Arena

Chapter 88 Revival (Part 2)

Having raised the flame of life to intermediate level 2 was great news.

After that, the maple tree village project sped up.

Every day, I fed it two flames of life, and it grew up like a bamboo shoot, up and up.

The effects of an intermediate level 2 flame going in every day, the life force spilling from it was clear.

12 months...

The exam was to protect the Brown Mountain elves, and so far, just 4 months have passed by.

In that time, I had gained a lot of results.

First, we scouted the bottom of the cliff and managed to discover the dark magician’s plans and obliterated the remaining zombies.

Also, we gathered elves that had nowhere to go and created the pine tree village.

This small village, with a small population of 100 elves, treated this pine tree growing as a Tree of Life as if it was as precious as their own lives.

Not only that, they had joined together with the Zelkova tree villages’ veteran warriors and in case of the undead army’s infiltration, they had created a strong line of defense.

They were determined not to lose their newly found home.

With the Tree of Life that was growing well, the pine tree village’s warriors, who had lost their strength, found that it was slowly returning.

‘If the maple tree wakes itself as a Tree of Life, another village could be created!’

I can clear this exam, sitting in the same spot.

Now there was just one thing I wished for.

‘I want for there to not be a fight until the maple village is created.’

The dark magician has nearly exhausted his zombie hordes at the cliff, and I hypothesized that the magician will need some time to replenish his undead army.

The exam’s duration was 12 months.

Probably, the real war would start in the second half. They wouldn’t have given a mission to fight like a hound dog for 12 months.

‘Odin said he had an exam where he was preparing for war for a whole year.’

I figured that this exam would be graded on how well I prepared.

Of course, this was all my speculation and I had no idea what was actually going to happen.

After another month has passed, so a total of 5 months, I heard some great news.

“The maple tree has started growing into a Tree of Life.”

“Already?”

At my surprise, Derrick made a hardly seen joyous expression.

“Yes. It is gobbling up your flames and growing well.”

“Um, how is it as being the center of a village? Isn’t it still too lacking?”

“It is lacking but for the elves that have already lost their Tree of Life, that isn’t something to split hairs over. A tree that has the potential to become a Tree of Life isn’t hard to find but it is very difficult to wake up that potential and help it to grow properly.”

Hmm, and on top of that, this Brown Mountain already has two elf villages and it is a safe area where they could protect each other.

A new village, and the maple tree’s growth will bring elves here.

“Should we grow another village now then?”

“Let’s.”

We delivered this news to the mothers at Zelkova village.

“In that case, like the pine tree village, we should find elves that have lost their homes.”

Said the eldest mother happily.

Gathering the 8 elves that previously lived as slaves, they were asked where their native homes were and where their elves were hiding and living.

“In the hiding place I was in, there were 34 elves from my village. But that is from 7 years ago, I wonder how much that number must have shrunk by now......”

Said the mother who used to be a slave. She was now new member of the mothers.

“The place where our village was hiding has already been attacked by humans.”

Said one of the two adult elves.

Then another spoke.

“I was attacked during a scouting mission. Our hiding place has either not been found yet or if they managed to escaped to a new safe place, there will be 41 in that forest.”

The remaining 5 young elves all had their homes already raided and their friends and families all have been enslaved by humans.

‘Damn.’

The more I heard their stories about the barbaric nature of humans became the stronger my rage and hatred became.

‘Greedy bastards. Would it hurt them to just live peacefully amongst each other?’

Even on Earth, there was the barbaric history of enslaving other races, making colonies from them.

I thought maybe humans are animals that can’t help themselves.

“Bring all of them from the two spots.”

Decided the eldest mother.

As if it was a given, the other mothers nodded their heads in agreement.

There was no talk of choosing one over the other. Because they could not turn their head towards only one.

Derrick took charge of one and the other was led by the veteran warrior Cob.

In order to set up a new village, the two teams embarked.

‘Good luck!’

While we awaited their safe return, I made the flames of life and trained my skills like I always did.

Because the maple tree had started growing as a Tree of Life, I started giving it one flame and gave the other flame to the pine tree village.

The pine tree village was extremely thankful.

After a fortnight has passed, a letter arrived from Odin.

The person who said he came from the Count of Wolfenbrook left as soon as they delivered the letter.

[You were carrying out some fun plans. I too am doing my best to assist in saving the elves and moving them to Brown mountain. If it goes according to your plan, I don’t think we will have to worry about the undead attack.

I am currently in the midst of a war with Count Bastian. The bastards known as the Silver Clan lycanthropes...I get the sense that they have joined the humans and are assisting him.

But they aren’t strong enough to be considered as an enemy for me. They fear me and are avoiding a full-scale war, but I think we will be able to settle this within 3 months.

I will help as soon as this war is over. Since we are allies.

-Odin]

It is all thanks to treating his daughter Bella. Odin is sincerely aiding me with everything he has.

Anyway, hearing that Odin was winning the war took a weight off my shoulders.

