STM 199

“Could it be a tree?”

I muttered to myself as I looked at the countless candidates. I needed more clues.

“Is there no way to find Lord Hyuwik? Has anyone seen him in person?”

[Yes!!!!!!]

“Who?”

[Divine beasts!!!!!!!!!!]

Hey, that… Haa. I sighed and placed my hand on my forehead.

If I could meet the divine beasts, I would have summoned them long ago. The serpent was in Tubain, the bear was captured, the horned divine beast was probably asleep, and the last one was still in the egg…

…Hmm?

Come to think of it, there was a crack in the egg. I quickly took the egg out of my pocket, and as expected, the crack was clearly visible. However, it was deeper than before I came here, and there were more fine fissures.
This looks like it would shatter if I hit it with a rock. Just as that thought crossed my mind – wriggle – the egg moved on my palm.

Is it waking up?! … … No. It just moved. But unlike me, who was disappointed, the rock was excited.

[The divine beast is talking!!!!!!!]

What?! I quickly put the egg to my ear, but I heard nothing.

“I don’t hear anything?”

In an instant, the egg vibrated on my palm again. This time, a stronger vibration. Huh? Could it be this?

“Did it just speak?”

[Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

“What is it saying?!”

[Of course I wouldn’t know!!!!!!!!!]

…Should I just cut ties with this bastard? I barely managed to suppress my anger, but Sparkle stomped in frustration.

[Look!!!!!!! It’s talking!!!!!!!!!!!!]

I looked at my palm and saw it was vibrating again. Was it trying to hatch from the egg, or was it really trying to say something? But what am I supposed to do when I don’t know what it means? Just then, Mo noticed something.

[The egg is trying to move in one direction.]

Just in case, I put the egg down on the ground. Then, it really did vibrate and tried to move in one direction.

“Are you telling me to go this way?”

The egg vibrated.

“What’s there if I go this way?”

Tap tap tap.

The vibrations became so intense that the sound of it hitting the floor echoed.

…Why does it feel like it’s getting annoyed?

[It’s getting annoyed!!!!!!!]

I knew it. I decided to pick the egg up again and try going in the direction it was pointing. Just as I was about to say goodbye to Sparkle, the rock suddenly lowered its body to the ground.

[Get on, get on!!!!!!!!!!]

“Huh? Are you going to give me a ride?”

[Eunuch human, you’re so slow!!!!!!!! The divine beast is getting annoyed!!!!!!]

“No, it’s not that I’m slow…… Haa, thanks.”

With that, I climbed onto its shoulder and set off in the direction the egg was pointing. And after a while, the egg stopped pointing.

I had arrived at my destination. However, the moment I looked around, a curse automatically escaped my lips.

A vast field filled with knee-high grass. It was where I had first landed.

“……Fuck.”

So, the door opened right where the master of the forest was in the first place? But I didn’t know that and went through hell arguing with those infuriating non-humans entities.

Haa. Sighs followed one after another, but there was no time to just lament. I asked the egg.

“So, where is the master of this place?”

The egg vibrated. I could tell that just because we had been together for a while, this wasn’t a movement indicating direction.

[The divine beast is getting annoyed!!!!!!!!]

Yeah, I get it. Because on the way here, if I went even slightly off course or slowed down, it would harass me with this vibration.

It seem this divine beast had quite an impatient personality. To think it would scold a Korean like me to this extent. Even now, it was getting annoyed immediately because my question was wrong.

I guess I have to find the answer myself. I stood exactly where I had arrived and looked around again.

Actually, when I thought that the master of the forest was a plant, the first thing that came to mind was a giant tree. Huge enough to inspire awe in anyone, like a thousand-year-old ancient tree.

But there wasn’t even a tree in this field. However, since it was the master of the forest, there must be something special. Whether it was size, a unique shape, or at least a quantity…

I stopped thinking and paused. Then I looked around again. Knee-high grass covering the field. It was all the same species.

‘Mo, this grass… wasn’t it everywhere in the forest?’

[Yes. It was everywhere.]

I took a step forward and quickly looked around. What if this grass was the master of the forest? But there was just too much of it. Should I just pick any grass and take it?

Just then, a piece of basic common sense flashed through my mind. The safest way to transport plants was through seeds.

“This grass is the master of the forest, right?”

I asked the egg, and it vibrated briefly.

[That’s right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

The noisy interpreter confirmed it. I gave the rock a thumbs-up and began to examine the grass closely. Seeds were usually in flowers.

It was full of green leaves, but there must be flowers somewhere. So, I pushed through the grass and started searching in all directions. I didn’t necessarily need to verify every single one with my own eyes.

‘Mo! Look for grass with flowers. It might not be the typical flower shape, so catch any unusual shapes!’

But this hill was too vast, and there was far too much grass. How long had I been running across the field? I was out of breath and had lost all sensation in my legs, yet the flowers were nowhere to be seen.

“Haa….”

Out of breath, I finally bent over and panted as I asked Mo again.

‘Did you not find anything with a peculiar shape?’

[No. I couldn’t find anything presumed to be a flower. However, I did find another object with a peculiar shape.]

Huh? Another object?

[It is a stone located about 15 meters away, at the bottom of the slope at the 4 o’clock position.]

I hurriedly ran in the direction Mo mentioned. How could a stone’s shape be peculiar

…My doubts vanished completely the moment I saw the stone.

A large, flat stone about 2 meters wide. Its rim was connected by five protrusions, all of similar size and spacing.

