Chapter 344

When he looked around, he realized he was already surrounded.

Every face was one he'd missed.

Ivan Hunt, Lee Yu-na — even Jin Ye-seul, who'd fallen apart even more horribly than he had.

Even Ivan's mother, Belluna Hunt, was watching him from off to one side with a bored, unimpressed expression.

And in front of him — Han Su-yeong.

The whole scene didn't feel remotely real.

It was also the scene he'd longed for, again and again, over what had been a truly hellish month.

"…Is it really you, Su-yeong?"

Even as Choi Hyun-woo asked it, he was calmly beginning to circulate the mana inside himself.

He was familiar enough with magics and spells that showed you the illusions you wanted to see.

He quietly rested his hand on the hilt of the Dragon Scale Sword he'd received from Yu Ji-hyeok.

If what he was seeing right now was an illusion, then just pouring a little strength into this sword — which held the power to cut through any magic or spell — would be enough to rip him out of it in an instant.

The situation was so overwhelmingly sweet that, if anything, it helped him steel his mind.

Thinking that the moment he broke out of the illusion, he'd never forgive whoever had shown him something like this, he poured mana into the Dragon Scale Sword.

"Hey. Choi Hyun-woo."

"…Huh?"

Still, the Han Su-yeong in front of him didn't disappear.

If anything, she took another step closer to him.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Wait, hold on… why aren't you disappearing?"

"What? What did you just say? Wait — did you actually think I was some kind of illusion just now?"

"Then don't tell me… you really…."

Only then did Choi Hyun-woo genuinely panic, and he took a step back.

He looked around, but nobody had disappeared.

Don't tell me. Really….

"Is it — is it really you, Su-yeong…?"

"You have got to be —"

Han Su-yeong glared at Choi Hyun-woo like a snarling animal about to lunge, and he flinched hard and kept backing up several steps.

"J- Ji-hyeok — where's Ji-hyeok?"

"Ji-hyeok's fine too."

Jin Ye-seul, keeping watch behind Choi Hyun-woo, was the one who answered.

"He had something urgent to take care of, so he went somewhere else, that's all."

Answering him plainly enough, she muttered something bitter under her breath.

"And thanks to a certain someone whose delayed chuunibyou apparently flared up so hard he got himself put on a wanted list, I had to leave the Ji-hyeok I hadn't seen in a month and come drag you back."

"Ye-seul!"

Lee Yu-na called her name sharply, as if to say why on earth would you say that, but Jin Ye-seul only looked back at her with an expression that said what did I do.

"……"

Meanwhile, Han Su-yeong had walked right up in front of Choi Hyun-woo.

She looked at him, fidgeting there, for a moment without a word, then bent down and picked up the Metronome from the ground.

"This is it?"

Choi Hyun-woo nodded quietly.

Han Su-yeong stared down at it silently for a moment, then slowly set it back down.

"Ngh!"

Without warning, she drove her fist into his jaw with everything she had.

He could have dodged. He didn't. Choi Hyun-woo let out a short, choked groan and sank to the ground where he stood.

Even in a state where a punch to the jaw was about to knock him out, her voice — full of pent-up fury — came through to him with perfect clarity.

"How dare you turn a sword on Master?! On top of everything else…!"

Still huffing, Han Su-yeong drove a hard kick into Choi Hyun-woo where he sat on the ground.

"So I died — so what?! And I'm alive now, so that should be the end of it! No — even if I really had died, even then, you should have pulled yourself together!"

"……"

"Instead of comforting Master and supporting her through her grief, you drove a nail straight into her heart?! You really —!!!"

"I'm sorry."

His lip split, he stayed on the ground and murmured it quietly.

At the word, something surged up in Han Su-yeong, and she clenched her teeth as she spat it out at him:

"…You go find Master later and get down on your knees and beg, until your hands are worn raw."

"I will."

"And put this thing back where it belongs, right away. Don't ever use anything like it again."

"I will."

"And last — promise me, right now, that even if something like this ever happens again, you'll never do anything like this again."

"……"

Choi Hyun-woo didn't answer.

At that, Han Su-yeong grabbed him by the collar and yanked him toward her.

"Hey, Choi Hyun-woo. You're not going to answer me?"

"…No."

"What?"

"I can't promise you that."

For a beat Han Su-yeong wore a blank expression, and then she clenched her teeth hard enough that a small creak came out of them, and pulled her fist back again.

"Fine. If you want to get beaten to death that badly, I'll grant your wish! Hey — clench your back teeth!"

"Su-yeong, hold on! That's not what we came here to do!"

Han Su-yeong tried to drive her fist straight into Choi Hyun-woo's face, but Lee Yu-na, having caught her from behind, made sure she couldn't.

Han Su-yeong started thrashing hard, as if to shake Lee Yu-na off.

"Hey — Lee Yu-na, are you going to let go or not?! You want to die by my hand first? Let go already, I swear!"

"No! I'm not letting go! No — I can't!"

Yu-na was smaller than Su-yeong, but she was a proper front-line fighter — and no matter how strong Su-yeong was, in the end she was a mage who fought from the back.

In a pure test of strength, the winner was already decided.

