Unggulatuseu, who had guarded the World Tree for ten thousand years, suffered a grievous wound to his soul in his clash with the fire giant Surtr.
A massive injury that no power or holy relic could heal began to slowly corrupt him.
In the end, Unggulatuseu decided to fall into a deep slumber in the Moonlit Forest, the place of his birth.
Until the vast energy of the great wilderness emanating from the World Tree could fully purify his tainted soul.
Not even Unggulatuseu, the Nature's Guardian, could guess how much time that would take. He might even meet his end like this.
Surtr's flames were that lethal.
[Before the snow falls, I will awaken.]
He declared it toward the Milky Way.
It was also a declaration to all who worried for him.
And... the Moonlit Forest was a place where snow never fell.
'Sleepy.'
Saying farewell to everyone.
Unggulatuseu sank into a deep slumber.
Wishing he could awaken once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Shhhhhhh—
At some point.
Unggulatuseu felt an indescribable energy stimulating every corner of his body.
'...Warm.'
How long had he basked in that comforting sensation?
From the edges of his consciousness, a faint figure in white robes appeared.
The shape gradually sharpened until it formed a complete human form.
And that being was.
'Father...!'
The one Unggulatuseu had desperately longed to meet again.
He was the mythical existence who had single-handedly thwarted the alliance of the nine worlds.
The ancient guardian who had raised Unggulatuseu after he lost his mother.
'So you were here.'
Beings born from the World Tree return to the World Tree's dreams in the end.
Unggulatuseu realized he had met his end and reunited with the ancient guardian.
[Father!]
He reached out a paw toward the ancient guardian.
Because he had missed him so deeply it ached in his chest.
The one who had taught him the laws of nature.
The one who had awakened his duty as a guardian.
Now he could finally meet him.
Squish!
Unggulatuseu hugged the ancient guardian tightly.
Then the ancient guardian's hand touched Unggulatuseu's face.
'...Father.'
Unggulatuseu surrendered his entire body to the ancient guardian's touch.
The hand moved from his head down his arms and legs.
'Ten thousand years have passed, and now we're back to those days.'
Memories flooded back of him as a cub, giggling under the ancient guardian's touch.
Carefree days of eating, sleeping, and rolling around in the Moonlit Forest.
Faded memories he had forgotten.
They gently soothed the heart of Unggulatuseu, now hardened like steel.
He wanted to lean into his embrace forever.
The ancient guardian's touch eased Unggulatuseu's mind.
It felt like ten thousand years of hardship were melting away.
But suddenly.
Thwack!
The ancient guardian smacked Unggulatuseu's head.
[...Father?]
Bewildered, Unggulatuseu asked the ancient guardian.
"Get up, you dumb bear!"
But what came back was a harsh rebuke.
[...Yes?]
Unggulatuseu couldn't comprehend the situation.
Of course, he remembered the ancient guardian's personality was quite unique—no one could control him back then...
"Massage is over! Get up already, you dumb bear!"
Whoosh— Thud!
The ancient guardian's soft fist struck Unggulatuseu's nose dead-on.
And in that instant.
Shhhhhh—!
[Ugh...!]
The World Tree's mana surging from the ancient guardian's fist began rapidly purifying Unggulatuseu's soul.
'I'm not dead!?'
It didn't take long for Unggulatuseu to realize this wasn't the World Tree's dream.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Blink, blink.
The enormous eye twitched shut and open.
"Hiccup!"
I was hiccupping uncontrollably from sheer fright.
I hadn't noticed while it slept, but now that this Lotte Tower-sized beast was conscious, goosebumps erupted all over my body.
If it swung its arm and accidentally hit me, I'd be squished flat without a chance.
[...Human?]
A majestic voice, presumably Unggulatuseu's, rumbled in my ears.
It was a gravelly tone fitting his massive frame, and strangely, his mouth hadn't opened.
Beings like the Nature's Guardian could communicate without moving their mouths.
[...A familiar scent.]
Unggulatuseu extended a massive paw and scooped me up.
"Eek! W-Wait! Hold on a sec!"
I dangled helplessly from the tip of his claw, utterly terrified.
Sniff, sniff.
Lick.
"Ugh..."
Unggulatuseu sniffed my scent and even tasted me with his tongue.
When he sniffed, it felt like I'd be sucked into the black-hole-like abyss of his nostril.
When his tongue touched me, it was like being coiled by an anaconda.
At just 180cm tall, I was less than a bug before this giant bear.
