The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 163

Chapter 19. Ruins: World Tree Bastard

Coco seemed to think of Kyle, who birthed her, as her mother, and me, who raised her, as her father.

I suddenly became a dad with a kid, but I felt good. If it was a cute kid like Coco, I could take care of a few more.

It’s strange to deny it now. She’s at an age where she’s very sensitive. It’s an age where she can be discouraged just by the fact that she doesn’t have a father. I should be her father.

Communicating with words was very convenient. Before, I understood most of what she said with her eyes, but now I can have more in-depth conversations.

“Coco, do you have a skill to reduce your body size?”

No matter how I look at it, Coco is too big right now. The expression ‘as big as a house’ is just right. If she goes around like that, she’ll attract too much attention. But it’s also ambiguous to keep her in the subspace every day.

“I can get smaller, kkyu! Ya-yap!!”

Shu shu shu shook!!

Before evolving into a Sungnyong [Divine Dragon], Coco transformed into a young dragon. When she landed on my shoulder, the size was just right.

“Did I do well, kkyu?”

“Yes. You did well.”

“Hehet!”

I barely resisted the urge to stretch her cheeks left and right and rub them roughly. I used to hate it when my drunken father rubbed his bearded chin on my face.

Coco has grown, so it’s time to go find her companions. They still seemed busy evacuating the Merman.

As I was about to move like that…

“Ugh! Uwaaack!!”

Coco, who was next to me, suddenly started vomiting! I wondered if there were any side effects after growing into a Sungnyong. As I watched with uneasy feelings,

“Ugh! Ptooey!”

Coco, who was vomiting briefly for the last time, spat out a small silver bead. A divine energy naturally wrapped around the bead. It was a rare item at a glance.

“Coco, this is…”

“It’s a Yeouiju [a mythical wish-granting orb], kkyu! Every time a dragon evolves into a Sungnyong and a Goryong [Ancient Dragon], it holds a Yeouiju, kkyu!”

A dragon holding a Yeouiju. It was knowledge I heard for the first time. But the surprises didn’t end here. Coco held out the Yeouiju she spat out to me.

“Dragons have a custom of giving the Yeouiju, which is a symbol of their growth, to their parents, kkyu! Since there’s no mom, Dad should take it instead, kkyu!”

What a windfall. I barely resisted opening my mouth wide and received the Yeouiju with a solemn expression.

“Dad is very proud to see you becoming a full-fledged dragon.”

“Kkyuuu!! Eat it, Dad, kkyu! It will help, kkyu!”

As Coco said, I swallowed the Yeouiju in one gulp and sat cross-legged. A fierce energy stirred inside my body.

Like Kyle’s descendant, Coco’s Yeouiju also had a similar energy to dragon blood. So it merged smoothly with the existing dragon blood.

I was worried that the strong dragon blood would suppress and run wild with other energies, but it was an unnecessary worry.

In the dantian [energy center], the Merman King’s orb was flowing with energy like the sea. The energy of the orb was so enormous that I couldn’t make it mine yet.

[Mana Awakening Status.]

[Mixing Rate Status]

[Green Mana Awakening 50%] [↑0.0%]

[Blue Mana Awakening 52%] [↑1.0%]

[Dragon Blood Awakening 50%] [↑0.0%]

[Mixing Rate 50%] [↑0.0%]

As you can see, I filled all three mana awakening stats to more than half, and the blue mana awakening slightly increased after reaching master.

The reason is that I’m melting the energy contained in the Merman King’s orb, which is coiled in the corner of the dantian.

Like a child licking an ice cream, I was gradually raising the blue mana awakening every time I performed the Simbeop [Mind and Body Cultivation Technique] operation. As time goes by, the total amount of blue mana I can handle will gradually increase.

So the dragon blood didn’t act rashly either. It settled in a corner of the dantian and slowly released energy. Still, it was such a large energy source that the dragon blood awakening increased slightly.

[Mana Awakening Status.]

[Mixing Rate Status]

[Green Mana Awakening 50%] [↑0.0%]

[Blue Mana Awakening 52%] [↑1.0%]

[Dragon Blood Awakening 56%] [↑3.0%]

[Mixing Rate 50%] [↑0.0%]

If I melt the dragon blood over time, the awakening will increase on its own.

Green mana awakening is the easiest stat to raise for me, a druid, and the mixing rate is also not a concern because I’m using the unparalleled cheat Simbeop called Cheonmasimbeop [Heavenly Demon Mind and Body Cultivation Technique].

The internal condition of my body was very stable. It couldn’t be better, and it was encouraging that it would get stronger over time.

