Trait Hoarder
Chapter 246: Tree Grandmother – (1)

Tree Grandmother – Part 1

Mya-mya-mya. Myaaaa-mya-mya.

The cicadas sang loudly in the middle of a sweltering summer.

Excited, Grizzly Bear wagged his hips.

“Lululululu♪”

He began humming without realizing it.

He opened the refrigerator that covered an entire wall of the treehouse.

From the freezer, he pulled out a massive milk ice block the size of a person.

He shoved the whole thing into a special bingsu machine.

The arcane science motor spun up, shaving the milk ice into snowflake-like flakes.

Then he piled on red beans, rice cakes, cereal, and scoops of ice cream.

Finally, he dumped a generous amount of magical powder from the kitchen on top—and it was done!

Introducing Grizzly Bear’s Special Mana Core Red Bean Bingsu!

“Hehehe, now this is the stuff!”

Grizzly Bear scooped the bingsu with his front paw and devoured it.

That cold, tooth-aching, sweet-yet-melting taste—

It made his body shudder all on its own.

And at the same time, he felt like he’d wasted his life—no, his mutant life—until now.

‘Why didn’t I know about this flavor sooner?’

‘Did the humans keep all the good stuff for themselves?’

“Village Chief. Are you eating something delicious all by yourself again?”

Startled, Grizzly Bear quickly hid the bingsu behind his back.

“What now? You’ve got a fridge at your place too. Go eat your own.”

“But your bingsu tastes the best. Mine never turns out like yours.”

“Not giving you any.”

“Just one bite.”

“Not giving.”

“Just one—”

“Argh, seriously!”

The uninvited guest didn’t even bother ringing the doorbell.

A mutant who, at a glance, looked like an ordinary woman in her twenties.

But in truth, she was an undead mutant—Skeleton Snake. She took a huge bite of the bingsu and smiled with bliss.

Well, what could he do?

Her body might be young, but her mind was ancient. It was up to him to be the adult here.

Grizzly Bear sighed and buried his face back in the bingsu.

“How’s Grandmother doing?”

“She’s the same as always. Still sleeping.”

“It’s all because of me…”

“There you go again with that nonsense. Why would it be your fault? It’s those goddamn terrorists. And besides, she’s just a little tired. Sleeping long doesn’t mean she’s sick. Give it some time and she’ll be up before you know it.”

Skeleton Snake chewed her lip.

She knew it wasn’t really her fault.

But it was true that Tree Grandmother had expended great power to make her more human.

The decisive act had been performed by a certain human, but it was Tree Grandmother who gave the blessing and extracted the blood. She’d been in a deathlike slumber for months now.

“Should I make her some restorative food?”

“What good is that for a tree?”

“Maybe if we gave her something like nectar or an elixir, she might get better?”

“Oho.”

Grizzly Bear licked the bowl clean and let out a sound of admiration.

“You’re not wrong. But one or two bottles won’t do the trick. She’s a god, remember? A god. Even if she’s a low-tier one. To even moisten her roots, we’d need something like a hundred bottles. Where are you planning to get that many? Even if we ransacked the whole village, we wouldn’t find that much.”

“I’ve already got a plan.”

“What is it?”

Skeleton Snake casually flicked a finger.

Invisible bone fragments flew out, struck the remote, and spun it.

The TV turned on, flipping through channels until it landed on a news segment.

[Next up, Dokkaebi who’ve settled at the Geumo Group’s headquarters in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, have been challenging pedestrians to wrestling matches every morning on Yeongdong-daero. Let’s go to the scene.]

[This is reporter Kim Youngtae, reporting live from Yeongdong-daero. I just wrestled a goblin and managed to win a round by sheer luck. As a reward, I received one kilogram of gold bars…]

They were the talk of the town.

At first, the public had been hostile.

After all, the Dokkaebi were being a nuisance wherever they went.

But everything changed after the Geumo Group gave them a bit of advice.

From then on, if the Dokkaebi lost a match or caused any trouble, they’d shower people with gold bars. As a result, Seoul citizens began hoping the Dokkaebi would show up at their homes.

‘So what if the house gets a little wrecked?’

‘So what if I get some bruises rolling on the floor?’

If they were giving out gold like candy, who wouldn’t welcome them?

“Dokkaebi? Why?”

“Chief, you’ve heard of the Cornucopia, right?”

“Cornucopia? Cornucopia…”

The word sparked a memory.

He’d definitely heard it from the previous village chief…

Grizzly Bear’s head suddenly snapped up.

“You mean that treasure that can replicate nectar and ambrosia?!”

“That’s the one. As far as I know, the Dokkaebi have it.”

