Chapter 55: The Caretaker’s Trial

The disappearance of the light energy was because of Sprout.

When firing the pinecone, all the energy of light had been poured into it.

No wonder the power of the pinecone shot was even greater than at the special event location.

Thanks to Sprout’s decision, we were able to defeat Kim Muyeon.

Even after taking the full force of the light energy, he still managed to hold on for a while.

If I had just fired it without imbuing the energy…?

Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine.

“That’s our Sprout. Thanks to you, we won.”

[The World Tree Sprout reports that it is feeling dejected.]

Come on, I told you I’m sorry.

It’s my fault.

Sprout has been sulking ever since I made that slip of the tongue earlier.

In the smartphone, Sprout was crossing its two leaves, turning the top leaf backward.

It looked just like someone crossing their arms and pouting.

Who is this cute, really?

“Whew, Douun, are you okay?”

Taecheon came walking over, a pinecone slung over both shoulders.

He carries that huge thing with no effort at all.

Is he even human, or is he a monster?

Thunk!

He set the pinecone down right beside me, flashing a broad grin.

“N-not okay.”

“…….”

“I mean it! I’m in serious pain. I can’t even move my body.”

“You can’t move? That skill of yours is impressive, but the side effects are severe.”

“Tell me about it. I knew there’d be a penalty, but I didn’t think it’d be like this.”

“Well—”

“Big brother!”

Dohee dropped down from the sky and crouched next to me.

Maybe she’d heard I couldn’t move, because she immediately cast a heal on me.

That unique warmth of the light attribute spread through my whole body.

It was warm, but it hurt.

“You should be fine now.”

“I’m really not, though?”

“Huh? T-that can’t be right…”

Dohee, flustered, cast heal again.

Warmth spread through my body.

But I still hurt, and I still couldn’t move.

“It’s not working?”

“Uh, uhh?”

Dohee cocked her head and checked my body here and there.

She was probably using her healer skill, ‘Health Checkup’, to examine me.

A few seconds later, her eyes grew round with surprise.

She seemed to have figured out why I was hurting and in pain.

She looked down at me with a grave expression.

“Big brother, don’t ever use that skill again.”

“Why?”

“The ‘mana circuit’ that runs the flow of mana through your nerves is in shreds. It’s like it’s been wounded and recovered several times over.”

“Ah….”

Now I got it.

The mana infused with light energy moved too fast, damaging the mana circuit, and then a passive skill healed it.

It must have repeated this process until all the light energy was used up.

In other words, unless I have insane regenerative power—like my organs spilling out but still recovering—using photosynthesis mode is dangerous.

No wonder my whole body is screaming in pain.

“Will I recover to normal?”

“Of course not. For most people.”

“Huh?”

“But you’ll be fine, big brother. You just need to recuperate for about a week.”

“Whew, hey! You scared me.”

“That’s how serious it is—”

“Keuhk!”

I heard Kim Muyeon coughing up blood.

From how close the sound was, he must have fallen nearby.

Well, Taecheon had carried the pinecone back, so of course he was close.

Taecheon drew his longsword and stood protectively in front of Dohee and me.

It was the textbook example of a tanker in action.

He just didn’t have a shield.

“Don’t tell me that bastard is still alive?”

“…For now.”

“For now?”

“More like, he’s dying. That’s more accurate.”

Yeah, that makes sense.

I saw with my own eyes his torso and lower body get separated by the pinecone.

Even a troll, known for their regeneration, would die in that state.

Unless you have some absurd regeneration like me.

Too bad I can’t see him in that shape.

Taecheon sheathed his longsword and came over to me.

I guess he figured out what I wanted.

“Want to see?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, try lifting your arm.”

“Ahhhhk!”

The moment Taecheon picked me up, pain shot through me.

Dohee slapped Taecheon’s back, seeing me in agony.

Nice one, sis!

Taecheon didn’t look hurt at all, even after getting smacked.

