Episode 40. You Shouldn’t Speak Carelessly
Ding!
[Due to the Spirit Festival, the fire spirit’s wrath has vanished, and the curse placed upon the elves has been completely lifted.]
Once the World Tree intervened, the Spirit Festival ended swiftly.
The fire spirit withdrew the curse it had cast upon the elves.
And soon, the change became visible.
“Touch! I can actually touch it!”
“Ha ha ha! My hair is growing!”
“No one’s going to call me bald anymore!”
The elves pulled down their hoods and touched their heads.
In the barren wasteland where not even grass had grown, life was now sprouting — they could feel it at their fingertips.
Tears streamed down their faces.
Until now, they had to wear hoods wherever they went because of the curse.
But now, they no longer had to.
“Does this mean… I don’t have to wear a hood anymore?”
“No more worrying about my scalp burning in summer?”
“Someone bring me a mirror! I want to remember this moment forever!”
“Now I can say it proudly — I’m an elf! A full-haired elf!!”
The elves rejoiced, laughing and patting each other’s hair.
It was a bizarre scene, but Aren and Alfredo only watched quietly.
“Arén!”
Rena ran over to him.
Her attitude had softened considerably, likely due to her affection for him having grown.
Smiling, she clasped his hand.
“Thanks to you, we were able to calm the spirit’s rage and break the curse!”
Ding!
[You have fulfilled the long-standing wish of the elves.]
[Rena’s affection has greatly increased.]
[The elves’ favor toward you has greatly increased.]
“Truly, thank you!!”
“It’s fine. I was compensated for it, after all.”
“Even if you were paid, the fact remains that you helped us.”
“She’s right.”
Elder Kiera stepped forward to add her voice.
“Paid or not, helping our people remains an undeniable fact.”
Then she bowed deeply to Aren.
“As the elder who represents our people, I too wish to thank you — not as ‘stranger’, but as Aren. Truly, thank you. You are our benefactor.”
[Elder Kiera has acknowledged you.]
[The elves’ favor toward you has greatly increased.]
[The Green Forest Elves no longer regard you as an enemy and will recognize you as their benefactor.]
* * *
“Did he really… fix it?”
Rebe muttered in disbelief.
It was thanks to him that they had been able to remove the curse the spirit cast.
‘Didn’t think he could actually do it…’
He had assumed Aren would give up like all the other outsiders.
But Aren had succeeded in repairing the altar.
“How could an outsider possibly…”
“Rebe! There you are.”
“Re-Lena.”
“Perfect timing! You owe me something, remember? Hand it over!”
“What?”
“What do you mean what? You said it yourself — if Aren succeeded, you’d give him a treasure!”
“…”
Rebecca’s eyes went wide.
He had said that, but he had no real intention of following through.
“I never said that—”
‘If he actually succeeds… guess I’d have to give him one of my treasures. Not that it’ll ever happen, though.’
“…You recorded that, didn’t you?”
“Yup.”
So cautious, this one.
He never imagined she would have recorded it.
Rena placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
Her grip made it clear — she wouldn’t let go until she got what she wanted.
“Give it.”
“It—it’s my treasure…”
“You promised, didn’t you? Hand it over!”
“N-no!”
“Yes!”
Rebe tried to resist, but in the end, Rena’s persistence won.
He had no choice but to hand over the two treasures he had been keeping.
That day, Rebe learned something valuable.
‘You really shouldn’t speak carelessly…’
* * *
When everything had finally settled down,
Arén received a gift from Kiera.
“Never thought I’d end up owning a villa…”
“It’s huge, too.”
It was indeed a villa — a house specially prepared for Aren by Kiera, as a token of gratitude.
Like other elf dwellings, it was made from living trees that had shaped themselves into a home.
“Check!”
[Green Forest – Arén’s Villa]
Grade: A
Description: A residence formed by the trees of the Green Forest, attuned to the elves’ communion. Transformed into a villa for Arén. The power of the World Tree faintly dwells within.
Capacity: 2/4
Durability: 1,500,000 / 1,500,000
Options:
– Constant temperature maintenance
– HP recovery speed +500% during rest
– Mana recovery speed +500% during rest
– Spirit energy recovery speed +500% during rest
– [Plant Growth Boost]: Growth speed of nearby plants +200%
– [Roots of Life]: The life-giving roots at the villa’s heart share their power with the fallen. Revival penalty reduced by 50% when resurrected at the villa.
A-grade villa.
Arén opened the door and stepped inside.
The moment he did, the rich scent of trees enveloped him — as though he had stepped into nature itself.
“Haa… smells amazing.”
“It really does. And it’s so much bigger inside than it looks from outside. Isn’t this nicer than the village chief’s house?”
The space looked to be around 40 pyeong — easily twice the size of the chief’s home.
Arén felt strangely conflicted.
In reality, he could barely dream of owning even one home.
Yet here, he already had two.
He touched the smooth wooden wall, deep in thought.
‘Should I be happy… or not?’
Still, here at least, he could fill a home with things he had made.
That alone made it better than reality.
