Daniel was sitting near the tree, his sword lowered but ready. His gaze moved between the four newcomers and the fruit pulsing above the branch, though nothing but indifference could be seen in his eyes.
These four people were still looking at each other and then at him with hesitation, and they seemed reluctant to answer his question.
Or aside from hesitation, they seemed surprised? Their surprise also surprised Daniel, because he couldn’t understand which part of his question seemed strange.
Did these people expect him to know the cursed tree? But why would they expect that?
The best reasoning could be that this tree was much more famous than it seemed, and that in itself could clarify a lot of information for him.
At that moment, Elisira stepped forward, her gaze shifting from the tree to Daniel.
"You don’t seem like you came to destroy it." Her tone was calm, but behind it flowed a cold precision, as if she was trying to scrutinize this golden-eyed boy.
"Not yet." Daniel answered without pause. This girl’s question was strange. Why would he come to destroy this tree?
On the other hand, it seemed like this girl and her group expected him to have come to destroy this tree, and seeing that expectation, he gave an answer that left many possibilities open.
The answer was short but vague. The most important feature was this vagueness, to prevent them from becoming suspicious. Of course, their suspicion didn’t matter to him, but for now, he wanted to get as much information from them as possible.
Elisira’s blue eyes narrowed for a moment, and she just looked for a few seconds. It couldn’t be said that she looked at his whole body; rather, her focus was mostly on his eyes.
Golden eyes that were extremely unnatural. She had never seen anyone with such eye color. Was it possible that this man didn’t belong to this continent at all?
"Your eyes are strange. Is it possible you’re not from this continent?" Her lips moved slightly as she asked.
Daniel showed no reaction and just kept his gaze steady. He didn’t expect this girl to figure out so easily that he wasn’t from here. Of course, he hadn’t tried to hide anything either.
Kieran, who until that moment had been standing half a step forward, furrowed his brow.
His gaze shifted between the two.
"You’re too comfortable with a stranger, Princess." Then he said in a dry tone.
He pronounced the word "stranger" a bit heavier, not just as a warning but something like an objection, as if he was displeased with the two of them getting too close.
"I’m talking." Elisira said without taking her eyes off Daniel.
Kieran didn’t say anything and was forced to stay silent, but his hand remained on his sword. As if he was just waiting for an opportunity to attack this unknown man.
At that moment, Saren slowly exhaled.
"If he’s not from this continent, isn’t it better to tell him?" His gaze went from the tree to Daniel and back to Elisira.
"Logical." This time, Elisira took her gaze off Daniel. She stared at the tree for a few moments.
She was hesitant about telling him, but what she wanted to say was public information, and telling it to a stranger wouldn’t change much.
Besides, she had become curious about this stranger, and it would be a shame if he got killed just for staying here.
"Tell him." Then she nodded very quietly.
"What’s next to you is known by different names in our empire." Saren then began explaining about the tree.
He paused briefly.
"The Cycle Tree." Then, with a slightly heavier tone, he continued.
"And more than that... the Cursed Tree."
A brief silence fell between them, as if he wanted to think about the next words he was going to say. Daniel said nothing and just listened.
"No one knows exactly what it is. We have many legends." His finger rose slightly, as if counting points one by one.
"Some say that every time it bears fruit, a disaster occurs in the continent."
"Some believe this tree collects corruption, but if it collects too much, it explodes."
"And some think..." His eyes narrowed for a moment, and with a bit more enthusiasm, he said,
"This isn’t a tree at all, but a gate." And then he finished his explanation and gave Daniel time to think.
"So it’s a famous thing." Daniel muttered to himself. As he thought, this tree seemed extremely famous, and many legends surrounded it.
Of course, he found all of them foolish and illogical. He could easily see that this tree wasn’t a legend and didn’t collect corruption.
Rather, it devoured life force and fed on it.
But the legend about its fruit could be true, because the tower had also asked him to protect it until the fruit fully grew.
This had only one meaning: the main importance of this tree was its fruit.
"A few weeks ago, the Divine Prophet decreed." Elisira suddenly added a point.
"This tree must be destroyed." This time, the words were not just information but a very important command that the entire continent was forced to obey.
"Divine Prophet..." Daniel raised his gaze slightly. It was clear from their tone that they had immense respect for this Divine Prophet.
But why would someone called the Divine Prophet order the destruction of a tree?
"Her word is considered law. I don’t know where you came from, but in our continent, she is the most important human. They say she can speak directly with the gods." Saren also nodded.
"And when she decrees, the strongest warriors of the continent move to carry out her order. They are probably on their way right now."
"We came here to take a look at this tree before they destroy it."
Daniel was silent for a few seconds. His mind was calm but analyzing quickly.
His gaze returned to the fruit. It was clear that whoever this Divine Prophet was, she was going to be the biggest headache for him on this floor. He didn’t know how long it would take for this fruit to fully grow.
And this could mean that he might have to fight against the strongest of this world. Not that he minded; in any case, it was a good opportunity to become stronger.
The problem was time. He wanted to conquer this floor as soon as possible, but now he might have to stay here for a long time.
’Still, I don’t know what this tree is, and in this situation, it seems only this Divine Prophet has the answer to that question.’ He thought to himself.
’Could she be the final boss? A human who can speak with the gods, huh?’ Daniel sneered.
Not to mention a human who can speak with the gods. He had fought against a god in the previous floor. Naturally, he wouldn’t be afraid of this one either.
Daniel took his gaze off the tree and fixed it on the princess.
"I would appreciate it if you told me about this Holy Empire." Then he changed the subject. Now that he couldn’t get useful information about the cursed tree, it was better to learn more about this world.
"A religious government based on a simple principle." Elisira answered without pause.
"We were chosen to destroy corruption." Her words were firm, and she seemed to truly believe in what she said.
"To destroy beasts of corruption? Chosen by whom?"
"By the gods, of course. The Divine Prophet herself has confirmed this." Kieran said with pride.
Daniel nodded. This tower floor might be a simulation of one of the worlds that was invaded by beasts of corruption and destroyed by them.
"We answered your questions. Now it’s your turn. Who are you?" Then Elisira asked her question again.
Kieran immediately reacted. His hand pressed slightly on his sword.
Daniel was silent for a few seconds.
"A traveler from a very far place who doesn’t want this tree to be destroyed." Then he said very quietly.
He gave no further explanation, but that was enough to make the air heavier and the tension suddenly peak.
Kieran stepped half a step forward, as if he wanted to draw his sword against him. Saren and the other knight also became ready for battle.
The tension was ready to explode, but the princess raised her hand slightly to stop them without taking her eyes off Daniel.
"Princess, why are you stopping us? His words just now were blasphemous! It’s clear he wants to disobey the Divine Prophet’s order!" Kieran said seriously.
"Such a person should be executed on the spot!"
Elisira wanted to answer, but at that moment, she suddenly felt something.
Daniel suddenly turned his head slightly. His eyes narrowed, and his divine sense expanded again.
And what he saw made his eyes gleam with a hint of mockery.
Dozens of different presences were moving toward this point from different directions.
"It seems we have more guests." Then, without taking his gaze off the forest, he said.