It was enormous.
That was the only word that came to my mind as I stood before the Exil Tree.
Calling it a tree almost felt wrong.
Its roots were so massive that they stretched farther than anything I had ever seen. Entire lands rested upon them. Branches disappeared into the distance, reaching so far that my eyes couldn't even comprehend where they ended.
The sight only made me more curious.
What exactly was an Exil Tree Tournament?
What were we supposed to do here?
Then the question slipped from my lips.
"How are we supposed to climb that?"
Sadlar looked at me.
A wicked smile slowly appeared on his face.
"That will be answered soon."
...Yeah.
That smile didn't reassure me at all.
This wasn't going to be easy, was it?
---
Our ship eventually landed in the first branch.
Or, more accurately, the lower-zone base.
There were no roots here.
At least, none that looked like the enormous roots we had seen from above.
Instead, a massive area had been prepared for the participants.
Thousands of people stood throughout the base.
Participants.
Watchers.
Nobles and their families.
Royal guards.
The security was tighter than I expected.
There were guards almost everywhere, watching the participants as they arrived.
The moment we stepped off the ship, we started moving toward the area closer to the Exil Tree.
That's when I noticed Tale.
He was standing with a girl I didn't recognize.
But Gray clearly knew her.
Tale looked at Gray and smiled.
"So you're really going in, huh?"
Gray shrugged.
"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."
Tale sighed.
"I know you can handle yourself without me."
I raised an eyebrow.
So Creators weren't allowed to participate in their Creator state?
That would explain why Tale was here instead of joining us.
Before I could ask, I noticed Alysa's contractor approaching her from the other side.
Alysa immediately went over to talk with her.
Meanwhile, Gray approached the girl beside Tale.
"It's been some time. How are you, Razya?"
Razya.
So that was her name.
I was sure I'd never met her before.
Yet...
The moment her eyes landed on me, something felt strange.
She was staring at me.
Not normally, either.
It almost looked like she was...
Drooling?
No.
That couldn't be right.
I must have been imagining things.
She quickly introduced herself.
"I am Razya. I'm also a contractor for Creators. Currently, I'm the contractor of Zeo, the Ninth Creator of Life."
Zeo.
That name immediately rang a bell.
Gray had told me about him before.
Zeo was special.
A Creator capable of wielding every element.
Even Captain Shin had personally taken him as his disciple.
And, more importantly...
He was the one who killed Death.
I still hated that.
Not because Zeo had done anything wrong.
But because I wanted to be the one to kill Death.
Unfortunately, Zeo was currently in the Human Realm.
Which meant Razya should have been free from her duties as his contractor.
At least, that's what I assumed.
I looked at her.
She looked back at me.
And somewhere inside her mind—
*Oh... it's him.*
*It really is him.*
*He's even more handsome than he looked in the Log Department's profile.*
*Wait.*
*He's looking at me.*
*Do I look good right now?*
I blinked.
She was still staring.
Yeah.
Definitely weird.
Gray, completely unaware of the thoughts happening beside him, continued.
"It's unfortunate Zeo isn't here. If he were, he might have joined us."
Then he smiled.
"But since he's away, you're basically having some free time, right?"
Razya's expression suddenly darkened.
"I wanted to say that."
Her fists tightened.
"But the head of the Log Department decided to use me as his personal maid!"
She looked like she was about to explode.
"Do this! Do that! Write this! Bring that! He keeps ordering me around!"
Her voice became louder.
"Then he says, 'You don't have any work right now, so help others.' Damn it! When is he coming back?!"
She looked genuinely miserable.
Then she started to sob.
...
Yeah.
Looks like she really was having a rough time.
Hang in there.
Before I could say anything, a strange announcement suddenly echoed through the entire area.
A stone floated above us.
It looked almost like a magical speaker.
And at its center was a huge eye.
The eye opened.
Then a voice came from it.
"Attention, participants!"
The entire area became quiet.
"The routes have been assigned to you all. Confirm your assigned route and head toward your designated starting point."
The eye rotated slowly.
"In thirty minutes, the tournament rules will be explained at your respective locations."
Then the stone went silent.
Routes?
What kind of tournament had routes?
Something about this suddenly felt...
Bad.
Wait.
Was I nervous?
---
We said our goodbyes to Tale and Razya.
They wished us good luck.
Alysa's contractor also came to see her off.
But Bell...
She wasn't here.
I looked around one more time.
Nothing.
I couldn't see her anywhere.
I sighed.
Then we moved toward the large board placed in front of us.
Five routes were displayed.
Each route had a list of participant names beneath it.
Apparently, whoever's name appeared under a route would participate there.
Gray, Alysa, and I started searching.
