021-040 · 029-ch25

Chapter 25: World Tree Exploration - 1

Inside the World Tree, Robo and I found that the interior was an unexpectedly vast space.

"It's basically a maze, but the holes are huge and weirdly open. Plus, you can actually see the outside."

>>So very World Tree-like

>>Amazing you can walk inside it

>>I wonder how many years it took to become like this

>>So huge—

I had been worried that the inside of the World Tree would be dark, but it was actually brighter than the outside. The reason was the leaves and moss growing all over the place. There must be something special about these tree leaves—leaves and moss that emit light and illuminate the surroundings are everywhere. Thanks to them, the entire interior of the World Tree, though not lit by sunlight, has become a bright space.

Additionally, normal-looking fruits sometimes grow on the trees. That means monsters probably live here too.

"But yeah, this definitely isn't just one type of tree. It's made up of multiple trees fused together."

The plant leaves visible here and there clearly indicate they're of different species. Or maybe that's just what these plants are? On the surface, it would be impossible to have a single plant that combines characteristics of multiple plants—a group organism of different plant groups, you might say.

"...Does it have a core?"

>>Core?

>>You mean there's something like a core in this tree?

>>In your world, is that sort of thing common?

"Not that many of them, but they exist. The thing is, in this world, something like magic power energy exists alongside physical laws that define the world's form. For example, you might have an entire island floating in midair, or a lava-filled area right next to a polar region. When you see physical laws or ecosystems that don't make sense, you go, 'Ah, magic must be at work here.'"

In the fantasy world that lies beyond this dungeon, it's not unreasonable to think that enormous things have some kind of core that maintains them.

For instance, in a cold region that locally forms in a warm area, there might be some kind of out-of-place artifact at its center, or in an area where the ecosystem is locally fragmented and chaotic, there might be an incredible energy flow—a dragon vein—and at its convergence point, there's a dangerous monster.

In a world where things like magic power exist alongside the natural foundations of the world and physical laws, that's the norm.

The world and nature are built around concentrations of strong magical energy. This is precisely the kind of fantasy-like thing that exists in this world.

"So I figured that if this World Tree alone has this many trees gathered and grown to such enormous size, there must be some kind of core—well, you could call it a cause. I don't know what it might be, though."

>>You don't know for sure if there's actually something like that core?

>>Well, if something's physically strange, something else must be involved

>>By core, you mean like a giant magic stone at the center of the World Tree?

>>Tell us a bit more

I explained things while being somewhat vague about this world, which made it harder to understand. But I don't plan to talk at length about areas I haven't visited recently. If I start explaining everything, it'll become incredibly long.

"Real simple explanation. Anything more than that, I'll explain if I actually go there."

>>Thanks

>>Yes!

>>You did say you didn't want to spoil things

I guess this is a reasonable compromise. I can talk about general outlines, no problem.

"For example, in that place with floating islands I mentioned earlier, there was something like a giant magic stone attached to the bottom of the islands, so I figure that's what's making them float. There were also places where enormous monsters dominated and controlled the ecosystem of an entire area."

By the way, "magic stone" is an extremely broad term that refers to all stones and minerals not found on the surface but produced in dungeons that contain magic power, or things like crystallized magic power extracted from magical beasts.

In other words, it's "some kind of stone that seems related to magic."

"Besides, even without something visible like what I just mentioned, places with densely concentrated magic power can also be the cause of such abnormalities—the core. That's why I think a lot about what could be causing things that would be impossible in a surface ecosystem. You might think this is more like research than exploration, but cores are often in the center of areas, so they make pretty good targets to search for. It's easier to do various things when you have a goal rather than wandering around randomly."

>>Is it okay if we don't worry about it too much?

>>Like the goal of a game dungeon?

>>The goal of the dungeon, huh?

>>Is there anything good to gain from finding it?

"The goal of the dungeon is pretty close, actually? Well, it becomes something to aim for, but in the sense that I'll do various other things along the way, yeah. There are all sorts of good things to gain from finding one. For example, if the core is a magic stone, I might think about chipping off a piece to take home. If it's a monster, though, it'd be bad to get involved and attacked, so I'd avoid it. If it's just an ultra-dense magic power accumulation, there's probably nothing to gain, so that's the most boring."

It's not like there's something special waiting for me if I find this core. I'm just curious, and when exploring an area for the first time, it's easier to set guidelines and act when you have a clear goal. If I explore without thinking, I end up staying in the same place forever, so it's better to have a goal like "Search for this area's core for a week"—it gives me structure and makes things better.

"Well, honestly, if you don't want to think about it, you really don't have to worry about it."

>>This is like talking about why dungeons were created or something

>>It's world-building that doesn't appear in games

>>So for the World Tree, what do you think the core might be?

"The core of the World Tree, huh... Honestly, I don't know. There could be dense magic power accumulation under the roots, or a giant magic stone is completely possible too. Other than that, I can also imagine there might be a special kind of plant, like a World Tree seed, that's not just a normal plant but has the effect of activating numerous plants to form this giant World Tree."

Actually, it's normal not to find something like a core. Because this is a fantasy-like world, it's common for ecosystems or terrains that would be impossible on the surface to exist due to relationships with magic power or dragon veins, even without a core.

But I'm adventuring in this world. I'm seeing this world, and I want to know it. When there's something mysterious here, to different degrees, wanting to know it is human nature, don't you think?

"Oh."

As we were talking like this, I discovered the first large monster since entering the World Tree. If it's small monsters or wild-animal-level creatures, I've found quite a few like rabbits and insects, but this is the first monster of considerable size.

>>Whoa, there it is

>>Isn't it big?

>>It's about as big as Robo

>>Are you going to fight it?

>>Looks like a dinosaur, maybe?

"If it attacks us."

A monster with reptilian-like scales and long fur. If I had to compare it to a surface creature, its body shape is probably closest to a weasel or something. But its face is more ferocious, baring sharp fangs, and its body is muscular and aggressive-looking, unlike a fluffy weasel. It also has sharp claws on its limbs, and it seems to have high killing ability.

『Gururururururu』

"Robo, calm down. If you go wild, it'll cause a commotion."

I calmed Robo, who was growling back at the threatening monster, and turned back toward the monster. Soon, the monster that slowly approached us came close enough to sniff us, then turned its face away and passed by our side.

"For something with such an intimidating face, it's pretty tame."

>>You've got too much nerve

>>If something got that close to me, I'd either run away or attack it

>>Just having it get close is scary

>>Is it strong?

"It seems reasonably strong, doesn't it? It didn't seem to have much magic power, though."

I won't know its true strength unless I actually fight it, but when it comes to exploration, I've got multiple insurance policies, so I manage fine even without being super vigilant. There are tame monsters and ones that are strong but don't attack proactively, so I try not to initiate attacks myself whenever possible.

"For now, shall we climb up in the opposite direction?"

After watching the monster go, Robo and I started walking in the direction the monster had come from.