The [Chunjun Sword] had the attributes of a mountain and a river.
Various sceneries unfolded before Chang-Sun. One of them was that of an old mountain called ‘Mount Cheonnyeon,’ which no one knew or remembered anymore. It would be more accurate to describe it as a hill since it was too small to be a mountain, but the first Ou Yezi still liked it very much. While strolling down one of its paths, the smell of iron and the heat inside him would dissipate, providing him with inner peace. Its fall deeply saddened him. Hence, to honor it, he dug up tin ores from the mountain and turned them into lead foils.
The next scenery was of the ‘Yakah River,’ which was where the first Ou Yezi used to go for a swim during his childhood. He had so much fun with his peers there that they would only return home after sunset. Because the memory left an everlasting impression on him, he dug up copper ores that resembled the sunset in the ‘Yakah River’ and turned them into bronze castings.
The first Ou Yezi then forged the [Chunjun Sword] while imagining the two most beautiful sceneries that he had ever seen. Having been made based on the principles of nature and pacifism, it should not be used as a sword despite being one. Fortunately, although Qi Gong and its previous owners had been using it all wrong, it had finally found an owner who understood it.
Woosh, woosh, woosh!
The gust of green wind that had mixed with the sandstorm created a giant vine. Its root sank deep into the spiritual water, drinking it before rising up dozens of meters in the air. The vine separated Chang-Sun from Qi Gong like Jack riding a huge beanstalk into the sky in 《Jack and the Beanstalk》.
Boom!
Qi Gong’s attack made the enormous vine tremble, but it couldn’t even leave a scratch. Having absorbed spiritual water, the vine had become insanely durable.
“You bastard! Get down here!” Qi Gong’s face reddened.
After going through all that trouble to acquire the [Chunjun Sword], it was taken right before his eyes. Hence, it was only natural for him to be so angry he immediately chased after Chang-Sun.
“Why would I?” Chang-Sun smirked at Qi Gong, looking down at him from the sky. Imbuing his voice with mana, he roared, “Everyone, retreat!”
While using Hexaecho, a technique that made his voice echo from everywhere, Chang-Sun sprinted in the opposite direction. He swung the [Chunjun Sword] again, making the vine stretch out and create a path for him.
“Bwahahahaha! He really stole the [Chunjun Sword]! That crazy bastard! I like it! I love it! He’s definitely an apostle material in my books!” Mars burst into laughter as he watched Chang-Sun.
Although the restrictions had been frustrating Mars, he felt really refreshed now. Chang-Sun looked really adorable in his eyes.
‘Yes, I should just give the [Balmung] away!’ Mars thought.
He felt as if he could give anything to Chang-Sun if it meant turning him into his apostle.
“Bullshit!” Pabilsag naturally didn’t just sit still and let Mars’ remark slide.
Her sharp tone made Mars tilt his head. “Huh?”
“Lee Chang-Sun is mine. I called dibs first, so you better watch yourself. Otherwise…” Pabilsag frowned.
“Hmph! Sky dibs and star dibs![1] ” Mars shouted.
“What are you doing?” Pabilsag’s frown deepened.
“Calling dibs first is useless. I called bigger dibs on him more than you did,” Mars replied confidently, crossing his arms.
Pabilsag stomped in irritation. “Urggh! River dibs and ocean dibs! Ha! Now I called more dibs!”
“Universe dibs!” Mars glared at Pabilsag.
“Eeeekkk! <Heaven> dibs!
“<Underworld> dibs, <Saha World> dibs, and Trilokya dibs!”
“Six Path dibs!” Pabilsag clenched her fists.
The two Celestials’ fierce and ridiculous bickering dumbstruck Minerva. Passing by them, she said, “… Are you two little children? What in the world are you doing?! Go!”
Noticing some people on Chang-Sun’s tail, Minerva dove into the spiritual water again. Mercury followed right behind Minerva, laughing loudly. Mars and Pabislag gave each other a death glare and moved simultaneously.
“Dimensions dibs!”