I found Alysa's name first.
Route II.
Good.
I hoped mine would be there too.
Then I found it.
Zaraf.
Route II.
I smiled.
At least Alysa and I were together.
Then I looked for Gray.
His expression suddenly changed.
He froze.
I looked at him.
"What happened?"
He didn't answer.
"Did you find your name?"
Gray slowly raised his head.
"My name..."
He swallowed.
"...is under Route IV."
Silence.
Damn.
We were split.
I didn't know what the routes meant yet, but it seemed obvious that we were going to be placed in completely different battlefields.
The more I thought about it, the faster my heart started beating.
Gray was strong.
I knew he could handle himself.
But there was one thing I couldn't ignore.
There were lunatics out there who wanted us dead.
And now Gray was going somewhere I couldn't reach him.
Gray suddenly exhaled.
"Haaa..."
Then he smiled.
"I guess this is it."
He looked at us.
"But this isn't the end."
He raised a hand.
"Let's meet at the end of the tournament."
Then he added dramatically—
"Be safe. Be sound!"
I hit him on the head.
"Don't overreact!"
He rubbed his head.
"We're only in different routes. We can get through this."
Right?
---
Soon, it was time.
We headed toward the location where the rules would be explained.
Only participants were allowed inside.
As we entered, each of us was given a bracelet.
It was slightly larger than an ordinary bracelet.
The moment I touched it, I sensed something.
Mana.
A spell?
Interesting.
We continued inside.
The place was packed with people.
Some stood together in groups.
Some stood alone.
And some...
Well.
They looked very alone.
Then two people walked onto the stage.
A man.
And a young girl.
The lights suddenly disappeared.
Darkness covered the entire place.
Then a single light illuminated the two people on the stage.
The girl smiled.
"We are your introducers!"
Her voice echoed through the hall.
"The One Hundred Twenty-Third Exil Tree Tournament has officially begun!"
She spread her arms.
"And we're here to tell you how you're going to climb this enormous tree!"
She laughed.
"Don't tell me some of you were actually thinking you'd literally climb it!"
She said exactly what I was thinking.
The man beside her spoke.
His voice was cold and heavy.
"The rules are simple."
He paused.
"So let us begin without unnecessary bullshit."
The entire hall became silent.
Everyone focused on the stage.
Well...
Almost everyone.
The man continued.
"First. How will you climb the Exil Tree?"
He raised one finger.
"Every participant will be teleported to a location within their assigned branch."
A projection appeared behind him.
It showed a massive section of the Exil Tree.
"Each branch is effectively a stage."
Then three objects appeared.
"Your primary objective is to find three Jelic Key Parts scattered throughout the branch."
Three?
So there were three keys?
No.
Key parts.
"Once you find one Jelic Key Part, you will be able to see the path toward the remaining parts."
A thin line appeared in the projection.
Interesting.
"So if you find the first part, you can locate the second. Once you acquire the second, the path toward the third becomes visible."
The three pieces moved together.
"They can then be assembled into a complete Jelic Radus Key."
The pieces merged.
"Once assembled, the key cannot be separated."
That was useful.
"The holder of the complete key will then be able to see a new path."
The projection changed.
"A path leading toward the Voilà Spell."
Voilà Spell?
I frowned.
"The Voilà Spell must be awakened."
The complete key moved toward the enormous spell.
"And only the complete Jelic Radus Key can awaken it."
The man looked toward the participants.
"The participant who successfully activates the spell will clear that branch."
A few people started murmuring.
But he continued.
"And they will receive a significant advantage."
The projection changed again.
The winner vanished from one branch and appeared in another.
"They will be teleported directly to the next branch."
Then a glowing key appeared beneath them.
"And they will arrive directly at the location of the first Jelic Key Part."
I stared at the projection.
...
What the fuck?
Seriously.
What the fuck?
I thought this was going to be a race.
Maybe we'd climb the branches and see who could reach the top first.
But this?
This was completely different.
And complicated.
I leaned forward slightly.
Let me hear the rest of this bullshit.
The man continued.
"As for everyone who remains in the branch after the first participant awakens the Voilà Spell..."
A timer appeared.
"Twenty-four hours."
The timer began counting down.
"They will have twenty-four hours to locate and activate the Voilà Spell themselves."
So the first person had a massive advantage.
Everyone else had a time limit.
"And unlike the first participant, those who activate the spell afterward will not be teleported directly to a key in the next branch."
They would appear somewhere random.
"Instead, they will be teleported to a random location within the next branch."
I slowly understood.
First place didn't just mean being ahead.
It meant **staying ahead.**
If you were too slow, everyone else could gain an advantage over you.
