Eat The World Tree

[Then, please hug me once before you go.]

After meeting the World Tree of Healing, she spread her branches wide and hugged me with a small, childish gesture. It wasn’t difficult.

As Maronnie shyly covered her face with both hands, I took a step forward and opened my arms toward her. The tree trunk of the World Tree of Healing nestled directly into my arms. Her whole body fit within my embrace.

[…Please show your face sometimes while you’re here.]

“Do you have a camera? Or maybe a voice receiver?”

[No.]

The head portion, where the branches split from the trunk, was placed on my shoulder. The World Tree of Healing embraced me with her voluptuous branches, wrapping them around me as if trying to swallow me whole.

-Squeeze.

The body being hugged.

I snickered quietly so the World Tree wouldn’t hear. I closed my eyes.

-Thump.

At that moment, a heartbeat could be heard. A heart….

Something strange was happening. A tree shouldn’t have a heart, but there was a loud, resounding beat. Startled by this odd occurrence, I opened my eyes.

-Spark.

‘What?’

My vision turned bright white in an instant.

My surroundings flipped.

This wasn’t where I was before. A world appeared in front of my eyes, as if a small boat was floating on a vast, white expanse. It was warm, like a mother’s embrace. The faint smell of grass and the soft fragrance of flowers wrapped around me gently. I couldn’t help but smile. A pleasant scent filled the air.

‘What is this—’

Soft skin that made my entire body tingle. It was embracing me. The body of the person hugging me slipped between my fingers.

She gently stroked my head and back with her delicate touch, wrapping my body like a gift with her silky, light green hair. She left a lingering, moist kiss on my neck. The branches that had been intertwined around me disappeared without a trace. This world was exuding a dreamlike aura.

It was as if someone had drawn a beautiful dreamscape on my closed eyelids.

[Husband.]

I couldn’t see her face well due to my blurred vision. But she smiled at me.

-Tap.

In that instant, my consciousness was pushed out of the world. When I regained my senses and opened my eyes again, the surreal atmosphere had vanished. Only the dim lights of the room prepared for the World Tree flickered gently in my view.

[My dear husband.]

The World Tree of Healing released me from her embrace.

[I’ll wait for you.]

“Oh, uh-huh.”

I felt as if I had just woken up from a dream.

As I stumbled away, I instinctively rubbed the spot on my neck where her lips had touched and looked down at my hand. It felt sticky, like it was covered with human saliva.

I turned and walked towards Maronnie.

“…Why that face?”

“It’s nothing.”

Nothing happened.

I felt like something had occurred, but I couldn’t explain it in words. The face of an unknown woman flickered in my mind. Let’s just go. After bidding farewell to the World Tree of Healing, we left the room.

-Clunk.

“Sigh.”

As soon as we stepped outside, Maronnie made a face of utter disbelief.

“What on earth just happened?”

She muttered in a tired voice, as if she couldn’t believe what had just transpired.

“Right.”

I stood next to her, crossing my arms and nodding. It was a baffling situation. I had tried to act like a lover to help Maronnie, but when we arrived, the World Tree of Healing was the one waiting for us. Her frenzy had shattered all our original plans.

The fresh and innocent atmosphere we had when we first walked in had long since evaporated. Both Maronnie and I were exhausted, barely maintaining our steps.

“Hey, you…”

“What?”

“Are you sure it’s okay like this?”

Her question came as we walked.

Though the wait may be indefinite, was it really the right choice to accept the World Tree of Healing? Maronnie’s gaze asked that question as she glared at me in silence. I didn’t have much of an answer to give.

Even though I had been overwhelmed, she had shown such intense emotion.

“Does it really matter?”

I adjusted my crooked mask and smiled.

“I already have plenty of people to take responsibility for. What’s the harm in adding one more tree?”

“Take responsibility…?”

Maronnie looked up at me with a face full of doubt, placing her hand on her chin, deep in thought. As she tried to figure out what I meant, her face suddenly turned red.

“…H-how many are there!?”

Even though polygamy was legal, it was usually only two or three at most. In my case, I was already reaching numbers too high to count on my fingers. If I kept bragging like this, it’d probably come back to bite me later.

I looked at Maronnie, who stared at me with an embarrassed expression.

‘…But, wait a minute.’

A sudden thought struck me.

How did Maronnie and I suddenly get so close?

With Bao, she was naturally tough and carefree, so we grew close by exchanging harsh words and physical interaction. But with Maronnie, all I had done was share a few amusing stories about my past. When Taeyang first explained the power of subordination, Maronnie was the one that came to mind.

Originally, she’s timid and easily scared. This is strange.

“Why? Why are you staring at me like that?”

I reached out and placed my hand on her crown. Gently, as if petting a cat, I rubbed back and forth. At that, her hair shot up as if ears were about to pop out.

“…! Ugh.”

Her scalp flushed hot.

“What are you doing…?”

She was about to yell, but instead bit her lip, glaring at me from the stairs. I moved my hand down and gently scratched her chin.

Blanche, who had lifted her head slightly, froze and couldn’t say a word. Instead, she quietly pushed her chin forward, her face turning bright red.