“Other multiverses dibs! Ha! I win! Give up now!” Pabilsag pointed at Mars.
“What are you talking about?! I called more dibs!”
Their fight likely would not end soon.
* * *
Chang-Sun’s group managed to successfully flee. Qi Gong and his subordinates tried to chase after Chang-Sun, but they stopped when they saw the <Maleakhe> and <L’Infernal> guards running toward them. Uriel had seen Chang-Sun’s enormous vine tree through his [Clairvoyant].
Since the ghost ship had been wrecked, there was no telling how Qi Gong and the others would respond, but all Chang-Sun’s group had to do was return to Tiamat, who was standing by in the distance.
Ooong, ooooong!
[‘Chunjun Sword’ is responding fervently upon meeting its friends!]
Chang-Sun now had three divine swords in his possession, which were enjoying their reunion. Meanwhile, he stood in front of the Elfin Root with the [Chunjun Sword] in his hand.
“That’s—!” Moodoo gasped.
“Let’s begin,” Chang-Sun said.
Moodoo’s lips trembled as she nodded and took a step backward. Chang-Sun bent down and put the [Chunjun Sword] in the hole in the Elfin’s chest.
Paah…!
[Beginning the treatment.]
‘I’ll close the wound first using the mana vines,’ Chang-Sun thought.
Tree barks sprouted up and covered the Elfin’s wound one after another. Small branches entangled with each other underneath the tree barks, filling up the hole in its chest.
‘I’ll increase the resistance to the poison using Kali’s Divinity.’
[The Skill ‘Stigma’ has been activated, extracting the Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) from your ‘Stigma’!]
Chang-Sun pulled out Kali’s Divinity, which he had acquired before, and mixed it with <Darkness> before infusing it into the Elfin.
Pzzzz!
[Your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has acquired Divinity!]
[The HP of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased!]
[The Resilience of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased, enabling it to recover and detoxify the demonic poison!]
…
[10% of the demonic poison has been detoxified.]
…
[30%, 40%, 50%, 71%….]
As the percentage increased, the black demonic energy that corroded the Elfin disappeared. Its cheeks turned rosy, and its skin returned to its original color.
Sweating profusely, Chang-Sun circulated his mana inside the Elfin several times. The Elfin’s body was very different from a human’s, so he had to control Kali’s Divinity along with the [Chunjun Sword] far more skillfully. Even Chang-Sun found the process difficult.
[71%]
He was soon met with a problem.
‘I can’t detoxify the Elfin any further. What should I do?’ Chang-Sun wondered.
By combining the [Chunjun Sword] and Kali’s Divinity, Chang-Sun succeeded in increasing the Elfin’s resistance to the demonic poison. Hence, once it woke up, it would be incomparably stronger than before. The problem was that they did not have enough Divinity to completely detoxify the poison.
‘What if I unseal the [Chunjun Sword] completely…? No, although its divine energy is helping the Elfin right now, too much of it will start corroding the Elfin like the demonic poison.’
Chang-Sun could tell that much through his [Gnostic Eye]. Since Simon couldn’t come up with a solution regarding this matter, he was left with only one option.
‘Divinity… I need more Divinity.’
He needed more Living Tree Divinity, the power that made the Elfin who it was. His initial calculation was wrong because he didn’t realize the Elfin had been growing stronger.
“… Use me,” Moodoo said after silently watching Chang-Sun treat the Elfin.
Chang-Sun wasn’t sure what she meant, so he looked back. The other Gray Elves stopped Moodoo.
“Moodoo!”
“32nd Branch, that’s…!”
Amid the noise, Chang-Sun frowned and coldly said, “Be more precise. What do you mean use you?”
“You need my goddess’ Divinity to detoxify the poison, don’t you?”
“So?” Chang-Sun asked.
“You can use mine,” Moodoo calmly said.
“You’ll die.”
Moodoo was Kali’s bishop, so she would surely have a lot of Divinity. It would be great if Chang-Sun could borrow a part of it, but a priest’s Divinity was everything to them. It was a part of their soul, so losing it would immediately kill them.
