You will be translating a text while maintaining consistency with previously translated related texts.

First, carefully read the previously translated texts to understand the context:

I apologize for the misunderstanding. Here's a more direct and accurate translation of Chapter 569, while keeping it natural:

<The Martial God Who Regressed to Level 2 - Chapter 569>

After Yggdrasil's blessing transformed 1 million humans into male half-elves,
The world began to experience rapid changes.

-Doesn't the World Tree mark on the moon seem bigger these days?
-Yeah, it definitely feels more intense...

First, people worldwide commonly noticed the World Tree's presence reflected on the moon.
Usually, the World Tree's pattern would gently shine on the moon and then disappear.
But since the World Tree Alliance's intervention intensified, the pattern was constantly visible on the moon.

Additionally,

-The area near Namsan is now completely off-limits
-I barely got into D University, and now the Colonial Government is telling everyone to evacuate from the university...
-Who cares about universities? We're being kicked out of our homes lol
-But the government's giving hefty compensation, right? I heard the Colonial Government valued the properties really high
-For real, they say everyone near Namsan is becoming nouveau riche
-Lucky... But why do they need land near Namsan?
-Those swords the male half-elves use... I heard they're stuck in the ground?

Since the blue swords became a million in number,
It seemed they decided not to hide the existence of the Hall of Swords anymore, confiscating all the land near the Colonial Government.
They were also spreading the World Tree pattern widely across the land.

-Korea's getting favored again...
-The location of the Colonial Government is really important, I'm telling you

And foreigners were envying Korea and Seoul, perceiving this as a blessing from the World Tree Alliance.

While people were strongly feeling these changes caused by the World Tree Alliance,

"From today, this person will be escorting Kim Jihun-nim with me."

At Kim Jihun's house, an unexpected guest had arrived.
The elf escort, who usually didn't take the initiative, opened the door and informed Kim Jihun.

"Hello!"

Outside the house, Yoon Seah was standing with a bright smile.

'Well, she came right away.'

In exchange for saving Yoon Sejin, Yggdrasil had ordered to make the blue sword 'Kim Jihun' number one.
It seemed Yoon Seah had been officially dispatched here to carry out this task.

"Uh... Certainly. At the guild..."

For now, since he shouldn't act like he knows her, he looked at her naively in Kim Jihun's state.

"Yes, yes. That's right. Actually, I was working for the Colonial Government."

"Co-Colonial Government...? But, you're not even an elf..."

"Right?"

Yoon Seah looked at the elf behind Seong Jihan.

She nodded.

"That's correct. She holds an important role in the Colonial Government."

"Ah... I see."

As the elf escort directly confirmed it, Kim Jihun just nodded with a naive expression.

Yoon Seah continued speaking with a smiling face.

"Originally, I was supposed to support Kim Jihun-nim only within the guild. But the situation changed rapidly from above, so they told me to openly provide support."

"Ah, I see... But what do you mean by support?"

"Well, simply put, you can think of it as developing Kim Jihun-nim's compatibility."

As she said this, Yoon Seah glanced behind her.

Then,

"Hello... sir."

Behind her, a male half-elf with a stiff face appeared and
Slightly bowed his head to him.

"...I'm Yoon Sejin."

"Oh, co-could it be... Are you the Sword King?"

"...That's a title I've already been stripped of. Please just call me by my name."

"Ah... I understand."

Kim Jihun nodded.

During the recent aptitude test, he had briefly made headlines for achieving the highest record and being number one in compatibility.
But following the Colonial Government's directive, all news about him had been taken down.

'Yggdrasil... She told Seah to use the twin swords, but is she making her bring him around in reality too?'

Seong Jihan recalled what happened before.
In Kim Jihun's body, he just rolled his eyes and slowly opened his mouth.

"But why did you come together..."

"...I'll be used to grow Kim Jihun-nim's compatibility."

"What? You, Yoon Sejin-nim? How will you be used..."

"That's..."

Swish.

As Yoon Sejin looked towards Yoon Seah, she stepped forward again.

"I'll handle that part."

"...Yoon Seah-nim?"

"Yes. I know this is sudden and confusing, but this will be a great opportunity for Kim Jihun-nim too. If you inherit my father's compatibility, you should be able to easily become number one."

"Me, number one... But so many people surpassed 30% this time."

"But among them, not a single person has the characteristic of growing compatibility."

As she said this, Yoon Seah smiled.

"So, if you inherit the compatibility of my father who has become a criminal. Kim Jihun-nim, you can definitely become number one."

"..."

A woman who suddenly visits his home and says she'll make him number one in compatibility.
If others heard this, they'd immediately call it a scam, but

"Since you said you're from the Colonial Government... I understand."

With the elf escort vouching for Yoon Seah, he had no choice but to believe from his position.

"You've made a good decision. Then, let's get started right away."

