Chapter 247
Chapter 247
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: One Cadet, Three National Trees (2)
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I figured if I knew her, I could let her off with a warning. But that thought didn't last long.
-Drip, drip.
Blood trickled down the blade in drops. Su-yeon's face twisted slightly.
She was trying to stay as objective as possible, but it was the kind of expression you'd expect when the moment felt utterly unbelievable.
She had permitted an attack from a mere cadet, after all.
Mistletoe could transform into any weapon.
From staff to sword, or even bow. Its strength lay in its endless versatility depending on the situation.
For someone like me who could draw above-average power from any weapon, it was a perfect fit.
I drew my sword and pushed forward.
As the distance opened up, Su-yeon finally snapped out of it and gripped the sword in her right hand tightly.
In the brief time before the other National Trees arrived, I spoke first.
"Want to keep going?"
I swung my sword once, carving a long streak of blood across a nearby tree.
"Doesn't seem like there's any upside for either of us."
The pitch-black sword melted away, swirling around my hand.
When it stretched out like clay and reformed into a staff, the corner of Su-yeon's mouth twitched.
"Su-yeon-unnie!"
Saku and Banya appeared in the corner of my vision, belatedly catching up to us.
Saku spotted Su-yeon and widened her eyes in shock.
"Eh? Su-yeon-unnie, you're hurt? What do we do...?"
"Don't make a fuss. It's just a shallow cut."
The atmosphere was worlds apart from when we'd first encountered each other.
"...Hoo, you."
"Yes?"
"You're really an academy cadet?"
She still couldn't believe it, doubting her own eyes.
Su-yeon pulled a potion from her pocket, sprinkled some on the wound, and took a sip.
"No."
She corrected herself.
"What are you, really?"
The cameras were rolling nearby, and at Su-yeon's blunt words, Saku jumped in surprise.
"Awaa... Su-yeon-unnie, that's too harsh!"
"Oh... Is it? Sorry."
Saku hadn't joined the fight, so holding my own against two National Trees was no small feat.
"Look at the situation, though. Doesn't sound so weird, right? Not cursing or anything. Just... impressed."
Even so, questioning my identity outright?
"You're exaggerating."
"Think about it. Am I the weird one...? Or after this trial ends, want to check the internet?"
A cadet stuck at 152nd place taking on two National Trees.
To outsiders, I'd look like someone deliberately hiding their strength.
With the cameras filming us, news articles were probably already popping up.
"152nd place. That's your ranking at El Academy, right? Saku mentioned it last time."
No one knew my growth path.
It was a bizarre string of fortuitous encounters, even to me.
I shifted my gaze elsewhere for a moment.
Banya was staring at me with unsettling eyes.
-Disgust.
India's National Tree.
The woman who'd locked eyes with me before the trial and spat an insult.
She'd been glaring at me with burning intensity, narrowing her tattooed eyelids in clear loathing. No idea why.
Bawo too. Lately, people kept coming after me for reasons I couldn't fathom.
"Still."
Su-yeon sheathed her long white sword at her waist, flashing a faint smile as she spoke.
"It's good for Korea to have a promising talent like you... Have you decided on a guild? If not, why not join—"
"Probably heading to Dowonhyang."
"Ah, makes sense... You're that person's disciple, after all."
Her eyes flicked down to my staff.
"So that wasn't even your real strength?"
Her voice cooled ever so slightly.
As Mugung's granddaughter, did she know about the bad blood between them?
Whether that rivalry still simmered, I couldn't say. The Heavenly Path that inherited the Heavenly Demon was still affiliated with the Hunter Association as a mercenary band.
I continued as if that wasn't the issue now.
"You gonna keep this up?"
Even I would struggle against three National Trees.
Especially without my healing authority active right now.
Over half my combat prowess relied on it.
That's how I'd racked up wins against far more experienced S-rank hunters.
And without it, my options were limited in a non-life-or-death fight. My skills were too destructive anyway.
Too many eyes watching.
-Swish.
Banya casually rolled up her sleeve. Tattoos from forearm to elbow and underarm glowed with mana.
As I raised my staff, Su-yeon stepped in.
"Let's call off the fight. Both of you."
Addressing Saku and Banya.
"I never wanted to fight in the first place. But Su-yeon-unnie kept saying it was too late!"
"Anyway."
"......"
At Su-yeon's glance, Banya looked dissatisfied but lowered her sleeve, hiding the tattoos.
"We'll settle this later. One-on-one if possible."
"Uh... Sure, why not."
"Hoping to see your real strength then."
The dungeon environment made going all-out tricky. A Wood Person's true power peaked right after lignification anyway.
Why was she so eager to fight me, though?
'Haven't done anything that flashy yet.'
Compared to Jeong Si-woo, this was tame.
That guy stirred up incidents everywhere. Listening to his stories, you'd wonder how he hadn't gone insane—Hunter world's Conan.
I stowed my staff. We exchanged awkward glances, then silence fell.
"Ah, Suyu-unnie! Have you met Suyu-unnie?"
The mood loosened with Saku's signature clumsy, cute Korean.
Her fox mask eyes always sparkled.
Well, no need to fight anymore.
With just over 10 hours left, why spill blood?
"Want to grab a bite? Suyu's around too."
