Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World - C.71: Floor Guardian (2)

“…If only everyone else but me would just perish.”

A sigh filled with sincerity.

Responding to this, the illusion of the World Tree began to glow green.

Whoosh-!

A massive presence emanates from the World Tree, which clearly did not exist in reality, but was merely a projection of a lifetime of wishes.

The divinity of the World Tree envelops the surrounding area. And the environment begins to change.

In the plains, unnamed grasses began to grow and wildflowers began to bloom, while the trees of the nearby forest rapidly grew, stretching their branches threateningly in all directions.

At a glance, the thorns look as if they are pointing towards the sky.

This is not some minor divine power of humanity displayed by the One Who Devours the Twilight or Karen.

It was a real world-changing miracle caused by a god. Fragments of that miracle have come to this place.

“Jonah! It’s dangerous!”

“Senior Ellie. I’ll leave this to you. I’m going to go take a look at the hostages.”

“This, this…this is…”

Ellie hurriedly reaches out like a person who had just come to her senses, as Lydia runs towards the bush where Lemon and Apple are.

And Karen looks up blankly at the World Tree as if something was broken.

Come to think of it, it’s too powerful to be the power of a dead god.

Actually, this was only natural. Why would the first appearance of a Floor Guardian in the Labyrinth have a guaranteed power drop.

A Floor Guardian is the will left by the God of that floor.

So, even if the respawned version of that twisted space and time is unknown, the first observed Floor Guardian contains the lingering thoughts left behind by that God in their final moments.

In this case, it must have been the concern for the well-being of the elves until its very end.

In the case they were treated unjustly, or that there is an event that shakes the existence of the species, the World Tree resolved to lend its strength even in death for its children.

That is precisely the hidden setting of the summoning condition on the first floor.

“Ah, aah….”

To me, what was merely a few lines of text about the World Tree’s heart has become a reality, pressing on my body and soul.

It was overwhelmingly moving. I felt as if the real miracle might be happening right at this moment.

Of course, to Ellie’s eyes, it seemed like my body had stiffened due to the sudden change and pressure.

“Snap out of it and come here! I don’t know what’s happening, but it must be the last struggle of One Who Devours the Twilight, so let’s forget the corpse and…”

“No. That’s not it, Ellie.”

I corrected her misunderstanding.

“This has nothing to do with One Who Devours the Twilight.”

“…What?”

“Ellie. Did you not know? This is a precursor to the summoning of a Floor Guardian.”

“Su-summon?”

“Yes. You just saw it. My prayer.”

Perhaps because the lingering feelings hadn’t faded, I had to contort my face to force a smile on and continued speaking.

“So please don’t tell me to run away. Instead, watch over me. Watch me fight. See how the World Tree answers my prayers. …Of course, if it’s dangerous, Ellie will have to help me!”

“……”

Despite grinning broadly after adding that, Ellie’s face didn’t seem to relax.

Ellie, still with a serious expression, nodded.

“Alright. I promise. Jonah, I will always be behind you. So go ahead and do everything you want to do, everything you can do.”

“Thank you, Ellie. You know I really like you a lot, right?”

Words tossed around dozens of times a day, insignificant as they may seem. But could it be because of that small figure? Today, the sentimental Ellie paused with a blank expression, then soon nodded with a gentle smile.

“I know. And I’m even more grateful.”

A voice and atmosphere that seemed genuinely relieved. It was only for a moment that I stood dazed, captivated by Ellie’s unusual response.

Before I knew it, the preparations were complete, and the divine power of the World Tree began to converge into a single point within its shade.

Crunch-

With the sound of something breaking and being crushed, the green light deepened. The light, now an egg-shaped sphere, developed a crack.

Crack.

Once cracked, the fissures expanded uncontrollably. In an instant, the surface of the sphere was covered with cracks, and a piece of the light mass fell off.

Shriiing-!

A piercing sound rings high. At this signal, the green egg shatters into pieces, revealing its contents to the world.

A stature about two meters tall. Abnormally thick and long limbs. And thorns densely covering the entire body.

Like a thorn bush carved into a human shape… No, a thorn bush that grew into a human form, staring intently this way with hollow eyes.

However, the focus seems oddly off, suggesting its body isn’t fully formed yet.

The first strike wins!

“Die…!”

The wrist-mounted crossbow that had been prepared earlier was fired.

Swoosh-!

Although it’s only able to shoot one bolt at a time, the crossbow’s destructive power has been increased to an incomparable level. The fully tensioned bolt pierces through the air.

At that moment, the sharp arrowhead reaches the creature’s eye.

Whoosh!

Green flames blazed from the empty eye sockets, hot enough to melt the arrow.

“What kind of ….”