Easy to understand.
Much harder to actually do.
I looked at Gray and Alysa.
Both of them were already deep in thought.
They were probably imagining different strategies.
Seriously...
You two work too fast.
Before I could say anything, the girl on the stage stepped forward.
"Now, let's discuss the main and side rules of the tournament."
She smiled.
"First."
Her expression became serious.
"**Killing is prohibited.**"
The hall became quieter.
"We have Eye Golems positioned throughout the branches. They will observe everything."
A projection showed several giant eyes floating over a forest.
"We will hear and see what happens."
She pointed toward the participants.
"So don't get any funny ideas, fellows."
Good.
At least that rule was clear.
"And don't worry."
She smiled again.
"Every five branches, there will be a Safe Branch."
A different area appeared.
"You can rest there, eat, purchase items, recover, and meet participants from the other routes."
That caught my attention.
Other routes?
So we could actually meet again.
"Now, as for the meaning behind the routes..."
The projection changed.
"The purpose of the Exil Tree Tournament is to clear the branches of the Exil Tree."
A massive image of the tree appeared.
"But the Exil Tree has far too many branches for every participant to clear them together."
Five paths appeared.
"So we divided the tournament into five routes."
Route I.
Route II.
Route III.
Route IV.
Route V.
"Each route covers a different series of branches."
I slowly understood.
"Meaning..."
She smiled.
"There are effectively five tournaments happening at the same time."
My eyes widened.
So that's what the routes meant.
Gray wasn't simply going to a different battlefield.
He was entering a completely different tournament.
Different branches.
Different participants.
Different opponents.
Different dangers.
And I wouldn't be able to reach him easily.
That made me nervous.
But there was still another question.
What about the bracelet?
What happened if someone actually got close to death?
Apparently, someone else had the same question.
A voice came from somewhere in the crowd.
A young man stepped forward.
He was holding some kind of book.
His eyes were sharp.
"What happens if we're facing death?"
The hall quieted.
"We're supposed to fight for the Jelic Key Parts, correct?"
He continued.
"And we may have to use our full strength to acquire them."
His eyes narrowed.
"What happens if someone dies during that process?"
A few participants began whispering.
"Are you saying we're supposed to hold back?"
More voices joined in.
Someone beside me whispered—
"Isn't that the first son of the Witchy family?"
Another answered.
"The richest family in the entire realm?"
"I heard they have more money than even the royal family."
"The first son..."
So that was him.
Interesting.
But I cared more about the question.
What would the answer be?
The man on the stage raised the bracelet.
"Every participant has been given a safeguard."
He pointed toward ours.
"If you enter a life-threatening state, the bracelet will automatically activate a teleportation spell."
A projection showed a wounded participant disappearing.
"You will be sent to the closest Safe Branch."
The image changed.
" High Healers will be stationed there twenty-four hours a day."
Then he added:
"Anyone disqualified or anyone who fails to clear a branch within the required period will also be sent to the Safe Branch."
I looked at my bracelet.
A teleportation spell...
Not bad.
Suddenly—
Gray flicked the bracelet.
A sharp sound echoed through the entire hall.
Everyone looked toward us.
I slowly turned toward Gray.
The man and girl on the stage stared at him too.
The man sighed.
"As you just tested..."
Gray awkwardly smiled.
"The bracelet cannot be broken or damaged."
He continued.
"So don't worry."
"It will remain active until the tournament ends."
Gray laughed awkwardly.
Alysa immediately covered her face.
Yeah.
Good choice.
Nothing good ever came from standing out.
---
"First-branch teleportation will activate in thirty minutes."
The girl announced.
"Proceed to your assigned route's teleportation location."
Then the two presenters left.
The lights returned.
But the silence didn't disappear.
Everyone was thinking.
Planning.
Calculating.
I looked at Gray.
"We're really going to be in different arenas."
He smiled confidently.
"Don't worry about me."
He crossed his arms.
"You know who I am."
Then his expression softened.
"I'm more worried about you."
He pointed toward Alysa.
"You have to watch over a kid now."
Alysa's face immediately twisted.
"What do you mean, kid?!"
She stepped forward angrily.
"I'm young, but I'm an adult, okay?!"
She started cursing at him.
I couldn't help laughing.
Ha...
But seriously.
What was this?
A tournament?
Or an entirely different kind of battlefield?
The more I thought about the rules, the more complicated it became.
And I was willing to bet they hadn't even told us everything.
For example...
How exactly were we supposed to find the **first** Jelic Key Part?
They explained what happened after finding one.
But not how we were supposed to locate the first one.
And then there was the twenty-four-hour countdown.
That alone put enormous pressure on everyone.
