Chapter 590 – Even a Crow in its Blackness Bears White Flesh (1)

-Dowon…ah…ahhh…if you rub the inside too vigorously….

I awaken in the morning to a dull ringing in my ears.

-Eh…? Why would you have me say so? Do I favor the cock…?

‘What have I done?’

A memory, vivid and fresh, surfaces in my mind. As I rub my weary eyes and stretch, other thoughts begin to emerge.

-Yes, good?! Yes… Dowon’s large cock is delightful!

I admit, I may have overdone it last night. I feel around the side of the pillow, my hand encountering a soft skin texture. It’s round, and given its volume, it must be face down.

“Hmmm…”

I yawn, my mouth opening and closing.

-Soft…so very soft.

“Ahh…ahh.”

Whether by its response or the sensation, it’s definitely aroused. After a few strokes, I felt an intense gaze from the side.

“What are you doing?”

A frosty voice. It seems Hongyeon has entered our room while we were sleeping, and I was caught by Gu-seul, who was mopping the floor.

Gu-seul, dipping the mop into water, speaks with a voice that is as icy as it is kind.

“I’ve been cleaning someone’s semen since the early morning, and you’re thinking of making a mess again?”
“Mm.”
“Do you ever consider the secretary who cleans every day, Master?”

An unusual display of dissatisfaction from a secretary. The question arises, but when have I ever been treated as a king? I choose to accept it.

“And, regardless of anyone else or the world, this person is a bit…tiresome to clean.”
“What is it?”
“What else would it be? It’s love juice.”

Gu-seul points to the maple syrup spilling from the jar with her hand. Indeed, the sticky substance emanating from Yeoni’s body is a challenge to clean.

But the reward is that when I move my hips with such vigor, my groin and hers cling to each other, providing greater pleasure.

“If you’re feeling good, what are you going to do about it? Don’t you consider the person doing the cleaning?”
“You should do it too.”
“Ugh, can’t help being insensitive….”

I remember, Gu-seul is incapable of feeling sexual desire. More precisely, her body reacts, but her mind doesn’t register the sensation. Gu-seul’s life, her very character, was designed to support the king, they say.

‘Shouldn’t she, of all people, feel it?’

I once asked about this, and the secretary said that even during sex, she must maintain rationality and stay by the king’s side.

“Will you help me?”
“No, this is my job. But if you’re going to do it again, I’ll do it with my hand. No sex.”

The secretary’s control over sex gave me pause, but I had no intention to proceed. I rise from my place. Gu-seul grimaces at my lower region, where a large vein is visible even in its flaccid state.

“Wow, that’s disgusting… Are you human or beast?”
“Quiet.”
“No, it’s bigger than a horse… My mouth gets filled just by swallowing the tip. I wonder how a woman gets satisfied with that. Ugh!!”

As I clenched my fist in frustration, the pace of my cleaning quickened. A slight hint of self-deprecating sarcasm permeated the air as I continued to scrub the floor.

Gu-seul, with a lump of distress visible in her expression, whimpered softly.

“So, is it okay for me to stay like this?” she asked.
“What?” was my unthinking response, tossed over my shoulder as I changed my attire.

“What do you mean ‘what’? You always create such a serious atmosphere when there’s a big issue, only to end up engaging in intimate affairs with your subordinates.”
“You’re right. But that’s always been my way.”

Whether threatened by a status window, during dungeon crawls, or when rescuing Cornus, it didn’t matter. Whenever the mood between a man and a woman turned passionate, the day would invariably be filled with erotic moans and heated intercourse.

“Damn it!” Gu-seul exclaimed, her teeth gritted in frustration, reminding me of a character from a gambling comic. Seeing her reaction, even after acknowledging my indecorous behavior, I couldn’t help but smirk awkwardly.

“Did you roast your conscience on a spit and eat it? Our King never lacks libidinal energy. Does that even make sense? Isn’t it the same as when the King and his concubine are in the throes of desire?”
“Enough. Did you prepare what I asked for?”
“Ugh, yes, everything is ready.”

After donning a large, wide-sleeved robe and tying a long belt around my waist, I was ready to depart.

“Well then… it’s time to make a move.”
“Ugh, why are you so obsessed with this expedition? Is human life that important to you?”
“It’s not about that, it’s a trial.”

If I don’t conquer this, the Tower of Time may never open its doors to me.

As much as possible, I want to control my own destiny. If not me, then who? And above all else,

“The only variable left on my path is him.”

I need to eliminate that variable as quickly as possible.

Having gained memories of the future, I felt the need to completely change my plan.

The King of Trees, a being that contradicts the essence and fairness of the world, was no longer able to share his views like before. As a result, I was able to stick to a concrete plan.

I no longer had to suffer at the hands of the Flower and the World Tree. Not that I was completely free, but I felt more at ease and peaceful than usual.

“The World Tree must be starting to panic by now.”
“Why?”
“Because it will.”

The King of Trees is likely still wandering through dimensions, absorbing the World Tree to regain his strength. There’s no way to chase him, all I could do was prepare myself.

Capturing Erinies, the Queen of Spirits, and amplifying the power of spiritual magic.
Securing the cooperation of the Mage’s Tower would also be of great assistance in overcoming future hardships.

“Well, are you still just preparing?”
“No.”

Time was running out. The chill of winter was receding, and the warmth of spring was near.

To overcome the trials before that, all I had to do was step forward bravely.

“You do talk big.”
“I always have.”
“Well, really? Then please solve this problem for me.”

Gu-seul said, wringing out a mop and letting the white soup drip down.

“The crow has been meddling once more. It appears he yearns to see you again.”

