Eat The World Tree

-BOOM!

A massive storm of magical energy engulfed the entire training ground. Black mist swirled and burst around, rippling.

This was already the nth time.

“…….”

It was absurd to think that someone who had just stepped onto the path of magic could create an original spell. Something felt off. Should I say that magic and demonic energy were fundamentally opposed, with their natures completely diverging?

Relying on intuition and talent rather than a meticulous formula of magical energy, it felt like I was groping in the dark.

-THUD!

Leaning back on the chair, I lost my balance and fell backward. My head didn’t hurt, but my right arm felt numb, almost paralyzed, from overexerting demonic energy.

“Huff, huff… damn.”

I thought it would be manageable at first, but it’s proving impossible.

The remarkable and unparalleled power of Cheonma when using martial arts. It was as if it had a will of its own, reacting violently when encountering magic, as if to say, ‘This isn’t Murim.’

“This guy is using sorcery! He’s using sorcery!!!”

I couldn’t help but remember the Murim people from Dowon who would curse at any opportunity.

‘It’s not that Murim warriors don’t use magic; they can’t use it.’

The nature of magic varied by era and individual. ‘Inner energy’ didn’t align with modern magic either. Instead, they used things like enchanted artifacts, illusions, or witchcraft.

‘I need to investigate that further.’

Back when Murim flourished in the East, they used inner energy for various techniques.

Eden held countless books. Naturally, there were also records about Murim and even Dowon.

-Creak.

As I lay there, thinking, the attic door opened.

A white dress hem appeared in my view. The Sage calmly descended the stairs and looked down at me with a smile.

“Shiheon, seems like you’re having some trouble?”

A soft, pleasant voice. Over time, the way she addressed me had become fixed as “Shiheon.”

“Yes.”

“Hehe, you’re very straightforward.”

“It’s a power that’s extremely hard to handle… it also puts a lot of strain on my body.”

“I’m surprised… I thought it was a power that would soon be lost forever.”

A power that would soon be lost. She hadn’t considered Cheondo, it seemed.

If it was the current Cheonma, Cheondo, she should be able to use demonic energy. I frowned at her reaction, showing that she hadn’t expected me to be able to use it.

‘Tsk.’

I prefer to avoid revealing my full capabilities. Not knowing how much the Sage understood about me, it felt like my guard had been somewhat lowered.

Of course, the plan was to extract as much knowledge from the Sage as possible.

“Any advice?”

As someone receiving her guidance, such questions usually prompted her to give a solid response. Especially regarding magic, she tended to explain things even I hadn’t thought to ask.

At my question, the Sage thought for a moment before giving a small smile.

“Maronnie would know quite a bit. Why not ask her?”

Maronnie… Well, she was obsessed with magic too, after all.

I pulled my gaze away from the hem of her dress and stood up nonchalantly. If advice was given, I would act on it immediately.

I dusted off my hands and stretched, leaving the written magical formulas flipped over.

“Understood.”

“Good luck. I don’t dislike those who study magic.”

“…Yes, yes.”

I responded half-heartedly as I turned my back.

Oh, right. I stopped midway and spoke to the Sage.

“By the way, Sage.”

“Yes?”

“…Do you really like teddy bears?”

Maybe she was shameless, or maybe she was just unbothered by exposure. When she was nearby, she showed no discomfort about coming close even when I was sprawled out. I had seen a teddy bear embroidered on her white clothes, which was quite small.

“…….”

The Sage’s mouth closed, leaving her speechless.

“…Is there a problem?”

Her voice was as sharp as a knife honed by a craftsman of several decades.

“Well, I’ll be off to study.”

“L-laughing at someone’s preferences—”

Ignoring the Sage, who stammered along with my words, I quickly left the spot.

“Lee Shiheon!”

For the first time, she spoke informally to me. I felt a thrill, as if I had knocked on the cool-headed Sage’s mind.

It was a small triumph after a week.

Neither Maronnie nor I could sleep for a while. It went to show how hard it was to create a spell.

“Night Kitty!”

-Creak!

As soon as I opened the door, a wave of sweat hit me. Maronnie, who was wearing round glasses, looked up at me, startled.

“…Ah, Shiheon? W-why are you here all of a sudden?”

