Chapter 70
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: On the Grapevine Resembling the World Tree
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Kim Nari, who had been making ‘huuung’ sounds along with the Mandragoras, tilted her head.
“Can’t I do it?”
“No. The goal is to put those roots to sleep. If you join in and ‘huuung’ with them, you’ll just boost their morale.”
“Oh. Right. That was it. Putting them to sleep was the goal. It was so much fun spinning around with you that I forgot.”
Kim Nari looked back with a sheepish expression. The three Mandragoras were looking around with valiant faces.
-Huuung!
Their calls searching for their kind were full of spirit.
But if you listened closely, their voices were a little hoarse, as if they were tired.
“Mister. They seem really tired.”
“They probably are. They’re not monsters with a lot of stamina to begin with.”
Normally, they were monsters that spent most of the day sleeping underground.
Even when they came above ground, they were plant-type monsters that did nothing more than lie on the ground and sunbathe.
Walking around for this long couldn’t be good for them.
‘This one’s the exception.’
Cheon Doun glanced at Dodagi in his waist pouch.
Dodagi had already fallen asleep with a peaceful expression. While it didn’t go underground, its need for sleep wasn’t much different from other Mandragoras.
“I guess I’ll have to put the garden kids to sleep somehow.”
Cheon Doun took a jar of moisturizing cream from his bag.
“Kim Nari. Hold this.”
“Got it.”
Kim Nari opened the lid of the cream and waited.
Meanwhile, Cheon Doun picked up the largest Mandragora.
-Hu, huuung?
It was the Mandragora that had two of its rootlets plucked by Cheon Doun once.
Lying face down in Cheon Doun’s palm, the Mandragora was startled.
The memory of its stinging bottom from that similar situation flashed through its mind.
-Hu, huung!
*I won’t fall for it twice. I know you can’t trust all adults.*
*There’s no way I’m losing my newly grown rootlets.*
The Mandragora swung its rootlets rapidly.
Swish, swish.
Its defense was perfect. But it was anxious. Its opponent was a much larger adult Mandragora.
-Hu, huuung….
Its eyes, looking back at Cheon Doun, were trembling slightly.
“This makes me feel a little bad.”
Was it really that much of a shock?
Feeling apologetic, Cheon Doun scooped up a generous amount of moisturizing cream. He gently spread it on the Mandragora’s back.
-Hu, huuung?
The root looked back with a surprised expression. Soothing moisture seeped into its body, which had become dry from roaming the ground.
*Ah, my body is melting. What is this?* The large root went limp in Cheon Doun’s palm.
‘Was this where I took the rootlets from before?’
When he dabbed the cream on that spot and patted it, the root quivered. Its leaves swayed gently.
-Huung, huung!
*This feels good.* The Mandragora closed its eyes blissfully, enjoying the massage.
“Alright. The back is done.”
He turned it over and evenly applied the cream to its front as well.
After spreading it all over the leaves and tapping them with his fingers, the Mandragora’s mouth slowly opened.
Zzz… zzz.
The large Mandragora from the garden fell asleep with its mouth slightly agape.
A moisturizing cream massage that came amidst its exhaustion. It was still too young to withstand such a thing.
“One down.”
Cheon Doun gently placed the Mandragora into a hole in the garden. After covering it with soil, it remained asleep and didn’t come out.
“Two more to go, then?”
Cheon Doun looked back at the two smaller Mandragoras.
-Huuung?
The poor-sighted Mandragoras stood behind Cheon Doun, oblivious to the fate that was about to befall them.
***
The Chairman of the Hunter Association, I Unsu.
Well over 80 years old, he was still actively working.
This was possible because Chairman I Unsu was a C+ rank Awakened.
His aging had started later than that of an ordinary person, and he looked at least 20 years younger than his actual age.
“So, you’re saying the silencing spell cast on these 150 people can’t be broken?”
Chairman I Unsu asked, looking at the document before him.
“As stated in the report, sir. The mana barrier covering the spell formation is identical to the one from the incident 57 years ago.”
The silencing spell engraved by some alchemist 57 years ago.
The very one where they couldn’t figure out who cast it or what information was being silenced.
“After examination by several Awakened, they believe the owner of the overlaid mana is the same person. They say the quality of the mana is identical.”
Chairman I Unsu wasn’t surprised by his secretary’s words.
