Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 573



572 – Surviving in the World Tree

Capturing a strong opponent is far more difficult than killing them. A practitioner of Qi can disrupt ropes or handcuffs by channeling subtle Qi into them, and if necessary, can dislocate their joints or compress their body to escape.

Thus, the treatment of prisoners has always been a truly challenging issue. If a peer-level strong person is not constantly watching, it is hardly different from leaving them in a cheap inn. It would be better to just break their arms, but a strong person who has reached the level of Qi can control their body with Qi and even heal themselves. Even that is not perfect.

But what if you were to completely sever their arms? No matter how powerful they are, they cannot resist without arms. In a way, it could be considered rational, but…

However, if you were to take away a martial artist’s arms, what would be the difference from killing them?

The state of the regressor was pitiful, having pulled his arms out solely by force. Even the exquisite technique of Cheonbang-gyeong was insufficient to manage this amount of blood loss.

I barely managed to retrieve the regressor’s two arms, which were writhing after losing their master. I used a potion to circulate the blood, ensuring that the severed limbs would not necrotize.

If the arms remain, they can be reattached. They won’t be exactly the same as before, but if a master of energy cultivation receives enough rest and proper treatment, recovery is still possible.

“We shall arrive shortly. I also came without notice, so I may not be adequately prepared to receive you, so please understand.”

… I wonder if Nebida will truly allow that gap.

The flower buds that bloomed from the ground enveloped me and the regressor. Nebida set off without a signal. Just as I was about to drop the arms, I barely managed to support the regressor and steady my posture.

Using the druid’s power, a passage known as the ‘Flower Corridor’ was created, and the unique mode of movement through it was astonishingly fast. It felt as if we were swimming through a dense sea of trees.

However, even at this moment, the regressor’s life was hanging by a thread. I suppressed my impatience and continued to circulate blood through the regressor’s arms for several hours.

Suddenly, the body shook this way and that. The flower buds tightened and began to surge upward through a narrow gap. While I barely maintained my balance by gripping the wall, the flower buds that had been rapidly sucked into somewhere bloomed wide open without any warning.

My ears became muffled. My body felt the change in altitude first. Squinting against the light seeping in, I stepped outside.

It was a large tree’s knot hole. The interior, hollowed out from the tree’s core, was visible. Leaves, vines, and wooden stairs filled the space. This must be how fairies perceive their homes, decorated within a tree.

I turned my head to look outside the knot.

“This is the World Tree. A humble being like myself has dared to graft a sapling of the World Tree.”

What lay before my eyes was an endless sea of leaves. And from beyond my line of sight, a massive branch began to push inward.

Its size was so immense that it distorted the sense of distance. A staircase was built upon the thick branch, where people could be seen passing by. The trunk was larger than any ordinary road or building. The thick branch soon split into dozens of others, each extending with different leaves hanging from them.

There were thousands of leaves visible before me. Surely, there were even more branches hidden below, out of sight. Though it was not an animal, a strong pulse of life could be felt.

“Welcome to the World Tree. O, primate of all beings.”

This place was the World Tree, the tree of origins. Among them, the highest level where Nebida resided.

It was the layer of primates.

Though it was the layer of primates, it didn’t seem to be a living space for humans, as there weren’t many thoughts that reached my ears. As always, I quickly read the thoughts around me. There were about twenty people. They seemed engrossed in something.

At that moment, an alien echo resonated. Just as I was about to unleash my mind-reading ability, I felt a sudden dizziness and staggered.

“Uh? What is this?”

Wait. Something feels off.

Until now, my mind-reading had been absolute. There may have been limits, but the ability itself honestly and accurately revealed the hearts of humans. That shouldn’t have changed.

‘Is it the wind of Nebida? She has almost achieved it with her own hands. Yet, ironically, the final piece is me. It feels like I’m just adding my spoon to the pot.’

However, the resonance I feel now is something different. It’s unlike reading a person’s heart. In the empty consciousness, a hollow voice echoes. The thought I hear now is alien.

‘Still, Nebida’s method itself is correct. Even if I fill in that last piece, it won’t be a problem at all. It’s purely Nebida’s achievement. So what’s important isn’t over there. Right now, I need to focus on my arms first….’

“Wait. What is this?”

Seeing my confused state, Nebida looked pleased, as if it had gone just as she expected.

“Your Majesty, I humbly apologize for my rudeness in speaking this way….”

“You’ve been rude up until now without restraint. And you never intended to call it rudeness in the first place! Just tell me quickly. What is this?”

“As you may have felt, I am serving you. Not the you before me, but the you who was betrayed and wounded in the past.”

Humans are said to be the pinnacle of all beings. And the top of the tree of origin is the layer of the pinnacle. However, this place is not for humans… it is for the king of humans.

The tree of betrayal’s summit. There lies the remains of the past human king whom Nebida served. The very corpse of the girl I had read about in the memories of the offering deity.