The magnifying glasses didn’t match her small face, but they doubled her cuteness.

Her white lab coat was oversized, trailing on the floor as she sat on the chair.

“W-wait… I didn’t even wash my hair today…”

As I approached, Maronnie tried to push the wheeled chair back, escaping. I was quicker and pulled her into a hug from above. Her face flushed bright red, making it even more adorable.

“Sniff sniff. Doesn’t seem like there’s a problem.”

“…Ah, uh… uh…”

I pressed my fingers on the top of her head, causing her to lower it.

Since that day, we had gotten much closer. She kept asking for hugs and even to sleep together, and somehow, I went along with it.

My mind kept telling me to stay strong, to keep my distance. But seeing Maronnie so pained made my heart soften.

“Let go… please…”

She pushed against my chest with a shy voice, tapping lightly.

I reluctantly released her and pulled up a nearby chair to sit down. Scanning the cramped lab, I could see traces of Maronnie’s hard work everywhere.

Over a hundred sheets of A4 paper. Magi-tech computers, hand-drawn graphs, and formulas. Even tree runes, far more intricate than the symbols I used.

We were on different scales entirely. The gap between us was clear. No wonder the Sage suggested consulting Maronnie.

“…What’s the matter?”

Finally calm, Maronnie looked up at me cautiously. Due to our height difference, even while sitting, it naturally made her look cuter.

Even her hair was elegant. I had heard that French women preferred natural styles that required care.

“Your hair looks nice.”

“It’s just… I just did it.”

A chignon. It was like a bun, a common hairstyle in Korea. It varied depending on the direction and how it was tied.

Maronnie blushed at the sudden compliment and covered her cheeks with both hands.

“Hehe.”

Look at her smile.

Anyway, I wasn’t here to compliment Maronnie’s hair.

“I have something on my mind.”

“What’s on your mind? You can tell me anything.”

“It’s about magic. I’m trying to create something, but it’s just not working out.”

Maronnie’s expression immediately turned serious, as if asking for more details. Thanks to that, I could speak freely.

I didn’t explicitly mention “demonic energy,” but… I was wondering if it was possible to incorporate a power completely different from magical energy into magic.

Maronnie pondered intensely, as if it was her own issue.

“…Could it be sorcery?”

She took off her magnifying glasses and opened one of the books piled up like a mountain.

“If it’s that kind of field, there are good references in Murim. In Korea… and even China, the nature of magic is very diverse.”

It’s impressive how she quickly got to the point.

“It’s not my area of expertise, but combining such types of magical energy is a specialty of certain spirits.”

“Spirit magic?”

“Yes… spirit magic.”

Here was another rare concept. Spirits. If magic was something only the chosen could wield, spirit magic was like winning the lottery. Among the people around me, those who had contracts with spirits were Maronnie and Jin Dallae. Even though we weren’t that close, Japan’s National Tree, Saku, was also known as a famous spirit magic user.

“Do you know much about it?”

I shook my head in response to Maronnie’s question.

Spirits. I knew that magical energy was the source of the world and that monsters evolved from ents. There is a close connection between the World Tree, monsters, and dungeons. However, only spirits had no involvement in this world.

So, even when I studied, I didn’t know much about spirits.

“The spirit world is actually a realm of mystery. It’s more theoretical than practical, so it’s not taught often.”

“Do you know anything about it?”

“Who do you think I am?”

“Night Kitty.”

“…….”

Her face turned red again. Night Kitty, because she was a maronnie (night chestnut). It just rolled off the tongue.

“A-anyway!”

The point was, she didn’t deny it. She tapped my shoulder with a shy smile.

“…Spirit magic is a matter of talent. If you can contract with a spirit, they’ll become a great assistant to your magic.”

“Really?”

That sounded intriguing. I tended to use magic impulsively, but if a spirit could add precision or power, it might be quite useful.

In the past, I underestimated it, thinking martial arts and magic were already overwhelming enough on their own. But if it served as a support to my magic, it might be worthwhile.

It was not about expanding into spirit magic. It was more like a supplementary measure for magic.

“Ah, but… you shouldn’t get your hopes up. Being able to contract with a spirit is even rarer than awakening.”

