The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2

Chapter 563:

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[Abnormal reaction detected]

[Energy reaction, 'Red']

[Special alert issued]

[Portal suppression function activated]

Strong resistance appeared from the moment of entry.

'The suppression is nothing much.'

Seong Jihan easily opened the portal that was trying to close and surveyed the planet.

The location of the research facility was usually near the World Tree, so he should start searching from there.

He frowned while looking for the life force to find the World Tree.

'Hmm... But I sense a dense life force from two places.'

Originally, there was one World Tree per planet.

Strangely, here it felt similar in two places.

'Should I visit both... It'll take more time than I thought.'

He needed to find Gilgamesh's fragment quickly while the elf legions were gathering to get blue swords.

As Seong Jihan was pondering over the two locations...

"Fragment. Exists. Fragment. Exists."

Gilgamesh's head he was holding emitted a blue light from its two eyes.

It was pointing towards the life force in the north.

'Oh, it can detect even from this distance.'

Seong Jihan decided to trust the head's detection and moved towards where the light was pointing.

Whoosh...

As he closed the distance, what appeared was not a World Tree but a large wooden building.

It had a peculiar style with an inverted triangular shape, the ground-supporting area much smaller than the upper part.

'To feel life force comparable to an S-grade World Tree from such a building...'

Could it be the headquarters of the elf research facility?

Seong Jihan briefly examined the building, then decided to finish his task first.

"Where is it from here?"

"Fragment. Exists."

In response to Seong Jihan's question, Gilgamesh's head shot light from its eyes again.

However Karlein had modified it, it seemed only to know how to say "fragment exists" and "fragment doesn't exist".

It appeared to know only these two phrases.

'Let's follow it for now.'

Seong Jihan held the head and entered where the light was pointing.

Although the exterior wall of the wooden building looked harder than any metal despite being made of wood...

Whoosh...!

When he lightly shot Total Annihilation from his hand.

A path immediately opened up.

'With Red at 900, it's certainly become stronger.'

He could easily pierce through defense formations crudely made with blue swords.

'If part of the elf legion comes with blue swords as reinforcements, I'll have to push through mercilessly today. Gilgamesh's fragment is the most important.'

Until now, he had avoided conflicts with the Blue Knights with Yoon Seah's face to maintain his concept.

But today, he needed to upgrade the blue vessel, so Seong Jihan was prepared to go all out.

So...

"In-Intruder..."

"It's the Red Administrator!"

"To attack at a time like this... When the legion is away!"

"Quickly, notify the superiors!"

Even if all the panicking researchers had Yoon Seah's face.

Swish...!

He mercilessly burned them all without hesitation.

[Finally eliminating those elves with that face up close.]

'I can't waste too much time here. Concept or not, today is all about efficiency.'

[Good thinking.]

'By the way, have you heard of a research facility like this?'

[I heard Yggdrasil has been operating a research institute in her name since she was a Constellation. Judging by the life force emanating here, it seems related to that.]

So this was Yggdrasil's research institute?

'It's a shame I don't have more time to look around.'

A research facility with a life force comparable to an S-grade World Tree seemed to have much to examine.

But now wasn't the time to leisurely explore.

"Detect."

"Fragment... Exists."

Ziiing...

At Seong Jihan's command, Gilgamesh's head shot light from its eyes again.

But this time, as the light went on...

"Hii, hiiiek..."

Suddenly, it cut off midway, and Gilgamesh's head showed a startled reaction.

"Detection. Failed due to external force. Fragment is inside..."

"Oh, you can say other things too?"

"I must obey commands, that damn bastard said he'd spare me if I did..."

Gilgamesh's head retorted to Seong Jihan's words.

In the short time he left it, Karlein had certainly trained it well.

Seong Jihan asked the now quite obedient Gilgamesh's head,

"What kind of external force was it?"

"I don't know the details. But, there's something ominous in there..."

"Well, the direction you pointed is over there, right?"

"Correct. Fragment, exists."

"Alright. Then go into the inventory for now."

As Seong Jihan opened his inventory.

"In-Inventory... N-No! Anywhere but there!"

Gilgamesh's head moved urgently as if trying to escape from Seong Jihan's hand.

"You said there's something ominous inside. Wouldn't the inventory be safer?"

"I have bad memories of the inventory...!"

Bad memories?

Ah.

'Is it remembering when I put Gilgamesh in the inventory before?'

After going into the inventory once back then, it did become more obedient.

Gilgamesh hated going in there so much he shuddered at the thought, but...

"Still, it's better than dying, right?"

"Uu, uuugh...!"

Seong Jihan ignored its whining and tossed the head into his inventory.

After clearing his hands of the burden...

'That hard wooden wall appeared again... Well, let's keep breaking through.'

He continued advancing, burning down all the walls blocking his path.

After proceeding for some time...

'...From here on, it's certainly different.'

In the innermost part of Yggdrasil's research institute...

There was a dense green barrier.

Seong Jihan tried shooting Total Annihilation at it like he did to melt the walls, but...

Sizzle...!

The barrier seemed to burn slightly, then quickly recovered.

'Is this what blocked Gilgamesh's signal?'

It was certainly tough.

He would have to use martial arts then.

Infinite Annihilation God

Heavenly Dragon Thunder Fire

Dragon Thunder

Swish...

A phoenix Flag rose above Seong Jihan's head.

The power of Red gathered in one place.

And as a spear of fire charged towards the barrier.

Poof...!

Unlike Total Annihilation, it clearly pierced through the protective screen.

