34. Hidden Treasure
Irina and her brother joined hands and prayed.
A faint blue light emanated from them, enveloping the World Tree. It was a ritual where they transferred the magic they had gathered so far.
[The World Tree is expanding its domain.]
The World Tree, undergoing changes, began to tremble.
At the same time, the green stems and buds seemed to swell even more than before, showing a richer appearance.
It was a moment of growth.
Broccoli.
No, the World Tree had suddenly begun to grow in height to the point of surpassing even the elves.
Now, it had grown much larger than Irina.
Recalling the first time when it was barely enough to reach her waist, it was undeniably a remarkable growth.
Of course, change was not the only thing.
With the power infused into the World Tree, the scope of the square was expanding even more than before.
The surrounding eyes melted away, and in their place, fresh green grass sprouted.
Watching that sight, a certain inexplicable sense of security welled up in Han’s inner self.
“Wow. Now most of the square has turned into green zones.”
A vibrant change had taken over the square.
Gradually, the warmth was reaching the ruins of buildings far away.
“Hmm?”
While scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, Han noticed a peculiar change.
“That is.”
A lone yellow flower that always stood lonely in a corner of the square.
A yellow chrysanthemum.
It appeared that two new chrysanthemums were growing there.
The petals of the yellow chrysanthemums swayed gently in the breeze.
***
That afternoon.
“Then I’ll leave this place to you.”
“Leave it to me, Nuna!”
In response to Zion’s energetic reply, Irina patted his head.
Zion shouted, “Be careful!”
“Don’t worry too much.”
She pointed to the sky and smiled.
“If anything happens, God will let us know right away.”
“Hurry back.”
Yumina, who always looked at her with anxious eyes, was behind them.
Unlike Zion, Yumina was timid.
Irina patted her head soothingly and nodded.
“Then, take care, kids. You need to protect the World Tree in my place.”
“Yes!”
She turned around.
[Clang! Clang!]
As she left the square, the wolf cubs called out to her.
Irina stood at the edge of the area protected by the World Tree.
Her gaze briefly fell beneath her feet.
In front of her lay the boundary between the lush green grass and the snowy white ground.
“…Sigh.”
Irina, facing the outside world, exhaled a long breath.
She wrapped her fur coat tightly around herself.
It was the outfit she had crafted from fur and leather the day before.
Her eyes were filled with tension.
She knew well the dangers lurking in the world beyond.
The protection of the World Tree was absent in this rough wilderness.
The external world was filled with cold snowstorms, chilling cold that seemed to pierce the skin, and all sorts of monsters.
Yet, Irina had a task to fulfill.
There was a reason she must venture outside.
Of course, in the past, she would have embarked on this dangerous path alone, but not anymore.
Thud. Thump.
A large figure appeared beside her with heavy footsteps.
It was an Earth Golem.
“Don’t be too tense, Irina. I’m with you from today onwards.”
Even though she probably couldn’t hear.
Whenever he spoke like this, she always seemed to understand the Golem’s words.
A smile crept up on Irina’s lips as she faced the Golem standing next to her.
“Understood, Lord Golem.”
Kuaaa!
Finally, she set foot into the wilderness beyond the square where rough snowflakes blew towards her.
With the Earth Golem by her side.
***
For what reason was it?
Today, she ventured even further than usual.
Irina’s destination seemed to lie beyond the ruins of the city facing its end.
Having finally left the massive city behind, she began to walk across the endless snow-covered plains.
A fierce snowstorm obscured her vision.
Kuoooo-!
The snow in the plains was fiercer than that in the city.
At least in the city, the towering buildings somewhat shielded against the biting wind, but not here.
The endless snow in the plains surged with such intensity that it was impossible to see even a step ahead.
“Haah. Haah.”
With each breath, a white mist rose, obstructing her view.
Her hair, which had always remained silky at the square, now could no longer withstand the cold, becoming tangled and frozen.
Irina pressed on with difficult steps.
With each footfall, sinking deeply into the snow made walking challenging.
Thanks to the Earth Golem leading the way in front of Irina, acting as a guide and wall, she could somewhat shield herself from the harsh snowstorm.
Thus, relying on the Golem, Irina continued to move forward for a while.
When she looked back, she could faintly see the outline of the city far away, like a blurry shadow.
She had walked quite a distance without realizing it.
It had taken quite some time just to get here.
“……”
Han observed her quietly.
Of course, his vigilance continued without interruption.
At any moment, he would survey the surroundings to be prepared for any danger.
“My lord.”
Irina lifted her head.
