Chapter 256: The World Tree’s Tears
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 256: The World Tree’s Tears
Anyone could see it was not a good expression. Her incredibly anxious face gave me a good idea of what kind of message she must have received to come here.
If last time she came after receiving a message that said, Blood Dagger needs you, this time, the message must have been far more negative. I glanced at the goblin, who immediately averted his gaze as if he knew nothing, which was quite a sight. It seemed he couldn't distinguish between when his help was needed and when it wasn't.
When I looked back at Jung Hayeon, I saw her body shrink into itself. She looked like the last leaf on a branch, trembling as it waited for the day it would fall. The usual Jung Hayeon was nowhere to be seen.
The World Tree’s Tears were necessary. I didn't like the idea of making Jung Hayeon cry, but it was for a good reason, so it couldn't be helped.
I let my gaze turn cold. I could feel Jung Hayeon watching me cautiously. The flower blooming in her hair even began to wilt. She didn't seem to realize it herself, but her anxiety was affecting her body.
Given how dependent she was on me, these words would surely come as a great shock. Looking at her, I felt that if I didn't say something beforehand, the situation could become truly serious. I immediately opened my mouth to speak to her.
If this method didn't work, I would find another one right away.
“What I’m about to say isn’t what I truly feel, so you don’t need to take it to heart.”
“Ah… ah. Yes…”
Only then could I see a look of immense relief wash over her face. The goblin clicked his tongue in disappointment, and seeing that soured my mood a little.
“I have no need for you.”
Just a single, casually tossed-out phrase.
“There are many beautiful women around me, and many capable ones as well. You’re useless to me now. You are free to leave my side.”
I was about to speak again after seeing her reaction, but her body suddenly began to wither. The flowers in her hair didn't just wilt, they fell off completely, and the roots supporting her lower body started to lose their strength. Even the color of her skin was fading.
The laurel wreath on her head was no different.
“I… I was wrong. I’m… I’m sorry.”
It was absurd to see her react like that when she didn't even know what she’d done wrong or what she was sorry for. I had clearly told her beforehand that I didn't mean it, yet the look of profound shock wouldn't leave her face. But I forced myself to look away, and soon, tears began to fall from her eyes.
“Sob… sob… I’m… I’m sorry.”
I had planned to press her a little more after seeing her reaction, but ridiculously, it worked on the first try, despite my prior warning. I knew she was dependent on me, but this felt excessive.
“P-Please… please don’t abandon me. Please, Taesung. Sob…”
At the same time, a massive amount of sorrow began to flow into me. The sheer volume of emotion rushing in surpassed what I had felt when I witnessed Choi Eunju’s past. The feeling of emotion flowing in wasn't unpleasant. It felt a little addictive, even. But I knew I couldn't just leave Jung Hayeon like this, so I quickly placed a hand on her head.
‘How do I fix this?’
I had caused the problem, but I hadn't thought about how to clean it up. In the end, after a sigh, I spoke softly, and she leaned her body slightly into my embrace.
“I told you I didn’t mean it.”
“B-But… but… the moment I heard you say it… sob…”
Interestingly, the sorrow flowing in wasn't just hers. As I looked at Jung Hayeon, emotions continued to flow from me as well. I, too, had come to cherish her. Our first meeting may have been twisted, but I genuinely liked her.
“You are precious to me.”
The moment I placed a light kiss on her forehead, the flowers in her hair suddenly burst into full bloom. The same happened to the ones on her lower body. Flowers even began to blossom from the laurel wreath on her head, proof of how full her heart was with emotion.
As the flowers bloomed in an instant, as if she were evolving, I couldn't help but think how incredibly beautiful Jung Hayeon was.
A slightly larger flower even began to bloom on one side of her head, like a large hairpin. It seemed she had undergone a minor evolution.
“I… I like you, too.”
As she spoke with a blush, her face looked almost like that of a goddess. I smiled, and she smiled back. And once again, tears began to stream from her eyes—tears of a different meaning than before. Perhaps finding our embrace uncomfortable to watch, the goblin spoke up again.
“The tears are more than enough.”
Jung Hayeon jumped in surprise at the goblin's voice. A little embarrassed, I subtly averted my gaze, and then I heard her voice.
“I was helpful, wasn't I? I’m so happy, Taesung.”
It seemed she had figured out what was going on. I placed another kiss on her forehead for good measure before tossing the Purified World Tree's Long Spear to the goblin, who caught it immediately.
[Purified World Tree's Wooden Long Spear]
[A spear crafted by elves from a rotted branch that happened to fall from the World Tree. Having undergone a purification process using the World Tree's flowers, leaves, and stems, it has become closer to its original form and regained its power. It possesses the ability to continuously restore the user's health and mana. It is incredibly sharp and durable.]
[Agility +3]
To be honest, its previous function was already quite good. It was a four-million-point enhancement, far more expensive than evolving the Ancient Flame into Levatain. Although that was a special enhancement from a quest, my heart still began to pound.
It was then.
[A Hidden Enhancement has been unlocked.]
