Chapter 97

Researcher Jeong Jae-hyun’s explanation gave us a rough idea of just how extraordinary the World Tree was, but…

Even so, we still weren’t quite sure *why* it was so special or exactly what it did.

When the World Tree regained its vitality, the researchers and staff let out cries of joy mixed with awe, leaving me feeling rather flustered.

“The World Tree has come back to life! How in the world did this happen?”

“Quickly notify the relevant departments! Stabilization team, begin stabilization procedures immediately!”

“There you are again… Spirit of Normalcy! Great Hae-un!”

The numerous adults were cheering everywhere—it was kind of scary.

I knew they were all happy, but the sudden loud noises still made me feel uneasy. In the midst of that, a tail cautiously approached me and snuggled tightly into my arms.

“Guess the tail is scared too.”

Naughty as it usually is, at moments like these, it’s almost like having a baby around.

As I patted it gently, Chae-a, who was standing nearby, suddenly lit up with excitement and shouted at me.

“The sprout has grown into an even bigger sprout!”

Chae-a, being a spirit beast, must have had some connection to life energy because she seemed to really love the World Tree. She was clearly overjoyed that it had grown larger.

While watching her celebrate, I thought how fortunate it was that the World Tree had returned to life. At that moment, Yuna, standing beside me, calmly added,

“It’s lucky indeed. It’s growing nicely. You know that, right?”

She then gently stroked the World Tree with her hand, nodded contentedly, and stood up.

Just as I was about to return to my original spot after laughing softly at their antics…

Uuuuung!

A mysterious vibration filled the air, followed by a bright teal light emanating from the World Tree. It began sending streams of mana directly toward Somtul.

“…?!”

Startled, I froze in place, blinking in confusion as I tried to figure out what the World Tree had done to Somtul. Unfortunately, since the tree can’t talk, all it did was sway its trunk affectionately toward me.

‘What on earth just happened?’

Though there didn’t seem to be any malice behind it, without an explanation, curiosity kept nagging at me.

While I pondered this, Chae-a suddenly exclaimed in surprise,

“Somtul’s head has sprouted a new leaf!”

Blinking in disbelief, I reached out to touch Somtul’s scalp—and sure enough, I felt a tiny sprout emerging.

“?!?!”

What is going on?

As I alternated between looking at Yuna and Chae-a in bewilderment, the small leaf atop Somtul’s head shimmered and began swaying gently.

This whole situation is completely baffling. I wish someone would step forward and explain already!

Just then, Han Arin rushed over, seemingly alarmed by the burst of light.

“Are you kids okay?”

Apparently, she’d been startled by the light emission. I nodded reassuringly and pointed toward Somtul’s head, prompting her reaction:

“A sprout?”

She looked incredibly surprised.

“Did this happen because of that light?”

“Nye!” (Yes!)

“So it did… Somtul, does anything hurt?”

“Pii?” (No?)

“She says no.”

“Good…”

With a mix of complex emotions, Han Arin sighed and patted Somtul on the back.

“It’s good that nothing hurts, but just in case, we should get you checked out.”

“Bbyeong!” (No!)

“She says no.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

At the mention of a check-up, Somtul slumped down like a slime and started wobbling around adorably.

Finding this both cute and amusing, I chuckled lightly—but before I could enjoy the moment further…

“Of course, Hae-un, Chae-a, and Yuna will also need to be examined, so prepare yourselves, got it?”

To everyone’s surprise, Yuna reacted first.

Terrified of the examination, she perked her tail straight up and fidgeted nervously before quickly hiding behind me and starting to protest.

“No way. Yuna is scared.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not painful. It’s just a simple check to ensure there’s nothing wrong…”

“The last time, they used sharp needles and hurt Yuna!”

“Sharp needles? Oh… injection. That was for preventive measures, which couldn’t be avoided back then, but this time there won’t be any needles, so you don’t need to worry at all!”

Despite Han Arin frantically waving her hands to assure Yuna otherwise, Yuna, remembering past experiences, refused to believe her.

