In truth, despite possessing so many effects and benefits, the Seed of the Life Tree was nothing more than a useless burden for players living inside the Ark.
It was inevitable.
Among the many abilities of the Life Tree, the most powerful ones were its ability to purify the surrounding soil and the creation of a domain that repels beasts and monsters.
Of course, there were various other effects, but these two were undoubtedly its most significant attributes.
However, no matter how extraordinary the Life Tree was, its effects were rendered meaningless inside the Ark.
The reason was simple.
The soil of the Ark was not necessarily extremely fertile, but it produced sufficient yields with artificial fertilizers.
Furthermore, even though the Life Tree's domain prevented the intrusion of beasts and monsters, if it was planted inside the Ark, that effect became completely redundant.
For those living in the Ark, there was simply no reason to go through the trouble of acquiring a Seed of the Life Tree and planting it inside the Ark.
Of course, the Life Tree possessed various other abilities, such as enhancing the vitality of nearby living beings, so planting it wouldn't be entirely useless.
But ultimately, it was highly inefficient.
'And besides, planting a Life Tree inside the Ark requires owning land.'
Considering how scarce soil was in the Ark, owning land there was an immense challenge in of itself.
But outside the Ark, things were completely different.
Mount Noah was a place that beasts and monsters rarely approached.
This was because the mountain emitted etheric waves that disturbed their instincts.
However, it was not an absolute safe zone.
As had happened before, there was always the possibility that beasts and monsters could invade Mount Noah.
The ether emitted by Mount Noah might make them uncomfortable, but it did not outright prevent their intrusion.
A pseudo safe zone.
Or rather, it was hardly even worthy of being called a safe zone—that was the reality of the place I was staying in.
'Honestly, it's a miracle that I haven't been attacked by monsters yet.'
If I had chosen my shelter carelessly, I would have likely been ambushed by beasts and monsters in the dead of night.
There was a reason I had struggled to climb up to the midsection of Mount Noah before settling down.
Either way, the important thing was that if the Life Tree's domain was added to this place, it would become a true safe zone, even if the area wasn't large.
If my assumptions were correct, it would completely prevent any beasts or monsters of Grade-4 and below from entering.
Grade-4 might not sound too impressive, but considering that Grade-3 and higher monsters rarely moved around freely and were relatively few in number, it would be more than enough to consider this a proper safe zone.
'And that's not the only effect of the Life Tree.'
Aside from enhancing people's vitality, it also reduced the influence of the malicious ether surrounding me.
In other words, the hallucinations and insomnia that tormented me every night would also be alleviated to some extent.
'Just like that.'
This was enough to lay the foundation.
Although the Life Tree would take time to grow fully, I could already feel that the atmosphere of the area was beginning to change.
'Even the air feels different.'
Moreover, the crops I had planted as an experiment before planting the Life Tree had already started sprouting.
One might assume that such a massive lifeform would drain all the nutrients from the surrounding soil, but instead, the Life Tree's purification ability had turned the once-toxic soil into fertile land.
As expected of the Life Tree.
I began organizing the supplies I had obtained from Quartermaster Gedwin and the Sandstorm Trading Company.
It seemed like I would be quite busy for a while.
* * *
"You're here?"
Lieutenant Colonel Banol was clutching his head, clearly suffering from a severe hangover, as he greeted Lieutenant Imosha, who had come to report.
Seeing her superior in such a disheveled state was unusual for Imosha, and though she was momentarily surprised, she quickly masked her reaction.
"I've come to report."
"Go ahead."
"The cleanup of beast and monster corpses on the battlefield is nearly complete, and the repairs on the outer wall have also been finished. Additionally, the 37 personnel lost in the recent battle have been replaced."
"Good work."
Thirty-seven.
That meant that thirty-seven soldiers under Lieutenant Imosha's Red-17 Gate Unit had died in battle.
Of course, Imosha already understood.
Considering that this war was large enough that the total destruction of the Ark wouldn't have been surprising, losing only thirty-seven people was nothing short of a miracle.
Even so, she still felt the weight of their deaths.
However, that did not mean she would be crushed by their loss.
They had died as proud soldiers of the Ark, and mourning them excessively would only be an insult to their sacrifice.
"You look better."
"...Sir?"
"No, never mind. Forget I said anything."
"Ah... Understood."
Indeed, Lieutenant Colonel Banol was right—Lieutenant Imosha looked much better than before.
That was thanks to the first proper sleep she had gotten in a long time.
'It seems you're beginning to understand what responsibility truly means. That's good.'
With just that, Lieutenant Colonel Banol nodded, as if he already knew what had happened.
"Of course, I didn't call you here just to chat. The remnants of Kronos are making suspicious moves."
"...The Kronos remnants, sir?"
Imosha had already been aware of the situation, but for Lieutenant Colonel Banol himself to bring it up meant that things had become truly serious.
"Don't you find it strange?"
"Sir?"
"The Ark is always suffering from a severe manpower shortage, and the remnants of Kronos have lost their homeland."
"..."
"On the surface, these two groups should have matching interests, yet they are constantly keeping each other in check. That alone is suspicious."
And indeed, it was.
