Eat The World Tree

The old man’s fingernails sliced through my skin, revealing bones and muscles beneath.

-Gasp-

Tendons snapped and arteries were severed, blood spurting out.

[Are you okay?]

‘I’m fine.’

Whether sliced by a knife or otherwise, my body quickly healed itself.

It’s the power of the World Tree of Healing and potions.

‘I’m fine.’

Sensitized by the old man’s strength, even the friction of skin against clothes felt like pins being driven into me.

I felt more alive now than when my mind was fading in and out.

The realization that I could die at any moment.

The all-encompassing pain somehow made me smile.

“A lot has changed overnight.”

The old man, who had been quietly observing me, paused his torture to ask,

“What did you use?”

“I had a nightmare.”

“Ha, it would be more believable to say that a tree did something.”

I laughed off the old man’s scoff.

“Still…”

The old man, looking at me as if I were pitiful, also let out a hearty laugh.

“I like the look in your eyes.”

-Flash-

The old man’s fingernail swiftly tapped my cornea.

“I’d love to gouge out those eyes.”

“If it heals, go ahead.”

“…Did this guy eat a tiger overnight or something?”

Disgusted, the old man withdrew his hand but didn’t stop; he then plunged a blade into my thigh.

Pain was familiar from the start.

I simply lacked a compelling reason to laugh it off before.

[Are you really okay?]

‘Actually, I prefer this. I was just worried this might be a dream and I’d wake up… but feeling pain assures me this is reality.’

It shouldn’t be a cause for joy, yet it was.

Despite the absurdity, involuntary laughter kept bubbling up.

Seeing my face, the old man diligently extracted the knife from my thigh with a look of disgust.

“Crazy guy. I thought I’d just take a peek inside, but you’ve completely lost it. Even the old free-spirited folks weren’t as mad as you.”

“…Aren’t you being a bit harsh?”

“Enough. It’s a waste to do any more. Eish, tsk tsk… I never planned to take someone who has given up on being human as my disciple.”

“In my eyes, you’re hardly human either.”

“Don’t talk back.”

-Bang!

The old man’s fist smashed into my head.

My body lurched forward, and my forehead slammed into the ground.

“But you might be worth raising.”

“That’s fortunate then.”

Rubbing the bulging lump on the back of my head, I stood up.

My head throbbed from losing too much blood.

‘I’ve bled out embarrassingly much.’

The surroundings were completely drenched in blood.

From the skin to vital organs like the lungs and liver, it’s natural.

I suffered every possible trauma one could endure in an hour.

“Descend the mountain today. I’ll slowly tell you where to start.”

“Are you taking me as your disciple?”

“Everything in its own time, you wretched thing. If you don’t want to call my daughter your wife, then shut up.”

The old man packed the used poison daggers into a bag he had brought.

“Taking you in would drive the others crazy if they heard. There’s a martial arts contest coming up.”

“A martial arts contest?”

“I may command the Dowon, but not everyone follows me.”

Dowon was like a martial world created by the Peach Tree family.

A small world of martial artists.

Naturally, there were other sects within DoWon.

“You’ll need to get your hands dirty for a while.”

“Shouldn’t everything be settled with just one command if you’re the Cheonma?”

“Yikes. Why is it that young folks lack understanding? It seems like lately, there’s a rise in those unworthy even for a bite, so I plan to have you take care of them instead.”

Was he just passing off the work he disliked to me?

I stopped grinning and turned my head.

Finally, the dizziness subsided.

“Have you ever killed someone?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s settled. I’ll treat you as if you’re shy around strangers, so take care of what lies ahead on your own.”

“So, when do we start learning?”

At my continued questioning, the old man frowned.

“Starting tomorrow. Don’t run away just because it’s hard.”

It was exactly what I had hoped for.

I grumbled while sweeping the front yard of the tiled house.

“So, what is this?”

Starting tomorrow, he said.

Yet, here I am, doing menial chores like an errand runner.

With one sweep of the broom, various peach blossoms were swept away in an instant.

“It’s the master’s way of saying that there’s an order to everything, starting with tasks like this.”

“Is there a reason to prohibit magic too?”

“Magic leads to bodily degradation…”

“Cheonma, huh? It’s just that he wants to see me get annoyed.”

Without magic, would my body evolve like a dragon or something?

Cheondo was politely kneeling on the large front porch, watching me with interest. It seemed like such an amusing sight that she even sat down with peach tea beside her.

“Want some tea?”

“Yeah.”

I carelessly set aside the broom and sat next to Cheondo.

A cup of sweetly brewed peach black tea.

The fragrant tea warmed me inside and out with a single sip.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. But do you really need to cling that close?”

Because we sat so close, our shoulders touched.

As I gently stroked Cheondo’s hair with one hand, her brows furrowed slightly.

“Mm. Why are you like this today?”

“Just, it feels uneasy not being like this.”

“……”

Even though it was just a nightmare, sitting still left me feeling unsettled.

“My hair is getting messy.”

“Then I’ll just hold you.”

“……Sigh.”

Cheondo sighed bitterly and leaned her body without a word.