“No way! That’s way too dangerous. You don’t know, do you? Everyone who’s ever used the Cornucopia met a terrible end. Worse than death!”

“It’s okay.”

Skeleton Snake gently touched her chest.

A bluish-white glow rose, shining in her eyes.

Like a prophet.

Like a grand mage who could see through time and space to the truth of the world.

“You already know I gained a new power, don’t you?”

“Well…”

“The artifact lodged in my heart gave me new strength. I understand how the Cornucopia’s curse works. I can stop myself just before the limit. I promise. I won’t push too far.”

“Hrgh.”

Grizzly Bear twisted uncomfortably.

“And the Dokkaebi would just give you the Cornucopia?”

“I’ll have to talk to them nicely.”

“Yeah right. With your way of speaking? You’ve lived in Joseon for hundreds of years and still haven’t learned proper manners.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Ugh. Can’t even argue with that.”

It wasn’t a bad plan.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

The only issue was whether the Dokkaebi would actually hand over the Cornucopia…

‘Should I ask our friend for help?’

Just as he had that thought—

A sudden chill ran down his spine.

A predator slithering up behind him—that was how it felt.

Something… something was coming.

From the west.

An immense and powerful force.

A presence was flying across the sea, through the sky, drawing closer.

[This is dangerous.]

Tree Grandmother.

The core and guardian spirit of Monster Village.

She had awakened and whispered to Grizzly Bear.

[A divine being is approaching.]

A divine being!

Grizzly Bear shot to his feet in panic and asked,

“A divine being? But after the Divine Annihilation War, gods were banned from interfering in the mortal realm, weren’t they?”

[I don’t know. But we must prepare. This one is full of rage—pure, unrestrained fury. The divine presence is flying straight toward us. Straight toward me.]

What the hell is going on?!

Grizzly Bear screamed internally and slammed his fist into the wall.

KWA-AANG!

He hit a wooden wall, but the sound it made was like a temple bell.

Once more.

KWA-AANG!

One last time.

KWA-AANG!

Three temple bell sounds.

The emergency signal for full village assembly—one that only Grizzly Bear could trigger.

Skeleton Snake, who had been quietly seated, suddenly stiffened.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“Tree Grandmother spoke. She said a powerful divine being is approaching.”

“What? A divine being? What is this, the mythic era again? The Divine Annihilation War ended ages ago—why would a god show up now?”

“I don’t know. But it’s urgent. Get ready for battle—now!”

“Got it!”

Grizzly Bear and Skeleton Snake bolted outside.

The entire village was stirring.

The mutants were mobilizing.

The Electric Man, the Three-Eyed, Asura, Secret Owl, Thunderbird, and more.

All of them powerful mutants, level 5 and above.

But Grizzly Bear felt a chill in his chest.

‘Not enough.’

Under normal circumstances, he would’ve felt confident.

This level of force would even make the Eastern Army or Western Army—Korea’s top powers—hesitate.

But now?

When even Tree Grandmother herself had warned them of a powerful divine being?

It wasn’t enough.

The only real fighting force would be himself, a natural level 7, and Skeleton Snake, who had recently become level 7 after awakening the prophetic power in her heart.

The two of them couldn’t stand against a divine being.

A divine being would be at least a transcendent—level 8.

In that case, the only option was…

Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.

He made a call.

Watching as a plane appeared in the western sky.

He could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from it—as Tree Grandmother’s priest.

His hands trembled. His legs shook. Still, he tapped the contact labeled [Warrior Kim].

Huh? What’s this?

I looked toward the edge of my vision.

The augmented reality UI provided by the Dragon Monarch’s Pavilion.

The name [Grizzly Bear] was flashing.

We’d exchanged contact info ages ago, but this was the first direct call.

I stirred a bit of mana to answer.

“Hello?”

[Sword Star! Do you have a moment?]

“Of course. What’s going on?”

[A divine being is approaching our village.]

“Excuse me? Come again?”

[I know it’s sudden. But it’s true. Tree Grandmother told me herself. A divine being is flying in from the west. I’m seeing it with my own eyes!]

Wait a minute.

Could this be—

I stared at the Monster Village ahead.

A barrier was being deployed.

Shields were rising, defense towers shooting up.

At the top were missile launchers, machine gun nests, and arcane detectors.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The cockpit started blaring alarms.

[Warning! Warning! You are being targeted! Activate jammers immediately!]

A laugh slipped out.

A divine being?

They mistook me for a god?

‘No… that can’t be it.’

I was strong, sure—but still level 7.

There was no way Tree Grandmother would mistake me for a divine being.

It had to be Sky River in my pocket.

I’d folded it up, thinking it wouldn’t be noticeable, but apparently gods could recognize their own.

“That’s me.”