Flash!

I opened my eyes.

I saw familiar faces around me.

Sion and Campbell, the Orneo Sage, and even Ilina. They must have finished their business while I was in meditation and came to me.

“As expected! Vice Commander, I knew you could do it!”

The first one to approach was Campbell. He hugged me tightly with his body full of soot. Somehow, he was much dirtier than when he fought the octopus.

“Thank you for your hard work evacuating the people, Sage.”

“Not at all. But who can compare to you, who fought and defeated that monster alone?”

“Sion, you worked hard too.”

“You worked hard too, young master.”

In the middle of sharing compliments in a friendly atmosphere, Ilina, who was at the very back, knelt down with a thud. Covering her face with her palms, she sobbed sadly.

“Hic…hic…how can I ever repay this grace…Thank you…The Merman were saved because of you.”

It’s burdensome to be praised too much. I scratched my face and waved my hand.

“I don’t think it’s that great of a deal. It’s just for my own benefit…”

“Savior!!!”

Ilina, interrupting my words, walked on her knees and grabbed my pants.

“To be honest, I was anxious until right before I faced the Kraken. I was a little resigned. I will never do that again.”

“You don’t have to?”

“Ah! When I restore the palace right away, I must put Henon’s statue in the center.”

Was it because she fulfilled her lifelong wish? Was it because she fulfilled the family’s wish? Was it because the worries that had been bothering her were resolved all at once? Ilina served me almost fanatically.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with a favorable attitude. It’s also easier to say what I want at this time.

“Prime Minister, we had an agreement with each other. Now that the Kraken has been caught, shouldn’t we calculate the related matters?”

“Look at my mind. Please follow me.”

I rode the seahorse carriage and headed to her house, which I had visited before.

Fortunately, this place was intact because it was far from the palace.

I passed through a garden decorated with strangely beautiful marine plants and colorful fish and entered Ilina’s study.

“I would like to give everything to the savior, but I would like you to consider that the royal family’s treasures are not my personal property.”

“I’m not thinking of pulling out the pillars with just catching a squid head.”

“Thank you for saying that. First of all, I will give you the treasure to give to the Sage.”

What Ilina took out was a small box. When the lid was opened, there were earrings emitting a blue light inside. It was an elegant and luxurious accessory.

“It is a treasure called the Mermaid Princess’s Tears. It is not as good as the Merman King’s Orb, but it is also a precious item that our royal family has kept for generations, so I hope you are satisfied.”

The Orneo old man already had a smile on his face. His hands, touching the earrings, trembled slightly because he was so happy.

“Can I really have it?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe, with this treasure alone, I have more than achieved the purpose of coming down to the underwater city.”

Apparently, the treasure itself suited the Orneo old man, who handles water well.

In particular, the Mermaid Princess’s Tears is a higher-level item than the Mermaid’s Tears I got from the Liang black market last time, so the effect will be certain.

Besides, the blue earrings suited the Sage, who usually has a classic atmosphere.

Sion and Campbell also received gifts respectively.

Sion received a bracelet, which was an artifact that activated a water shield in case of an unexpected attack. The cooldown is one day. It was perfect for her, a weak assassin.

Campbell was given a solid armor made of ancient marine life scales. It fit perfectly on Campbell’s body, who was originally the average height of the Merman. Defense was a matter of life and death for him, who stood at the front, so it was also an appropriate item.

Finally, it’s my turn.

It’s finally time to get the fifth golden branch.

My heart was pounding non-stop.

“Please take this as it is an object from the ground.”

The ecstatic golden light rippled. My body, a druid, desperately wanted the fragment of the World Tree.

“I want to be alone for a while.”

I dismissed everyone and carefully reached out to the golden branch. As soon as my fingertips touched the branch, the system window popped up.

[You have discovered a golden branch.]

[You must take a test to acquire it.]

[Would you like to take the World Tree test?]

[Y/N]

It popped up as expected.

What kind of memory will come out this time?

I pressed yes without hesitation.

Spot!!

At the same time, a dazzling light covered me.

* * *

It’s dry.

It’s also arid.

‘Where is this?’

Sand here too.

Sand there too.

The merciless scorching sun blew away the slightest moisture. The ground was cracked like wounded skin, and only the sandstorm that stung the eyes blew coldly.

‘It’s a desert.’

I was still possessed by Merlin’s body. This is also part of his memory. Why did he visit such a remote and harsh place?

Looking at the back of my hand, there were quite a few wrinkles. He was already in his middle age. More time has passed than when I visited the underwater city.

