The Cursed Sacred Tree

I know there are two reasons why Ambages is considered one of the worst demonic beasts.

First, the continent’s people believed Ambages’ act of eating brains was the same as consuming the souls of humans or humanoid races.

And second, when the unique Ambages Mom appears, her subordinate Ambages will never die as long as malevolent spirits abound nearby.

“Welcome. It’s your first one-on-one, isn’t it?”

Kraaaah!!

The Ambages that burst from the ground looked unusually enraged.

The reason only became clear after the dust settled and I saw the Ambages Mom.

“Huh?”

The Ambages Mom raged, green blood streaming from one eye. The wound must have been inflicted by the recent attack; the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

The Mom roared as she appeared and unleashed her peculiar power. The Ambages I’d painstakingly sliced earlier began to twitch and move one by one.

Not all Ambages rose. Some were too badly exposed to the breaker and couldn’t get up again.

Perplexed by this, the Mom cocked her head and glared at me, hatred burning in the wounded eye.

“Don’t do that. You make me look like the villain.”

—If you consider this their dwelling, couldn’t we be the invaders?

“Is that so? Well, nothing we can do then.”

I suddenly felt hands grab my ankles. Ambages awakened among the corpses.

While they held my ankles, venomous needles shot from all directions and pierced me. The Mom emitted an ominous gray aura and advanced swiftly.

The Mom’s aura-clad body collided with my weapon and the breaker.

Screeeech— Sssst—

After a moment of a chalkboard-scraping horror, there came the clean sound of something being sliced.

“Oh? You dodged?”

Whether it was peculiar to the Mom or the level of the spirit possessing her differed, she—who as a demonic beast would normally rage and lunge—quickly pulled back.

She snarled, baring white teeth, glaring at me with eyes full of grievance, as if I were tormenting her for no reason.

Because of that, I felt as if I were the one tormenting the beast.

“I told you not to look at it that way.”

Sshhhh—

I swung the Pyosik in a wide arc, cutting down Ambages around me.

I looked straight at the Mom’s yellow eyes and twisted a smile.

“You want to kill me, don’t you.”

Swish— Swish—!

“Cruelly.”

Though said to possess boundless life, it still takes time for its body to rejoin after being split and to assimilate new malevolent spirits.

I quickly cleaned up the nearby Ambages and faced the Mom.

Contrary to her demonic nature, she stepped back. When I swung the Pyosik with the breaker rippling along it, her body vanished from before my eyes.

“Huh?”

Thud— Thud—

Simultaneously, the sound of rice sacks toppling echoed around. The Ambages had reverted to corpses, emitting a thick stench.

Where the Mom had stood was now a black pit so deep its end couldn’t be seen.

“What? Can a demonic beast be like this?”

Why are they called demonic beasts? Because they won’t stop hunting even when sated, because of their incessant fighting spirit, and their inexplicable strength. Of course, because they’re steeped in corrupted divine power as well.

—Pfft! Friend, I thought you knew Ambages well, but there are things you don’t know.

“Huh?”

Elastra laughed, a deflating sound.

Seeing my puzzled expression, she continued explaining.

—Do you know why Ambages is called the worst demonic beast?

“Yes. Because they eat brains when alive, and because when that Mom appears they don’t die, right?”

Elastra smiled faintly at my words and calmly added more about the Ambages.

—That Ambages is brutal and savage like other beasts, but unlike them it’s cunning and sly, willing to retreat. Right now it’s probably hidden underground, waiting for an opportunity. Advise that you and your party rest.

“…Ugh. Noeaden!”

Somehow I had felt it was too easy.

Manipulating aura is impressive, but not a reason to be called the absolute worst. There are plenty of beasts who wield aura; some have attacks more destructive than mere aura.

Even so, the fact it was ranked among the worst should have made me think twice.

—Hm? What’s the matter?

“Pull up the Ambages Mom from under here.”

—Ambages? You mean that sly pervert mole?

“…Are the Ambages you know and the ones I know different?”

—Ho, hoho. No, it’s the same Ambages. Noeaden, an earth spirit who often sees Ambages shuddering while eating brains, particularly dislikes them.

Noeaden vanished before my eyes, and soon a large amount of divine power drained away.

The ground rippled and heaved like a wave, then an Ambages flailed and surfaced behind me with a shriek.

—Ah, I feel relieved. I’ve wanted to thrash them to death someday; thanks to you I settled my grudge. Much obliged. Hohoho.

The Ambages Mom hurled at my feet had patchy fur and most of her teeth broken. Above all, the stuff dripping from her mouth and eyes was likely blood.

“No wonder I’ve felt drained a moment ago—how much effort did you use in there?”

—Ho, hoho, hohoho.

