“How did your World Tree get infected?” I asked Thnari.

“Eleven years ago, a group of Fiend Forgers attacked us out of nowhere. We weren’t prepared and suffered heavy losses. Many of our people were affected by the crimson fog, but we managed to repel them. At least we thought so.” He sighed deeply, his gaze fixed on the towering golden tree.

“It wasn’t until much later that we noticed The Great Tree’s blessing had weakened. When we investigated, we discovered the crimson fog had already penetrated the tree.”

It was the first time I had heard of Demonic Qi infecting plants, let alone a World Tree. I didn’t know how much help I could offer, but doing nothing wasn’t an option.

“Do you know why the Fiend Forgers attacked you?” I asked, wanting to confirm my hypothesis.

Thnari’s eyes drifted toward the frozen tsunami. “I don’t have proof, but I believe it was to shatter The Great Barrier.”

It seemed we had the same opinion. The next question was why do they want to break the barrier?

“Do you know why they’re aiming for that?”

Thnari didn’t respond, but his silence spoke volumes.

I glanced at the other elders following us. Most avoided my gaze. Only Zenth met my eyes and shook his head.

They’re hiding something. Something important.

“Thank you again for helping our people,” Thnari said, trying to change the subject.

It was clear they didn’t want to share their secrets. I had helped them, yes, but some secrets were too critical to reveal.

“Your World Tree looks fine to me,” I commented as we approached the restricted zone — their sanctuary.

Even from five blocks away, the tree towered over everything, its massive trunk dominating half my vision. Its size was awe-inspiring, yet the frozen tsunami behind it matched its height, a stark reminder of the catastrophe that had once engulfed this land and sunk a nation.

Thnari smiled sadly in response, then led us deeper into the heart of the sanctuary through a stair as wide as a six-lane highway, woven from the tree's roots.

Something felt off.

As we walked up the stairs, my eyes narrowed as I studied the trunk. Tiny distortions flickered across its surface, barely noticeable. But to me, they were unmistakable signs.

“Why are there so many subspaces on the trunk?” I asked in a low voice.

Thnari’s eyes widened briefly before his expression turned serious. “What do you mean there are subspaces on the trunk?” he asked, raising his voice deliberately, loud enough for everyone behind us to hear.

Most of the elders exchanged confused glances, their faces betraying nothing but puzzlement, except for one. One elder’s eyes widened in alarm for the briefest of moments before he masked his expression with feigned confusion, blending in with the others.

Thnari and I turned back toward the path, faking a private discussion. But I caught the cold glint in his eyes. He hadn’t missed that elder’s reaction.

Still, suspicion alone wasn’t enough. Among the Frost Elf, kinship bonds ran deep, and casting blame without proof was unthinkable. We would need solid evidence before pointing fingers at anyone.

Throwing the thought to the back of my mind, I focused on the task at hand.

Once inside the sanctuary's core, I was… disappointed.

The core of the World Tree was a marvel in itself, a cathedral-sized hollow space within the trunk formed by the tree splitting open. But the space was barren save for a single austere altar, just large enough for one person to kneel in prayer.

At least being inside the World Tree itself was intriguing. The ground was layered with thousands of tree rings, a testament to the tree’s age. The wooden walls stood firm like a monolith, supporting a massive, unadorned dome. Hanging from the center of the dome was a golden vine, draped with hundreds of purple fruits, each the size of a basketball.

When I saw the fruits, I instinctively turned toward Zenth. He responded with a thumbs-up and a beaming smile.

Frost Elf's local delicacy, that purple fruit wine, was made from the World Tree’s fruits… They sure know how to enjoy life.

“Please show us the truth, oh great tree,” Thnari intoned solemnly, kneeling along with the other elders as they clasped their hands in prayer.

As if to answer them, the dome above us shook. A piece of wood, as large as my head, broke loose and fell, landing about ten steps away. The presence of Parasitic Demonic Qi on it was unmistakable.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

As we approached the fallen wood, I used [Plundering Qi] to absorb most of it, crushed what remained, then crouched to pick it up. But the moment it touched my hand, the piece crumbled into dust.

I looked up at the dome, an uneasy feeling creeping over me.

“The entire trunk is like this, isn’t it?”

Thnari released a long, heavy sigh before answering, “Yes.”

This was a huge problem. I had never dealt with anything infected with such a massive amount of Demonic Qi, let alone something as unique as a World Tree. My usual method of devouring the Qi wasn’t feasible here since it would take an eternity to clear it all. Expelling it wasn’t an option either since the sheer amount of Qi embedded in the tree was overwhelming.

Staying here to cleanse it slowly wasn’t part of my plan. I needed to find a way for the Frost Elf to dispel the Demonic Qi on their own. My time here was limited, and I would be leaving soon.

And then there were the subspaces scattered across the trunk. What purpose did they serve? Were they related to Demonic Qi somehow? From Thnari's reaction, I was sure he didn't know about it. And that was a bad sign.

