Chapter 64 - Rookie’s Battlefield (2) (2/2)

“…I didn’t think this would happen. Is this my fault for meddling in your training?” He let out the words with a faint sigh, taking a moment to think.

“Alright. I’ll tell you what I know, but it’ll cost you 5,000 gold.” I went ahead and paid the sum. It was enough money for me to eat a thousand bowls of jajangmyeon noodles, but it wasn’t worth the price of my life.

“Rookie is such an unassuming title. Long ago, some creatures among all those above and below ground called themselves as such because they most resembled God.”

“Those were the elves?”

“Yes, or sometimes called Elyos. Either way, it is a title of pride and arrogance.”

Elyos. When I heard that name, it somehow felt right. In Earth’s past, some had claimed to be partners to demons. This seemed like it was similar. ‘Then…Rain…?’ I had thought about it before, but at that moment, I felt he must have been a demon.

“They are a tribe that rejects all but themselves. They bore some similarity to humans, of course, divided amongst themselves, much like humans. Some of them even walked alongside demons.”

“So, the Crimson Elves are similar to demons?”

“You’re correct. In a strict sense, demons refer to several races that evolved and developed over tens of thousands of years in the dark underground. Crimson Elves are listed amongst those numbers. However, they had fought many battles with other elves in the past, eventually perishing without a single descendant. For elves, the Crimson Elves were a stain that had to be erased.”

“Then, what about the Rookie’s Battlefield?”

“So, there’s the problem.” With a bitter smile, he poured me a glass of pinkish liquor. It was fragrant, and both sweet and hot. It reminded me so much of L. As I emptied the glass, Rain continued to stare at me.

“Fate. Was the fusion of Hater and Earth a disaster only for the people of Earth?”

“…” My head was filled with white. ‘I’ve never thought about it…honestly.’

“For now, let’s set aside why or how the Great Fusion happened. Instead, let’s focus on the catastrophes it caused. Specifically, the elves who were connected to Earth.”

“Why only elves?”

“Because they were the only ones who knew ahead of time that the Great Fusion would happen.” Rain’s tone was calm on the surface, but I could tell anger was boiling inside him. I raised my head to face him.

“Rain…”

“I didn’t have a partner, and after the Great Fusion, I was able to maintain myself. The same goes for A and L.”

“How is that even possible?”

“We are all bound to exist as individuals.” He said this anger and conviction as he explained their partnership to Earth.

“You may think you understand your partner, but no.”

“…If I’m wrong, that’s good.”

“I’ll explain it more later. The elves knew when and how the Great Fusion would occur. It started with Earth, and they knew that their souls would be transferred, and only their bodies would remain. But then they learned that they would remain with their partner on Earth.” From the start, a connection to a partner was key to transferring a Haterling’s body to an Earthling. Personally, my partner was only a farmer, so I didn’t see much use in it, but there were those who could use that connection to become stronger. They were the harbingers of the Great Fusion.

“So they arrived at a means to stop this from happening, the Rookie’s Battlefield.”

“Please explain it to me.”

“It is a magical space that is created by the elves neither in Hater nor Earth.” The elves had used their magic to pull their people into this space. It was a small world unto itself. Then the Great Fusion occurred. Naturally, the elves’ souls had to be destroyed, and their bodies fused with their Earthling partner. But this space was created so that those held inside it wouldn’t lose their soul or body. Therefore, the souls of the elves were not separated from them. No one other than the elves could enter the Rookie’s Battlefield. It was a name that conveyed the elves’ will to deny their destiny.

When an elf’s body was no longer able to return to Earth, the opposite had happened. The bodies of their partners on Earth were destroyed, and their souls went to the Rookie’s Battlefield. But they couldn’t enter, as only those with both a body and a soul could.

“What happened to their souls?”

“Well, fun fact…” Rain laughed as if he were trying to find humor in the situation. “While the elves had succeeded in protecting themselves, there was one thing they didn’t expect. The Earthlings’ souls that were rejected entrance eventually transformed and wormed their way inside. Every single one of them.”

“Then…?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t able to see what was happening in there, but since then, some elves have left one by one. It must have become a real battlefield in there.” Those who had completely destroyed their partner’s soul and came to Earth with limited freedom were called ‘Natives.’

“I can imagine why you can enter that place. They took in a wide range of elves, and there was no way the Crimson Elves they had decimated in the olden days had survived.” Rain also assumed it was possible to enter at level 100, that was the minimum level needed for a newcomer to enter. It was fortunate that I hadn’t been drawn there immediately when I became a Crimson Elf.

“It’s a dangerous place, but I don’t know if you can avoid it.”

“I can’t.” Was this the price of a special evolution? For gaining power? A grim chuckle left me at the realization. I wasn’t afraid. If it was just death, then I was already used to that hanging over me. It had just changed forms a little.

“Fate, they are enemies of the Fallen, of humans, of Crimson Elves, of the demons….and of you. Throw away any thoughts you have of fighting all of them; it is too dangerous. That place is not your battlefield.”

“What do you mean?”

“You will have to face strong individuals. But fortunately, this store has wares that may be of service to you!” Rain laughed happily as I checked out the money I had in my inventory: 32,691 gold, 94 silver, and 17 bronze.

“I’ll take all of them.”

“Thank you for your patronage!” I prepared the best I could. With only 178 gold, 27 silver, and 38 bronze, I headed out to face the Rookie’s Battlefield.