As soon as Ash uttered the words, 'open'. It was as if a reaction had occurred. The room he had created began to tremble, and the runes carved on the glowing walls shone even brighter, humming softly as energy gathered around him.

Ash staggered, his body losing balance before he fell to his knees, clutching his head tightly. A sharp and sudden pain pierced through his mind, right at the center of his glabella, where the entrance to his soul was located.

It was not just pain. It felt like something enormous and invisible was pressing down on him, a weight too heavy to bear. The strange part was that this heaviness did not come from his body, but from his soul itself, as if an unseen mountain was being placed upon it.

Because of that pressure, his breathing became rough and shallow. Each breath felt heavier than the last, and the throbbing in his head grew sharper.

"Ughhh!!!"

The pain suddenly deepened, and the pressure on his soul grew even stronger at the same time. Except for those two sensations, he didn't feel anything else. His mana wasn't being consumed, nor was his life force affected.

Even though his soul was clearly straining under the weight, it didn't seem to be breaking apart. Whether that was because of Ash's mutated soul, the strange properties of his Soul Vault, or some other reason entirely, he couldn't tell.

Slowly but surely, a green portal began to form in front of him. It appeared quietly at first, then stabilized into a swirling circular gate that released a faint wind as it pulsed.

Ash remained kneeling, his eyes closed, until after a few minutes, the pressure faded, and his headache started to ease. When the pain was finally gone, he stood up and rubbed the side of his head.

Why is it that even though this is not my physical body, I can still feel pain in my head....

He complained inwardly, but he knew no one would answer him. Putting that aside, Ash turned his gaze toward the newly formed green portal. A small grin tugged at his lips.

"At least, I succeeded in making a portal inside my soul."

Ash couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. It wasn't something he had personally created, but it still counted as his success. The idea itself was crazy enough that no one would attempt it, but he did and succeeded.

If he could refine it further and deepen his understanding of space, he might be able to make such portals on his own, one day.

He had already been experimenting with a teleportation spell apart from his Transcendent Step, but it was still far from perfect. It activated slowly, and worse, it sent him to random places. The cause of that was simple—he didn't fully grasp the concept yet.

There were many theories about spatial teleportation, but none of them were complete. Most people didn't care to study the deeper logic behind it, since magic circles already did the job. And because space was a rare element, there weren't many people capable of researching it properly. Even if there were, Ash had no access to their work.

Coming back to the present situation, Ash frowned slightly as he thought of something.

"But, how will I enter it..?"

Many would probably call him stupid for asking such a question, since the portal was right in front of him. All he had to do was step inside with his bod-err.

His thoughts halted.

Body?

How could his body possibly enter a place that existed inside his own soul?

Damn, I never thought about it before attempting this...

He wanted to slap himself. How could he overlook something this basic? The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.

After silently cursing his carelessness for a while, Ash took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Right, even if I can't enter it myself, I can still use it to send the slaves through. At least it won't go to waste....

With that, his expression softened slightly, determination replacing frustration as he stared at the glowing green portal once more.

He looked at the portal regretfully and was just about to return to the real world when he stopped.

Why don't I try once and see what happens?

Now that the portal was standing right before him, it would be foolish not to at least try. If nothing happened, he would simply go back. But if, by some chance…?

Ash didn't finish the thought. Instead, he took a breath and stepped into the portal.

The moment he did, a strange sensation spread across his body, and his body in the real world —hidden deep in the shadows—vanished completely.

A wave of dizziness hit him. His vision blurred for a moment as the familiar feeling of teleportation washed over him.

Crazy... this is a fucking glitch...

He didn't have time to think about how he was able to teleport, and even if he did, he could only guess. Pushing the confusion to the back of his mind, Ash adjusted his blurry vision and looked around.

All around him, the elves stood frozen, staring at him with wide eyes. Their shock was written clearly across their faces. He recognized them immediately—they were the Saints of the Elven Continent.

