Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 583



582 – The Beasts Are Born in the World Tree

There’s no grave without a story in the world, but the story of the great witch is quite remarkable. The brief favor she showed turned into poison and burned the World Tree. It’s enough to drive people mad.

“That’s what happened.”

‘The druid burned the World Tree. I didn’t have time to consider the great witch’s circumstances….’

The returnee also nodded, recalling the great witch’s words.

“There’s a background and story for every person.”

“…I understand. But I can’t simply agree with what the great witch says like you do. If the goal is just to burn the World Tree, then it’s fine to just let it die.”

“Can the World Tree be destroyed?”

“What’s the big deal? It’s better for the World Tree to die than for the world to be destroyed. One less tree won’t make a difference.”

The World Tree can be destroyed? It’s hard to say if that’s simple or outrageous.

“But the great witch won’t stop there. She’ll definitely do something more. We have to stop her from destroying the World Tree.”

“How? We’re already powerless and caught.”

“Ugh….”

The regressed individual, having realized their situation, tried to move their arm with great effort. However, their arm still wouldn’t budge, and the mere attempt filled the regressed individual with excruciating pain.

“I may not be able to do much, but… this might be an opportunity. This is the Tree of Betrayal, the dead tree that bears the fruit of sin. There must be a clue here somewhere.”

“What clue?”

“The Plague Knight and the Green Death. The Great Witch must have created it here.”

“What’s that? Tell me a story I know.”

The regressed individual had never heard of the Plague Knight or the Green Death before. It was a historical event, but only they knew about it.

“There was a terrible plague that swept through the Empire. People’s skin turned black and rotted, emitting pus and a foul stench as they died. The survival rate was 20%, but even those who survived suffered from severe aftereffects. It spread so quickly that it earned the name Plague Knight.”

Huh? Should I tell them about it? And what’s with the plague? I asked in surprise.

“Was the plague created by the Great Witch?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“That plague wasn’t created by the Great Witch. However, she did spread it to several villages and instilled fear in people, so it’s true that she’s the mastermind behind it. But the plague itself was just a particularly terrifying and horrific one – the Plague Knight was just a common plague.”

It sounds strange to call it a common plague, but in reality, all sorts of plagues are rampant in the dense forests of the world. The population density is so low that it’s not noticeable. If a plague from the dense forests were to spread to the heart of the Empire, it would be considered a plague.

“What the Great Witch created was something else.”

“The Green Death?”

“Yes. It’s a disease that kills plants and insects, not people. Once infected, it rots from the inside out, and the plant is doomed to die eventually.”

So, it’s a disease that kills the World Tree. The purpose is clear. There’s no one who bears a grudge against trees, so it’s likely that the Great Witch created a disease that kills plants.

“People eventually discovered that insects were spreading the plague, but they didn’t know it was a poison and misused the Green Death to eradicate the insects.”

It’s pointless for Valpurgis or the Great Witch to be stingy with their words now. Their plan has already been set in motion, and the regressed individual’s regression has made it a non-existent future.

“Is that something from Mr. Shea’s foresight?”

“Let’s go with that. I’m tired of beating around the bush now.”

“Indeed, people need to be stripped down a bit for their true selves to show.”

“What do you mean by stripped down?”

“The mask, of course, the mask.”

I’m glad the time traveler spoke first. I had picked up on Valpurgis’s thoughts to some extent, but pretending I didn’t was really difficult.

“Even if it’s virtually confirmed that Mr. Shea is a saint, what are you saying this for? What if someone hears?”

“This isn’t the room we originally occupied, and it’s just after the great witch left. It’s the only time we won’t be monitored. If we’re still being watched… well, there’s nothing we can do about that.”

“That’s pretty clever. Good job.”

“You know, I don’t feel even a little happy hearing you say that.”

“You’re finally starting to think a bit. You’ve made a lot of progress. Keep it up.”

“That doesn’t mean I want you to criticize me!”

What do you want me to do? You’re really impossible. I sighed and整理ed what the time traveler had said.

“To conclude, there must be a clue somewhere in this tree regarding what Mr. Shea mentioned.”

The time traveler spoke with solemn determination.

“Yeah. We need to find it.”

“…”

“Why?”