"H-Here at home?"

"Yes. Would you lie down on the bed?"

Yoon Seah took off her shoes and entered Kim Jihun's house like it was her own.
As Kim Jihun just blinked, Yoon Sejin patted his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. My daughter has a bit of an impatient personality."

"Ah, I see..."

With a dazed expression, Kim Jihun was pulled along by Yoon Seah.
As he lay down on the bed,

"Sleep."

She immediately used a sleep spell.

Sss...

As Kim Jihun fell asleep,

Yoon Seah approached him and reached out her hand.

Swoosh...

Then, purple smoke rose up.

"Seah. Then what should I do to help?"

"Hmm. For now, just stand by."

After telling Yoon Sejin who was trying to help her,
Yoon Seah blew Void into Kim Jihun's body.

And then,

[Uncle. I'm here.]

She contacted Seong Jihan inside.

* * *

Seong Jihan, who had almost been caught by Yggdrasil incarnated in Governor Mia's body at the Hall of Swords,
Safely entered Kim Jihun's body and returned home.
As soon as he woke up, he felt a strange sense of discomfort.

'Is Yggdrasil... watching this place?'

She said she would descend directly, and indeed, Yggdrasil's control had become incomparably stronger than before.
Moreover, perhaps because she was trying to nurture Kim Jihun who had the characteristic of growth,
The gaze of surveillance that he used to easily ignore before now felt quite bothersome.

'Still, I should be able to act while avoiding that surveillance for now...'

No matter how much Yggdrasil's power had increased,
Unless she descended and watched nearby like when she was Governor Mia, there was no chance he would be detected.
Like before, leaving Kim Jihun's body to Ariel and going on an expedition to the World Tree Alliance side.
It should still be possible a few more times.

But.

'There's no need to do that right now.'

For Seong Jihan, who had sufficiently grown the blue atmosphere through Gilgamesh,
There wasn't much benefit in attacking the alliance's planets which were now well-defended.
Especially since Yoon Seah was now forcibly participating in the 'Red Administrator subjugation'.
There was no need to create a dangerous situation just to gain a bit more eternity or enemies.

Certainly. I'll continue the translation to the end:

'Rather... I should firmly establish Kim Jihun as number one.'

For that reason,
Seong Jihan decided to stop his expeditions as the Red Administrator for now and focus on Kim Jihun.

And,

[So from now on, we'll make contact like this?]

[Yes.]

He communicated with Yoon Seah only through Void like this.

[This is a bit inconvenient... But I guess I can't just come up to your place like before?]

[That house is already being watched by the Alliance.]

The penthouse where Yoon Seah, the future owner of the Arena belonging to Void, lived wasn't under surveillance before.
But when Yoon Seah bowed down and agreed to cooperate with Yggdrasil to save Yoon Sejin,
The other side started monitoring even that house which they hadn't been watching before.

[Really...? They said they'd only check briefly earlier. But they're constantly monitoring now.]

[Yeah. It's better to be careful now.]

[Then is that elf next to you also some kind of avatar of Yggdrasil?]

[No. That one isn't. Right now, Yggdrasil is focusing more on you than Kim Jihun.]

Unlike Kim Jihun, who had already been closely checked by the Governor and cleared of suspicion,
Yoon Seah was someone they had pulled in using Yoon Sejin as a hostage, so Yggdrasil was concentrating her attention on this side.

So in fact, he could act like before in front of the elf escort with the 'Red authority', but.

'No... I should rather withdraw the Flame of Deception.'

Seong Jihan decided to retrieve the authority he had placed on the elf escort.
There wouldn't be any need to go on expeditions until he stole the Blue anyway.

As Seong Jihan was trying to eliminate anything that might be detected by Yggdrasil's main body,

[Uncle. Then should I just keep injecting Void? And you'll handle the growth yourself?]

Yoon Seah, who was blowing in Void, asked how to proceed.

[By the way, when you talked about inheriting Sejin hyung's compatibility earlier, what were you thinking?]

[Ah. I just said that to stay with Dad for a while. He's feeling really guilty this time, thinking I'm being used by Yggdrasil because of him... I thought he shouldn't be alone.]

It made sense that he would feel that way, since his daughter had become indebted to the Green Administrator because of him.

[Hmm... Then should we actually inherit Sejin hyung's compatibility?]

[What... For real?]

[Yeah. It would look better to get Blue from the number one blue sword rather than just growing with Void.]

[Okay. Then I'll convert it to Dad's sword.]

Sss...

"Dad. Are you ready?"

"Are you doing it now? Go ahead."

"I'm going to try inheriting the compatibility... Are you sure you're not reluctant to give up this ability?"

At those words, Yoon Sejin gave a bitter smile.

"Reluctant? When I think about how you're being blackmailed by Yggdrasil because of this ability... I want to give it all to him right away."

