Chapter 38 – Chain of Outrages (1)

“You share the same temperament as us.”

Do I possess such a temperament?

I truly cannot fathom what Cheondo or Baekdo saw in me. I can only hazily speculate that they must have somehow perceived my latent potential.

However, the notion of resembling Baekdo seemed preposterous.

“The only temperament I can claim is an anger management disorder and a penchant for lewdness.”
“What sort of temperament is that? The temperament I’m speaking of isn’t so base and trivial!”

Baekdo, taken aback, quickly provided additional clarification to her statement.

“Third-ranked disciple, what I meant to say is that you’re a natural-born fighter—belligerent, with an exceptional innate sense. Naturally, you’ve killed people before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have.”
“I thought as much. Although it doesn’t sit well with me, there’s no denying that you possess a certain talent.”

Why, of all things, would this person now offer praise?

Looking at White Peach with such a gaze, her expression exuded confidence. Soon, a word tumbled from her lips.

“If you acknowledge the greatness of Ddakbok, I’ll accept you as my direct disciple. This is an offer from someone called the strongest woman in the world. What do you think? Isn’t it enticing?”

White Peach grinned triumphantly. Her imposing figure seemed to be speaking directly to me.

Will you regret not accepting this offer? No, there’s no way you wouldn’t take it. It’s none other than my suggestion after all.

Seeing her twitching eyebrows, there was no doubt she was thinking along those lines.

‘No wonder she showered me with compliments. She was just trying to flatter herself.’

I gazed at White Peach with a heavy heart.

Hehehe.

Even though she didn’t laugh out loud, the sound of White Peach’s giggling laughter reached my ears. I took a deep breath and replied coldly.

“I don’t want to.”

Baekdo’s self-assured expression hardened in an instant.

“What, what? Hold on. It’s my suggestion, after all. Do you really dislike it that much?”

Baekdo asked several times as if to refute my words. I spoke to her again.

“Isn’t it a bit much not to know the world this well? If you go to a Taekwondo dojo in downtown Seoul right now, they try to lure students by offering them uniforms, drinks, and such.”

“Tae-Taekwondo dojo?”

“Yes. Even academies provide abundant support for students with excellent grades. Do you know what this means?”

As a question mark appeared on Baekdo’s face, I shrugged my shoulders.

“It means times have changed. There are many other people who can teach besides you, Baekdo. You should bring peach black tea immediately and wholeheartedly support an outstanding student. What’s there to learn under a master who doesn’t respect their disciples?”

What could I say? I am one of the most talented individuals in the world, with immense potential for growth. If you want me as your disciple, shouldn’t you treat me accordingly?

Of course, that doesn’t really matter; I had said it just to try and win against White Peach.

“Ugh.”

White Peach let out a pained sound, her index finger pressed to her lips.

“Are you serious about that? It’s a skill one cannot learn even if they desire to. Yet, I’m supposed to support you?”
“Yes.”
“Preposterous! Where is the logic in that?”

Well, it’s right here. Honestly, it was a tempting proposal, but my heart couldn’t forgive it.

White Peach grumbled for a while, then spun her head away and crossed her arms.

“Fine. You all handle today’s training on your own! I’m going outside for a bit.”
“Are you upset?”
“Shut up!”
“You’re sensitive. You’re angry. Fine, I’ll admit it. If you acknowledge the taste of Mulbok, I’ll become your disciple.”
“Preposterous!”

Baekdo covered her ears as if she truly didn’t want to hear, and swiftly descended the mountain. Sansuyu alternately looked at me and Baekdo.

“Siheon.”
“Yes?”
“…Both are strange.”

She tilted her head and subtly criticized us. I silently nodded in agreement.

“Usually, fights between friends are childish.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”

As she nodded, planting nonsensical words, Sansuyu glanced at me with her arms crossed.

“Well, I like strict discipline, just like my master.”
“What?”
“I hate leniency.”

With that said, Sansuyu mimicked Baekdo’s annoyed expression and entered the cabin.

*Thud.*

The sound of the door closing angrily. I was taken aback by the sight.

“…I must have taught my friend the wrong way.”

* * * * *

[Accept that man as your disciple. His talent is evident. It will likely harmonize very well with the power you possess.]

Baekdo read the letter left by Cheondo several times.
Veins were visible between her furrowed brows.
As she tousled her pure white hair, a decadent atmosphere naturally emerged on her face.

“…Cheondo, that wicked woman.”

She despised Cheondo.
To take in a man who infuriated her just by looking at him as a disciple. Frankly, she believed a proper mentor-student relationship would never form with him.

“Lee Si-heon, Lee Si-heon…”

In her cold voice, she repeated the name.

Even to herself, his talent was undeniable.
Born with an exceptional gift, he could quickly grasp and replicate anything he saw. But was that the extent of Si-heon’s abilities?
His well-honed body was more than adequate for pursuing the path of nothingness, and he possessed a naturally rebellious temperament.

Cheondo and Baekdo sought a prodigy like Lee Si-heon.

[Sansuyu possesses innate talent, but she pales in comparison to Lee Si-heon. Given her family connections, it would be futile to consider her as an option. Lee Si-heon must be taken as a disciple without question.]

“I really don’t want to…”

As if Heaven had read her mind, these words were written in a part of the letter:

– You know what will happen if you don’t, right?

A veiled threat. White Peach clenched her eyes shut, recalling an incident from the past.

The time when she had defied Heaven’s warning and ended up severely injured during a skirmish. Heaven had once transferred her consciousness to White Peach, with caterpillars dangling from her entire body. White Peach detested insects.

The sight of the hairy, bristling insects had been so terrifying that she had fainted in horror upon seeing them. That dreadful vision still haunted her dreams.

