Chapter 255: Tears of the World Tree
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 255: Tears of the World Tree
- Everyone, look at me! Ehehet! This is the real Ha Yuri!
“He’s better than I expected. Hah… a total pro.”
I found myself nodding at Choi Seulgi’s words. Honestly, all we wanted was for him to parade around the fortress walls naked and spout a few lines, but he was running completely wild, as if to express his joy at joining the tribe.
I never imagined he could go this far. Even if his original form was male, humans fundamentally possess a sense of shame. He was probably able to push himself this far because he thought of this as just another job.
“Hey… the Sword Saint is pissed. For real. She bit her lip so hard it’s bleeding.”
Choi Seulgi’s voice was filled with glee. I was also watching through Alisha, so of course, I could see it too. She might think it’s a meaningless provocation, but for Choi Seulgi and me, it was a great source of amusement. Even Jang Ye Ri was watching Lee Wanyong with a satisfied smile, which confirmed that he had truly pulled it off.
“Hey, she’s going in! She’s going in! Puhahahaha!”
“I’m watching. So she had that side to her, too.”
It’s always fun to see a mask shatter.
- Don’t go! Look at me a little longer! Hmph!
“Wow… this is insane. He’s a blessing on our alliance. A true blessing.”
The man didn’t stop his taunts until the Sword Saint had entered her tent. It was an incredible performance, as if he had no fear for his own life. The promise I’d made to send him home must have helped him cross that line.
“Amazing!”
“Whew-wheee!”
As applause and whistles erupted from all around, he grew even more excited and rampaged on. Strangely, even Mev and the Goblin Three Sisters were cheering for Lee Wanyong on the wall, like fans watching their idol. I glanced at the Queen of the North, Han So-Hye, who seemed to have no immunity to this sort of thing and had turned her head as far away as possible. A flushed face was a bonus.
“Your queen doesn’t seem to like it very much… or am I wrong?”
“She’s a bit weak to this kind of thing, but since her subordinates are enjoying it, she probably doesn’t think too badly of it.”
“Hmm…”
“Anyway, he’s really incredible… I never imagined he had an ability like that. It might have been more useful to send him in as a spy… I feel good right now, but it’s also a bit of a shame.”
“It would be useless to send him now. They could see through it just by channeling a little magic into their eyes. I don’t plan on sending him out, but if I were to, it would be more effective after his ability has grown a bit more. By then, they wouldn’t be able to detect it with magic. Besides, his current display is a sufficient threat, don’t you think?”
“Aha…”
In truth, he was useless in a fight, but the mere existence of someone who could change their appearance was bound to make them a little nervous.
“He’s so damn competent… isn’t he a little dangerous for us, too?”
“He doesn’t have it in him.”
If he’d had that kind of ambition or drive, he would have made a name for himself in my past life. What he wants is, quite literally, survival. To put it simply, a guy who does this much work just for being provided a safe place is like a cheap player hard-carrying the game.
Peak cost-effectiveness.
Realistically, it would have taken an incredibly long time to find or hire talent like that. As I was thinking about Lee Wanyong, Choi Seulgi spoke again.
“By the way, do you really think they’ll attack in three days?”
“Probably. They call themselves righteous, so it’s only natural they’d keep their promise.”
“Then we get to see this spectacle for three more days. Hehe.”
It was incredibly satisfying. My revenge hadn’t even begun, but I already felt full.
“Well, they might be trying some useless shit right now, trying to analyze him, but they won’t find anything.”
“Fuck, you think they’re wondering if he’s some secret weapon from somewhere? Puhahahaha!”
“Could be.”
Thinking of it that way seemed pretty entertaining. Once the battle started, they would be searching for him like mad, and watching that would be the best part of the show. As we chatted about various things, Choi Seulgi spoke up.
“Ah, it’s almost time for the meeting. You coming?”
“You guys are the ones handling the siege, anyway. I have my own preparations to make. From our side, Black Spear will be attending today.”
“Ah… that Troll ajeossi. Well, can’t be helped. Alright. I’ll be back, then.”
I nodded at her words. We had already held several meetings, and today’s was likely about the siege itself. That was why Black Spear, a long-range attacker, was participating. The Green Skins were meant to move when the walls were breached and the battle was underway, so Choi Seulgi probably figured she didn’t need to drag me along.
With the battle so close, I also needed time to prepare myself. It had been a long time since I’d visited the Item Shop, so it would be more beneficial to stop by there and then spend some time with my tribe members. In a large-scale battle like this, there could be casualties. I felt it was right to manage things thoroughly.
I decided to head to the shop right away, and soon felt my body begin to float.
[Seat of Sorrow and Despair, confirming Blood Dagger’s points.]
[Incredible. For the achievements of being the first to discover another continent, liberating the elves, and becoming the Seat of Sorrow, 10 million points have been credited to Blood Dagger.]
It was a jaw-dropping amount of points. Enough to buy a top-tier weapon. Feeling good, I couldn’t help but shiver with excitement.
“Take your time choosing, friend.”
The goblin shopkeeper, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, was also being quite polite. With 10 million points, I felt like some kind of VIP. He never seemed to like me much, but his polite tone was proof enough.
“I think I’ll browse at my leisure.”
I looked at the goblin with an arrogant expression, and his lips pouted slightly. First, I needed to check the weapons. Knowing what I needed most was the foundation of shopping.
The weapons I had were:
[Dain’s Legacy], which could control blood and had the highest killing power but came with a penalty.
[Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword], which I used as a substitute for a shield.
