hwi reiterated.

“You want to kill the envoy... a high elf? Are you serious?”

Even Remy shook his head, but Seong-Hwi ignored him and continued, “Even if they did capture Lee Kang-San, they cannot kill him until they’ve confirmed what we have.”

“So?”

“The high elf from House Qof was likely sent to find out what we have. There will be some sort of response once we kill him.”

“What response? Their resentment?! What if they take their anger out on Kang-San?!” Evgeny shouted.

Seong-Hwi stared apathetically at Evgeny and said, “Evgeny. I don’t believe that Lee Kang-San was captured so easily. You call yourself his friend, but you accept his defeat without question?”

“What?”

“Does it stem from an inferior race’s loser mentality? Did you see Kang-San’s severed arm or something? All you have to go off is their word, and you want to get all scared and show all our cards? I can’t do that.”

The expressions of Bong-Seong, Remy, and Evgeny stiffened. They had naturally accepted Kang-San’s defeat as a fact because he was against Sefirot, a force so strong that humanity could never compare.

There is... no proof!

But he would have been against Keter, the Fifth Lord. Not even Kang-San could...

Loser... mentality?

As they were immersed in thought, Seong-Hwi continued, “There are more things that don’t add up. If Kang-San were captured, as they’ve said, Sefirot would have publicized it extensively.”

“Because showing the fall of a World Ranker... can serve as a warning to the enemies surrounding Forestis,” Remy surmised.

“The fact that they didn’t show proof of Kang-San’s capture means...” Evgeny mumbled.

Seong-Hwi finished Evgeny’s sentence. “There is a possibility that he wasn’t captured.”

“Then why hasn’t Kang-San contacted us?”

“Either he was injured, or... communication is blocked.”

Bong-Seong, who had been listening in silence, added, “These are all hopeful assumptions. Your words are no different from Sefirot’s claims. There is no proof.”

“That is why I suggested we kill the high elf envoy. We will show them that we are willing to take this to the end, and pressure them to show proof that they have Lee Kang-San in their custody.”

“And who will take responsibility for this radical measure?” Bong-Seong asked.

Seong-Hwi smiled and replied, “Sefirot will be severely impacted by the war for years anyway. They will be nowhere near as powerful as they are now.”

He thought, And humanity will grow stronger in the meantime. To be more exact... I will!

He continued, as if hammering the nail in the coffin, “Please buy me some time with negotiations or a war of nerves. I will infiltrate Elvenheim myself and find out for myself.”

The plan had suddenly changed.

***

“Mmm... How displeasing,” a male elf said as he frowned, staring at a rectangular bed, frame, and table in a stifling rectangular room. He shook his head and continued, “Humans are quite the compulsive bunch.”

The beautiful elf had pale, flawless skin, mystical black eyes, and purple hair. He was Yavre, the envoy sent to the Capital, and a high elf of House Qof (tail), the last of the twenty-two superior bloodlines.

“This is the problem with inferior races,” Yavre smirked and closed his eyes as he activated a skill.

[Activating Race Skill: Tail Vine.]

Vines began to grow from Yavre’s tailbone like a monkey’s tail. The vine quietly took root in the room’s walls, floor, and ceiling, becoming one with the room itself. The roots collected sounds from areas near the room.

— Is it true that an elf is here?

— A high elf, from what I’ve heard.

— Why is he here? Sefirot is in a mess right now, isn’t it?

— Could he have come to request help from the Union? The Union hasn’t made an official statement that it would participate in the Lumber the World Tree quest.

— You think so? That aside, I wonder how much Karma that quest would give.

— Kekek, if you’re so curious, then run off to Forestis with a saw or something. We might earn some contribution points by cutting off a few roots.

The corners of Yavre’s mouth trembled. “How dare a mere inferior race... insult the Mother Tree!”

He couldn’t stand being forced to do nothing and listen to such disrespect. Under normal circumstances, he would have sewn those humans’ lips together.

Huuu. I mustn’t. My mission is to confirm whether the Union possesses the card they claim to have. If they do....

If the Union truly had the means to stop the World Tree’s rampage, the absurd Lumber the World Tree quest would disappear.

Conversations between small fry are useless. I need to overhear conversations between the upper echelons. I need to head deeper... Deeper!

Yavre’s Tail Vine grew longer. This skill was the primary reason Yavre was sent to the Union as an envoy. Just then, he heard an old man’s voice.

— I don’t know if we’re doing the right thing or not.

Yavre recalled the voice; he had heard it only hours ago.

It’s the voice of the human named Lee Bong-Seong!

Yavre focused more on overhearing the conversation.