[The tree has withered. Explain the circumstances.]
Vrrrrm—
As Unggulatuseu spoke, the vibrant particles swirling around him vibrated.
The forest fairies, who had been cheering me on, seemed to be briefing him on everything that had happened.
[So that's how it is.]
Swish.
As the fairies stopped vibrating, Unggulatuseu stared straight at me.
'Gulp.'
His size was impossible to get used to; my muscles tensed up completely.
Sweat beaded on my forehead and trickled down my jawline.
Whoooosh—
Unggulatuseu's paw approached again.
It sounded like a passenger plane taking off as the paw moved.
"Eek!"
Fearing the worst, I froze in place and squeezed my eyes shut.
[Climb on.]
"...Pardon?"
[I have something to show you. Climb on.]
"Ah, yes."
I stepped onto Unggulatuseu's paw without protest.
Thud.
Unggulatuseu rose to his feet, placing me on his head.
Suddenly, the vast, unobstructed view of the Moonlit Forest unfolded before me—one I'd never seen before.
"Whoa...!"
The Milky Way, now so much closer.
The endlessly sprawling, dreamlike forest scenery.
Purple flashes and blue lights sparkled ceaselessly amid it all.
Like a fireworks show just for me, unwilling to end.
[Behold, this is the pinnacle of the World Tree.]
Unggulatuseu's words etched themselves into my heart.
[It is also the pinnacle of Silmaria.]
As if imparting wisdom, his voice was calm yet stern.
[We are strange beings who rush into nature's embrace, like a mother's bosom, hiding in its warm folds. We sleep within nature and awaken there. Adventurer, can you join me in protecting this great wilderness we behold?]
Unggulatuseu asked me at length.
Normally, my answer would be an unhesitating yes.
I'd gone all out to change classes to Druid, after all.
'It's heavy.'
But with all that weight behind the question, I couldn't answer lightly.
Druids harmonize with nature and wield its power—but Silmaria was near-perfect simulation, unlike other games.
Changing to Druid meant I'd truly have to love nature and fight those who harm it.
I did love nature and animals, but the issue was getting dragged into unavoidable conflicts.
'Am I suddenly an environmentalist?'
Poachers hunting for hides or kingdom developers clearing forests for land— I'd automatically be their enemy.
Not ideal for my safety-first approach.
'Still, the gains outweigh it.'
I didn't know exactly how strong Druids were.
I could only infer.
And evidence of Druid power was everywhere already.
The colossal Unggulatuseu.
The mystical fairies.
The 'pinnacle of the World Tree' that was the Moonlit Forest.
And he said this Moonlit Forest was also Silmaria's pinnacle.
I couldn't be sure, but as lord of the world's highest point, it wasn't a stretch to see Unggulatuseu as the absolute peak of the lore.
'I've thought it through enough.'
I opened my mouth with a serious expression.
"Yes. I'll protect it with you."
As I answered.
Whoosh!
A gale-force wind swirled around me.
[⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ]
[You have completed the class change quest and changed classes to 'Druid'!]
[The great wilderness warmly embraces you.]
[An ancient trace has been detected in your algorithm.]
[Your class has changed from 'Druid' to 'Ancient Druid'.]
[Job skill has been added.]
[You have achieved an incalculable feat and obtained the title 'Miracle Masseur'!]
'Ooh!'
Class change success, plus a intriguingly named title.
And the class was 'Ancient' Druid, not just plain Druid.
I didn't know what 'ancient' implied, but it meant it wasn't ordinary—not a bad thing.
A huge grin spread across my face.
[A wise choice, brother. I shall bestow upon you the Guardian's Seal.]
But it seemed this wasn't the end.
A majestic aura swirled from Unggulatuseu's body as he set me down.
Now that I'd changed to Druid, he called me brother and treated me with respect.
Bzzz—
"Hm?"
Suddenly, my back itched.
I twisted my arm back to scratch it.
[Using my power has tired me. The rest is up to you, brother. Grow into a fine Druid...]
Slump.
Thud—
Unggulatuseu laid his massive body on the ground.
And promptly passed out.
What did Druids do?
What was this Guardian's Seal?
What was I supposed to do now?
He left no explanations.
Rumble... Snort...
Only the thunderous breathing of the giant beast echoed through the quiet Moonlit Forest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Changing to a hidden class optimized for me.
That was my top priority goal in playing Silmaria.
