Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World

Inside the transparent coffin made of glass, Eve, bound by thorny vines, slowly opened her eyes.

Blurred vision, as if she was not fully awake from her sleep. But what troubled Eve was not so much unclear vision.

It was the betrayal from someone she cherished and believed she would continue to cherish.

That bitter emotion made Eve close her eyes again after opening them wide.

Instead of the cold and sharp reality like the thorns digging into Eve’s wrist, she focused her mind inside her own eyelids.

Unpleasant darkness unfolded the trajectory of Eve’s past life.

‘It’s not even time to die yet, so do you think it’s all a fleeting illusion?’

Eve’s consciousness, wearing a bitter smile, slowly sank to the far recesses of her memory.

Unlike ordinary elves, Eve is not a being born from a man and a woman, but originated from the flowers of Yggdrasil.

Thus, she was born into a girl’s body without going through childhood… She also vividly remembers the moment she first saw the light of the world.

The first thing she saw was a gigantic tree that made her heart swell just by looking at it.

The moment she saw the World Tree, she instinctively knew that the great existence above was her parent… And that they would soon enter eternal slumber.

-“I’m sorry, my daughter. Please look after them for me.”

The World Tree’s voice, filled with regret and affection. And the countless reverent gazes directed at her.

That was the birth of Eve, and the moment that determined her millennium.

‘When I think about it now, it was truly a hard time.’

Even after the Gods themselves embraced the twisted catastrophe and laid their bodies to rest in the tomb, the chain of hatred did not cease.

Perhaps out of respect for the Gods or following the cues of the Goddess of Love, the only remaining transcendental being on earth.

No full-scale war broke out among the survivors, but sporadic localized conflicts did occur here and there.

The Elves, who had lost their sanctuary known as the Great Forest, their Guardian, the World Tree, and even their lofty pride, were nothing more than easy prey amidst other chaos.

But Eve, who had just begun to shed her maidenly form, had to lead those Elves somehow.

It wasn’t forced by anyone. However, for the testament left by the World Tree, the power imbued within her body, and for her kin who unwaveringly believed and followed her, even amidst helplessness.

Eve willingly took the lead.

The first thing Eve did, as a symbol of the Elven race, was to practice concealing her emotions.

She, who had only recently been born, had a heart that was too delicate, and the position of a ruler was not something a fragile heart could endure.

Even if she couldn’t become strong immediately, she had to at least appear strong. After all, Eve was now a queen.

Thus, she wore a smiling face.

Even when in pain, struggling, lonely, anxious, suffocated by the heavy burden, haunted by the empty eyes of those who lost their lives due to her mistakes, and even in the face of powerful and greedy enemies.

Eve’s face always bore a calm smile.

She couldn’t show any weakness to her allies or her enemies. To ensure no one underestimated her and to instill fear in those harboring malicious intentions.

She worked hard and worked even harder, until her resolute demeanor became completely ingrained.

Thus, after becoming a rightful queen, Eve utilized the power left by the World Tree to increase her friends and began to reduce her enemies one by one.

Having lost the sanctuary of the elemental gods and as the spirit folk slowly declined, she helped by creating an artificial sanctuary where the natural energies concentrated, forming alliances.

How many times had she repeatedly defeated slave hunters and survivors of the hostile cults eager to prey on weakened elves?

She had only lived day by day fiercely, yet before she knew it, Eve had become a dark-hearted, sinister queen… And a new kingdom was established for the elves who wandered here and there.

It is not the Great Forest where the World Tree lived and presided over.

Without any help from the Gods, the elves alone cultivated a completely new forest through the power and connections they built up.

Thus, they named it the Elven Forest.

‘That was when it all started. When Pangrave really began to get attention.’

Even after enduring the tedious War of the Fallen Gods, the simple reason conflicts continued, even as localized wars, was clear.

The world was so shattered that even the few remaining survivors struggled to sustain their lives.

A zero-sum game where scarce resources were constantly being seized and taken away. Among them were the selfish types who only looked out for themselves.

Although the prolonged war of gods had come to an end, the war of mortals was not yet over, leading people to turn their attention to Pangrave.

Unable to betray the maintenance of the gods and unwilling to endure the repetition of nightmare-like large-scale wars if it were just a small localized conflict, they decided to plunder the tombs of the gods.

The Goddess of Love understood such desperation and began to establish the rules by confining herself within the Labyrinth.

Eve also accompanied the flow of the times and entered the Labyrinth with her carefully selected escorts.

…And then she saw it. The World Tree she had thought she would never see again.

Of course, it didn’t take long to realize that the World Tree seen on the first floor was merely a shadow and an illusion.

Nevertheless, the trace of the World Tree once again in sight was enough to drive the elves crazy.

Countless elves struggled in every possible way, over a long period of time, wanting once again to feel the presence of the World Tree.

Eve, also having been temporarily mad, defeated the Floor Guardian of the first floor and made a reckless promise to marry the one who would inherit the power of the World Tree.

‘I never thought anybody would be able to summon Floor Guardians even for hundreds of years.’

After Pangrave was created, and the elves were able to keep even a trace of the World Tree, they became a little more lively than before.

It was to the extent that the image of the developing city awakened them to a new value called capital.

Although it was an unexpected direction, it was truly desirable that a spark was reignited in the souls of the elves, which had cooled down like extinguished ashes.

Seeing her kin manage well on their own without her leading them, just as before, Eve made a decision.

She thought it was about time to retire.

Naturally, there was much opposition, and even Eve herself had great hesitation.

At that point, Eve had already reigned as queen for over 800 years.

She had never not been a queen even for a single moment since birth, and for the elves, Eve had always existed as their queen, so it was only natural.

