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Chapter 19
“Operator, you son of a—! If you’re going to run this game like this, why did you even make it?! Why has the world turned like this, and why are there zombies in a farming game?! You can’t even fix errors properly and make people suffer! I already knew you were hopeless, but this is ridiculous! Are you going to keep running the game sloppily like this?!”
The muscular being, two or three times bigger than Nana, was instantly overwhelmed by her fierce energy. It flailed awkwardly, moving as she shook it around.
“Ah… no, no, listen to me….”
“Give me back the game! Give me back my healing farm life!”
Nana unleashed all the frustration she had built up from the world turning into a zombie apocalypse onto the bicep-packed being. After a while, when the commotion settled, Nana finally let go of the tank top she had been gripping.
“I was going to briefly explain the main point to give you a hint, but time’s already passed… My muscles are going to suffer…”
The once-solid muscular being now looked ten years older, worn down like stretched-out tank top straps.
“Ahem… Anyway, I think there’s a misunderstanding. Actually, this place is…”
“Not just a simple in-game world?”
“The ‘game’ you’re talking about in your world… hmm?”
“And you’re not actually the operator, but rather someone who created this world—or at least holds a very important position in it, right?”
“Umm…?”
“This world really exists, and the game from where I came just happened to be created similarly, so the worlds overlapped and borrowed similar systems, or whatever.”
Correct. The muscular being had nothing to say.
Having read countless fantasy and historical fantasy novels in the modern world, Nana could easily anticipate such a twist. And given the timing, it was exactly the cliché you’d expect.
Nana nodded slightly, satisfied with her conclusion.
“…Then why did you pretend to be an operator and make me angry about the game?”
“Anyway, you’re still one of the creators of this world, right? How is that different from being an operator?”
“….”
“Whether this is inside a game or another world, it doesn’t really matter to me. Just because it’s not a game doesn’t mean I dislike it. So just give me the hint quickly.”
The muscular being closed its eyes, silently enduring Nana’s shameless audacity.
Stay calm. Don’t get angry or your muscles will suffer. Muscle loss…
“Alright, since you seem to understand everything, I’ll get straight to it. Didn’t we give you a quest to conquer the Eastern Forest?”
“…Ah, thinking about that again makes me angry. It’s a dead forest anyway; why make people go through a quest for it?”
Seeing Nana about to start a second round of complaints, the muscular being hurriedly spoke.
“There’s a World Tree there, which holds one axis of the world, so we had no choice. Anyway, you achieved results beyond the quest. So, as promised, I’ll give you a tremendous hint! You are going to be chosen by the World Tree!”
The muscular being expected Nana to be ecstatic. Being chosen by the World Tree was beyond human imagination. But, contrary to expectations, Nana’s face twisted even further.
“…That’s the hint?”
“Huh?”
“You mean aside from me being chosen? No hidden features, no skill unlocks, nothing extra?”
“You are destined to balance the world—”
“Seriously… Since it came up, I’ll ask. You chose me, so I got the ability to run a farm, right?”
“Y-yes?”
“But is that really the fundamental solution?”
“Huh?”
“Huh? Can’t you say more? Whether it’s a game or a real world, if there’s a bug or error, fixing it is the operator’s job! If disasters happen, the operator should solve it, not just pick one person to farm!”
“Ah, no, that’s something we can’t handle.”
“Why can’t you?! You’re the operator! The master of the game and the creator of the world!”
“Well… there are limits to what we can intervene in! Humans must solve the disasters humans cause!”
“The operator can’t fix it and expects the user to solve it?! What kind of game is this?!”
“It’s not a game, so humans must solve it! You just said it doesn’t matter if it’s a game or not!”
“And that’s supposed to be the same thing?!”
The muscular being held Nana’s shoulders and spoke rapidly like a machine gun.
“Anyway, just by touching the World Tree, you’ll be chosen, and that’s incredible! A huge hint! Now, humans can’t stay here long, so we’ll send you back!”
“That’s supposed to be a hint?! Stop running the game like trash! Hey, are you listening?!”
Nana wanted to argue more, but her consciousness gradually began to fade.
As the muscular being completely disappeared from her view, she once again heard its voice echo in her mind:
“We’ll help you in our own way. Good luck.”
“I don’t need it! Just fix the world and return it to normal, you damn fools!”
“…End. Adrien?!”
Suddenly, Ishanka’s voice snapped Nana back to awareness. She whipped her head around and assessed the situation.
She and Ishanka were standing in front of the World Tree. Nothing seemed different from before the white space.
“You were staring at the World Tree without saying anything, so I was surprised.”
“…How long was I like this?”
“Not long. About twenty seconds, I think.”
Though it felt like she had talked with the operator for a while, in reality only twenty seconds had passed. Impressive world-time efficiency.
Without delay, Nana touched the World Tree to complete the quest. Some parts of it had been blackened and died due to the earlier glitch.
‘They said I’d be chosen just by touching it. But even after being called into that weird space and told all that, nothing seems to have changed.’
As she inspected the blackened area she had touched, the color gradually returned to normal.
System Message:
<The World Tree likes you, the one with the “Blessed Hand.” The World Tree will grant you a gift.>
The center of the World Tree, formed by multiple slender branches, slowly opened, revealing a green gem glowing in front of Nana. She instinctively recognized it as the forest energy mentioned in the quest.
As she touched the green gem, the forest energy, glowing light green, rapidly flowed into her body. Soon after, a fanfare sounded and a system message appeared:
<You have received a portion of the World Tree’s most treasured “forest energy.” You have earned the title “Chosen by the World Tree.”>
Nana scrolled through the system message, sighing in mild disappointment.
‘That’s it? That old man made a fuss about being chosen by the World Tree, but all it gives me is this?’
“Problem?”
“Nothing. Let’s claim this land quickly and leave. Who knows when zombies might come this way.”
Hidden Quest Completion:
<Hidden Quest: “Conquer the Eastern Forest” completed. Would you like to declare the Eastern Forest as your farmland?>
Nana pressed without hesitation.
<Quest “Conquer the Eastern Forest” completed. Reward: Experience granted.>
<Adrien Logitten’s job level greatly increased. Your farm’s territory expanded by 200 meters. Farm functions upgraded. Additional reward: All life in the Eastern Forest revived.>
Immediately, the dead, blackened trees around Nana rapidly came back to life. Trees that were once bare grew leaves, flowers, and fruits. The desolate forest transformed into lush greenery, and the soil became fertile brown earth.
Ishanka, witnessing the miraculous scene, spoke first.
“Is this also a power granted by the gods?”
“This… isn’t exactly my power. It’s a reward. If you complete a quest—or rather, a trial—you get a significant reward like this each time.”
Beneath the sky-covering green canopy, small glowing creatures floated like fireflies.
“These are Silai. They only live in pure, vibrant areas.”
A white, faintly glowing Silai drifted around the revived forest, blessing it as it moved.
One of them circled Nana and landed gently on her palm.
<System Message: The life spirit Silai feels affection toward you, the one chosen by the World Tree.>
The tiny glowing spirit hovered around her as if thanking her. Nana smiled faintly.
“Well… I guess today wasn’t bad for making friends with you guys.”
