Chapter 239 – Baobab (3)

A heavy pressure weighed on my lower abdomen.

– Gulp, gulp.

“You have no idea how much trouble I went through to find you.”

Bao chuckled darkly, his voice a sinister murmur. A massive hand tenderly caressed my neck before suddenly tightening its grip.

“Where is it, you little shit?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… Ugh!”

The moment I feigned ignorance, his grip on my head intensified.

“Don’t play dumb. I know you’re a disciple of that Peach Blossom girl.”

Despite having improved my physical abilities, they were still comparable to, or just slightly below, those of a national champion.

Born into a warrior race, the Baobabs possess innate physical prowess that far surpasses my own. Unless I access my status window or use magic, I’m no match for this guy.

‘…I can’t cause a scene with all these cameras around.’

And a peach of a year. Are all these rascals so malicious?

I reached out and twisted Bao’s wrist.

“Oh?”

Bao’s eyebrows twitched.

That was close.
My hands trembled. Bao’s hand was no different.

Our muscle strength was similar. A tendon sprouted from my wrist as I slowly removed Bao’s hand from my neck.

-Thump.

Just then, Bao’s hand grew larger.
A 3-meter colossus. A body that seemed to devour me.

Over eight feet of height pressed down on my stomach. The weight was considerable.
There was no point in continuing the tug-of-war.

My arm, which was grappling, was pushed back, and soon Bao’s hand tightened around my neck.

[Jiing]

The camera, belatedly following, captured us.

“Still not talking?”

Smirking, she snorted.
The corners of my mouth quivered, and my breath escaped.
My lungs were compressed, making it difficult to breathe.

“It would only be torment if I remained like this.”
“And if you surrender… what will you do?”
“I’ll follow you.”

A frigid voice seemed to infiltrate the mind.

“I will pursue you until death.”
“…What is the reason, exactly?”
“I’m searching for that person. Just tell me where they are. Bob, you know? I’m aware you’re from Dowonhyang.”
“Dowonhyang… I know… but… what’s the connection?”

Bao’s brow furrowed. As his grip loosened slightly, he found it easier to breathe.

Only then did he see his opponent’s face.

He hadn’t been able to see it clearly amidst the chaos. Perhaps due to their nationality, they appeared quite attractive. Black skin with yellow eyes, and medium-length hair. Even though her body had grown, she retained the sultry allure of a woman’s curved figure.

Finally, words tumbled from her lips.

“That person is my younger sibling.”

Bob’s sibling?
Younger sister?

The image of a disheveled, muscular black man appeared in his mind. A baobab tree.

I already knew they were from the same tree, but I had no idea they were truly blood-related.

I was rendered speechless, my face blank with astonishment.

‘…They don’t resemble each other at all?’

Bob’s image was still that of a bald Black man.
A man who looks quite dashing in a suit.

Baobab and Bob.
Bob and Baobab.

No matter how hard I tried, the images of the two never overlapped.

“…”
“Why? Are you finally willing to tell me now?”

Her grip tightened once more. My throat constricted, and I struggled to breathe. I shook my head vigorously.

‘When are the two of them coming?’

With minimal resistance, I slipped my fingers beneath her palm.
Gently pushing it away, I managed to regain some ability to breathe.

Had we traveled farther than I’d imagined? Tae-yang and Aori showed no signs of approaching.
I extended my magic and meticulously surveyed the surroundings.

There was no trace of them.

-Hisss.

A few monsters and an expansive forest. On the third day, a dungeon that had just opened today. After searching every nook and cranny, I sensed the presence of two people far away.

They were approaching, but their pace was agonizingly slow.

“I don’t even know where they are.”
“Like I said earlier, don’t think about faking it. You might end up in a sorry state.”
“From the start, nobody knows the location of Do-wonhyang. All I heard was that they’d come looking after graduation.”

Baobab’s eyes intensely stared at my face.
Eyes capable of reading a person’s thoughts.

“…You might be right. If I didn’t have eyes that can discern lies, I might have been deceived.”

Bluffing was a possibility.
Anyone could corner someone and fabricate abilities they lacked confidence in.

“Heh heh heh heh.”

But this time, it seemed genuine.
The laughter appeared far from ordinary.

Bao curled the fingers of his massive hand one by one, forming a fist.

“Lee Si-heon.”
“….”
“…You must speak.”

A clumsy Korean name escapes her lips.

But if they wanted to know the location, wouldn’t it be easier to approach and ask kindly? Where is the necessity for violence? They are said to be a race obsessed with battle, so it seems their persuasion is also carried out with fists.

‘No choice.’

Magic power is conjured in her palm. Bao, witnessing my movement, thrusts his fist forward.

-Kwaaang!

He raises his hand and slams it into the ground. In that instant, a massive dust storm erupts around Bao, enveloping him. A fierce wind whips up the dirt and drives it towards Bao, as if to blind him.

Our reflections vanish from the camera’s lens.

“…This wretched shallow trick!”

Simultaneously, I lift my upper body, summoning magic across my entire being to repel Bao.

*Thud!*

The two foreheads collide.

Barely a finger’s distance apart. We glared at each other with a mask between us. I reached over Baobab’s chest.

The soft sensation, wrapped around my hand, was fleeting. I cast a spell and pushed him away.

Of course, it wasn’t meant to expel him.

【Connection to the World Tree is temporarily suspended.】

Muscles swelled. The surging magical power burned black all over my body. Beyond the first boundary, my field of view expanded, long and wide.

All objects and locations nearby, and the flow of magic. The bristling nerves catch it all, providing a direction to move.

The optimal path to defeat my opponent. But this time, I advanced in a different direction.

Sometimes, rational strategies are more effective than primal instincts. I kicked off the ground and charged forward.

“…Huff. What’s…?”