[You can enhance this item using special materials. Materials: World Tree's Tear - Sorrow (1/1), World Tree's Tear - Joy (1/1), World Tree Petals (10/10), World Tree Root (1/1)]
[Would you like to perform a Hidden Enhancement on the Purified World Tree's Wooden Long Spear using 5,000,000 points and the World Tree materials?]
An unexpected windfall. I never imagined things would turn out like this. I felt it when I enhanced this item before, but having Jung Hayeon under my command was a true blessing. It seemed her tears were quite valuable in the item shop. As I wondered if they could be sold, the goblin spoke up.
“Their value is over one million points. However, they are not materials that can be sold to the shop.”
Just as he said, they couldn't be sold, but they were worth over a million points. My eyes widened in renewed surprise as I looked at Jung Hayeon, who lowered her head shyly.
“Will you enhance it?”
I nodded, and soon the sound of a hammer striking metal echoed.
The price was a staggering half of all the points I currently possessed. It was only natural to be excited. After a much longer time than usual, the World Tree's Long Spear appeared, shining so brightly that it was hard to see its form clearly. When I lightly grasped it, the light was suddenly sucked into the weapon.
The form that was finally revealed was overwhelming. There was no trace of the old, rotted wooden spear. It looked like an ancient relic from some forgotten time. It was literally just a spearhead attached to a branch, but it wasn't my imagination that it looked incredibly sacred.
[Perfected Branch of the World Tree - Mistilteinn]
[A spear crafted by elves from a rotted branch that happened to fall from the World Tree. It had forgotten its original form, but through a process of purification, it has been restored. After being purified with the World Tree's flowers, leaves, and stems, it underwent another purification with tears of joy, tears of sorrow, and a root. Due to the influence of the two types of tears, it possesses two main functions. It continuously and significantly enhances the user's mana and health. It drains the mana and health of opponents struck by the spear. It helps maintain a constantly clear mind. By consuming a large amount of mana, the user can gain temporary control over surrounding plants.]
[Agility +7, Stamina +7, Magic +7]
“Uh…”
It didn't have a will of its own, but it was an absolute jackpot of an item.
I had already been quite satisfied with the Purified World Tree's Long Spear's role as a charger. If before it was a trickle charge, this new version was without a doubt a rapid charger. No, even ‘rapid charger’ wasn't enough. This item would turn me into a nuclear power plant. As a test, I drew Levatain and poured all my strength into channeling mana, but I could feel my mana replenishing as fast as it was being drained.
In fact, it was filling up even faster.
The second function was just as good. Affecting an opponent's health and mana recovery was an excellent debuff for me, as I often found myself in prolonged battles. No further explanation was needed. The ability to control plants for a time didn't seem very useful without Jung Hayeon, but it was an interesting function nonetheless.
A strange thought suddenly occurred to me. I pushed my mana into Mistilteinn, and Jung Hayeon flinched, her body trembling. Her expression was like she'd felt a light climax.
“Tae… Taesung? S-Suddenly…”
It seemed the spear classified Jung Hayeon as a ‘surrounding plant.’ No wonder she wasn't getting pregnant. Delighted, I slyly pulled her into an embrace. Though she looked confused, Jung Hayeon happily hugged me back.
I had five million points left, but the problem was that nothing really caught my eye. In the end, it seemed the wisest choice was to purchase a quest. It occurred to me that I should probably tell Jung Hayeon that she could buy quests from the shop, so I opened my mouth.
“Ah, by any chance, have you stopped receiving quests lately?”
“Oh. Are you talking about how you have to buy quests from the shop after you reach a certain level of growth? My item shop owner already told me.”
Jung Hayeon already knew. I glanced at the goblin and felt him avoid my gaze. It seemed the item shop owners varied from person to person.
“Hmm… Have you ever bought one?”
“Ah… yes. For five million points…”
“…”
I had only asked casually, but for some reason, she blushed. For me, the only five-million-point quest was [Revenge! Revenge! Revenge on the Sword Saint!]. I was curious what kind of quest she had received, so I kept pressing her until she finally answered in a voice as small as an ant’s.
“It’s… it’s a pregnancy quest, Taesung.”
She looked adorable, covering her face with both arms after speaking out of embarrassment. The higher the difficulty or the more the person desired it, the more points were required to purchase a quest. I could tell just how much she wanted to get pregnant.
“What’s the reward?”
“Ah… well, normally when Green Skins get pregnant and give birth, the child takes after the mother, right? The reward was the ability to have a half-breed.”
“That’s amazing.”
You couldn't know the reward until you bought it. She had just taken a chance and blown five million points on a quest.
Though I was the Seat of Sorrow, my body was fundamentally that of a demon. I started to become very curious about what a half-demon, half-Alraune would look like. Jung Hayeon must have thought my expression was a bit serious because she started watching me cautiously, but I just waved my hand as if it were nothing and spoke.
“Let’s work on it together.”
“Ah… Yes!!”
While she hadn't become stronger herself, from Jung Hayeon's perspective, it was a pretty good reward. It completely shattered the rule that Green Skin pregnancies always follow the mother's lineage. If that was the case, then the quest I had would likely be similar.
[You have purchased a quest for 5,000,000 points.]
Hearing the voice immediately, I opened the quest window with a little anticipation.