“Uuuugh…”

Despite finding it hard to endure, she reluctantly accepted the touch. At one point, a cadet descended the stairs and paused, but there was no way to explain the sight of Maronnie covering her red face with both hands, staring at the ground.

‘As I thought.’

Something felt off.

“Sir Lee Shiheon.”

“Yes?”

“The second trial administrator. A message from Merri.”

As I was about to enter my room, a man in a suit waiting beside the door bowed and greeted me. It had been four days since I clocked in with Merri. With real-time updates like this every day, it was easy for me to keep track.

“She said to come because she will administer the trial.”

“Is it the same message as last morning?”

“Yes.”

“…Sorry for bothering you every day.”

I told him I’d think about it and sent the administrator away.

I planned to delay meeting Merri a little longer. If I let her have her way, who knows when she’d develop bad habits again.

But I couldn’t drag it out for too long either. From Merri’s perspective, I was just a fleeting, insignificant figure. Up until now, I had clung desperately, fostering some attachment. Otherwise, by now, she would be mocking a petty human sulking in his room.

-Clunk.

As I made up my mind and opened the door.

“Hyung, you’re here.”

Taeyang, lying on the sofa and munching on a biscuit, waved as soon as he saw me.

Aori wasn’t here.

The only one who had called was this rascal, Mok Taeyang.

“I saw your message.”

With his usual carefree tone, Taeyang chuckled, pulling out his earphones and placing his phone on the table as he sat up.

“You said it looks like you used subordination?”

“Yeah.”

When I tapped Taeyang’s leg, he moved aside, making space. I sat next to him and grabbed a biscuit, taking a bite.

“Who is it?”

“The National Tree.”

“Oh… the one from Africa?”

“Definitely not that one.”

-Crunch.

The biscuit split in half, and the slightly dry texture wasn’t bad.

“I think I might have used it unconsciously. It’s not hard to use.”

I knew how to use the power of subordination. I realized it at some point—there was a moment when you just felt it’s the right time. But I couldn’t be certain, because when I connected with Maronnie, I had lost consciousness. I couldn’t even remember the feeling. Only fragments of the conversations lingered in my mind.

After putting all the pieces together, I still couldn’t fully understand why Maronnie was showing subtle affection now. I slowly explained it all to Taeyang, and he nodded.

“Then it’s likely subordination. Wow, but that’s impressive. It’s nearly impossible to succeed with subordination in one go. So what now?”

“Can’t you undo it?”

Taeyang snorted at my question.

“It can be undone, sure. Want me to?”

“Honestly, I’ve observed the results long enough.”

In the worst case, it wouldn’t be completely useless, so there’s no harm in keeping it.

“That’s a bad idea.”

Taeyang shook his head.

“It can be undone, but you’d need to wait at least another week. Based on what you’ve said.”

I clicked my tongue.

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Subordination is useful, but some of the World Trees can sense the connection to the Tree Spirit King.”

“…That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“That’s because you don’t actively use subordination. If you mishandle the subordinated ones, and the Tree Spirit King thinks you’ve crossed the line, he might come to kill you.”

In that case, leaving the subordination mark on the National Tree would be a terrible idea.

“Then why the hell did you suggest I use subordination on Merri? And on others too?”

Taeyang looked flustered.

His expression was one of ‘Did I really say that?’ He immediately raised a fist and knocked on his own head.

“Oops, my mistake.”

Crazy bastard.

Now that I thought about it, he had been pushing subordination for a while. It was a miracle I hadn’t been screwed over yet.

“That’s because you’ve been so reluctant to use subordination. One or two people won’t matter. Not even one tree. The World Trees won’t notice such a faint connection.”

“And if they do?”

“Then it’s cops and robbers, what else?”

Taeyang added one more thing.

“It’s risky, but there are rewards. The more you use subordination, the stronger the Tree Spirit King’s power will become. It’s like filling up the codex to gain power. Subordination works the same way.”

“Does the power of subordination only increase if it’s maintained?”

“Not necessarily. Once you’ve used subordination, it stores experience points. Think of it like a game.”

“So the most efficient thing would be to use it and run.”

But in order to undo subordination, at least 2-3 weeks had to pass. During that time, the mental strength of the target would return, and their mind would begin to pull against the Tree Spirit King’s power. That’s when you could decide whether to undo it or not.

“If their mental strength is strong, they might undo the subordination themselves.”

“In that case, can I never subordinate them again?”

“Once it’s undone, they develop immunity. It’s similar to mind magic. If you want to make them yours after that… you’ll need to break them down completely.”

Got it.

There was about a week left, and if Maronnie’s subordination was undone, I wouldn’t be able to use it on her again. On the other hand, if I mentally broke her down, I could renew the subordination. After repeating this process two or three times, permanent subordination becomes possible.

“…This power is more complicated than I thought. Why didn’t you explain it earlier, you bastard?”

“I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to explain once you had made up your mind.”

-Bam!

Taeyang’s head flew back.

I should really sit him down and get all the information out one day. This golden goblin of a guy… unless I hit him, he wouldn’t spill anything about the Tree Spirit King. Who knew how many more secrets he was hiding?

A sigh escaped my lips.