"Alright. Then I'll try it. Okay... Authority activation. 'Blue Sword Conversion'."

Thud.

At those words, Yoon Sejin lost consciousness and collapsed in his seat.
And above his head, two blue swords appeared.

[What do I do now?]

[Stab me with those.]

[S-Stab you?]

[Yeah. Stab them into my chest along with the Void. I'll handle the rest.]

Thunk!

Following Seong Jihan's instructions, Yoon Seah stabbed with the twin swords.

Sss...

The swords flashed with blue light, and it slowly started being absorbed into Kim Jihun's body.

'Current compatibility is 27%...'

We should reach 30% within this week.

As Kim Jihun, impaled by the swords, began to fully absorb Yoon Sejin's Blue,

"..."

The elf escort in the back was quietly observing.

And the scene she was watching,

"Hmm... So that's how they transfer Blue?"

Was being transmitted to the Colonial Government in real-time.

"The owner of the Arena... Seems she had her own method. After that's done, conduct a detailed compatibility examination in the Hall of Swords."

"Yes, understood."

As Yggdrasil, incarnated in the Governor's body, gave her orders,
A detailed examination was added to Kim Jihun's routine.

And three days later,

"Blue sword 'Kim Jihun' has achieved 30% compatibility."

Upon receiving a report on Kim Jihun's compatibility growth, Yggdrasil,

"...What? Was it this easy to increase it?"

Tilted her head, seeing Kim Jihun grow 1% per day.

Chapter 568

'Did she... notice my presence?'

Seong Jihan was inwardly greatly surprised as he observed Governor Mia's reaction.

Until now, even constellation-level high elves hadn't been able to detect Seong Jihan.

For Governor Mia, who was merely a high elf, to notice his presence.

'When she was tracking me before, she couldn't detect me at all. And my Blue level was lower then.'

Seong Jihan's abilities had greatly increased due to the blue atmosphere.

As his Blue stat surpassed 1000, his power had become even more formidable.

Yet Mia, who couldn't detect him when he was weaker, could now sense his presence?

"..."

Of course, she wasn't entirely certain and was tilting her head in confusion.

But the fact that a high elf had noticed at all was astonishing.

'First eliminating the flower of the cosmic tree, and now this. The Governor... she's definitely changed from before.'

At that moment,

Yoon Seah spoke to the Governor.

"Is there something over there?"

"No... it's nothing. I think I was mistaken because there are so many blue swords around."

At her words, Governor Mia turned back to look at Yoon Sejin.

Seong Jihan thought as he gradually concealed his presence further.

'I'll need to be more careful around the Governor from now on.'

If possible, I should stay quietly in Kim Jihun's body while in the Hall of Swords.

Thinking this, Seong Jihan looked towards Yoon Sejin.

He was trembling after seeing Yoon Seah arrive here.

"No... these bastards. Not content with trying to kill Jihan, even Seah..."

"What do you mean by killing the Blue Administrator? What are you talking about?"

"...From that ridiculous video you showed me, I remembered past events."

Perhaps because Yoon Seah was here.

Yoon Sejin, who had been silent until now, slowly began to speak.

"Taking advantage of Jihan's absence to colonize humanity, and even creating a male half-elf race to steal his abilities... Going further, you tried to use me to kill Jihan."

Before the twin swords flew towards Seong Jihan.

It seems he had already regained his memories while stuck in the Hall of Swords.

As Yoon Sejin glared at the elves with wide eyes,

Yoon Seah sighed.

"Dad... The one you stopped back then wasn't actually Uncle, but the Red Administrator."

"...? What do you mean? It was Jihan. Not some Red Administrator."

"Uncle... is currently being controlled by the Red Administrator."

"What? Controlled by the Red Administrator...?"

At those words, Yoon Sejin's eyes widened.

"No. That can't be... That's impossible. What I saw was definitely Jihan..."

As he was about to continue explaining why he was certain it was Seong Jihan,

'No. Why is this hyung trying to explain in such detail.'

It would be more convenient if the elves thought that person was the 'Red Administrator' in this situation.

As Yoon Sejin desperately tried to deny it, Yoon Seah quickly stepped in to cut him off.

"No. It's certain. Dad, I've checked everything and I'm cooperating with this side."

"You're... cooperating with the elves?"

"Yes. To get Uncle back from the Red Administrator."

"..."

As confusion clouded Yoon Sejin's eyes,

Governor Mia, who had been quietly listening, asked with calm eyes.

"I'm curious why you thought he was the Blue Administrator. What made you think so?"

"His face... his eyes..."

"Surely you didn't think that just because they looked identical? Didn't you sense any blue energy or anything?"

"There was nothing like that... If there had been, the sword wouldn't have inflicted a fatal wound, it would have been absorbed by him instead..."

