Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Serial Rampage Incident (1)
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"You've got the same temperament as us, after all."
I have a temperament?
I had no idea what kind of light Cheondo or Baekdo saw in me.
I could only vaguely guess that they'd seen through my potential.
But the idea that I was anything like Baekdo was absurd.
"The only temperaments I have are Anger Management Disorder and Lewd Demon."
"W-What kind of ridiculous temperaments are those? The temperament I'm talking about isn't some vulgar trash like that!"
Baekdo recoiled in horror, hurriedly adding to her explanation.
"Third-rate disciple. What I meant is that you're a natural-born fighter. Aggressive, with innate senses that are off the charts. You've obviously killed before, right?"
"I have."
"I figured. I don't like it, but you've definitely got talent."
What's this? Her actually praising me?
As I eyed Baekdo suspiciously, her expression turned smug with confidence.
Then, a single line slipped from her lips.
"So, if you acknowledge the greatness of crisp attire, I'll take you as my direct disciple. It's an offer from the woman known as the strongest in the world. How about it? Tempting, isn't it?"
Baekdo smirked triumphantly.
Her bold demeanor seemed to say it all.
If you pass this up, you'll regret it. No way you'd turn it down. It's my offer, after all.
Her twitching eyebrow made it clear that was exactly what she was thinking.
'No wonder. Here I thought it was weird for her to praise me. She was just flattering me to hype herself up.'
I gazed at Baekdo lazily.
-Kihihihi.
Even without laughing, the sound of her snickering echoed in my ears. I took a deep breath and replied coldly.
"No thanks."
Baekdo's confident face froze in an instant.
"W-What? Hold on. This is my offer. You really mean it?"
She kept questioning me, as if denying my words.
I repeated myself to her once more.
"Don't you know anything about the world? Even taekwondo dojos in downtown Seoul hand out uniforms and drinks to lure in students."
"T-Taekwondo dojos?"
"Yes. Even academies pour endless support into their top students. Know what that means?"
As a question mark appeared on Baekdo's face, I shrugged.
"Times have changed. There are plenty of teachers besides you, Baekdo-nim. You should brew some peach herbal tea and pamper your promising disciples. What could anyone learn from a master who doesn't respect them?"
What was the point? I was a talent with world-class growth potential.
If she wanted me as a disciple, she'd have to treat me accordingly, right?
Of course, none of that mattered. I only said it to get one over on Baekdo.
"Urgh."
Baekdo pressed her index finger to her lips and groaned.
"Y-You're serious? These are skills people beg to learn. And you're saying I have to pamper you?"
"Yes."
"Get real! What kind of twisted logic is that?!"
Right here.
Honestly, it was a tempting offer, but my heart wouldn't allow it.
Baekdo huffed and puffed for a while before whipping her head away and crossing her arms.
"Fine. Handle today's training yourselves! I'm heading out for a bit."
"Are you sulking?"
"Shut up!"
"Touchy. You're mad. Alright, I apologize. If you admit soaked attire has its merits, I'll become your disciple."
"Get real!!!"
Baekdo plugged her ears as if she truly couldn't stand it and stormed down the mountain.
San Su-yu alternated glances between me and Baekdo.
"Si-heon."
"Yeah?"
"...You two are both weird."
She tilted her head, subtly scolding us.
I nodded silently.
"Friends' fights are always childish like that."
"Is that how it is?"
"Yep."
As I nodded, planting that nonsense in her mind, San Su-yu crossed her arms and glared at me.
"Then I'll go with Master. I like crisp attire."
"What?"
"I hate soaked attire."
With that, San Su-yu mimicked Baekdo's irritated face and headed into the cabin.
-Thud.
The door slammed shut angrily.
I stared at the sight in disbelief.
"...I've taught my friend too poorly."
*****
[Take that man as your disciple. His talent is genuine. It should mesh perfectly with your power, too.]
Baekdo reread Cheondo's letter several times.
Veins bulged between her furrowed brows.
She ruffled her snow-white hair, a decadent aura naturally settling over her face.
"...Cheondo, you bitch."
She hated Cheondo.
Forcing her to take on a disciple who made her blood boil just by looking at him. Honestly, she doubted any proper master-disciple bond could form between them.
"Lee Si-heon, Lee Si-heon..."
She repeated the name in a cold voice.
Even by her own judgment, his talent was real.
A pure gem who could flawlessly mimic anything after seeing it once.
But was that all Si-heon had going for him?
His evenly trained body was perfect for mastering the path of martial arts, and his rebellious temperament was innate.
Lee Si-heon was exactly the kind of talent Cheondo and Baekdo had sought.
[San Su-yu has talent too, but not on Si-heon's level. Besides, with her family ties, prying her away is impossible. Take Si-heon as your disciple, no exceptions.]
"I really don't want to..."
As if reading her thoughts, the letter continued in the margin:
-You know what happens if you don't, right?
A veiled threat.
Baekdo squeezed her eyes shut, recalling the past incident.
The time she'd ignored Cheondo's warning, gotten into a brawl, and ended up badly hurt. Cheondo had transferred her consciousness while draping her entire body in caterpillars.
