Chapter 248: Tree Grandmother – (3) |
Tree Grandmother – Part 3
Stirring.
A long wooden rod swirled through the vat.
The thick liquid bubbled, and rare materials that floated like drowned beasts slowly began to melt in.
‘Where am I? Who am I?’
That look was written all over Baek Sorin’s face.
And she wasn’t the only one.
Janet, Kali, Seo Woojin, Kim Chulkwon, Kim Mabeob, and Kim Saje all wore the same soul-drained expressions as they stirred the magical fertilizer.
“Just a little more. Hang in there.”
“It’s almost done. About 99%, give or take.”
“Teacher… this is way too hard.”
“Well, of course it is.”
It required mana infusion.
The magical fertilizer looked like a mound of sludge—but its density was massive.
So dense that average strength couldn’t even make it budge.
Only a level 5 or higher superhuman could infuse it with mana to soften it and mix it properly.
Fwoooosh!
It wasn’t like I was slacking off.
I was mounted on Red, emitting Supreme Flame.
Just slightly—barely warm enough for a regular person to feel a spring breeze.
[Supreme Flame][Magic Brain][Mana Soul]
[Focus][Meditation][Prayer]
It wasn’t easy in the slightest.
Honestly, blasting it at full force would’ve been easier.
Even at low power, Supreme Flame was a top-tier trait—burning a tree to ash with a flick.
But now I had to release it like a gentle breeze?
Like a space heater?
Like warm sunlight?
Controlling Supreme Flame like this made my head feel like it was about to explode.
And on top of that, I had to use [Prayer] to chant things like [Grow Well] and [Bloom Beautifully].
Even more exhausting.
[It’s time.]
“Let’s begin.”
[Understood.]
Kwoooooosh.
High above, Sky River moved with grace.
Her hull tilted slightly.
From it poured water.
No, the essence of water.
A brilliant cascade of elemental water rained down.
Onto Monster Village, now transformed into a massive tree stump after all the treehouses were cleared.
[La~ la la la la~]
Tree Grandmother sang a song of joy.
The sun-like warmth of Supreme Flame.
The purest water in existence.
Conditions any plant would embrace.
While maintaining Supreme Flame, I gave the signal.
“Deploy the fertilizer!”
“On it! Hrrgh!”
Seo Woojin strained as he lifted the giant wooden cauldron.
It easily weighed over a ton.
But to a level 6 Warrior-class superhuman? Nothing.
He hugged the cauldron and began swinging it from side to side.
The fertilizer sloshed and spilled out naturally.
Kali used her clones to spread the magical fertilizer across Monster Village.
Then Janet stomped it into the earth with all her might.
“Is that it?”
Kim Chulkwon asked, hopeful.
I shook my head coldly.
“Not even close. Keep mixing. We need at least this much more.”
“Sword Star-nim… At this rate, we’ll end up using all the dragon and bird corpses.”
“That’s fine. Use it all. Turn it into fertilizer.”
“But it’s such a waste…”
“It’s just junk anyway.”
What happens when you hoard?
It turns to crap.
If you want a god’s blood, sacrificing three corpses is a bargain.
Kim Mabeob waved his hand.
“Come on, Chulkwon hyung! Just push through a bit more!”
Kim Saje clenched his fist beside him.
“I feel like my divine power’s getting stronger just making fertilizer!”
“You too?”
That’s how it is for Mages and Priests.
Just handling high-grade materials deepens your understanding of the world.
Kim Saje used to rely on eating gold to boost his holy power, but he’d moved beyond that stage now.
“We’ve received so much—gotta give something back!”
Kim Mabeob spread his hands wide and pounded his chest.
On his fingers gleamed the Ring of the Arctic. Around his neck, the Necklace of the Arctic. And he was clad in a full Dragon Set.
All gifts from me.
So yeah, they complained a little—but they worked hard.
Because they’d already been given so much.
Crack—
After a long bout of fertilizer spreading, we finally saw a reaction.
All of Monster Village shuddered, and the trees began to rise.
The ground everyone stood on surged upward.
At first, just the size of the village.
But then the area widened—hundreds of meters in radius rising into the air.
“Everyone, get to the ground.”
I looked outside Monster Village.
“Circle around and bury fertilizer in the ground. Keep duplicating nectar and elixirs. Don’t forget the mana potions either.”
“Friend… this is…”
“It’s handled.”
The Cornucopia was now in Skeleton Snake’s care.
The pre-duplicated nectar and elixirs hadn’t been enough.
She was now producing them one by one by hand.
And when the misfortune gauge climbed to the brink, she’d call for me.
I’d reset it with Heaven Defiance.
‘This is rough.’
The work demanded extreme mental focus and concentration.
Maintaining Supreme Flame.
Using Heaven Defiance periodically.
And with a cooldown after each use, the gaps between resets were even more stressful.
Still, Tree Grandmother grew fast.
Fast enough to see with the naked eye.
Almost several meters per second.