"That's right. Blue is his authority after all."

So the basis for thinking it was Seong Jihan was just appearance after all.

As Governor Mia reacted with disappointment, Yoon Sejin let out a deep sigh.

"...Don't tell me I ruined everything?"

In fact, far from ruining things, Yoon Sejin had actually done Seong Jihan a great service this time.

But he couldn't answer truthfully in front of the elves.

"...Yeah."

As Yoon Seah answered with a regretful expression,

"And I thought I was finally going to be of help to Jihan this time..."

Yoon Sejin dropped his gaze to the floor with a despairing look.

He seemed to be crumbling under the self-loathing of having ruined everything.

'Well... I'll have to tell him he saved me after this is all over.'

As Seong Jihan was thinking this,

"He regained his memories and thought the Red Administrator was Seong Jihan, so he saved him..."

"So that's why the twin swords malfunctioned."

"It's a shame the vice-chairman died because of this."

"It seems there was an error in the Hall of Swords' education due to too many blue swords being mass-produced."

"Besides the Sword King, it seems some others have regained their memories too."

The high elves seemed to grasp the situation to some extent after hearing Yoon Sejin's words.

"Now that we know the reason, let's report to the Cosmic Tree and carry out the execution."

"No matter the misunderstanding, his crime is a serious offense. Even for twin swords with 35% compatibility, punishment is necessary."

As they were discussing Yoon Sejin's punishment,

"My, talking about execution in front of his daughter is too much."

Governor Mia unexpectedly spoke up.

"While he did cause a big problem... isn't there a way he can live?"

* * *

"Governor. What are you..."

"Have you gone mad?"

"Punishing him is the will of the Cosmic Tree."

The high elves looked at the governor with incredulous eyes when she intervened.

High elves and high elves.

In the World Tree Alliance, their positions were as different as heaven and earth.

Even if she was the governor of Earth, which Yggdrasil considered most important recently,
Expressing her own opinion so freely in front of high elves was an outrageous overstepping of authority.

If Yoon Seah, an outsider, hadn't been present, it would have been grounds for immediate punishment at the elder level.

But.

"Kids... Don't you have any sense by now?"

As Mia raised the corners of her mouth,

Saaaa...

Her hair all turned green.

"Ah. No..."

"Co-Cosmic Tree!"

Seeing this, the high elves were startled and prostrated themselves on the ground.

'...I see. So she was Yggdrasil incarnated.'

Governor Mia, who had retrieved the rainbow flower bud and sensed Seong Jihan's presence.

He had thought it wasn't power a high elf could possess, but it turns out Yggdrasil was using her as an avatar.

"All of you, withdraw. I have things to discuss with the owner of the Arena."

"Y-Yes...!"

As the high elves hurriedly disappeared,

Yoon Seah looked at her with surprised eyes.

"Are you... the Green Administrator?"

"That's right. I'm using this body briefly before fully descending to Earth."

Then Yggdrasil looked towards Yoon Sejin.

"Let me be direct. You want to save your father, right?"

"..."

"Or have you already forgotten blood ties, having become the owner of the Arena and transcended humanity? If so, I'll execute him right here."

At Yggdrasil's words, Yoon Seah let out a deep sigh.

"...I want to save him. What do I need to do?"

Smirk.

Yggdrasil smiled brightly at Yoon Seah's answer.

"From now on, you'll need to cooperate with me actively."

"...Active cooperation?"

"First, pick up that sword. Participate in the subjugation of the Red Administrator with me."

"Participate...?"

"I've developed a need to catch the Red Administrator, but this guy is very good at running away..."

Yggdrasil's eyes glowed ominously.

"It seems a fake imitating your face isn't enough. We need to use the real you to shake him up a bit."

"...Then, will you spare my father?"

"Of course. It should be good for you too, right? Save your uncle, save your father."

It seems Yggdrasil was trying to get Yoon Seah to participate through the problem Yoon Sejin caused this time, feeling limited by the Blue Knight with Yoon Seah's face.

In the end, what she was really aiming for was Yoon Seah's cooperation.

"...Let me ask one thing."

"You can ask several things."

"My uncle. If we manage to save him from the Red Administrator... will you let him live?"

"Oh my~ Of course~. You know how close I am with our junior. Even colonizing Earth was all for junior's revenge~"

Then she smiled meaningfully.

"Ah. But. I can't release him right away. We need to capture him and remove all remnants of the Red Administrator. You can wait that long, right?"

Yggdrasil emphasized that she would capture the Red Administrator alive.

Seong Jihan felt suspicious about this.

'She didn't seem this fixated on capturing before... Strange.'

Is it because her protection of the original elf was revealed to all last time?

But it seemed she had some purpose in capture beyond simple anger.

'The original elf who stole my eternity and gave me void... Could it be related to that?'

