Chapter 803: Two Trees (1)
“Why are you acting so pathetic—no, wait.”
The words slipped out on their own. Still, it did feel a little like he was wallowing. His face and body made anything he did look good, so the overall picture wasn’t bad, but something about it was just… something. Mm.
“Pathetic? Mister, are you—!”
Yerim’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. Why stop in the middle of a sentence? I got up and took a step forward. Yuhyun stayed glued to my side, shielding me like he was escorting an eighty-year-old parent. The shards scattered in front of my feet were swallowed by flame and vanished without even leaving ash behind. Yuhyun, your big brother is still in his twenties. Peace trotted after me too, whining.
“Where’s Chief Song?”
Chief Song was nowhere to be seen in the wrecked dining hall. Seong Hyunjae hopped down lightly from the pillar and answered.
“He went to wash up.”
“You threw him in the water, didn’t you?”
“Seems like a suitable way to cool his head.”
The corner of Seong Hyunjae’s mouth curved into a smile. Even though he had only just finished fighting, his expression and manner were as calm as if he had merely enjoyed a light tea break. No matter how much self-control an S-Rank Hunter had, people usually had at least a bit of an edge right after battle.
“You didn’t hurt him too badly, did you?”
“How disappointing. You’re only worried about Chief Song Taewon?”
“Considering your stats, Mr. Seong, it must have been one-sided.”
At the very least SS-Rank, and probably even higher. Seeing how easily he had blocked the backlash from a Transcendent’s summoning, I was inclined to think he was SSS-Rank. Even if Chief Song had an outstanding special ability, he was still an S-Rank; the gap between their grades was too much to overcome. …
Because he was that strong, I needed to coax him into sticking with us, so why did everything that came out of my mouth sound so curt?
“As you know, Chief Song already has a hard enough time on a normal day. Please don’t bully him.”
“You make it sound as if I’m at fault.”
“Well, Chief Song isn’t the kind of person who would start punching someone for no reason. Still, I’ll hear you out just in case.”
At my look, which asked him to explain why they had fought, Seong Hyunjae silently ran his fingertips over the corner of his mouth. So Seong Hyunjae had started it after all. His opponent wasn’t just anyone, it was Chief Song. I could picture it without even having seen it.
“As promised, I behaved my—”
“What promise?”
Yuhyun suddenly pulled me toward him and asked. Yerim and Myungwoo were both looking worried too. Weren’t they all being a little too wary of Mr. Seong? He was suspicious, sure, but still.
“I promised to give him magic stones if he helped us deal with the summoned Transcendents.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah. Nothing else. You don’t need magic stones, do you?”
Yuhyun shook his head. Yerim and Myungwoo also said they were fine. Just then, the door opened and Chief Song came in. He must have washed in a hurry, because his hair was still damp. Wearing a light shirt and pants, he walked over to us.
“You’re awake.”
“Yes. Are you all right, Chief Song?”
“I apologize for damaging the dining hall.”
Chief Song bowed his head politely in apology, and I quickly stopped him. Come to think of it, that bastard Seong Hyunjae hadn’t said a single word of apology.
“Rookie told me about the summoned Transcendents. There are two currently confirmed, and neither of them is the Gardener.”
Apparently that bastard had slipped out of it, and two other Transcendents had descended instead.
“The aftermath did widen the path to the world of dreams even further, but he said it would still be difficult for a Transcendent to enter directly without a sacrifice like this time.”
“Then we only have to take care of the two who came here?”
“For now. The Gardener’s butterfly might try the same method again, so if a magic stone appears, Mr. Seong, please collect it immediately.”
Without the sacrificed magic stone, they wouldn’t be able to call in another Transcendent again.
“Given the situation, I doubt the other Transcendents will try to send new subordinates either. In the end, all they’d be doing is helping someone else.”
They had sent subordinates because they wanted to sniff around the pseudo-Origin, only for them to become sacrifices for the Gardener instead. Since their magic stones had been stolen whole, they couldn’t retrieve or revive their subordinates either. So if we somehow dealt with only the Transcendents who had been summoned now, we should be able to return to our world without interference.
“As for the twenty-one-year-old Yuhyun… the moment we rescue him from the Gardener, we need to cut off the arm that contains the Fragment of the First Flame. If any of you get the chance, please do it.”
“You mean Han Yuhyun’s arm.”
“Not you, Yerim.”
“I can do it too, you know?”
“No. You’re not even a close-combat type to begin with. Rookie said that once we remove the fragment of fire, he should be able to push back the encroachment on his own.”
Once we saved Yuhyun, I would make sure to tell him properly. You two are different. To me, you’re absolutely different people. Just as there was only one twenty-six-year-old Yuhyun, there was only one twenty-one-year-old Yuhyun too.
“But do we even have a way?”
Liette cut in abruptly.