He whispered something to Dohee.

I strained my ears, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Dohee looked conflicted for a moment, then nodded.

Huh? This feels ominous.

Taecheon then slung me over his shoulder and walked.

Dohee didn’t hit him again—she just quietly avoided my gaze.

That’s too much!

“Ugh! Ugh, argh!”

I groaned with every step he took.

My body ached even when I was still.

Now, slung over his shoulder and jostled, the pain was doubled.

“It hurts, it really hurts!”

“Quit whining, just bear it.”

“At least carry me on your back!”

“Nope, too much trouble.”

What a jerk.

I looked to Dohee.

Forcing a smile through the pain, I asked,

“Dohee, can’t you lift me with magic?”

“…”

“…Dohee?”

I called her name, but Dohee ignored me.

She still quietly avoided my gaze.

Hmph. Fine.

At least I have Sprout—

[Sprout is currently feeling dejected.]

“……”

A sigh slipped out along with a groan.

At this rate, dragging me along would be better.

“Kuhak!”

The guy coughed up blood and looked up at me.

How is he still alive in that state?

“Should I save you? If Dohee heals you, you could live.”

If his lower half was completely gone, maybe not.

But if we fetched it from where it lay, Dohee could save him with her abilities.

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of saving him.

I just wanted to mess with him.

He knew it too, and gave a crooked smile.

“Forget it. You’re mocking me until the end.”

“Fine, then. Just die well.”

I’d seen him dying, so that was enough.

Nothing more to say.

I tapped Taecheon’s body to signal we could go.

Taecheon’s body shifted, but Kim Muyeon called out to me.

“Baek Douun.”

“…What?”

Only after I answered did Taecheon stop walking.

I turned slightly to look at him.

Kim Muyeon stared at me as he spat up blood.

“Just one favor.”

“You’re insane. You think I’ll do it?”

After fighting to the death, now you ask a favor?

It was so absurd I let out a hollow laugh.

Each time I laughed, pain echoed in my chest.

He just looked up at me without a word.

Man, this guy is a real nuisance.

“What, what, what is it? What do you want to ask?”

“‘Calypse’.”

He pointed to the greatsword lying about five meters away.

Calypse.

I guess that was the name of the greatsword.

“Take it with you.”

“I don’t need it, man. Arca is more than enough.”

More than enough—I can’t even use Arca properly, let alone carry another weapon.

Kim Muyeon nodded slowly, as if accepting it.

“You can just stash it in storage.”

“What?”

“Or toss it somewhere no one can find it. Just… take it.”

“Then why ask me to take it in the first place…?”

I stopped questioning.

Because there was no one left to answer.

Only his vacant, lifeless eyes stared at me.

Kim Muyeon was dead.

“Why the hell did he have to leave a memento like this? So annoying.”

It’s not like I was a comrade or a subordinate.

Taecheon cocked his head and asked,

“You think it’s cursed or something?”

“It was his weapon, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, right.”

“Still, better be sure.”

Then Dohee cast a spell at Calypse.

The greatsword floated up lightly and flew to us.

If only she’d use magic to lift me instead.

Dohee muttered a short incantation, and the greatsword began to emit a white light.

If it had been tainted or cursed, it would have glowed black.

“Hmm, it’s perfectly fine.”

“So it’s just an ordinary greatsword?”

“Not ordinary at all. It’s an A-rank greatsword. You could get at least a few billion won for it.”

“Ooh, I want a new shield!”

I wanted to smack his mouth.

Unable to move properly, I just whacked the back of his thigh.

“More importantly, why did he hand it over to me?”

“Who knows.”

“Maybe as an apology?”

“That guy?”

I looked down at dead Kim Muyeon.

An apology?

He was a guy who snuck in at night, coveting what wasn’t his.

No way he was apologizing.

Even Taecheon frowned, realizing what he’d just said made no sense.