As Seong Jihan was speculating about Yggdrasil's intentions,

Yoon Seah let out a deep sigh.

"I understand. From now on, I'll cooperate with you actively."

"Good choice. Hehe... Though there were some unpleasant incidents, let's forget it all and get along. We'll have a lot to cooperate on when managing the Battle.net in the future."

"...You say that so easily."

Yggdrasil saying let's get along while threatening with her father's life.

As Yoon Seah glared at her,

"You're not fully cosmosized yet. I can see you still have blood ties."

Yggdrasil glanced at her body briefly, then turned her gaze behind.

"And... While actively cooperating. Could you do one more thing?"

"What do I need to do?"

Tak.

As Yggdrasil moved her head once,

Swoosh...!

One of the blue swords stuck in the ground flew over.

'This is... Kim Jihun's blue sword?'

Looks like she has another scheme.

As Seong Jihan was about to respond by entering the blue sword,

"Inject a lot of void into that."

"You mean... rapid growth?"

Yggdrasil was giving instructions to Yoon Seah.

"Yes. I gave you that useless twin sword. I want to test whether to use the 2nd place sword or try to grow this one as much as possible."

"If I inject too much void, it might break..."

"It doesn't matter. We'll extract all the Blue on Earth within a month anyway. If it doesn't grow by then, it's useless."

"A month...?"

A month?

Does it only take that long to absorb humanity's Blue?

Well.

There was already over-investment when mass-producing a million blue swords.

"Until now, we didn't need to mobilize everything in the alliance... Now that I've descended personally, we'll finish within a month."

As Yggdrasil looked around the Hall of Swords saying this,

Yoon Seah slowly nodded.

"...Alright. I'll inject void now."

Ssss...

As intense purple energy rose from Yoon Seah's body,

Soon void was imbued into Kim Jihun's blue sword.

'Uncle... What should I do now?'

Yoon Seah's will was conveyed through this.

'Do as she says. Inject it like you don't care if it breaks.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. This is actually good.'

Kim Jihun's blue sword, pushed out of the central position as a million blue swords were mass-produced.

To become Yggdrasil's sword in the one month time frame, it needed to firmly secure first place.

For that, it needed rapid compatibility growth on a different level than before...

'They provided the opportunity.'

We need to definitely become Yggdrasil's sword this time.

Thinking this, Seong Jihan manipulated Yoon Seah's void.

Whiiii...

As void swirled in the center of the blue sword, cracks appeared all over the sword.

"Hmm... Is it not possible after all?"

Yggdrasil, who was crouching next to it watching the blue sword, showed a brief look of disappointment.

But.

Swoosh...!

As the void soon reversed and started repairing the cracks in the blue sword,

Her eyes lit up.

"Interesting... How is this sword withstanding the void?"

As she closely observed every movement,

'Why are you staring so much. Really.'

Seong Jihan operated the sword as inconspicuously as possible under her gaze.

After the repair process finished under Yggdrasil's gaze,

'Compatibility... increased about 4%.'

Seong Jihan stopped today's growth at this point.

He wanted to increase it more, but

With Yggdrasil staring so intently beside him, this was the limit that wouldn't be noticed.

And.

"I should have done this earlier."

Yggdrasil looked at the grown blue sword with a satisfied expression.

"You. Please be responsible for growing this sword like today."

"...Alright."

"If that blue sword surpasses the 2nd place one, I'll definitely spare your father's life."

Thus, Yggdrasil assigned Yoon Seah the task of growing Kim Jihun's blue sword as well.

It seemed she intended to properly utilize her by holding Yoon Sejin's life hostage.

However.

'That's exactly what we want too.'

The remaining time is one month.

Within that time, he would definitely become Yggdrasil's blue sword.

Seong Jihan decided to use this incident as an opportunity.

Next, here is the current text to translate:

<2레벨로 회귀한 무신 570화>

“1등은, 33%였지.”

“네. 이 속도면, 1주일이 지나기 전에 순위가 갱신될 것 같습니다.”

“흠…….”

윤세아가 협조 모드에 들어가면서 성장하기 시작한 김지훈의 청검.

이그드라실은 검이 예상보다도 너무 빠르게 적합도를 올리자, 결과에 대한 기쁨보다는 의아함이 앞섰다.

‘아무리 쌍검의 청을 가져갔다고 해도, 이렇게 30%의 벽을 며칠 만에 넘어 버리다니.’

이번에 청검이 백만 자루 생겼다고 해도.

적합도 30%의 벽은 상당히 넘기 힘든 허들이었다.

당연히 김지훈의 청검도 이 부근에서 꽤나 성장이 느려질 거라 보았는데.

이건 쉬워도 너무 쉽잖아.

‘아레나의 주인이 알고 있는 방법이, 그렇게 효과적이었나?’