Moodoo calmly shook her head and smiled. “We share the same soul, so I’ll just return to my original form. I won’t die. Rather, we’ll simply be together.”
Chang-Sun understood what Moodoo meant. Kali’s priests were different from ordinary priests. They all sprouted from the root named Kali, making them one. Nevertheless, Moodoo’s personality—no, the 32nd Branch’s memories still held meaning because they also had separate identities.
“This child will certainly be able to turn into our goddess, who sprouts trees and flowers through destruction and massacre.” Moodoo held the hand of the Elfin, who was asleep.
The root named Kali was dead, so her trunk and branches were withering quickly. However, if this tree could propagate by cutting, using the branch named Elfin as the new parent tree, and planting the branch in the new soil called Chang-Sun, then the tree could grow and become the new Kali.
Moodoo’s thoughts were soon shared with Supada and the other Gray Elves.
“… If you think so.”
“Will our goddess really wake up again?”
“She will. The Thirty-second Branch said it herself, did she not?”
“Yes. Moreover, the hundred-twenty-sixth Branch is trustworthy.”
“If the Divine Tree matures afterward…”
“We can wake up again!”
All the Gray Elves grabbed each other’s hands and stood behind Moodoo.
“Thank you for trusting me until the end, everyone.” Moodoo took Suapada’s hand, stood up, and turned around to look at Chang-Sun.
The twenty-five Gray Elves’ eyes were filled with determination.
‘Kali, you have really amazing children,’ Chang-Sun thought as he nodded, reaching for his neck.
If the Gray Elves were that determined, dissuading them would be the same as disgracing them.
“Use this. The key will make it much easier,” Chang-Sun put [Peter’s Key] on Moodoo’s left palm.
“Thank you. Please take good care of the hundred-twenty-sixth Branch—no, Elfin.” Moodoo nodded and pointed [Peter’s Key] at the side of her neck. As she quietly exhaled…
Click!
… the tip of the key seamlessly went inside her neck and reached the part where her mana and Divinity flowed. Her mana and Divinity moved frantically, seemingly wanting to get out.
Creak―!
The moment Moodoo rotated the key, she felt as if her ‘lock’ opened wide. At the same time, a bright pool of light quickly swallowed Modoo and the other Gray Elves.
~
[The dormant Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) has been unlocked!]
[Absorbing the Gray Elves have enhanced the Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) and awakened a lost Trait.]
Woosh!
The Divinity, which had a thick, fresh forest scent, settled on and quickly entered the Elfin, detoxifying the remaining demonic poison.
[Your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has absorbed all the Divinity and acquired resistance to demonic poison!]
[The detoxification process has been completed.]
[The Class of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased.]
[Completely detoxifying the demonic poison has resulted in a significant amount of experience points.]
[The experience points of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has reached a critical point, causing it to evolve!]
Paah!
Shining brightly, the Elfin rose into the air. The tree barks covering it started to fall one after another. Its old branches broke off, replaced with fresh, sturdy, and new branches. As its physique changed, it also grew taller.
The Elfin, an ordinary priest, was evolving. Absorbing a bishop and several of its other siblings had caused its level to instantly jump several times higher.
“My goal is to gather up Divinity to become as strong as an apostle.”
Chang-Sun recalled what the Elfin had said before it swore its loyalty to him. The Elfin thought that was the only way to resurrect Kali, but Moodoo proved it wrong by telling it to become the new Divine Tree—to become Kali.
Tap!
With its evolution process completed, the Elfin quietly landed on the ground. Chang-Sun’s subordinate looked a lot different than before. Its eyes were now deep, and its aura was coarse yet sharp like an ascetic that had cultivated itself for a long time. Looking at the changed Elfin, Chang-Sun couldn’t help but be surprised. He knew who the Elfin looked like now.
“… Kali?” Chang-Sun muttered in disbelief.
His old colleague was standing right before him.
1. This is an old Korean thing where if you (figuratively) spit on more land than another(which symbolizes you claiming the land), you win. It has been tweaked a little bit to fit the Western culture of dibs better ☜
The [Chunjun Sword] had the attributes of a mountain and a river.