There couldn’t be another person in the world capable of wielding such a vast amount of mana. So, of course, it had to be the same person.
He simply nodded, having anticipated as much.
“I suppose we can’t identify who that person is?”
“No, sir. It’s highly likely they’re a freelance Hunter, unregistered with the Association.”
“Or perhaps a retired Hunter. If it’s the same person from 57 years ago, they’d be from the old generation.”
*Someone who lived through the same era as me. Maybe I’ve even met them.*
‘No, that’s too far-fetched.’
Chairman I Unsu chuckled at his own foolish thought.
“In any case. Discipline those 150 and bring them to court. Have you caught the mastermind behind it yet?”
“Not yet, sir. But we expect news soon.”
“Make sure you catch them and see they receive a fitting punishment.”
“Understood.”
“What about the whereabouts of the young Hunter who was used?”
The secretary shook his head.
“It seems they planned to spirit him away from the moment he came for his rank assessment. They didn’t even leave a record of the assessment. We’re investigating, but… there have been no leads.”
“I see. Alright. You may leave.”
The secretary gave a slight bow and left. Left alone, Chairman I Unsu let out a small sigh.
Given the circumstances, the exploited boy's death was all but confirmed.
‘I was hoping to find his family and compensate them. But with this little information, that will be difficult.’
This was his failure as the Association Chairman. With a bitter expression, Chairman I Unsu closed the file.
‘Nameless child, I am sorry. I pray your final moments were not painful…’
He silently mourned O Bongsu, who was alive and well.
***
At that same moment, Cheon Doun wiped the sweat from his brow and looked down at the garden.
There, the Mandragoras, victims of the moisturizing cream massage, were planted demurely.
Buried in the earth, they seemed to be sleeping soundly, and the soft sound of their breathing could be heard occasionally.
“Phew… alright. That takes care of all three.”
Having put the garden’s Mandragoras to sleep, Cheon Doun looked relieved.
He never knew putting kids to sleep was this much work.
“Let’s see. Sasa is still sleeping.”
He looked at a corner of the garden. Sasa was still asleep, likely due to the massive energy drain from molting.
“Guu and the Chimeras… are over there.”
A pit had been dug next to the log cabin.
Guu and the Chimeras were huddled together there, sleeping.
When the yellow ore cover that had been piled in the yard disappeared, they had dug a pit and hidden themselves.
“Looks like they’re adapting well.”
Nothing to worry about there. Finally, Cheon Doun surveyed the forest.
With winter approaching, the forest area had already changed, its leaves turning into a patchwork of autumn colors.
“Since it’s autumn, anyway. Should I go pick some fruit for dessert?”
“Fruit?”
“It’ll probably take Nam Giseok a while to cook for everyone.”
Making enough for over 30 Chimeras was bound to take time.
Deciding to find some dessert in the meantime, Cheon Doun slung an empty bag over his shoulder. Seeing this, Kim Nari quickly put her bag on as well.
“I’ll pick fruit too. Can I go with you?”
“Sure.”
Cheon Doun patted Kim Nari’s head and entered the forest. Kim Nari looked around with an excited expression and asked.
“But Mister. Is there edible fruit in the Demon World?”
“Almost none. Most of it is poisonous.”
“Then what are we supposed to pick?”
“Red grapes. They’re the only fruit known among Hunters to be edible. This is the perfect time of year for them, when they’re ripe for eating.”
Cheon Doun said, walking towards a sweet fragrance.
He himself wouldn’t be affected by poison, but thinking of the Chimeras sleeping in the yard, he had to pick edible fruit.
“The thing to watch out for is that you can’t eat these grapes right away. They have a component that causes hallucinations.”
“A hallucinogenic toxin?”
“Yeah. The reaction varies from person to person, but some people see hallucinations just by smelling the sweet scent near the grapes.”
How was one supposed to eat them then? As Kim Nari looked up, Cheon Doun continued.
“You can eat them if you cook them. The poison disappears with heat.”
“You cook fruit?”
“That’s right. It’s less about cooking and more about just lightly heating the outside. It’s surprisingly delicious.”
At the word “delicious,” Kim Nari’s eyes filled with anticipation.
Just then, a faint human voice cut through the air between them.
“Help me… Is anyone there?”
It was the still-youthful voice of a young man. Kim Nari stared in the direction of the sound.
