Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Small World Tree (3)
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Watching the burning Small World Tree, Hyun-soo found his answer.
Dousing it with water wouldn’t work, nor would leaving a faucet running like a tap.
The solution, then, was to create a small sea and place the World Tree within it.
But he couldn’t create a sea vast enough to fill the entire training ground.
An emergency-produced spear.
[This is an Epic grade item.]
[Effect Application Rate is 58%.]
Honestly, it wasn’t satisfying. The effect application rate stemmed from how well one understood the artifact being produced by the other party.
Understanding.
For Hyun-soo, a real-world blacksmith, the very idea of understanding an artifact that created water was absurd.
But it could provide inspiration.
And by crafting this spear just now, Hyun-soo had gained a great deal of inspiration.
Hyun-soo looked at the “sea” that now held the Small World Tree.
It was like looking at an aquarium.
A circular aquarium.
An invisible, translucent barrier was preventing the water from leaking out.
Its radius was about eight meters.
Its height was about twenty meters, a tall aquarium built to submerge the Small World Tree.
‘The next artifact I craft will be far superior.’
Soon, the spear created through God’s Emergency Production vanished.
*Shwaaaa—*
[You have averted a Lesser Calamity.]
[The legend held within the Small World Tree is revealed.]
[The Small World Tree is a tree that can only live in the sea. If you can make such a tree live on land, it will bear special fruits.]
*Ting!*
[Quest: The True Small World Tree]
Grade: S
Restriction: One who has stopped the Small World Tree’s Lesser Calamity.
Reward: Negotiating Power, Special Fruits.
Penalty for Failure: Termination of Negotiator status.
Description: A Great Calamity will arrive within a few days. If you can stop that calamity, the Small World Tree will finally belong to the Praham Kingdom.
Special fruits.
The quest stated that he could obtain them if he could make this Small World Tree take root in this land and live soundly.
And Hyun-soo heard Ben muttering as he looked at the Small World Tree.
“…So the legend was true.”
Hyun-soo heard a notification that his affinity with Ben had just increased.
In effect, Hyun-soo had succeeded in winning Ben’s heart.
Ben began to speak of things Hyun-soo didn’t understand.
“Phon's Mane, Fairy's Dust, Orichalcum, Black Mithril, Mountain King's Claw, Kradan Spearmanship… Speak.”
Hyun-soo was puzzled.
Each item he listed was a precious artifact material in the Praham Kingdom.
Things so astronomically expensive they couldn’t be bought with money.
‘What does he want me to say?’
Hyun-soo was perplexed.
“If you save the Small World Tree, I will give you one of these.”
“…!”
Hyun-soo was astonished.
Ben’s expression had changed from what it was before he had left this place moments ago.
Hyun-soo had saved Prak.
But that was not proof of his skill.
Hence the disbelief that had been in his eyes.
That disbelief now gone, Ben spoke.
“I know not what you will make, but if it can save the Small World Tree, and if it can make me even stronger than I am now, what could be too precious to give? Of course, I will pay you separately, so think carefully and speak.”
Of course, this was all contingent on Hyun-soo succeeding in creating such a thing.
“The artifact you create will be the key that determines the negotiations and the fate of the Small World Tree.”
Hyun-soo felt a fire in his chest.
When Ben had asked why he didn’t run, Hyun-soo had answered directly.
Because it was something Ben cherished.
It might have sounded cringey and overtly intentional, an attempt to win the king’s favor, but he had believed.
Believed that Ben’s attitude toward him would change.
“I ask of you, please protect my memories with your spear.”
One of the continent’s ten legends.
The master of the spear.
A super-named NPC.
The ruler of a nation twice the size of Goyad.
At his polite voice, Hyun-soo’s heart pounded.
The look of faith in his eyes.
“I will do my best.”
Hyun-soo gave a slight bow, showing his respect for the king of an enemy nation.
And Ben, with a small smile, began to walk away.
“There is a smithy right next to here, so begin your work at once. I must now prepare to stop the ‘villains.’”
The story must already be spreading like wildfire, carried by the nobles and blacksmiths who had witnessed the Lesser Calamity.
