***


    ***


    Seong Jihan furrowed his brows in frustration.


    ‘Has the experiment already been conducted?’


    A modified seed of life.


    While its exact functions were still shrouded in ambiguity, given the instance with the Blue Blood Demons, it certainly wasn’t an artifact destined to bring about positive changes in this world.


    ‘Thest seed of life did not germinate. Ipletely absorbed its energy.’


    If that wasn’t the cause, could it be that the experiment had been previously conducted?


    But when?


    As Seong Jihan was mulling over this,


    [Master. I have heard from the Queen.]


    “What did you say?”


    From Seong Jihan’s left arm, Ariel, who had finished her report, voiced out.


    [The Masked Ancient Elf is known among the World Tree Elders as an elf who enforces their martial power. They’re renowned for being particrly impulsive. Handing over the real seed would likely induce an invasion. The Queen suggests it’s better to leave the seed be.]


    “Ah. But I have already returned it.”


    [You returned it?]


    “Yes. Itbusted by itself, so I couldn’t help it.”


    [This is dangerous.]


    Ariel spoke with grave seriousness.


    [We must prepare for the Ancient Elf’s invasion. Among the constetions, his martial prowess is formidable. The approaching conflict won’t be easy.]


    “Is it that serious?”


    [Yes. Better we had just let the seed disappear… This world might be destroyed by his hands.]


    And just as Ariel finished,


    Zzzing…


    [Sure enough, you’ve broken the promise.]


    Arge screen materialized in front of Seong Jihan, showing the Masked Ancient Elf with crossed arms and eyes full of murderous intent.


    [I address all the higher-ranked yers among humanity. Present the yer that dared mock me. Hand them forth. Or, I shall descend personally to eradicate humanity.]


    The elf turned his back after speaking, beginning to operate an intricate mechanical device.


    Then,


    Zzzing…


    In front of the elf, a huge portal intermittently appeared and vanished.


    [Three minutes left for coordinate setting… It would be wise to make a smart decision.]


    The Masked Ancient Elf had promptly warned of an impending attack right after the seed was handed over.


    Was it because Seong Jihan was in a hideout state that his identity remained concealed?


    The elf had sent amunication to all of humanity’s top yers, demanding they offer up Seong Jihan’s head themselves.


    […that Ancient Elf, I knew he was hasty, but I didn’t expect an incursion so soon. Master, should we prepare quickly?]


    “It’s unbelievable.. We’re up against a mad elf. But howe they get to know about it already?”


    [They must have monitored the BattleNet messages.]


    “The results came out really quick.”


    [The BattleNetmunicationwork is incredibly fast.]


    Not so helpful in this particr case.


    With such thoughts, Seong Jihan returned home.


    Yoon Seah came running breathlessly to him.


    “Un…Uncle. What’s going on!”


    “Oh. Did the screen pop up for you too? You’re in the higher ranks too?”


    “No, do you understand the gravity of the situation?! What is this about an elf… It’s a mess right now! Even the news channels are covering it!”


    “That screen was only for top yers, wasn’t it?”


    “Anyone can see the screen together! Uncle, why are you soid-back?”


    Yoon Seah, tapping the screen floating before her, spoke out of exasperation.


    A hardly ordinary figure had dered their intention to descend upon Earth.


    Anyone else would quake in fear and scramble as if their lives were at stake.


    Yet, here was Seong Jihan, utterly unperturbed.


    “Well, I’m not worried for some reason.”


    The Ancient Elf threatening to invade Earth, Knowing the devastating impact that a constetional-tier warrior could wreak, it was hard to predict the scope of destruction he could bring about.


    Nevertheless, Seong Jihan strangely wasn’t overtly troubled by the threat of the Ancient Elf’s deration.


    “I guess it looks like a fight I could take on.”


    “Uncle… You shouldn’t get toofortable just because you dodged that attack.”


    “Not really, he seems manageable.”


    With these words, Seong Jihan took out his Phoenix g and began preparations for battle.


    Just as the 3 minutes were nearly up,


    [Now, I’ll soon be there.]


