Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player-Novel

A few minutes later…

After reaching the end of the aisle, Kieran and Agatha stood behind Vasati, who stood before a verdant green gate.

On the surface, it seemed metallic, though that wasn't truly the case. Instead, the gates were created naturally through the crystallization of nature-based Mana.

It was connected to the Forest of Gardenia's energy source, deriving energy from it at all times.

The spiral design on it represented the vicissitudes of vitality, as well as honored the fallen Elves. Inscribed along the seemingly endless gates were the names of elves who deserved to be remembered.

"I know you're well aware of this, Mystic Heiress, but I won't be held responsible for the reaction of my race. That human is your responsibility," Vasati said.

Though she didn't give an answer, Agatha glanced in Kieran's direction, who continued to nonchalantly examine the gates before him. 'The embedded vitality… it's almost as if it's calling out to me. But…'

After a few moments, Kieran extricated his gaze from the gate, breaking away from the temptation it produced. Kieran gathered that absorbing the energy from this gate could be considered a hostile act against the Elven Race.

While he had openly claimed that the way they regarded him was of no interest to him, Kieran wouldn't go out of his way to create conflict by doing something foolish.

After all, if he wanted to complete Isadora's quest, he had to be in the good graces of the Elven Royalty.

Otherwise, he could forget about obtaining the droplets needed for his quest.

Once the gates opened, it was as if the boundary to yet another world had been opened. Though the trees remained the same in terms of size and height, Kieran noticed a few stark differences.

For one, there were constructs in many trees that resembled homes.

Aside from that, some trees were hollow with bright lights inside, suggesting there was some kind of activity taking place inside the trees.

However, this wasn't the most noticeable change Kieran sensed.

As soon as he took a step forward, Kieran was embraced by a strange dew, pleasant in terms of its scent and relaxing regarding its effects.

〈System: You have entered the «Elven Commonplace: Home of the Lowborns».〉

'Lowborns?' Kieran inwardly muttered in curiosity.

After a while, he turned to Agatha and whispered, "What's a Lowborn?"

"Lowborn? You mean… in regards to an elf?" Agatha questioned, looking at Kieran dubiously. Part of her wondered why Kieran asked such an unusual question.

Though, after taking into account their surroundings, it wasn't that strange. Still, Agatha expected Kieran to at least be a bit more educated on the topic.

"A Lowborn is essentially akin to the commoners of the human race, except this is the term used by elves. As far as I'm aware, it's a reference to the strength of their connection to their natural deity," Agatha responded.

Listening in on their conversations, Vasati spared both of them a strange look. "It is much deeper than you suggest. It isn't their mere connection, it is an indication of the goddess' favor. A Lowborn is one born with misfortune, failing to gain a proper blessing from the Mother Tree."

'Uh…' Kieran blinked a few times before leaning to Agatha's ear. "Isn't that basically what you said? Aren't blessings… connections?"

"Precisely." Agatha nodded.

Though, she felt she should clarify why Vasati took it upon herself to word it this way. "Some races, like the elves, consider the word 'blessing' to be an auspicious word that should be used at all times. A superstition given their… history."

"Ah," Kieran nodded, coming to a swift understanding.

From what he learned, the Elven Race was one that believed in the power of deities and that it could forsake or bless them. Thus, when it related to the matters of a member's birthright, all respect had to be paid to the Mother Tree.

Meanwhile, after passing through part of the Elven Commonplace, Kieran suddenly stepped back while leaning to the side.

Whoosh!

Soon, a green light swept past Kieran's face.

The speed of the light wasn't fast, allowing Kieran to gleam its true identity—an arrow.

After tracking its origins, Kieran found a glowering boy holding a bow in his hands.

"Stinky human! You need to leave!" the young boy glowered.

Intrigued by this reaction, Kieran paused and arched his brow. He understood the hatred in this young boy's eyes.

Plus, truthfully speaking, Kieran could see part of himself in the boy.

But despite being attacked, Kieran did not become hostile.

Instead, he lifted his palm and manipulated mystic energies to form an incomplete Supreme Cipher. As he did not wish to waste his recovering supply, Kieran opted for a shoddy display, but it was enough to lighten the boy's gaze.

"I come in peace and I mean you no harm. In fact, I look to help protect you," Kieran said, unusually soft-spoken.

After a brief pause, he posed a question to the young elven boy. "What is your name?"

