Quest (2)
An acorn bomb. By name alone, it sounded like something small and cute, but even a blank cartridge could inflict horrific injuries at point-blank range.
"Gah!"
And that was precisely my predicament. A miniature detonation had just gone off right beside my skull. While I had escaped any direct shrapnel or lacerations, a deafening tinnitus roared through my head, effectively paralyzing the hearing in that ear.
Drip.
I felt a warm trickle seep down my ear canal. Blood, undoubtedly. Taking a concussive blast of that scale right against the ear meant a ruptured eardrum was practically guaranteed. While an eardrum could regenerate naturally if treated in time, delay the remedy and you were saddled with permanent hearing loss.
What kind of bastard carries around acorn bombs in the first place?
Fighting through the ringing and violent vertigo, I tracked the squirrel with my eyes. Darting in and out of the tree hollows like something straight out of *Alice in Wonderland*, it was proving an exasperating opponent to pin down. Still, I couldn't just stand here like a sitting duck; I had to respond immediately.
Stumble.
"Ugh!"
Between the piercing ringing and the dizzying shockwave, keeping my balance was an ordeal in itself. Squeezing my eyes shut and opening them again, I scanned the area. The squirrel had vanished into hiding once more.
If another acorn bomb comes flying...
Taking one square in the chest would be the end of me. Small or not, an explosion was an explosion. If both ears were working, I could pinpoint where it was coming from by sound alone, but with half my hearing knocked out, even that was out of the question.
Just what on earth is this creature?
Fsshh!
Fortunately, my functioning right ear caught the sharp whistle of parted air. The instant the sound registered, I raised my shield. An explosion was lethal only when undefended; behind a solid barrier, I could weather it.
KABOOM!
Just as I expected. There was a jarring jolt, but the physical damage was negligible. The real problem was the shockwave. The concussive shudder rattled right into my damaged eardrum.
"Urgh...!"
I was dizzy enough already, and the secondary concussion sent a wave of nausea rushing up my throat. I had endured agonizing wounds in brutal battles before, but this disorienting, gut-churning vertigo was a whole new beast. Gritting my teeth had its limits. I had to bring this fight to a swift conclusion.
Tap, tap.
Fast Tree Sloth patted my shoulder and pointed toward the left. An incoming attack. I snapped my head in that direction.
The instant I turned, the squirrel swung its thick, muscular tail right at me. I couldn't stay on the defensive forever. Its trajectory was a straight line, which meant it was entirely predictable. I pivoted lightly on my heel. Fighting through the vertigo made turning an exercise in misery, but I managed to slip past the strike by a hair's breadth.
Now, counter—!
I moved to strike back immediately, but I had overlooked one crucial detail: this was the squirrel's home turf. It held an undeniable environmental advantage.
Thud!
Kicking off the trunk of a tree directly behind me like a springboard, the squirrel ricocheted straight back.
Startled as I was, I barely threw my shield up in time.
CLANG!
Naturally, absorbing the sheer kinetic force fell entirely on me. A dull, throbbing ache began to creep into my shield arm. Meanwhile, the rodent ducked back into a tree hollow with blinding agility.
It would pop out from who-knew-where next. What an infuriating pest.
Fine. No choice.
I had resolved not to resort to crude methods, but desperate times called for crude measures. Besides, its obnoxious hit-and-run tactics ignited a surge of pure, stubborn spite. If it relied on the home-field advantage, all I had to do was eliminate the field.
Vwoooom!
I channeled as much aura as I could into the Heavenly Demon's Sword. A luminous pillar of energy surged upward, sharp enough to pierce the heavens. I didn't bother using frost.
My plan was dead simple: up until now, the squirrel had been diving into hollows marked by a faint glimmer. If that was the case, wouldn't cutting down all the trees solve the problem? A refreshingly simple solution.
"Hup!"
Holding my breath, I drew the blade back to the left, spun my entire body in a full circle, and unleashed a colossal horizontal cleave.
SHZZZZT!
Perhaps because I had poured an absurd volume of aura into the strike, the blade sheared through every trunk in sight—golden acorn-bearing trees and ordinary timber alike—with clinical precision.