    Zzzing!


    Inside the screen raised by the Ancient Elf, a massive portal began forming.


    This time it was different, for the portal reflected a blue on its surface.


    “That’s Earth, our…”


    When Yoon Seah saw it and faltered mid-sentence with a look of utter despair,


    Thud! Thud!


    The elf, who had been operating the machine, stepped back.


    Into the portal, he began to enter.


    “I’ll be back.”


    “Uncle, I want to go too!”


    “Right now, you’re just baggage.”


    “No! I can still use the Veil of Void…! I’ll hide and shoot arrows!”


    Yoon Seah protested the luggage treatment, trying to prove her usefulness in any way.


    “Enough, rest for now.”


    Click! Thump!


    Seong Jihan approached Yoon Seah and tapped her acupuncture points.


    “Ugh… Uncle… What did you do?”


    “Oh? You’re holding on? Another round.”


    Was it because she was at a high level?


    Seong Jihan tapped the points again, causing her to stiffen up, thenid her on the sofa.


    “Just sleep. It will all be over when you wake up.”


    “…”


    [What will you do if you lose while she’s out?]


    “She’ll wake up in an hour.”


    [Ah.]


    “Shall we go?”


    Blocking Yoon Seah’s movements, Seong Jihan stepped out to confront the Ancient Elf in a window.


    [No, no… Why?]


    Ping!


    Out of the screen still hanging in the air, the Ancient Elf was seen getting kicked out of the portal.


    “…What?”


    *   *   *


    The Masked Elf, who had been menacingly demanding Seong Jihan’s head from humanity’s high-ranked yers, had set a threatening atmosphere.


    -Did you see that? That was the elf who killed the Blue Blood Demons’mander, wasn’t it?


    -Is it even possible to send a message to all the higher-ranked yers like that? Can you believe this?


    -He did take the life seed a while ago, so it could be that he’s already dealt with Seong Jihan.


    -I was wondering how he would even get here, but he’s just opening the portal instantly.


    Those who watched the urgent news together felt a sense of tension as they saw the Ancient Elf, whom they thought would only cause fear, now seemed like a genuine threat to arrive.


    -He thinks he can p us around?


    -Look, if he could kick the tentacle dudes ass easily, think how strong could he be?


    -But it was Seong Jihan who dealt with it… After all that stubborn life force…


    -Yeah, the tentacle was a constetional being too, right?


    -So, this elf could be one as well?


    -Does that make theary owners all so whimsical?


    -Being top dog on their star probably lets them get away with anything.


    The Ancient Elf, a yer of the Sr Faction, had an immense reputation, although his power had only been seen in snippets.


    Yet, the spection that he was overwhelmingly powerful wasn’t challenged much.


    -They’re not going to actually hand over Seong Jihan… right?


    -Are you insane? Without him, humanity is doomed in the Space League.


    -Without him, we’d have been inst ce, with two defeats.


    -We need to gather all the rankers and protect him.


    -Ugh…! My stocks have crashed!


    -Don’t worry! Seong Jihan will take care of it!!


    With the Ancient Elf’s impending descent just minutes away, the world economy even fluctuated.


    People were more tense than ever before, their eyes glued to the screens broadcasting to the top yers.


    Then,


    [How could this be…!?]


    As they watched the Ancient Elf being kicked out of the portal.


    -What is he doing?


    -Wait, he looked all badass and got bounced out? lolol


    -Argh….I dumped my shares![email protected]#?&%[email protected]$!&$


    -I trusted in Seong Jihan and bought more lol


    The overwhelming presence, the Ancient Elf, who had disyed his power to all top yers, was bounced out of the portal, rolled on the ground, and then suddenly stood up.


    [This is ridiculous!]


    Though such a skilled being wouldn’t normally need to roll on the ground,


    It seemed like he didn’t anticipate getting thrown out like that.


    After a roll, he stood up and again rushed towards the Earth portal.


    But…


    Bang!


    [Why…!]


    Once more denied entry, the Ancient Elf didn’t roll on the ground but stood there before the portal, helplessly pondering.