“Mister. Someone’s there.”
“So it seems.”
“Fifty meters ahead. There’s a person in a tree. A pack of wolves is below it. It’s in the direction we’re headed.”
“Looks like it.”
The two walked on, chatting casually.
Pushing through the undergrowth, they came upon a massive tree, large enough to be reminiscent of the World Tree.
A young man was perched on it. Below, just as Kim Nari had said, dozens of wolves had surrounded the tree.
“P-People…! Hey, over here! Please, help me!”
The young Hunter spotted Cheon Doun and waved his hands.
Instead of answering, Cheon Doun looked at the tree he was on.
“That’s the tree. See the grapes?”
“Ooh. I see them. There are a lot. But some grapes are yellow and some are red. Which ones should we pick?”
“The red ones. The yellow ones aren’t ripe, so don’t pick those. And don’t get too close to that guy. He might be hallucinating.”
You never know what someone in that state might do. At Cheon Doun’s warning, Kim Nari nodded.
The two opened their bags and approached. The young Hunter cried out in alarm.
“W-Wait! It’s dangerous to come closer like that! Those wolves have more hidden in the… huh?”
The Hunter’s jaw dropped at the scene before him.
The wolves that saw Cheon Doun were slowly backing away. They had instinctively recognized the forest’s sovereign and were slinking off.
‘W-What was that? What did I just see?’
While he stared blankly, Cheon Doun and Kim Nari leaped up into the tree.
Landing on a thick branch, they began picking grapes and putting them in their bags.
“Uh, um. Thank you for sav… ing me?”
*Did they save me?* The young Hunter looked at Cheon Doun with a bewildered expression.
He was confused about what to say, seeing them ignore him and just pick grapes.
‘Wait a minute. Is it even possible to run into people with such perfect timing in the Demon World?’
On top of that, the people he met were casually picking grapes.
While the grapes of the Demon World were edible, no one went out of their way to find and eat them because of the risk of being affected by the hallucinogenic toxin.
Then who in the world were these two in front of him?
‘N-No way. Am I hallucinating because of the grape smell?’
If so, that meant the wolves retreating was also his hallucination. The two people who appeared before him were also fake.
Once that thought took root, he started noticing strange things.
‘That man doesn’t have a single weapon.’
Never mind weapons, he wasn’t even wearing any armor, just regular clothes.
That alone was bizarre, but there was also a little kid, maybe seven or eight years old, picking grapes with him.
*It really is a hallucination.* The young Hunter despaired.
Tears welled in his eyes as he realized the hope he’d clung to was false.
Even knowing it was a hallucination, he couldn’t take his eyes off Cheon Doun. It looked too vivid to possibly be a hallucination.
“Uh, hello? If you’re real, please answer me.”
*Is this what it feels like to grasp at straws?* He approached Cheon Doun, even while thinking he was a hallucination.
“If you help me, I’ll definitely reward you. I-It might be hard to believe, but I’m the grandson of the Hunter Association’s Chairman. I’ll make sure you’re compensated handsomely…”
He reached out a hand toward Cheon Doun. If it wasn’t a hallucination, he should definitely feel something.
Just as his hand was about to touch him, Dodagi poked its face out of Cheon Doun’s waist pouch.
-Huuung!
“Whoa! You scared me! W-What is that thing?”
The Hunter recoiled in shock at the sight of the moving root. Dodagi glared at the Hunter with its fierce eyes.
*You audacious thing. How dare you try to touch my helper.*
Dodagi swung its rootlets at the Hunter. Its movements were ferocious, as if forbidding any approach.
“W-What the… What is that now…”
The Hunter stared blankly at Dodagi.
A moving plant had suddenly popped out of a bag. It was flailing its rootlets, performing some kind of bizarre dance.
“Whoa! Mister, look at this. This grape is huge.”
“It is. The berries are really plump. Pack it carefully so it doesn’t burst.”
“Got it. Ooh, those grapes over there are really big too. I’m gonna go pick those.”
The other two were discussing how plump the Demon World grapes were.
The Hunter stared blankly for a moment before collapsing onto a thick branch.
“Hehe… hehehe. Yep, it’s definitely a hallucination.”
*Why am I seeing such a weird hallucination?* I kind of want to cry. He leaned his head against the tree trunk and sniffled.