Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Training Camp (2)
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Sometime ago, I came across a line in passing.
"What matters in a happy marriage isn't how well you match, but how you overcome your differences."
Anyone else hearing that would probably scoff, thinking some guy who's not even dating, let alone rejected, is chugging bowls of wishful thinking kimchi soup.
A dude who's not even lovers spouting marriage wisdom? Yeah, it'd look ridiculous.
But from another angle, the essence of that sentence could be interpreted like this.
"If you match too perfectly with no real differences, maybe you should question it once or twice."
Is your partner just catering too much to your convenience?
Am I the one actually acting spoiled toward her?
With her being older and shouldering excessive responsibility, it was obvious enough to make me think that.
"Try this one too."
Lee Se-young kept offering me snacks from foreign brands she'd bought abroad, and honestly, she didn't look like she was in normal condition.
How grueling must her work be to have dark circles like that?
Working day and night, and still coming to see me in the midst of it— that couldn't have been easy.
I appreciated her dedication and gratitude swelled in me.
But what was with all these snacks?
She said she'd bought them as snacks for work, thinking of me whenever she munched one, and they'd piled up like this.
Her thoughtfulness was so endearing that even though I was stuffed, I couldn't refuse.
"Pine needle flavor. How is it?"
"Can't even say it's good as a white lie."
"Really?"
She hadn't tried it yet herself and popped a small green cookie into her mouth, rolling it around before frowning at the bizarre taste.
Even with my adventurous palate, pine needle cookies were a bit much.
I chuckled teasingly, and she giggled along, subtly pushing the remaining cookies toward my mouth.
Cleanup duty was mine, as always.
"But... after a few, it kinda grows on you...?"
Humans are adaptable creatures.
One by one, my taste buds adjusted.
Pine needle drinks aren't bad once you get used to them either.
People love or hate them, but that unique refreshing tang suits some folks just fine.
I wouldn't buy them myself, but if they were in the fridge, I'd drink them readily enough.
As I worked through the snacks filling the table, I felt a warm gaze from the side.
Was this how a squirrel in a zoo felt?
Like I was being raised in captivity by Lee Se-young.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just... you're so cute. Makes me think of raising our kid like this~"
I shot her a glance, and she grinned happily, tossing out the flirtation without a care.
Normally, she'd joke back playfully and pull away a step, but her counter left me without a good retort.
Happy dilemmas all around.
Truth be told, her affections had ramped up lately.
Sometimes I wondered... could it be?
Expectation and anxiety bloomed inwardly.
"...Has it stopped?"
"What has?"
That one phrase in early-career romances that sends chills down the spine.
I haven't had my period.
Lee Se-young looked puzzled at first, then caught my meaning, blushed, and smacked my shoulder.
"W-what are you talking about! Is that all you think about?"
"You were talking kids and all, so just in case."
From our few times together, I'd gotten firm confirmations from her.
One was that she was definitely on birth control.
Ironically, it sounded a lot like the line early-career guys are warned against.
It's my safe day.
During the act, those words sound irresistibly seductive.
Similar variants: Oppa, you trust me, right? Just once is fine. I'll pull out.
I trusted her, but still... what if.
That slim chance weighed heavy.
"...And if it had stopped, what then? You gonna take responsibility?"
Sensing my doubt and feeling anxious, she laid it bare.
Of course, my true feelings were set.
"Who said I wouldn't? Of course I would."
"That's all you have to say?"
"Obviously, I'd have to snag you before someone else does. You're top-tier wife material, teach."
"Can't even talk sweet without messing it up."
Mixing truth with exaggerated gestures got my nose pinched in return.
Still, my desperate sweet-talking seemed to soothe her, leaving a satisfied expression.
Pouting with a "Peeh~", Lee Se-young exuded a fresh vibe belying her age as she offered her lips.
Her beauty was blooming more each day.
Frankly, compared to my just-twenty peers, she held up—no, she was outshining them.
"...Yeah, no matter how I look at it, she's holding back a lot for me."
And the more I understood her heart...
The deeper my inner turmoil grew.
I'd only been in love once, but I knew from experience how aggressively a woman in love could become.
The Lee Se-young I knew was straight out of my old world's playbook.
Shacking up, daily intimacy with no end to the kiss marks—that kind of lover.
Yet here she was, so patiently supportive despite living far away. Honestly, I felt unworthy.
It was like heavenly luck.
Call with a question, and she'd explain patiently.
Her kindness made me reliant without realizing. Her presence inexplicably lifted my spirits.
So even though she sacrificed much, familiarity blinded me to it.
I wasn't ungrateful.
I just pondered how to repay her.
Asking outright might work between us, but with her, it'd end with "We're good, let's make babies!"
I subtly changed the subject without her noticing.
"Where's this training camp again?"
"Shikoku, Japan."
She answered kindly.
"Where the World Tree of Time once took root long ago. Well... it's dead now."
A place of immense historical and religious fame.
The World Tree governing the concept of "time," where it lived its entire life.
World Trees treated like gods here having lifespans seemed odd, but it didn't die of old age.
Asking why brought up a familiar name.
"The Wood Spirit King. You know who that is?"
"Heard of him, but not the details."
"Figures. Listen up then."
The Wood Spirit King. Who was he?
From 1900 to the early 2000s.
In this deep history, two figures brought massive change in that not-too-long span.
The Wood Spirit King and the Heavenly Demon.
Both tied to me, so parts hit close to home.
Especially the Wood Spirit King—I didn't even know him, yet his trait was embedded in me. Maddening.