Not wanting to experience that ordeal ever again, White Peach shuddered as she swept her goosebumped arm.

No matter what, she had to secure the flower named Lee Si-heon.

But would it be as easy as she desired? White Peach mused in a slightly choked voice.

She soared through the sky, drawing her knees close together with her arms.

“What should I do…”

She couldn’t abandon her resolve. Ddakbok was her identity and life partner.

‘I’d rather touch a caterpillar with my bare hands than give up on Ddakbok.’

As White Peach thought this, she soon shook her head, recalling the repulsive image of a caterpillar.

‘On second thought, maybe it’s better to give up Ddakbok than to touch a caterpillar…’

Though a trivial idea, it was more important to her than the Korea-U.S. summit. It’s natural for people who have reached the top to worry about something trivial.

“Ugh, the third-degree pupil. That scoundrel.”

White Peach, who had messed up her hair again, was nearly at the peak of resentment. She had intended to let it slide gently, but who would have known she would be told to make black tea there, using such crude language?

From the very beginning, Lee Si-heon and White Peach knew they were incompatible, a realization that struck them the moment they first met.

Ah. We’ve never truly understood each other in our entire lives. If we were to be together, we would surely become enemies, tearing each other apart. Just as parallel lines never intersect, White Peach was certain that her relationship with Lee Si-heon would never truly connect.

‘I don’t even know my own heart.’

White Peach grumbled inwardly, puffing out her cheeks. Despite her reluctance, Heaven persisted in insisting that she secure Lee Si-heon.

‘Ugh.’

Although she found Lee Si-heon repulsive, White Peach had no choice but to follow Heaven’s guidance. She admired Heaven, who was born with the demeanor of a grandmaster, and aspired to emulate her. White Peach’s speech even resembled Heaven’s, as she had deliberately altered her manner of speaking to match.

People in this world may assume that the owner of this body is White Peach, but she didn’t see it that way.

White Peach had risen to this position, hailed as the most powerful woman in history and receiving envious gazes.

The fact that he acquired the ominous moniker of the Invincible Copycat Tree,

In truth, all of it was according to Heaven’s plan.
In the end, didn’t Cheondo establish a mercenary group called [Do Won-hyang] as she planned?

“Sigh. If I have to peel it, I have to.”

Baekdo muttered like that. As the heartbeat grew louder, a cute voice came from within.

-Baekdo, don’t be too resentful of our statue.
‘You don’t know anything, Hwangdo.’
-She’s a good girl…
‘I got excited when my chest was touched.’
-That, that’s because you passed it on to me! Are you really going to keep doing this to me?
‘So you weren’t excited?’
-…….
‘A sly girl who pretends to dislike and does everything to get excited.’
-Waaah.

As Hwangdo’s cry echoed, a cool, collected voice emerged from between them.

-What’s all the commotion?

It’s Cheondo.

‘Cheondo… does it have to be him?’
-Lee Si-heon possesses ten times more talent than your current disciples.

“No, but I’m saying this because I don’t really think I’ll get along with her.”
“What are you talking about? You, of all people, Baekdo? Personality-wise, you seem like the best fit.”
“What nonsense.”

Baekdo rubbed her eyes and rose from her seat. Standing high enough to take in the sight of the piled-up mountain landscape, she sighed.

– Beep beep.

The alarm sounded. Baekdo pulled her cell phone from her inner pocket and checked the caller’s name.

– 010-235x-21xx [First Disciple]

She let out a bitter breath and held the phone to her ear. Soon after, a woman’s bright voice rang out.

[Master, something happened. I think you should come.]
“What do you mean?”
[Well, there’s a series of runaway incidents in Seoul…]

Runaway incidents.
In other words, ent.
A term for a corrupted tree-man.

If “Liberation” or “Lignification” represents the unique ability of tree people to fully harness the power of the World Tree, then “Ent” signifies tree people who, unable to withstand lignification, lose their reason and become monstrous beings.

However, ordinary tree people possess only a shallow connection to the World Tree’s lifeblood, leaving them unable to draw upon or endure the power of lignification. Consequently, the serial Ent incidents imply that someone is deliberately causing tree people to go berserk using some hidden method. This is the most heinous crime warranting attention in modern society.

[Anyway, I think you should come. We’ve dealt with over five cases today.]
“Five cases?”

With an annual average of about ten cases, having five in a single day is alarming. White Peach frowned and descended from the air.

“Fine. Understood.”
[Please, master. All of Do-won’s mercenaries are already here. You just need to come.]

At that moment, Heaven spoke up.

– This is actually perfect timing.
‘What?’
– Sansuyu and Lee Si-heon are lacking in practical experience, so this will be a valuable opportunity for growth.

‘What on earth, an Ent? An Ent. Not even a magical creature.’
– That man should be able to handle it.

At Cheondo’s words, Baekdo exhaled with a bewildered expression and scratched her cheek.

“Ugh, seriously.”
[Master?]

A sigh soon followed.
Baekdo, finally resigned, spoke up.

“Hey. Two people are planning to join.”
[Really? All of a sudden? We’re short on help since we haven’t caught any leads, but they’re competent individuals, right?]
“Perhaps.”
[…Perhaps? Did you just say “perhaps,” Master? It feels like just yesterday when you brought that odd student who ended up half-dead.]
“Enough. Be quiet. I’m hanging up, Rossi.”
[No, Master! Wait a moment-]

– Click.

Baekdo, who put her cellphone in her pocket, gazed at the sky with a lost expression.

“Is it because I’m stressed? For some reason, the sky looks yellow.”

– Don’t act so pitiful, Baekdo.
– Just you wait.

Baekdo wept inwardly.
She didn’t just cry, she sobbed uncontrollably.