— Are you sure... we can trust that daredevil?

— Kang-San once told me that if he were humanity’s first son, Seong-Hwi has what it takes to be the second son.

— He praised him that highly? Hmm...

— From what I’ve seen in the dungeon, not only is he an exceptional commander, but he is also as strong as a High Ranker. I think Kang-San is spot on.

“What? Who are they talking about?” Yavre mumbled, a small wrinkle forming on his forehead.

It seemed like an important conversation, but it was hard to make out. He was so focused that he did not notice the room door opening silently.

— If he manages to confirm Kang-San’s safety...

— The initiative would fall to us.

— Do we have no choice... but to trust Cheon Seong-Hwi?

“Cheon Seong-Hwi?” Yavre mumbled.

A chilling voice said from behind him, “You called?”

Yavre gasped as his eyes widened. Just as he was about to turn around, he felt a searing pain in his back.

“ARGH!”

[Activating Item Skill: Titanic Wave.]

The Titanic Tide Kris pierced Yavre’s back and his lung. The irregular wave from the dagger coiled Yavre’s mana patterns.

“Kurgh!” Yavre coughed up blood after suffering internal injuries and collapsed. Tail Vine was automatically canceled.

“I knew you were up to some shit. What’s the point of pale skin when you’re pitch black inside?” the man said.

“Who—Cough! Are... you?!” Yavre shouted as he looked behind him.

He tried to activate a defense skill, but it kept being canceled because of his coiled mana. A human man with black hair and eyes appeared out of thin air.

“You just called my name. I’m Cheon Seong-Hwi.”

“Cough! Damn human! How dare you... attack an envoy of Sefirot?!”

Seong-Hwi stared at the coughing Yavre and smirked. He replied playfully, “It’s because you’re a high elf envoy of Sefirot that I attacked you. I’m not some psychopath who kills anyone for pleasure—Oh, I suppose the line is a bit hazy now.”

Yavre gritted his teeth and said, “Do you... not care about what... happens to... the Tortoise Emperor?!”

Seong-Hwi’s expression stiffened, and his eyes flashed with crimson bloodlust. He approached Yavre and asked, “You don’t have to tell me. That’s what I’m here to ask about. Do you really have Lee Kang-San in custody?”

“Cough! Of course... we do! It’s the... natural end for... a human who dared... to request a meeting... with Master Keter!”

Seong-Hwi stopped in front of Yavre, who expressed confidence as he stared at the human, who appeared completely black because of a shadow.

“Your gaze disgusts me... It’s as if you think I won’t kill you,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

“Kekek! Cough! Because we know... how much you humans... value Lee Kang-San!”

“What a shame. You’re way off.”

“Wh...at?”

Seong-Hwi gripped the Titanic Tide Kris and mumbled, “It’s been a while since I’ve tortured someone. I wonder how many scales I’ll put on you?”

The ten thousand scales commenced. The sound of peeling skin and screams rose to a crescendo.

***

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Majestic Scepter, one of the symbols of No.4 The Emperor]

The golden ankh in Seong-Hwi’s hand shone brightly, and so did his eyes.

“So... you haven’t seen Lee Kang-San yourself.”

“That... is... correct,” said a bloody rag lifelessly.

It used to be Yavre, the high elf, a few hours ago. Uneven wounds covered his entire body like scales. Seong-Hwi had used torture to break the high elf’s lofty pride, breaking down his mental defenses. He then used the manipulation ability of the Majestic Scepter, symbolizing domination, to get Yavre’s confession.

“How can I enter Elvenheim?”

“Is there a pathway to reach the inside of the World Tree?”

“What is Elvenheim’s current war organization like?”

Seong-Hwi continued to ask questions, and Yavre continued to answer them truthfully in a daze. Over time, Yavre could only groan incomprehensibly like a beast.

“Uuu... aaah... urrrh...”

The Majestic Scepter was a dangerous symbol that manipulated one’s mind. On top of that, it was being powered by Seong-Hwi’s S-rank Magic and Destiny Force. It was no surprise that it would break Yavre’s mind.

Seong-Hwi looked down at Yavre, who could not even form proper sentences anymore, and mumbled, “I wanted to negotiate, but you people chose extortion. I wonder if you would have made the same choice if we were a superior race?”

Humans were underestimated because they were an inferior race. The elves likely found it more convenient to steal rather than pay a fair price.

“You thought about stealing from us, but I’d bet you never thought about us stealing from you. We were looked down on... And here I thought you people were desperate.” Seong-Hwi beheaded Yavre, grabbed the head, and stood up. “I’ll make sure to engrave into your heads that inferior races can steal, too.”