Various sceneries unfolded before Chang-Sun. One of them was that of an old mountain called ‘Mount Cheonnyeon,’ which no one knew or remembered anymore. It would be more accurate to describe it as a hill since it was too small to be a mountain, but the first Ou Yezi still liked it very much. While strolling down one of its paths, the smell of iron and the heat inside him would dissipate, providing him with inner peace. Its fall deeply saddened him. Hence, to honor it, he dug up tin ores from the mountain and turned them into lead foils.
The next scenery was of the ‘Yakah River,’ which was where the first Ou Yezi used to go for a swim during his childhood. He had so much fun with his peers there that they would only return home after sunset. Because the memory left an everlasting impression on him, he dug up copper ores that resembled the sunset in the ‘Yakah River’ and turned them into bronze castings.
The first Ou Yezi then forged the [Chunjun Sword] while imagining the two most beautiful sceneries that he had ever seen. Having been made based on the principles of nature and pacifism, it should not be used as a sword despite being one. Fortunately, although Qi Gong and its previous owners had been using it all wrong, it had finally found an owner who understood it.
Woosh, woosh, woosh!
The gust of green wind that had mixed with the sandstorm created a giant vine. Its root sank deep into the spiritual water, drinking it before rising up dozens of meters in the air. The vine separated Chang-Sun from Qi Gong like Jack riding a huge beanstalk into the sky in 《Jack and the Beanstalk》.
Boom!
Qi Gong’s attack made the enormous vine tremble, but it couldn’t even leave a scratch. Having absorbed spiritual water, the vine had become insanely durable.
“You bastard! Get down here!” Qi Gong’s face reddened.
After going through all that trouble to acquire the [Chunjun Sword], it was taken right before his eyes. Hence, it was only natural for him to be so angry he immediately chased after Chang-Sun.
“Why would I?” Chang-Sun smirked at Qi Gong, looking down at him from the sky. Imbuing his voice with mana, he roared, “Everyone, retreat!”
While using Hexaecho, a technique that made his voice echo from everywhere, Chang-Sun sprinted in the opposite direction. He swung the [Chunjun Sword] again, making the vine stretch out and create a path for him.
“Bwahahahaha! He really stole the [Chunjun Sword]! That crazy bastard! I like it! I love it! He’s definitely an apostle material in my books!” Mars burst into laughter as he watched Chang-Sun.
Although the restrictions had been frustrating Mars, he felt really refreshed now. Chang-Sun looked really adorable in his eyes.
‘Yes, I should just give the [Balmung] away!’ Mars thought.
He felt as if he could give anything to Chang-Sun if it meant turning him into his apostle.
“Bullshit!” Pabilsag naturally didn’t just sit still and let Mars’ remark slide.
Her sharp tone made Mars tilt his head. “Huh?”
“Lee Chang-Sun is mine. I called dibs first, so you better watch yourself. Otherwise…” Pabilsag frowned.
“Hmph! Sky dibs and star dibs![1] ” Mars shouted.
“What are you doing?” Pabilsag’s frown deepened.
“Calling dibs first is useless. I called bigger dibs on him more than you did,” Mars replied confidently, crossing his arms.
Pabilsag stomped in irritation. “Urggh! River dibs and ocean dibs! Ha! Now I called more dibs!”
“Universe dibs!” Mars glared at Pabilsag.
“Eeeekkk! <Heaven> dibs!
“<Underworld> dibs, <Saha World> dibs, and Trilokya dibs!”
“Six Path dibs!” Pabilsag clenched her fists.
The two Celestials’ fierce and ridiculous bickering dumbstruck Minerva. Passing by them, she said, “… Are you two little children? What in the world are you doing?! Go!”
Noticing some people on Chang-Sun’s tail, Minerva dove into the spiritual water again. Mercury followed right behind Minerva, laughing loudly. Mars and Pabislag gave each other a death glare and moved simultaneously.
“Dimensions dibs!”