The title of “Eternal Queen” was not bestowed without reason.

However, Eve eventually forced her retirement, and the throne of the Elven Forest remained vacant.

As she expected, the elves managed well without Eve, and if things continued like this, they would become the race wielding the greatest authority in Pangrave.

Eve was somewhat saddened that the world of her kin was developing so well without her, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.

This was because seeing the rapid changes even after just ten years filled her with a surge of mixed pride and a touch of disappointment.

Having finally felt that her hardships were rewarded and that she had fulfilled her duties, the next thing Eve did was to seek herself.

That was why she began crafting fun yet useless magical tools, continued her business despite only incurring losses, and took in Lemon and Apple who were labeled children of criminals.

All of it was part of Eve’s journey to find herself, a self she had lost over the past 800 years…

“At the end of it, I met Jonah.”

It was intriguing that he knew Eve’s true identity, but his attitude of not shying away despite knowing it was even more astonishing.

She had never had children, but she saved the lives of Lemon and Apple, whom she raised like her own children.

After several hundred years, he looked directly into her eyes naturally, without any pretense or fear.

A person who views Eve not as a queen or behind-the-scenes manipulator, but as Eve herself.

That alone was enough to pique Eve’s interest, but Jonah didn’t stop there.

He was an existence that inherited the Power of the World Tree, which had been abandoned long ago. The only man who could fill the companionship that Eve had left vacant.

At the same time, he was a saint who received profound blessings from the Goddess of Love.

He still has a bit of youth about him, but compared to Eve, isn’t everyone else in the world like a baby.

From that day on, Jonah became not just an interesting person, but Eve’s destiny.

If she lived the past millennium for the elves, she will live the remaining millennium for herself, and Jonah.

‘…Well, it seems like he is asking for a bit too much of a bride price.’

However, [he] is the first child of the Goddess of Love to appear to the world since the War of the Fallen Gods, and possesses the power of the World Tree, which no one has obtained until now… And that too, holding Basilieus, the symbol of legitimate royal power.

Preparing a bride price equivalent to that is only natural for Eve, who is a figure from a millennium ago.

When she heard this from Jonah’s mouth, it was a bit…no, it was extremely shocking.

Even so, Eve had reasons to believe. Although she had retreated for a while, she is still the sole and eternal Queen of the elves, isn’t she?

Drawing money from the national treasury or, if that’s insufficient, seeking help from the rich elves of Pangrave is not impossible.

Therefore, she went to Tuberose, the president of the Cradle Trading Company, the most successful among the elves of Pangrave.

…And was betrayed.

The pain of being forced to have her power extracted while joining hands with One Who Devours the Twilight, being confined in a cramped glass coffin unable to lie down or sit, the sharpness of thorns digging into her wrists – all of it mattered not to her.

Being abandoned by her kin, whom Eve had loved and believed that they too loved her without a doubt, and hearing that she was no longer needed, hurt.

It felt as though a dagger had pierced her heart. That is why she could not endure.

‘I had a long dream.’

In her youth, she dreamed of becoming a perfect queen; as she grew, she dreamed of building a new haven; once things were settled, she dreamed of encountering even traces of the World Tree; and after retirement, she dreamed of happiness as a woman.

Over the past thousand years, Eve’s life was always busy dreaming.

‘But dreams are bound to end someday.’

Eve’s last dream shattered in the most miserable way.

The fragments still remain lodged in her heart, causing her sharp pain.

The blade of betrayal would return with an even colder punishment.

The powers the World Tree bestowed upon Eve are two.

One is the Eye of Truth that can pierce through the inauthenticity of others. The other is a body that will never decay until her destined lifespan… In other words, her Celestial Lifespan.

A strong and long-lasting body is a blessing in itself, but isn’t it a bit too meager to call it the final blessing of the World Tree?

As Basilieus handles the static effects that accelerate its entire growth alongside the dynamic forces that nurture the surrounding plants.

There are other ways to use the Celestial Lifespan.

Declaring one’s lifespan until today, forfeiting the protection of their Celestial Lifespan in exchange for converting all its power into force.

Thus, becoming the Terminator – the one whose life has ended and who ends the lives of others…

Isn’t power as important as the wisdom to discern the truth and unwavering health for a monarch?

Eve, who has become the Terminator, becomes vulnerable to all sorts of things, but she will be able to wield power that can easily overthrow Pangrave.

Now, it is time to wake up from the dream.

Eve, who then opened her eyes harboring poisonous energy. Her mind was calmly settling, her vision was clear, and what needed to be done was obvious.

“Hoo.”

It was the moment when she was about to say that her life as a queen had ended here, taking a deep sigh.

Clink!

“Eh.”

A suddenly descending black monster shattered the glass tube, and Jonah, who was riding on its back, swiftly cut through the thorny vines that were binding Eve.

Eve, who had inadvertently regained her freedom, looked at Jonah with a bewildered expression, and he began to flash a sly, playful smile.

“I never thought you’d be hiding in a place like this. Haven’t you missed me, Miss Eve?”

“……”

Grateful that she could hear these words before it was all too late, Eve cast aside all her masks and spoke with undistorted sincerity.

“Sir Jonah. I’ll give you half the world. Will you marry me?”

“Ah ha! I don’t mind not having half the world, but instead… Would you become my third wife in about ten years, Miss Eve?”

“…???”

After mulling over Jonah’s words from all angles, Eve finally grasped their meaning and closed her eyes again with a startled cry.

“Hmph!”

Because she was an old-fashioned person with (strongly enforced) notions of propriety, the three-timing declaration was too much for her to handle.

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