Hidden classes required figuring out growth paths yourself, but analyzing character stats and skills for peak performance was my specialty.
And Silmaria wasn't a game where following others led to the top.
The growth gap between users who picked classes fitting their talents and position versus those who didn't would only widen over time.
'I did it.'
Wrong direction meant even mad effort yielded slim success odds.
In that sense, I was the best starter.
Highest VR sync rate for supporter position, plus a talent for bonding with animals.
My first friend Kkwi-kku was just a frail rabbit, but taming powerful beasts later would let me maximize my potential.
'Who knows, maybe one day I'll even tame that giant Unggulatuseu.'
The dream alone made me happy.
I'd always admired big, cool animals, so imagining riding a bear or tiger brought a grin already.
"Alright, let's take a look."
No telling when Unggulatuseu, exhausted and asleep, would wake. Couldn't just wait around.
I opened various info windows to check my Druid abilities.
[⚔ STATUS ⚔ ]
▶ Name: Kwon Ha-yul
▶ Level: 13
▶ Class: Ancient Druid
▶ Stats
[Strength: 30]
[Agility: 20(+3)]
[Intelligence: 5(+12)]
[Vitality: 25(+5)]
[Mental Power: 5]
[Stat Points: 0]
[⚔ STATUS ⚔]
▶ Skills
[Focused Thrust Lv.2]
[Dash Lv.1]
[Moonlit Path Lv.Master]
[Homing Instinct Lv.Master]
[Empathy Lv.1]
[Transformation Lv.1]
[Breath of Nature Lv.1]
[Moonlight Lv.1]
[⚔ STATUS ⚔]
▶ Equipment
▶ Weapon: [Iron Spear]
▶ Chest: [Leather Armor]
▶ Legs: [Hobgoblin Shaman's Leggings]
▶ Shoulders: [Singed Shoulder Guard]
▶ Wrists: [Leather Bracer]
▶ Combat Stats
[HP: 300] [Mana: 50] [Stamina: 283] [Physical Attack: 14] [Magic Attack: 7] [Physical Defense: 123] [Magic Defense: 95]
"Tch, still a long way to go."
At just level 13, my stats were abysmal.
I'd hoped for bonus stats from the hidden class, but no dice.
I activated the detail view to check the new skills.
[⚔ SKILLS ⚔ ]
▷[Empathy Lv.1]
Bond with an animal species to tame it as a pet. Higher levels allow bonding with stronger species.
- Max level for full bonding: 20
- Max pets: 1
- Cooldown: None
- Mana cost: 1/sec
▷[Transformation Lv.1]
Select a bonded animal with high affinity to transform into it. Use again to revert. Higher levels allow stronger transformations.
- Max transformation level: 20
- Cooldown: None
- Mana cost: 30
▷[Breath of Nature Lv.1]
Envelop target in nature's breath to slowly restore HP. Higher levels increase amount and speed.
- Restores 300 HP over 30 sec.
- Cooldown: 30 sec
- Mana cost: 20
▷[Moonlight Lv.1]
Fire moonlight at target for magic damage. Higher levels increase damage and projectile speed.
- Magic Damage: 30
- Cooldown: 5 sec
- Mana cost: 5
- Projectile speed: 500
"Ooh, pretty detailed."
The skill info was user-friendly.
Of course, Breath of Nature's heal and Moonlight's damage wouldn't match the listed numbers exactly.
Both scaled with Magic Attack, but skill windows showed base values without modifiers like Magic Attack.
Silmaria wasn't defined purely by numbers— even with all stats applied, power varied by user.
Smart casters optimized magic differently from others.
Even emotions, condition, or terrain affected output.
Tempest's devs deserved respect for such detail.
"So... for me, 'Empathy' is the core skill."
Confirmed limits: max bond level 20, 1 mana/sec, one pet max.
Bonding efficiency was all on the user.
"I can overcome these limits quick."
My innate talent would level Empathy fast.
Like national kendo pros mastering Sword Mastery.
"Transformation? Cool skill."
Most intriguing was Transformation.
Turning into cool beasts if conditions met? Romance for an animal lover like me.
'Indeed.'
Initial style: sturdy pet up front, me healing from behind.
Perfectly safe, my taste.
But if Transformation packed a punch, I'd rethink.
"Only rabbit for now."
Only rabbit available to transform into.
Still, human-to-rabbit? Wild skill.
'Let's try it.'
Excitement bubbling.
"Transformation!"
Poof!
I activated the skill.
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