Chapter 42
Chapter 42
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: What's Wrong With This? (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm facing a very important task right now.
"Hoo..."
I placed the World Tree branch in front of me and gripped a small axe tightly with both hands.
Even before becoming a shaman, as a man, I couldn't just let this slide.
There's a saying, isn't there?
A man's worth is in his gear.
They say a craftsman doesn't blame his tools, but I'm not a craftsman yet.
As an apprentice, good equipment is essential.
"Honestly, if a shaman's going to join wars and all, shouldn't he get at least this much?"
Nod.
Serena nodded in agreement with my opinion.
In truth, Serena probably would have nodded no matter what I said.
She was fully agreeing with everything I said.
"Serena, could you look away for a bit?"
This might be an endlessly cruel sight for her.
The branch in front of me was, strictly speaking, like a finger of the World Tree.
"...?"
"Ah, I'm going to make a fan."
"...?"
"The kind shamans use... you know."
Living as a shaman sharpens your intuition.
I communicate with spirits just by reading their expressions and gestures.
Even without words from Serena, it was enough to get by.
"Shall we get started then?"
I didn't need the whole branch.
I planned to use one of the smaller twigs attached to the main stem.
I had already prayed to the World Tree.
Asking it to please cherish this for the fan I was making.
It seemed a bit displeased, but...
Whoosh—
Thwack—
"Huh?"
"...?"
The axe hit the twig squarely.
But it didn't even sink in by a fingernail's breadth.
I swung the axe again.
Thwack—
"..."
Once more, the axe just bounced off.
I chop all the firewood at home with this axe.
Its performance has been proven time and again.
It wasn't the axe's fault.
"Is it because it's from the World Tree...?"
No matter how many more swings I took, nothing changed.
The wood withstood the axe and refused to split.
"This is weird..."
This wasn't just idle talk—it was truly strange.
Have you ever heard stories like that?
A doll you threw away coming back home, or a hand stuck to a grave coming loose after pouring liquor on it.
My instincts were telling me this was one of those eerie tales.
"Hmm... maybe not?"
Fine, let's say it's possible since the material itself is extraordinary.
But...
"Hey, Headless. What are you trying to chop?"
Headless and the stray spirits were laughing.
If it were just mockery, I could endure it, but these guys look hideous.
When they laugh like that, their faces become grotesquely distorted.
Especially Headless, holding his head in his hands while laughing...
For now, I bowed my head toward the branch again.
"World Tree... please allow me just one fan."
Whoosh—
Thwack—
"Just one fan... okay?"
Thwack—
"Ha..."
The sound of the axe striking wood echoed, but not a single scratch appeared.
This meant the wood itself wasn't prepared to become a fan.
"I've already agreed through prayer, and now this..."
Just in case, I asked Serena.
"By any chance, can you use Aura Blade?"
Shake, shake.
"What about splitting it with magic? No, that might not work..."
If I can't make a fan, then maybe...
I pondered while hugging the wood, and one idea kept surfacing.
The problem was I couldn't make that with this.
"It'd be ridiculously small..."
That nagging thought circling my mind seemed right after all...
"Guess I have to check for real."
I shook the rattle and posed my question.
"I want to make a fan, but is there something else you desire?"
That same thought flashed through my mind again.
"Making it with this would make it very small."
The idea persisted unchanged.
How on earth does the World Tree know about this and insist I make it...
It might have seen it in my memories.
"Ha... fine, let's try it."
I tucked the rattle into my belt and picked up the axe again.
But no matter how I thought about it, it felt vague.
"No, since when is there such a tiny guardian totem?"
Guardian totems are supposed to be huge by nature.
And they're usually made in pairs.
Though it varies by region, the well-known ones come in pairs: two together.
The Heavenly Great General and the Earthly Lady General totems.
"It really wants guardian totems...?"
The branch was exactly the length of my leg.
Split in half, it'd make two totems up to my knee height.
Who calls something that small a guardian totem?
"...Please bless me as I make the guardian totems."
I swung the axe in my hand.
My mind was uncertain, so I swung it gently, just in case.
Thwack—
Crack—
"Guardian totems for real."
Incredibly, the branch snapped cleanly in two.