Why? Because you’re currently in a state where you can’t even move on your own, so I have to take care of everything.

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll go along with you. Where do you want to go?”

“Let’s take a look at this tree as a whole. We don’t even know what’s where.”

“A whole look? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I’m serious. Why? Is there a problem?”

“…No. Let’s go.”

That issue can only be understood through experience.

The World Tree. Towering 870m high, not counting its roots, it’s the largest tree in the world. Its base resembles a hill more than a trunk, and its deeply spread roots firmly grasp an area of 10km in radius. It drinks from a couple of flowing rivers and blankets the world with its leaves.

In the realm of the World Tree, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires do not occur. The breaking ground is held tightly, overflowing water is swallowed, and even ordinary flames are extinguished with a breath.

“…How do we go down?”

Thus, the Returner’s statement was incredibly arrogant. Having lost both the sky and the earth, and unable to use their arms, the Returner would die with even the slightest slip. Soaring through the sky on the wind was a thing of the past.

“Going down is easier than going up, so let’s start from the top and slowly make our way down.”

“What about going back up?”

“The navigator will help us up. If not, we’ll just walk out, right?”

“…Right. Nothing wrong with that. Let’s go.”

On the tree of origins, there were small mushroom platforms that allowed people to climb up and down. The Returner shook their immobile arms and stood up from the wheelchair.

“Are you trying to walk when you can’t even move your arms?”

“Why? Do you think I’ll fall from the tree just because my arms don’t move?”

“Yes.”

And in that moment, a gust of wind struck. The Returner’s body swayed and slipped beyond the mushroom platform. Just as expected. I caught the Returner to prevent them from falling.

“Phew, ugh.”

“See? It doesn’t work.”

The tall tree is said to never have a calm day. The World Tree, akin to the Tree of Origin, was almost enveloped in a storm. At an altitude nearly 1 km above the ground, the turbulent currents of wind, breaking and twisting as they passed through the solitary protruding branches, were not something a person unable to move their arms could endure.

“Ugh, wait a moment. I just need to balance with the Gongi Gong.”

“The Tree of Origin has inherited the World Tree. Its trunk and leaves are filled with vitality. Even in his prime, it would be difficult for Shay to push through the essence of the World Tree and extend his energy.”

From noble mtl dot com

“And what about you?”

“Well, I can use the power of the deity.”

I subtly lifted my foot. At my feet, the goblin needles grew, holding onto my shoes to prevent them from slipping. The Tree of Origin was the deity itself. The power of the deity I wielded was very cooperative.

The Regressor spoke with delight.

“Uh? Then do that for my feet too.”

“What? You want me to read every unconscious step of Shay and grow grass to match his stride? While also keeping an eye on my own gait?”

“But there’s no other way, right? It’s not like we can fly.”

“Ugh.”

“Huh?”

Letting out a short sigh, I lifted the Regressor directly. Since his arms were bound to prevent movement, I couldn’t carry him in a conventional way. If the arms I had attached were to get crushed and misaligned, it would be a disaster, so I had no choice but to lift the Regressor with both hands like a bundle.

I couldn’t push a wheelchair, and I couldn’t drop him either. This was the only option. The Regressor understood the method itself and didn’t say anything further.

“Uh, uh, um.”

“Ugh, heavy. It would have been easier if your arms were intact.”

“…What are you talking about! It’s still light enough!”

The Regressor shot me a sulky glance. Still, perhaps because he couldn’t move his arms, he remained compliant, making it somewhat easier to carry him. I leaned against the trunk of the World Tree and walked down the mushroom steps.

“The Tree of Origin has a structure where countless branches extend from a large trunk leading to the layer of the Archangel. Even if we have plenty of time, it would take over a year to explore each of those branches.”

“There’s no need for that. Let’s first take a rough look at what’s far away and head to the places that seem important. I’ll use the Seven-Colored Eye.”

The eyes of the returner were tinted with violet. The seven colors within the seven colors, a gaze that looked far away. They scrutinized the countless branches stretching into the distance. The returner merely turned their head to stare at the fruits in that far-off place.

“The closest branch has meat fruits hanging from it.”

“Meat fruits? Can you tell what kind of meat it is?”

“I can’t see well… Turn your body a bit.”

“That’s in plain sight.”