‘However, those Silver clan guys, getting full of it day by day.’

I recalled Leon Silver.

Juno, Hye-su, Kang Cheon-sung, the day I lost them, Leon silver could not have been scarier.

Lycanthropes, unbelievably intelligent and charismatic.

But now that I look at it, he is not a scary figure as he was then.

He was not intelligent.

Absorbing human culture and methods and strengthening his clan left a lasting impression on me, but he is a frog stuck in a well.

‘It is the arrogance of the ignorant.’

Basically, thinking that he himself was the strongest thing is Leon Silver’s greatest weakness.

Probably, in a short while, he will taste the bitterness of defeat.

‘If the opportunity occurs, I would like to finish him with my own hand.’

I have now grown so much I am unrecognizable compared to back then. Even if I were to fight the silver clan by myself, I had some level of confidence.

My comrades’ revenge, I have to do it myself for me to release my resentment and sorrow.

‘This exam, after dealing with the undead’s invasion, if I get some time, I will go look for them.’

Of course, I am not reckless so I won’t go trekking into the world alone.*

(TN: The author uses an idiom – hyul hyul dan shin meaning to be all alone in the world)

It would be plenty if I take one or two warriors like Jake.

***

7 months since the start of the exam.

Derrick and Bob’s teams have returned.

Derrick’s team brought back 31 elf migrants, and Cob’s team brought back 26 surviving elf migrants.

Due to their small numbers, we suggested that the two groups combine and live together in the maple tree village, and they happily agreed.

“It really is a Tree of Life!”

“It is small but growing well!”

“I can sense a strong force of life. Huk, how beautiful this is... ...!”

The elves were moved by the maple tree that had recently awoken as a Tree of Life and was growing at a rapid pace.

It was a scene that showed just how precious the Tree of Life was to the elves.

‘How dare they try take something so precious.’

The ones called the dark magicians, once again I found them to be disgusting creatures.

Humans, how much hurt must they cause before they are satisfied.

‘I will quash them all.’

Anyway, that is how 57 elves became the maple tree village in the Northwest.

The Zelkova tree village.

The pine tree village.

And the maple tree village.

The original owners of the Brown mountain, the Zelkova village, was located on the inside of the ridge with the pine and maple tree village’s surrounding it.

It can be seen that the pine tree village and the maple tree village have become defense blocks against the undead invasion.

But the two villages don’t feel bad about it at all.

They made their decision beforehand after hearing that the undead might attack and moreover, they were ecstatic at having been given a Tree of Life.

Even with that, there were new suggestions made by the maple tree village.

“We have looked around and found there are two more trees with the potential to be Trees of Life.”

“How would it be if we grew those as Trees of Life and brought more of our kind who are in circumstances like we were?”

It was a suggestion made by some of the representatives, mothers from the maple tree village, who came to us.

The eldest mother of the Zelkova village then asked.

“Have you heard of any unfortunate brethren of ours?”

“Yes, I have only heard through hearsay so we will have to look.”

With this as their topic, the Zelkova village mothers began to discuss.

Should I call it a discussion...

It was scary chatter.

At the end of the chatter, the eldest mother announced the decision.

“We will ask for aid from our ally, the count of Wolfenbrooke.”

Her decision was as follows.

She will send elves to the count of Wolfenbrooke and while they help in Odin’s war they will also would have the task of finding hidden elves.

“As they bring more of us, if their numbers are small, we will join them into the maple tree village. And Kim.”

“Yes, mother.”

“You were able to make two flames of life, right? Continue giving one to the maple tree village, and the other, let’s use to start growing the other Tree of Life.”

“I understand.”

First, we have to ask Odin if he will comply with our request.

Veteran warrior Cob went to the count of Wolfenbrooke. He rode Sylph and flew quickly to Odin who heard his request, and returned.

“He said he will work to make it happen.”

At Cob’s news, the eldest mother carried out her plan immediately.

It was a dangerous mission that would require fighting alongside Odin against Count Bastian, so with Cob, another 5 veteran warriors were sent.

Derrick stayed on Brown Mountain, not knowing when the fight with the undead will happen.

Like that, within 10 days of Cob and his team going to Count Wolfenbrooke, we started seeing results.

“Shameless Bastian and his men had 9 of our people as slaves.”

Impressively, Cob’s team infiltrated Count Bastian’s palatial residence.

There, they assassinated five of Bastian’s family members, and rescued 9 elves that were enslaved there, accomplishing some amazing military merits.

Because of it, Bastian and his forces were thrown into massive disarray which made Odin very happy.

‘Really amazing. Veteran warriors!’

Thus the 9 rescued elves were split between the pine tree village and the maple tree village.

We were going to send everyone to the maple tree village but there were two of them that were originally from the same village as the pine tree village elves.

The pine village reunited with 2 lost family members and became a sea of tears.

Like this, the Brown mountain elves used their crisis as an opportunity for revival.