Awakening. It referred to when someone who had no connection to magical energy or the power of a hunter suddenly awakened a unique ability or trait. It was akin to a miracle, like a sprout emerging from barren land.

They said there were even fewer cases of spirit contracts than that.

“It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

I smiled, as if to tell her not to worry.

That spirit magic. Talent. I had already obtained it long ago when I added Jin Dallae to the compendium.

“How do you make a contract?”

“…If you have a magic stone, you can do it anytime.”

A magic stone, huh.

“Hold on—”

“W-wait!?”

I immediately headed out to find the Sage in the upstairs archive. Surely, if it’s Eden, there must be a spare magic stone or two lying around. That was my thought, and it was a bit of a reckless assumption.

Magic stone, hand it over.

There were so many unknowns lately that it was frustrating. A part of me blamed the sage, the very presence who was confusing me, for being at the center of it all.

It was fine if they didn’t have one. Buying a magic stone wouldn’t be difficult.

“A magic stone?”

“Yes.”

“…You want to ask after what you just did?”

Was it because I teased her about her preferences? The Sage immediately glared at me, and I awkwardly laughed.

It took a while. Maybe five minutes passed. After setting down the book she was reading, she sighed and smiled with the same maternal warmth as before.

“Sigh. I thought you might ask, so I prepared it in advance.”

As if she had expected this, the Sage handed over a magic stone that was on the table in front of her. I immediately thanked her for the semi-translucent black gemstone.

I didn’t think she would really give it to me.

When I returned to Maronnie’s lab and showed it to her, she blinked in surprise, her face stunned.

“…Did you beg the Sage for this?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re crazy… You’re really crazy. You could’ve just asked me…”

Maronnie’s reaction was one of shock. Right then, the Sage entered the room.

“Oh, by the way, Shiheon.”

“Lady S-sage!?”

Maronnie was startled, her expression like that of a condemned criminal. Ignoring her, I spoke with the Sage.

“What is it?”

“If it’s a spirit ritual, we can’t do it here. The connection is severed. We need to move outside for a bit.”

“…S-sage, is that really okay? It’s such an imposition…”

“It’s not difficult.”

The rest went smoothly.

With the Sage’s help, we moved to a meadow. I didn’t know where it was, but it seemed quite remote. Apparently, spirits were more responsive in places like forests or fields.

Unexpectedly, Maronnie ended up following us to the middle of a meadow in her lab coat.

“…….”

The sudden change left Maronnie dazed. Not even sure what she was doing, she filled the center with magical energy and drew a large magic circle.

“To perform a summoning ritual… in front of the Sage….”

Did she think it was like a village chief puffing his chest before a king? Perceiving it as a situation where she’d be judged, Maronnie completed the magic circle with extreme caution.

“Is it okay?”

“Of course. Maronnie is an excellent magician.”

“T-thank goodness.”

To me, it was filled with incomprehensible symbols.

“When you place your hand on that magic stone, the rest will come to you.”

As the Sage instructed, I moved to the center and reached out my hand. The moment my fingertips touched the gemstone wrapped in white paper, a flood of information rushed into my mind.

Light gathered on the magic circle. Even though it was daytime, radiant clusters shone brightly.

I had to complete the formula with magical energy. Suddenly, the Sage’s words made sense. I infused the black magical energy through my fingertips. The light began to darken, and just as the entire formula was covered in black, a loud bang echoed around us.

-THUD!

Once.

-THUD!

Twice.

The odds of success were slim. Even with talent, there weren’t many instances where a summoning received a response. I had heard from Jin Dallae that it took repeated attempts to gradually increase the number of spirits one could manage.

You couldn’t fill your belly in one gulp, as they say, so I watched patiently. By luck, a small brown figure darted out from the light cluster.

“…Oh my.”

The Sage let out a nasal sound the moment she saw it. 7 cm. A tiny creature, about the size of a fingertip. Maronnie, who had been watching, couldn’t help but blink and smile.

[Tweet?]

A bird-like sound. The information entered my mind little by little. I immediately recognized what kind of bird it was.

[Was it you? Did you call for me?]

A woodpecker.

My cute first friend approached, tilting its head inquisitively.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!