Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Small World Tree (1)
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“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”
The priest, having emerged from the room, could not bring himself to meet Ben’s eyes.
“He… will lose his sight permanently. Sir Prak will never see the world again.”
Priests.
Those who could heal with the sacred power they received from the gods. But they were not omnipotent.
“The wound was too deep when he arrived, and his nerves sustained severe shock. It was also too late.”
A duel between knights.
Through the special power of mages, even if one reached the brink of death, they would be left with 1% of their HP, preventing them from dying.
Ben considered it.
The dragon swung by the man named Hyeon. And the dismantling of the plate armor that covered his chest.
The damage Prak had sustained from that was, in fact, greater than death itself.
But the mages’ power had protected him.
“…He is alive, and that is enough.”
This incident had changed Ben’s feelings toward Prak.
He had been a cantankerous old man, but he remembered the loyalty Prak had shown and, albeit late, realized how precious he was.
Even if he had lost his eyes, he would still keep him by his side.
Ben soon returned to the throne room.
Upon his arrival, Pan, his trusted confidant and the kingdom’s strategist, began to speak.
“Your Majesty, at the border…”
“Do not speak of it.”
“…Yes.”
Ben still did not regret having taken a step back from the border.
“Two letters have arrived.”
He had expected as much.
These letters must have been sent from the Goyad Kingdom.
“The first letter is short. I shall read this one first.”
Pan unfolded the letter, holding it by both ends as he spoke.
“‘How absurd.’”
Ben let out a dry laugh.
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
At the time, he had no choice, having acted in haste due to Prak’s condition.
It was understandable that Barad would react this way.
However, the first letter contained no demand to ‘return Hyeon.’
*He intended to send him to me from the start.*
The second letter was then read aloud.
The second letter contained important information.
It was about negotiations.
The small war had granted them the power to make the first proposal in these negotiations, and this power was greater than one might think.
“…Therefore, we wish to send the blacksmith Hyeon as the Goyad Kingdom’s negotiator. We hope that you will treat him well.”
Ben summarized the contents of the negotiation proposal.
Negotiations between the two kingdoms always began with what each side desired from the other.
War, after all, broke out when one country wanted something another possessed.
But neither king was so benevolent as to make such a decision.
First point of negotiation.
The Goyad Kingdom wished for the return of the prisoners captured by the Praham Kingdom.
Second point.
The Goyad Kingdom wished to purchase the blacksmithing materials held by the Praham Kingdom.
*They’re playing hardball.*
The second point was one thing, but the first essentially meant walking the path of peace.
Furthermore, since a proposal had been made, they had to present their own demands in return.
Ben looked at his strategist, Pan.
“Regarding the second negotiation point, it would be best to proceed as follows. In exchange for agreeing to export materials, our side will state that we desire Goyad’s superior swordsmanship.”
“Desire their swordsmanship, you say.”
Ben agreed.
The Goyad Kingdom was a nation of the sword, and the Praham Kingdom’s soldiers were generally less skilled in swordsmanship compared to other kingdoms.
“A way to make these negotiations difficult would be this: demand they send instructors to teach swordsmanship, and we will return prisoners in proportion to how much our soldiers have grown under their tutelage.”
Pan smiled slyly.
“On the condition, however, that no knights be sent. On the grounds that I fear for my safety.”
It was close to wordplay.
We want to learn your swordsmanship, but no knights are allowed.
In effect, it was an attempt to nullify the negotiation point itself.
“If they send instructor-soldiers in this situation, we can simply send them to Hell’s Cradle.”
“Ho ho.”
Though Pan was his subject, Ben admired the man’s cleverness.
Hell’s Cradle.
It was the training ground for the Praham Kingdom’s most elite soldiers.
The average soldier’s level was 200.
But the average level of the soldiers there reached 240.
What would happen if the instructor-soldiers were sent there?
“And as for the first point regarding the prisoners…”
Pan knew Ben well.
Ben himself had brought the blacksmith Hyeon here.
That alone was astonishing.
It was an admission that the man was remarkable enough to be used as a bargaining chip.
