Chapter 35

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Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

As soon as he saw us, he suddenly gave a dry round of applause.

When I looked at him wondering what the hell he was doing, he even bowed his head deeply toward us this time.

Then, in a voice full of relaxation, he looked directly at me and said.

“I didn't know our name has become widely known even to the young students who are our future lumber. What could be more gratifying than this?”

He continued his speech in a very intoxicated voice, adding exaggerated gestures, like an actor in a play.

And I frowned at his actions.

“But I can't help the way children look at me, can I? I can't help but marvel at your academic stance, but paradoxically I can't help but be saddened by your narrow view! We are by no means extreme or radical. Our Society of the Thorns Cross is merely being ostracized and condemned, as the sages of history have been routinely trampled upon!”

Doesn't it make him cringe-worthy?

As I was thinking this, he suddenly extended his hand to us.

"How about it? Why don't you join us now, and we can find our way together, searching for the right truth? I'll be happy to open the way for you if you want."

Then he added in a condescending tone as if he was doing us a favor.

“I'm suggesting this because I see talent in you.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Pulling out his sword, Choi Hyun-Woo muttered quietly.

Then he pointed it at him.

His voice was quiet, but it was boiling with desperation.

"What truth, are you still sleep-talking in your bed? You're just a terrorist who wields a weapon indiscriminately against innocent civilians.”

“Innocent?”

He tilted his head as if he didn't understand.

“Innocent, that's a bit odd. The old humans are just as harmful as their very existence. They are like…… Yes, they're like bugs.”

He then spoke to Choi Hyun-Woo in a voice that sounded like he was admonishing a child.

“It is foolish to expend your emotions on a bug that crawls on the ground, but isn’t it right to eradicate the bugs who dare to enter the house and become domineering?”

As he said those words, Choi Hyun-Woo immediately rushed toward him.

It meant that he didn't need to listen to him any longer.

"How foolish!"

The robed guy shouted that and suddenly flew backward.

Then something suddenly broke through the ground and stopped Choi Hyun-Woo.

'I knew it.'

The appearance was extremely crude, but it was clear that it was related to the World Tree.

It was even more so when I saw that the branch of the World Tree reacted more violently than before as soon as I saw it.

“Keuk!”

Choi Hyun-Woo was hit by a vine-like thing that just broke through the ground, flew back, and crashed into the wall.

It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to do anything.

And as soon as I saw it, I reflexively threw myself aside.

Thanks to this, I was able to avoid the vines from attacking where I was by a split second.

“Hmm?”

While I was dodging, Henir's shadow used the shadow swamp on him at some point and tied his feet.

When it was used on seven people, it was only about ankles, but when it was concentrated on one person, it was almost like being buried in the ground from the calf to the knee.

"Indeed. You seem to have enough ability to have that confidence. At the same time as avoiding, at some point..... .”

To be precise, Henir's shadow did it itself, not me, but there was no need to clear up his misunderstanding.

I adjusted my posture and pulled out a dagger that I had brought just in case.

‘I don’t think it'll be meaningful to tie his feet.’

From the looks of it, the three large vines protruding out of the ground seemed to be his means of attack.

One was for the attack.

For the rest, was it for defense and check?

At that level, it was clear that he was an executive who had been given a lot of power.

‘I just have to stick to it.’

As long as I had Nidhogg's fangs, I could gain an absolute advantage in battles against beings with the power of the World Tree.

The problem was that the range of Nidhogg's fangs was extremely short, which meant that I had to get close enough.

‘Choi Hyun-Woo….. .'

I glanced at him and it seemed impossible.

Perhaps the shock was greater than expected, but he was still shaking from the back half-upside down.

In fact, it was not yet the time for Choi Hyun-Woo's talent to bloom.

It wouldn't be a good match either.

‘Let’s try it once.’

If I could stab it even once, I would win.

Having concluded that, I covered my body with Henir's Shadow and made it like a piece of armor.

He wouldn't be able to see anything because of my clothes.

‘I covered all the vital points and important parts with this.’

I also did not forget to weaken his power by injecting mana into Banshee's necklace before rushing in.

[Banshee's necklace is imbued with Mana!]

[Weakens the opponent that is hostile to the owner!]

I immediately rushed at him as a notification window appeared in the air.

“You’re desperate, you're making me really sad!”

As he shouted, one of the vines swung at me.

While avoiding it, I threw the dagger I was holding straight at him.

It was immediately blocked by the vines guarding the area around him, but I didn't even expect that the attack would hit him in the first place.

“Heup!”

I did not stop my legs as I reached for the other dagger.

Unexpectedly, Henir's Shadow's and the World Tree's abilities to strengthen physical ability seemed to have been greatly enhanced.

I was dodging every vine he was wielding.

However, as time passed and I gradually got closer to him, but he was calm.

‘It’s obvious that kind of guy has a trick up his sleeve.’

And knowing that, I started to feel bloated at the thought of being harmed.

"Amazing. At this age, this level of skill and ability... If only your thoughts were right, you could have walked with us to the cause..... .”

Now that I was almost in front of him, he muttered like that as if he was admiring.

Then he shook his head and snapped his fingers as if it was a pity.

“That's why you don’t know how sad it is to trample such lumber with my own hands!”

With those words, two more vines pierced through the ground around me.

Before I could do anything about it, it wrapped itself around my body as if to snatch me up.

“JI-HYUK!”

“Hahahaha! The stupidity! Did you really think it was the end?!” 

Behind me, Choi Hyun-Woo screamed, and right in front of me, a satisfied laugh burst out, sure of victory.

And in the meantime, I just thought that my prediction was correct.

'Of course. There is no way that a sleazy person like you has no hidden cards.’

As I was thinking about it, I heard another loud noise from behind.

