“Ahem. You’ve probably heard bits and pieces of the story from time to time, but right now, I’m going to share the whole tale about how I first met Su-Hyeok.”

After only a few hours, Seo Ho-Su had settled comfortably into a flow. It was fun enough that he briefly wondered whether this was actually his true calling. There wasn’t anything particularly taxing about it, either.

Of course, he was well aware that his starting line differed from everyone else’s—to a degree that almost made him feel apologetic. From the moment the broadcast went live, an overwhelming number of viewers had flooded in, and the vast majority of them were openly favorable toward him. Still, that didn’t trouble him. In the end, this was something he had earned through his own efforts.

After chatting casually about personal matters for a while, the chat window erupted the instant he mentioned Kwon Su-Hyeok’s name.

- YOOOOOO!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

- Stop edging us and just say it already! 😭 I’m getting dizzy fr.

- SEO HO-SU! SEO HO-SU! SEO HO-SU! SEO HO-SU!

- Wait, didn’t he already talk about this on the broadcast?

- Bruh, that doesn’t mean he shared everything. 💀

- Yup, here comes the tone-deaf dude LMAOO.

- Idc, it’s still fun every time. 😂

- ???

- His version hits different.

Setting those reactions aside, most people had heard this story at least once or twice by this point. After all, there had been a million climbers. Various media appearances and online platforms had already spread their tales far and wide.

Considering how many climbers had died in the early stages, stories from the beginning were especially abundant.

That wasn’t the point, though. Take an actor, for instance. If they talked about a movie they starred in, listeners would find it interesting even if they already knew the plot—the perspective of a lived experience made it all the more thrilling.

This situation was no different. Ha Hee-Jeong aside, Seo Ho-Su could rank himself as one of Kwon Su-Hyeok’s closest companions. Right as he opened his mouth, he suddenly realized that he wanted to share something new: his initial impression of Kwon Su-Hyeok from before they had even met face-to-face.

“Technically, I saw Su-Hyeok for the first time on the sixth floor. But I already knew about him before then.”

Since several climbers had testified to the same thing, people caught on immediately.

- Ahhh, I know that one! The Community. 😭

- Slow as hell but still #1 on the Leaderboard. 💀

- Didn’t he get dragged a lot at first?

- Nah, not once he passed the 4th floor, I think?

Seo Ho-Su watched the chat grow livelier as familiar topics resurfaced before adding, “He didn’t get a lot of hate right from the start. Everyone was gearing up for the fifth floor, so people were tense. At most, they were just confused.”

Putting on a deliberately meaningful expression, Seo Ho-Su continued, “People kept wondering why someone so slow could rank first. The real backlash started after climbers cleared the fifth floor.”

At the mention of criticism directed at Kwon Su-Hyeok—who now enjoyed overwhelming popularity on Earth—the chat grew uneasy. Having gone through hardship together as climbers, Seo Ho-Su didn’t think that was a healthy or reasonable response.

“Although I am calling it ‘hate,’ it really wasn’t hate. It was more like people questioning why Su-Hyeok, who was a floor behind everyone else, got first.”

In truth, most climbers had framed it that way. Regardless, stories had an unfortunate way of becoming distorted as they spread. Thanks to Seo Ho-Su’s explanation, though, the chat’s mood softened, and the responses shifted toward acceptance. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Don’t forget that everyone else faced the same trial, so no one considered that Su-Hyeok might have done something completely different. The tutorial was easy, so people were riding that confidence.”

- Yeah, fr, there’s no way they could’ve imagined what Light Su-Hyeok went through.

- From a climber’s POV, that reaction actually makes sense.

- Imagine a kid skipped school, basically living at internet cafes, then suddenly ends up as the valedictorian?? Of course, people would be shook. 💀

- That analogy kinda ain’t it though?

- Nah, I get it.

- I don’t. 😒

- Stop nitpicking. Keep nitpicking, and I’ll end you. 🔪

Seeing the atmosphere soften, Seo Ho-Su gently steered the conversation away from criticizing climbers and toward praising Kwon Su-Hyeok instead.

“Who could’ve known? None of us imagined that Su-Hyeok had gone through a completely incomparable tutorial. To outsiders, it probably looked like blatant favoritism.”

- Turns out he was going through some insanely brutal trials lmao

- Wasn’t Light Su-Hyeok’s tutorial harder than the first party floor?