Even with the staggering Chaos of 176, Noeaden laughed awkwardly, and I still felt a momentary weakness.

—Sorry, I didn’t mean to……

—Noeaden, be careful. The moment we take your friend’s treatment for granted, we’ll become like those ones ourselves.

—Understood.

The two spirits suddenly turned serious. The “those ones” they referenced must be the spirit kings who, despite being bound to me and granting abilities, refused to make contracts.

“Don’t get so serious. I was just joking because of her condition.”

—No, it’s my fault. I’ll be careful.

I waved off Noeaden’s repeated apologies with a nod and turned my gaze to the Mom rolling her eyes on the ground.

“This will die in one go, right?”

—Still, just in case, I recommend fire magic.

As if she understood our discussion about how to kill her, the trembling Mom drew a sour smile from Noeaden, who recommended fire magic.

‘Do you want to kill it painfully?’

Following Noeaden’s advice, I burned the Ambages Mom to a meaningless death and then stood before the cursed sacred tree I had targeted.

—But with a curse like this, shouldn’t it be burned?

Noeaden asked the same question as Elastra.

As I was about to answer the two curious spirits, the Ja-ryong perched on my head perked up, flapped, and flew off.

“Ja-ryong?”

The Ja-ryong flew into the midst of the pure-white flower field, buried its snout, and sniffed around for something.

Thinking it was up to mischief again, I ignored it and took out ten bottles of ‘Premium Sanitas Potion’ from my inventory.

—Oh?

“Elastra, can you add your purified water to these ten bottles and sprinkle it all over the sacred tree? From leaves to roots.”

—Oh? Friend, you have many curious items. The potion that replenishes divine power was one thing, but this is even more fascinating.

Perhaps because she is an apex water spirit, Elastra recognized the uniqueness of the ‘Premium Sanitas Potion’ at a glance and brightened.

She then asked my permission to use her divine power and summoned a quiet, solemn aura.

Drop by drop the water gathered, grew larger, and then multiplied exponentially.

The caps of the ‘Premium Sanitas Potion’ opened and a thick purple liquid rose into the air to join the purified water Elastra had summoned.

Elastra opened her closed eyes, and with a gesture a cerulean dragon that had been dancing in the air descended upon the cursed sacred tree, exuding thick malevolent energy.

Sizzle— Ssss— Sizzle—! Sizzle— Ssss— Sizzle—!

Sounds like hot metal plunged into cold water and ominous black smoke billowed from the tree.

In a way it was like peeling away grime—the tree was gradually returning to its true color.

I couldn’t take my eyes off that wondrous sight when something bumped against my foot.

Looking down, it was the Ja-ryong—but its state was not normal.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Gyaa~ah? Hic!”

This thing… is it drunk? What on earth did it pick up and eat to make a dragon get drunk?

“Gyaa! Gyagyagya! Aah!”

“Hey, heyhey!”

As I tried to inspect it closely, it suddenly thrashed about. I set it down, and it staggered and then leaned against my foot and dozed off.

“What exactly did you eat walking around? Hm?”

White powder smeared at the Ja-ryong’s mouth. Could it be the Ambages’ hallucinogen? The place it flew to earlier is where the Ambages Mom lies fallen.

While I checked the Ja-ryong, the ominous black sacred tree finished transforming into a pleasant, soothing light brown, as if the previous black had been a lie.

Fresh green leaves flourished like dawn meeting the sun, like spring arriving after a long winter.

The sacred tree revealed itself—a massive trunk marked by time, inviting one to rest a hand upon it.

—Phew……

The spirit, despite being top-tier, sighed uncharacteristically.

Elastra looked at me with a proud face and nodded. The moment she looked confident.

“[A Miraculous Achievement! You and the Rebound Legion have succeeded in purifying the cursed sacred tree that spawned malevolent spirits in the ‘Forest of Nightmares’ from ancient times to the present (official name).]”

“[The title ‘Holy’ is bestowed upon all members of the Rebound Legion.]”

“[An additional reward is granted to representative Kim Han, who contributed most to purifying the cursed sacred tree. Please check your inventory.]”

“Wow!”

“Captain!”

“Wo-wow! It’s a title!”

“Huh……”

The members gathered around me were stunned by the message floating in the air and astonished at how different the sacred tree looked from when we first saw it.

“Hm? Kim Han?”

“Yes?”

Merus called me, as if sensing something odd.

He was pointing at the Ja-ryong sleeping against my foot.

The Ja-ryong, receiving all the squad’s attention, was still groggy, its head disproportionately large as it bobbed and dozed.

“…Had some daytime drinking.”

“What?”

“Don’t you know what daytime drinking that makes it not recognize its parents is?”

“…?”