Among them was Serena, the elf Queen. Her eyes trembled with disbelief, her expression pale as if she had just seen a ghost.

Ash offered her a small, casual smile, then turned his attention to the World Tree, which regarded him with a frown.

Is she mad or something? Well, whatever. I should hurry, otherwise 'that' item will end up being auctioned…..

He knew he could simply steal the item right now, but doing so would draw the attention of the black market's higher authorities. That would only make taking anything else later far more difficult.

"Hi," he said, his tone casual yet firm. "Can you send someone across the portal? I'll be transporting the people behind it in large numbers, but I can't stay there to guide them to enter the portal. I need someone to take over that role. Can you find someone to handle that?"

The moment his words fell, silence spread across the area like a ripple. The Saints' faces darkened, their expressions twisting in disbelief and anger. A heavy pressure filled the air as they released their Aura, intent on making Ash kneel or at least cough blood from the sheer force.

They wanted nothing more than to kill him where he stood. But since the Great Mother had acknowledged that she herself created the portal—and since Ash was speaking to her so casually—they didn't dare act recklessly. Not until they were sure if Great Mother knew him.

Still, his tone, his words, his attitude… everything about how casually he spoke with their Great Mother, irked them to no end.

"How dare you speak casually with our Great Mother!!!"

"This human brat!!!"

"I will kill him!!!"

The air trembled with their fury. Their combined Aura pressed down on him like a mountain, shaking the space around.

Ash stood still, unfazed. He scratched his cheek and let out a light sigh.

Well… your presence does not affect me anyway…..

Ash did not speak loudly, knowing it would scratch their pride.

He did not know what to say to them, so instead of replying, he turned his gaze toward the World Tree. She was holding Serena by the mouth, her hands wrapped around the elf's arms and body to keep her still.

Was she trying to shield me from their combined Aura..?

It wasn't impossible. If Serena had stepped between him and the Saints, they would have immediately withdrawn their Aura to avoid harming their queen. But doing that would have meant injuring herself, and even if the World Tree could heal her later, the act itself was reckless.

Ash shook his head softly, a faint frown forming on his face. "How stupid…" he muttered under his breath.

He was always dense when it came to emotions. Other than Elysia, he never noticed when someone's heart leaned toward him. Whether he acted unaware on purpose, just to avoid dealing with feelings, or was genuinely dense, no one could tell.

But his words, which were meant for Serena, were completely misunderstood. The Saints around him stiffened, their faces twisting in anger as their pride burned like fire. They thought Ash was calling them stupid.

"You dare insult us?!"

"This human brat!!"

"I'll kill him!"

The killing intent that spread through the air was heavy enough to crush a lesser being. Their combined Aura made the ground tremble slightly, wind swirling around the massive roots of the World Tree.

Ash didn't react. He stood still, scratching his cheek lightly, watching their fury rise like an approaching storm.

Just as the Saints were about to attack, a voice rang out that froze everything in an instant.

"Stop."

The command came from the World Tree herself, her voice echoing through the space with calm authority. The air went still, and the Saints, though still filled with anger, immediately lowered their heads.

Even the oldest among them, the Council Head, who rarely bowed to anyone, stood silently like a scolded child. The pressure vanished as they obediently withdrew their Aura.

"It's quite rude to call my children stupid in front of them, don't you think?" the World Tree said, her voice soft but carrying a trace of coldness beneath it.

Ash, however, didn't even flinch. His eyes stayed calm and unreadable as he replied, "I didn't call them stupid. It was meant for someone else. Anyway, I've already said what I had to. Just send someone capable across the portal. The number of people coming will be in the thousands, and they'll belong to various races."

The World Tree stared at him quietly. Her gaze carried both curiosity and confusion. Even after being suppressed by eight Saints, Ash stood there without the slightest sign of injury or exhaustion.

In truth, she had originally intended to punish him a little for using half of her mana without permission. But now, seeing him completely fine made her hesitate. Instead of anger, something else filled her—a faint spark of intrigue.

How very interesting…

***

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