Eat The World Tree

Right after the meeting with Merri, as I returned to my room, a familiar face came into view.

It was Bao, who had been missing for a while.

I thought she had disappeared after being shocked by what had happened back then, but she eventually returned.

Bao was leaning against my door, keeping a vigilant watch on her surroundings, and our eyes met.

“Hey.”

Her eyes narrowed threateningly.

“Let’s go again. I can win today.”

As always, she was in a foul mood. Why didn’t she ever get tired?

I walked past Bao, waving my hand to push her aside, and silently unlocked the door. Suddenly, Bao grabbed me by the collar roughly.

My body shook like a sheet of paper. I turned my head slightly to check Bao’s expression, and her face was flushed as if she was ready to throw a punch any second.

“Why are you doing this to me? I just got back from a trial and want to rest for a bit.”

“Three times. You said three times with your own mouth.”

“I have a meeting to go to.”

As I expressed my displeasure, something was suddenly shoved in front of me. It was a slip of paper indicating my meeting partner. On the paper, with today’s date clearly marked, was surprisingly my name.

A triumphant smile formed on Bao’s lips.

“Come on.”

How could such a coincidence even happen?

This was supposed to be a friendly get-together. Why did they always pair me with people I know? And Bao, who was itching to defeat me, was no exception.

I cleared my throat. After opening the door, I gestured for Bao to go inside.

“Go in. I’ll be back after taking care of some things.”

“How can I trust you?”

“If I don’t come, it means you’ve won.”

“Do you think I’d accept such a hollow victory?”

How was I supposed to make her back down? If the difference in our abilities were more extreme, I could have crushed her with sheer power.

But in reality, when we fight, I couldn’t guarantee victory due to her mana and authority.

“…Fine, let’s go together. No exceptions.”

If someone saw her forcibly pulling me by the shoulder, they’d think I was the one being dragged. In the end, I was led into the room by Bao’s hand. I had no choice. I took off my shoes and walked into the living room. I sat on the sofa and smirked at Bao, who had followed me in.

“After what happened last time, you still want to fight?”

Or maybe she had been sharpening her skills for today.

Bao’s face was filled with confidence, as if she was ready to devour a wild animal.

“I won’t lose this time.”

“…Didn’t you say the same thing last time, only to be defeated? How about you just give up? Or—”

I lowered my voice, issuing a warning.

“You might end up really broken this time.”

I hoped that such an absurd statement might make Bao back off.

Last time, we had to stop midway. I had been forced to release her restraints because I was so disoriented that I couldn’t maintain them.

She never said, “I lost.” Not explicitly. But she did ask me to stop, and I loosely counted that as a victory, letting her go. When she didn’t come to my room last night, I thought she had finally given up.

“Or maybe you just want to sleep with me?”

Bao’s eyes tilted.

“So why do you keep chasing after me… Oh, wait, I remember now—you mentioned it last time.”

“Nope.”

Bao stretched her lips into a long smirk. She raised her fists, preparing to charge, so I got up as well. I raised my fists.

“What nonsense are you talking about, idiot? It’s not because of you. I just can’t stand the idea of losing to a guy like you.”

I squared off.

“It’s not about you. Whether you find that bastard or not, I don’t care. Even rotting, I’m still a baobab tree.”

Bao approached.

“…I just can’t accept losing to someone like you.”

“What will you do if you lose three times?”

A punch flew toward me. I lightly tilted my head to dodge.

I could hear the wind cutting through the air right next to my ear. Her punch was that strong. Bao’s eyes, shining sharply, lit up right in front of my nose.

“Then I’ll be your servant.”

I shouldn’t have said that so carelessly.

Bang! -

Just as I threw my punch, a sharp pain shot through my side.

It’s only the third fight. Has she improved her technique? She must have been doing image training all day yesterday.

It’s not a posture you could pick up in just a few hours. It’s sharp and powerful. She’s clearly prepared thoroughly for the sole purpose of facing me, without even considering the second trial.

“A servant? Are you saying you’ll be my slave?”

“…I’ll do it, bastard. If you win everything, then I’ll be yours.”

Bao boldly bumped her fists together and charged at me with fierce momentum.

Something wet trickled down from just below my temple. I didn’t need to touch it to know it was blood.

Thud! -

Our fists collided.

The one-sided battle from two days ago had now leveled out. Our skills were on par. I couldn’t tell what type of martial art she was using, but it seemed particularly challenging to deal with.

Bao must have developed this technique specifically to face me. She’s not just an ordinary genius. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risen to the position of National Tree.

‘I can’t find any openings.’

Should I use my special technique? Technically, using magic was forbidden, but Bao wouldn’t know that the technique drew on mana.

Still, it wasn’t something I could use easily. It was clear she had been preparing for today.

Bao had been subtly exposing her lower abdomen for a while now, deliberately creating an opening.

‘Does she think I won’t notice?’

That’s not it. A single hit from my special technique would be fatal. It’s an ability that should be closely watched. There must be a reason for her actions.

She’s already considering the possibility of my special technique. Normally, it would be impossible to use it, but—

Bang! -

As I dodged Bao’s punch, I thought hard.

‘This is psychological warfare.’