This wasn’t just a tricky case, it was a challenge on an entirely different level.

*Ding

[You have received a subquest]

===============

Subquest: Infected tree

| Description: The Isolation World Tree has been infected by a new form of Demonic Qi. After successfully curing the Frost Elves afflicted by Demonic Qi, they have entrusted you with the task of saving their sacred tree. Without intervention, the Isolation World Tree will wither and die, unleashing untold chaos.

| Objective: Eliminate Demonic Qi infecting the Isolation World Tree.

| Reward:

– Experience Point

– A new clue about the Guardians

– Eternal gratitude from the Frost Elf and the opportunity to learn their secrets

| Failure:

– The Abyss Crawlers will flood south through a newly created breach in The Great Barrier.

===============

What the fuck! I’ve never had a subquest before… And what do you mean Abyss Crawlers will flood south?

I sighed. Bloody hell, this is driving me nuts.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I reread the System’s notification. On the bright side, at least there was no countdown to failure.

“Can you help us?” Thnari’s gaze bored into me, waiting for an answer.

I cracked my neck, letting my brain shift into overdrive.

What’s something not just I, but the people of this world, can do to expel Demonic Qi?

I needed a method they could replicate.

Destroying the tree was off the table. If destruction wasn’t the answer, then maybe dispersal was. I crossed my arms and drummed my fingers against my bicep.

This type of Demonic Qi is hungry for life force. Could I lure it into a single spot using concentrated life force? Maybe then it could be isolated.

“World Tree, give me another piece,” I said, looking up toward the golden branches.

“How can you be so rude, and you can't...” blah blah blah. I ignored the indignant voices of some dumbasses behind me.

The dome above shook once more, and another chunk of wood riddled with Demonic Qi dropped in front of me.

“Thanks,” I said simply, picking up the piece and sitting down to test the method I’d just thought of.

Exclamations filled the air as the elders stared in disbelief.

“Unbelievable.”

“What the—?”

“How is that even possible?”

Why were they so shocked? The tree understood them, so it clearly understood me too. It was just simple logic.

Ignoring the chatter around me, I focused on the task at hand. Using Conservation Runes, I stored a small amount of life force in my palm. Then I searched for Dimensional Runes. Fortunately, I found the necessary ones to create subspace. I had planned to craft my own subspace Runes, but luck saved me the trouble.

Continuing the experiment, I created a small subspace resembling a test tube and infused it with the life force stored in my palm. After ten seconds, there was no explosion, no dimension collapse, everything was stable.

The first step was a success.

Next, I hovered the subspace above the piece of infected wood to observe how the Parasitic Demonic Qi would react. Sadly, there was no response. Taking a more aggressive approach, I shoved the subspace directly at the infected wood. Unsurprisingly, the barely stable subspace collapsed, and the life force inside was promptly devoured by the Demonic Qi.

Undeterred, I repeated the test six more times, increasing the amount of life force with each attempt. The results remained the same — the Demonic Qi consumed the life force effortlessly without being lured out.

It wasn't surprising since there was no reason for Demonic Qi to latch onto a human's life force when it was already latching onto the tree's life force. It was akin to giving up a free buffet to eat a loaf of white bread.

“What are you doing?” Zenth’s voice broke my concentration as he poked his head out from behind me.

“Trying to solve this difficult problem,” I replied.

Difficult, but not impossible.

The System wouldn’t assign me a subquest without a reason. Having this subquest meant I was capable of solving it. I just had to figure out how.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Thnari asked.

“Yes.” I turned to him and grinned. “Give me your life force.”

*****

After several more rounds of testing using life force generously "donated" by the Frost Elves — thanks to Thnari’s "persuasive efforts" — I concluded it was impossible to lure the Parasitic Demonic Qi out with life force alone.

I decided to change my approach.

This time, I designed a set of Runes within a subspace that mimicked my [Plundering Qi] Skill. Using reverse engineering, I broke down my Skill into a sequence of Runes and replicated it.

By placing a small amount of life force into an ordinary leaf— a less-than-ideal physical stabilizer for a subspace — I created an anchor point to draw the Demonic Qi toward.

The first test was a partial success.

The mechanism successfully pulled out the Demonic Qi, but the subspace collapsed almost immediately, forcing me to destroy the Qi before it latched onto anyone nearby.

Still, I had a clear direction. I began tweaking the design to increase the pulling force and stabilize the subspace.

Increasing the pulling force was simple. More Mana output resulted in a stronger “grip”, like reinforcing a hand to seize the Parasitic Qi.

Stabilizing the subspace, however, was a nightmare. None of the items I tested could maintain the subspace long enough.

I experimented with everything: a leaf, a coin, a shirt, a coat, a pair of pants, a cane, a headband, a ring, and more. Every attempt ended in failure. Just as I began doubting this approach, Thnari handed me something — a leaf from the World Tree.

Golden and radiant, it shimmered in my palm like a gift from the heavens. As I inspected its structure, I couldn’t help but blurt out.

“This is a Wi-fi router.”