Absolute Dweller-Chapter 243

“It’s been a while.”

『Did you call for me?』

“Yes.”

The White Dragon stared at me intently before speaking.

『...You’ve changed.』

I wanted to ask exactly what had changed, but that could wait for later.

I played the part of a good person and spoke.

“The egg hatched safely. Let’s go and check.”

To enter the domain, you didn’t necessarily have to acquire citizenship.

If that were the case, animals like dogs and cats couldn’t exist in the domain.

As long as I personally granted permission, animals and even monsters could enter the domain.

However, this was a temporary permit, so once they left the domain even once, it would disappear.

I granted the White Dragon a temporary permit, then casually turned around and began walking on the sea.

But...

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

『I refuse.』

The White Dragon flatly rejected my offer.

『I cannot step into the domain of the Evil God.』

“…?”

The domain of the Evil God?

I couldn’t understand what it meant, so I maintained a poker face and glanced back.

The White Dragon looked down at me with certainty in its eyes.

『Though I am but a humble mortal, I am not incapable of sensing the stench of nihilism emanating from you.』

I waited quietly, and soon it began to reveal information on its own.

『Do not fool yourself, young divinity. Just because you have taken the power of the World Tree, do not think everything is over. The power you have obtained is but the tip of the World Tree’s root.』

This was a big revelation.

With that one sentence, one of my most pressing questions was answered.

Thanks to the real-time insight into the White Dragon’s thoughts, I was able to gather even more detailed information.

‘The tip of the root.’

I recalled the first time I met it, when it spoke of Lilith.

Lilith, who survived by clinging to the World Tree and absorbing its life force, was referred to as an “owl.”

It had also explained the true form of the World Tree.

(The true body of the World Tree exists in the gap between dimensions.)

That allowed me to peer into the true form of the World Tree.

It wasn’t just a large tree but something resembling a complex web of electrical signals spreading throughout space.

When I combined that with what the White Dragon had just said—

‘The real body of the World Tree exists separately.’

It was probably somewhere beyond this dimension.

If the World Tree that grew on Earth was only the tip of the root, then the real, much grander and larger body must exist somewhere in another dimension.

‘And just like on Earth, it must be spreading its roots into other dimensions, slowly expanding its influence.’

The image was starting to take shape.

I could imagine the roots of the true body of the World Tree spreading from its dimension, opening holes into other dimensions and establishing itself there.

At the same time...

‘Huh?’

A hypothesis suddenly flashed in my mind.

‘Could it be...?’

As soon as I imagined the roots of the World Tree creating holes in another dimension...

‘Is that why monsters have appeared?’

What happens when you poke a hole in a piece of paper with your finger?

No matter how carefully you poke, the hole will always end up larger than the finger.

And if the finger moves around actively after entering the hole?

The hole will end up much wider than the finger originally was.

If the hole in the dimension was similar, and that extra space caused the monsters to appear...

‘That would mean the World Tree is the root cause of this mess.’

It was still just a hypothesis, but it was a rather convincing one.

This made my anger toward the World Tree grow even more.

『Young divinity, the reason I have answered your call is to warn you.』

The White Dragon looked down at me solemnly and continued.

『The power of nihilism will eventually lead this world down the path of destruction. When that moment comes, you will regret having burned the World Tree.』

The power of nihilism.

I had an inkling of what it was referring to.

‘The black aura.’

It was definitely talking about the darkness that would come 12 years from now.

‘What’s unclear is how it said I’ve taken the power of the World Tree.’

That statement seemed to imply that there was a way to take the power of the World Tree, even without the power of "consumption" that I possessed.

『I hope you struggle in misery.』

As the White Dragon turned to leave, I grabbed its attention.

“Wait.”

And then...

Whuuu—!

I unleashed the life force of the World Tree from my entire body.

The reaction was immediate.

As soon as the White Dragon recognized the power I was releasing as the World Tree’s life force...

『!!!』

The White Dragon’s jaw nearly dropped.

***

"Impossible."

The White Dragon couldn’t hide its astonishment.

Something was happening before its eyes that it could never have imagined.

‘The seed of nihilism using the power of the World Tree?’

This was unthinkable.

It wasn’t uncommon for a young World Tree to be used as a source of nourishment to increase one’s power.

Usually, a mortal gaining access to a divine power was meaningless, but when a young World Tree, born after breaking through dimensions, was involved, it was different.

Due to the instability caused by piercing the dimension’s walls, the power of a newly sprouted young World Tree temporarily weakened.

This was why burning a young World Tree would release massive energy, which could be absorbed by even mortals.

That was why the messenger of the Evil God would go crazy just by seeing an immature World Tree.

How much more nourishment would it provide for a newly born divine being?