“Other multiverses dibs! Ha! I win! Give up now!” Pabilsag pointed at Mars.
“What are you talking about?! I called more dibs!”
Their fight likely would not end soon.
* * *
Chang-Sun’s group managed to successfully flee. Qi Gong and his subordinates tried to chase after Chang-Sun, but they stopped when they saw the <Maleakhe> and <L’Infernal> guards running toward them. Uriel had seen Chang-Sun’s enormous vine tree through his [Clairvoyant].
Since the ghost ship had been wrecked, there was no telling how Qi Gong and the others would respond, but all Chang-Sun’s group had to do was return to Tiamat, who was standing by in the distance.
Ooong, ooooong!
[‘Chunjun Sword’ is responding fervently upon meeting its friends!]
Chang-Sun now had three divine swords in his possession, which were enjoying their reunion. Meanwhile, he stood in front of the Elfin Root with the [Chunjun Sword] in his hand.
“That’s—!” Moodoo gasped.
“Let’s begin,” Chang-Sun said.
Moodoo’s lips trembled as she nodded and took a step backward. Chang-Sun bent down and put the [Chunjun Sword] in the hole in the Elfin’s chest.
Paah…!
[Beginning the treatment.]
‘I’ll close the wound first using the mana vines,’ Chang-Sun thought.
Tree barks sprouted up and covered the Elfin’s wound one after another. Small branches entangled with each other underneath the tree barks, filling up the hole in its chest.
‘I’ll increase the resistance to the poison using Kali’s Divinity.’
[The Skill ‘Stigma’ has been activated, extracting the Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) from your ‘Stigma’!]
Chang-Sun pulled out Kali’s Divinity, which he had acquired before, and mixed it with <Darkness> before infusing it into the Elfin.
Pzzzz!
[Your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has acquired Divinity!]
[The HP of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased!]
[The Resilience of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased, enabling it to recover and detoxify the demonic poison!]
…
[10% of the demonic poison has been detoxified.]
…
[30%, 40%, 50%, 71%….]
As the percentage increased, the black demonic energy that corroded the Elfin disappeared. Its cheeks turned rosy, and its skin returned to its original color.
Sweating profusely, Chang-Sun circulated his mana inside the Elfin several times. The Elfin’s body was very different from a human’s, so he had to control Kali’s Divinity along with the [Chunjun Sword] far more skillfully. Even Chang-Sun found the process difficult.
[71%]
He was soon met with a problem.
‘I can’t detoxify the Elfin any further. What should I do?’ Chang-Sun wondered.
By combining the [Chunjun Sword] and Kali’s Divinity, Chang-Sun succeeded in increasing the Elfin’s resistance to the demonic poison. Hence, once it woke up, it would be incomparably stronger than before. The problem was that they did not have enough Divinity to completely detoxify the poison.
‘What if I unseal the [Chunjun Sword] completely…? No, although its divine energy is helping the Elfin right now, too much of it will start corroding the Elfin like the demonic poison.’
Chang-Sun could tell that much through his [Gnostic Eye]. Since Simon couldn’t come up with a solution regarding this matter, he was left with only one option.
‘Divinity… I need more Divinity.’
He needed more Living Tree Divinity, the power that made the Elfin who it was. His initial calculation was wrong because he didn’t realize the Elfin had been growing stronger.
“… Use me,” Moodoo said after silently watching Chang-Sun treat the Elfin.
Chang-Sun wasn’t sure what she meant, so he looked back. The other Gray Elves stopped Moodoo.
“Moodoo!”
“32nd Branch, that’s…!”
Amid the noise, Chang-Sun frowned and coldly said, “Be more precise. What do you mean use you?”
“You need my goddess’ Divinity to detoxify the poison, don’t you?”
“So?” Chang-Sun asked.
“You can use mine,” Moodoo calmly said.
“You’ll die.”
Moodoo was Kali’s bishop, so she would surely have a lot of Divinity. It would be great if Chang-Sun could borrow a part of it, but a priest’s Divinity was everything to them. It was a part of their soul, so losing it would immediately kill them.
