Chapter 86
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Sacred Tree
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Sacred Tree.
This monster suddenly appeared in the Black Lotus Mire, a C-rank danger zone, delivering a tremendous shock to the entire world at the time.
Not only did it slip past the Hero Association, which had managed the area for decades, but in just two hours after revealing itself, it elevated the Black Lotus Mire to an A-rank danger zone.
A phenomenon made possible because it had rooted itself across the entire Black Lotus Mire, merging with the land as one.
It was an incident that instilled a grave wake-up call to humanity, which had grown complacent amid the long stalemate.
Kurrr rumble
"It's coming again!!"
It was also a disaster that struck Lee Se-hun and Jake.
Kaboom!!
Dozens of massive tree roots erupted with a deafening roar. Their sheer size made them look like trees sprouting from the ground, but there was no time to marvel at the sight.
Whoosh!
The rigid roots bent like serpents in an instant, lunging toward them.
At the terrifying spectacle, Lee Se-hun's eyes darted around before he shouted to Jake.
"Northwest!"
"Got it!"
Their bodies shot forward in perfect sync, swinging their swords simultaneously.
Kaboom!!
The roots shredded apart amid exploding flames and blue sword strikes. Seizing the gap, the two swiftly broke through.
Kraka ka kaka!
By a hair's breadth, the remaining roots smashed the ground where they had stood, but having escaped the encirclement, Lee Se-hun had no time to catch his breath as he scanned the surroundings.
'There too...!'
More roots surging up from below like earthworms at horrifying speed. Spotting a path with his sharpened senses, Lee Se-hun turned his gaze.
What he saw was a colossal tree looming beyond the forest—the Sacred Tree protruding above ground. Frowning at the sight, Lee Se-hun yelled.
"Break through again!"
"Got it!"
As they punched through the encirclement toward the opposite direction of the Sacred Tree, Lee Se-hun coolly analyzed the enemies.
'At best, barely B-rank... Probably aftereffects from forcibly awakening it.'
It was only natural, having forced awake a Sacred Tree that should have slumbered for decades more.
Thanks to that, they could somehow escape the net, but the situation wasn't exactly favorable.
'We're getting closer to the lake with the Sacred Tree.'
They were fleeing in the opposite direction as much as possible, yet inexplicably, the distance to the Sacred Tree shrank with every passing moment.
He first thought it was an illusion like a mirage, but examining the surrounding mist, Lee Se-hun quickly pinpointed the cause.
Gurgle
The space itself rippled like heat haze.
Not only did the mist block all five senses, but it now warped space as well.
'A power the Sacred Tree from before my regression didn't have... but the Puppeteer? Nothing's beyond that bastard.'
The bioweapon "Cube," which used heroes' and villains' bodies as materials to grant them abilities they possessed in life.
Using it, they had bestowed spatial abilities on the Sacred Tree and sealed off the entire Black Lotus Mire, isolating it from the outside.
Realizing the situation was turning troublesome, Lee Se-hun grasped the implications.
'This could mess with the forced teleport function too... Making all the cadets hostages in effect.'
A cloak without forced teleport was just ordinary armor.
They had likely secured the cadets with the roots and were holding them hostage.
'What the hell are they after?'
Were they using the students as leverage to take out a specific faculty member? Or was there a target among the cadets?
Either way, they couldn't just sit idly by.
Having decided, Lee Se-hun spoke to Jake as they ran.
"Jake. Two options."
"Two?"
"First: Keep running and holding out until faculty arrives. Safe, but no telling how long, and others might die in the meantime..."
"Second!"
Before the explanation finished, Jake's reply made Lee Se-hun look at him in surprise.
"Without hearing the rest?"
"You say it like that, the second's usually the opposite. Risky, but solves everything at once and saves the others."
Slash!
Jake cleaved a pursuing root with his beam sword and turned to Lee Se-hun.
"A hero goes that way."
Lee Se-hun studied Jake's resolute face.
Pretending calm, but faint tremors of fear around his eyes, tension evident throughout his body.
Even as the scion of a prestigious family, he was an inexperienced cadet. Fear was natural, yet he wouldn't back down because it was the right path.
'Now I get why he died young...'
Understanding Jake better, Lee Se-hun reached out and naturally patted his back.
Extracting bond from target 'Jake Myers'.
Bond with creator 'Lee Se-hun' is Lv. 1.
'This'll make it smoother.'
The bond flowing in through his fingertips. Gauging the power within, Lee Se-hun looked at Jake.
"Good. But promise one thing."
"What?"
"No matter what, focus only on what I tell you."
Kaboom!
Lee Se-hun smacked an approaching root with his Five-Colored Flame Blade, speaking with conviction.
"Then we'll succeed for sure."
The massive lake at the northwest edge of the Black Lotus Mire.
Once called Lotus Lake for the black lotuses blanketing its surface, its appearance had drastically changed.
Shwaaah
The lake, now twice its original size—not expanded by added water, but by overflow. The cause stood at the center: a towering tree.
Krunch
Seventy meters tall, hundred-meter girth. Its size alone dwarfed the area boss Lotus Hive, and it continued to grow.