It was clear now that the rapid growth the World Tree had gone through in just one year was due to absorbing its energy.

But…

‘No divine being can replicate the power of the World Tree.’

Just eating a young World Tree wouldn’t allow someone to release the World Tree’s life force.

Such a thing was simply impossible.

The only condition for using that power was one thing.

‘It recognized you, didn’t it?’

I had realized long ago that this world was strange.

Not only the man before me, but I had also encountered beings with divine powers walking freely.

It was a world where common sense had crumbled.

But the man before me was shattering a whole new layer of common sense.

At that moment, a space opened behind him.

Zzziiiiing—

『This is...』

Through the opened space, a huge, healthy-looking World Tree could be seen.

The man spoke.

“I think there’s some misunderstanding. As you can see, the World Tree is growing very well. If my invitation is uncomfortable, that’s fine.”

In the next moment, something swiftly approached from the space where the World Tree had been glowing.

And then.

Baa!

A large bird flew down, carrying an adorable baby on its back.

I knew instantly.

That was its offspring.

At first, it felt a bit strange, but as I slowly adjusted to it, it began to look even cuter.

The man, holding his offspring, spoke.

“My mother has named it Kim Ha-yan, but would you be okay if you didn’t take it with you?”

『...We normally spend our childhood alone at the roots of the World Tree.』

“Shouldn’t you at least teach it how to speak?”

『Leave it be. It will learn on its own.』

“I see... well then...”

The White Dragon was still confused.

At that moment, the man holding his baby spoke with a very serious face.

“Do you know? Twelve years from now, destruction will come. The power of nihilism you spoke of will engulf the Earth.”

『...』

Hearing the man’s words, the White Dragon couldn’t help but accept them.

If that prophecy was true, it was easy to understand why the world was spiraling into chaos.

I’d heard that strange things always happen in the world when its end approaches.

“To prepare for that time, I’d like to borrow your strength. Will you make a contract with me?”

『...Contract?』

“If you sign the contract, you’ll be able to enter my domain anytime. Of course, you can leave whenever you want. This way, you can visit Ha-yan whenever you wish.”

To go see his offspring.

The man had said it so casually, but it was an extremely foreign concept to the White Dragon.

That was because when it was young, it had never seen its parents’ faces.

But after seeing its own offspring, the idea didn’t seem so bad.

And, most importantly, the man was emanating the power of the World Tree.

『That’s not a bad suggestion.』

‘I never expected things to go this smoothly.’

I quietly recalled the hundreds of invisible hands I had summoned around me.

Originally, my plan was to lure the White Dragon into the domain and force it to sign a contract.

Once it entered the domain, the game would be over.

But it had been rejected outright.

‘Maybe I should go with Plan B.’

Plan B was to overpower the White Dragon by force.

I could summon Lee Joon-hyuk for a battle or use the invisible hands that had spread around the White Dragon to forcefully drag it into the domain.

‘I didn’t expect things to go this easily.’

The moment I showed my control over the World Tree’s life force, everything moved swiftly.

The structure of the subjugation contract had been explained to the White Dragon, and it willingly accepted.

‘If I had known, I would have shown the World Tree’s power earlier.’

Either way, I had successfully made a subjugation contract with the White Dragon.

Wuuung—

“Looking forward to working with you.”

『Looking forward to it...』

The White Dragon carefully passed through the barrier and looked down at Ha-yan with a complex expression on its face.

It no longer stood tall, looking down at me, but instead, it only showed its head above the surface, aligning its eyes with mine.

Then it spoke to me.

『I’m sorry. I think I spoke harshly earlier.』

Seeing the White Dragon genuinely apologize made me feel a slight pang of conscience.

‘Actually, from its perspective, I might not be all that different.’

An Evil God.

From the World Tree’s point of view, I would be no different from an Evil God.

I had taken part of its power, consumed it, and absorbed its authority.

And then…

‘Considering the future, I might be no different from an Evil God.’

Of course, this was from the World Tree’s perspective.

From my standpoint, this was a just revenge.

I gave a friendly smile to the White Dragon, which was still unaware of everything, and asked.

“I have one question. Do you know why monsters like goblins or orcs appeared in this world?”

『...I don’t know.』

I heard the answer clearly.

(The crack in the dimension’s wall is the cause.)

(It’s an inevitable process, but from the perspective of a young divinity, it might be hard to understand.)

(It’s better not to say anything.)

“...I see.”

That settled it.

‘By using the cracks in the dimension, I’ll strike at the real body of the World Tree.’

From the World Tree’s perspective, it would be nothing less than a disaster.

In the world where the World Tree and the elves born from the trees existed, I would become no different from an Evil God.

‘One last question. Will you cooperate?’

For the first time, I heard an answer from my future self.

【Gladly.】