Barely minutes after the land had surged, she’d already passed 100 meters tall and was racing toward Sky River.
[Sword Star.]
The goddess called to me.
[She’s growing too fast.]
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
[It is not. Sword Star, your goal is to raise the tree child into a World Tree—not to create a mutant giant tree. Look again with your Eye of Omniscience.]
I activated Spirit Vision and Sixth Sense.
Maximized the Prophet’s Ring and Golden Dragon Eyes.
Looking carefully at Tree Grandmother, I understood what the goddess meant.
The Dragon Monarch’s Pavilion had analyzed Tree Grandmother’s projected future form.
It wasn’t a grand and noble tree.
Instead, a twisted, writhing monstrosity covered in warped ivy, mold, and monstrous flowers was now squirming in place.
“Why is it turning out like that?”
[As I said, it’s growing too quickly.]
“How does that—”
[The tree child is, after all, a tree. Trees grow and contract with the seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter. During those cycles, they shed unnecessary growth and overextensions. That is how they become a complete World Tree. But what’s happening now? She’s experiencing only summer—excessive, unchecked growth.]
I understood what she meant.
There was a similar mechanic in the game.
Pruning.
When you supplied light, water, and nutrients infinitely, it triggered an event and you had to manually prune the growth.
‘Tumor cells.’
I checked the red dots now appearing on Tree Grandmother.
They were tiny clusters now.
But they were growing fast.
Eventually, they would mutate into those very ivy growths, molds, monstrous flowers—the beginning of corruption.
Reflexively, I reached for my sword, then stopped.
Right. I couldn’t do the pruning myself.
I needed full concentration just to maintain Supreme Flame.
Which meant—it was time to put my disciples to work.
“Sorin. Janet. Kali. And Woojin.”
“Yes!”
“Just say the word!”
“What’s up?”
“What should we do?”
“We’ve made enough fertilizer for now, so hand that task over to others. You four—go and cut where I tell you. Got it?”
“Leave it to us!”
All four were wearing Dragon Helmets.
Naturally, their gear was loaded with the latest tech.
Just like the Dragon Monarch’s Pavilion.
I shared my vision—marked the red points I was seeing.
At the same time, I dug through my golf bag and pulled out Hailstorm.
‘She’s growing too fast.’
Even if Tree Grandmother was low-tier, a divine being is still a divine being.
My disciples were only level 6—their attacks wouldn’t cut it.
I had to assist.
Thunk! Thunk-thunk!
I loaded Ice Shells and fired Hailstorm.
Ice grenades flew through the air—shoosh-shoosh-shoosh.
They landed squarely on the red points.
With a sharp cracking sound, the targeted areas froze solid.
Not an inch more or less than the red zones I saw.
“Let’s go, everyone!”
“Okay, unni!”
“I’m going in first!”
“You trying to hog all the fun? Slow down!”
The disciples rushed forward, practically racing one another.
Fastest was, of course, Kali.
She vanished in a blur and reemerged from an ice shadow.
Next were Baek Sorin and Seo Woojin.
Baek Sorin would’ve been faster normally, but Seo Woojin had awakened [Shifting Form] while I was away.
Now they were neck and neck.
Janet, who had no movement skill, was just blasting [Lion’s Roar] over and over.
“Be careful.”
I warned them just in case.
“Monsters will be born.”
And as if the words had summoned them—
Several ice patches cracked open, and the monsters began to crawl out.
Tumor cells given life.
Creatures that looked like hybrids of plants, insects, and fungi opened their grotesque jaws with wet smacks.
“Ugh! They’re ugly!”
Kali dove into the thick of them.
The crimson scimitar drawn from her hip danced through the air.
Not a simple dance—but a ceremonial offering to the goddess Kali herself.
Unlike my Lightning Kalaratri, her Shadow Kalaratri carried the power of defense-piercing slashes that pulverized the creatures.
“You’re not hogging all the fun!”
Baek Sorin charged like a rampaging train.
A Heavenly Killing Star through and through.
Her eyes burned red as she cleaved through monsters.
Brutal, wild—but hiding precision and finesse beneath the surface.
“They’re weak. Maybe around level 3?”
Seo Woojin remained composed.
Like a true warrior, his sword strikes were disciplined and razor-sharp.
But that didn’t mean he lacked power.
His sword Qi bloomed like deadly petals—lethal even by my standards.
“Save some for me!”
Janet called out cheerfully.
She was definitely brighter now—probably thanks to the influence of Baek Sorin and Kali.
But her sword remained as heavy as ever.
The black sword in her hand, infused with black-and-white Sword Force, slashed through the monsters like it could split a World Tree.
I nodded quietly.
My disciples were complete.
The exact trait sets I had envisioned in my head had come to life.
They were still stuck at level 6, which made them only Swordsmanship Experts, not full Masters.
‘They just need to level up now.’
The plan was already in place.
It wasn’t even that hard.
All four of them were SSR-tier.
SSR-tier growth caps at level 7.
No need for Reconfiguration Elixirs or anything complicated—just give them the XP and they’d rise.