Baekdo loathed bugs.
The fuzzy, spiky ones terrified her so much she'd screamed and fainted on sight. That nightmare still haunted her dreams.
Desperate not to relive it, Baekdo shivered as she rubbed her goosebumped arms.
No matter what, she had to claim this flower named Lee Si-heon.
But would it go as she wished? Baekdo muttered to herself in a slightly teary voice.
She floated through the sky, hugging her knees with her arms.
"What should I do..."
She couldn't abandon the will of crisp attire. It was her identity, her life's companion.
'I'd rather touch caterpillars with my bare hands than give up crisp attire.'
With that thought, Baekdo immediately pictured the creepy caterpillars and shook her head.
'On second thought, maybe giving up crisp attire is better than touching those...'
A trivial dilemma, yet to her, it outweighed any international summit.
Those at the pinnacle always fret over the pettiest things.
"Urgh, third-rate disciple. That jerk."
She ruffled her hair again, her resentment reaching new heights.
She'd been willing to let it slide, but who could've guessed he'd demand she brew peach tea?
From the day they met, she'd known she and Si-heon were incompatible.
Ah, we'll never understand each other our whole lives. We'll just be enemies who tear into each other.
Like parallel lines that never meet, she was convinced their paths would never cross.
'He doesn't even get how I feel.'
Baekdo pouted inwardly, puffing her cheeks.
Even if she didn't want to, Cheondo kept insisting she secure Si-heon.
'Ughhh.'
Loathsome as Si-heon was, Baekdo had no choice but to obey Cheondo.
She admired the grand, heroic Cheondo and yearned to emulate her.
Even her speech patterns mimicked Cheondo's because she'd stubbornly trained herself to match it.
The world saw Baekdo as the master of this body, but she thought otherwise.
Her rise to this position,
the admiring gazes calling her the strongest woman alive,
the fearsome moniker of the undefeated Peach Tree—
All of it had unfolded exactly per Cheondo's plan.
In the end, hadn't Cheondo even established the [Peach Blossom Paradise] mercenary group as intended?
"Sigh. If she says do it, I have no choice."
Baekdo muttered. Her heartbeat quickened, and a cute voice echoed from within.
-Baekdo, don't hate our statue too much.
'Hwando, you don't get it.'
-He's a good boy...
'He groped my chest and got excited.'
-Th-That was because you dumped it on me! Are you gonna keep blaming me?
'So you weren't excited?'
-......
'Pretending to hate it while getting all worked up, you shady girl.'
-Waaahhh.
As Hwando's wails filled her mind, a cool voice cut in.
-What's all the commotion this time?
Cheondo.
'Cheondo... Does it have to be that guy?'
-Lee Si-heon has ten times the talent of your current disciple.
'No, I'm telling you, I just don't mesh with him.'
-What are you saying? You, of all people? Personality-wise, you should match best.
'What nonsense.'
Baekdo rubbed her eyes and stood.
Standing high enough to take in the layered mountain vista, she sighed.
-Beep beep.
An alarm blared. Baekdo pulled her phone from her inner pocket and checked the name.
-010-235x-21xx [First Disciple]
She exhaled sharply and held it to her ear.
A bright female voice rang out.
[Master, we've got trouble. You need to come.]
"What kind of trouble?"
[Well... There's a serial rampage incident in Seoul...]
Wood Person rampage incident.
In other words, Ents.
The term for Wood People corrupted beyond saving.
If "Liberation" or "Lignification" were abilities unique to Wood People who fully harnessed a World Tree's power, then "Ents" referred to those who couldn't handle lignification, lost their reason, and turned into monsters.
But ordinary Wood People had such diluted World Tree blood that they couldn't even draw out or withstand lignification's power.
So a serial Ent incident meant someone was deliberately using some method to drive Wood People berserk.
It was the most heinous crime demanding attention in modern society.
[Anyway, you need to come. We've handled over five today already.]
"Five?"
The yearly average was about ten, and five in one day?
Baekdo scowled and descended from the air.
"Ugh. Fine."
[Please, Master. The Peach Blossom Paradise crew is all here. We just need you.]
Then, Cheondo spoke up.
-Perfect timing.
'What?'
-San Su-yu and Si-heon lack real combat experience. This'll be a huge growth opportunity.
'No, it's Ents. Ents. Not even regular monsters.'
-That man can handle it.
Baekdo scratched her cheek in absurd exasperation at Cheondo's words.
"Jeez."
[Master?]
She let out a heavy sigh.
Finally surrendering, Baekdo spoke.
"Hey. Two more are joining."
[Pardon? Suddenly? We're short-handed with no leads, but they'll be proper people, right?]
"Probably."
[......Probably? Did you just say 'probably'? It feels like yesterday you brought some weirdo disciple who nearly got killed.]
"Quiet. Hang up. Rossi."
[No, Master! Wait—]
-Click.
Baekdo pocketed her phone and stared blankly at the sky.
"Is it the stress? Somehow, the sky looks yellow."
-Don't be dramatic, Baekdo.
-Waaahhh.
Baekdo sobbed inwardly.
It wasn't just a whimper—she bawled.