The light weight of her head pressed against my chest.

“Your emotions are showing through your body. Why do you seem so aggressive?”

Was it that obvious?

Cheondo, sensitive to changes around her, was just like her usual self.

Even in the reality I originally came from, Cheondo was the person who could eerily guess my feelings of alienation.

When I was despondent after killing the father of a child turned into an Ent.

She was the first to notice and approach me back then.

“…Is it because of the master?”

“Are you crazy? As if I’d get angry at him. I know the value of my own life.”

“That’s a relief then.”

No matter how much of a forced, bone-grinding experience I had, I wasn’t mad enough to harbor hostility towards that man.

If anything, I’ve become more cautious. I had no intention of losing my wits.

I saw this moment very positively.

“Then why are you so on edge?”

Gently, as I scratched Cheondo’s head again, I shrugged my shoulders.

“…Who knows.”

Having witnessed the death of someone important, experiencing that loneliness for weeks, how could I not be angry?

But Cheondo didn’t know about my situation.

Since I couldn’t talk about it, I had no choice but to brush it off.

“There’s no need to worry anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

It wasn’t a lie.

What I realized was truly all there was to it.

Now, it’s a matter of how I designed the rest.

“…I’ve been held back by strange things until now.”

“That’s a story I don’t know.”

“Right.”

Cheondo murmured softly while fiddling with her teacup.

With every word she uttered, the vibration of her vocal cords was felt through my chest.

“I want to know someday. Since we’ve come to share the same master.”

“You’ll find out, though it might take a while.”

“What’s that? Get off me now, I’m hot.”

“No.”

“Tch.”

I slowly engraved the warmth felt through my palm into my heart.

Like animals remembering each other’s scent and touch.

It seemed to stabilize my distracted mind a bit.

‘I won’t be here for long, anyway.’

Would Cheondo remember me when we meet again in the future?

Thinking about it, my physique and appearance were completely different when I first met Cheondo.

‘I don’t know. Anyway, changing the past doesn’t change the present.’

I had to take care of everything I could while I was here.

Even if I miss many people in reality, I have to endure for now.

I continued to stroke Cheondo’s hair, exhaling a warm sigh.

My left hand was still trembling.

“It doesn’t make sense. You’ve already chosen a successor, and now you’re saying you’ll take on another disciple?”

“Yes.”

“You’re of age; focusing on training a single successor would be more than enough.”

“Do you think my successor needs to be coddled like a newborn to become strong?”

Hongyeon frowned deeply at the old man’s words.

“…You’re not trying to play word games now, are you? At your age. Are you seeking some kind of elixir of life in this day and age?”

Body Reformation. She wasn’t expecting such mythical rejuvenation.

Nor was she seeking immortality elixirs like Emperor Qin.

The old man blew on the finger he had been cleaning his ear with.

Hongyeon’s brow furrowed even more.

“You foolish girl. My successor is someone who can do well even without me.”

“How can I know that without seeing it with my own eyes? You said you wouldn’t reveal your successor until your death.”

“It’s because he has such talent that I chose him as my successor. Do you think my foresight is that shallow?”

Hongyeon swallowed her curse at the Heavenly Demon’s rebuke.

In Dowon, the Heavenly Demon was a living legend and a deity.

Even if other sects were watching with keen eyes, they had to follow the Heavenly Demon’s words.

It might have been different in the past.

In the ancient martial world of China, there might have been those who took the Heavenly Demon lightly.

But in the current era, that martial world no longer existed. The age of righteousness and brotherhood was long gone, and nowadays, people even doubted whether such an era ever existed.

On the other hand, this place was a world created by and for the Heavenly Demon.

Yet, Hongyeon had to speak out, as she was responsible for leading after the Heavenly Demon’s passing.

“…Please focus on nurturing the successor,”

“He’s practically a successor already.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”

Having two successors complicated matters.

When the successor’s identity was revealed, if their followers split, it could lead to a war within Dowon.

“After all, the current successor is growing well, isn’t he? Even if the latecomer has sky-high talent, can he really surpass the current successor?”

She thought she made a good point.

A smile formed on Hongyeon’s lips.

“Hahaha, really?”

However, the old man, the Heavenly Demon, just showed a bizarre smile.

That senile laughter he showed when playing strange tricks!

Could it be that things were going awry? Hongyeon shivered.

“How about you fight him then?”

“Excuse me?”

“Aren’t you the leader? You might not have risen purely through skill, but you can handle the riffraff.”

“That, suddenly a duel…”

“If you win, I’ll reconsider taking that monkey-like guy as a disciple.”

Reconsider, as if they were negotiating.

Hongyeon bit her lip reluctantly.

Without the Heavenly Demon’s clear approval, participating in the duel would bring her no benefit.

But as a martial artist herself, it’s natural to be angered by any suggestion of incompetence. Being a follower of the Heavenly Demon, she couldn’t stand her own disgrace.

“…Let’s do it. But if I win, you really need to reconsider taking him as a disciple.”

Hongyeon’s sharp gaze pierced the old man.

Yet, he just kept smiling.

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