Seeing that things were escalating, I decided to intervene and calm Yuna down.

“Trust me. It won’t hurt.”

Perhaps because Yuna trusted me more than Han Arin, she hesitantly stepped out from behind me, though still trembling slightly, and muttered,

“Ara says so…”

Thankfully, she agreed. Relieved, I took her hand firmly in mine.

—

On our way to the guild for the examination, Somtul, who had fallen asleep in my arms, suddenly shivered and woke up. As I looked at him curiously, he began speaking to me.

“Piii!” (My head itches!)

Realizing why he woke up, I was about to scratch his head when I noticed something odd.

‘The sprout is gone?’

Trying to find where it went, I rummaged through Somtul’s fur—but there was no trace of it.

“Why are you worried?”

Could I have lost it along the way? Was it something extremely valuable?

As I fretted over this possibility, something poked my cheek from my shoulder. Turning my head, I saw a small seed with a sprout clinging to my face.

‘A seed?’

While I could somehow accept ants behaving strangely, seeing a seed wiggling around and poking my cheek was simply beyond comprehension. Struggling to maintain my sanity, I attempted to focus.

The seed stared intently at me before falling onto my palm and speaking in an unfamiliar language.

“★☆○＊!”

Although I couldn’t understand the words, I inexplicably grasped what it wanted me to do.

‘Plant me in the ground.’

Uncertainty clouded my mind. If I misunderstood, I might end up burying a living creature for no reason…

‘That’s unacceptable.’

Determined to avoid any potential disasters, I asked the seed a few questions. Meanwhile, Chae-a, who had just woken up, rubbed her eyes and spoke groggily.

“The sprout wants to grow more. Then it can become like Haeuni.”

Her pronunciation was muffled due to sleepiness, but I managed to understand her meaning and nodded gratefully.

Chae-a smiled faintly and continued,

“If Chae-a gets buried, will she become like Haeuni too?”

“W-what?”

“Then Chae-a can wag her tail and playfully laugh while becoming great like Haeuni…”

After uttering this incomprehensible statement, Chae-a promptly fell back asleep.

As I gently laid her down and smoothed her hair, the seed on my shoulder bounced excitedly, agreeing with her words.

“Alright. I’ll plant you in the lair.”

The seed responded enthusiastically, bouncing even higher.

Deciding to plant the World Tree’s seed next to the flowers gifted by the Kamangi, I blinked approvingly.

—

Before heading for the examination, I planted the World Tree’s seed beside the flowers given to me by the Kamangi.

‘Will this do?’

Thinking it would be best to water it, I sprinkled some water around and patted the soil lightly. Nearby, Chae-a, who had been crouching beside me, observed silently before posing a question.

“Why do seeds like being buried in the ground?”

This was a question I had never considered before, causing my mind to freeze momentarily. To me, planting seeds in the ground was merely common sense—not something worth analyzing deeply.

Unable to respond, I remained silent, but fortunately, Yuna answered instead.

“They cover themselves with blankets to stay warm.”

True to Yuna’s nature, her answer revolved around warmth. Inspired, Chae-a lit up and said,

“So if we’re cold during winter, we could bury ourselves in the ground too?”

In her usual calm tone, Chae-a casually suggested something that would’ve made Han Arin panic upon hearing it.

Agreeing enthusiastically, Yna rummaged through her pocket and declared with determination,

“That’s right! We’ll bring cookies and Kamangi snacks and bury them with us.”

Listening to this absurd conversation, I wanted to interject and say “no,” but feared ruining the mood. Children tend to forget such ideas within a week, let alone a month, so I decided to let it go.

‘They’ll probably forget about this by winter.’

Just as I resigned myself to ignoring it, Han Arin called out, signaling it was time to leave.

“Kids? Shall we go now?”

Upon hearing this, Chae-a sprang up energetically and proudly announced to Han Arin,

“Yes! Since Chae-a plans to bury herself in winter, Aarin-nee needs to cover her well! Haeuni and Yuna too!”

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