My outstretched fist is blocked by Baobab’s hand.

As soon as his fist was blocked, he swiftly pivoted and struck his opponent’s head with a powerful kick.
My speed is superior.

*Crash!*

A heavy sensation as his heel made contact.

Perhaps due to his large frame, it felt as though he were shattering a tree with a single strike. A blow she permitted, owing to a momentary lapse in her focus. The impact to her skull, including her jaw, momentarily severed her consciousness.

Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed Baobab’s face.

“Ugh…Guh!”

‘I’ll drag him like this.’

As his opponent was formidable, he couldn’t hope to defeat Baobab as a mere mage.

*Thud!*

Holding Baobab by the head, he moved as far away as possible. The ever-growing Baobab was a burden on his challenger.

Darting between trees, over and over again.

Eventually, they reached their destination.

Inside a dungeon.

[Whirring!]

Behind the scene captured by the last camera, the two of them passed through the dungeon gate and tumbled onto the cave floor.

Clattering. Both Baobab and him, sprawled on the ground.

Immediately, the two of us rose and glared at each other, each harboring our own emotions.

“…Is this a dungeon? What are you thinking?”

Baobab, with an arrogant smile, assumed a stance. His body stretched to a length of 4 meters. The muscle and stamina he had developed were still weaker than mine, but if he continued to grow, it would become overwhelming for me.

“You intend to face me without any teammates?”
“Yes.”
“…What?”

Baobab frowned at my answer.

“I have no eyes for this anymore.”

A dark magical energy swelled above my shoulders.

* * * * * * *

“There’s nothing?”

Aori, searching through the grass, gazed up at Tae-yang. The gauntlet pierced with harpoons had been discarded long ago.

Though the confrontation had only lasted a few seconds, their bodies were in shambles.

“It seems to have gone into the dungeon.”

A concealed gate within the forest. Yet, there were already signs that someone had entered.

Tracking someone inside the dungeon was impossible.

Most of the cameras had lost their place and scattered. Only a few remaining ones captured images of Tae-yang and Aori.

Tae-yang slumped down in front of the gate.

“Damn it.”

He felt embarrassed.

He had tried every trick in the book, but who could have known that she would be his opponent? As he swept his hand across his forehead, a mocking laughter sounded right behind him.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

“Don’t laugh.”

Aori, smiling as she recalled the earlier spectacle.

“Big brother… heh, heh. Did I… Did I look that weak to you…? Ah, ugh! Heh, heh, heh, heh.”

“I told you to shut your mouth.”

“Knocked down in one shot. Pathetic.”

The moment he let his guard down, she would tease him mercilessly. Tae-yang, running his fingers over his furrowed brow, heaved a deep sigh.

Tae-yang wouldn’t have thoughtlessly dragged that person into the dungeon. No matter how much Baobab is a crazed fighter belonging to a warrior race, he wouldn’t be defeated disgracefully.

“Will the king be alright?”

Aori asked, wiping the smile from her lips, her voice laced with genuine concern. Tae-yang scoffed at her.

“Just have faith.”

“But she was incredibly strong.”

Aori shoved her shattered gauntlet towards Tae-yang. A single punch from it held enough power to break bones.

Aori’s individual combat prowess was by no means weak. However, even she wasn’t strong enough to face Baobab.

“It’s difficult to fight without being liberated.”

“Well, you’re in the same situation as me…”

Those who received the king’s power would see a significant drop in their fighting ability if they didn’t unleash the various powers of the trees they possessed. Aori, being a wooden being, had far greater potential than the human Tae-yang. Even in decay, she was of King Mokryeong’s lineage.

Furthermore, Aori inherited the power from long-lost families.

“If I can’t handle it, I must be at least the best among the national trees.”
“Your confidence is astounding.”
“Who am I?”

Aori places her hand on her waist and confidently recites her lineage.

“Daughter of Golden Delicious and Hong-Ok.”
“How can someone’s name be Golden Delicious?”
“Did you just insult my father?”
“Yes.”
“Trash. The worst.”

The family of the apple tree. They were annihilated for colluding with King Mokryeong, and most of them were sold as slaves or killed. However, their power cannot be overlooked. The chosen talent who inherited the blood of the World Tree, combined with King Mokryeong’s influence. Aori is the offspring of Golden Delicious, one who remained a loyal servant to King Mokryeong until the end, and the son born from the union of female Golden Delicious and King Mokryeong with Hong-Ok.

“…Will the King be alright?”

Aori raises her eyebrows and pouts her lips.

“Don’t worry for nothing.”

“Do you really think so?”
“Have you ever fought with your brother?”
“Unlike Tae-yang, I know my place well.”

Aori stuck out her tongue. Tae-yang raised his middle finger and let out a scornful laugh.

“If we were to fight seriously, there’d be no one here able to rival my brother.”
“Really? Even the national champions?”
“Screw the national champions.”

Tae-yang had lived a rough life in the slums.
He had seen countless individuals with untouchable skills.
He was well-acquainted with the expressions and gazes they wore.

The skill of Lee Si-heon, which he had witnessed, was undoubtedly beyond reach, like a Baobab tree.
It was only natural, since he hadn’t exerted his full power in the first place.
Nonetheless, the unusual energy emanating from a person’s body couldn’t be concealed.

“Did I mention before that he has a certain vibe that even top-tier S-rank individuals don’t possess?”
“When did you say that?”
“Last time we were eating ramen at home. Cup noodles, to be precise.”
“I think I remember… But what does that have to do with anything?”

Tae-yang raised a finger.

“You must be a god.”

A remark uttered with a hint of jest.
Aori’s face contorted.

“…Not amusing.”
“Hehehe, but I could probably defeat quite a few S-rank opponents.”

Otherwise, there would be no way to explain the atmosphere at that time.