[The Great Tribe Leader’s Hammer], a gift from the Great Tribe Leader Agar that grew heavier the more blood it absorbed.
[Levatain], my most frequently used weapon, which allowed me to spew flames.
[Purified Wood Long Spear of the World Tree], whose growth had recently stalled.
For armor, I had [Aegis’s Torn Ring], and for accessories, the [Ring of Critical Hits], which increased my critical hit chance.
Anyone could see it was an incredibly impressive lineup. They all had their pros and cons, but it was no exaggeration to call each one a supreme treasure. Lining them up in my mind, I felt like I could develop a collector’s obsession.
The areas where I personally rated myself highest were my attack power and unpredictability. Thanks to my Weapon Switch trait, the critical hit judgment that still remained in my body despite not having a class, and the added effect of the Ring of Critical Hits, I believed my killing power wouldn’t fall short anywhere on the continent.
My unpredictability also deserved a high score. Using various weapons and being able to switch them in an instant was a huge advantage in battle. Recently, I could even use my tail, giving me even more options.
“Hmm…”
Honestly, the first thing that came to mind was the Sealed Greatsword in the Secret Store. A greatsword that could summon chains to bind enemies was worthy of reverence for its function alone, even before considering its attack power. As I thought of it, its specs began to surface in my mind.
[Sealing Greatsword]
[A greatsword created to seal someone. It was forged with the flames of hell and a blessed hammer. It can summon large chains. These chains, which react to the user’s magic, can bind or tear enemies apart. No one other than its recognized master can touch this greatsword. Increases dark attribute resistance.]
[Magic +6, Vitality +6, Strength +6]
The price was five million points. It would be even better if I could handle chains in addition to blood and fire, but since I couldn’t enter the Secret Store right now, it was a pie in the sky. It wasn’t the only item that came to mind.
[Hammer of the Gods]
[A hammer used by a continental hero who inherited the power of five giants. It is unknown how it came to be here, but it wandered for a long time while retaining the hero’s power, and as a result, the hammer’s function has been deified. In addition to Forest, Volcano, Wind, and Wave, it possesses additional sealed attributes.]
[Strength +30]
A whopping ten million points. It was a weapon I could only buy by spending every last point I had. A hammer wasn’t a weapon I used often, nor was I familiar with it, but I thought it would be well worth the purchase. For now, I was curious whether I could even enter the Secret Store. I sent a peculiar glance at the goblin in the Item Shop and slowly opened my mouth.
“Is it possible to pay points to enter the Secret Store?”
“Impossible. The Secret Store can only be entered through a quest.”
‘Damn it.’
I was sure I could find amazing items in the regular store if I looked, but I was already fixated on the Sealing Greatsword. Just as I was wondering if there was a way, the goblin’s mouth slowly began to open.
“However.”
“However?”
“The information fee is 500,000 points.”
‘Son of a bitch.’
I cursed him internally. He wasn’t being polite; he was determined to squeeze me dry. I never imagined he’d backstab me like this. Still, I had plenty of points. With ten million, five hundred thousand was nothing.
But looking at his expression, I didn’t want to just hand over the 500,000 points. I could browse the shop myself. I tried my best to recall anything about the Secret Store, but nothing came to mind.
There were tabs for Weapons, Enhancements, Armor, Potions, and various other things, but there was no mention of a Secret Store.
“I want to see everything that can be purchased here.”
The goblin nodded silently, and a list of various items, sorted by shop, began to appear in my head. There were so many miscellaneous items that it was even harder to search.
There were even things like:
[Pleasure Amplifier]
[Master’s Dog Collar]
Quite a few adult toys were visible.
Among them, I discovered a completely unfamiliar shop. I was certain I hadn’t been able to find a shop like this even when I looked around ten years ago.
[Quest Shop]
So now they were buying and selling quests. I started to understand why no quests had come to mind all this time. Seeing my crumpled expression, the goblin spoke as if it were nothing.
“After a certain level of growth, quests are no longer given out separately.”
I hurriedly entered the quest window and saw several parchments. One million points per quest. They were practically thieves. Some quests were even priced as high as ten million points. What was even more infuriating was that most of them didn’t even list the quest rewards. Naturally, there was no description of which quest would lead to the Secret Store.
[Choose a Successor.] - 2 million points
[Be Victorious in the War!] - 3 million points
[Vengeance on the Sword Saint! Vengeance! Vengeance!] - 5 million points
[?????????] - 10 million points
It was a good thing I took the trouble to look. Otherwise, I would have just thrown away 500,000 points. For now, I closed the Quest Shop. I figured gambling should come after buying what I needed first.
In truth, I already knew where I was going to spend my points.
[Purified Wood Long Spear of the World Tree - Possible - 4 million points]
[Can be enhanced using special materials. Materials: Tears of the World Tree (0/1), Petals of the World Tree (10/10), Root of the World Tree (1/1)]
The Purified Wood Long Spear of the World Tree, which could be enhanced for a staggering four million points. As soon as I got the Tears of the World Tree, I could enhance it immediately.
“These Tears of the World Tree…”
“It is as you think.”
“.....................”
In other words, I could only get them if Jung Hayeon cried. As I briefly racked my brain, the goblin muttered as if he knew what I was thinking.
“As expected of the Seat of Sorrow. I shall summon the Alraune under your command.”
For some reason, it sounded like he was sneering at me. Nevertheless, I nodded and began to ponder how I could draw tears from Jung Hayeon. Soon, as if she had received some message, Jung Hayeon appeared before me with an extremely anxious expression.
“Tae… Taesung… wh-what’s going on?”