As soon as I saw this, a being came to mind. That loyal starfish spirit I had met at Montaine Castle. This stone was exactly like that starfish.

That kind being who used to tremble and hide just to stay by the side of Nuchir, whom it loved. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation. It was because Nuchir’s words, buried deep in my memory, came to mind.

‘But our ancestors always said that sometimes, a moment may come when a single small stone becomes the most important thing.’

Even though I had urgent matters to attend to right now, I couldn’t stop staring at the stone. Back then, I had dismissed it as nothing more than a bothersome coincidence.

To think that this matter would turn out to be the most important inevitability for me. For some reason, I felt a heat rising from my chest and neck up to my face.

The egg in my hand vibrated. It felt like an urging to stop the distracting thoughts and move. Yes, I know for sure that you are a capital T. (MBTI type – Turbulent)

I quickly surveyed the area around the starfish stone. I didn’t need to look for long. In the middle of the protrusion, in a hollow, there was a single flower with its petals closed on the grass growing there. A large bud, like a tulip.

I carefully touched the flower. Just then, a breeze brushed past me. And then something incomprehensible happened.

Just as my mind grasped a new knowledge, I discovered the location of the seed within this flower. It came to me as naturally as breathing or walking.

But I am not a fool. This was the will of the grass, conveyed through the wind. And only then did I realize why non-human beings regarded the wind as the voice of the forest’s master.

Because it truly was a voice. Though it was unheard, a voice understood only through instinct.

With trembling hands, I carefully opened the bud. A single small seed hidden inside fell into my hand. Holding my breath, I looked at it and asked:

“Should I plant it in Tubain? Then will you be able to use your power in Tubain?”

Whoosh

A gentle breeze blew. Once again, I heard no sound, but the answer naturally came to mind.

“I can just plant it, but… you say it only exerts its full power once the flower blooms? And does that take a long time? How long?”

I hoped it wouldn’t take days. This wouldn’t do. Tubain was about to be destroyed…

Whoosh

“What?!!!! Hundreds of years?!!!!”

My shout echoed across the field. I felt like a nuisance causing trouble in someone else’s house, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that. What good was a sprout after Tubain was already destroyed?!

Whoosh

A strong wind ruffled my hair. And I stood there blankly for a moment. Like someone who had realized something.

I see. When I first crossed over here, I hadn’t cared about the passage of time.

What I passed through was a portal to another dimension. Because I believed that as long as I had the coordinates, I could return to Tubain at any time I wanted. Just as I had come to Tubain for the first time.

I let out a low sigh, reminded by the wind of this fact I had momentarily forgotten. Could I really just go there, plant the seed, and come back? I felt like I wouldn’t be able to do so.

However, I had no room to despair. Just as the air before my eyes began to ripple, a portal to another time appeared. It was starting already?

As I stood there stunned, the egg in my hand vibrated. The vibration was so intense that I reflexively opened my hand, and the egg fell onto the starfish-shaped rock. Startled, I reached to pick it up but paused.

The fallen egg didn’t roll; it remained in place. As if it had deliberately chosen to stay there. Only then did I realize.

“You’re not coming?”

The egg shook briefly in affirmation. Well, I would just plant the seed and be back soon. It wasn’t like I was going to embark on a long adventure in a distant past.

Tap tap

The egg vibrated so much it slammed against the rock. But it didn’t matter if I couldn’t understand. I had a loud interpreter by my side.

[It says to send its regards!!!!!!!!!!!!]

To itself? Ah, does the Tubain of the past have a divine beast? Then are the other divine beasts there too?

[Greet me too if you see me!!!!!!! Eunuch human!!!!!!!!!!!]

What? You have one too?

“I’m going back hundreds of years?”

[Exactly!!!!!!!]

Well. Greeting wasn’t difficult, but… there was no need to go out of my way to find them and say hello when I was just planting the seed and coming back. With that thought in mind, I headed toward the door when a thought suddenly occurred to me, so I asked the wind.

“Oh, by the way, I can just plant the seed right where the door is open, right?”

Whoosh

A short gust of wind struck the back of my head. I wondered how the wind could hit me, but it really did. At the same time, the answer that the location was important and I must search carefully echoed in my mind.

Wait, shouldn’t the door open to where I’m supposed to plant? I was about to voice my grievance, but the wind blew again.

This time, it pushed me from behind. Stepping forward to avoid falling, I glanced back at the egg.

“I’ll be right back. Let’s go see Tairok together.”

I didn’t hear a reply. I was pushed right through the door. Before I could even say “Huh?”, the colorful lights vanished, and I found myself back in the colors of reality.

I had landed in a strange place once again. But here, there were people to greet me. Several people who looked like knights were staring at me with surprised expressions.

The problem was that they were kneeling in prayer. Large stone pillars, like Stonehenge, were encircling the area. Is this a temple? Just then, the woman at the very front looked at me and asked.

“Are you… a divine beast?”

How could I be? I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off the woman’s gaze. Her eyes were different colors; one was brown, and the other was a color very familiar to me. Golden.

“Kun?”

In an instant, the woman’s eyes widened.

“Then you are the one sent by the divine beast.”

Her voice, trembling with emotion, soon turned into desperation.

“The ground has suddenly split, and monsters have begun swarming out. We beg you, please grant us your salvation.”

Salvation.

The moment I heard that word, I was overcome with a flood of emotions. It felt as if the stories I had heard in Tubain were fitting together in my mind, like puzzle pieces.

I guess I…am that Salvation that appeared in Tubain in the past, fuck.