"The Wood Spirit King... completely reformed the class system. Back then, status and honor were determined by World Tree blood concentration."
Great man. Past tense, but some still saw him as a cool reformer.
Even today, with loosened class structures, World Trees are absolute gods.
What must the past have been like?
Odd phrasing, but pure humans without tree blood faced unimaginable persecution.
"Not just commoners—slavery was common. But who could complain? World Trees are gods, Wood People their blood heirs."
And the one questioning that system? The Wood Spirit King.
Centered in one nation, he sparked a human-led revolution over Wood People.
But parts didn't add up easily.
Whoever he was, resisting gods? Sane?
"Sounds like one tough bastard."
"...You're probably the only one to put it that way. Half-right, though. Even weak, united humans aren't to be dismissed."
True.
Mob violence.
No nobles could ignore its power.
Even in this world of solo powerhouses, regular armies were mostly human.
With them turning, defeat was inevitable.
"Convincing enough humans for revolution... not easy."
From a politics-savvy view, his speeches must've been masterful. Intriguing.
Some nobles even joined, swayed by his words.
"How sharp his fangs must've been."
I couldn't help snickering at her words.
"The revolution succeeded. Toppled a nation."
And ideological revolutions spread.
Anti-class vs. pro-class ideologies clash? War inevitable.
One war aim suffices: Their backward ideas must change.
As forces grew equal, cold war and posturing ensued.
His leadership? Near flawless victories. Global expansion likely.
Blue human banners from seas to mountains everywhere.
"Humans became kings, in short."
Thus, the Wood Spirit King.
Above humans naturally, dominating even Wood People.
"...World Trees didn't intervene?"
"They did. Know why they can't flex now?"
Terrorists rampant, yet gods stay sidelined.
The Wood Spirit King and Heavenly Demon wrecked them utterly.
"19th century events... state secrets, so I know little, but rumor has it he had insane power."
Absorbing World Tree or Wood Person strength.
She giggled at the absurdity.
Even peak human abilities paled; absorbing World Tree power was the ridiculous part.
I couldn't laugh.
My powers fit that bill exactly.
Bonding with the World Tree of Healing granted strength, hinting at my abilities.
And it was innate, unasked for.
"What the hell."
What linked him to me?
Unaware of my thoughts, she continued steadily.
"Wars raged on until it happened. He killed World Trees. Literally."
Starting with the World Tree of Time we're visiting, dozens—maybe hundreds—burned away.
A Ragnarok of sorts?
Explains why only five top World Trees remain.
"Surrender terms? Top of the signature line: 'World Trees are just big trees!' Pffft."
She cackled. Wood Person or not, she didn't mind.
Somehow, my own heartburn eased.
After all I'd endured from World Trees, I leaned toward the Wood Spirit King.
But history's verdict was out.
A shame, from my view.
"They lost in the end?"
Breaking the mood, she nodded.
"World Trees, spirits, saints, tens of thousands of elders. War lost... Wood Spirit King vanished."
Couldn't even kill him.
His power's extent? Unfathomable.
Vs. the later Heavenly Demon—who'd win?
"But his ideology lingered. Movement continued post-disappearance. Strict classes gradually crumbled."
Korea retains classes, but classless nations exist too.
Regions heavily influenced by him. Astonishing.
Anyway, the Wood Spirit King is unforgettable in society.
World Tree deaths released godlike mana, spawning anomalies.
Dungeons, monsters—ongoing mysteries.
"So, blame him first for worldly woes, and you're half-right."
"Spot on."
Thus, the world can't forget him.
From humans' view, his heroism made sense.
"Get it now?"
"Yeah."
"That's why I worry about you."
This world's gods, the world itself...
Fear another Wood Spirit King arising, unworthy of their fame.
God is dead.
Provably killable.
Now I understood World Trees' skepticism toward me.
"Over-talented humans are dangerous."
Not perfected from start, but I had Wood Spirit King-level power early.
World Trees who'd faced me knew.
Yet unconfirmed, and current World Trees can't meddle deeply.
"When the World Tree of Grudge targeted me desperately, why no intervention?"
My death might benefit them.
They're playing the long game, dirty as it is.
"I see the board now."
A fact I'd missed; Lee Se-young and Heavenly Demon had known and acted.
Turning to her face, she read my mind, poking my cheek before leaning her head on my shoulder.
"Get the backstory now?"
"Would've been a hundred times better if you'd told me sooner."
"Anyway... don't panic if shit hits the fan later."
If they truly feared him...
One day, World Trees might target me for death.
If I became a religious villain...
Even someone I knew might draw a blade.
Jeong Si-woo was a World Tree's husband. Most Wood People and humans revere them as gods.
Faded or not, the essence remained.
It felt bitterly poignant.
"Hey."
Too obvious emotions?
Head on my chest, poking with her fingernail, she melted my mood with one line.
"I'm on your side forever, you punk."
Her embarrassed curse-mixing made me smirk.
I reached out, pulling her shoulder close.
Just holding her, time flew.
Warmth from hand and body. Conviction she'd never leave.
That feeling I never wanted to lose.
-Vrrr!
Ears rang briefly.
Eyes closed, exhausted from before, she dozed against me.
"Sleeping now? Gotta wake soon anyway."
Five minutes rest fine.
Gazing out the scenic window, admiration escaped.
Shikoku, Japan's smallest of four islands, beautiful with white yang trees—where the World Tree of Time heroically perished.
We'd arrived.