Gathering Team 9
Yeah, it was my mistake. I admit it. I'd left Sin Jaeyul alive just to see Hadomyeol in a pinch. I wanted to watch his shoulder get wrecked, then stage this badass scene where I cleaved the bastard in half with style. The problem was that Harin was a natural-born tank. And I hadn't told her yet that Hadomyeol was the villain—the necro fuck who stuffed corpses. Harin's face was brimming with justice. Even if I'd told her Hadomyeol was the bad guy, she probably would've thrown herself in to save him anyway. That's Harina for you. The makings of a tank. That noble resolve to take every hit herself. Her body itching to get pounded... Let's ignore the juices trickling down her thighs. I expanded the Broken Dragon Slayer Sword. Gaps formed between the fifty blade shards, doubling its size. Even with the increased bulk and those gaps, my mana filled the voids.
"So it works like this too..." I muttered calmly, swinging the sword. Shiiik! I sliced through the massive tentacles pinning Harin. At the same time, I poured all my mana into the Ancient Druid Wood Ring. Sin Jaeyul had fused with a monster tree, after all. And a monster tree was still a plant. My Ancient Druid Wood Ring could control plants.
"You picked the wrong bitch to tangle with!" Sin Jaeyul, now a colossal tree monster, flinched. No, he was freaking out hard. "What... the fuck is this?" His splintered voice rasped out as his massive tentacles thrashed toward the sky. I could feel my mana linking to the giant tree monster. I was a bit short on mana, but I could control its movements to some extent. Nice! Time to force some counter-movements against its will. Rumble rumble craaaack. Sin Jaeyul's eyes glitched with pupil earthquakes as his own tree tentacles turned to attack me. But the body was slowing down, right?
"What sorcery is this?!" I eyed the tentacles lunging at Harin and gulped down a Golden Goblin's Advanced Potion. "Fuck, I...!" generate mana from my balls! You little shit! I couldn't voice the rest. No need to reveal my unique skill, Mana Stamina. I pumped more mana into the Ancient Druid Wood Ring, enough to halt its movements entirely. My lips curled into a smirk. Now for the real show. I'm the director here, Sin Jaeyul—you're my villain actor.
"Stop!!" I thrust my left hand wide open into the air and shouted. I funneled more mana into the Ancient Druid Wood Ring to seize control of Sin Jaeyul's body. One hand spread eagle, the other gripping the massive Broken Dragon Slayer Sword. Pretty damn cool, right? The tree monster twitched at my command! Its attacks slowed to a crawl. "Wha... what the hell... is this power??" Sin Jaeyul wasn't the only one shocked—his movements were locked down.
"Halting the foe with sheer presence alone? The pinnacle of martial arts??" Amagi Souma, lurking and watching the scene, felt his heart race in surprise. I could sense the emotions of any lifeform within twelve meters that held goodwill toward me. With stronger mana, I bet I could forcibly puppet them via the Ancient Druid Wood Ring too. "What... the fuck are you?!" Sin Jaeyul's panicked voice barked out, but he unleashed a barrage of tree tentacles in retaliation. Aimed straight at Harin.
"Harin, push harder! Let the mana flow naturally through your body!" I stood beside her. This was a crucial moment for her. Her martial arts had always just coated her fists in mana. Now, that mana was seeping into her waist, spine, knees, legs—every muscle, like when she boxed. The payoff for all that sweaty training. "Mana isn't just for your fists!"
"Yeah!" Harin's mana spiraled up from her planted feet, coiling through her thighs like a vortex. The surging power flowed into her raised arms. As she crossed them, the spiraling mana took shape as a shield. Oh? Not bad at all?
Thung!!
She crossed her arms in an X, blocking the monster's assault. Harin looked at me with ecstatic joy. "Did I just block that?"
"Yeah! Good job! You shaped your mana. That's huge!" Just like Hadomyeol forged flames into dragons, Harin had crafted a shield. In crisis, she'd surpassed her limits and leveled up.
Ruuuuumble craaaack!! Nice. Time to train Harin properly on this chance. "Keep the mana steady!" She started blocking Sin Jaeyul's tentacle strikes with her mana shield. Thung!! Thung!! "Ahh!! Mana... running low..." The shield's form began to blur. But this was the critical phase. "Just a bit more! Make it yours through sheer will!"
"Yeeesss!!" Juices burst from Harin's crotch. Her masochistic power was kicking in—pain turning to pleasure. The worse the pain, the stronger her defense. Her shield sharpened again. "Haaahhh...!" The spiraling force swept from her ankles up her body, holding back the massive tree roots. My lips were grinning ear to ear. Harin had fully awakened as a tank.
