Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: At the Same Time, Waiting for the Same Moment (1)
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The thick air stabbed at his lungs.
An abandoned industrial zone. A place suspected to harbor remnants of Flower.
Even spreading out his mana to search for presences, not a single small animal stirred.
Another bust.
He opened the file he'd received in advance and marked a small X over this location among the many addresses.
-Bzzz!
A sudden vibration from his pocket.
He pulled out his phone and checked the messages.
-Unread Messages (21)
📱 Messages [Star in Your Heart]: Sleep well! Dream of me♡ - 4:32am (2) [Azalea]: Everything okay? Take it slow. - 2:11am (3) [Hwangdo]: Bro~~! All clear!! But about that terror incident last time... - 11:32pm (1) [Se-young]: (Photo) - 7:12pm (1) Messages from each of them, sent for different reasons.
He read through the texts one by one.
Star had stayed up all night gaming and only messaged right before bed. Azalea was worried about him.
Hwangdo was diligently reporting on the capital's situation as he'd asked.
And Lee Se-young—
-(Photo)
A mysterious, scary photo.
'Whew...'
Taking a deep breath, he tapped the chat.
-Se-young: (Photo)
The moment he opened it, a pink test kit filled the screen.
T on the left, C on the right. Unmistakably a pregnancy test.
He covered the center with his hand and examined the edges.
Se-young holding the device seemed to glare at him from outside the frame.
'Going from one daughter to two changes nothing. If anything, it's good.'
Becoming a dad wasn't bad.
With his resolve firm, he lifted his finger from the center.
"Yeah, that day the fluids felt unusually sticky—huh?"
...One line.
Looking closer, one corner seemed edited, with "idiot" scrawled in block letters on the test kit.
He let out a bitter sigh.
"Come on... it didn't work?"
He'd filled her up plump as requested.
Even intending to knock her up, kids weren't that easy to make, huh.
He tapped out his modest feelings.
-Me: (Crying Tree Cone)
She might get the hint even if she didn't get what she wanted.
She should value herself more.
His mental state was tied to her life too. If she pushed herself after this... he'd really make her raise their daughter for life.
"Whew."
Five o'clock sharp.
He'd ransacked about seven spots suspected to be Flower hideouts.
Luckily, no Flower sightings yet, and no traces left behind.
'No Flower is good, but... starting to wish one would show up.'
Pressing a hand to his face and peeling slowly, a white mask emerged from his skin.
-Crack.
Skin separating from the mask layer.
Nothing creepier to watch up close—like flesh tearing from splitting skin.
Basking in cool air, he circulated mana through his body.
'Call it a day.'
He had business with Cornus's secretary anyway.
A quick morning greeting with Azalea, then academy, and it'd line up perfectly.
*****
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Yongsan."
Dawn highway.
A small car veered dramatically right at high speed.
The short girl huffed into the machine, staring intently.
Just a man and woman.
The plainly dressed pair yelled in panic.
"Now Gwangju."
"You're kidding. Why does the location keep changing? You putting real mana into it?"
"I am. But it keeps moving."
The man thought.
How could anyone move that fast? Not like some legendary Pokémon.
The redhead, Aori, blew steadily into the mana injector with a blank face.
A locator chasing the Wood Spirit King's power.
But its range only reached about 100km.
"Driving me insane. Some glitch? You're supposed to be Wood Spirit King descendant. Lying?"
"Not lying. Grandma always said so..."
"Shut up. Gross."
"......"
The blond, tanned man.
Mok Taeyang gripped the wheel with narrowed eyes, frowning irritably.
"No change yet?"
"Not yet. Hoo... huff."
"Find it. Our mission's finding the heir, remember?"
"Seventy-fifth time you've said that."
She said it, but odds of meeting this time were slim.
Korea had the most frequent, longest detections of Wood Spirit King mana.
Camping here to find the vessel's inheritor made sense.
But four months in, zero results.
"Hooo... huff. Taeyang... my head's spinning."
"Already? What'd you do?"
"Spat mana for four hours straight..."
"Tree brats useless outside getting fucked."
"Don't say that..."
Heir to the Wood Spirit King's will and blood.
But descendants didn't inherit the full power.
"...We have to find it."
Months ago, the Wood Spirit King's power appeared.
'Not some half-ass like me. The real deal.'
Find it.
If worthy, teach its value and power firsthand.
If not, kill and take it.
"Flower and World Trees gunning for that guy too. We find first."
"With this junk machine and junk car?"
"Shut it."
"Sad... Huh?"
Aori, fiddling blankly, suddenly sounded disappointed.
"What?"
"Signal vanished."
They'd rushed out at dawn, dressed hastily. Vanishing right before capture again.
Maybe became reality.
"Fuck."
Taeyang eased off the pedal.
