Chapter 36 – Enchanted Peach Tree (5)

– Koo-goo-goo!

Trees cascade from the heavens.

Around me, inexplicable energy projectiles fly through the air.

Techniques that appear straight out of a cartoon. They manifest before my eyes, obstructing my path.

“Ha ha ha!”

I grimace as I gauge the remaining mana within me. Thanks to White Peach’s repulsive interference, my rapidly depleting mana is nearly exhausted.

– Quaang! Bang! Bang!

As if she knows this, White Peach’s disruptions grow more intense. Arrows plummet from the sky, conjuring storms and toppling trees. With each arrow that lands nearby, curses involuntarily escape my lips.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

I sprint down the hill without pause. The breakneck speed of my descent surpasses my expectations. Suddenly, my foot catches on a tree root, and I am airborne for a few heart-stopping seconds.

“Damn-“

Cursing my luck,

– Thud!

Rolling down the slope in a graceless manner,
Fallen leaves become lodged between my clothes, and scratches mark my arms and legs. After rolling for quite some time, I come to a halt, stopped by a large tree.

“Will you repent now, third-rate disciple? Your talent has potential. If you sincerely pledge to follow me, I will accept you as my direct disciple!”

A few words rain down like lightning from the sky. Clenching my teeth, I stagger and rise from my position. My body is covered in bruises.

No matter how much the world lacks righteousness and harmony, I cannot break my will here. A hard peach? A soft peach? Honestly, either was fine. A peach is just a peach, after all. What’s the point in dwelling on it? Taste is all that matters. As they say, if I bend a little here, my future training could proceed smoothly.

“Say it! Soft peaches have no flavor!”

Yet, strangely enough, I can’t help but feel irritated when thinking about White Peach scratching at my insides.

Despite her appearance, just watching White Peach play made me want to strike her philtrum with my elbow.

‘It feels just like when my cousin ruined my 1.9 million won laptop.’

Honestly, it doesn’t matter. It’s simply that my inherent nature, the stubbornness of the unit leader, won’t leave me alone.

I took a deep breath and shouted with all my might.

“Stop this nonsense!”

Immediately, I charged forward. White Peach, casually hovering in the air, looked at me and laughed as if amused.

“Very well. If that’s the wish of the third-class disciple-“

A quiet word, laced with resignation. An overwhelming surge of magical energy filled the area.

“-Drown while clutching your water robe.”

– Ugh!

The brilliant white orbs that filled my vision gleamed as if they were about to pounce on me any second.

I muttered in a voice mixed with awe and disbelief.

“…Insane.”

There’s no avoiding this.

A kid truly devoted to their con… That’s what makes them even more repulsive.

– Koo-goo-goo!

As I watched the pure white beads hurtling towards me, I closed my eyes.

…

The sound ceased.

…

But why isn’t anything happening?

I lifted my trembling eyelids. The magical beads that were assaulting me just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

The woman who had been hovering in midair slowly descended and walked towards me.

Her eyes exuded annoyance, framed by slightly upturned eyebrows. Her half-moon-shaped eyes were striking. She had rolled up her scarlet, shoulder-length hair and neatly secured it with a dark brown hairpin, revealing her pristine white nape. With her arms crossed arrogantly, she approached me with a lofty, yet graceful stride.

Her steps were unlike those of Zodiac’s gentle gait.
They were also distinct from White Peach’s haughty walk.

The impassive expression on her face seemed to indicate her complete control over her emotions.

An expressionless visage, unlike the innocent countenance of Cornus. Trees sprouted up as she looked past the figure to Zodiac behind her.

“…Heaven?”

“Hmm, you know my name? That makes this conversation quicker.”

Her slightly reddish hair was swept up and scattered by the wind weaving through the trees. The aura emanating from her face was significantly different from that of Zodiac and White Peach, and she appeared entirely distinct from White Peach, much like when she first saw Zodiac.

“Did you have a triple personality?”

“It’s not so strange. It’s a challenge that our peach tree’s successor must face.”

Heaven cleared her throat once.

“And I apologize for White Peach’s actions. It must have been dangerous just now.”

“Yes, it seems that way.”

“Why are you engaging in such childish fights? Like a nestling.”

I couldn’t muster any response to Heaven’s reproach. Honestly, it was true. If Azalea or Lee Se-Young had been standing here instead of Cornus, they would have undoubtedly endured a barrage of insults.

In a way, the conflict between me and Baekdo was an inevitable outcome, as there were two stubborn people dealing with a subject prone to tension.

“If you meet Baekdo again, just bend over once.”
“I can’t.”

But that’s not to say one should simply submit.

“Yi Won-bo-won (以怨報怨). Resentment begets resentment, an eye for an eye. The only way to eliminate obstinacy is through equally unyielding stubbornness. Honestly, peaches have nothing to do with it. Just seeing Baekdo infuriates me.”
“…So, there were two characters like Baekdo in the world.”

Heaven clicked her tongue and furrowed her brow, her eyebrows forming the shape of the number eight, as if she were angry.

She examined me closely and sighed.

“The capacity you possess is quite vast. Why are all those with innate talents such fools? One.”
“…Does Heaven prefer hard peaches? Or soft peaches?”
“Do I even care about that?”

Heaven crossed her arms and muttered to herself.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s thick or hard. If it’s sour, it’s good.”
“They say you’re a pervert if you like sour things.”
“You speak the same way as Baekdo.”