Watching Han Su-yeong fail to shake Lee Yu-na off, Jin Ye-seul quietly let the Henir's Shadow she'd materialized slip back to its usual form.

"It's been a while — but you look like hell."

"Ivan."

Sitting on the ground, Choi Hyun-woo looked up at Ivan as he came over to him.

"…You came all the way here to catch me?"

"If we'd come to bring you in, would you have let us?"

Choi Hyun-woo gave a small nod.

"You said Su-yeong and Ji-hyeok are both fine. Then what would be the point of me running. …If I made a stupid mistake, I should pay the price for it."

"That's a relief. I didn't want to fight a friend either."

Ivan spoke in a bored voice, unlike his usual self.

"But we didn't come to bring you in. We came to take you along with us on a trip."

"What?"

"I'll fill you in on the details on the way. For now, let's move."

"No, Ivan — hold on!"

Choi Hyun-woo looked at him and gave a small shake of his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but no. If you get tangled up with me, all of you are going to be in trouble. As you know, I'm already —"

"What, a criminal?"

Ivan pulled a wanted poster of Choi Hyun-woo out of his coat.

The poster had a photo of a figure in a strange mask, draped in rags so shapeless you couldn't even tell his build.

"Except no matter how I look at it, this person in the photo isn't you. This guy's way better-looking than you. Not as good as me, of course."

"Ivan, come on…."

"I don't see it. Where exactly does this look like you?"

He ripped the wanted poster into shreds in front of Choi Hyun-woo's eyes as he spoke.

"On top of which, we've already got everything ready to go."

"What?"

Ivan flashed a small grin.

"Senior Kath Ryle, Professor Alice Blesbuck, and Evangelline Loengreen of the Ten Powerhouses… all of them are on board. Ji-hyeok had his hands full setting it up."

What he was saying basically came down to this.

They would prepare a dummy that was, literally, a perfect double of Choi Hyun-woo, and along with a report that they'd cut him down in battle, Evangelline Loengreen would recover a corpse damaged past any hope of identification, together with the Metronome — and with that, the case would be closed.

When Ivan added that at least it was a real relief no one had been badly hurt, Choi Hyun-woo shook his head.

"…That kind of half-baked cover-up couldn't possibly work. And more than anything else, there's no way Su-yeong or Master would allow something like that."

Ivan gave a small shrug.

"Those are the two who asked for it."

"What?"

"Su-yeong, obviously — and your master, too."

Ivan glanced off at Han Su-yeong, who was still huffing in the distance, spitting out lines about how she was going to kill Choi Hyun-woo herself.

"I wasn't going to say this, but — that Nam Hyun-hwa woman. She thanked Ji-hyeok, over and over. And then she begged him. Please."

"……"

"She was crying. Begging him, please, save him before something goes wrong with the kid."

At that, Choi Hyun-woo hung his head.

There was nothing he could say, so he just curled into himself and shook, a fine, thin tremor running through him.

Watching him, Ivan said nothing.

"…How's Master."

After a long stretch, he opened his mouth.

"Is she all right?"

"Yeah. Mr. An Ju-hyeok took her on as her attending physician. Says she just needs a few days of rest. According to him, it's as if she'd dodged every vital spot on instinct."

Ivan slowly extended a hand toward him.

"So wrap it up already and get up. You've got to see Ji-hyeok too. We've got a long way to go."

"…Yeah."

Choi Hyun-woo took the hand held out to him and slowly got to his feet.

"I can't keep being a burden on all of you."

At that, Ivan flashed a small grin, as if to say good call.

Watching him, Choi Hyun-woo pulled an awkward face and asked, a little sheepishly:

"But…."

"Hm?"

"Where are we even going?"

Ivan answered with a wide grin.

"Antarctica."

"You have any idea how shocked I was when I opened my eyes? I thought, that's it, I've finally lost it. But then the people around me told me it wasn't that at all. That you really were alive, Ji-hyeok. Do you have any idea how happy I was when I realized it wasn't a dream?"

At the chirping voice by my ear, I gave a small nod and asked:

"How happy were you?"

"So happy that I even forgot the fact that you'd ditched me the moment I came to and gone off to see someone else instead."

"……"

When I clamped my mouth shut, she pressed a slight squeeze against my throat and prodded for an answer.

"Why so quiet?"

"…I'm sorry. Things were just really tight for time back then."

"I know. I get it."

Lee Ye-eun, riding on my back, said she understood — then gave my throat another tug.

"But now that I'm turning it over again, it's really not sitting right with me. How dare you just ditch me and go?"

"…Noona."

"Hmph. Only noona when it suits you."

Lee Ye-eun grumbled and let her head drop against my back with a soft thump.

"Ji-hyeok."

"Yeah."

"Your noona wants to ask you a few things."

Lee Ye-eun swung her legs like something wasn't sitting well with her.

"I told you before, didn't I — a girl only counts as noona if she's pretty and gifted. I said that, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"Then out of everyone you know, who's the prettiest?"

I could feel her arms, still looped around my neck, tighten slightly.

"…Noona."

"Mm-hm. And who's the most gifted?"

"Also noona."

