Chapter 95
Translator: MJK
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: World Tree? It's Just Muryong's Cat Tower
With its short, stubby legs waddling along, the little guy's backside was so pitifully adorable it clashed completely with the raging storm around it. It was like watching a rice cake roll peacefully across the ground.
"No! Don't go near there...!"
Xiao Lin, who'd been watching, cried out.
Anyone stepping into that mana storm would be disintegrated without a trace, no question about it.
But Muryong paid no mind.
It plopped right down in the eye of the storm, in front of the source spewing out that pillar of light.
Tap.
The soft little paw pressed lightly against the churning earth.
Whummm—
In an instant.
The light pillar shooting skyward like it would pierce the heavens shrank beneath Muryong's tiny paw pad.
Just like a scared pup tucking its tail.
The ferocious dimensional waves, rampaging wildly, flattened themselves before the primal authority emanating from Muryong and submitted obediently.
-Mrur.
Muryong let out a short mumble.
As if responding to its call, the seed buried in the earth immediately reined in its savage energy and sprouted a neat, pretty little shoot.
Shooo!
The sprout shot up in a flash, growing into a sturdy sapling that reached my waist.
A mystical, beautiful tree with branches shimmering faintly with aurora lights.
"......"
Then, something bizarre happened.
As Muryong approached the sapling, the branches moved on their own, gently wrapping around its body.
A subtle resonance hummed between the tree and Muryong, like two long-lost halves reuniting.
Humm— Whummm!
Watching the scene, a mythic image flashed in my mind.
'The World Tree and a dragon...'
Yggdrasil, the World Tree from Norse mythology.
And Nidhogg, the dragon said to gnaw at its roots.
Legends usually depicted dragons and World Trees as opposites, or the dragon parasitizing the tree.
'But this isn't parasitism.'
What I was seeing was the opposite: Muryong wasn't devouring the tree's energy—instead, it overflowed with primal power, which the tree absorbed to sustain itself.
Muryong's energy was calming the newborn, confused World Tree.
-Mrup!
Seeing that only deepened my conviction.
Muryong was no mere Nidhogg or any legendary dragon—it was beyond comparison.
A being from before myths were written, before the World Tree even sprouted.
The origin of all things.
An unveiled mystery.
Muryong clearly harbored secrets far grander and more profound than I could imagine.
Swish—
The once-frenzied World Tree sapling froze at Muryong's glance.
'It instinctively knows.'
That this adorable creature existed at a higher, more distant pinnacle than the very dimension it had rooted itself in—an absolute sovereign.
Shrrr!
The aurora-glowing branches drooped all at once.
Like vassals prostrating before a majestic emperor, the entire tree bowed deeply toward Muryong.
-Mrup!
Muryong seemed quite pleased with the World Tree's attitude.
It fidgeted its short front paws as if clasping them behind its back, then snorted with mock sternness.
Pffft—
That tiny snort swept away the lingering, air-shaking mana waves like melting snow.
A touch too cute for quelling disaster, yet overwhelmingly powerful in its charm.
'Even that mighty World Tree is handled in Muryong's presence.'
The world's cutest apex predator.
Beijing, China. Chairman Zhu Lun's office.
TV news was breaking with reports of Liu Liu Hunter's death.
Breaking! Continent's Star, S-Rank Healer Liu Liu Dead.
Korea's S-Rank Hunter Yu Jin-hyuk Visits Sickbed, Witnesses Final Moments...
"Dead at last. Finally gone."
Zhu Lun let out a sigh of relief as he watched the news.
The days of anxiously cradling a ticking time bomb were finally over.
"Chairman, documents from the Xiao family have arrived."
The paper his secretary handed over was the very document Kang-hyun had drafted and Xiao Lin had sent.
S-Rank Hazardous Mana Contaminant Extradition and Sealing Consent Form
"Hmm... The Xiao family will take responsibility for the body and handle disposal abroad."
Zhu Lun stroked his chin.
For China, this wasn't just pulling a bad tooth—it was like hitting the jackpot.
"Do you know how much it costs to dispose of Liu Liu's corpse? An S-Rank healer's body is a massive mana clump in itself. Suppressing the seed inside to prevent rampage during incineration? You'd need astronomical mana stones and the power of three or four S-Rank Hunters."
A perilous disposal job no amount of national budget could guarantee.
Yet the Xiao family was volunteering to foot the bill themselves—and handle it outside the border.
"That seed? No guarantee it vanishes with the host. It might lose control and go berserk. Keeping it on our soil is too risky."
"Agreed. If they handle it themselves, it's one less headache for us."
Plus, with oversight from the International Hunter Tribunal, China could dodge blame if anything went wrong.
Zhu Lun signed without hesitation.
"By the way, the Xiao family says this is their chance to leave China."
"Leave? Emigrating?"