Gazing down at the monstrous growth from atop the tree, Will marveled in genuine awe.
"To cultivate something like this under a C-rank zone... Whoever they are, some creepy bastards."
If awakening it midway produced this, what would completion bring? As curiosity swelled and Will looked down at the Sacred Tree beneath him,
"Boss!"
A subordinate's urgent shout rang out from behind.
"The targets broke the encirclement but changed direction!"
"Yeah? About time they tired out."
Corralled by an A-rank hero's spatial powers, even top students couldn't last forever.
Sensing the annoying mission nearing its end, Will barked at his men.
"Wrap it up soon—prep for transport! Half-kill the hostage trash and use 'em to bind ankles."
"Yes sir!"
After issuing orders, Will headed to the space behind him.
Shhh
A gigantic lotus bud atop the tree.
Its lower half blackened with leaves, stems densely overgrown, covering surroundings and burrowing into the tree below.
This lotus bud was the core—the brain and heart of the colossal tree.
"Cube fully absorbed already? Shame..."
He'd hoped to recover it, but as expected of an assimilation-type monster, it had devoured it entirely.
Clicking his tongue in regret, Will approached and yanked a burrowed stem, pressing it to his nape.
Krunch!
The lotus stem pierced his neck instantly. Vision darkened briefly, then revealed a different scene.
Two cadets fleeing toward the lake, dodging roots from all sides. Knowing it was a trap yet compelled to go—their frustrated faces made Will smirk.
'Would've sweated less if you'd given up sooner.'
For their sake too, Will decided to end it quickly. He tore more floor stems, linking them across his body.
Krunch krunch
As stems multiplied, his body swelled, vision expanding omnidirectionally. Finally, sensing his 'body' rooted in the lake and vicinity,
Krraaunch!
Now one with the Sacred Tree, Will gazed at the two rookies charging toward him.
"Urk..."
An intense gaze raising every hair on his body.
The overwhelming presence from the giant tree made Jake involuntarily gasp.
If this was from afar, what up close? As Jake tensed at the growing tree—the enemy,
"Jake."
Lee Se-hun running beside spoke calmly.
"Remember your job?"
The brief reminder refocused him on his role.
Shaking off tension, Jake bit his lip hard.
"Don't worry."
"Good."
With that, the rest was Jake's part.
Turning to the foe ahead, Lee Se-hun gripped the newly forged bond stone in his right hand.
Bond - Compression Stone
Grade: AdvancedQuality: Top
Endlessly compresses ore.
Absorbs infused mana to compress. Breaks if density exceeds durability.
*Compresses absorbed mana.
A dense dark blue stone, compressed rock-hard.
Clutching the bond stone extracted from Jake, Lee Se-hun activated the bond engraving on his right hand.
Bond Engraving 'Tough Iron' activated.
Krunch!
The compression stone shattered like cracking ice, its power melting deep into Lee Se-hun's body.
Krik crack
Bones, muscles, veins—his entire body felt compressed. Proving it no illusion, his viewpoint dropped about ten percent.
"Hoo..."
Blue vapor escaped his mouth.
Confirming preparations complete, Lee Se-hun eyed the lake faintly visible through the mist.
Thud—
Pounding the ground, the lake spread beneath his feet.
BOOM!!!
Arriving before the roar, Lee Se-hun plummeted, then dashed across the water surface with all his might.
Thud thud thud!
Releasing mana to bounce off the surface like skipping.
Impossible with his original body, but Tough Iron-boosted physicals and the compression stone's effects squeezed out the output, barely managing it.
'Hold too long, something'll burst...!'
A perilous method where a mana control slip could explode his soles—or anywhere.
But trusting his senses, Lee Se-hun sprinted flawlessly. Startled by his terrifying approach, Will controlling the Sacred Tree gaped.
'What... sudden speed boost...!'
A guy barely C-rank surging to B-rank equivalent in moments?
Spotting Lee Se-hun's red-glowing hair tips and blue vapor from his mouth, Will frowned.
'Skill-enhanced body? Pointless stunt...'
A misstep could ruin their raid's goal—the material.
Deciding to crush Lee Se-hun fast, Will mobilized his body rooted near the lake.
Kurr rumble!
Dozens of roots erupting from below the lake.
Twice the size of the forest attackers, speeds incomparable.
'Enhance all you want—still just B-rank.'
If the forest strikes were fingertip flicks, this was full arm swings.
Scoffing at the overreaching fool, Will wove the surging roots into a massive 'net.'
Kraka gak!
Layered roots blanketing the front entirely.
No matter how fast or sharp, impossible to dodge the scale, or cleave through the density—it would crush inescapably.
Maximizing the super-giant monster's roots across the mire.
Overwhelming mass to pulverize even solid B-rank heroes,
"...Found you."
Lee Se-hun's gray-tinged eyes pierced the foe ahead.
Slaughter Blade: Chaotic Lines
Slash—
A brilliant white flash erupted from his waist.
Before the explosive sword strike, roots split chaotically like mincemeat, fragments colliding and twisting to form a path for one.
Lee Se-hun's body slipped through naturally,
Kabooooom!
'...Huh?'
The holed net futilely smothered the empty lake.
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