Chapter 12
The developers of <Yggdrasil> held to the philosophy that variables and hidden elements made the game fun.
Thanks to that, <Yggdrasil> became a game with an especially large number of hidden elements.
The Yggdrasil Academy was about three times larger than the biggest university in Korea.
Since the school grounds were so vast, countless mysteries were hidden within.
One of them was “Ilawne’s Lake.”
A vast lake, green meadows, and the thick forests surrounding them.
If one looked only at the scenery, it might seem like nothing more than a beautiful landmark.
But Ilawne’s Lake had another, truer face.
‘If you went there and met certain conditions, you could obtain a weapon.’
It was a location where a special type of hidden item was concealed.
‘It was quite a unique weapon.’
The name of that equipment was “Ilawne’s Heart.”
It was an item that grew alongside its owner.
It was the only growth-type weapon in Yggdrasil.
In the early stages of the episode, it was just an unremarkable weapon.
But near the ending, there was absolutely nothing more powerful.
‘If I got my hands on that, my growth would speed up.’
It just so happened to be a time when I needed a weapon.
Even more, I liked that despite its flimsy-looking appearance, it was actually very durable.
However, there was one thing that gave me pause.
‘This might be a weapon the protagonist could obtain—should I really be interfering?’
I hesitated for a moment, but the answer came quickly.
‘There’s no way this will affect the protagonist.’
I had already engraved in my mind the rule that I must never hinder Duke Ren’s progression.
‘But this should be fine, right?’
“Ilawne’s Heart” wasn’t a required item—it was a hidden item.
Even without it, the protagonist could resolve the incidents and easily reach the ending.
‘And there are plenty of other weapons the protagonist can get besides this one.’
In the future, the protagonist would acquire many different weapons, all of excellent quality.
Among the countless weapons, quietly taking one wouldn’t affect his ending.
‘Then there’s no problem if I take it.’
I’d have a weapon of my own.
Not one I’d discard after brief use, but a weapon for life.
‘I’m kind of looking forward to this.’
I could feel my heart pounding.
Then I shot up from my seat as if I’d burst.
Splash!
That was enough bathing for now.
Filled with motivation, I immediately jumped out of the tub, water splashing everywhere.
‘Let’s go right now.’
Thanks to the holiday, there were no students around—this was my chance.
Besides, I didn’t want to put off getting the weapon until tomorrow.
‘Once I get it, I’ll need to practice with it too.’
I needed to build up my proficiency so I could fight more freely.
For me, this was an urgent task to deal with as soon as possible.
I was about to head out right away.
‘Didn’t notice when I was in the warm water, but it’s a bit chilly now.’
I had changed into comfortable clothes for moving around, but that wasn’t enough.
It was spring, but the temperature dropped quite a bit at night.
It wasn’t winter cold, but still, there was a chill in the air.
‘I’ll have to dress warm enough to endure the walk there.’
I took another piece of clothing out of my bag.
‘I’ve avoided wearing this because it stands out too much.’
A luxurious black trench coat, the kind a noble might flaunt.
It was something Villed always wore.
‘I haven’t worn it even once since I started working in the stables.’
Once I put it on as an outer layer, the cold vanished as if by magic.
As expected of a noble’s belongings.
Finally, I grabbed a lantern and stepped out of the stables.
I knew the way to Ilawne’s Lake well.
‘It’s going to be quite a walk.’
It was about 5 kilometers from the stables.
‘That’ll take at least an hour.’
Not that I minded.
‘Villed’s been lacking exercise anyway.’
Might as well get some exercise and a weapon at the same time—two birds with one stone.
Jogging was nice.
And with the fresh air, even better.
After walking for over an hour, I finally arrived.
Ilawne’s Forest.
‘It’s pretty dense.’
The place already had a mysterious vibe.
Before entering the forest, I looked around curiously.
Nothing but trees upon trees in this thick woodland.
‘To other students, this place is just seen as a mysterious forest.’
A strange place with no visible end, where wandering around only leads you back to the entrance.
‘Who would guess there’s a weapon hidden here?’
This was the essential gateway to reach Ilawne’s Lake.
Without passing through the forest, one could never get to the lake.
‘Alright, from here the puzzle begins.’
Most would think that walking straight ahead would take them to the lake.
But in truth, it wasn’t that simple.
Since a hidden item was the reward, it wasn’t going to be easy.
‘You had to follow a specific pattern and route.’
If you got the pattern wrong, you’d wander for ages and eventually get thrown out again.
According to the setting, you’d be expelled by the forest’s guardian spirit.
Without knowing the method, the maze-like structure was impossible to solve.
But for me, it wasn’t a problem.
‘The breakthrough method is in my head.’
With light steps, I headed deeper into the forest.
I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked—stepping on the wrong thing could be bad.
The spirits were already watching.
‘You must not harm any life here.’
That included animals, insects, and even a single blade of grass.
After walking for a few minutes, I spotted two nests in the trees and perked up my ears.
