Chapter 84

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Translator: MJK

Chapter: 84

Chapter Title: Gluttonous Tree's New Fertilizer Candidate

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It was the dead of night when everyone else was asleep.
In my hand was the book I'd brought back from the Xiao Clan: [Wandering Soul Heart Method].

Whoosh—

To calm my mind first, I circulated the Breathing Method.
Pure, deepened internal energy flowed from my dantian through all my meridians, quieting my tangled thoughts.

"Good."

Preparations were complete.
I opened the heavy wooden box I'd given to Xiao Lin on the day we first met.

Grind—

I poured purified Moon-White Spiritual Water into the inkstone and began quietly grinding the ink.
Emptying my mind, I focused solely on the sensation of ink meeting stone.

Scritch... scritch...

The sound of grinding felt like it was pulverizing the stray thoughts in my heart.
As the ink's energy mingled with the pure spiritual water, deep, heavy black ink pooled in the stone, faint golden flecks sparkling beautifully within it.
The fragrance that spread was incomparably richer and deeper than any ordinary ink.

Snap—

I dipped the brush, soaking it fully in the ink.
Then, on the blank paper before me, I began carefully transcribing the first line of the Wandering Soul Heart Method, stroke by stroke.

[All things in the world are connected by invisible threads.]

Swoosh—

The moment the brush tip touched the paper,
the characters I wrote wriggled to life, glowing golden.
They poured into my mind like a waterfall, etching the true meaning of the heart method into me.

'So this is the power of the War God's ink.'

It felt as if the ancient war god's will and experiences were directly imprinting onto me through the ink.
Profound passages that no amount of reading could reveal became crystal clear.

The heart method that opens paths.
A realm where one's consciousness rides the flow of internal energy along unseen trails.
The body remains here, yet the mind can travel anywhere in the world.

'This is the essence of the Wandering Soul Heart Method.'

The characters before my eyes seemed ready to leap off the page.
Every word transformed into vivid images and sensations in my mind.

Finally, I understood.
The internal energy I'd wielded until now was merely a massive lump of power trapped in my body.
But now I knew.
How to let this power flow.
How to transcend this fleshly vessel and merge with the world's unseen currents.
Traveling the paths of the wind, slipping through shadow's gaps, communing with the spirits of all living things.
That was the true realm of wandering souls...

Scritch... scritch—

The grinding sound quickened.
I spent the entire night transcribing the full heart method.

"Phew... it's done."

And as I wrote the final character, I was certain.
The internal energy in my body was now moving in an entirely new way.

Though I'd trained through the night, sleep wouldn't come.
My consciousness, expanded by the Wandering Soul Heart Method, was hypersensitive to the entire world.
My mind was sharper and more awake than ever.
Stepping out onto the veranda,

Thud—

Something crunched underfoot.
The broken fishing rod I'd bought at the Chinese flea market lay near where Muryong slept.

The line was snapped, and it was broken in the middle—worse than worthless.

Gorong-gorong...

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gazed at Muryong's peaceful sleeping face beside me.
Muryong wouldn't pick something like this for no reason.

'Connection of consciousness...'

I picked up the rod and recalled a line from the Wandering Soul Heart Method.

'Become formless wind and caress the memories slumbering in the depths.'

Memories slumbering in the depths.

"Alright, let's try it."

I closed my eyes and circulated the [Wandering Soul Heart Method].
Riding my internal energy's flow, I carefully sent my consciousness into the fishing rod.

"..."

At first, nothing.
Just shattered, blocked sensations.
But I pressed deeper, into the rod's core essence.
Then,

'I see it.'

The rod's origin memory.
A craftsman's hands carving mystical bamboo grown under moonlight.
The first owner's grand dream of fishing up time itself with this rod.

'And I feel it.'

The faint echoes lingering in the broken fragments.
I responded to those echoes, channeling pure internal energy from my body into the rod.

Flash—

Instantly, the broken bamboo knit itself back together, and the snapped line wove anew in silver strands through the air.

"!"

The broken rod had been reborn as something extraordinary.
Far beyond what I'd imagined.

"...Insane."

An exclamation slipped out unbidden.
It was like breathing new life into a dead relic—a miracle.

Wandering Soul Heart Method.
Its power, summed up in two lines:

The authority to shape internal energy into will, commune with an object's memories, and awaken its potential.
A realm transcending mere emission of power, harmonizing with all things and intervening in their essence.

'Reviving forgotten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠causality.'

A power to peer into the world's underbelly and touch hidden laws.
Perhaps with this, I could commune even deeper with unknowns like the Abyssal Gluttonous Tree or Disaster Flowers.
Or restore broken artifacts, imbue ordinary items with special powers.
The possibilities were endless.

A five-story building in Seoul.
So-ye's enrollment day was fast approaching.

Creeeak—

I opened the dimensional gate linking to my rural home garden.
Thanks to the Illusion Dream Tree's barrier, it now appeared as nothing more than ordinary rooftop concrete, undetectable by any external gear.

"Let's take a good look around."

I meticulously inspected each floor's condition.
With the Illusion Dream Tree's roots embedded throughout, I needed to ensure no structural strain.

Vmmm—

I channeled internal energy through the walls, floors, and pillars.
Micro-twists in rebar, tiny concrete cracks, plumbing pressure shifts—all laid bare in my mind like my own palm.