Judging from the situation, it seemed that Choi Hyun-Woo, who was rushing to save me, was blown away with a vine again.

“Keuak… !”

“It’s already too late since he was caught! Don't get in my way, stay there and resent your helplessness, because you'll be next anyway!"

After those words were finished, the vines squeezed me hard, as if they were trying to crush my body and burst it.

Fortunately, thanks to Henir's Shadow, I only felt a little stuffy.

“Whoa, it’s amazing that there isn’t a single scream. But how long will you be able to afford that?”

This would be the last time I would hear that squeaky tone.

Now all I have to do was to stab once with Nidhogg's fang.

That's when I was about to take it out of my wrist.

'Huh?'

Suddenly, the branch of the World Tree stretched out from my wrist.

And it immediately got stuck into the vines that wrapped around me.

'What.'

That was when I was thinking.

“Kuaaahhhh!!!”

The guy, who had been bursting out laughter, suddenly began to scream in pain.

When I looked up to see what was going on, a middle-aged man whose robe had come off was glaring at me with a gruesomely twisted face.

“Hey, you fucking bastard! What the hell are you doing to me!”

“?”

What the hell is he talking about?

As I was thinking this, he started sweating profusely and desperately grabbed his right wrist.

"Oh, no… ! It'll suck it all out...!"

I reflexively looked down at the branch of the World Tree at the sudden change in atmosphere as if I was acting.

Then, I couldn't help but swear at the shocking sight.

"Holy shit, what is this?"

The branch of the World Tree was clinging to the vines as if stretching out its roots.

And from the part that was attached to the branch of the World Tree, was drying out black, as if it were sucking all the nutrients from this side.

‘What is this?’

I had never seen anything like it.

Every time the vines over there dried up and died, I could feel the mana that I had only a handful of left rapidly filling up.

The problem was that I had never heard that the branch of the World Tree had the power to absorb the power or mana of others.

But it was happening right before my eyes.

“Keuk, ugh. uh uh... .”

The vines that held me back had long since dried up and crumbled.

Not only that, but the three vines around him also lost their strength and had dried up.

The man who had been mocking me earlier was now slumped over with a pale complexion and making a pained sound.

Stunned by the sight, and I tapped the branch of the World Tree, which seemed to be trying to suck in every last drop.

"Stop it. He's really going to die."

At my words, the guy swayed its roots once, as if it was dissatisfied.

But soon it pulled down its roots and slowly returned to my body.

At the same time, several notification windows started appearing one after another in front of my eyes.

[Quest completed!]

[Branches of the World Tree have absorbed a large amount of nutrients!]

[The branch of the World Tree goes into a temporary dormant state for growth!]

Nutrients and growth.

And dormancy.

I checked the status on a word that I couldn't just overlook.

Branch of the World Tree (Bonded / Parasitic / Legendary) [Dormant]

[State]

― It belongs to the owner.

― Parasitic on the owner and cannot be forcibly removed.

― Temporarily goes into a dormant state. The passive and active effects of Branch of the World Tree are disabled.

[Effect] [Active]

― Part of the world tree can be extracted from the body. It has now become somewhat proficient.

— ??? (It is growing due to large nutrient intake)

— ???

— ???

"This….. .”

It was the first time I had seen this type of awakening.

Absorbing other people's power, or awakening because of it......

‘Even the head of the Thorns Cross Society did not have this ability.’

Then someone lightly touched me on the shoulder.

Choi Hyun-Woo was looking at me with a bewildered expression.

"Are you okay?"

“Uh, wha… you?"

“My only advantage is that I'm strong, so you don't have to worry about me. But.... .”

He looked down at the middle-aged man who had passed out without a word.

His complexion was deathly pale, but at least it didn't seem to be life-threatening.

“…… .”

Even if I looked at it from the side, I couldn't help but shut my mouth at the sight of the guy who was trying so hard to choose what to say.

To be honest, the scene just now was a scene that could have been more terrifying than suspicious even if I thought about it.

“First of all, shall we wait here until other people come? We have to catch him and pass him over.”

"Okay."

I nodded at Choi Hyun-Woo's words.

And he and I sat on a suitable place, and he took out his sword and looked at it he sighed heavily.

“It hasn't been long since I bought it.… .”

When I glanced at it, it wasn't cracked or broken, but I could see that the blade was chipped, so I thought that the sword wouldn't last long.

‘Come to think of it, it's probably time for Choi Hyun-Woo to get a dedicated weapon too… .'

Just as I was thinking this, I heard the sound of footsteps on the corner of the street and Han Soo-Young appeared.

"Thank God, you guys are safe.… .”

When she spotted us, she stopped, caught her breath, and quickly looked around.

It looked like a mess.

Broken streets and roads.

A middle-aged man who fainted and collapsed.

“… What did you guys do?”

When asked by Han Soo-Young, who looked absurd, Choi Hyun-Woo did not answer anything at the moment, but I thought I would know the reason well.

It was because a man in a robe was hanging from her hand, drooping as if he had fainted.

And as I watched Han Soo-Young sneakily lowering the man to the floor while looking at us, I whispered in a voice, hoping that she wouldn't hear it.

“… What did I say. Didn't I say there's no need to worry?”

"Yeah….. .”

* * *

A woman standing on the roof of the building quietly lowered the bow she was holding.

Moving faster than anyone else due to a sudden terrorist attack, she spotted academy students just like her and tried to assist them, but it was no longer necessary.

“…… .”

Befitting her position as a sniper, her eyesight was superior to anyone else's, and she had the talent of clairvoyance.

“That… .”

Lee Ye-Eun's eyes were shaking with doubt, bewilderment, and astonishment.

The end of her gaze reflected the boy she had met several times in the past.

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