- FR, he was absolutely cooking on the party floor! 🔥

- He one-shot the Seraphim Queen LOL.

- What about you, Mr. Ho-Su?

- Oh, wait, yeah. I’m curious about that too.

At the sudden question, Seo Ho-Su let suppressed memories flood his mind.

What was I like back then?

“To be completely honest, I did badmouth Su-Hyeok a little too.”

- GOSH!

- HOLY SH— 😱😱😱

- I’m telling Light Su-Hyeok everything!!!

- Oopsy.

- Oh, no.

Watching the chat erupt into mock panic, Seo Ho-Su burst out laughing. “I’m kidding. I didn’t really think much of it. I knew Ha-Rin had entered the tower at the time, so I didn’t have the luxury of thinking about anything else. I was too busy being worried about her.”

- Oh... oh no...

- As expected of Ha-Rin’s dad. 😭

- A man who only has eyes for his daughter.

- Shining Dad fr. 😭

Seo Ho-Su scratched the back of his head. “At the time, I thought I was reassuring Ha-Rin, you know? Well, looking back now, I think she was actually calmer than I was.”

It was something Seo Ho-Su himself had only just realized. If anything, Seo Ha-Rin had consistently supported him, helping him come to terms with their situation. The viewers immediately connected that to Seo Ha-Rin’s later actions.

- As expected, Seo Ha-Rin = the “true healer.”

- Our Saintess is actually unhinged. 👼

- A real healer helps their allies by removing the source of pain. 😭

- FACTS LMAOO.

Seo Ho-Su continued, “And I guess I figured there had to be a reason he was ranked first. That’s why, when I met Su-Hyeok on the sixth floor, I listened to what he said.”

He recalled that moment for a second before admitting, “Honestly, Su-Hyeok didn’t exactly seem that reliable at first.”

- 😂😂😂

- Seo Ho-Su hot take: Light Su-Hyeok wasn’t that reassuring.

- Gosh.

- I’m reporting this to the Light Su-Hyeok fan club for blasphemy. 🚨

Seo Ho-Su hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no. That isn’t what I mean. Please let me finish.”

- You have 1 minute to explain yourself.

Seo Ho-Su swallowed hard. “Honestly, Hee-Jeong was strangely calm back then, almost unnervingly so. Su-Hyeok, on the other hand, looked a little awkward. He came across as inexperienced, even a bit anxious at times.”

He wasn’t wrong. Unlike Ha Hee-Jeong, Kwon Su-Hyeok had been somewhat clumsy, his tension plain to see.

“Hee-Jeong was unusual in her own way, too. You all know this already, right? She has a precognition skill.”

- FACTS.

- Thought something was off at first, then found out it was a foresight skill and got shook!

- Protecting justice from the shadows. 😭

- Dark Knight God Hee-Jeong!

“But the moment Su-Hyeok entered combat, it was like he became a completely different person. After that first battle ended, he actually felt more reliable than Hee-Jeong. I don’t think he ever realized just how much he changed in those moments.”

***

Despite how little time had passed for him, Doppy ran straight into Ryun’s arms, just as he had done with me.

Neither Ryun nor I were particularly warm by nature, so we exchanged a silent greeting from a short distance. When Ryun asked whether I had been well, I simply replied that it had been difficult, but that I had endured.

Our reunion kicked off on that simple, understated note.

To an outsider, it would have appeared cold and even distant, but it was enough for us. We had already exchanged far more through our eyes than words could convey.

After that, we greeted the Ryun’s lover, a World Tree, as well.

Sorien.

She didn’t look different from the last time I had seen her. Even so, her presence had subtly changed. Perhaps it was because of the gift I had received from the Primordial World Tree, but she radiated an unmistakable warmth. That gentle emotion reached me clearly without the need for words.

She was sincerely grateful to me. After all, I had brought Ryun to this place. Her leaves stirred softly, scattering just the right amount of sunlight as a mild, pleasant breeze washed over us.

Ryun lived here, working as a gardener.

Though that is more of a title than a role.

Truthfully, he was Sorien’s personal gardener in name only. His main responsibility was to remain by her side, giving her companionship each day. Thunder Axe had told him he was free to return to his homeworld if he wished, but since Ryun didn’t have friends there, he chose to stay with Sorien.