I couldn’t help but scowl.
Just hearing Baekdo’s name made it impossible for me to maintain my composure, as if a button had been pressed.

“Do you really hate Baekdo that much?”
“It’s difficult to explain. It seems like there’s some sort of incompatibility between us. Yes.”
“Is it a sort of mutual repulsion? That would make sense. Arguing over unrelated issues.”

I didn’t say that it wasn’t actually an unrelated issue.
Cheondo extended her hand into the air. The fallen leaves around her gathered in her grasp and soon took the shape of a sword.

“Then I shall go. In the meantime, you can finish your training or not, as you wish.”
“Where are you going?”
“Since they were subjected to such a one-sided ordeal, it can only be considered fair training if they face a similar level of challenge.”
“Is that so?”

Cheondo spoke and, gripping her sword, trudged onward. I gazed at her latex-clad rear before continuing in a serious tone.

“May I ask you one question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Who is the true master of the body?”

A momentary silence enveloped the mountains.

A blue squirrel, sensing the tension, scampered up a tree and fled. As the wind blew through the trees, her hair fluttered in succession.

“Master. I’ve never concerned myself with such matters.”

She took a step forward.

“A peach tree, yes. It’s not a particularly noble lineage.”

In sync with her movement, she extended her left foot.

“The deeds of the past will undoubtedly carry on into the future. If it’s called a curse, then it must indeed be a curse.”

Clink—Cheondo secured the sturdy sword, forged of leaves, to the waist of her latex attire.

“Perhaps, we didn’t need to be born from the same body at the same time. We wouldn’t have had to carve our limited time into fragments to see the outside world.”

She turned her head.

“What if it wasn’t the same body? Who knows. Maybe we would have been triplets? Or perhaps we would have been sisters born in consecutive years. But fantasies only ever remain as fantasies. No matter how much we speculate, we can’t know for certain unless we were to go back to the past. If you were to ask the owner of this body, who has never experienced it, who could answer?”

With her perpetual emotionless expression, she murmured.

“It’s me, but it’s not me. That is the karma created by the peach tree that abandoned the heavenly principles.”

“What kind of karma is that?”

“You certainly have a lot to say. You’re lacking in manners.”

“Having been treated like White Peach, I decided to simply ask what I wanted to know.”

Heaven smiled faintly at him. Her first smile was truly beautiful.

“I cannot reveal that, but I can offer you one piece of advice.”
“What is it?”

Cheondo looked at me and moved her arm once.

– Swish.

The sword at my waist was cleanly cut in half and fell away.

“Siheon.”
“Yes.”
“You are more suited for martial arts than the sword.”

The leaves rustled.

Various plants that appeared with a gust of wind enveloped Cheondo’s body, and soon she vanished from sight.

* * * * *

Lying on the floor of the hut, I absent-mindedly pondered her words.

– You are more suited for martial arts than the sword.

Martial arts.

Lay down the sword and rely on your fists.

Had I ever entertained such a thought in my life? I ran multiple simulations in my head. However, no matter how many times I tried, the answer remained the same. The sword is stronger than the fist, and the spear is stronger than the sword. Reach was always crucial in battles against others.

Why choose a fist over a perfectly fine weapon?
If one were to triumph over a sword with a mere fist, the very concept of a weapon would be shaken.

‘Nevertheless.’

Heaven advised me to walk the path of martial arts.
It’s not like me to be unable to distinguish between a joke and a lie.

She was sincere, and I genuinely accepted her words.

‘But who shall teach me martial arts?’

White Peach? I didn’t like her. There was nothing appealing about her except for her body and face.

“Ugh…”

I placed my arms together behind my head and looked up at the ceiling, groaning.

Had I been lying there for a while?

-Swish. Swish.

The sound of tossing and turning came from nearby.
Sansuyu, who had fallen asleep, lay motionless as if she’d been struck by a sleeping potion. Judging by the direction of the noise, perhaps Heaven had awakened.

“Are you awake?”

I asked softly, but no answer came.

-Swish, swish.

The sound of pulling a blanket.
The woman abruptly rose and left the cabin.

What is she doing?
She got up from her spot, stretched, and yawned.
Her mind felt slightly hazy, and if she closed her eyes now, she would surely fall asleep.
Not yet. There were still many thoughts to sort through.

– Toss and turn.

She stood up and went outside.

The mountain air, imbued with the essence of the night, was cold and refreshing.
It was a familiar yet nostalgic atmosphere for her.

On the last night in her hometown, she wondered if the air she had breathed had felt like this.
With bittersweet thoughts, she wandered through the mountains, following wherever her feet took her.

– Babble.

Then, the sound of flowing water tickled her ears. Was there a stream nearby?
At the peak of her drowsiness, she felt no different from an oblivious goblin.

– Babble.

She continued to move her feet, seeking the sounds of nature, and murmured,

“The air is quite refreshing once in a while.”
“-Huh!”

A delicate maiden’s voice echoed amidst the soliloquy.
Startled, I shifted my footing toward the source.

“Now, wait. Stop!”
“Huh? What is… ah.”
“!!!!.”

As I turned my head, there I saw Heaven, completely disrobed, crouching down.
Steam rose from her tightly sealed, intimate folds.
Beside her moonlit, pristine white buttocks, her neatly folded latex garments shimmered in the moon’s glow.

I placed a hand on my forehead.

Heaven’s authority seemed to have been reduced to a mere crawl on the ground.