Although she had never spoken of it aloud, Imosha had questioned the relationship between the Ark and the Kronos remnants countless times.
The Ark was perpetually short on manpower.
The Kronos remnants needed a place to settle.
By all logic, the two should have been able to form a mutually beneficial relationship.
And yet, not only had the Ark not accepted the Kronos remnants, but there hadn't even been any rumors of Kronos trying to reach out to the Ark.
Of course, there were a handful of refugees from the former Kronos territories, but their numbers were insignificant.
It was a situation Imosha simply could not understand.
However, the issue was too great for her to speak about lightly—and now, Lieutenant Colonel Banol himself had brought it up.
"The answer is simple."
"...And what is that?"
"Neither side wants it."
"...Sir?"
"If even one of them wanted to cooperate, the situation would have improved at least slightly. But both the Ark and Kronos don't want that. That's why their relationship remains locked in a stalemate."
"...Why? Even if that's the case for the Ark, wouldn't the Kronos remnants at least—"
The Ark's manpower shortage was severe, but it was nothing compared to the Kronos remnants, who had lost their entire home.
So how could it be that not only did the Ark refuse them, but the Kronos remnants also didn't seek refuge in the Ark?
It simply didn't make sense.
"I don't understand. If their forces are large enough for the Ark to take notice, wouldn't it be far better for them to seek shelter here?"
"It's natural for you to react that way. Anyone would. But sometimes, there are those who think differently."
Lieutenant Colonel Banol took a sip of honey water.
"How much do you know about Kronos?"
"...I know the basics. I've been there a few times."
"I figured as much. Then, in your opinion, what was the biggest problem Kronos faced?"
"That's..."
Lieutenant Imosha's lips pressed together.
How could she possibly sum up the problems of a massive city like Kronos in a single answer?
"There were many people living in Kronos. A truly diverse population. And when so many people gather, social stratification naturally occurs, leading to discrimination and conflict. Even the Ark is no exception."
Banol continued.
"The Ark divided its regions. Using Mount Noah as the reference point, we separated the safer areas from the dangerous ones. Now, what do you think Kronos did?"
Banol let out a dry laugh.
"They did nothing. They just let everyone live together. And do you know what happened because of that?"
"..."
"They created their own hierarchy, discriminated against one another, and enslaved people. The easiest targets? The immigrants. To the citizens of Kronos, 'immigrant' became synonymous with 'slave'."
"..."
"They know full well the horrors of discrimination—because they were the ones who inflicted them. To them, immigrants were nothing more than slaves."
"People see what they want to see."
"...What?"
Banol blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Imosha, who had been silent all this time, to say something like that.
"Ah... S-Sorry, sir."
"No, you're right. People see what they want to see. But that doesn't mean the Ark was in the right. Even if the Kronos remnants had wanted to seek refuge here, I doubt we would have accepted them."
"What?"
Imosha was caught off guard.
"Why?"
"As you know, the Ark—more precisely, the Red Line—does not permit external individuals with etheric signatures to pass through the gates. You understand why, don't you?"
Imosha flinched.
She still remembered the names of those she had refused entry.
And she also remembered the one man who had survived.
"...Yes."
"Then tell me—how many people in Kronos do you think have etheric signatures?"
Banol continued.
"If we start filtering them out, do you think the other Kronos citizens would accept it?"
"They... wouldn't."
"Exactly. But that's only the surface-level reason. The real reason is something else."
"And what is that?"
"The Ark is already divided into different regions. The lines separating them hold more significance than most realize. Now, imagine if a massive influx of immigrants from Kronos, with completely different cultures and beliefs, were to flood into the Ark. What do you think would happen?"
Banol's tone was calm.
"There would be many phases to it, but ultimately, the Ark would split apart. Half, maybe even more."
"That's... extreme."
"Maybe. And I hope you're right. But right now, from the Ark's perspective, the remnants of Kronos are a threat. That's why we cannot lose track of them."
Imosha saw the look in Banol's eyes. He had been leading up to something all along.
"...What exactly are you asking of me?"
"Form a team."
"A team for what purpose?"
"A task force to investigate the Kronos remnants. We need to know where they are and what they're doing."
"But the Wave is coming soon..."
"That's precisely why."
"...Sir?"
"The Ark has no way of tracking them right now. But once the Wave begins, they'll have no choice but to move. No one wants to get trampled by the beast hordes. With that many of them on the move, we'll be able to detect them."
One of the most important survival rules in this world was to never get caught in the chaos of a Wave.
And yet, Banol was ordering her to go outside and investigate the Kronos remnants right before one?
It was an insane mission.
"That's impossible. You'll only get soldiers killed. You should send the Line Special Forces instead..."
A dangerous mission, but one the special forces were trained for.
That seemed far more reasonable to Imosha.
"They have another mission. One far more critical to the Ark's security."
Whether Banol was telling the truth or not, Imosha had no way of knowing.
Even as an officer, she had no insight into the assignments given to the Red Line's special forces.
What was clear, however, was that Banol had no intention of sending them for this task.
"Don't worry. We have someone who knows how to survive outside the Ark. He can handle it."
Imosha instantly understood who Banol meant.
"Bring in Carl Marcus."