I asked him whether he found it boring spending day after day doing nothing. Ryun responded by asking how being with one’s lover could ever be boring. The question itself had been misguided.

I forgot that he is an ent.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t wrong for me to ask such a question. Although I also agreed that spending time with Ha Hee-Jeong never felt boring, we tended to do things together rather than remain still.

However, for beings who were essentially living trees, staying motionless was likely no different from what a human would call activity. In their case, stillness itself could have been a form of movement.

“Ryun, may I take a look at Thunder Axe’s garden?”

“Of... course...! You’re... free... to... look. Just... if... you... wish... to... enter... other... areas... please... ask... beforehand. The... plants... may... take... offense.”

“Is it all right if I fly above them?”

I had sensed it the moment I arrived, but Thunder Axe’s garden was so vast that its scale was difficult to grasp at a glance.

Beyond Sorien’s domain stood another World Tree, and beyond that, yet another.

At the very edge of the horizon, those precious World Trees appeared nonstop as if they had been placed there deliberately. Trying to traverse it all on foot would likely take years. From the beginning, I had intended to see it from the sky.

Ryun nodded slowly. “You’re... our... elder’s... guest... so... it should... be... fine... as... long... as... you... keep... your... distance.”

The moment he gave his consent, I rose gradually into the air while bringing Ryun and Doppy with me.

Ryun turned toward Sorien and murmured, “I’ll... be... back... shortly.”

Watching him, I found myself smiling faintly.

Even though he was only leaving for a short while, he sounded faintly reluctant, his affection slipping out between the pauses. I hadn’t noticed it while they were together, but it struck me then that Ryun was extremely devoted. In hindsight, it wasn’t surprising. He had defied his god’s command for the sake of love. I considered myself to be somewhat similar. For example, I interacted differently with Ryun and Doppy compared to how I behaved around Ha Hee-Jeong.

Once we reached a higher altitude, Doppy let out an unrestrained cry, “Woooow!”

Countless rare plants lived in Thunder Axe’s garden, including the World Trees. Animals weren’t the only class of beings that could gain spirituality, after all. To a herb gatherer, this place would probably appear like a trove of miraculous elixirs—no, of rare spiritual gifts from the heavens.

On second thought, that comparison felt a little rude. I wouldn’t be too pleased if someone looked at me and thought, “What a fine elixir.”

I promptly cut off that train of thought.

Setting that aside, the view of the garden from above was so breathtaking that even Doppy’s exclamation felt insufficient. The entire world below was composed of forests and flowers. There were no visible boundaries separating regions, but everything blended together in quiet harmony.

The World Trees varied greatly in size. Some were no larger than thousand-year-old trees back on Earth, while others were immense enough to rival several World Trees fused into one.

Just as I thought.

Each World Tree clearly differed.

What fascinated me most, however, was that, perhaps because Thunder Axe governed this world, the World Trees didn’t block out the sunlight. Even places that should be cast in deep shade still received scattered light, enough for the plants on the forest floor to take root and grow.

As Doppy scanned the scenery below, he asked with barely contained excitement, “Su-Yeok! Can I hover around a bit?”

Doppy had always been curious by nature. During the trials, danger had forced him to hold back, but there was no such need here.

“Go ahead. Just don’t descend too much. Stay up high.”

“Got it!”

Soon, Doppy started darting freely through the sky, observing the garden below from every angle. As I watched his retreating figure, I felt Ryun’s gaze turn toward me.

When our eyes met, he extended his hand. “Thank... you.”

“Me?”

“You... kept... your... promise.”

I immediately knew what he was talking about.

I took his hand and smiled. “I told you I’d bring you here. If anything, I should thank you for trusting me.”

“To... be... fair... it was... hard... to... believe.”

Is he recalling the past?

Ryun’s gaze drifted somewhere far away. I also quietly revisited that moment. Back then, I had lost to him. Defeating a Swordmaster at my level then would have been close to impossible. If Ryun hadn’t listened to me, overcoming the trial would have been far more difficult.

“But... somehow... I... felt... you... could... do... it.” Ryun turned back to face Thunder Axe’s garden, looking genuinely content as he added, “Now... I... think... it was... a... very... good... choice.......”

I nodded. “Same.”

“Hmm...?”

“I felt the same. That somehow, I could pull it off.”

At that, Ryun let out a quiet, halting chuckle.