“You said our opponent’s a Transcendent~.”
“They’ve been weakened, but even so, I doubt they’re at a level we can handle. Rookie said he’d send more information.”
“Since Hayul oppa fainted, we can’t bring in the Mermaid Queen’s sea anymore…”
“SS-Rank swords… there probably aren’t many in this current point in time. The ones I had were almost all used up by Blade-Devourer.”
Yerim and Yuhyun spoke one after the other. Most of the high-rank swords had been with the twenty-one-year-old Yuhyun. There were SS-Rank weapons in this drawer too, but we could only bring out three. While I was wondering where we could replenish our stock, Myungwoo spoke up.
“While you were asleep, Yujin, I talked to Ru Ga Pheya.”
“Huh?”
–The blacksmith says he’ll reconstruct the items here.
The jellyfish drifted gently around Myungwoo.
–If he makes them anew, you’ll be able to take out far more than the limit allows. They’ll be treated as materials, not finished products~.
“Really?”
“Only items that contain metal, and we’re short on time, so I won’t be able to make that many. But it should be enough for us to use without being too careful.”
“Myungwoo! I knew you were the best! If you can churn out SS-Rank equipment in a single day, won’t you be smacking Transcendents around before long?”
“No. I’m still nowhere near that. I’m using items that were originally SS-Rank as materials, so it might take two or more to make one. The situation is special, that’s all. In terms of efficiency, it’s a loss.”
Myungwoo sounded embarrassed. He was turning pie in the sky—things we couldn’t take with us—into reality. Who cared if three things turned into one?
“Thank you so much. I’m counting on you!”
“Yeah. Tell me if there’s any equipment you need. I’ll go down to the basement and start right away. Chief Song Taewon, you too.”
“I… yes.”
Chief Song hesitated, then nodded. Right now, he needed to accept as much support as he could. Myungwoo said we were short on time and went down to the item storage room with the jellyfish, leaving me with strict instructions to eat a proper meal.
“Mm, so equipment replenishment is handled.”
I said it while looking down at the salad in front of me. At Myungwoo’s words, Yuhyun had brought over a table that had been rolling around and set it upright, while Yerim placed a chair for me. Then food was laid out on the table. With everyone standing and only me sitting down to eat, it was a bit…
“Yuhyun.”
“I don’t need to eat. I can’t convert energy either.”
“Uh, right.”
I picked up a piece of greenery coated in ricotta cheese with my chopsticks and ate it. It was tasty. I also picked up a piece of steak that Yuhyun had reheated for me. No matter how true it was that I was the only one who needed to eat… I really wished they wouldn’t all stand around in a circle staring at me.
“Ahem.”
“Here is some water.”
Chief Song… No. 71 poured water for me. I scooped up some fried rice with a spoon and, feeling self-conscious, put it in my mouth. Yeah, no. This wasn’t it.
“Could everyone maybe… turn around for a bit?”
“Sorry, hyung. It’s been a long time since I saw you.”
“No! Just look! Look all you want!”
It wasn’t like being looked at would wear me down. I shoveled the rice into my mouth while making a big show of how delicious it was. It really was delicious, at least.
“First, you all know about it, right? The buff skill I used in the Japan dungeon. I’m planning to use that on Yuhyun.”
The Transcendents had taken a step back after their subordinates were wiped out, but they were still watching us. I had asked Rookie to tweak things a little so that those gazes would apply to the My Kid Is The Best skill. The distance was ridiculously vast, but they were intelligent beings capable of recognizing keywords, so it was possible. And aside from a few of the Unfilial Children on Rookie’s side, the Transcendents probably wouldn’t know about the keyword “love.”
“If we pour buffs on top of that, I think we can handle one of them.”
According to the information Rookie had given me, there was a way. I put another piece of steak in my mouth and turned toward Liette.
“Rookie couldn’t find Noah either. He said it seems like two or more Transcendents, not just one, are hiding him.”
He also said that the fact we couldn’t reach him to this degree meant Noah was likely in some kind of contract relationship with those Transcendents. Instead of answering, Liette only shrugged.
“Is Noah okay? Is there no way to bring him here? Even if it’s not for the battle, we can’t just leave Noah behind.”
“Noah said so.”
Liette said only that, then shut her mouth again. Her metallic eyes rolled off to the side as if avoiding my gaze. Even if she was bound from giving details, this was frustrating.
‘Liette feels pretty down too.’
She was so absurdly willful most of the time that it was harder to notice, but she had definitely changed. She listened better, picked fewer fights, and didn’t start brawls. But there was no way to find Noah.
“…My buff skill has a thirty-minute limit, and even if we shorten the cooldown, it’ll still take five days. So the remaining Transcendent is the problem.”