이그드라실은 개운치 않은 얼굴로, 검사 결과를 보다가.

그녀에게 보고를 올리는 고엘프를 바라보았다.

“이 청검…… 이리로 데려와.”

“네. 알겠습니다.”

이그드라실의 지시가 떨어지자.

얼마 지나지 않아, 총독실 안에서 포탈이 열리고.

거기서 정신을 잃은 김지훈이 바닥에 굴러 떨어졌다.

“어디.”

이그드라실이 그런 그를 손가락으로 가리키자.

파아아앗……!

김지훈의 몸이 일제히 해체되더니, 허공에 둥둥 떠올랐다.

저벅. 저벅.

그녀는 허공에 떠 있는 김지훈의 신체 장기를 유심히 살피다가 고개를 끄덕였다.

“역시 걸리는 점은…… 딱히 없단 말이지.”

그나마 그녀의 신경을 건드리는 게 하나 있다면.

심장 부근에서 맴돌고 있는 보랏빛의 공허뿐.

저걸 제외하면 김지훈은 일반 남자 하프 엘프와 그리 다르지 않은 육체 조건을 지니고 있었다.

‘그렇다고, 지금 저 공허를 해체하여 분석할 순 없어.’

이그드라실에게 가장 중요한 건, 결국 청검을 통해 인류의 청을 모두 흡수하는 것.

김지훈의 초고속 성장세를 분석하기 위해, 심장 부근에 위치한 저 공허의 기운을 건드렸다가.

지금껏 발전시킨 적합도가 무너지면, 그녀 입장에선 쓸 만한 검을 잃는 셈이 된다.

“……그래. 일단은, 성장시켜야지.”

김지훈의 심장을 석연치 않은 얼굴로 매만지던 그녀는.

탁.

손가락을 가볍게 튕겼다.

그러자, 순식간에 원래대로 되돌아오는 김지훈.

자신의 몸이 조각나서 허공에 떠 있다, 다시 재조립되었다곤 전혀 모른 채로.

그는 계속 의식을 잃은 채로, 바닥에 뒹굴고 있었다.

“저 검. 아레나의 주인이 공허를 주입할 때를 제외하곤. 주로 레벨 업을 한다고 했나?”

“네. 같은 건물 내 길드에 출퇴근하는 게, 그의 하루 루틴입니다.”

“길드?”

“예. 대기 길드라고…… 예전에 청색의 관리자가 만든 길드입니다.”

“청색이 만든 길드라. 그리고, 아레나의 주인이 사는 곳도 공교롭게 여기라 이거지…….”

이그드라실은 대기 길드에 대한 정보를 보고받은 후, 입꼬리를 올렸다.

“내 직접, 여기에 축복을 내리지.”

“대기 길드에…… 말입니까?”

“그래. 이왕 성장시키기로 한 거, 제대로 밀어줘야지. 거기부터 뿌리내리겠어.”

“뿌리를…… 말입니까?”

“어.”

그녀가 그러며, 손바닥을 피자.

지이이잉……!

녹색의 빛이 강렬히 피어오른다 싶더니, 하늘 위로 치솟았다.

“그러면, 다음 안건 보고해.”

“……예. 다음 안건은…….”

길드 하나에 내려진, 이그드라실의 축복.

축복을 내린 당사자는 대수롭지 않게, 계속해서 업무를 진행했지만.

막상 축복을 받은 쪽은 달랐다.

서울 강남에 위치한 소드 팰리스 빌딩.

그곳의 하늘에서 갑자기 녹색의 빛이 강렬하게 퍼져나가더니.

슈우우우……!

하늘에서 은은히 보이던, 세계수 문양에서.

뿌리 한 줄기가 급격하게 커지며, 소드 팰리스를 향해 날아오고 있었다.

“어…….”

“뭐, 뭐야?”

“하, 하늘 좀 봐……!”

사람들이 갑자기 강해진 녹색의 빛에, 정신을 차리지 못하고 허둥지둥하고 있을 때.

파아앗……!

하늘에서 내려온, 뿌리 한 줄기가.

소드 팰리스 건물을 그대로 관통했다.

“아니. 건물이…….”

“거, 검왕 때문에 세계수께 처벌받은 건가?”

“아니. 그렇다기엔…… 멀쩡한데?”

하늘에서 내려온 거대한 녹색 빛의 뿌리.

하나 이건 빛으로 구성되어 실체가 존재하지는 않았다.

그래서 뿌리에 직격당한 소드 팰리스 건물은.

손상 자체는 전혀 없는 상태로, 녹색 빛에 은은히 잠겨 있었다.

“뭔가…….”

“별 문제는, 없는 건가?”

“세계수 연합에서 하는 일인데, 그렇겠지……?”

찰칵. 찰칵.

처음에는 깜짝 놀란 사람들도.