Crow. Lee Se-Young.
As these two words simultaneously brushed past my thoughts, a sigh was the only response I could muster.
Upon seeing my flustered expression, Gu-seul finally allowed a ‘hee-hee’ of laughter to escape.

“Since when?”
“Well, since our esteemed King ventured into the dungeon for a romp~”
“…Not long after I emerged from the tower.”

Almost from the very beginning.
I rested my hand on my forehead, giving a resigned nod.

I had suspicions since my cover was blown.
I’d thought she might decipher my intentions and feign ignorance, but that wouldn’t be Lee Se-Young.

Lee Se-Young is as obstinate and misguided as I am.

“Send a message. Let’s arrange a date.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The sunset rising behind the King does not set.

Situated within the interdimensional chasm birthed by the World Tree, the black moon, held by the King, devoured the sun, and the sun quivered with its last light.

A fractured world, mirroring an apocalypse.
A man seated at the edge of these fissures was trampling on a tree.
His mouth moved continuously.

– Grumble, grumble.

Giant roots consuming the surface of the planet gushed out endlessly.
These roots trailed along the man’s back and thighs.
The King of Trees. His mouth was torn to his ears, the body of the World Tree lodged in his gaping maw like a wolf feasting.

– Gnaw, gnaw.

【Ugh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! 】

As he gnashed the body, sticky sap oozed vigorously between the King’s teeth.

The forward-jutting teeth ground the body of the World Tree to fine pieces and swallowed it. With each bite, a faint magical aura illuminated the surface of the King’s body.

【What the hell are other World Trees doing…】

The World Tree shrieked with a crumbling voice.
The King replied, savouring each morsel of flesh.

“Justice is a timid bitch.”
【 Ugh, ugh!! 】

– Gulp.

“Don’t you understand why that bitch is still alive just by looking at it?”
【It hurts, it hurts… ! 】

– Crunch!

“She doesn’t make a move unless she is certain. Even as the precious World Tree withers, she bides her time.”
【 Huh, black! Please, save me. 】

The King, wiping his mouth brimming with sap, absorbed the magic.
The act of intercourse, which symbolized the original power of the King, was more efficient. However, he was unable to utilize it.
From the beginning, the King’s lower body was merely a shell, practically nonexistent.

So, like this, he gains power by chewing and swallowing everything.

【 Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! 】

The agonized groans of the World Tree reverberated through the dimensions. It was inconceivable that an entity, the supposed sovereign of this ancient land, albeit a mere façade, could be consumed by humans.

Even as a scream threatened to shred his eardrums, the King remained unmoved.

With a dull thud, he lodged a leaf, remarking,

“Well. At least that wench had a somewhat palatable flavor.”

The memory of his violation of the justice beneath him stirred, igniting a quiet madness. The World Tree, paralyzed with fear, remained silent.

What could this man possibly mean? Why act as if he had once failed justice? In a situation wholly incomprehensible, she was gradually devoured.

“She was exceptionally defiant, like the other wenches. That’s why I deceived her into thinking she was pregnant before I killed her.”
【…….】

In his wearied gaze, a hint of resolve surfaced. Contrary to her initial moments in this world, as she was dying, her blue hair, reminiscent of the waves, fluttered in the night breeze.

Perhaps this caused his demeanor and speech to slightly alter.

The man wiped the resin, the lifeblood of the tree, from his hand onto a rag, as if it had tainted him.

“This is the end,” Lee Si-heon muttered.

“Do you understand?”
【 What, what. Ah, ah…. 】

His hand delved into a crevice in the tree. Like an ant burrowing to construct its home, his finger tore a fissure. The vascular system was revealed, and the flesh was gouged and consumed.

He absorbed the vitality, slicing the flesh, sap spurting out, gnawing at the jagged, torn bark.

“I have devoured you a hundred times.”
【 ……. 】
“Dozens have succumbed.”

This woman’s reaction lingered in the King’s distant memory.

-Reduced to, humans… to humans…! Ah, ahh…!

The King didn’t recall his entire existence, yet he sometimes dreamt. These dreams were vessels for ancient memories. The human mind discards what it deems unnecessary, but occasionally revisits it. The King was an intelligent catastrophe, devoid of patterns in his movements. He merely revisited his dreams and, following them, deceived this World Tree.

Merely repeating this process led to the collapse of the world.

“It’s your ill fortune.”
【 Spare… me… please. 】

The King, muttering dryly, inserted his hand again. Had he grown weary of the profound pain?

【…….】

The World Tree’s body, convulsing in pain, finally severed its tenacious life force with a snap.

“Is it dead already?”

The World Tree had an extensive lifespan, but its spirit was incredibly shallow.

Why should it fear another creature feasting on its flesh?

Among the World Trees he had encountered, there were those who reveled in consuming human flesh. Some hanged, tore, and rolled limbs. In the end, one even killed his daughter.

The King licked the resin from his fingers and rose.

In that moment, a sound as mighty as planets shifting filled the world.

– Koo-goo-goo!

Infinite tendrils, like trees, undulated along the body of the sovereign. While they appeared lumbering, each moved at a pace that rivalled a skilled hunter’s.

The underside of the sovereign’s jaw tore open, and from beneath it, tentacles fashioned from roots emerged.

‘…Next.’

In the midst of contemplation, I remembered the cell phone that had rung before I arrived in this dimension. I retrieved it and inspected the screen.

[Lee Shiba]

At the sight of the name, the wooden tendrils recoiled hastily. Once more assuming a human-like form, I squatted and studied Shiba’s KakaoTalk on the diminutive screen of the phone, pushing the display with rapt attention.