“He said you could toss it, right? Let’s just throw it in the ocean.”

“Come on, better to sell it than throw it out.”

‘You can just stash it in storage.’

‘Or toss it somewhere no one can find it.’

“…No.”

He never said I could sell it.

He said it’s fine to stash it or throw it away, but not a word about selling it.

If he didn’t add that, there must be a reason.

I don’t know what it is, though.

“I’ll take it with me.”

It’s not that hard to grant a dead guy’s last request.

Dohee looked at me.

“Will you be alright?”

“Yeah.”

“…Is it a hunch?”

I just shrugged without answering.

Of course, since Taecheon was carrying me over his shoulder, my shoulder pointed downward instead of up.

Dohee sighed.

“Alright. Just do what you want, big brother.”

“Then I’ll keep it.”

With that, I reached for the floating Calypse.

As soon as I called out to Calypse, the greatsword was sucked into my hand.

“Huh, what the?”

“Subspace? Was that a subspace just now?”

“Oh, right. You two don’t know yet. I have an inventory…”

I was explaining to them when a message window popped up.

At the top, it said ‘Hidden Quest’.

A hidden quest, now?

“Big brother?”

“Ah, just a second.”

“…? Okay.”

Dohee cocked her head but waited as I asked.

I thanked her and read through the message window that appeared.

Actually, since I was upside down, maybe I was reading it upward.

[Hidden Quest from the Previous World Tree Caretaker!]

[You have achieved ‘Are you capable of protecting the World Tree by any means necessary?’]

A hidden quest, what is this?

[The previous caretaker was suspicious of the current caretaker’s mental state.]

[He had felt uneasy about the current caretaker’s eccentric behavior, but after seeing you kill the enemy and seize the item, he felt relieved.]

[Quest objectives – Kill the enemy (Success). Seize the enemy’s item (Success).]

He feels relieved at that? What the hell?

The previous World Tree, what kind of person did you choose as caretaker?

As if to answer my question, another message appeared.

[The previous World Tree caretaker, ‘Dishing na Thor’, was a notorious miser.]

[He would use anything if it could be of use, and never hesitated to take and use the weapons or items of enemies he’d slain.]

[The skill that manifested from that nature was ‘Steal & Learn’, which allowed him to acquire the skills of opponents.]

[Note: The skill acquired through Steal & Learn is a downgraded version of the original.]

[Quest reward – You may acquire one of Kim Muyeon’s skills.]

Oh?

Even if he was a madman, he was a useful madman.

To think I could acquire one of Kim Muyeon’s skills.

Without hesitation, I clicked to claim the reward, intent on getting Song of the Sword.

A list of Kim Muyeon’s skills popped up.

[Song of the Sword (A-Rank)]

[Iron Body (A-Rank)]

[Super Regeneration (B-Rank)]

[Super Strength (B-Rank)]

[······]

As soon as I saw the list, I made my choice.

Of course, I picked Song of the Sword.

That one skill was what made Kim Muyeon a famous A-rank Hunter.

It would be a great asset for me as well.

[You have selected Song of the Sword (A-Rank).]

[It has been converted into the downgraded skill ‘Sword’s Hum (B-Rank)’.]

Light burst out from my body.

I had learned Sword’s Hum.

At that moment, Sprout sent a message.

Finally got over your mood?

[Sprout reports that the World Tree caretaker’s physical condition is too poor.]

[Recommends use of power-saving function for the caretaker.]

[Would you like to activate the power-saving function? (YES/NO)]

[Caution! Please use in a safe place!]

Power-saving function? What’s that about?

From the warning, it should be safe to use here.

With Dohee and Taecheon with me, this is the safest place right now.

Curious, I clicked YES.

[Power-saving function will be activated in 5 seconds.]

[5, 4….]

Power-saving function, huh.

Am I even still human at this point?

There really is everything, huh—urk.

[Current caretaker is in power-saving mode.]