Chapter 101

The White Dragon was staring intently at the transparent barrier from beneath the ocean surface.

‘Come to think of it...’

I recalled the time it had suddenly appeared and talked about forming a contract to protect us.

The glowing tattoo on the back of my grandfather’s hand was proof of that contract.

A thought crossed my mind.

‘Does it know something about this situation?’

The vision of the lush forest and the massive tree I had seen when I touched the transparent energy came back to me. It seemed certain that the energy was linked to Yggdrasil.

Initially, I thought it was Yggdrasil’s doing. But after seeing my grandfather—a guardian of Yggdrasil—being affected, I changed my mind.

Moreover, the power my grandfather wielded, drawn from Yggdrasil, was completely different in nature from the transparent energy rooted in my grandmother’s head.

While it was undeniably connected to Yggdrasil, the fact that it had attacked my grandfather suggested it was not on friendly terms with the World Tree.

‘And the White Dragon seemed to know a lot about Yggdrasil.’

Considering it had entrusted its offspring to me, it appeared that Yggdrasil was essential for the hatching of its eggs.

‘I’ll need to ask it directly.’

Although I couldn’t leave the domain, the White Dragon was already at the barrier’s edge. All I needed to do was reach it.

‘Opening the East Gate should suffice.’

The East Gate was a relatively simple feature of my domain. It allowed me to open a portal “anywhere” within the domain.

Unlike regular doors, it created a portal in the air, enabling instant movement.

It was a refined version of the Absolute Dweller’s Door but inferior to the North Gate, which could open portals to any location where my retainers were present, even outside the domain.

‘Still, it’s proving useful now.’

I was currently in a four-person hospital room just in front of the family home.

With the edge of the domain being 10 kilometers away, it would have taken considerable time to get there on foot.

Even with teleportation, my current mental stamina only allowed me to travel 2 kilometers at a time, and reaching the White Dragon’s location would have required swimming several kilometers through the sea.

But—

‘Open the East Gate.’

With the East Gate, I could create a portal anywhere within the domain and speak to the White Dragon without the hassle.

Ziiing—

A circular portal formed in the air, gradually expanding.

Beyond the portal, seawater shimmered, and light from the hospital room spilled through, illuminating the ocean depths.

Thankfully, no water poured into the room—I could control such things.

On the other side of the portal, the White Dragon was staring directly at me.

Realizing I didn’t need to cross over to communicate, I addressed it.

“I have questions for you.”

The White Dragon’s aura grew sharp as it responded.

[Why does someone like you seek Yggdrasil?]

“...What?”

[Greed invites disaster. No matter how transcendent you may be, coveting a divinity beyond your capacity leads only to ruin.]

It seemed the White Dragon had misunderstood.

‘At least I can follow its train of thought.’

Clearing up the misunderstanding was crucial to continuing the conversation.

“You seem mistaken. I’m not after Yggdrasil’s power.”

At the same time, I expanded the portal’s size.

When my grandfather’s unconscious figure came into view, the White Dragon’s sharp aura softened.

“This is my grandfather. He has been asleep like this for the past week. Not just him—all my family members are in the same condition. Do you know anything about this?”

The White Dragon stared at my sleeping family through the portal before finally speaking.

[It’s the work of the Owl.]

“Owl?”

[A parasitic creature that survives by clinging to Yggdrasil.]

Fortunately, the White Dragon seemed well-informed about the cause of this disaster.

“What must I do to wake them up?”

I asked with hope in my voice.

But the White Dragon’s answer was not what I wanted to hear.

[Burn all the infected.]

For a moment, I considered who it meant by “infected” before opening my mouth.

“What...?”

[Once a soul has been collected by the Owl, it can never return. Before its power spreads further, you must kill the infected and burn their bodies.]

[If you do so, Yggdrasil will remain safe. The guardian’s power will pass on to you, its blood kin.]

When I didn’t respond, the White Dragon cautiously added,

[There is no other way, regrettable as it is.]

Suppressing my anger, I addressed the creature.

“Explain everything you know about the Owl. What does it have to do with Yggdrasil and these dreams?”

If it was parasitizing Yggdrasil, it should have been leeching nutrients from its trunk or roots.

How could it claim to be connected to Yggdrasil while feeding on innocent humans?

Fixing my glare on the White Dragon, I spoke coldly.

“Answer me. Unless you want to see your eggs burn alive at Yggdrasil’s roots.”

The White Dragon hesitated for a moment before speaking in a strange tone.

[To your eyes, Yggdrasil must seem like nothing more than a great tree.]

“What are you saying?”

[Even for someone transcendent, the world visible to mortal eyes is limited. But Yggdrasil’s true essence resides in the rift between dimensions. The Owl uses human minds as conduits to access that rift and siphon power from Yggdrasil’s core.]

Despite its detailed explanation, it was difficult to grasp its meaning fully.

But intuitively, I understood the gist.