For now, all I could hear were the sounds of insects.
I walked a few more steps forward.
‘Didn’t think much of it in the game, but in real life, this is creepier.’
Silence.
Even the smallest sound vanished, making it feel as though my hearing had been paralyzed.
A chilling sensation began to creep over me.
‘In movies, this is the kind of scene where a ghost jumps out.’
When a place was both dark and silent, it was natural to feel fear.
It was to the point where I almost felt like I had been teleported somewhere else.
‘This is part of the pattern too, so focus.’
I took a deep breath and moved forward again.
When I listened closely, someone whispered.
Kya-rrrk.
My mind snapped to attention.
From the left, I heard the sound of fairies laughing.
Others might have been startled, frightened, and trembling, but I didn’t.
‘Go in the opposite direction of where the sound comes from.’
I instantly turned precisely in the opposite direction and advanced.
Now the real game had begun.
They said there was an equation to calculate the pattern, but I had simply memorized the answers.
Kya-rrrk.
The sound of the fairies’ laughter continued.
It was a frightening situation, but I had no time to care, so I couldn’t even feel the fear.
‘First sound—opposite side. Second sound—toward the sound…’
I was too busy recalling the correct sequence.
If I got even one wrong, there’d be no mercy.
I’d be thrown straight out of the forest, and all my effort would be wasted, so I had to be careful.
At last, after solving the final pattern, I paused to catch my breath.
‘Finally done.’
I’d been worried—what if my memory was wrong?
Thankfully, every step had been correct.
‘Now if I just go straight ahead, I’ll reach the lakeside.’
As I moved forward, the dense trees began to thin out, and the night sky appeared overhead.
‘At last.’
I began to see the edge of a body of water that I assumed was the lake.
I ran toward it, and a new scene welcomed me.
‘This is Ilawne’s Lake…’
It was more beautiful than I had seen in the game.
The lakeside sparkled brilliantly under the moonlight of the night sky.
The forest encircled it.
It was a view that evoked a deeply mystical feeling.
Looking at the vast lake calmed my mind.
‘Maybe it’s even more so because it’s the spirit’s lake.’
I walked along the shore.
I was here to do what I came for.
‘Found it.’
I spotted a white flower.
Kneeling on one knee before it, I took a deep breath.
‘I only have one chance.’
I had to lift it out with the roots intact.
If I applied the wrong amount of force, the roots would snap, and the flower would die.
There would be no second chance.
‘Quite a few players came all the way here and still missed their shot.’
I carefully dug the soil around the flower.
Small stones and dirt lodged under my nails, causing pain, but I didn’t stop.
‘This flower is more important than my hands getting scratched.’
After spending time and care to clear the soil, I had the intact flower resting on my palm.
‘Got it.’
The stem was thin, weak, and shabby, but the petals looked full of life.
When I held the flower up to the moonlight, a faint light arose.
Then, a new hologram appeared.
To you, whose heart is as pure as the waters of the lake, the spirit Ilawne shall dwell.
Shurururuk…
The roots, as thin as strands of hair, began to glow and thicken.
‘It changed.’
Before I knew it, it had transformed into a small wand.
‘This is better than I expected.’
It was feather-light and the perfect size to hold in one hand.
When I examined it closely, a hologram appeared.
Ilawne’s Heart
Weapon Type: Wand
It was a small wand topped with a white flower.
In the game, its design was so unimpressive it looked like a stick with a white dot on it.
“Beautiful.”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
Seeing it in person, it felt less like a weapon and more like a refined piece of art.
‘This is my weapon.’
It was as beautiful as it was hard to obtain.
It was worth every bit of effort.
‘Not now, but later I’ll even be able to talk with it.’
The wand contained the sleeping forest spirit, Ilawne.
Once its power grew to a certain level, the spirit would sense it and awaken.
‘And not only that, but it’ll change appearance too.’
As its owner grew stronger, the short wand would extend to the length of a staff.
Later, colorful flowers would bloom on it, and fruits would grow.
Being a weapon with unusual abilities, its appearance would transform just as uniquely.
‘Let’s test it now.’
In my head, I knew it was a good weapon, but my ability was fire.
‘If it burns, that’ll be bad.’
It looked as though it could catch fire and be reduced to ash in an instant, like any ordinary twig, so I thought it necessary to test it.
I raised the wand close to the lake.
‘Card.’
A small flame flickered in the air, summoning Hwayo’s card.
When I willed my ability into use, fire spread out from the wand.
If the wand so much as began to burn, I planned to dunk it in the lake immediately to minimize damage.
But when I saw the wand, I froze in place.
‘What… is this?’
The wand was lit with fire, but it wasn’t burning.
There was no smell of burning, and its famed durability allowed it to remain intact.
But more surprising than that…
Whooshhhhhhh!
‘…The firepower’s insane.’
The flames blasted upward into the sky like a flamethrower.
It was far more intense than when I had used my skill during the test.