Even the part I didn't hit broke off neatly.
It was bizarre.
"..."
The wood splitting was good, but there was a problem.
I have no talent for carving.
If I tried carving a guardian totem, it wouldn't come out right.
"Can't entrust it to someone else..."
I could feel this was something I had to do myself.
When you get that feeling in your shaman life, you have no choice but to do it.
Have to do what must be done.
"My fate even includes carving now."
I fetched a dagger suitable for carving, and Serena had already brought a chair and the wood, waiting.
"Thanks."
As long as the wood didn't resist like before, it should be doable.
With that mindset, I pressed the knife tip to the wood, and it carved away easily.
Scrape—
Scritch—
Was this really the same tough wood from earlier?
It carved as smoothly as if it were clay, without any resistance.
"What a life, doing every damn thing."
I've been struck by lightning, flown through the sky.
And now carving guardian totems.
Out of World Tree wood, no less.
Scrape—
I trimmed the small twigs and peeled the bark, creating a fairly plausible branch.
If you ignored how it was getting thinner and thinner.
"Hmm... no matter how I look at it, this ain't it..."
Such thin, small guardian totems.
I peeled away the flesh, shaping it like a cylinder, but the size was pathetic.
In terms of sanctity, no totem could match it, but in size, it couldn't match any.
"It's quality over size."
For guardian totems, the face is key.
That's what makes stray spirits flee in fear.
A resolute face imbued with sacred energy.
I've never been a ghost, so I wouldn't know, but to stray spirits, it must feel terrifying.
I put my heart into carving the face.
"Serena, how's this? Scary enough?"
"..."
Her reaction was lukewarm.
Well, with my skills, how good could it be?
Vague features and a head that could be a hat or whatever.
I tried imitating the hats nobles wore, but no one but me would recognize it.
"Hmm..."
I carefully engraved "Heavenly Great General" on the body.
And thus, the Great General totem was complete.
Standing it up, it reached my knee—more like a club than a totem...
"Closer to a bat...?"
Perfect size to swing around.
Just thin the handle a bit, and it'd make a fine bat.
"..."
I gripped the wood for the Earthly Lady General totem.
As the work dragged on, Serena fidgeted as if she had something to say.
"What?"
Her mouth mumbled as if she'd made up her mind.
And Serena's voice leaked out.
"...I'll prepare the meal."
Serena was like this every time she spoke.
Speaking itself was terrifying for her.
A scar etched in her spirit, I suppose.
"Thanks."
Time passed as I worked on the totem.
After putting in a good effort, it looked decent enough.
For something made by my skills, that is.
The features were still vague.
"This'll do."
Both totems had writing engraved on them.
Heavenly Great General, Earthly Lady General.
I used the local language instead of Hanja to fit this world.
It looked quite unique that way.
"As long as it works..."
The energy it held was extraordinary, so it should be fine.
Probably...
"Where to plant these?"
Our house has no fence.
No proper entrance either.
"They need to go at the entrance... for now, here?"
The center of the yard.
Since I haven't done the totem ritual yet, it's perfect for temporary placement.
Easy to refine further whenever I have time.
I dug into the ground and set the totems facing each other.
"Hm..."
Just then, Serena approached me.
Meal prep must be done.
I learned yesterday that Serena is an excellent cook.
Finally, proper meals at home.
"Already done?"
It wasn't just our meal.
The ancestral table was fully set too.
For the graveyard elders and stray spirits.
She couldn't see them, but it was thoughtful.
"..."
Thanks to Serena, life got easier in many ways.
No need to fetch water separately, for one.
"...Undine."
Bow.
Sure enough, the Undine greeted me.
The Undine, having greeted me, headed somewhere.
"...?"
"Huh?"
It went to the totems I planted.
"Because it's the World Tree?"
The Undine approached familiarly, tilted its head, then started sprinkling water on them.
"Undine?"
"...?"
Why water them there?
"Wait..."
Come to think of it, this branch had been detached for a while, yet it was still fresh and green.
The leaves hadn't wilted even before I trimmed the twigs.
A sudden realization flashed through my mind.
Ridiculously small guardian totems.
Yet the divine will had descended.
If my guess was right, it all made sense.
"Could this be... growing?"