Chapter 231 – Teaming (2)

After clearing away the brush and disposing of the wolves, I asked the woman a question as we sat before the fire. Though she initially appeared weary, she spoke with a bright expression and shared her story while I tended to the flames.

“All my teammates were eliminated, so I fled and ended up like this.”

I retrieved a cup from the woman’s backpack, filled it with juice, and handed it to her. It was a gesture of gratitude for the food she had given me.

“Thank you. If only I hadn’t encountered that national figure so suddenly.”
“What national figure?”
“Plum (梅花). It’s a Chinese sobriquet… He has stark white hair and looks incredibly intimidating.”

She had gotten on the wrong side of this national figure, and as a result, she had lost her magical power and stamina. Barely surviving with just her backpack, she had nearly met her end when she encountered the wolves.

The woman sipped her juice with a smile.

“…Hehe, it’s sweet.”

The corners of one’s mouth subtly lifted. Like a cat, they kept sipping their drink, perhaps because it tasted good.

‘As expected, does the selection match focus on the national tree?’

“How many people were on the team?”
“Over thirty.”
“30?”

It’s beyond my imagination.

The national team that toppled thirty trees was impressive, and the group that formed that many teams was quite significant.

“There are too many.”
“You have no choice but to grow in size to deal with the national tree.”
“But why do you indiscriminately gather people?”

I questioned the woman’s words.

It’s not that I don’t understand. There were only two ways for cadets to survive in this survival game: hide and survive for a week, or maximize the advantages of teamwork to the point where even the national tree couldn’t be easily conquered. Of course, the latter case was not preferred due to the difficulty of procuring supplies.

“I thought it would be okay if we gathered this much.”

The national tree was more powerful than I had imagined. The woman lowered her head, looking dejected.

“Thanks to that, my magic and stamina have hit rock bottom.”

A few days’ rest should replenish them, but I might as well be considered out of the running. I opened the combat ration I had received and took a bite.

‘I never thought I’d taste something like this here.’

Instant, heat-up-when-pulled combat rations – Korean-style beef with gochujang bibimbap, no less. The difference is the green packaging, adorned with a tree symbolizing the World Tree. The taste is better than what I remember. The expiration date is far off, and it’s decent enough to eat, given that it’s homemade.

“Is it edible?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief, hehe. Thank you so much for your help. I really thought I was going to die.”

The woman grinned broadly and scratched her cheek, her face covered in dirt.

“Well, as for dying, if it hurts anyway, you’d naturally be teleported elsewhere.”
“No, I would’ve had a heart attack the moment the wolf bit me.”
“Are you an academy student?”

“Of course~ I can now memorize my student number, you know? Two-zero-two-eight….”

The woman raised her index finger and began reciting her student number. That wasn’t what I was asking about. I wasn’t sure whether to describe her personality as cheerful or slightly airheaded. Regardless, meeting fellow Koreans in a place like this is rare.

Even with numerous skilled hunters in Korea, it’s just one country. There hadn’t been many Koreans in the selection process for forest guardians. It’s always pleasant to encounter Koreans abroad.

“Do men really eat this in the military?”

“Right?… Uh, hold on a moment.”

The woman looked at the combat rations I was eating with curiosity. I responded with a sour expression, then trailed off.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
The military?

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Do Korean men go to the army?”

“Hm? Of course.”

“Without exception?”

“What do you mean? They definitely go.”

Shivers!

“Ah, but I heard academy cadets are exempt…”

I was on the verge of collapsing in shock, but the woman’s following words filled me with a sense of relief, as if I were ascending to heaven.

“But now that I see it like this, it’s quite amazing. Your name is Lee Si-heon, right? El Academy.”
“How do you know?”
“Ah~ You’re pretty famous on the internet. The one who wears a mask and had a match with Jung Si-woo!”

It made sense, considering how it had spread on the internet.
Jung Si-woo was so popular that it felt like I naturally reaped some fame from his name’s value.
If there were fans, there were also a considerable number of anti-fans. There were people who usually resented the excessive attention focused on Jung Si-woo but looked at me favorably.

