Chapter 262 – Twist the Tree (3)

Just after my encounter with Mary, I returned to my room and saw a familiar face.

Baobab, who I hadn’t seen for some time.

I had thought he had vanished due to the shock of what had happened back then, but he had finally returned. Baobab leaned against the wall near my door, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. Our eyes met.

“Hey.”

His eyes narrowed menacingly.

“Let’s have another round. I can win today.”

His temper was as fierce as ever. I wondered why he never seemed to tire.

I walked past Baobab, waved my hand to shoo him away, and unlocked the door without a word. At that moment, Baobab’s hand roughly grabbed my collar.

“Are you ignoring me?”

My body trembled like a sheet of paper. I slightly turned my head to check Baobab’s expression, and his face was flushed, as if he was about to throw a punch any second.

“Why are you doing this to me? I just returned from an ordeal and want to rest for a bit.”
“Three times, you said it yourself – three times with your mouth.”
“I have a meeting to attend.”

As I expressed my displeasure, a piece of paper was suddenly thrust before me. On it, the date matched today, and to my surprise, my name was written as well. It was a guide to my meeting partner.

A triumphant smile spread across Bao’s lips.

“Come on.”

How could there be such a coincidence?

They claimed it was for fostering camaraderie.
Why did they only match people they knew?
And Bao is like a restless hunter who can’t catch me.

I coughed awkwardly. After opening the door, I pointed inside for Bao.

“Go in there. I’ll be back after taking care of some work.”
“How can I trust you?”
“If I don’t return, you win.”
“Do you think I would accept such a hollow victory?”

What must I do to make this guy yield?

Rather, if the skill gap between us had been extreme, I could have been overpowered by sheer pressure alone.

Yet in reality, when it comes to fighting, victory cannot be assured due to our abilities and the amount of mana available.

“…We go in together. No exceptions.”

If someone were to see my shoulder being forcefully pulled, they’d think I was the one being dominated. Eventually, I was led into the room by Baobab’s hand. It couldn’t be helped. I removed my shoes and entered the living room. Sitting on the sofa, I glared at Baobab who followed me in.

“Last time you were in that state, and you still want to fight?”

Or had he sharpened his sword in preparation for today?

Baobab’s expression was brimming with confidence, as if he could tear apart a wild beast.

“I won’t lose now.”

“…Last time, you said the same thing and ended up suffering. How about giving up already? Or else—”

I warned in a low voice.

“Things could really fall apart.”

It was in the hope that Bao would not succumb to such outrageous words.

Last time, it had stopped halfway.
His consciousness was so hazy that he had no choice but to release the restraints in the middle. It was practically the same as giving in.

I lost because I didn’t say that one word.
Still, I heard him say, “Please stop.” I roughly let it go at that.
I thought he had given up since he didn’t come to my room yesterday.

“Or do you just want to sleep with me altogether?”

Bao’s eyes narrowed.

“The reason I need to go so far to find you… Oh, I told you last time–”
“Isn’t that it?”

Bao stretched the corners of his mouth. He raised his fist and took a stance, looking like he was about to charge forward, so I got up as well.
I raised both fists.

“What are you saying, you idiot? I just don’t like losing to guys like you.”

I took my stance.

“It’s not because of you, I don’t care now whether I find him or not. I am a baobab tree even if I rot.”

Baobab approached.

“…I can’t accept losing to a guy like you.”
“What if you lose all three times?”

His fist rushed in.
I lightly twisted my head to avoid it.

I could hear the sound of wind splitting right next to my ears. That’s how strong his fist was.
Baobab’s sharply shining eyes shone exactly in front of my nose.

“Then I am your servant.”

I shouldn’t have spoken so carelessly.

*Paang!*

As I reached out with my fist, I suddenly felt pain in the side of my head.

This was only the third fight at best.
Had he honed his skills already?
He might have repeated image training for the entire day yesterday.

It’s not a stance that you can master in just a few hours.
Neat and strong.
It is a move that he thoroughly prepared without thinking about the second ordeal, focusing solely on dealing with me.

“Slave? Are you saying you’ll become one?”
“…I’ll do it, kid. If you win it all, then I’m yours.”

Bao fearlessly clashes his two fists together and charges with a ferocious energy.

He could feel something trickling down just below his temples. Without even touching it, he knew it was blood.

*Thwack!*

He threw a punch and took one.

In just two days, the one-sided fight had become a proper and evenly matched contest. Their skills were on par with each other. Bao employed an unknown fighting technique that seemed rather difficult to counter.

Perhaps Bao had developed this technique specifically to face him. After all, Bao was no ordinary prodigy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached his current prestigious rank.

‘…I can’t find any openings.’

Should he resort to using a concealed weapon? Using magic was forbidden, but his opponent wouldn’t know if the secret weapon utilized magical powers.

However, it was not an easy decision to make.

It was evident that he had prepared specifically for today.

Bao had been subtly revealing his lower abdomen for a while now, intentionally leaving a gap.

‘Did he think I wouldn’t notice?’

That’s not the case. The color technique is lethal if even a single strike is allowed. It’s arguably the ability one must be most vigilant about. There must be a reason for this behavior.

In other words, the opponent is also considering the color technique, even though it should be unusable under normal circumstances.

-Paang!

Dodging Bao’s fist, the thought crossed my mind again.

‘It’s psychological warfare.’

Purposely leaving an opening, making it difficult for me to approach.