The speeding car slowed.
"Taeyang, don't sweat it. Forest Keeper trials soon, remember? Could be there."
"...Yeah. You're all I got, Aori. So fuck off. Wanna be alone."
"Ditching me?"
"Feelin' like it now."
Mok Taeyang. Twenty-three.
A man chasing trees and Wood Spirit King his whole life.
Aori. Twenty. Same boat.
Over twenty years on the same mission. Reality hitting hard.
Taeyang turned toward home, mouth bitter.
-Bzzz!
On the way back.
Car silent as death.
Returning to that powerless, waterless shithole house? No joy there.
No ID, no real jobs for Taeyang.
Pay wasn't bad, but artifacts for the King emptied pockets fast.
"Sigh... gas wasted."
"Hungry."
"Cup ramen."
"Sick of it... Use earnings for living expenses?"
"You earn? I do. Jealous? Whore yourself out then."
"...Impossible."
"Yeah, fuck. Always me doing dirty work."
Scraped cash, only to get fleeced. How to feel good?
What to do with this rice-gobbling freeloader.
Mid-thought, a sturdy tree on a distant hill caught Taeyang's eye.
-Screech.
Car halted.
Taeyang's face turned stern, dignified.
Firm resolve in his voice.
"Go on ahead."
Aori's face hardened.
"...Again?"
No answer from Taeyang.
She stared blankly, then bolted toward the nearby mountain path.
"Fine, me too then."
Paths diverged.
Each with business.
Wood Spirit King power or blood made one thing irresistible.
Taeyang expressionless, found the tree from before.
Far, but quick—his tree radar uncanny.
"There you are."
Horniest tree lately.
Brushing a knothole, branches shuddered.
'Oh, a sentient one.'
Taeyang caressed a branch. A voice echoed behind.
"...Filthy human." "Huh? This bitch?"
Snickering at the tree's disdain, it stammered in shock.
"Wh-what...? Why can you—" "Talk?"
"How can a lowly human converse with me...?" "Ha, unbelievable."
Scoffing inwardly, Taeyang drew a heavy sapling from his belt.
"Time to get dog-fucked by this lowly human today."
-Thrust!
"Nngh!" Impudent trees. Raped, powers stolen—their only worth.
Soon to represent Seoul Hunter Academy in Forest Keeper trials, Taeyang vented lust beforehand.
"...Ngh, mmph, urk! Stop...!" Unknown tree's voice gaining lustful tones.
Soon kneeling as a female tree.
Pure human entering Forest Keeper trials.
Trees' natural predator.
*****
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Countless awaited Forest Keeper trials.
Worldwide festival.
Billions tuning in globally.
Over four billion viewers—surpassing Olympics. Gathering future national stars.
Terror plots abounded too.
"......"
Sharp alcohol scent at nose tip.
-Drip.
Watching droplets roll down the glass, she raised it to her lips.
The redhead swallowed once, then vomited it back up undigested.
"Urk... mph."
Clear liquid flooding from stomach.
Nose burned, but numb. Eyes bloodshot long surrendered.
Yet her floral elegance shone brighter.
The woman lifted dark eyes to the mirror.
Exuding decadent beauty, long legs crossed, she sat staring at her drink.
"Preparations complete."
A man prostrated, reporting without daring look.
"......Get out."
"Yes."
Vanished at her word.
Empty bar chilled her side lonely.
'Made it this far.'
Almost time.
Days, maybe. A bit longer.
Blackened gut-wrenching pain maxed years ago.
Made it. Finally.
She repeated silently dozens of times.
"...Ha."
No smile came.
This tedium seemed endless.
Until the mystery solved—lifelong torment, withering unseen, petals falling solitary.
"What were you thinking, helping us."
Resentful thought cut short.
"......Knew it'd end like this anyway."
Right before her.
Hole-punched, torn, bloodstained black cloth, frayed over years. She murmured at it.
Raised glass again.
"Mph."
Harsh liquor soaked floor again.
Slender fingers clenched fist.
"We're back."
Another voice from behind.
Black-haired, suited Bead.
Eyes void of light rolled to spilled booze.
"......Drinking again."
"Mind your own."
"Apologies. Here about Cornerus Family."
Cornerus Family.
Not deeply involved, never met.
But doomed soon.
"Cystus... Number Three says abandoning Cornerus Family."
Woman nodded knowingly, silent.
Yet dark eyes fixed blankly on the cloth.
Always, in this place.
Eyes for no one else.
Bead first thought nostalgia for lost love.
Wrong.
Not weak to petty emotions.
Bead guessed: seeking answers from past in that outfit.
As if staring revealed her path.
"Then I'll go."
Bead bowed, vanished.
Her past irrelevant now.
Chaos loomed soon.