“And you two are friends. You have no choice but to become famous.”

Famous.
There was one reason for that.
There was an incident where Jung Si-woo appeared as a guest on a weekend entertainment program and caused a stir by talking about me.
Si-woo seemed strangely grateful to me. Not wanting to ruin a good thing, I didn’t say anything.

“Hey, what is this?”

Of course, there were some incidents.

-I’m sorry…

When various fanciful stories featuring Jung Si-woo and me began to circulate online. As I hadn’t been sleeping much lately, I spent quite a bit of time on the internet and became aware of this.

“What is your name?”

I asked while continuing to eat.

“Ah, didn’t I mention it? It’s Ihyang, Lee Ihyang.”
“Is it an unusual surname?”
“Yes. It’s a unique name, isn’t it?”

Dogwood tree, Lee Ihyang.
The tree’s name was so unique that I memorized it instantly.

“Did you come from Seoul Academy?”
“Yes, with my friends… But who would have known it would turn out like this? Hing.”

Seoul Academy. She must have come from the countryside.
I looked at Lee Ihyang’s face.
A straw hat and market clothes seemed to suit her better than a sophisticated dress, and her facial features exuded warmth.

If she were a cat, she’d be a Korean Shorthair instead of a Persian.
If she were a dog, she’d be Yellowy, Baekgu, or Baduk.

Upon seeing Lee Hyang instead of just the typically strong women, I was struck with the realization that people of this type exist as well.

“So, what now?”

In response to my question, she smiled nonchalantly.

“What now? I have to concede.”

Lee Hyang answered with refreshing candor.

I halted mid-bite, a spoonful of rice suspended in the air.

“Without any regrets?”

“Ah, I’ve done well enough up to this point. Besides, it was a shame to waste the supplies I brought, so it’s fortunate that I can give them away like this. Plus, I’ve helped a fellow Korean, so perhaps I’ve made a small contribution to our nation’s reputation… Hehe.”

As she spoke, Lee Hyang glanced at her backpack hanging from a tree branch.

“If I give up, take it. You can just pick out the food separately.”

The attitudes of the trainees, who faced virtually insurmountable odds in the Forest Keeper Tournament—a stage akin to national competitions—varied greatly.

“This is still a valuable experience. There’s nothing we can do if we’re eliminated.”

While the sentiment is true, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Fortunately, enduring just a week might yield a few newspaper articles.
If I manage to reach the third trial like this, not only entertainment opportunities but also job offers will come rolling in. It’s quite remarkable to progress this way.

“Ah, should I separate them for you? Is your backpack capacity sufficient?”
“Yes.”
“Then please, go ahead and eat. I’ll quickly take out the food for you.”

Setting down the juice she was drinking, Lee Hyang began to select easily portable foods from her backpack.

“Hehe, I should go to Seoul and brag to my friends that I met Lee Si-heon.”
“Kekeke, if you go later, you might even get his autograph.”
“Really? On this shirt?”

She nonchalantly threw out the suggestion, and Lee Hyang pulled up the hem of her shirt, pointing at it with her finger.

Why doesn’t she realize that bragging about my autograph would only make her the subject of ridicule?

It’s not as if I’m some national treasure; I’m just Lee Si-heon.
It’s obvious that people would snicker.

“Ah…you were joking.”

When I remained silent, Hyang scratched her cheek. Then she resumed concentrating on sorting the food.

“So you’re really going to give up?”
“I don’t want to die from a wolf bite for no reason.”

Abstaining. It’s not a bad choice, considering we never know when the Flower will appear.
But that’s separate from helping.

“Yeah, well… you made a good choice.”
“Oh, by the way, don’t go east or north.”
“Why?”

He handed me all the prepared food and tasted those with short expiration dates.
Tangerines, slightly cracked from the shock.
After tasting them, he split a tangerine in half and handed it to me, as if to check if it was okay.
I ate the tangerines, having finished all my combat rations. The fresh, sweet, and sour taste was exquisite.

