00256 Tears of the World

It was an undoubtedly unpleasant expression, one that conveyed immense unease. Judging by her highly anxious demeanor, I couldn’t help but wonder about the message she had received to come here, especially considering the last time she got word about the Blood Dagger needing me. This time, it likely carried a more negative tone. Without realizing it, my gaze shifted to the goblin, seemingly oblivious and awkward, struggling to discern when help was required.

Turning my attention back to Jung Ha-yeon, her body appeared to shrink, like the last leaf hanging on a branch, waiting to fall. The typically confident Jung Ha-yeon was nowhere to be found.

Tears of the World Tree were necessary. While causing Jung Ha-yeon distress wasn’t enjoyable, it was an essential task.

I softened my gaze. I sensed Jung Ha-yeon grasping my intentions. Even the flowers scattered in her hair seemed to wither. Unbeknownst to her, her anxiety was manifesting physically.

Considering her usual reliance on me, this statement would likely come as a shock. Observing Jung Ha-yeon’s reaction, it became apparent that not discussing this beforehand might lead to a serious situation. I addressed her immediately.

“If what I say now doesn’t feel sincere, there’s no need to take it to heart.”

“Uh… okay…”

Only then did I see Jung Ha-yeon visibly relax. The goblin seemed disappointed, as if he had lost his appet.i.te witnessing that. I made a rather indifferent comment.

“I don’t need you anymore.”

A blunt statement.

“There are plenty of beautiful women around me, and many capable individuals. You’re now useless. You’re free to leave.”

After witnessing her reaction, I was about to say more when her body slowly began to wilt. The flowers in her hair fell, and the roots supporting her lower body gradually lost strength. Even her skin lost its color.

The circlet above her head was no exception.

“I-I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

It was absurd to see such a reaction when she didn’t even know what she did wrong or why she was apologizing. Despite stating that it wasn’t sincere beforehand, her reaction, surprisingly enough, worked. I knew she depended on me, but this seemed a bit excessive.

“Please… don’t leave me. Please, Taesung.”

Even a substantial amount of sadness began to flood in. The influx of emotions surpa.s.sed what I felt looking at Choi Eun-joo’s past. As I contemplated how to handle the situation I had triggered, tears began to flow from her eyes.

“S-Sorry…”

After seeing her reaction, I tried to push a bit more, but despite stating it wasn’t sincere, it oddly worked on the first try. Knowing she depended on me was one thing, but feeling it to this extent was overwhelming.

“P-Please don’t abandon me. Please, Taesung. Huk…”

Even a ma.s.sive amount of sorrow started to pour in. The volume of emotion pouring in, while looking at Choi Eun-joo’s past, was surpa.s.sing that experience. The feelings flowing in didn’t feel unpleasant. It was almost addictive. However, I couldn’t just leave Jung Ha-yeon like this. So, I quickly raised my hand over her head.

‘How do I salvage this?’

I hadn’t thought about how to handle the aftermath. After taking a breath, I lightly opened my mouth, and she leaned slightly against me.

“I said it wasn’t sincere.”

“But… but when I heard the words… huk…”

Interestingly, the overwhelming emotions flooding in weren’t just hers. The more I looked at Jung Ha-yeon, the more emotions flowed into me. Unknowingly, she had become precious to me. Although our first meeting was complicated, I genuinely liked her.

“You’re a valuable person.”

The moment I gently touched her forehead, flowers suddenly began to bloom between her hair. The same happened on her lower body. Even the circlet on her head started to blossom. It seemed to be proof that her emotions were overflowing.

Like an evolution, the flowers bloomed in an instant, and even a slightly larger flower appeared, as if a light evolution had taken place.

“I… I like you too.”

Blushing as she spoke, her face seemed almost divine. I smiled, and she smiled back. Then, tears began to flow from Jung Ha-yeon’s eyes again. Uncomfortable with us hugging, the goblin spoke up.

“Tears are already welling up.”

Jung Ha-yeon, with a slightly embarra.s.sed look, subtly turned her gaze away. Then, her voice reached me.

“I’m glad I could help. I’m happy, Taesung.”

…

It seems like I’ve caught on to how things are going roughly. After gently kissing Jung Ha-yeon on the forehead once again, I tossed the purified branch of the World Tree to the goblin, who accepted the spear without hesitation.

[ Purified World Tree Spear ]

[ A spear created by the elves from a rotten branch that accidentally fell. Through the purification process using the flower, leaves, and stem of the World Tree, it has returned closer to its original form, gaining more power. It has the ability to continuously restore the user’s health and mana. Extremely sharp and durable. ]

[ Agility +3 ]

In fact, the previous functionality was not bad either, to the point where it could be said to be of a decent level. An enhancement worth four hundred thousand points. A much more expensive price than evolving the Ancient Flame into Lebatan. Although it was a special enhancement obtained through a quest, my heart still pounded with excitement.

That moment came.