Crack! CRAAACK! BOOM!
The aftermath unfolded exactly as envisioned. Towering trees collapsed in a chaotic domino effect. Even amidst the thunderous crashes and swirling debris, I kept my guard high; the creature might try an ambush in the confusion.
Rumble! Crash!
Fortunately, no attack came. Before long, every single trunk lay felled across the clearing.
"Squeee-k!"
Just as one particular tree struck the earth, the squirrel popped out from a hollow like a cork from a bottle. Unable to withstand the violent shudder of the falling trunk, its body had been flung out into the open.
Without wasting a fraction of a second, I lunged forward. If I missed this opening, I'd never get another.
Snatch!
"Squeal?!"
"Gotcha, you little rat!"
While the squirrel was still dazed, my fingers clamped shut around it. Panic-stricken, it squirmed and flailed frantically, but to no avail.
"Krrr-aaack!"
In a last-ditch effort, it sank its sharp teeth into my hand. Regrettably for the critter, it accomplished nothing. I was wearing the World Tree Silk Gloves. After thrashing violently for a while, it seemed to realize resistance was futile and went completely limp. It had been an inelegant, brute-force solution, but a win was a win.
First, I need to fix my ear.
The vertigo had subsided somewhat, but hearing had not returned. Having blood pouring from the ear canal made that par for the course; honestly, winning in this state was practically a miracle.
[Hey! Are you all right, young man?!]
Right then, Cain's booming voice resonated in my good ear. I turned to see the shelter party hurrying over, having evidently rushed toward the commotion. Taking in the sight of the leveled clearing, they approached me.
[We rushed over the moment we heard explosions! What happened here?]
"Ah, well... I'll explain everything in a second. Ludwig?"
"What is it?"
"Hold onto this guy for a moment. Watch out, he bites."
Handing the squirrel off to Ludwig, I set about treating myself. I tilted my head, dripped a bit of Elixir into my damaged ear, and waited. Gradually, my hearing began to return. It wasn't one hundred percent restored yet, but at least the dead silence was gone.
"Phew. Thanks. As for what happened..."
I recounted the entire sequence of events: being mistaken for an intruder, clashing with the squirrel, and ultimately cutting down the whole grove. Though the scuffle itself had been brief, danger had lurked at every turn. Its teleportation had been the trickiest part. Had Ppareumbo not backed me up, I would've been knocked cold by that Iron Mountain Lean right at the start.
[Teleportation? This creature?]
"Yeah. I have no idea how it works, but it seemed to hop between the tree hollows."
[Junior, could you let me inspect that squirrel a bit closer?]
Cain seemed to have an inkling of something and asked Ludwig to hold the captive forward. Ludwig obliged. The squirrel dangled limp and exhausted in his grip.
After scrutinizing the creature thoroughly from various angles, Cain gasped in awe.
[Remarkable. Even if it is a distant relation, its features bear an uncanny resemblance to Ratatoskr.]
"Ratatoskr?"
[Renowned as the squirrel tasked with tending the World Tree. While its divine bloodline has thinned considerably, this creature is undeniably a descendant.]
Ratatoskr was a name I'd heard before—a mythical beast from Norse mythology. While I wasn't well-versed in the specifics, learning that this tiny creature was connected to legendary myths was astonishing.
[The World Tree radiates terrifying surges of mana within its domain, enough to distort the fabric of space itself. The warped space within its perimeter is notoriously labyrinthine, yet miraculously, Ratatoskrs navigate it with ease. Because of that, they often serve as both guides and gardeners within the tree's territory.]
"Then what is this guy doing here?"
[Who can say? Likely maintaining this section of the forest...]
"Hmm... So killing it would cause problems, wouldn't it?"
Cain offered a conflicted expression at my question. But someone else—or rather, something else—had a very clear opinion.
Tap, tap.
Ppareumbo nudged my shoulder as if he had something to say.
"Hm? What is it?"
"..."
Turning around, I saw Ppareumbo slowly shaking his head side to side. It was a clear plea not to kill it. For a companion who usually stayed quiet to actively voice an opinion was surprising, but he had to have a good reason.