“There are rumors among the novices. Yellow to the east, white to the north.”
“Yellow and white? What kind of names are those?”
“The white one, as I said, is Plum. The yellow one… I don’t really know.”

It seemed like there was something in the east.
As I put another piece of tangerine in my mouth, I pondered his story.

“You don’t know?”

“Yes. The woman with yellow hair… She’s thoroughly scouring the area, dealing with all the cadets she encounters.”

A woman with yellow hair. Sansuyu’s face comes to mind.

Could it really be her, though? It’s not like Sansuyu is the only person with blonde hair in the world. In fact, among the people I know, there are quite a few blondes.

“Mmm.”

“I heard it indirectly too, hehe… It might not be true, though.”

“No, thank you.”

The direction where Sansuyu still is points east. There was a high probability that the person in the rumor was indeed Sansuyu. Is it really alright to use mana so recklessly? Even if she’s a swordsman, her reliance on magical power is no less than that of a mage.

Mana is the foundation of all abilities. I hope she won’t be exhausted when we meet. I was about to stand up to pack my backpack.

It was then.

Someone got caught in the faintly spread mana detection.

The frequency of encountering people is unusually high today.

“Shall we get going? In that case, I should put this away.”
“Wait a moment.”

Lee Hyang halts the incense.

“Yes?”
“Someone is approaching.”

Something was swiftly closing in on their location. It didn’t appear to be relying on magical power but rather pure physical prowess. It was making its way through the tall grass with force.

“Really? Uh, what should we do? Are you going to leave me behind? I may be disqualified, but I can try to stop them. I may be a country bumpkin, but I’m good at holding my ground, you know?”

With those words, Lee Hyang confidently pats her ample chest. Not a bad idea. Maybe I should really leave her behind.

The situation was dire, but the presence I sensed was out of the ordinary. It wasn’t the overwhelming strength felt when facing the Kookmok! Instead, it was an entirely unfamiliar sensation.

It was an indescribable feeling, as if connected by a long thread that, if pulled, would draw whatever was approaching even closer.

I immediately retrieve the staff hanging from the tree.

Upon signaling the mistletoe, the staff that was hanging on the tree levitated and swiftly flew into my grasp.

“Wow…”

With wide eyes, Lee Hyang stood behind me as I held the Wind Cutter in one hand. Grasping the staff in the other hand, I infused it with magic and faced the two silhouettes rapidly approaching.

-Swish!

A dark figure crept through the grass like a cockroach.

A flash of red hair sprang out between the blades of grass.

“Puha!”

Her eyes gleamed ruby-red. Though she didn’t seem hostile, her gaze was sharp as she looked at me.

“Ah…?”

The woman uttered, seeing me right before her eyes.

An odd sensation of constriction gripped my chest. I felt as if I had seen her before, perhaps at a restaurant. However, witnessing her up close with her magic unleashed, the feeling was altogether different. Goosebumps spread from head to toe, and I shuddered for a moment, unable to explain the chilling sensation.

-Rustle.

My gaze met the man who had followed the girl inside. He was a blonde man with slightly sunburned skin. At that moment, the goosebumps that had been mere unease grew, making my head spin.

Their faces became odd the moment they laid eyes on me. Instead of seeming dazed, they appeared to have experienced a profound shock, much like I had.

‘What’s with these two?’

Magic power, condensed to the brink of activation. I hesitated for a moment.

Should I unleash it? Should I drive them away?

My fingers flexed and unflexed, ready to release the spell at any moment. The woman, her face peeking out from the foliage, saw the magic taking form in my hand and spoke immediately, her lips pressed tightly together.

“Wait, just a moment. We’re not here to fight.”

The woman’s trembling eyes met mine.

“…Uh, um.”

She fumbled with her words, finally managing to utter a single sentence. I could see the woman swallow hard as she looked at me.

“Forgive me for being forward on our first meeting, but… would you like to… be with me?”

Gulp.

After the preposterous statement, the sound of saliva being swallowed echoed once more. The tongue, peeking out from the slightly parted lips, gleamed with the hue of a freshly ripened, crimson apple.

“What?”