But that was as far as it went.
“We can bring up the formula for that seemingly impossible item we discussed before.”
The Goyad Kingdom’s second negotiation point depended on the instructor-soldiers.
The first negotiation point hinged on the blacksmith Hyeon.
“Which is why you brought him before the Small World Tree, I presume.”
Ben nodded.
Something that seems impossible to make.
Or proposing a task that seems impossible to do.
“Reviving the dying Small World Tree is a feat no one has ever accomplished. If he can bring it back to life, I will grant him the right to use it as well.”
Pan said nothing in response to this.
King Ben had a disposition for giving back as much as he received.
But Pan inwardly scoffed at the words.
*The Small World Tree is a tree that can never be revived in this land.*
And so, a letter detailing the Praham Kingdom’s demands was sent.
Some time later, a reply arrived.
Pan looked slightly surprised.
“They agree to everything. They say they will send five soldiers.”
Ben found their ready compliance suspicious.
Just then.
“Your Majesty, Sir Prak has awakened.”
At the news that his disciple was awake, Ben immediately made his way there.
***
[You have witnessed a legendary material: the Small World Tree.]
[You have gained 100 Fame.]
As he emerged from a daze, Hyun-soo’s eyes widened in surprise.
His body, which had felt immovable, had recovered.
Users and NPCs possessed a natural healing ability.
The speed of this natural healing varied depending on artifacts, skills, and other factors.
Given the time that had passed, Hyun-soo’s wounds should have taken quite a long time to heal on their own.
*Is it thanks to the Small World Tree?*
Hyun-soo took in the sight of the Small World Tree before him.
But its appearance was so strange that he furrowed his brow.
A vast garden, roughly the size of three athletic fields combined.
Before him stood the withering Small World Tree, and all the plants surrounding it were already dried up and shriveled.
But its size was immense.
It stood 20 meters tall, majestic and seeming to pierce the sky.
Hyun-soo walked closer to get a better look at the tree.
[The Small World Tree is dying.]
[The Small World Tree may become a source of disaster.]
[A dying Small World Tree is an unobtainable material.]
Hyun-soo walked up and placed a hand on the Small World Tree.
[Information on the Small World Tree upon acquisition is now available.]
(Small World Tree)
Grade: Legendary
Restriction: Master Craftsman Blacksmith Level 250 or higher
Difficulty: Supreme.
Special Abilities
· When crafting a spear, increases penetration by 97%.
· When crafting a bow, increases accuracy by 50%.
· When crafting a spear or bow, reduces weapon weight by 30%.
· Increases Strength, Agility, and Stamina by 20% or more.
· Increases attack speed by up to 50%.
· Increases durability to infinite.
Description: The legendary material, the Small World Tree. It is superior to any other legendary material made of wood. However, it has withered and lost its former power.
Hyun-soo had once used Orichalcum, a lowest-grade legendary mineral.
He had used it to craft the Orichalcum Fledgling Arrow.
*Right, but that was the lowest grade.*
This, however, was clearly a mid-grade material among legendaries.
The problem was that the tree before him was different from the one in the notification.
As the description stated, it had withered and lost its former power.
*How am I supposed to revive this?*
No descriptive notification appeared.
It seemed like something he would have to ask Ben about.
Hyun-soo left the garden.
***
Arriving at the infirmary where Prak was, Ben was at a loss for words.
Prak sat on the bed, his eyes covered with bandages.
The bandages were soaked with the tears he had shed.
Ben had always thought of Prak as little more than a successor to carry on his legacy.
But during this small war, he had come to realize how much Prak cared for and cherished him, and his perspective had changed.
Prak seemed to sense Ben’s presence and turned his head in that direction.
“…Your Majesty, I can’t see anything. How am I supposed to wield a spear from now on?”
Ben could not answer.
Prak had spent his entire life wielding a spear.
For such a man, to now be unable to ever wield a spear again…
Even so, Ben would keep Prak by his side and cherish him.
“You foolish boy… as if that matters…”
Ben’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
“My entire life has been spent with a spear in my hand…”
Prak’s words tore at Ben’s heart.