"Can I ask why? I don't know much about this area."
"..."
Instead of answering, Ppareumbo pointed toward the grove of fallen trees. His gesture implied that this squirrel was the one who cultivated those trees—or in a broader sense, tended to this entire forest.
[Squirrels are often hailed as the gardeners of the forest,] Cain noted. [They bury acorns and various nuts throughout the wilderness, after all.]
"Really?"
[Indeed. Though in truth, it is usually just an attempt to stash food for later... which they promptly forget about.]
"..."
So it's just because they're bird-brained rodents. Still, the title "gardener of the forest" felt oddly fitting.
At any rate, with Ppareumbo's silent petition, I decided to spare its life. But first, business was business. Leaving the squirrel in Ludwig's care, I walked over to the fallen trees.
Glimmer! Sparkle!
Who could say no to golden acorns? I bent down and began plucking the glittering golden nuts from the wreckage. This had been the whole reason I'd come here in the first place, so I was certainly taking my spoils.
Man, there are tons of them. Should I make acorn jelly with these?
Acorn jelly made from golden acorns—that sounded incredible. I'd have to source soy sauce and fresh seasonings from the Gallery or grow them myself.
As I was stuffing regular acorns into my pack alongside the golden ones...
"Squeee-k! Squeak! Squeee-e-e!"
To the squirrel, this was highway robbery happening right before its very eyes. The creature, which had been drooping limp in defeat, began flailing hysterically in Ludwig's grasp.
Yet in the wild, the vanquished forfeit everything. I said bluntly, "What are you glaring at, punk? You shouldn't have jumped me first."
"Squeee-k! Squeak!"
"You. Thief. Thieves must die."
As expected, beast translation was Ggobongi's domain. Hearing his staccato translation, I gave a brief nod. To the squirrel, I definitely looked like a robber—and to be fair, I was actively looting its acorns.
"You attacked first," I retorted. "I was just minding my own business, passing by."
"Squeak! Squeee!"
"Looked inside tree hollow. Cannot trust that."
"Um..."
Framed like that, I didn't have much of a defense. I rolled my eyes sheepishly.
"So what?" I countered shamelessly.
"Squeak?"
"What can you even do about it? Other than squirm in someone's hand, what can you do?"
Faced with my utter shamelessness, the squirrel froze in stunned disbelief. Then, its tiny eyes welled with tears, and it burst into pitiful sobs.
"Squee-e-e... hic..."
"Bad guy. Call yourself an animal?"
"Wait..."
"Lower than beast. Master."
"Shut your trap for a second."
Seeing such a small, fluffy squirrel weeping its eyes out gave me a pang of guilt. Truth be told, I had trespassed on its territory. Worse, I had completely flattened its habitat. Even if the law of the wild dictated that losers forfeit everything, leveling its entire home did feel a bit excessive.
"Sigh. Fine, fine. I won't take all of them. I'll just keep one, deal?"
"Squee... squeak..."
"Cannot. Trees planted to woo female. You ruined entire plan."
"..."
"True trash."
"You wait until we get back to the cave, Ggobongi. Fine! What do you want me to do then?"
When I asked cautiously, the squirrel stared at me through tear-stained eyes. It glanced back toward the field of fallen timber, then chattered softly.
"Squeak. Squeee."
"Plant trees. Trees far greater than those."
"Plant trees?"
"Squeak. Squeee."
"Then will forgive. Can take all acorns."
"Hmm..."
Hearing that condition, one specific person instantly flashed across my mind. The problem was...
Is it really safe to plant that thing here?
Even Vanir, an ancient dragon, had incinerated a World Tree sapling with her breath the moment she saw one. But trading a World Tree sapling for golden acorns... wouldn't that be a massive profit?
Besides, World Tree saplings take an eternity to mature anyway. And if the sapling proved unsuitable, I could always plant regular trees instead.
"All right. I'll plant trees for you. Give me a second."
I immediately accessed the Gallery to request a sapling from Let's Grow Trees.
Is it really okay...?