While Kyle was checking out the app, far away in the Capital —
A towering building stood at the very center of the city, its glass exterior reflecting the sky like a mirror. The structure rose high above everything around it, dominating the skyline as if nothing could compare.
This was Mercer Co.
A name known across the country—no, across the world.
Inside, the atmosphere was completely different from the outside chaos. The halls were quiet, every movement precise, every person focused.
At the very top floor—
A man sat calmly behind a large desk.
William Mercer.
The head of Mercer Co.
Even without saying a word, his presence alone was enough to make the entire room feel heavy.
His eyes rested on the documents before him, but the sharpness in his gaze suggested that nothing in this building escaped his notice.
A sudden ring drew his attention.
He slowly picked up his phone. Seeing the caller ID, he decided to answer and put it on speaker.
"Hello, Uncle William."
"Yes, Adam. Speak."
The person calling him was none other than his son's best friend.
"It's about Kyle, sir."
The moment those words came through, a heavy silence spread across the room.
"...Hm."
He replied simply, but his tone made it clear—he was now fully focused.
"He had a heartbreak, sir. And right now, I don't know if he can cope with it. As you know how serious he was about Amelia."
"But don't worry, sir. I'll somehow get him together."
"No, kid. Don't interfere. Matters of the heart are meant to be resolved by oneself."
Hearing this, Adam fell silent for a moment before quickly replying, "Yes, sir!"
Adam had long admired his friend's father as a role model, and he took his every word with utmost seriousness.
"Good. Now tell me—why did they break up?"
Hearing this, Adam couldn't help but smile slightly. After all, he could clearly sense the concern behind those calm words. He had seen it for years—long enough to understand the kind of man William Mercer was.
"...That's something I'm not sure about either, sir."
"It's not like only Kyle was serious about the relationship—the other side was too."
"That's why I thought… you might know something. Especially if it involves her family."
William remained silent for a moment.
He knew very well how serious the relationship between the two had been. At one point, he had even considered arranging their marriage sooner or later.
But if her family was involved…
Then he could understand the reason.
There were things his son didn't know about the girl's background.
But he did.
"You don't worry. I'll see what I can do from my side," William said firmly.
"Yes, sir!"
"And one more thing, kid… thank you for looking out for my son," he added, his tone softening slightly—just enough to reveal the father beneath the man.
Hearing this, Adam straightened up.
"No worries, sir. After all, he's my friend. If I don't look out for him, then who will?"
"...Haha. Yes. That's how friendship is supposed to be."
"Well then, kid."
"Okay, sir."
The call ended.
Placing the phone down, William's expression turned cold once again.
He stood up and walked toward the glass wall of his office, overlooking the city below.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze fixed on a distant point—far beyond what the eyes could normally see.
"...Things are getting bigger."
He muttered quietly, his voice fading into the silence.
....
Kyle remained seated on the couch, his eyes fixed on the screen.
A new continent had appeared in his world.
"For a weird app that appeared out of nowhere… this is seriously top quality."
He leaned forward slightly and tapped on the newly formed land.
The screen responded instantly.
< First Continent >
< Name: Unknown >
"And now this is just bullshit. I get it if it was unknown before purchase—but even now? It can't be that the only unknown thing about it is its name."
He clicked on it again.
< Level Insufficient >
"Fuck… level bullshit. Was I not supposed to purchase it in first place …? but did it anyway"
He let out an annoyed sigh.
Well, leaving that aside, Kyle shifted his attention to the other two things he had purchased—the fish that looked remarkably normal except for the fact that it was flying, and the World Tree, whose roots were still slowly spreading.
"Well… at least one thing was good," he muttered, his eyes lingering on the World Tree as it continued to grow on the screen.
But after a while, watching it didn't feel as exciting as before.
Slowly… he began to get bored.
He was still seeing the same thing on the screen, with almost nothing changing at all.
Then, like a savior, a new message suddenly popped up.
< Time Acceleration Available >
"Now that's what I needed."
Thinking about the possibility of the World Tree growing faster, Kyle immediately used the time acceleration.
The moment his finger touched the option, the screen began to change rapidly.
From the roots spreading throughout the world, the World Tree started growing at a visible speed. Its massive roots stretched across the land like veins supporting the entire world itself.
And with effects Kyle himself didn't fully understand, greenery slowly began spreading across the empty lands.
Rivers started forming.
The dry world slowly filled itself with things that had not existed before.
Kyle looked at the entire scene with an astonished expression, excitement slowly rising inside him.
After what felt like only a few seconds, the time acceleration finally stopped.
< The World Tree has fully grown and can now nurture life >
"Oh… not only did the World Tree grow, but the whole world feels more vibrant and colorful now."
"...Though it's still dark as hell. It still needs a sun and moon."
Kyle once again looked toward the World Tree standing at the very center of the world.
Several glowing orbs floated around it, making its already divine presence appear even more enchanting.
Out of habit, he clicked on the tree.
The moment he did, a status panel appeared above it, displaying various details and features.
But what caught his attention the most was a small edit icon beside its name.
"...I can name it?"
Seeing this, Kyle immediately began thinking seriously.
Despite his laid-back nature, whenever he started something, he preferred doing it properly.
"...Wait. I can use that."
As if he had suddenly remembered something, Kyle quickly typed the name and pressed confirm.
Then he clicked on the World Tree once again.
This time, the information panel changed.
< World Tree : Yggdrasil >
< Status : Growing >
< Rank : Divine >
< Ability : Nurture Life, Stabilize World Core, Generate Primordial Energy, Unknown >
< Synchronization with World : 12% >