"That's right. Good boy."

It was basically a bow down for the compliment setup, but even that seemed to be enough to lift her mood — she swung her legs harder than before.

"…Thank you. Always."

Then she pressed her forehead against my back one more time with a soft tap.

"I've actually wanted to do something like this so much."

"Choke your younger brother, you mean?"

"My hearing's bad. I couldn't catch that. What was that?"

"…It was a joke."

She let out a small sigh.

"I've really wanted to do this. Just goof around with a little brother, no stakes. When I was little, I even threw fits at birthday time about wanting a younger brother. But thinking about it now… maybe what I actually wanted was just someone I could set everything down with and be at ease around, the way I am with you."

Lee Ye-eun let out a small laugh.

"You have no idea, do you? How much even a little thing like this eases what feels tight in my chest."

"…You've got Yeon-kyung-seonbae too."

"Yeon-kyung?"

Lee Ye-eun rolled her friend's name around in her mouth.

"There was a time when Yeon-kyung got some dirt on my clothes when we were playing around."

"Yeah."

"The next day, Yeon-kyung didn't show up. I went looking for her, wondering what was going on — turned out she'd been beaten across the calves until they split open, on the grounds that she'd dared to dirty my clothes, and couldn't come out. And they starved her the whole day as a punishment on top of that. We were only five back then."

"……"

"Even so, Yeon-kyung kept treating me like her friend… but from that day on, I had no choice but to be careful about everything. Because I'd learned that even something as small as that, tied to me in any way, could land Yeon-kyung in that kind of place."

Lee Ye-eun let out a quiet breath.

"Yes, Yeon-kyung is a precious friend. My most precious friend. But she can't be the same as you, Ji-hyeok. Proof — look."

She glanced around.

Without me realizing, we'd come right up under the World Tree.

Only a very small handful of the World Tree clan were allowed here.

"Only you and I can come here, right?"

I let out a small, measured breath, still carrying her on my back, and kept walking toward the World Tree.

…At the tomb, we'd split into three groups to finish our respective tasks and then meet up again.

Su-yeong and the others were to find Hyun-woo and bring him back.

Reto and Sharisna were to link up with the rest of their companions, minus the one called Shu Rikerishu who was keeping watch on Juno.

And I — after getting word that she'd just come around — had headed into World Tree territory to bring Lee Ye-eun with us.

The truth was, the reason I'd headed into World Tree territory wasn't only that.

I quietly brought up my status window in front of me.

World Tree's Branch (Bound / Parasitic / Legendary)

[ Effect ]

Active

▸You can draw part of the World Tree out of your body. Your proficiency is currently very high.

▸You can absorb the energy of anything the World Tree's Branch touches. However, if the target's overall stats are far superior, your own energy may be drawn away instead. Against a target you hold an absolute advantage over, absorption is unconditional. You may also share energy with any target connected through it.

▸You can convert part of the World Tree's Branch into a seed and cause it to take root. A seed of the World Tree that has taken root can absorb the energy of the place it has rooted in and transmit it to the main body, and possesses a faint autonomous will. Injecting mana adjusts its growth rate. After a certain time it will wither on the spot and lose all of its power.

▸???

Even now, I hadn't yet awakened the last ability hidden inside the World Tree's Branch.

And Lee Ye-eun was in the same boat.

The name of the ability she'd finally awaken was 'Transcendence.'

An ability that let her become nature itself and, by her own will, direct the world.

Given that our next destination was Antarctica, and that we might well end up fighting a high-ranking spirit — a being you could call the very will of nature — you could say her final ability was more than just useful.

"…We're here."

Before long, we came to a stop right in front of the World Tree and looked up at it.

At the very spot where the World Tree's trial was to take place.

"It's all right, noona."

I said it to Lee Ye-eun, whose body was trembling faintly, trying to reassure her.

It wasn't a lie — I meant it.

If it was her, she'd get through the trial about to come and then some.

"You'll be fine, noona. Don't worry."

"…Mm, yeah. I should be."

She'd listened to the whole story of what had happened while I carried her over, had come to understand the situation, and after wrestling with it had decided herself that she needed to face the trial. Now, in a trembling voice, she asked:

"So Ji-hyeok, please — don't go anywhere. Wait for me. Okay?"

"I will."

I nodded, telling her without words that she could relax.

"I'm absolutely not going to leave you alone and go anywhere. Because…."

Once we'd come this far, we were in the same boat, our fates tied together.

I was about to say that, when —

System

The World Tree's Branch responds to the Mother, the World Tree….

The World Tree turns its attention on you!

You are not qualified to receive the trial.

You are not qualified to receive the trial.

You are not qualified to receive the trial.

.

.

.

You are not qualified to receive the trial.

…The Mother, the breath of the World Tree, descends upon you.

You are temporarily granted qualification for the trial.

The World Tree's trial will be laid upon you as well!

"…Because I'm going to take the trial with you."

I felt Lee Ye-eun jolt in surprise at that.

I was just as surprised as she was.

I hadn't dreamed, not even for a moment, that I'd be allowed to take the trial too.

…Before long, an enormous branch of the World Tree swallowed us up.