There would be endless talk of cutting down the Small World Tree.
Even Hyun-soo had to wonder if it was worth taking such a risk.
“Will it be alright?”
To that question, Ben set aside his memories and his fondness for the Small World Tree.
He spoke with cold rationality.
“The number of people who starve to death in the Praham Kingdom each year exceeds tens of thousands.”
Yes, saving the Small World Tree was not simply about Ben’s personal desire.
Just as the Praham Kingdom was a nation of blacksmiths, it also had its deficiencies.
“One of the fruits of the Small World Tree is said to alleviate hunger. If it can reduce the number of those who die of starvation, is it not worth a try?”
Hyun-soo now understood.
Ben was a cantankerous old man, but deep down, he was a king who cared for his people.
That sentiment was greater than his attachment to memories or other such things.
Soon after Ben left, Hyun-soo followed right behind him.
He opened the door to the smithy located right next to the garden and stepped inside.
Hyun-soo had already gained inspiration for what kind of artifact to make.
‘That spear is one I made countless times in my childhood.’
And he felt it was a spear that would be a perfect fit for Ben, who primarily wielded spears.
Just imagining Ben holding that spear made his heart race.
‘This one artifact will become the strongest link connecting me and Ben.’
So much was determined by a single artifact.
The negotiations, his contribution points, and his activities in this world of the Praham Kingdom.
All of this was connected to Hyun-soo’s growth.
Before long, the smelting and refining of the materials for the spearhead were complete, leaving only the forging and polishing processes.
After quickly finishing the forging and polishing, he moved on to crafting the spear shaft.
An unknown sound buzzed in his ears.
He was so focused that he couldn’t make out what the notification was.
That was how completely absorbed Hyun-soo was, in a state of selflessness.
So much so that he had no idea how much time had passed.
Then, Hyun-soo was jolted back to awareness by a notification.
[You are approaching a legend.]
It was a sound that always made his heart pound.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
‘It says I’m approaching a legend, not that I’ve reached it yet.’
The completion of the spear shaft was drawing near.
He couldn't relax; he had to pour even more effort into it.
Just then.
“…!?”
Hyun-soo’s face twisted in horror. The hair on his back stood on end.
‘What is…?’
As his level rose and he grew stronger, his five senses had become extraordinary.
He could feel some immense danger coming from the direction of the Small World Tree.
And then.
*KABOOOM—*
A tremendous roar echoed out.
It was an explosion three times more powerful than the one Hyun-soo had felt before.
[A new story begins.]
The notification that followed filled Hyun-soo with anxiety.
[The Small World Tree is greatly enraged.]
[The Small World Tree is furious, and the inferno will not stop until it has burned everything around it.]
*Ting!*
[Sudden Quest: The Small World Tree’s Wrath]
Grade: SS
Restriction: One who has received the Small World Tree’s proposal.
Reward: Highest-grade Small World Tree.
Penalty for Failure: Forfeiture of Negotiator status.
Description: Someone has angered the Small World Tree. Please quell the great calamity by calming its great wrath.
Hyun-soo looked at the description with a puzzled expression.
A sudden quest.
It could have been issued by someone, or it could have simply been granted by the system.
But the restriction for this sudden quest read:
‘One who has received the Small World Tree’s proposal.’
He had found himself in a situation not of his own choosing. And the reward was nothing short of astonishing.
‘The Small World Tree was originally a mid-grade legendary material.’
But the reward was listed as a highest-grade Small World Tree.
*Rummble—*
Hyun-soo listened to the continuous roar.
But he decided to act in a way that was true to himself.
***
Pan, the strategist of the Praham Kingdom.
He was the chief contributor to the making of the Praham Kingdom as it was today.
He advised Ben and taught him various strategies.
He, too, was a man who wished for the safety and development of this nation.
But this time, his opinion clashed with Ben’s.
“The others did not see it, for they all fled from the blazing inferno. But I saw it. The blacksmith Hyeon will stop the great calamity.”
Pan shook his head.
“It is a feat that one hundred master craftsmen could not accomplish, Your Majesty.”
There was a rumor that the Praham Kingdom had one hundred master blacksmiths.
That was how many incredible blacksmiths there were.
“We must cut it down at once. Before it can unleash a great calamity of fire.”
Ben replied.
“That is something you must not do. Legend says that if you try to cut or harm the Small World Tree, it will unleash an even greater wrath.”
Pan’s chest felt tight.
How could he believe in such a mere legend?
“If Hyeon fails, I will personally uproot the Small World Tree and take it to the sea. So, wait.”
The king had closed his ears.
And so Pan went outside.
He met with the nobles.
Having already witnessed the Lesser Calamity, the nobles now despised the Small World Tree.
And Pan made his decision.
“I will take full responsibility. Let’s cut down the Small World Tree at once.”
He handed axes to hundreds of powerful knights.
Pan also rejected the fruit the king was anticipating.
‘A fruit that prevents hunger cannot possibly exist.’
And the hundreds of knights sent by the nobles.
With them, he looked at the Small World Tree.
‘Your Majesty, forgive me.’
Pan could no longer comprehend the mind of the king, who was captive to memories and delusions.
“Strike!”
Hundreds of knights armed with axes began to strike the Small World Tree.
*Thwack—*
*Thwaaack—*
*Thwack—*
In the end, it was just a tree.
The Small World Tree began to be deeply gouged.
And there was another reason Pan had made this decision.
‘Your Majesty, did you truly intend to give the initiative for peace to the Goyad Kingdom?’
It was an incomprehensible part of it all.
They had laughed together, suggesting a task that the blacksmith Hyeon could not possibly accomplish.
But now, he trusted him completely?
‘What in the world has possessed you?’
Just then.
[The Small World Tree is enraged.]
*Fwoooosh—*
Suddenly, the Small World Tree erupted in a massive inferno.
“W-What?”
*Kuuuuung—*
An unidentifiable, translucent barrier formed around the entire garden.
Inside were ten nobles and hundreds of knights.
[The Small World Tree will not stop until it has killed all who tried to harm it.]
[A massive explosion will occur in 30 seconds.]
Hearing those words, Pan fell into a panic.
*Fwoooosh—*
The flames grew more intense, and the knights fell into chaos.
Fortunately, the thirty seconds had not yet passed, so the explosion had not yet occurred.
The problem was this.
*Hwaaaa—*
Acrid smoke billowed out from the Small World Tree.
The smoke was taking over the garden.
“Cough, cough!”
“Khaaak!”
“L-Let me out!”
“Ugh, aghhhh!”
Pan’s face contorted.
‘…Was this my misjudgment?’
He realized it too late.
‘Did I kill all of them?’
Pan retreated to the wall, leaned against it, and slumped to the ground.
Pan, the de facto second-in-command of the kingdom.
His foolishness had brought him to the brink of death.
Just then.
[The explosion occurs.]
*KABOOOM—!*
A massive explosion erupted, and the knights and nobles instinctively flinched.
Fortunately, the explosion shot out in the opposite direction from where they were gathered.
*Rummble—*
The wall where the explosion hit crumbled.
And everyone in that place froze simultaneously.
The direction opposite to where they stood.
The space beyond the shattered wall was clearly visible.
Inside, a lone blacksmith was enduring the searing inferno rushing in, a shield emblazoned with the word “Aegis” at his back.
‘Why is he going to such lengths…?’
His hands moved as if possessed.
Even in this situation, he did not seem to be giving up.
Pan recalled his conversation with Ben.
‘Why has Your Majesty come to trust that negotiator so much? In the end, he is a man from an enemy nation.’
Ben had smiled bitterly.
‘Because something he said left an impression on me.’
What words?
‘Though he may break.’
Pan’s heart pounded.
“Please…!”
The nobles looked at him, their eyes pleading.
“That blacksmith, what on earth…”
The knights muttered with puzzled expressions, wondering what he was trying to do with mere smithing.
Just then.
[The fourth legend is written.]
As a new legend was born into the world.
Everyone there heard a familiar sound.
*Shwaaaaa—*
It was the melody of gently spreading waves.