“They’re coming.”
A National Tree from China approaches through the thickets towards us.
As soon as Banya spoke, the entity was also caught within my sensory range.
The Maehwa Tree. Among the National Trees, it’s said to belong to the top echelon, a deeply rooted tree.
‘Its speed is unusual.’
It seemed not to hide its power.
A fearsome momentum emanated from it.
To feel such a sensation here, too—it’s the kind of weight one would expect in real combat, casting tension on the faces of the surrounding National Trees.
Could it be at least on par with the Baobab, or even more?
Hoping it would pass by was foolish thinking. Clearly, it was coming here with the intent of targeting us.
“Seems like they used an artifact... Let’s wake the kids up.”
No need to say it out loud—Saku and Sansuyu sprang out from their tent and sleeping bag.
No one here could fail to sense the massive magical energy gradually approaching.
“What’s going on?”
A flustered Saku jumped up, speaking her native language instead of Korean. Sansuyu also picked up her sword, still sleepy.
“Are we fighting?”
“Yes.”
Sansuyu rubbed her eyes and stood next to me. I answered her question while looking up at the night sky.
Under a forest full of dark shadows. The faint luminescence of a blue night and yellow moon circled around the lakeshore.
Nearby, cameras were filming us.
Ziing.
Everyone grabbed their weapons.
Including Sansuyu, at least five National Tree-level talents were gathered in this team.
“Do you really think they can win coming here?”
To my question, Soo-yeon, who was standing there, murmured as she drew her sword from its sheath.
“They must be confident. And... they have the skills. They’ve never lost a duel with a National Tree before.”
For about two hours.
“Can’t three National Trees handle it?”
At my question, Soo-yeon, still tense, snickered.
“...Well, we’ll have to see.”
She never said outright that they’d lose. Certainly, out of pride, she couldn’t say so.
There were three National Trees present here.
“If I lose, I’ll be finished on the internet, huh?”
The relationship between East Asia, unlike in the world I lived, wasn’t bad, but the rivalry was intense.
Just as fervent cheers and support poured into Korea-Japan matches, so did a tense tug-of-war between Korea and China.
Meaning... if I lost here, I could end up getting scolded too.
“To the Chinese National Tree, three Korean candidates eliminated... You know what would happen if that hits the news?”
“Oh damn.”
“Don’t even think about running away with Ms. Sansuyu. If you flee, that’ll make the news too.”
At her continued words, I inwardly flinched. After all, I was not even on a team with the three National Trees; I just had the thought of running away for two hours.
“I’d like to tell you to run if you can... but it’s not nice to get scolded for something like this. Don’t worry, we won’t lose.”
Soo-yeon reassured, though she was visibly nervous, biting her lower lip gently.
“And.”
Her dark eyes turned towards me.
“...You’re more than you seem, aren’t you?”
I had already fought against two National Trees. It seemed she meant it in that sense, but well, I needed to understand how strong the Maehwa Tree really was before I could make any judgments.
If it’s the role of a magician, it’s simple. There’s nothing easier than just blasting magic from behind.
But if the Maehwa Tree had more power than I expected, then fighting with magic alone might not be possible.
I opened my backpack and took out a potion from where I had been sitting.
‘The power of healing isn’t ready yet.’
My magic power had dropped to less than half after the barrage, and it needed replenishing.
Sansuyu was in a similar situation, so I handed her a magic potion.
Gulp.
The potion tasted similar to a sports drink. I downed three bottles of magic potion in succession.
“Can you fight? If not, you can rest.”
I casually tossed the bottle on the ground and asked Sansuyu. She pointed to her sword and squared her shoulders proudly.
“I want to fight too.”
Her expression was spirited.
She placed her hands on her waist like a child, looking so adorable that I pinched her cheek.
Squeeeze.
Her cheeks stretched like sticky rice cakes, and Sansuyu’s eyes narrowed gently as she accepted my touch.
Looking solely at Kim Soo-yeon, he ignored me completely.
Certainly, Maehwa’s speed was unexpected. Rather than moving, he seemed to fold space to leap. The realm he reached was significantly different from anyone we had faced before.
A sense of absurdity was evident on everyone’s face here.
“...Hayang.”
The owner of the rumor that Lee Hyang had tipped us off about. It must be to this extent to cause such a commotion in the forest.
It made sense that he had entered this place alone, akin to a powder keg at the first ordeal.
He must have had that much confidence.
He flicked his fingers, forming a sword.
Swish.
The staff quickly disheveled its form and produced a black blade.
Now it was time for close combat.
Without hesitation, I swung my sword aiming for his neck, but Maehwa twisted his neck, dodging my attack.
“...What?”
Only then did Maehwa look this way with an incredulous expression.
“Don’t interfere.”
The Chinese sounded oddly jarring.
Ding~!
‘Bell sound.’
As my ears rang and the space distorted around me, I twisted my neck in the direction he appeared.
I missed twice, but I could barely keep up the third time.
I dodged a fist aimed precisely at my face and stepped back.
Whoosh!
I swung my sword horizontally as Maehwa naturally dodged it.
“...Huh?”
Maehwa, blinking his chilling eyes, seemingly hadn’t anticipated my counterattack.
Ding!
Suddenly accelerating, he charged at me.
Once to the left, once to the right.
As I backpedaled, swinging my sword to deflect a few punches, he came flying at me, covering my body with his arms.
I widened the gap, moving out of range.
“You.”
His eyes, filled with surprise. His face, previously bored, now showed interest.
“...You’re strong?”
The way he spoke Chinese, why did the translator chop up the meaning like this?
As Maehwa tried to charge at me again, Sansuyu stepped between us and thrusted her sword at him.
She’s definitely not inferior in a fight of strength.
As her sword cleanly traced a line at Maehwa’s neck, he stepped back to dodge.
Maehwa steps back after a few exchanges of punches and sword strikes.
Sansuyu in combat was not to be underestimated.
Now, with her magic replenished, she’s every bit the match for a National Tree.
“You too.”
Maehwa’s face grew increasingly amused as he looks at Sansuyu.
It was similar when he faced Saku.
Saku, who fought like a fox on all fours, couldn’t even exchange a few moves before Soo-yeon took over the baton.
“You too.”
Even when bombarded with Banya’s magic.
Maehwa never shed his overly confident smile.
Like a boy who steps into a playground filled with blocks, his face before fighting looks naively innocent yet bizarre.
“...Shiheon.”
“Yeah.”
“That guy’s weird.”
“I think so too.”
I strongly agreed with Sansuyu’s opinion.
Despite all the talk of strength, there’s nothing unusual about that. If he had a normal mindset, he wouldn’t have thought to enter this place in the first place.
This guy was like another Bao.
Typically, S-grade talents each had a flaw in their character.
Me included; all the ones I had met were just like that.
Still, it’s doable.
After several exchanges, less than an hour remained.
We might not be able to defeat him, but we could certainly hold out for time.