Her gaze met that of the golem.
“Are the children okay?”
Nods. Nods.
The golem slowly nodded its head up and down.
It was a clumsy response.
But even that was enough to bring a smile to Irina’s lips.
She was constantly checking on the children.
Han could shift his focus from the point where his followers, the elves, were located.
She had come quite far already.
In fact, at the point where she was now, she had long exceeded his observable range.
Yet, what could be followed was due to Han’s followers, with Irina as the center of vision.
In this way, Han alternated his gaze between Irina and the square, constantly checking the situation in both places.
Amidst this, the ability to communicate through the golem was a fortunate occurrence.
Although the extent of communication was limited to nodding, it was sufficient for exchanging opinions.
How long had they been advancing like this?
Suddenly, Irina stopped and began to look around.
The surroundings were filled with endless snowy plains.
But there was a slightly peculiar point.
Countless small mounds dotted around her surroundings.
They were like sand dunes commonly seen in desert terrain.
Irina chose one of those mounds and began to dig into it.
Thud, thud.
Not long after she started digging, her fingers froze and turned pale.
… It didn’t look good.
It seemed like she might get frostbite.
Han quickly strengthened her with power.
His golem stepped forward.
“…My lord?”
The golem began to vigorously dig into the snow with its large fist.
The golem’s working speed was much faster.
Thanks to its large and thick hands, which were incomparable to Irina’s, it was like a shovel, quickly digging into the inside.
But.
“…Huh? What’s this?”
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Suddenly, Han noticed a change.
Under the descending hill, there was something inside.
It was something green and frozen white.
Han reached out to it.
“Oh… There it is, My Lord!”
Could this be what she was looking for?
Curious, she widened her view.
“This is…”
Then Han could discern what it was.
“It’s a leaf, isn’t it?”
Staring at its end, Han blinked a few times and continued to think.
No doubt.
It was definitely a leaf.
But why was it here?
Naturally, Han’s gaze shifted below the small, protruding hill.
“If that’s the case, what’s buried under here…?”
Underneath, a ‘tree’ was buried.
And not just a part of it.
Naturally, his gaze turned to the side.
“Could all these small hills popping up around here be…?”
…Is it just the sight of tree tops barely peeking out?
A shiver ran down her spine.
So, the place she was standing at now…
In an instant, she expanded her view.
The surroundings shrank in her eyes, and she looked around from hundreds of meters above the sky.
Little bumps sticking out around were visible.
As she zoomed in, bluish frozen leaves sticking out at their tips became apparent.
Again, there was no doubt.
All of those were trees.
No, it was just the tops of the trees barely rising.
Han’s mouth fell open.
“Could it be… Could this place be right in the middle of the forest, where it used to be?”
Confusion flickered in Han’s eyes.
Puzzlement, fear, and confusion changed her complexion in succession.
She felt at a loss.
“No, seriously, how much snow would have to accumulate for the tops of the trees to be at this level?”
[From the point where Han is currently standing, the ground is about 20 meters below. Due to the low altitude, snow has accumulated around, forming the current terrain.]
At the system’s explanation, all that came out from him was a bitter laugh.
There was no point in questioning the logic.
Because it was right there in front of him.
The fact that she had not known until now was simply because it was not visible to the eye.
The eyes were so thickly layered, so far above the ground.
Should we say this is truly a world facing its end?
Han’s body trembled at the unexpected sight.
It felt as though a cold chill was permeating.
It couldn’t be anything but a chilling reality.
An emotion that inevitably resurfaced when one least expected it.
Indeed, this place was a perilous world where one could never let their guard down for a moment.
However, that was merely Han’s perspective.
For Irina the Elf, this place was nothing more than a familiar landscape she had faced since her youth.
To her, what seemed unnatural and alien was a sight too ordinary for the elves.
Thud!
The Earth Golem dug its eyes and gradually descended downwards.
The more it dug, the more certain it became.
From the green trees and thick pillars to the leaves of various plants.
The traces of the old plants remaining below started to protrude more vividly.
“It’s real.”
Just how thick must the snow be piled up for them to mistake it for the ground, frozen so solidly like this.
It was a sight that defied common sense.
At least for a modern person like him, it was incomprehensible.
While the golem diligently dug into the ground, Irina also had a task at hand.
She was picking up the falling debris.
It seemed like today Irina’s purpose was exactly that.
From broken branches to small leaves.
Not a single thing was left behind.
She carefully placed them into her backpack.
Then, suddenly, she saw something and widened her eyes in astonishment.
“Oh! This is!”