“Can you elaborate further?”

[So that's it...]

Even after asking several more questions, the White Dragon simply repeated the same points over and over.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Don’t worry about your eggs."

With that, I closed the East Gate and turned to Dr. Lee Sung-min, who had been standing by.

"I need to step out for a moment."

"Take your time and don’t worry," he replied.

"Thank you."

Teleporting to the hospital rooftop, I looked out at Yggdrasil.@@novelbin@@

The World Tree had grown so massive that it now towered over most apartment buildings.

‘I need to start with that.’

At that moment—

[An unauthorized entity is attempting to enter.]

[An unauthorized entity is attempting to enter.]

I noticed the White Dragon attacking the transparent barrier from the distant sea.

Its icy breath froze the surrounding waters and hammered against the barrier, but the transparent wall held firm against the onslaught.

Though the attack seemed menacing, it achieved nothing.

‘It’s trying hard.’

I had initially been concerned because its level surpassed even that of the progenitor vampire, but my worries proved unnecessary.

‘I don’t sense any energy similar to my black aura from it.’

With that, I was certain.

Without my permission, the White Dragon could not breach my domain.

Satisfied, I turned my attention back to Yggdrasil and teleported to its highest branches.

The White Dragon, staring at the frozen sea around it, was in shock.

‘How...?’

Its attack had been completely thwarted by a barrier created by what it perceived as a mere mortal.

The dragon had intended to destroy the barrier and personally eliminate those tainted by the Owl. It had sensed that the young human valued his family above even Yggdrasil.

The dragon was prepared to be hated by the next guardian, even if it meant its offspring would be incinerated before they could hatch. It had resolved to act for the greater good.

But it had failed at the very first step.

‘Impossible.’

The White Dragon gauged the scale of the barrier based on the area of the sea it had frozen.

The transparent wall was unimaginably vast, both in breadth and height. For such a massive barrier to withstand its icy breath without a single scratch, it would require an unfathomable amount of energy.

What shocked the dragon even more was the absence of any discernible aura from the barrier.

‘This can’t be.’

There was only one explanation for this phenomenon.

‘That human has achieved divinity?’

If the barrier before it was a manifestation of divine power, it made sense. Only power of equal standing could breach such a barrier.

But the idea was absurd.

‘A being with divinity cannot exist in this world.’

That was common sense.

‘Even if he were an avatar of a god, such a feat would be impossible.’

If such power were achievable, the world would be overrun with divine chaos.

There was only one remaining possibility.

‘A new god is being born.’

Only the birth of a myth could account for such an extraordinary occurrence.

The World Tree was truly colossal.

From its initial height of just a few dozen meters, it had grown to surpass even the tallest skyscrapers, now standing several hundred meters tall.

If it grew any further, it would likely dwarf nearby Mount Cheonma.

‘It’s incredible. And this isn’t even its true form?’

The White Dragon had insisted that Yggdrasil’s true essence was beyond the perception of mortal eyes.

But what about the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, imbued with divine authority?

Sitting on one of Yggdrasil’s branches, I closed my eyes.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eye.’

I directed all my focus toward the World Tree, shutting out everything else—the other retainers, the domain’s surroundings, and even my own body.

From the treetop to the trunk, down to the roots, I spread my vision across Yggdrasil.

Twelve perspectives collectively scanned the entire tree.

At first, nothing changed.

It was just an enormous tree.

‘I can’t give up.’

My family’s lives were at stake.

Hours passed as I used the Absolute Dweller’s Eye to scrutinize the entire domain, but no new discoveries emerged.

‘This won’t work.’

A breakthrough was needed.

“They said Yggdrasil’s true form exists in a dimensional rift?”

How could I peer into that realm?

I overlapped my visions, concentrating them on a single perspective, but nothing changed.

Then—

Wooong.

An unfamiliar energy began to emanate from the branch I was sitting on.

‘This...?’

The green energy resembled the life force my grandfather used from Yggdrasil.

As it enveloped my body, it stirred something within me—an epiphany.

The black aura.

This power, which I had recently begun wielding, was the source of all my skills.

The electricity, gas, and water produced by the Refinement skill, the portals connecting spaces, and the invisible hands extending from my body—all originated from the black aura.

Even the Absolute Dweller’s Eye was born from it.

And so—

Fwoosh.

Black aura began to swirl in the air.

In the space where the Absolute Dweller’s Eye operated, the black aura ignited and coalesced into a singular form.

A black eye.

When its eyelid slowly lifted—

‘Ah!’

A new world unfolded before me.

From the branch I sat on, green energy poured forth, illuminating everything around it.

As the black eye moved, my vision expanded, revealing Yggdrasil’s full form and the streams of green energy radiating outward.

At first, I thought it was simply life force dispersing into the world.

But I quickly realized I was wrong.

‘I can see it.’

The green energy filling the sky and earth formed the shape of an enormous tree.

The true form of Yggdrasil was there.