'Well then, shall we enter?'

Swoosh.

As Seong Jihan entered through the pierced hole.

Ziiing...!

The surrounding space shifted once.

A vast cavity appeared.

* * *

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'This is...'

Seong Jihan looked around.

Unlike other elf laboratories packed with test tubes.

There was nothing inside here.

Except for a small tree sparkling with rainbow colors in the center.

'I don't see anything like Gilgamesh's fragment...'

Was it wrong to trust that thing's guidance?

Seong Jihan thought about taking out the head again, but for now, he approached the tree in the center.

He had wondered why there was such a strong life force from the wooden building earlier.

'So it was emanating from this small tree.'

A small tree, slightly taller than Seong Jihan.

But considering its rainbow glow, the symbol of the Cosmic Tree Yggdrasil.

That tree must certainly be extraordinary.

'Let's take a look.'

Step. Step.

Seong Jihan approached the tree emitting an iridescent rainbow light.

As he gradually closed the distance.

Swish...

Suddenly, the tree that had looked small.

Began to grow rapidly.

No, more precisely, it only appeared as if the tree was growing.

In reality, Seong Jihan's body was shrinking with each step he took.

'Hmm. I didn't feel any external force being applied...'

What was causing his body to shrink like this?

Seong Jihan paused for a moment and observed his body's interior.

The Eternity within his body resonated with the rainbow-coloured tree.

This was creating a distortion that was causing his body to shrink.

'Hmm... This won't be easy to solve with Red.'

[That's right. Red is closer to creating distortions. This is when you need to use your power.]

'I guess so.'

As the Red Administrator said.

Blue's authority was perfect for resolving something like this.

As Seong Jihan thought this and circulated his energy.

Whoosh...!

His shrunken body returned to its original size, and the tree reverted to its earlier size.

[Hmm... If I had come alone, I would have been stuck there, continuously shrinking.]

'Was it to the extent that you couldn't resist at all?'

[That distortion from earlier. It doesn't mix well with me. If Blue cuts through distortions, this one covers mine with an even more significant distortion.]

So, was that shrinking earlier to that degree?

Seong Jihan tilted his head as he stood in front of the rainbow-coloured tree.

Flash...!

A dazzling light burst forth from the tree trunk.

And soon.

'Is this... an elf?'

The trunk transformed, becoming like a glass wall.

Inside, an elf stood with closed eyes.

[This elf doesn't seem to recognize you.]

'Yeah... But. There's something strange about this elf.'

[Oh? In what way?]

World Tree elves, all looking identical as if mass-produced in a factory.

But before they were mass-produced like that.

There must have been an original.

There needed to be a prototype model for their elf factory to produce copies based on it.

And.

'Somehow this one seems like that original.'

[You're saying this elf is the original of the World Tree elves?]

'Yeah. Just like how male half-elves on Earth are degraded versions of me. Other elves in the Alliance must be degraded products of this original.'

[...Is that so? They look similar, but. If anything, the ears seem closer to human than elf.]

As the Red Administrator pointed out.

Unlike the others, the elf in the rainbow tree had ears that were only slightly pointier than a human's.

They weren't that large.

But Seong Jihan...

'This one is definitely different from the copies.'

He had his own conviction as he looked at the elf inside the tree.

That this elf was either the Alliance's original.

Or an existence equivalent to it.

'I couldn't find Gilgamesh's fragment, should I destroy this instead?'

And if this was indeed the original elf.

If he destroyed this rainbow World Tree and extracted that elf.

Wouldn't it be quite troublesome for the Alliance?

Their misfortune was his happiness.

As Seong Jihan looked at the elf beyond the glass wall and gathered fire energy.

[If it's the original as you say, that elf would possess immeasurable power... Can you handle it? The elf legion will arrive soon too.]

The Red Administrator warned.

Certainly.

This elf did seem extraordinary, just judging by the life force it was emitting.

Thinking of safety, the best option would be to investigate a bit more and then leave.

But.

'...Why do I want to break this so badly?'

Seong Jihan felt that if he didn't destroy this here and left.

He would regret it.

Life, how could someone always live safely?

People needed to take risks sometimes.

Swish.

As Seong Jihan summoned the phoenix flag again.

[...Do as you wish.]

The Red Administrator gave up on dissuading him and entered spectator mode.

And as the phoenix flag imbued with flames approached the glass wall.

Hiss...

The wall melted away, and the elf inside slowly opened its eyes.

Flash!

Where the eyes should be, only pure white light flashed instead of pupils.

"Ygg, drasil..."

Unable to see properly,

It called out Yggdrasil while looking towards Seong Jihan.

Step.

As she took a step.

The dense feeling of life force.

This energy was condensed to a degree that even an S-grade World Tree couldn't match.

But.

The moment she tried to take another step after planting her foot.

Whoosh...

That tremendous life force suddenly scattered in all directions.

Then, the elf's face and body began to shrink gradually.

"Ah... I couldn't... keep the promise. It's okay... I lived... a long time..."

She tried to smile at Seong Jihan, then.

Thud.

Collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

'...What's this.'

This.

Somehow it felt like he had done something bad.

Just as Seong Jihan was about to examine the fallen elf.

Boom!

An explosion was heard from outside.

"No... It can't be...!"

Yggdrasil, holding two blue swords, entered with a fierce expression.

"You, Red Administrator... How did you get in here...!"

Unlike usual, she was extremely agitated.

Seeing the elf collapsed on the ground.

"No...!"

Her eyes completely rolled back.

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