    Ready for any encounter, Seong Jihan floated atop Sword Pce, speaking to Ariel.


    “So are these really the elders of the World Tree Alliance? Not too impressive, huh?”


    [No… That’s not like an Ancient Elf… The text on the portal! Look, it’s showing up!]


    True to Ariel’s words,


    A text began to appear atop the portal that had just ejected the Ancient Elf.


    A moment before, smoke had created simr text.


    ‘I can’t read it this time, though.’


    Unlike the previous automatic trantion, this text didn’t trante itself.


    [It’s elvennguage.]


    “What does it say?”


    [This world has already undergone the experiment a long time ago…. No new entry is possible…?]


    “This world has already undergone the experiment?”


    The characters on the portal – much like the smoke’s message – talked of an experiment.


    The only new clue: an indication that it happened a “long time ago.”


    [So, this… it’s already an experimented world… But the races here are far too weak…]


    And there, watching the portal’s letters,


    The Ancient Elf burst into disheartenedughter before dering,


    [Well, that means I can’t enter. The humans get to save their pitiful lives for now. We’ll see…]


    He turned around, his fists clenched tight.


    Flick!


    And then, the screens hovering before the high-ranked yers flickered off at once.


    Though he’d been embarrassed by being ejected from the portal,


    Ancient Elf had demonstrated his powerful authority by controlling the yers’ screens.


    However…


    -Look at this guy… still keeping up appearances even after getting bounced out, lololol


    -Does it even matter at this point?


    -Now he’s really throwing out the ‘wait and see’ment, lololol??


    -Now he’s nning to wait and see until Season 174th, lolololol??


    As the chat filled withughter directed at him, the Ancient Elf’s deration of war, which had kept humanity on edge for three minutes, ended in a farce.


    As Seong Jihan reyed the characters engraved on the Ancient Elf’s portal, he pondered deeply.


    “It’s quite unnerving if experiments have already been conducted on Earth and new entries are prohibited.”


    [That’s… something I’ve found puzzling for a while. How could humanity, such a weak race, have ever entered the BattleNet?]


    “Could it be… rted to the elven experiment?”


    [Perhaps not?]


    The characters from the modified life seed and the Ancient Elf’s unexpected bounce all hinted at a connection between the Elf’s experiment and humanity. But…


    “There aren’t any eternally living beings among humanity, except the disciplines of the Wandering Martial Gods.”


    [But if it were them, wouldn’t BattleNet have opened a thousand years ago?]


    “Hmm…”


    [Even among humanity, you’re the most transcendent. Could there be a secret about your birth?]


    “I have no clue…”


    The strange characters automatically tranted, the elven experiments…


    ‘Could there really be something?’


    ‘I should ask my sisterter.’


    Contemting this, Seong Jihan returned home.


    And there,


    Tap! Tap!


    He released Yoon Seah from her acupressure-induced paralysis.


    “Did you rest well?”


    “Puhah. Ah, seriously…! That was awful!”


    “Hey, think about it objectively for a second. Would you be a help or a hindrance to me?”


    “Urgh… Uh…Well, still though…”


    Seah, unable to rebuke Seong Jihan’s sharp retort, reacted with a slight groan.


    “If you grow enough to actually be of help, I’ll drag you along even if you refuse.”


    “Keugh… Uncle, just you wait. I’ll be there to save you one day. When that happens, you better be ready to thank me with tears and snot running down your face!”


    “I would prefer without the snot.”


    “Including the snot!”


    “Alright, alright.”


    Paying scant attention to Seah’s obsession with snot,


    “Ah, but… you. Are you in touch with Jiah?”


    “Mom? She doesn’t entertain everything, but yes, we talk asionally. She always brings up this dream she had.”


    “Is that so? Guess you two are dealing with something.”


    “Yeah.”


    “Can you ask her if there’s any secret about my birth?”


    “…What?”


    Seong Jihan decided it was time to address his burning question directly with his sister, Seong Jiah


    ***


    ***


    .