“Your Majesty. Right now, your power has been torn from your body. The wicked daughter’s minions, the five lords, have stolen your ‘power’ and dared to impersonate the king. A blasphemous rebellion… the daughter has made the king common, ultimately desecrating you.”

Nebida raised her gaze higher, recalling that which was enshrined at the top of the World Tree, something that no one dared to look down upon.

“As a mere subject, I could not bear to witness that. I am protecting your sacred body for the day you shall return.”

This was the reason the returner opposed Nebida, and why the king of sins from the past had taken on a female form. With the corpse of the human king, Nebida was akin to a priest summoning the king of sins.

And Nebida bringing me here must have been for that reason.

“Then the reason you brought me here must be even higher than this.”

“I believe you would be interested in that as well.”

“Yes. I am somewhat interested. But before that.”

Pointing to the regressor, who was barely clinging to consciousness, and the two detached arms beside him, she spoke.

“Could you please heal Mr. Shea? At this rate, he’s just going to die.”

Saying she would save him. Still, the wounds needed to be treated. Nebida seemed indifferent to the regressor’s life or death, but recalling the promise to keep him alive, she raised her hand.

The Tree of Origin shifted its structure according to the will of the Mage. The wooden walls curled up on their own, and stairs sprouted from both sides of the wall. Someone descended the hastily constructed stairs. A middle-aged woman, dressed in voluminous clothing, holding a wide broom, and wearing a half-folded conical hat.

The woman showed no fear or dread upon seeing Nebida. It wasn’t merely familiarity.

She too was a being touched by the mysteries of this land.

Because she was a witch.

“Druid. You called for me?”

“Valpurgis. Heal him. Just keep him alive.”

The witch, Valpurgis, merely felt a slight annoyance at the sight of the torn-off arms. Of course, that was only in her thoughts; it did not manifest in her expression or gestures. Valpurgis moved the broom with a dry indifference. The broom, as if alive on its own, burrowed beneath the regressor and lifted him up.

Valpurgis looked at the remaining two arms and asked.

“Shall I reattach the torn-off arms as well?”

Oh. So there’s a technique for reattaching arms here too. Truly a witch. I nodded eagerly.

“Yes, if possible, please do that….”

“It would be better without the arms.”

“No. How ruthless. You can always remove them again, so why not just reattach them? If too much time passes, you won’t be able to reattach them!”

“It would be easier to manage without the arms, my lord. Please do not worry.”

She raised her voice without any intention of complying, which was a bit infuriating. Is she joking right now?

“There is a conflict of opinions from the client. Even if I don’t attach the arm, I must take care of it.”

The witch pondered whose opinion to heed between mine and Nebida’s, ultimately deciding to consider both sides. It was a wise choice.

The witch slightly bent her knees in greeting and took care of the returner’s arm. Nebida, without casting a glance that way, merely nodded at a small twig.

“Then, I shall guide you to the lord’s chamber.”

“Are you referring to my resting place, or someone else’s?”

“…It is the lord’s chamber that I serve.”

From the ground, a large-leaved lucky tree sprouted, gradually growing while carrying Nebida and me upon its leaves.

Even in this colossal World Tree, there was a peak. The vine, as thick as a building, gradually thinned, and beyond a certain point, only the azure sky remained as a backdrop.

The sky and the World Tree. Between them was a single flower bud. Nebida grew the lucky tree up to the top of the flower bud. As we drew closer, an unknown noise echoed in my mind-reading.

“A human king meeting another human king. When the wind reaches its peak, such irony arises. This is why the wind is necessary. Whatever kind it may be.”

The flower bud, resembling a lotus, was large enough for a person to enter. I gently placed my hand on a lotus petal. The layers of petals were dense and firm, seemingly impossible to peel away by force.

“Step back.”

Nebida raised her hand and made a circular motion. The tightly closed lotus petals swayed gently, following Nebida’s will. The barrier of petals peeled away layer by layer, slowly revealing ‘that’ which was cherished within.

Nebida knelt towards the inside and bowed her head.

“I, Nebida, shall enter for a moment.”

What lay within the flower was a slightly more mature ‘girl’ than the one seen in the dream of the offering deity. Curled up like a child, she hung tendrils, akin to an umbilical cord, from her mouth and nose, receiving nourishment from them. Her heart did not beat, and her breath had ceased. If asked whether she was alive or dead, I would confidently say she was closer to the dead.

Yet, thanks to Nebida’s service, the human king existed even beyond the distant passage of time.

“The human king whom Nebida cherishes, from a far-off past. Rather than me, who is unfamiliar in appearance and memory, he is fixated on that human king. Nebida’s true desire is probably not me…”

The voice echoing in my mind-reading grew gradually louder. Indeed, the thoughts I was reading now felt alien. It was like listening to a song composed in dissonance, causing my head to throb.

Unbeknownst to myself, I followed an instinctive pull.