As I spoke, I looked at Seong Hyunjae. Could that man handle the other one? At my gaze, he reached his hand toward Chief Song. Chief Song tried to dodge on reflex, but Seong Hyunjae’s hand was faster. Grabbing Chief Song by the shoulder, Seong Hyunjae drew a smile over his lips.
“If Chief Song Taewon makes up his mind, a weakened Transcendent or two would be simple enough.”
What was he suddenly talking about?
“Chief Song is S-Rank.”
“He was made to devour the pseudo-Origin—”
Smack. Chief Song knocked Seong Hyunjae’s hand away and stepped back. Seong Hyunjae narrowed his long eyes and curved them.
“Would he really be unable to digest a mere Transcendent?”
“If that had been possible, none of this would have happened.”
Chief Song’s voice was low. His black eyes sank heavily.
“I’ve thought this for a while.”
Seong Hyunjae took one step forward. Chief Song took another step back.
“Since before the regression, in fact. Mr. Song Taewon, you seem closer to the side that refuses to act.”
Another step. One step each, as if keeping rhythm.
“You do keep crushing yourself down.”
Crack. A fragment of the wall was ground to powder beneath a dress shoe.
“Have you ever.”
The moment Chief Song tried to step back, Seong Hyunjae moved first, offbeat this time. The distance between them closed sharply. Seong Hyunjae’s hand caught his arm faster than Chief Song could retreat. His voice drew close enough to be a whisper.
“Even tried to stop?”
He smiled. At the same time, I shot up from my seat. The chair toppled backward.
“Mr. Seong Hyunjae!”
“Why is it that you can’t get out from inside that?”
“Let go of Chief Song!”
Seong Hyunjae’s hand fell away. He leaped lightly backward and created distance. Chief Song stood still, staring at Seong Hyunjae.
“Mr. Han Yujin.”
Seong Hyunjae turned toward me. He wore a smile that seemed hidden behind a thin veil.
“What the hell—”
“I have it too, you see.”
Seong Hyunjae lifted his hand, and at the tip of it, a black shadow gathered. It was the same power as Chief Song’s Plunder.
“Much weaker and fainter, but I obtained it by chance.”
“Obtained it? What do you…”
“With Chief Song Taewon’s cooperation, I believe we can try facing the other Transcendent.”
“With Plunder? But Plunder is definitely…”
Eclipse, meant to devour the pseudo-Origin. And Seong Hyunjae, right in front of me, was that pseudo-Origin. …
But was it all right for the prey, the pseudo-Origin, to possess Eclipse? How had that power ended up with Seong Hyunjae in the first place?
“It would be difficult to devour the Transcendent itself, but we can nullify its power.”
“…We’re still talking about a Transcendent, even if it has been weakened.”
“That is why my assistance is necessary. Chief Song Taewon’s body cannot fully endure the nullification, the power he swallows. The power of Eclipse itself is on par with a Transcendent’s. The limitation comes only from the fact that the body cannot withstand it.”
So… it could suck in anything like a black hole, but its capacity was small? It was a weird comparison, but was it like a vacuum with powerful suction and a tiny dustbin? It could suck in a house, but the dustbin was so small that even a motorcycle would make it burst. So the intake itself had been reduced to match the bin… something like that?
“Chief Song Taewon must remain human, after all.”
“He is human.”
I glared at Seong Hyunjae and moved to stand in front of Chief Song. Listen to this guy. I took back what I said about him being nice. My eyes must have been broken.
“But I, on the other hand, have a fairly sufficient capacity.”
“So you’re saying you’ll take on Chief Song’s burden in his place? Is that possible?”
“It is the same skill, is it not? After clashing directly with it, I realized that with a little practice, it should be possible, even if only by a narrow margin.”
By a narrow margin? I looked back at Chief Song. His face was stiff, but when our eyes met, he gave a small nod.
“I will cooperate.”
“…Will you really be all right?”
“Yes. I will be all right.”
He did not look all right in the slightest. But I couldn’t just blindly stop him and say no either.
“…Mr. Seong Hyunjae, why are you so desperate to torment Chief Song?”
“I am extremely fond of Chief Song Taewon.”
Seong Hyunjae told that lie with a perfectly smooth face. Then he dipped his head slightly toward me.
“And I am extremely fond of Mr. Han Yujin as well.”
“Ah, yes. You certainly say that easily.”
With a face that handsome on top of it, how many people had he charmed his way through? He wasn’t really the type I got along with. Different from my first impression. I wanted to stomp on his instep and pretend it was a mistake, but I was sure only my foot would end up hurting.
“As promised, we’ll give you all the magic stones. After that, let’s each go our separate ways.”
“As you wish.”
Seong Hyunjae turned away. For some reason, I had the strange impulse to grab him by the back of the head. What was wrong with me?
‘I just have to save Yuhyun and take everyone home together.’
There wasn’t much left now. So I shouldn’t pay attention to anything unnecessary.
–TL Notes–
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