"Good, no issues."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Fortunately, the building was fine.
However,

The mana stones powering the security systems were depleting far faster than expected.

"At this rate, it won't last a month."

Looks like I'd need to climb the Tower again soon for more mana stones.

Ding—

I took the elevator down to the first floor.

I poured Dawn Awakening beans from home into a large roaster and fired it up.

Crackle, pop—

The nutty aroma of roasting beans filled the cafe.
Then, I felt a prickling stare.

'What the?'

Looking out the floor-to-ceiling window, a woman in a suit gaped at me like I'd seen a ghost.
Her face was gaunt, as if she hadn't slept in days.

"Hey! There you are!"

Spotting me, she shouted joyfully.

"Are you opening the shop now?!"

Through the glass, I could only see her lips moving.
I unlocked the door, and she grabbed my hand, pleading.

"Please, sell me some coffee! I'll buy ten cups!"

"You're the one from before, right?"

"Huh? You remember me?"

"Of course. You were my first customer."

Touched by my words, she then fumbled in her suit pocket with a start, handing me a business card.

"Just in case you think I'm shady. This is who I am."

I took the card.

[Jeongjin Law Firm, Attorney Jeong Ha-yoon]

She was from the firm across the street.

"How was the taste?"

"Well, it was so long ago, I barely remember. One more sip, and I'd know for sure..."

Jeong Ha-yoon pulled an overtly pitiful face.

"I'm roasting beans right now anyway, so have one on me."

"Really?!"

I brewed her a fresh cup from the new roast.

"In return, give me a detailed review."

"Wow! You got it!"

She snatched the cup like she'd been waiting and took a sip.

"Mmm!"

Adjusting her glasses, she tapped her temple with an index finger.

"...This is clearly illegal."

"Pardon?"

"This coffee. The harmony of bright acidity and heavy body is downright criminal. Such perfect balance of opposing flavors—our firm's head couldn't negotiate that well."

"...Come again?"

Ignoring my baffled look, she continued gravely.

"Disarming someone with a single cup? That could qualify as inducing mental impairment, boss."

Her absurd critique drew a hollow laugh from me.

"So, conclusion... you'll open tomorrow too?"

She grinned back.

"No set hours yet. Probably more often once my sister starts at Saint Marie."

"Oh! Your sister's enrolling here?"

Ha-yoon's eyes sparkled.

"Lots of our clients' kids go there."

"Really? What's the vibe like?"

"Don't worry, the kids are sweeter than you'd think. People say rich kids are brats, but from my experience, it's the opposite. Generous hearts too. No need to bully for self-esteem, I guess? Anyway, your sister will be fine!"

Ha-yoon rattled off school details excitedly.
I thought she was pretty fun.

"Um, boss."

"Yeah."

"No plans for other menu items? Just this now?"

She eyed my handwritten menu board.
Only "Coffee of the Day" was listed.
Truth was, other drinks needed milk steaming and such—too much hassle, so I'd skipped them.

"The coffee's amazing, but an ade would be nice too. Refreshing!"

"I'll think about it."

Fruits from the garden could work.

'One issue though.'

It'd spark rumors of being Gorani-man12's crops from Dang-geun-tap.

'No real need to hide I'm Gorani-man, but...'

No desire to broadcast it either.
Better to separate cafe menu from garden produce.

"Phew, lunch hour's over..."

Ha-yoon licked the cup clean, reluctant to let go.
Reminded me of Muryong clutching a jelly pouch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at home.

"You look pretty down."

She seized the opening to vent.

"I just started at the firm, but they dumped this huge case on me right away. Should've known something was up when they took me golfing that weekend!"

"Still, landing a big client sounds good?"

"Thought so at first, but digging deeper, it's fishy. Hot potato, maybe..."

Ha-yoon muttered under her breath, thinking I couldn't hear.

"Why does a presidential hopeful reek like this? Is politics always so rotten...?"

Pretending not to hear, I set a fresh hot cup before her.

"On the house. Buck up."

"Boss... are you an angel?"

She sipped with teary eyes.
From her briefcase's gap, a sticky malice oozed—visible only to non-ordinary eyes.

'That...'

Thanks to the new heart method?
Its essence was vivid: crystallized ill will from a lifetime of malice.

'Could it be?'

Like memory fragments gnawed by vicious residue, fleeting images flashed by.

Okinawa's Yanbaru National Park.
On the blackened earth scarred by disaster stood the solitary [Abyssal Gluttonous Tree].

Vmmm—

The usually dormant tree stirred.

Its black leaves rustled eagerly, like anticipating a feast.

Vmmm—

Kang-hyun placed a hand on the tree, channeling internal energy.
Through the expanded consciousness of the [Wandering Soul Heart Method], he peered into its deepest core.
Where once only surface emotions registered, now its desires and will flowed clear as his own thoughts.

'Now I can even read such specific thoughts.'

Before, it'd been vague moods—good or bad.
Now, thanks to the heart method, he knew exactly what it craved and whom it awaited.

'Invite?'

The tree's branches quivered, pointing somewhere.
Its emotion was pure anticipation.
Kang-hyun tilted his head, stroking a black leaf.

'Someone else coming?'

This was the tree's first such joyful reaction since Park Jin-su.