[ Hidden Enhancement has been unlocked. ]

[ You can enhance it using special materials. Materials: Tears of the World Tree – Sadness (1/1), Tears of the World Tree – Joy (1/1), World Tree Petals (10/10), World Tree Roots (1/1) ]

[ Would you like to enhance the purified World Tree Spear with 5 million points and the materials from the World Tree? ]

Unexpectedly profitable. I couldn’t have imagined that things would go so smoothly. Even when I enhanced this guy before, I felt that having Jung Ha-yeon under my command was truly a stroke of luck. It seemed like her tears had quite a value in the points shop. Just as I was pondering whether I could sell them, the goblin immediately chimed in.

“The value is over a million points. However, it’s not a material that can be sold at the shop.”

Although I couldn’t sell it as he said, it was worth over a million points. Gazing at Jung Ha-yeon with wide eyes, it seemed like she was embarra.s.sed, lowering her head as if she felt shy.

“Enhance it?”

I nodded, and soon the sound of a hammer striking was heard.

It was a price that blew away almost half of the points I currently had. It was naturally expected. After a much longer time than usual, the appearance of the World Tree Spear, shining brightly, was difficult to confirm properly. When I slightly touched it, I saw the lights being absorbed into it.

The appearance that emerged was overwhelming. The previous appearance of the rotten wooden spear was nowhere to be seen. It looked like it had become some kind of ancient artifact. It was simply attaching a spear to a branch, but it didn’t seem like my misconception that it looked sacred.

[ Complete World Tree Branch – Mysteltainn ]

[ A spear created by the elves from a rotten branch that accidentally fell. It forgot its original appearance but regained it through the purification process. After the purification with tears of joy and tears of sadness, and the roots, it underwent the purification process again. It now has two significant functions, possibly influenced by the tears. It continuously enhances the user’s mana and health. It reduces the opponent’s mana and health when the spear is attacked.

It helps maintain a clear mind at all times. By consuming a large amount of mana, you can dominate the surrounding plants for a certain period. ]

[ Agility +7, Health +7, Mana +7 ]

“Uh…”

Although it had no consciousness, it could truly be called a jackpot item.

Originally, I was somewhat satisfied with the charging function of the purified World Tree Spear. Until now, if I had said that it charged a bit, this guy was undoubtedly a high-speed charger without any room for doubt. No, even the term “high-speed charger” falls short. This item would turn me into a nuclear power plant. As a test, I exerted as much mana as I could with Levatein, but I felt mana filling up as it was being depleted, and even faster.

Even more rapidly.

The second function was also excellent. It was a great debuff for me, who often led drawn-out battles, affecting the opponent’s health and mana recovery. Further explanation was unnecessary. As for having dominance over surrounding plants for a certain period, it might not be very useful without Jung Ha-yeon, but it was a somewhat interesting feature in its own right.

Suddenly, a strange thought came to mind. As I infused mana into Mysteltainn, I saw Jung Ha-yeon shivering as if she had felt some kind of light pleasure. It seemed like she felt a light climax.

“T-Tae-sung? A-a-all of a sudden.”

It seemed like Jung Ha-yeon was trying to define the surrounding plants. With a slight smile of satisfaction, I quietly embraced Jung Ha-yeon, and she, with an expression that seemed to say she didn’t know what was happening, responded with a happy expression.

Now, the remaining points were 5 million, but the problem was that there wasn’t anything particularly attractive. In the end, buying quests seemed to be the most sensible option. It occurred to me that it might be good to let Jung Ha-yeon know that she could also purchase quests from the store.

“Oh, by any chance, have you not received any quests recently?”

“Ah. Are you talking about having to buy quests separately once you’ve finished growing to a certain extent? The owner of the item shop told me about it.”

Jung Ha-yeon already knew. Glancing at the goblin, I felt that he was avoiding my gaze. The item shop owner also seemed to have individual differences.

“Hmm… Have you ever bought one?”

“Ah… yes. With 5 million points…”

“………”

I just casually asked, but for some reason, her face turned red. From my perspective, the 5 million point quest was probably something like [Revenge on the Holy Sword! Revenge! Revenge!]. I was curious about the quest she received, so I continued to inquire, and eventually, a tiny voice came out.

“I-I got a pregnancy quest. Tae-sung.”

After blushing, she covered her face with both hands, looking cute. The higher the difficulty or the more she desired it, the higher the required points for purchasing quests. I had a feeling she really wanted to get pregnant.

“And the reward?”

“Ah… originally, the Greenskins, if they get pregnant and give birth, they follow the mother, right? The reward is being able to have a half. That’s what came out as a reward.”

“Surprising.”

You couldn’t know the reward until you purchased it. I just chose the quest with a curious mind and spent 5 million points.

Although the left side of sadness prevailed, the base was the body of a demon. I began to feel quite curious about what the offspring of a demon’s body and Alawn’s half would look like. If my expression seemed a bit serious, Jung Ha-yeon noticed and was looking at me. I waved my hand as if it was nothing and spoke.

“Let’s try our best together.”

“Ah… yes!!”

It wasn’t that I had become individually stronger, but from Jung Ha-yeon’s perspective, it was quite a good reward. The Greenskin’s pregnancy always followed the mother, breaking the law. In that case, my quest would probably be the same.

[ You have purchased the quest for 5 million points. ]

With a bit of expectation, I immediately opened the quest window to hear the announcement.