“When looking far away, the field of vision narrows. Hurry up.”

“Why are you making me move when you won’t?”

Grumbling, they adjusted their direction. After focusing on the branches for about ten seconds, the returner discovered the shadow of a beast clinging to the fruit.

“It’s a monkey. From the closest place to the farthest. The details are different, but they all look like monkeys.”

“Are they all meat fruits?”

“Yeah. It seems everything extending from that branch is meat fruit. This branch seems to have monkeys forming.”

“What about over there?”

They leaned toward a branch slightly lower than the one with the monkeys. The returner complained about the sudden change in perspective.

“Don’t turn too quickly. It gets dizzying when you rapidly rotate your field of vision after opening your eyes.”

“Are you going to keep opening and closing your eyes every time? Just close them for a moment when you turn.”

“Say that before you turn!”

The grumbling returner looked at a relatively small branch bearing fruit like grapes and said,

“They’re rats and rabbits. There are a ton of them. So many different types of rats. They’re hanging between the leaves.”

“They’re not alive, are they?”

“Yeah. But it wouldn’t be strange if they woke up right now. It seems the forms of the primal numbers are already complete.”

“Looks like a rat and a rabbit aren’t exactly edible.”

“Who knows? We might have found a delicious rabbit.”

Even just the closest branches were like this. Below them, on the countless other branches that split off, fruits of various sizes hung. Some were so small they were barely visible even to a child, while others were large enough to sway the branches of the World Tree.

Even after walking for a while, all I could see were the meat fruits dangling from the countless outstretched branches.

“Don’t you think all of that looks like beasts?”

“Yeah. They’re all beasts. What you see now is cattle.”

“Since we’ve come this far, should we take a short break?”

“We haven’t come down that far yet, have we?”

“I carried you all the way down here. At this rate, my arms are going to fall off.”

“Ah, right.”

As soon as I mentioned that I was carrying him, the regressor readily agreed. He became a bit more compliant; maybe he was just feeling weak?

I adjusted my grip on the regressor and said, “Hold on tight. I’m going to jump straight to where the cattle fruits are.”

“You’re going to jump? How?”

“Like this?”

For a moment, I supported the regressor with one hand and pulled out a card with the other. The Spade 9, the Tree of Origin. The Tree of Origin, the embodiment of Navida’s power and knowledge, reacted with my mana. As I struck the trunk of the World Tree with the palm holding the card, a tough, long vine shot up from beneath the bark.

A skilled magician can tie a rope with one hand. After firmly binding the regressor and myself with the vine, I nodded confidently.

“Alright. It’s sturdy.”

“…What’s good about it? It could snap at any moment.”

‘Well, even if it does fall, Hughes should be able to handle it.’

“Uh? No, if you believe that, it’s a bit burdensome. I can manage, but I can’t handle someone whose arms are paralyzed.”

Feeling slightly anxious, I wrapped around the body of the regressor once more and then jumped off the mushroom platform.

I was confident in this technique, and although the regressor was currently uncomfortable, they had faced many dangerous situations before. The two of us glided smoothly in a parabolic arc, heading straight for a branch where the cow fruit was growing. Landing on the relatively flat branch, I exhaled deeply, releasing the breath I had been holding, and set the regressor down.

“Ugh. My arms, I feel like they’re going to fall off.”

“What? It wasn’t that heavy.”

“The front legs of a beast aren’t designed to carry heavy loads. Why don’t you try lifting it?”

“I’ll do it once my arms are better.”

“Ugh, the muscle pain. I don’t even have the strength to massage my arms.”

“Well, once my arms are better, I’ll massage yours.”

“Thanks a lot for that…. Ah, I’m all better now.”

As expected, it’s convenient being a deity.

Taking a moment to rest, I used the tree of origin to summon furniture made of plants. A bamboo tube that produced clear water rose up, and a wooden chair and table appeared. The regressor naturally sat down in the chair.

“I’m feeling a bit peckish, so I’ll go catch a cow. Or should I say, I’ll pick one here.”

I headed towards the large cow fruit nearby. Unlike before, the fruit containing a whole cow was so big and heavy that it lay heavily on a petal that resembled a large nest. I approached to pick the cow fruit with my card.

At that moment, a shadow of a person wriggled inside with the cow.