"Name? U-uhh… I-I am the great Amrynn," the young boy exclaimed, his hands clenched around his bow.

Upon learning the boy's name, Kieran approached him.

However, this action resulted in many of the nearby elves drawing their weapons. Most of them consisted of bows and arrows, as well as rapiers, but there were also a decent number of twin swords.

Yet, even with this reaction, Kieran continued to move forward. "That wasn't a bad shot, kid. But it could be better. May I?"

As Kieran asked for the bow and arrow in Amrynn's grasp, Agatha and Vasati looked at him with questioning gazes.

Did he not feel the palpable hatred surrounding him?

How could he act so carefree and disregard its existence?

Initially distraught and conflicted, Amrynn retreated a step, but Kieran kept his marked palm extended with a placid expression. "You're a Lowborn, correct? But I sense courage in you. Courage to surpass your limitations. Is that something that interests you?"

"Surpash?! Mister bad human… what is that word?" Amrynn blinked, looking at Kieran cluelessly.

'Ah, right. He's a young kid,' Kieran made a mental note and scorned himself for forgetting this important fact. "It means… I think you can become very strong and brave."

"OH! But the great Amrynn is already brave!"ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴo(v)elFɪre.net

Kieran couldn't help but chuckle while looking at Amrynn's seemingly valiant display. Then again, it was really the innocence and straightforwardness found in most children.

Children viewed the world differently from adults as they had yet to experience the pain and displeasures one grew accustomed to.

After their little exchange, Amrynn finally agreed to give Kieran the bow and arrow. Upon appraising the item, Kieran found that while it wasn't the best, it also wasn't too shabby.

However, it couldn't handle the full load of his STR.

"Watch closely, Amrynn. When you start at the bottom, it gives you time to master everything about yourself," Kieran explained.

He knelt beside Amrynn and nocked an arrow on the bow, pulling on the bowstring with a method he had seen all of the godly archers from his time use.

Whoosh!

Letting go of the bowstring, the arrow swiftly streaked through the air. Although he hadn't used Mana or anything else to enhance it, the arrow traveled ten times faster than the one Amrynn released.

"Whoaaa!" Amrynn exclaimed, his eyes wide with childish glee.

After witnessing the shot, all notions of Kieran being a bad human were tossed out the window.

What remained in his mind was the desire to perform a shot like that.

A few seconds later, Kieran returned the bow and arrow to Amrynn and proceeded to help him improve his archery form.

Many of the surrounding elves began to murmur and question why a human was helping a small elf, but Agatha grasped the situation differently.

'Turning an attempt on your life into an opportunity to win over your opposition. This kind of frightening tactic wouldn't necessarily be employed by someone that's used to only acting with their brawn. Could Aatrox… be an innate schemer?' Agatha questioned.

On the other hand, Vasati examined the individuals in the Elven Commonplace before sighing softly. 'Don't they know that facades exist? To be fascinated by a mere act of kindness is nothing but naive. Unfortunately, I'm not like these Lowborn. As a Nobleblood of the highest order, I must view matters differently for the sake of our race.'

Unlike a Lowborn, a Nobleblood referred to elves that hailed from Elven Clans and possessed a stronger "blessing."

These clans would occasionally give birth to what they called a prodigy, which was simply an elven child with a blessing judged to be at the peak of the Nobleblood standard.

In fact, Vasati was one of these "prodigies."

Compared to when he had first arrived just minutes before, the Elven Commonplace's opinion of Kieran could be said to have increased by a couple of points.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to trigger any special notification regarding his reputation with the Elven Race.

'Though commoners generally make up the majority of a race's population, it seems their opinion isn't enough to sway the view of the race at all. Then again, it's understandable considering it places more focus on royalty than common folk,' Kieran mused.

"I have been summoned. Some of the leaders are expecting you. We need to visit Gardenia's Pass," Vasati suddenly said, raising her voice to get Kieran's attention.

Averting his gaze from Amrynn, Kieran gave a slight nod. "Continue to practice. If you do, you'll be great."

Leaving him with that message, Kieran patted the boy's short light-green hair before stepping back on the path.

'That should do the trick. I don't want to have to deal with any more arrows.' Kieran glanced in the direction of the houses in the trees and noticed that, while the elves continued to eye him, their gazes weren't as hostile. At the very least, they didn't intend to attack him on sight.

Not the Lowborns at least.

However… he was heading into an entirely different area. One where Lowborns were only present under special circumstances.