Merlin was moving while riding on someone’s shoulder.

That someone boasted an enormous height. It was a level that was sorry to be compared to trolls and ogres, and it was comparable to the legendary monster, Imugi [a giant serpent-like creature].

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Every time the ground shook, sand spread in all directions. I realized that he was a giant.

“Benefactor, tell me why you came to the desert.”

The giant called Merlin his benefactor. Merlin answered calmly.

“If you go a little further, you will know automatically.”

How long have we been walking?

A wide open sandy plain appeared.

There, numerous troops were lined up. There were almost tens of thousands of troops. Was it because I was looking down from the giant’s shoulder? The number of humans swarming like ants was truly spectacular.

The warrior at the very front rode a camel and stepped forward. He was wearing a turban so only his eyes could be seen, but a blue aura was emitted from the crescent blade Shamshir [a curved saber] he was holding.

“Cursed being. This is the end. You have accumulated too many sins. Massacres and disasters have constantly occurred wherever you go, so today I will break the ominous chain.”

The commander, who seemed to be the commander, pointed his sword forward, and the army slowly began to advance. On the other hand, Merlin and the giant were calm.

“Benefactor, are those your purpose?”

“Yes. Kill all those vermin. They are of no help to the world.”

[The test begins.]

[The clear conditions are revealed.]

[Win the war]

This time, the modifier ‘first’ was not attached. It means that if you pass only one test, it’s over. But the test item was not easy.

‘You have to win a war against tens of thousands of troops…’

It’s not entirely impossible.

Druids are the most optimized class to deal with a large number of people, and the giant is covering for my only weakness, the lack of force in my main body.

The most important thing was to use the developed skills efficiently in the right place.

‘First of all, golems.’

[Wood Control]

[Crystal Control]

[Golem Summon]

Kukwakwakwakwa!!!

Golems revealed their majestic appearance, cutting through the sand pouring out like a fountain.

As expected, it’s Merlin. The number of golems he could summon was enormous. There were as many as one hundred wood golems and twenty crystal golems. He created a legion with golems.

‘It’s cruel.’

Would it be like this if you brought a modern tank unit to a medieval soldier? The golems, running with a thumping sound, mercilessly massacred the infantry.

“Kkyaaaa!!”

“Save me!”

“Monster, it’s a monster!!”

Originally, I would feel repulsed if I killed innocent people, but fortunately, this was a memory playback.

Rather, I was shocked that Merlin actually committed such a massacre.

[Wood Control]

[Enhanced Bind]

[Crystal Control]

[Crystal Rain]

Golems were just the beginning. The tree roots that came up through the cloudy sandy floor strangled the soldiers’ bodies like anacondas. The bound soldiers inevitably had their limbs broken and died.

Crystal Rain was the same. Crystal rain falling from the sky. Numerous soldiers were covered in blood and sprawled out.

It was truly an overwhelming difference in power.

There seemed to be no variables.

I thought the test would end like this,

“Everyone follow me!!”

A red aura soared from the desert warrior’s sword who had spoken to Merlin earlier. At the same time, auras were also discovered from two other swordsmen. There were as many as three Sword Masters.

‘This is a bit unexpected?’

The surprises started now. From far away, about a hundred camel troops were rushing fiercely. Everyone was wearing turbans and wearing Shamshirs, and the momentum they exuded was unusual.

It turned out that they were hiding their power. The elite soldiers who arrived late cut off the tree roots with mana swords and attacked the golems first.

Collaboration between Sword Masters and Sword Experts. The first to collapse was the Wood Golem. In addition, golems were silenced one by one.

When the first Crystal Golem was finally destroyed, cheers rang out throughout the desert.

“Waaaaaaa!!!!”

As expected, there is no easy test. If it was Henon himself, I would have drawn an aura sword and fought back. Unfortunately, Merlin can only use druid skills.

The giant who is carrying me also looked strong, but there is no match for numbers. If all the golems are downed and hunted down, it was clear that he would fall.

‘Is there a good way?’

In the midst of agonizing, the giant, who had been standing silently, said in an indifferent voice.

“Benefactor, the situation is unfavorable. Summon the World Tree.”

Summon the World Tree?

Does Merlin have such an amazing skill?

I closed my eyes for a moment and muttered softly.

‘World Tree Summon.’

Spaat!!

With a dazzling light, a huge tree broke through the desert floor and revealed its majesty. A refreshing energy entered my nose. The arid land was changing into a green oasis in real time.

I witnessed a miracle.

The tree in front of me was the real World Tree.