Kyle's thoughts were clear as day. If he really was in "Asteria," then it might be possible to see the status window he had seen previously in the device.
And true to his guess, the window really did appear.
[ Spirit of Yggdrasil ]
[ Name: Unnamed ]
Kyle looked at both the status window and the girl simultaneously. He had come to realise who the girl actually was.
But the question that arose was why she had appeared now.
Kyle thought about it all this while, completely forgetting that he had also appeared here without his will, as if this thought had simply remained at the back of his mind.
Kyle stared at the girl without looking away, while she simply tilted her head in response.
"???"
Kyle then looked at the "World Tree" behind the said girl.
Both of them gave him the same feeling, but not the same at the same time.
It was a very strange feeling.
So, he decided to check if another status window would appear for "Yggdrasil," as the window for the girl, "Spirit," was already open.
< World Tree : Yggdrasil >
< Status : Growing >
< Rank : Divine >
< Ability : Nurture Life, Stabilize World Core, Generate Primordial Energy, Unknown >
< Synchronization with World : 30% >
Another question arose in Kyle's mind.
At first, he had thought that both the girl and Yggdrasil would share the same status window, considering that she was the Spirit of the World Tree.
But that thought had now come to naught.
"Hey."
Kyle decided to converse with the girl.
"Yes, Father!" she replied enthusiastically.
"Sigh~ Drop the Father tag, please," Kyle said, feeling a little conflicted about being called "Father."
"Daddy!"
She replied as if she had just been given permission for something even more wonderful and started dancing.
"NO!!" Kyle cried out.
"No Daddy...?" the girl said pitifully, with tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes.
"Why not try something different? Hey, how about big bro—"
"Dada!!"
Cutting Kyle off directly, the girl started shouting while circling around him.
"Hey, like I sai—"
Before Kyle could say anything, the girl stopped circling and stood there, looking directly at him.
A single tear was about to flow from her eyes.
Seeing this, Kyle couldn't bring himself to reprimand the girl.
"...Sigh. Okay, do whatever you want."
Hearing this, the girl's face bloomed with a bright smile as she kept calling him "Dada."
Kyle could already feel a big headache coming.
......
"Woahhh."
Kyle said, completely amazed by the sight.
Now that the confusion had faded, Kyle could finally take in the new environment around him.
The sight was amazing.
A vast landscape stretched out before him, covered in lush greenery as far as his eyes could see. Tall trees stood throughout the land, their leaves gently swaying with the breeze. In the distance, mountains rose above the horizon, their peaks partially covered by thin layers of clouds.
The sky above was clear and bright, allowing sunlight to spread across the entire landscape.
And high above the land...
The enormous dragon Kyle had seen earlier was slowly roaming through the sky.
Its long serpentine body moved gracefully between the clouds, its dark silver scales reflecting the sunlight whenever it passed through the brighter parts of the sky. Its long whiskers trailed behind it as it moved, making the enormous creature look surprisingly graceful despite its immense size.
Kyle continued looking around, taking in the scenery before him.
Everything felt peaceful.
There was no noise of cities, no buildings, and no signs of civilization anywhere in sight.
Just nature stretching endlessly across the land.
And at the center of it all stood Yggdrasil.
Even from where Kyle stood, the World Tree towered above everything around it, its enormous branches extending far into the sky.
And beneath the enormous tree, the girl was running around like a little child experiencing the outside world for the first time.
While the world looked beautifully crafted, Kyle felt something much stronger than he ever had while looking at it through the screen.
It felt empty.
Kyle had lived his entire life in one of the liveliest cities in the world. He had met countless people, travelled to different places, and seen all kinds of animals and birds.
He had always been surrounded by life.
But here...
There was none of that.
Kyle's thoughts came to a stop when a screen suddenly appeared before him.
[ System Notification ]
[ Location recognized: Asteria ]
[ Creator Authority Restriction: Removed ]
Kyle stared at the screen.
"...What?"
Before he could understand what was happening, another notification appeared.
[ Creator Authority: 20% ]
[ Access level increased. ]
Kyle's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait..."
Another notification appeared.
[ Creator Authority: 30% ]
[ Access level increased. ]
[ Creator Authority: 50% ]
[ Access level increased. ]
"What's happening?"
Kyle looked at the notifications appearing one after another.
[ Creator Authority: 70% ]
[ Access level increased. ]
[ Creator Authority: 90% ]
[ Access level increased. ]
And then—
[ Creator Authority: 100% ]
[ Full Creator Authority has been restored. ]
Kyle's body suddenly started glowing.
The light was brighter than anything Kyle had seen before, spreading outward until it covered almost the entire area around him.
Slowly, Kyle's feet left the ground.
His body continued to rise into the air, as if he were ascending toward the heavens.
The girl looked up at him in amazement.
Before she could do anything, the enormous dragon moved.
Its massive body wrapped around the girl, shielding her from the overwhelming light as it continued to spread across Asteria.
For several minutes, the light remained.
Then, slowly...
It began to fade.
Kyle's body descended back toward the ground.
As his feet finally touched the surface, Kyle opened his eyes.
Something felt different.
Very different.
He looked at his hands, then at his surroundings.
He could feel it.
Whatever he had just gained...
It wasn't simply power.
It felt as if something that had been missing from him had finally returned.
As if he had been incomplete until now.
The light had disappeared from the surroundings, but a faint glow still remained around Kyle's body, visible even under the daylight.
There was something almost divine about his appearance.
Kyle simply stood there, silently feeling the change within himself.