Dripping molten metal from one eye, it tilted its head and pulled out the part of the shaft that hadn’t yet caught fire.

As it tilted his head and examined it, he clenched his fist tightly. The arrow, which was expected to shatter, was absorbed into the body of the Floor Guardian.

And from his body, a new sharp thorn sprouted.

Though his entire body was covered in thorns, the most striking were those on his head.

Looking at the thorns, which were indistinguishable whether they were horns or a crown, I muttered without realizing.

“The King of Thorns….”

-…….

Did it perhaps like my expression? The flames replacing his eyes flared up fiercely for a moment.

The King of Thorns slowly extends its index finger to point at me. In those burning eyes, there lies an endless hatred and rage.

Someone once said. That the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Though we had not exchanged a single word, I could tell what it was about to say.

‘Surpass me and take the power.’

Is that so?

This is my revenge. My anger, my resentment.

I forced myself to think of something out of place here, but the emotions I felt at that time were not false.

My lifelong frustration wrapped in thorns, stood blocking my path.

“Alright. You want to fight one-on-one, right? What a coincidence. So do I.”

With a chuckle, I stepped forward. I don’t particularly enjoy these direct, one-on-one battles.

It’s also because such battles were completely opposite from the skills I possessed, which were optimized for ambush and stealth.

But now is not the time to back down.

To gain power, it is necessary to inflict a certain level of damage on the Floor Guardian to secure contribution points…

But more importantly, the fact that the King of Thorns was born from my prayers is the most crucial reason.

It is a creation born to embody my trials and emotions. Therefore, I should at least confront him head-on.

…There’s also the slight calculation that someone else will help if it’s too dangerous.

“Let’s give it a try.”

My voice was a bit better than before, but still rougher than usual as I spoke and picked my dagger.

Before I knew it, the blade, now washed of blood and restored to its pristine whiteness, sparkled in the sunlight.

I tilted the blade slightly to reflect the light towards him.

Flash!

Although it had burning eyes, I guess its sensory organs are probably no different from a human’s, since the King of Thorns flinches momentarily from the dazzle.

It then stomps on the nameless wildflowers at its feet.

“Haste!”

By activating all the magical tools for even a short time, the mana I had left is scant, with nearly half of it being sucked into the Boots.

And as if a price for the mana, a sensation of exhilaration fills my body from the feet upwards.

The flow of the world slows down. No, it’s my body and thoughts that are accelerating.

Paang!

The King of Thorns rapidly closes in. Due to the dazzle, he reacts half a beat late and swings his arm widely.

In an instant, thorns grow and his arm swells significantly. It’s too late to stop, and any attempt to bend or shift direction would still result in a direct hit.

That would turn me into a thoroughly perforated mess of flesh.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

I forcefully tensed my thighs and leaped high.

Crack!

Perhaps due to the momentum of my run, my view spun around. Seizing the moment, I threw a lasso pulled from the Subspace Ring.

Having done so several times while capturing Iron Wolves, the lasso caught precisely around the neck of the King of Thorns.

Though humanoid, it wasn’t exactly human, so strangling him outright was impractical… but it was enough to get him in the air where concepts of up, down, left, and right vanished.

“Haah!”

My flying body halts, and I adjust my posture. Then, I pull towards the back of the creature’s head.

Careful not to get pricked by the thorns, yet close enough for my weapon to reach, I swing my dagger.

Slash!

I sliced off nearly half of the largest and most beautiful thorn on its head.

Flustered, it twists its body into a bizarre angle. Suddenly, his massive arm that was clearly facing forward was now swinging backwards.

“Kkeut!”

I managed to jump back in time, landing on the ground, but…inevitably, the tip of my nose got slightly nicked by a thorn.

Still, I briefly congratulate myself on a successful dodge.

“Uh..uh…?”

Suddenly, my vision wavers.

Could it be that the thorn was poisoned? To think that even a slight scratch has such an effect. It was when I was just about to calmly pull out an antidote potion from my subspace.

Hwaaak!

The unicorn dagger, as if having a fit, spews out a burst of white light, and my shaky vision instantly returns to normal.

The bleeding at the tip of my nose was half-healed as a bonus.

“Oh.”

That reminds me, the unicorn dagger is said to possess healing and purifying powers.

At this point, I briefly flicked through the abacus in my mind.

Of course, in terms of strength or stamina, I’m far more fragile compared to the King of Thorns. But I am faster. With Haste, I might even overwhelm him momentarily.

Moreover, the poison contained in the dense thorns that hinder close combat can be treated with the unicorn dagger.

If, at the crucial moment, I squeeze out the remaining magical power to activate the Invisibility Cloak once more…

“Uh?”

Could it be, this might actually be feasible to attempt alone?

The Goddess of Love had it all figured out after all!