He’s taking a gamble. In exchange for exposing a vulnerable spot, Bao has become more aggressive in his attacks. The opening is so blatant that it prevents me from approaching.

‘On the other hand, if he truly knows how to counter…’

I will be the one to suffer.

Whether I attack that or not will be the crux of this match.

‘However.’

Merely entertaining such thoughts means I have already become entangled in my opponent’s strategy. Bao perceives the color attack as a martial art.

‘I can’t use it anyway. The color attack is related to magic.’

There’s no need to hasten. My opponent’s talent is indeed exceptional, but it pales in comparison to mine. If it were a battle of magic, the situation might be different, but pure martial arts is another story.

-Paang!

I change the momentum.

I grasp Bao’s neck after evading his fist. She skillfully defends herself by striking my arm away.

Yet, my body is more flexible and specialized in combat than she realizes. To the point where even the Heavenly Demon once told me I had reached a level of unparalleled mastery. I absorb the martial arts I’ve seen with my own eyes as my own.

And I can surpass even that. It wasn’t in vain that I granted Bao three chances from the beginning.

I delve into her embrace.

An opponent’s fist narrowly grazes their target. Grasping the frame of Bao’s chest with both hands, they push and topple him over.

-Kwadang! Clang!

A loud noise resounds.
Constricting is impossible. There’s no way to know what tactics they’ve brought.

Climbing atop Bao, they bind his hands together.

-Huff, huff.

Their breaths intermingle.

How to apply more pressure here?
He will never surrender. It’s impossible to strike his face until he loses consciousness.

Bao’s fierce eyes glare at me.

“Damn.”

Did he lose again this time? His eyes tremble as if he thinks so.
His cheeks twitch, as if preparing for the blows I might deliver.

“…I lost.”

Before long, her mouth opens.

“What?”

It’s an answer they never expected.
To so easily accept defeat, a defeat they never tolerated even when they were beaten until their senses were lost the day before yesterday?

What on earth had changed in his mindset?
I sent a doubtful gaze, not releasing the binding until the very end.

Baobab clenched his teeth, as if heat was radiating from him.

“I lost! …Today.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Well, now, set me free.”

Baobab had learned his lesson.

Dragging it out here would only prolong the pain, he realized.
I loosened the binding.
Baobab rose from his seat and began fumbling to put his clothes back in order.

“Haah…”

He stomped his feet, clearly quite frustrated.
He must have thought he would undoubtedly win this time.

I was also quite taken aback.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been a fight that ended after only a few attacks. But his movements were exceptional this time.

‘…Will I truly lose next time?’

A growing sense of unease took hold of me.

I used my powers to heal the wounds on my body. The force of the blows had been so strong that several sections of flesh appeared torn.

It was the same for Bao, so he approached Bao standing in anger and placed his hand on the wound.

Then, Bao shuddered.

Looking at my body, she grasped the hem of her tank top.

“You look like a beggar…”

Whirring. The clothes rising up.
The tank top, exposing the stomach and armpits, whimpered over the chest, revealing itself as it fluttered.

“What are you doing?”
“Well, fuck… you’re supposed to.”

I had no intention of doing it.
I only planned to treat and let go.

“I didn’t mean to?”

She spoke sullenly and tapped Bao’s wound.

Bao’s gaze shifted toward it.
It didn’t take long for her to confirm that the painful wound, once stained blue, had disappeared.

“Ah.”

A black bra, sweat coursing through the cleavage where the cups met.
Armpits and skin exposed due to stopping just before undressing.

A taut nipple protrudes above the bra.

“You didn’t expect it?”

– Cuckoo!

Bao’s fist hit my face, and my body tilted back.

* * * * * * * *

[Hey…]

“Yes, Mary.”

Mary’s branch pointed at Im Jong-hyun in front of her.

Lim Jong-hyun is a carpenter. He’s much better than humans, and there’s a bit of wood blood mixed in, but he’s not disgusting.

[You said L Academy, right?]

“That’s right.”

[Lee Si-heon, do you know who he is?]

Lim Jong-hyun’s eyebrows slightly wiggled at Mary’s question. There was no way Mary couldn’t have noticed the change in his short face.

Frowning at my question. If the opponent were a human, he might have burned his whole body with magic.

Still, he is a carpenter. I’ll let it slide this time.

“I am nothing more than a human being.”

[…Really?]

It’s nothing.

Lee Si-heon. He was someone who understood his place well. Today, among humans, he was one of the better ones. He didn’t even show a bewildered expression upon hearing his own question, nor did he demand the trials to be presented.

Hadn’t he provided delicious fertilizer and water just this morning? The fertilizer I consumed back then… It was a taste I had never experienced in my life. Why would a human possess such a thing?

It couldn’t have been easy to obtain. It was an indication of his sincerity to that extent.

On the other hand, Lim Jong-hyun. What is this guy about? He merely reported the completion of the trial, maintaining politeness, but I felt as if he regarded me as nothing more than a tool.

As if I were merely a gateway to surpass the second trial. He didn’t treat me as an individual. Simply because it would be wrong to do so. I feel like I am lowering my head just for this time.

That individual possessed a certain endearing quality.

[…] No, I must go now.]

“Excuse me.”

As Im Jong-hyun departs, he never looks back. It makes sense, considering he is a carpenter and his counterpart an aristocrat.

Nevertheless, deep within a corner of Mary’s heart, she could not dispel the sensation of something gnawing at her.