"Yes. After retrieving Liu Liu's remains and healing their broken hearts, they're moving their residence to Korea."
Zhu Lun's eyes sharpened.
The Xiao family was a powerhouse in China's hunter world.
Losing their vast wealth, connections, and S-Rank Hunter Xiao Lin would be a massive blow to national strength.
"The old fossils have outlived their use, but we can't just let their daughter go."
Zhu Lun grinned greedily.
"Liu Liu's body needs handling ASAP, though. If they're using it as leverage for a deal... fine, we'll set terms."
"What terms?"
"Let the family go, but all their assets and dungeon rights in China revert to the state. They leave empty-handed, and we approve. Relay that."
"Understood. They're desperate for the body disposal anyway—they'll have no choice."
"And that daughter... she'll pay with her body."
"Pardon?"
"The [Sealed Grounds] in the northern Kunlun Mountains. The barriers there have been unstable lately—a real pain."
Kunlun Mountains' Sealed Grounds.
A death zone even S-Rank Hunters avoided, where top-tier ancient beasts were sealed.
Not your average demon realm—the constant toxic fumes and curses shaved years off your life just guarding it. Pure hell.
"Tell Xiao Lin: two years there. Guard the seal perfectly for two years, and she's free."
"I-is that feasible? Even S-Rank parties struggle there. Alone...?"
"That's why we're sending her. If she dies, great. If she survives and completes it, we save on defense costs. Either way, they can't refuse because of Liu Liu's corpse."
Zhu Lun cackled.
Confiscate the wealth, squeeze the S-Rank dry till she drops.
No better deal.
'What a vicious bastard...'
His secretary shuddered at the sheer villainy.
The Xiao family estate.
The funeral hall buzzed with reporters and mourners.
Amid nonstop camera flashes, Xiao Lin sat at the podium in black mourning garb.
She'd barely slipped back into the mansion via the Disaster Flower's portal just before the press swarmed through dimensional gates.
"Sob... sob..."
Xiao Lin wept endlessly, head bowed.
A pitiful sight, barely holding herself together after losing a friend.
Reporters snapped away furiously.
"Yu Jin-hyuk Hunter has arrived!"
Parting the murmuring crowd, Yu Jin-hyuk entered in a black suit.
He approached Xiao Lin with a somber expression.
"......Your grief must be immense."
Yu Jin-hyuk knelt before her, offering solemn condolences.
Cameras zeroed in on the two S-Ranks.
"Thank you... for coming."
Xiao Lin lifted her head.
The moment her tear-streaked eyes met his, her lips moved ever so slightly.
'Thank you.'
No sound, but Yu Jin-hyuk read the shape perfectly.
Thanks for the assist on the plan—and for the chance to save her friend.
Yu Jin-hyuk nodded silently.
Then, he gently wrapped his large hand around her trembling shoulder.
"Stay strong. Liu Liu Hunter... wouldn't want you breaking down."
Surface words of comfort, but the real message was different.
'It worked. Soon, it'll all be over.'
Xiao Lin bowed her head, feeling the hidden [Extradition Consent Form] in her bosom.
Stamped boldly with the Chinese government's seal.
'He's truly... incredible.'
When Kang-hyun first shoved that document at her, Xiao Lin had her doubts.
Would cunning foxes like Zhu Lun and Mei Ling bite?
Wouldn't it backfire and arouse suspicion?
But Kang-hyun saw through everything.
Their fears, greed, arrogance—all of it.
'Without Gorani-man's wisdom and insight, we'd have died like dogs here.'
Xiao Lin gazed tearfully into the void.
As if her unseen benefactor's shadow stood there.
A true powerhouse, dominant not just in force but in schemes.
Once more, she vowed never to forget this grace—and to follow him.
Late night in the countryside yard.
Boing!
Muryong hopped onto the comfiest-looking branch of the freshly sprouted World Tree sapling.
-Mrrrr!
As Muryong settled in and lay down, the branches shifted on their own, cradling it like a hammock.
Muryong's pure energy permeates the World Tree sapling.
The rampaging dimensional energy assimilates with the primal breath, achieving perfect stability.
Muryong's excess energy acted like a sedative and nourishment for the newborn, confused World Tree.
With each breath Muryong took, the branches glowed golden and grew sturdier.
Huff... huff...
Before long, Muryong was fast asleep atop the World Tree.
Behind its serene form, the sapling's leaves twinkled rainbow hues in rhythm with its breaths.
Infinite energy flowed from Muryong with every exhale, stabilizing as it soaked into the tree—and Muryong got its perfect bed.
"My yard just got a killer cat tower. Or should I call it a dragon tower?"
Owning a World Tree was huge in itself.
But seeing Muryong blissed out, belly-up?
That alone made planting it totally worth it. Right now, anyway.