"Good girl. Now I'll finish it." I stroked her hair. "Harin... you were pretty badass." Then I decided to show off the doubled Broken Dragon Slayer Sword. Hey! Hadomyeol, you watching?! Whiiiirrr vrrrrm... The sword vibrated, shards dancing brilliantly. I glanced toward Hadomyeol. But what the hell? His gaze was locked on Harin. Hearts in his eyes or some shit. I couldn't sense his emotions, but his actions screamed it. No. Fuck no. Harin's my girl. Wait... does this prick know Harin's a guy and still...? "Hey. Hadomyeol!!" The blade shards glowed red, reacting to my mana.
"Hey, you corpse-fucker Hadomyeol!"
"......"
Only then did his eyes shift to me. Perfect chance to gaslight Hadomyeol. "Load your pitch-black flames onto my sword! It's the only way to stop his regen!" Hadomyeol hesitated. Lend my power to a scrub like you? That's what his glare said. Then he glanced back at Harin—the little "boy" who'd risked his life to save him. "...Tch." He spat a curse and extended his uninjured left hand. Pitch-black darkflame coiled around my sword like a serpent. Crimson-black mana mixed with the inky blaze, the blade screaming as if it couldn't take it.
"Here I go!" I kicked off the ground and launched. One target: the monster's chest, Sin Jaeyul's heart. "DIE!!" The beast mobilized every remaining tentacle to block me. But I bulldozed through, weaving and ducking in flashy boxing style! My eyes locked on Sin Jaeyul's face, burning with vengeance and rage. What a cinematic scene! I was even moved mid-flight. Truth is, the Ancient Druid Wood Ring had Sin Jaeyul completely immobilized. "Sorry, Sin Jaeyul!" He was inwardly screaming, My body won't move! Even those tentacles? All me puppeteering them. Hadomyeol's magic? Unnecessary. Amagi Souma was watching from afar, and my Life Detection showed his goodwill—he was fangirling hard, Heart pounding. So fucking cool.
Squish. The sword finally pierced the tree monster's heart. Kraaack—! Flames erupted inside, incinerating the regen core in a perfect finale. "G... ah... aaah..." Madness faded from Sin Jaeyul's eyes, replaced briefly by human light. He mustered his last strength, glaring at me. "Tha... nks... you... fuck... er..." His final words. The colossal tree monster began crumbling. Roots sank powerless into the earth, trunk disintegrating to dust. I landed, catching the collapsing Harin. Her body was wrecked, but a faint smile lit her face.
"I... did it, right, hyungnim...?"
"Yeah. You saved us all, Harin."
"Did it..." Harin beamed radiantly before passing out. I scooped her up and headed toward the dazed Hadomyeol. "Not bad for a corpse-fucker?"
"Piss off. I could've soloed it."
"Oh yeah? You think this was just luck?"
"Hmph. Don't get cocky. When it's life-or-death, your neck's first on my list." Hadomyeol averted his eyes, biting his lower lip in frustration.
"Suit yourself." I brushed past him toward the dorms. U Jeong trailed behind, giggling. While Harin was out, I'd shower her with kisses. Pump her full of my mana via Incubus Kiss. She wouldn't even know we locked lips. ... Hadomyeol alternated stares between his bleeding shoulder and the vanished monster. He watched Hadojin and Harin leave, muttering low. "Failures... trash... but I gotta admit it." He'd cooperated for the first time. Accepting help bruised his pride. Especially from weakerlings...
"Tch..." If Harin hadn't stepped up? He'd be skewered by tentacles or pulped by branches for sure. "This happened 'cause I'm weak... Gotta... train harder..." His fists clenched tight. He shook his head, recalling Hadojin's sword. "That... mana..." If that attack had targeted him? If those broken blades aimed for his heart? "Martial artist my ass... Cheating bastard. Broken sword's bullshit. Lucky fuck..." He glanced at where Harin, Hadojin, and his maid had left chummily. Limp limp. Wish someone would help me walk... He hobbled alone to the infirmary. Whoooosh—asphalt dust swirled in the wind. Craters, ruined walkways, and walls bore stark witness to the colossal battle. That's when Amagi Souma emerged, clapping.
"Impressive. Very impressive. First-years and newbies pulling this off? This year's gonna be fun. Hadojin’s a 4 Circle Grand Master... First time for everything." His eyes gleamed with interest toward where Hadojin had vanished.
###
I knew how tough it was to gain even one level at 20, so the joy hit extra hard. The 'Immortal Tree Heart' I'd crushed was a damn strong monster, after all.
"Fairies are tree-types, so..." The Ancient Druid Wood Ring exceeded my expectations—a powerhouse. It could build structures and counter tree monsters. With enough mana... Could end the 10-year war in one? I realized it was a cheat item against southern continent fairies. And in my hand, a 500-won-coin-sized wooden heart.
◈ Defeated Giant Treant and acquired 'Immortal Tree Heart'.
"Eating this turns you into a tree monster, huh?" That's when Mochi bounced over, eyes bulging at the Immortal Tree Heart. "Want it?" Mochi loves licking mana-infused items. I felt her greed. First time she'd craved something this bad. "Here!" I figured she'd lick it, but nope—she gulped it down whole.