소드 팰리스 건물이 그 후로 잠잠하자, 이 신기한 광경을 담고자 일제히 사진을 찍고 있었다.

그렇게 지나가던 행인들에 의해, 뿌리와 연결된 소드 팰리스 건물에 대한 소식이 SNS에 널리 퍼져나가고 있을 때.

“에엑?! 뭐야 이거……?”

건물 안에서 업무를 처리하고 있던 길드 마스터 이하연은.

눈 앞에 떠오르는 시스템 메시지를 보면서, 경악했다.

[녹색의 관리자 ‘이그드라실’이 축복을 내립니다.]

이그드라실이 직접 내린 축복의 효과가, 상식을 한참 뛰어넘었으니까.

* * *

며칠 후.

-??? 김지훈 레벨 뭐임?

-아니…… 저기, 왜 다이아에 계세요?

시청자들은 그가 며칠 새에 다이아리거가 되어 가는 걸, 실시간으로 목격하고 있었다.

-와 뭔 하루에 레벨이 20 넘게 올라 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 같은 게임 하는 거 맞아?

-이런 성장세면 올해 안에 인류 최고 레벨 달성하겠는데;

-미쳤다 진짜……

-남자 하프 엘프 배틀튜브 여기만 흥하는 중 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

안 그래도, 레벨 업 속도가 빠른 김지훈이었지만.

소드 팰리스에 우주수의 뿌리가 한 가닥 내려온 이후부터는.

성장 속도가, 기존과는 비교할 수 없을 정도였다.

“우주수께서 좋게 봐주신 게, 감사할 따름이죠. 이 성장 속도는 오롯이 그분의 덕입니다.”

그런 채팅창 반응을 보며, 겸손하게 대답하는 김지훈.

-대기 길드도 길드 랭킹 1위 됐던데 ㅋㅋㅋ

-김지훈이랑 계약했다고 몰락하던 길드가 단숨에 1등……

-대기 길드 성장 버프 미쳤대 몇십 배 뛰어올랐다나;

-우주 제일의 후원자를 뒀네…… 부럽다 진짜

-적합도 1위도 김지훈이 갱신할 거라는 소문이 돌던데

-ㅎㄷㄷ 벌써? 하긴 그 정도는 되야 저렇게 우주수께 뿌리를 받지

며칠 전, 소드 팰리스에 우주수의 뿌리가 한 가닥 내려앉았던 사건.

이를 총독부에선, ‘김지훈과 그를 육성하는 대기 길드에 우주수께서 직접 축복을 내렸다.’고 설명했다.

축복에 있어서 주인공은 어디까지나 김지훈이고, 대기 길드는 서포트 역할을 하다가 같이 덕을 본 것에 불과해서.

사람들은 절대자의 총애를 받는 김지훈을 모두 부러워하고 있었다.

물론.

당사자는, 생각이 달랐지만.

‘뿌리…… 이거 꽤나 거슬리네.’

성지한은 김지훈의 눈으로, 커넥터 룸을 바라보았다.

원래는 새하얀 조명이 깔렸던 룸 안은, 이그드라실의 축복 이후 녹색의 빛에 은은히 잠겨 있었다.

그리고 이 빛은 커넥터 룸뿐만 아니라.

소드 팰리스 빌딩 전체를 완전히 감싼 상태였다.

이는 건물 전체가 이그드라실의 영역 안에 들어선 거나 마찬가지인 상황.

‘이럼 김지훈의 몸에서 나가서 활동하는 게 더 힘들어진단 말이지.’

어차피 지금은 ‘적색의 관리자’ 행세를 멈추고, 얌전히 여기서 적합도나 올릴 생각이긴 했지만.

이그드라실의 뿌리 안에 있는 건, 그 자체만으로도 영 불편하기 짝이 없었다.

‘그나마 3주밖에 안 남아서 다행이군. 아니. 이 속도면 더 빠르게 끝이 나겠어…….’

백만 청검을 양성하고, 한 달 정도 걸릴 거라던 인류의 ‘청’ 흡수.

하나, 검의 전당에서의 흡수는 당초의 예상보다 빠르게 진행되고 있었다.

‘애초에 한 달이라는 시간은, 적색의 관리자가 침공하는 걸 방어하는 것도 다 계산해서 잡은 거겠지.’

적색의 관리자가 쳐들어오면, 엘프 군단이 일제히 청검을 들고 요격에 나서야 하니까.

그런 과정이 야기되면, 아무래도 인류의 청을 흡수하는 속도는 느려질 수밖에 없었다.

하나 정작 백만 자루의 청검이 생성된 이후, 성지한은 적색의 관리자로 활동하지 않았기에.

청검은 모두 흡수에만 쓰이고 있었다.

‘이 속도라면. 내가 적합도 50%쯤 도달했을 때, 청이 다 모이겠는데.’