“Faster! Move faster!”
“It’s too far!”
“It’s getting even farther!”
“I’ll handle the tactics. Just follow the plan.”
That’s exactly what [Command] is for.
While I was at it, I equipped [Leadership] and [Tactics] too.
Using the Dragon Monarch’s augmented reality, I drew multicolored arrows and shared them.
Far-off targets—Baek Sorin and Seo Woojin.
Difficult-to-access zones—Kali.
Closer, denser clusters—Janet.
Naturally, the disciples moved faster, and the monster cleanup sped up with it.
“Huff… huff… Sword Star-nim! We’ve finished the fertilizer!”
Right around then, the next batch of fertilizer was done.
Despite dumping in absurd amounts, a mountain of magical fertilizer had formed.
As I looked at it—thwump—the fertilizer began to glow.
A radiance only visible to me.
It wasn’t actual light—it was my perception recognizing it.
That magical fertilizer would undoubtedly be far more efficient than any batch before it.
Acquired the trait: [Supply]
I closed five fingers into a fist.
‘Only one left until General.’
Acquiring the Commander title and combining the General traits—it was only a matter of time now.
The war with the Old Father’s Cult was just around the corner—this would be a huge help.
“Just a little more! Once we’re through this batch, we’re done!”
“Ughhh, Sword Star-nim! You better give us a fat bonus!”
“Of course. I’ll get you to level 6.”
“Hyung! Me too!”
“You need Reconfiguration Elixir, right? Trait Elixir too? Leave it to me.”
The three of them pushed with all their remaining strength.
Magical fertilizer was still fertilizer.
And it stank to hell and back.
Maybe not quite as bad as the surströmming I once smeared on myself trying to develop a Super Nose trait, but it was thick, fishy, sour, and just flat-out foul.
The three of them were gulping air and grimacing inside their Dragon Helmets.
That was the real problem.
Even protective magic light couldn’t block the smell.
But then again, that’s the level of fertilizer needed to feed a World Tree.
Not your everyday manure—let’s just leave it at that.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
“Die, you freaks!”
“Urgh, it’s way too high up here!”
“Phew!”
“We’re done! Finally done!”
How many hours had passed?
The sun had begun to dip toward the western sky.
At last, one massive task was finished.
Every last bit of fertilizer had been deployed.
And that wasn’t the end.
Tree Grandmother’s trunk, straight as a spear, pierced through the clouds above.
Thunk!
I tossed aside the potion bottle I’d been drinking from.
After chugging so many mana potions, I felt like I had a water belly.
I had to keep up Supreme Flame, give commands to my disciples, and use Heaven Defiance on top of it all—there was no choice.
[You’ve done well, Sword Star.]
The goddess of the river spoke from high in the sky.
[It’s done.]
And then, following her voice, came another—one that felt foreign and unfamiliar.
[…Thank you.]
It was clearly different from the majestic tone of the river goddess.
Softer. Younger. Pure.
A voice that didn’t match the towering, exalted World Tree standing before me.
[You really saved me.]
“It’s nothing. If anything, I’ve owed you since long ago.”
[No. In the end, you’re the one who saved my child. Back then, I really thought I was going to lose my little skull baby.]
A tree, saying that?
She wasn’t like the river goddess, whose blood had been given to fish-people—yet she treated the mutant as her own child.
I simply bowed my head in silence.
Then a soft, childish laugh echoed through my mind.
[I owe you a great debt. I thought this from the first moment I saw you—Sword Star, you’re really something else. My mother would’ve been amazed if she’d seen you.]
“Your mother?”
[Yggdrasil. She burned away in Ragnarok. She was the mother of all World Trees and Divine Trees in this world.]
Right.
That lore did exist.
Shhhhhh—
The World Tree stretched, arching its trunk.
Then, from what was once a single stem, branches began to sprout.
High into the sky.
Far beyond the horizon.
Casting shadows vast enough to cover the edge of the earth.
It was a wondrous sight.
The branches were growing longer—and yet they dissolved into the sky itself.
Only Transcendents or higher would be able to perceive the World Tree in its entirety.
For everyone else—even someone like me—what I could see was only the massive trunk and the branches spreading from it.
The leaves and blossoms weren’t visible.
They were too distant. Or perhaps beyond comprehension. Overwhelming the senses.
“Wooooow…”
“Whoa…”
A god made manifest.
The first to be born since the Divine Annihilation War.
And that god, that World Tree, spoke to me.
[Oh, right. I should give you a reward.]
Of course.
Nothing’s free in this world.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be.
A World Tree’s fruit? A leaf? A blessing?
I started mentally rifling through all the possible rewards from the game.
And then the World Tree did something completely unexpected.
CRACK!
She snapped off one of her branches.
Calling it a branch was underselling it—it was bigger than most buildings.
At the same time, a shy voice echoed in my mind.
[It’s a gift.]
So… wait.
She’s giving me that?
A branch from the World Tree?
–TL Notes–
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