“Why… why…”
And his next words made Ben’s heart sink.
“Why did you save me?”
“…”
Prak was only 24 years old.
Now, he was useless.
Prak thought to himself.
Wouldn't it have been better to die a glorious and magnificent death back then?
“This is the first time.”
The bandages covering his eyes grew even more saturated.
“That I have ever resented you so much, Your Majesty.”
Ben couldn’t say a word.
He understood the sentiment completely.
But Ben couldn’t think of any way to console him.
Just then.
“What a pathetic display.”
At the sound of that voice, Prak froze in anger, and Ben in confusion.
When Ben turned his head, he saw Hyun-soo looking at him with a scornful gaze.
*What in the…?*
Ben was bewildered. It was him.
Was the man responsible for this now mocking Prak in his moment of despair?
No, what Ben found even more incomprehensible was his behavior.
It was completely different from the person he had seen before.
*Was he always like this…?*
*Mocking an enemy’s despair…?*
Prak’s face contorted.
“Did you come here to mock me? To see me despairing like this after being defeated by you!?”
To which the man replied.
“Saying you hate His Majesty, who rushed you here in his arms to save you? If that isn’t pathetic, I don’t know what is.”
Ben understood.
He hadn’t come to mock him.
*Sometimes, direct words can be a source of comfort.*
Yes, the man was offering that kind of comfort.
Shocked by those words, Prak looked toward where the king was and his lips trembled.
*His Majesty, to save me…*
He had carried him in his arms and run.
The king of a nation.
But Ben shook his head.
*He’s wrong.*
This was not a problem that could be solved with that kind of comfort.
For someone who had permanently lost their sight, such words would change nothing.
Hyun-soo’s approach was wrong.
No matter what he did now, he couldn’t change his heart…
“Protect him.”
For a moment, Prak didn’t understand the meaning of those words.
Was he telling him, who was now completely blind, to protect His Majesty?
“Buy me a meal later.”
Just then, Hyun-soo walked up to him and took out a potion bottle.
*Pop—*
*Troll’s Blood?*
Ben looked on, puzzled.
Troll’s Blood, said to have regenerative properties, was a rare item.
But even Troll’s Blood was useless against a permanently damaged wound like this.
However, what the man said after opening the potion bottle left Ben in utter shock.
“This is the Blood of the Giant King. It can regenerate and heal any wound. It can only be used once, and I will use it on you.”
*Drip, drip, drip—*
The green liquid flowed into his eyes.
*Sssss—*
Smoke rose, and at an unbelievable speed, Prak’s vision began to return.
And Hyun-soo said with a bitter smile,
“Don’t break.”
His sight restored, Prak looked at the departing Hyun-soo and began to weep even harder.
*But why?*
There was something Ben couldn’t understand.
The Blood of the Giant King was an incredibly precious item.
Didn’t he say it could only be used once?
*Prak was his enemy.*
Was this act truly worth using it?
Then, a cold sweat ran down Ben’s back.
At his age, one could sometimes see a future that had not yet come to pass.
It appeared like a vision.
The blacksmith before him, who would become a king, would one day face a great danger.
A moment would come when he would fall to his knees in despair, just as Prak had.
And then, he saw another king arriving with his soldiers to face the despairing man.
It was the second Changcheon, an older version of Prak.
On that day, Prak would smile and extend a hand to him.
Ben knew.
*It was something even Barad and I could not achieve.*
It was the union of two legends.
That evening.
“I suppose we can’t have that meal together. This is for the meal.”
[You have acquired 100,000 Gold.]
100 million won.
*Who pays 100 million for a meal…?*
Hyun-soo let out a dry laugh, and before Prak could leave, he said,
“Thank you for using the one-time-use Blood of the Giant King for me.”
Prak bowed his head deeply.
[Your intimacy with Prak has reached MAX.]
As he left, Hyun-soo took out a potion bottle and looked at it.
*Heh.*
[This is the Blood of the Giant King.]
[One of three total uses has been consumed. Two uses remain.]
It was a truth only Hyun-soo would ever know.