그럼 이제 정말로 얼마 안 남은 상황.

“수고하셨습니다~”

성지한은 겉으론 김지훈 행세를 이어 가면서.

본격적으로 청이 다 모였을 때를 시뮬레이션해 보았다.

‘이그드라실이 청을 자신에게로 흡수하는 과정은, 김지훈의 청검을 매개로 해서 진행되겠지…….’

흡수하는 중간에, 탈취하는 게 낫나.

아니면 그전에 미리 청을 다 가져가 놓고, 싸우는 게 낫나.

‘두 방법 다, 각기 장단점이 있군.’

흡수하는 중간에 치면 기습 효과가 크겠지만, 청을 좀 놓칠 테고.

그전에 먼저 흡수해 버리면 청을 온전히 흡수는 하겠지만, 저쪽도 성지한을 보고 대비하겠지.

성지한은 김지훈의 눈으로, 뿌리의 빛을 다시 한번 바라보았다.

지구에 강림한다는 이그드라실의 본신.

그 중, 그녀가 하늘에서 내린 이 뿌리 한 줄기는.

그에게 상당한 존재감을 보이고 있었다.

지금이야 축복을 주는 거라며, 이런 저런 혜택을 소드 팰리스에 내리고 있었지만…….

‘저게 실체화되어 공격용으로 바뀌면 확실히 만만치 않겠어…….’

청을 탈취한다고 해도, 확실히 쉬워 보이진 않는 이그드라실.

특히, 그에겐 걸리는 문제가 하나 더 있었다.

‘거기에 인류의 청을 탈취한다고, 이게 SSS급이 될지 확신을 못 하겠군…….’

그동안은, 당연히 SSS가 될 거라고 생각하고 여기까지 왔지만.

막상 인류의 청을 흡수할 때가 다가오자, 성지한은 생각이 복잡해졌다.

‘단순히 스탯만 많아진다고, SSS가 될까.’

물론 인류의 청을 흡수하는 건, 스탯이 좀 많아지는 게 아니긴 했지만.

길가메시에게서 얻었던 청색의 대기도 SS에 머물러 있는 그로서는.

막연한 기대보다는, 최악의 상황도 상정해 보기로 했다.

‘만약 저 청을 빼앗아도 SS에 머물러 있다면…… 청홍을 본격적으로 사용해야겠지. 적과 청, 모두 동원해야 이그드라실의 본체를 이길 수 있을 테니까.’

그러려면, 청홍의 봉인을 풀어야 할 테고.

그럼 자연스럽게, 청홍을 쓰지 말라던 흑색의 관리자도 간섭할 명분이 생기는 건가.

그렇게 생각하면, 스탯 청이 SSS급에 오르냐 마느냐가 상당히 중대한 분기점이 되겠는데.

‘흠…….’

성지한이 결전의 때를 앞두고 생각을 정리하고 있을 때.

[생각이 복잡한가 보군. 청색이여. 잠시, 머리를 환기하겠나?]

그간 ‘원형의 엘프’에 대해 조사한다고 조용하던 적색의 관리자가, 그에게 말을 걸었다.

‘환기라…… 그래. 뭐 좀 알아냈냐?’

[원형의 엘프, 이름을 알아내었다.]

‘이름을?’

[그래. 울드라고 하는군.]

‘울드라…….’

울드.

원형의 엘프는, 그런 이름이었나.

성지한이 그 이름을 기억해 두고 있을 때.

적색의 관리자는 그에게 반문했다.

[울드에 대해 모르나? 그 이름은 너희의 신화에 나오는 이름이건만.]

‘……? 나 무교야. 뭐 하는 얜데?’

[……그런가. 내가 인류의 신화를 인간에게 설명하게 될 줄은 몰랐군. 그녀는 운명을 다루는 세 여신 중, 과거를 담당하는 여신이라고 알려져 있다.]

과거를 담당하는 여신인가.

성지한이 가만히 이를 듣고 있을 때.

[그리고 그녀를 비롯한 세 여신은, 생명의 샘으로부터 물을 길어 이그드라실을 보살핀다고 하지.]

‘이그드라실을?’

[그래. 신기하지 않나?]

‘……뭐가?’

[너희 신화 속에서의 관계와 현재의 상황이 묘하게 연결되는 것이……]

그러면서, 적색의 관리자는.

[거기에 이그드라실은…… 왜 너희 신화 속 세계수와 똑같은 이름을 지니고 있을까?]

성지한에게 그리 물음을 던졌다.


Your task is to translate the current text in a way that maintains consistency with the style,
terminology and meaning conveyed in the previous translations. The translation should flow naturally
from the context, as if it is a continuation of the same work.

At the same time, take care to translate the current text precisely as written, without changing the
meaning. The goal is an exact translation of the current text that nonetheless fits consistently
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