“Arén, are you sure you don’t need furniture? Kiera said she’d furnish everything for you.”
“I’m fine.”
The villa didn’t have any furniture.
Though Kiera had offered to furnish it completely, Arén politely refused.
“I’ll fill it myself.”
He planned to fill the villa with furniture he crafted with his own hands — something he had always dreamed of doing if he ever owned a villa one day.
‘Dad and I used to joke about this when we bought lottery tickets…’
He remembered teasing his father about what they’d do if they ever hit first place in the lottery.
Of course, they never did.
But that’s what makes buying lottery tickets fun — not winning, but dreaming about what you’d do if you did.
‘Still… it’s kind of amazing, isn’t it?’
“A house made out of a tree… I guess it’s fantasy, huh? I can’t even imagine what kind of technique was used.”
Arén began analyzing the villa like a true carpenter.
But because the house had naturally grown into shape, it wasn’t something he could easily study.
It was like a cave — a living structure formed by nature itself, beyond analysis.
‘Maybe I should dismantle a small section someday… see how it’s made.’
“Maybe cut through a bit of the wall? If I’m at it, I could add a terrace or something…”
The moment he muttered those words, the villa seemed to tremble faintly — almost as if it had heard him.
And then—
Knock, knock, knock~
“Excuse me~ Arén?”
“Lena?”
“There you are! I was looking for you!”
“For me?”
“Yes! I have something to give you!”
Lena stepped into the villa with a bright smile.
Her eyes scanned the interior curiously.
“But… why is it so empty in here?”
“Oh, that? Arén said he wanted to make the furniture himself later. You can’t stop him once he decides something.”
“Ahh~ I see.”
Rena nodded.
“By the way, are you going around without your hood now?”
“Yes. I have no reason to wear it anymore.”
She smiled softly and brushed her hair with her hand.
It felt strange — her once smooth, bare scalp now had hair.
Hair that hadn’t grown no matter what medicine or potion she used.
And now, it was really there.
It felt good.
“This is all thanks to you, Arén.”
“…But you said you had something for me? What is it?”
“Ah! This!”
Lena took out a bow and a quiver and handed them to him.
“This is…?”
“A gift! I heard from Alfredo that you use a bow.”
So that’s what they were talking about earlier.
When Arén looked over, Alfredo grinned proudly, as if saying, ‘I did good, right?’
“I may have shared a few tales of your exploits.”
“My exploits? I have exploits now?”
“That time with the goblins! I may have… exaggerated a bit.”
“Ahh…”
Well, that hardly counted as a heroic tale — but Arén didn’t mind.
He examined the bow and quiver she handed him.
[Rebe’s Spirit Bow]
Grade: A
Description: A bow crafted from the sacred spirit trees of the Green Forest Village. It contains faint traces of elemental power, aiding in accuracy.
Rebe personally selected the finest branch from a spirit tree.
Attack Power: 640
Requirements: Level 80+, Strength 30+, Agility 80+
Durability: 2,000,000 / 2,000,000
Options:
– Agility +5
– Attack Power +5%
– Accuracy +10%
– Effective Range +20%
– Projectile Speed +20%
[Blessing of Sylph]: The wind spirit Sylph guides your arrows, nullifying wind interference.
[Spirit Quiver]
Grade: B
Description: A quiver carefully carved from the same spirit wood by Rebe. Capable of holding more arrows.
Requirements: Level 80+, Agility 70+
Durability: 500,000 / 500,000
Capacity: 1,200 / 1,200
Options:
– Capacity +20%
– Arrow Weight –30%
[Blessing of Dryad]: The forest spirit Dryad protects the quiver, reducing durability loss by 50%.
“Oh.”
A quiet sound of admiration slipped from his lips.
He’d been thinking about crafting or finding a new bow soon — but this one made that unnecessary.
“…But, the name…”
Rebe’s Spirit Bow.
If he remembered right, Rebe was that gruff elf who had acted so curtly when he said he’d repair the altar.
Seeing his expression, Rena smiled knowingly.
“Don’t worry. Rebe wanted to give it to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes! He even cried when he said it!”
Rena chuckled.
Well, technically, he had cried — though it was more “Please don’t make me!” than anything else.
“The only problem is… the level requirement. You can’t use it yet.”
“That’s fine.”
The requirement was level 80 — far above Arén’s current level.
But with his skill ‘Understanding of the Stars’, that wasn’t an issue.
If it was made of wood, he could use it regardless of level requirements.
‘I’ll have to disassemble the bow and quiver before the villa… check their materials first.’
If Rebe heard that, he would probably cry, ‘My treasure!’ —
but it was too late; ownership had already transferred.
“Oh! And Elder Kiera asked to see you.”
“Kiera?”
“Yes.”
A sudden summons.
He had planned to visit her before leaving the village anyway, so Arén agreed to meet her.
And there, he received an unexpected proposal.
“Your hands carry the rhythm of nature. That’s not something that can be taught.”
Kiera looked at him intently.
“What do you say? Would you like to become my apprentice?”
Ding!
[Quest: ‘Kiera’s Apprentice’ has been generated.]
[Will you accept?]