Damn.
Fucking hell.
Gray suddenly became serious.
"I've been thinking."
We looked at him.
"The best strategy would be to form a team."
"A trustworthy team."
He continued.
"Once we're teleported to different locations, our first priority should be finding each other."
I frowned.
"In a branch this massive?"
"Exactly."
He nodded.
"Then we search for the key parts together."
He looked between us.
"If everyone else is doing the same thing, they'll probably eliminate isolated participants early."
That made sense.
If someone found a key, other participants would eventually converge on them.
And if you were alone...
You'd have no one watching your back.
Gray continued.
"Watch your backs."
His eyes became serious.
"Trust each other."
"Fight alongside each other."
Then he paused.
"It doesn't matter if you fail."
His expression softened.
"Just be safe."
He was showing more concern for us than himself.
I smiled.
"Don't worry about us."
Then I looked directly at him.
"But you need to be more careful."
"Don't trust people too easily."
"And find a team of your own."
I pointed toward the route board.
"We'll have each other."
"But you'll be alone in Route IV."
Should I tell him about those lunatics?
The ones who were after us?
No.
Not here.
Not now.
Other participants began moving toward their routes.
So we did the same.
Soon, we reached the place where our paths separated.
Gray stood before the entrance to Route IV.
We stood before Route II.
For a moment, none of us spoke.
It was strange.
We had fought together countless times.
And now we were going in different directions.
I knew Gray.
He'd be fine.
He had to be.
Gray smiled.
Alysa spoke first.
"Don't get kidnapped, okay?"
She tried to laugh.
"Let's meet at the Safe Branch..."
Her voice became quieter.
"...together."
Silence followed.
Then she looked at Gray.
"You have to come, okay?"
Gray nodded.
"Don't worry, little ki—"
He stopped himself.
"Adult girl."
Alysa's eye twitched.
"That's better."
Gray turned and walked toward Route IV.
I watched him disappear.
For a moment, I simply stood there.
Then I turned toward Route II.
That's when a young fairy girl passed us.
I froze.
That feeling again.
I looked at her.
She was the same girl I'd seen during the ceremony.
Why did I feel something strange whenever I saw her?
I didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
She was strong.
Very strong.
I could feel it.
I shook the thought away.
There was no time to worry about it now.
Alysa and I continued toward the teleportation spell.
I looked at her.
"We might be teleported to different locations."
She nodded.
"So don't get into a fight alone."
"I'll find you first."
Then I continued.
"Once we're together, we'll decide whether we should search for the key ourselves..."
I drew my sword slightly.
"...or take one from someone who already found it."
Alysa stared at me.
"Are we clear?"
"No fighting alone."
She puffed her cheeks.
"He's already bossing me around."
I sighed.
"I know who to fight and who not to fight!"
Maybe I was underestimating her.
I hadn't actually seen what she could do yet.
And I'd heard she hadn't received proper training.
But Captain Shin had sent her here for a reason.
So she couldn't be as helpless as she looked.
We stepped onto the enormous teleportation spell.
A man wearing a cloak stood beside it.
He looked down at a list.
Then announced—
"The 1,345 participants of Route II have arrived."
Cheers erupted from somewhere behind us.
The man raised his hand.
"Begin the spell."
The crystals surrounding the formation began to glow.
"And begin the Exil Tree Tournament!"
The spell beneath our feet illuminated.
Mana surged through the ground.
The crystals flashed brightly.
And in the next instant—
Everything disappeared.
---
The next thing I knew...
I was alone.
I looked around.
Woods?
No.
Not exactly.
Flowers covered the land.
Massive clusters of them stretched across the distance.
Enormous wooden structures surrounded me.
Long paths of tree extended in every direction.
Even the ground beneath my feet looked like a branch.
And the air felt...
Heavy.
I looked toward the sky.
Nothing but endless distance.
We were already incredibly high.
"So this is the first branch."
I looked around.
"Forty-nine more to go."
I took a breath.
Then—
A sound came from behind me.
I immediately drew my sword and jumped backward.
A wooden creature burst from the flowers.
It attacked.
I blocked its strike with my sword.
The impact wasn't particularly strong.
I frowned.
"Huh?"
The creature looked weak.
Fast, though.
Very fast.
I pushed it away.
"Monsters?"
I looked around.
"They didn't tell us there would be monsters."
Then I heard another sound.
And another.
And another.
The flowers moved.
Wooden bodies emerged from every direction.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Dozens.
The sounds continued.
I slowly turned.
I was surrounded.
I tightened my grip around my sword.
"...Damn it."
The monsters rushed toward me.
"Fuck!"
The Exil Tree Tournament had officially begun.