Su-yeon's eyes widened at my suggestion.
"Pardon...? Oh..."
"You look like you could use a break anyway."
"...You did this to me, you know?"
"You weren't exactly pristine before. So, what do you say?"
Su-yeon rolled her eyes thoughtfully, glanced at her two teammates, then smiled faintly at Saku's shining eyes.
"...The selectors watching must be confused. From fighting to sharing a meal."
*****
Something's off.
Everyone who watched today's Forest Keeper selection trial must have doubted their own eyes.
📰 Never Portal Real-Time Search Rankings 1. Lee Si-heon ? 464↑ 2. Forest Keeper Selection ? 1↓ 3. Forest Keeper Selection Day 6 4. Lee Si-heon Cadet 459↑ 5. El Academy Lee Si-heon 6. Selection Updates 7. Bawo -3↓ 8. Kim Su-yeon ? 4↓ 9. Trial Results 10. Marronier 11. Lee Si-heon Team Dissolves 12. Seoul Academy Marronier could be chalked up to bad matchup.
Struggling against Bawo in a contest of strength? Expected.
But emerging unscathed from a dungeon with Bawo? Huh?
That was the moment viewers' predictions shattered.
💬 Comments — Anon (52.12) It's not that Lee Si-heon is strong; he had to conserve mana. Isn't the gap between humans and National Trees obvious anyway? (Screenshot of Lee Si-heon emerging unscathed after fighting Bawo)
So how do you explain this? [Replies: 61] — ㅇㅇ Does this even make sense logically? — ㅇㅇ (52.12) ↳ Reply I was so shocked I had to double-check lol ↳ Reply Who would've thought Lee Si-heon would pull that off? — Passing By ↳ Reply Then why'd you think he'd lose? ⭐ Top Comment — Dragon Fan Lmao I believed in him from the start. — ㅇㅇ ↳ Reply This guy's the one who was hyped about him finally getting wrecked the other day. — Another Anon (24.162) Lee Si-heon shattering expectations again. Knew he'd do well. (Photo of him wearing a crown)
[Replies: 57] — ㅇㅇ (24.162) ↳ Reply How'd you predict that lmao — Mujin ↳ Reply Crab guy just got rich lol No such thing as coincidence twice.
Surviving two clashes with National Trees meant no one could deny his skill anymore.
Reevaluations of Lee Si-heon overflowed, and his stock soared overnight.
The occasional jackpot.
El Academy had unleashed a monster.
Once dismissed as a toothless tiger, this was a prime reminder of the world's top academy.
But to the academy's executives, a baffling reputation trailed him.
A guy stuck at 152nd joining the Forest Keeper selection?
They followed orders from above, but even instructors tilted their heads.
Some openly called him a parachute drop.
With Dowonhyang's backing, he'd been shoehorned in—rumors swirled.
— Just My Take I think Lee Si-heon really is a genius. Like any prodigy debuting, most dismissed his feats at first.
— ㅇㅇ Heard he sparred Jeong Si-woo during midterms. Dude can just fight. Past achievements got reevaluated too.
But plenty resented it.
Still, perceptions were shifting, undeniably.
A hidden powerhouse emerging. What could be more entertaining to watch?
Communities agreed: let's enjoy the ride with smiles.
[Lee Si-heon Holds His Own Against Three National Trees. Includes Korea's Kim Su-yeon...]
Until today.
— ㅇㅇ What the hell? — ㅇㅇ Did I see that right? — ㅇㅇ Day 6, so maybe they're tired. Even accounting for that... Articles poured out like popped champagne.
A single cadet casually countering three National Trees? Absurd.
The hype turned to icy silence.
Then suspicion bloomed. The admins wouldn't script a global event like this—structure made it impossible.
Does this even make sense?
Yet the questions persisted.
A nation's representative getting pushed by a college kid? Three of them? Unthinkable.
Saku didn't fight, but Korea and India fielded proven monsters.
Impossible by common sense.
— ㅇㅇ I just sat there with a spoonful of rice halfway to my mouth for 5 minutes, staring blankly. Impossible.
He'd faced Marronier and Bawo. Even the jokes about him being the strongest died down.
Posters were left dumbfounded, regretting their narrow views of the guy.
And soon, fresh fuel hit the communities.
— ㅇㅇ Maehwa heading this way too? .
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Scrolling down the posts on his computer screen, an elderly man lifted his bleary eyes.
"So, this kid's your disciple..."
Wrinkled hands. The wall held over a hundred sturdy longswords, simple yet solid.
The plaque's title of Association Chairman felt mundane to him—almost boring to hear.
His eyes, deep with the abyss of mugunghwa, turned.
Across the desk, to the woman draped in a massive dragon robe.
"Your disciple... That little kid from back then's grown so much."
Cheon-do stared blankly at Mugung before her.
It was just a spar, but her disciple had beaten the Sword Saint's granddaughter.
My disciple won. My disciple.
A childish thrill bubbled up, but she kept her face stone-cold.
"However."
Mugung continued.
"...He looks familiar somehow."
Didn't notice at first glance. This build. Not certain, but like someone he'd met before.
Not seen directly—more like a vague sense.
His voice dipped slightly. He licked his dry lips while eyeing the masked Lee Si-heon on screen.