<h4>Chapter 21: Devils Tree: Route to Underworld</h4>


    "Hey system! Have you ever killed a human before?" While flying through the passageway, Ben suddenly asked a question.


    The System is only responsible for what happens after someone dies. So technically, the system never killed anyone.


    "I see, that gives me 1 point over you." Ben chuckled in response to the system''s answer.


    [...]


    .


    "And I''m going to have two more points in my side soon," Ben said solemnly, his gaze fixed on a small campfire ahead. As he got closer, he could see the many white wagons standing next to the campfire, but there was barely any life energying from them.


    Apletely new scene appeared in front of his eyes as he passed through the campfire. A massive tree covered in purple luminous light that reaches for the sky. Ben, being an international explorer in his past life, has seen many gigantic trees and structures, but not this thing in front of him! It was truly something otherworldly.


    Huge purple leaves in the shape of the "Bodhi Tree" (AKA Peepal Tree) made each leafrge enough for one person to sleep on. Its brown steam radiated purple energy, and the entire tree, about 500 metres tall, could be mistaken for a mountain from a distance.


    While Ben was admiring this tree, a thought urred to him. "Hey, system? What kind of thing is this? If it''s that big, howe I didn''t notice it until I got this close?"


    [Warning: host, what you are about to see is not something normal; rather, it is the Underworld tree, which you may not have noticed until now because it was concealed by a temporary barrier that has been temporarily broken.]


    "Hell tree?" Ben muttered, in a serious expression, before he minimised his size to the smallest he could and silently flew more near the tree.


    [To understand the hell tree, you must first understand the world tree.]


    "World tree? Isn''t it true that those trees are mentioned in Norse mythology? The world tree''s leaf connects heaven and earth, and the tree grants blessings in response to prayers." Ben inquired, cutting off the system''s exnation in the middle.


    [ Indeed, host, although it''s much moreplicated, you can think of the hell tree as the opposite of the world tree. Its roots connect the earth to the depths of hell. While the tree offers contract with devils in against for sacrifices. ]


    "Sacrifices? Wait, does that mean those elven girls weren''t going to be sold as ves or used as a tool for pleasure, but...."


    [Host, your thoughts are spot on. These young elves, in my opinion, will be offered as sacrifices in order to make contracts with the devils.]


    "Oh, I see; these things are bing clearer to me. These aren''t insignificant kidnappers or thugs. These people, to be specific, are members of a cult." Ben finished with a solemn expression.


    Something was wrong from the moment he began following these elven girls. Human behaviour was far too unusual for someone who intended to sell ves. They weren''t giving them anything to eat or drink. They weren''t caring enough to untie their hands or mouths, let alone heal their wounds.


    For most human traffickers, it doesn''t matter how bad their intentions are; they will always treat their victims decently, if not luxuriously. After all, these are the items they intend to sell. But for cultists willing to make sacrifices, it all makes sense.


    [ Host, I advise you to stay out of these issues going forward. No matter what level of evolution you reach, you cannot defeat a person who has the ability to remove the magic barrier on the Underworld tree. ]


    "The system is correct; if it had just been two fat guys kidnapping girls, I could have intervened, but now..." Ben reflected, cold sweat dripping down his brow. His legs trembled with fear and nervousness. Before him stood forty to fifty people dressed in ck cloaks, each holding a wooden wand emitting crimson red light as their lips mumbled chants.


    Cries and pleas rang out in the air. Hundreds of girls of various races—mermaids, elves, and dwarfs—were bound by ck pirs, and blood continued to drip on the ground. Flowing towards a red circr magical pattern, with one new-born baby lying in front of them.


    -Blood Vision-


    Ben, who was looking at this from the top of the leaf, felt something wasn''t quite right, so he decided to use his blood vision skill to re-evaluate the situation. And what he saw chilled him to the bone.


    "All those new-born babies—all of them are lifeless." Ben muttered, looking at the scene before him. "Hey system, Is this because..?"


    [Yes, that is true. These are the children who were born after the cosmic error that shut down the Reincarnation System. Or to put it another way, despite having healthy bodies at birth, these infants were soulless.]


    "This is also why these people are being grazed here: to make deals with devils. Against making a sacrifice to revive these babies." Ben spoke sharply, connecting the remaining details to the cosmic glitch.


    "But I still don''t understand why someone would go to such lengths. Just to bring their lifeless baby back to life?" Ben inquired, perplexed. A heavy weight was pressing down on his heart, bing heavier by the second.


    [ The answer, which is actually quite straightforward, doesn''t require you to calcte it. People are greedy. ]


    "Human greed! Are you referring to their parental love when you say "human greed"?" Ben inquired, perplexed by the system.


    [No, host, far from it. Do you recall when I described the world''s political structure to you? Nearly the entire world is governed by kings and queens.parable to the empire structure in your world.]


    "And these people happen to be some bigwigs with family ties. If they do not have any heirs in their family, someone else will take the throne." Ben muttered as he connected the dots.


    [ Indeed, host. They are not anymon or low ss mages, but rather the imperial mages, the strongest mages in the empire, based on the power level you are seeing through blood vision.]


    ........


    [A/N: This one is the extra chapter I promised to publish for hitting 50 power stone. Two more chapters will being today, sorry for dy. Hope you like it. ]