Moodoo calmly shook her head and smiled. “We share the same soul, so I’ll just return to my original form. I won’t die. Rather, we’ll simply be together.”
Chang-Sun understood what Moodoo meant. Kali’s priests were different from ordinary priests. They all sprouted from the root named Kali, making them one. Nevertheless, Moodoo’s personality—no, the 32nd Branch’s memories still held meaning because they also had separate identities.
“This child will certainly be able to turn into our goddess, who sprouts trees and flowers through destruction and massacre.” Moodoo held the hand of the Elfin, who was asleep.
The root named Kali was dead, so her trunk and branches were withering quickly. However, if this tree could propagate by cutting, using the branch named Elfin as the new parent tree, and planting the branch in the new soil called Chang-Sun, then the tree could grow and become the new Kali.
Moodoo’s thoughts were soon shared with Supada and the other Gray Elves.
“… If you think so.”
“Will our goddess really wake up again?”
“She will. The Thirty-second Branch said it herself, did she not?”
“Yes. Moreover, the hundred-twenty-sixth Branch is trustworthy.”
“If the Divine Tree matures afterward…”
“We can wake up again!”
All the Gray Elves grabbed each other’s hands and stood behind Moodoo.
“Thank you for trusting me until the end, everyone.” Moodoo took Suapada’s hand, stood up, and turned around to look at Chang-Sun.
The twenty-five Gray Elves’ eyes were filled with determination.
‘Kali, you have really amazing children,’ Chang-Sun thought as he nodded, reaching for his neck.
If the Gray Elves were that determined, dissuading them would be the same as disgracing them.
“Use this. The key will make it much easier,” Chang-Sun put [Peter’s Key] on Moodoo’s left palm.
“Thank you. Please take good care of the hundred-twenty-sixth Branch—no, Elfin.” Moodoo nodded and pointed [Peter’s Key] at the side of her neck. As she quietly exhaled…
Click!
… the tip of the key seamlessly went inside her neck and reached the part where her mana and Divinity flowed. Her mana and Divinity moved frantically, seemingly wanting to get out.
Creak―!
The moment Moodoo rotated the key, she felt as if her ‘lock’ opened wide. At the same time, a bright pool of light quickly swallowed Modoo and the other Gray Elves.
~
[The dormant Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) has been unlocked!]
[Absorbing the Gray Elves have enhanced the Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) and awakened a lost Trait.]
Woosh!
The Divinity, which had a thick, fresh forest scent, settled on and quickly entered the Elfin, detoxifying the remaining demonic poison.
[Your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has absorbed all the Divinity and acquired resistance to demonic poison!]
[The detoxification process has been completed.]
[The Class of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased.]
[Completely detoxifying the demonic poison has resulted in a significant amount of experience points.]
[The experience points of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has reached a critical point, causing it to evolve!]
Paah!
Shining brightly, the Elfin rose into the air. The tree barks covering it started to fall one after another. Its old branches broke off, replaced with fresh, sturdy, and new branches. As its physique changed, it also grew taller.
The Elfin, an ordinary priest, was evolving. Absorbing a bishop and several of its other siblings had caused its level to instantly jump several times higher.
“My goal is to gather up Divinity to become as strong as an apostle.”
Chang-Sun recalled what the Elfin had said before it swore its loyalty to him. The Elfin thought that was the only way to resurrect Kali, but Moodoo proved it wrong by telling it to become the new Divine Tree—to become Kali.
Tap!
With its evolution process completed, the Elfin quietly landed on the ground. Chang-Sun’s subordinate looked a lot different than before. Its eyes were now deep, and its aura was coarse yet sharp like an ascetic that had cultivated itself for a long time. Looking at the changed Elfin, Chang-Sun couldn’t help but be surprised. He knew who the Elfin looked like now.
“… Kali?” Chang-Sun muttered in disbelief.
His old colleague was standing right before him.
1. This is an old Korean thing where if you (figuratively) spit on more land than another(which symbolizes you claiming the land), you win. It has been tweaked a little bit to fit the Western culture of dibs better ☜