[Huh?]

“That plane the Village Chief sees—that’s me flying it.”

[Wait, what? Huh?]

“I’ll draw an 8 in the sky. Watch closely.”

I tilted the joystick.

Using the power of the Dragon Knight, I skillfully traced a figure-eight flight path.

I could even see Monster Village freeze in place from the sky.

A long pause, then a reluctant voice came through.

[You… uh… excuse me? Did you become level 9 while I wasn’t looking?]

“I’m still level 7. Not even 8 yet. What Tree Grandmother sensed wasn’t me—it was the thing in my pocket.”

[Thing?]

“It’s a long story. But how long do I have to keep flying? Can I land now?”

[So it really is you? And the divine being she sensed was your subordinate—no, your companion?]

“Exactly.”

[This is so confusing… Alright. I’ll disable the barrier and shields. Come on down.]

I activated the magic runway.

A gently sloping ramp formed from sky to ground.

I descended slowly.

The magical plane touched down precisely at the front gate of Monster Village.

Grizzly Bear and Skeleton Snake were standing at the front.

“Long time no see, Sword Star!”

Grizzly Bear greeted me with a warm smile.

He spread his arms to hug me, but I recoiled in horror.

Completely covered in fur.

And whatever he’d been eating, his face was smeared with milk residue.

“Yes, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Hrgh! That’s a cold welcome. I’ve been the same as always. Heard you had some fun recently? Agh, if I hadn’t been busy serving Tree Grandmother, I’d have joined in too.”

Grizzly Bear grumbled in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Skeleton Snake’s eyes were nailed to my pocket like iron spikes.

“That it?”

“Yes. This is it.”

Guess I should show them Sky River first.

I pulled the wooden boat from my pocket.

Although, could you really call it a wooden boat?

What I held in my hand was a blue, translucent sculpture.

A piece of art that looked as if it would leave water on your fingers if touched—crafted from the purest essence of water.

“Huh…”

“Ha…”

Grizzly Bear and Skeleton Snake let out awed gasps, as if on cue.

The other mutants couldn’t take their eyes off it either.

They could feel the power—no, the divinity—emanating from the tiny toy-sized boat.

Grrrrrrk.

That was when Monster Village began to tremble.

Was it an earthquake?

All the treehouses rose up at once, branches erupting like spasms.

Roots surged from the ground, forming walls that encircled the village—especially Grizzly Bear’s house.

Even Grizzly Bear shook his head slightly.

“Grandmother. You don’t need to be so defensive. The Sword Star brought her. There’s no way he’d ever bring harm to us or to you.”

Even among divine beings, the difference in class was obvious.

Sky River—born as a spirit of the Nile and worshipped across the entire Nile basin.

And Tree Grandmother—just a local god, guardian spirit of Korean mutants.

Of course she would be afraid.

I spoke to her in a soft voice, trying to calm her.

“Grandmother. Please, don’t overreact. Who am I? I’m the human who drank your blood, remember? I’ve received your blessing. I’d never dream of harming you. On the contrary, I brought her here to help you.”

I activated Trait Swap.

[Divine Power][Radiance][Empathic Vision]

[Divine Artifact][Thunderbolt][Earth]

Holy energy surged from my entire body.

Just for good measure, I pulled out Mjolnir from my armory.

Mjolnir in my right hand, Aegis in my left.

As the glowing lightning sphere and divine cube spun and shone, Monster Village finally began to calm down.

It was just like less than a year ago.

When I’d forged the berserk Skeleton Snake into her human form.

Hammering under the blessings of three divine beings—this posture mirrored that moment exactly.

[Ahaha.]

Laughter rang out from the small blue boat in my hand.

[So that child must be your final piece, huh?]

“That’s right.”

I replied without missing a beat.

But the mutants looked visibly startled.

“It spoke?”

“It really is a god, then.”

“But why is it so tiny?”

“Idiot. It shrunk itself. Gods don’t need to be big to be gods.”

[Ahahahaha.]

Hearing their chatter, the goddess laughed again.

Then, she floated into the air and began to unfold.

Layer by layer, Sky River expanded her form.

It happened in mere moments.

What once fit in the palm of my hand grew to the size of an airborne aircraft carrier.

Now several times larger than Monster Village itself, she loomed above the land like a floating fortress.

Tree Grandmother tensed instinctively.

Her roots started moving again, rising up to form another defensive wall.

At this point, she looked like a skittish kitten terrified of a stranger.

Before things escalated any further, I played my negotiation card.

“Grandmother.”

I glanced at the writhing roots and asked,

“Have you ever thought about becoming a World Tree?”

In that instant—

Every tree in Monster Village froze.

–TL Notes–

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