She was deliberately creating an opening but making it hard for me to act.

She was gambling. In exchange for exposing a weak spot, she had become even more aggressive with her attacks. The opening was so blatant that it’s preventing me from moving in.

‘On the other hand, if she really knows how to counter it…’

Then it would be me who got hit.

Whether or not I attacked that opening would determine the outcome of this fight.

‘However—’

The very fact that I was thinking this way meant I was already falling into her trap. Bao saw my special technique as just another martial art.

‘It’s not something I can use carelessly. My special technique draws on magic.’

There’s no need to rush. Her talent may be impressive, but she was no match for me. If this were a mana battle, it’d be a different story, but in pure combat skills, I had the edge.

Bang! -

I shifted my momentum.

I grabbed Bao’s collar as she missed her punch. She skillfully deflected my arm, defending herself.

However, my body was more flexible and specialized in combat than this guy thought.

Cheonma even said I had the Heavenly Martial Body. I could absorb martial arts just by seeing them.

And I could even surpass them. That’s why I gave Bao three chances from the start—it wasn’t for nothing.

I slipped into her guard.

Her fist narrowly grazed my cheek. I grabbed Bao’s chest with both hands and pushed her forward, knocking her down.

Crash! Bang! -

A loud sound echoed. It was impossible to subdue her; I didn’t know what kind of tricks she had up her sleeve.

I mounted Bao and restrained her hands.

Huff, huff -

We breathed heavily, facing each other.

What should I do now to press her further? She’d never surrender. But I couldn’t just keep hitting her in the face until she passed out.

Bao glared at me with venomous eyes.

“Damn it.”

Her trembling pupils seemed to think she had lost again. Her cheek twitched as if bracing herself for another punch from me.

“…I lost.”

Before long, her mouth opened.

“What?”

It was an answer I hadn’t expected. The other day, she had been beaten until she lost consciousness, but she never accepted defeat. Now, was she admitting it so easily? What had changed in her heart? I still didn’t release her restraints, eyeing her suspiciously.

Bao gritted her teeth as if her anger was boiling over.

“I said I lost! …For today.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Well, now… let me go.”

Bao had learned.

She realized that dragging this out any longer would only cause her more pain. I released her restraints. Bao got up and started straightening her clothes.

“Hah….”

She stomped her foot in frustration. She must have been incredibly upset. She probably thought she’d win for sure this time.

I was caught off guard, too. Normally, I’d let her hit me a few times and then finish the fight. But this time, her movements were extraordinary.

‘…Could I actually lose next time?’

A sense of crisis crept in.

I used my power to heal the wounds on my body. There were several spots where my skin had split from how hard I’d been hit. Bao was the same, standing there fuming, so I approached her and placed my hand on her wounded areas.

Bao flinched as her body shook.

Looking at my body, she grabbed the hem of her tank top.

“This sucks…”

Her clothes slid up. Her tank top, which had been riding up to expose her belly and armpits, finally came off her chest with a bounce.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? Damn it… You’re going to do it, right?”

I hadn’t intended to. I was just planning to heal her and send her off.

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

I replied indifferently, patting Bao’s wounded areas.

Bao’s eyes followed my hand. It didn’t take her long to realize that the painful, bruised wounds had disappeared.

“Ah.”

Her black bra was exposed, sweat trickling between her gathered cleavage. She had stopped just short of taking off her clothes, leaving her armpits and skin exposed.

Her nipples stood erect, clearly visible through her bra.

“Were you expecting something?”

Thud! -

Bao’s punch hit my face, and I staggered backward.

[…Hey.]

“Yes, Miss Merri.”

Merri’s branch pointed accusingly at Lim Jonghyun in front of her.

Lim Jonghyun. He was a Tree Person*. Better than a human, and with traces of tree blood mixed in, he didn’t invoke disgust like others did.

[You, you mentioned El Academy, right?]

“Yes.”

[Do you know who Lee Shiheon is?]

At Merri’s question, Lim Jonghyun’s eyebrows twitched slightly. There was no way Merri would miss such a small change in his expression.

He frowned at my question. If the other person had been human, she might have burned them to ashes with magic.

But since he was a Tree Person, she let it go this time.

“He’s just a nobody.”

[…Is that so?]

A nobody.

Lee Shiheon. He was someone who knew his place well. What he had shown today was, well, not bad for a human. He didn’t even make a face of disbelief at her question. He didn’t demand that she hand over the trial.

He even provided delicious fertilizer and water this morning, didn’t he? The fertilizer he gave tasted like something… she had never had before in her life. How did a human even get something like that?

It couldn’t have been easy to obtain. He must have put in some effort.

Meanwhile, Lim Jonghyun. Who was this guy? He only reported his achievements in the trials, observed formalities, and seemed to think of himself as just a tool—a mere stepping stone to pass the second trial. He didn’t treat her as a sentient being. He only bowed his head this time because it would have been troublesome otherwise.

That human, at least, had some charm.

[…Never mind, you may go.]

“I apologize for the intrusion.”

Lim Jonghyun departed, never turning his head back. Of course, he could do that. He was a Tree Person. The other was a noble.

But somewhere deep in Merri’s heart, she couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease.