Chapter 355

Chapter 355

Eat The World Tree.

Episode 355: The Changing Times (5)

“Come on in, hyung.”

After spending some time outside, I received a call from Taeyang and returned to his shabby studio apartment.

Inside the messy one-room apartment, Taeyang was counting a wad of cash in his hand, licking his fingers to flip through the bills.

“Man, there really was a filthy guy here.”

“If I can satisfy my urges and get 400,000 won, isn’t it worth just going along with it once? And I’m good at massages. Want to try one?”

“No thanks.”

Having seen the state of things earlier, I couldn’t bring myself to sit on the bed.

I pushed aside some wads of tissues with my foot and sat on the floor.

“Where’s Aori?”

“How would I know? She’s impossible to read.”

“…Are you two really living together?”

“We’re living together, but Aori’s the one mooching off me. I’ve never gotten a single rent payment from her. Damn it.”

After rambling on with trivial talk, Taeyang brought out tea and snacks.

I wasn’t expecting anything fancy. The flower tea was served in a disposable paper cup, but it’s the thought that counts. I took a sip of the tea.

Taeyang clasped his hands together and gave me a sly smile.

“So, what trouble are you planning to stir up this time, hyung?”

The faint floral scent in my mouth calmed me down.

I explained my situation to Taeyang.

The downfall of the Cornus Family, the future that awaited Sansuyu, and the actions I needed to take in the midst of it all.

It was partly to seek his opinion, but it was also a notice.

“…So, you’re saying you want to find someone who’ll become your wife, hyung?”

“Not a wife.”

“Come on, hyung. Let’s be honest here. What other reason would a guy have for looking for a woman?”

If he interpreted my act of repaying a debt as some guy’s scheme to hook up with a girl, what kind of expression should I make?

Noticing my stiffening expression, Taeyang hurriedly changed the topic.

“You want to save the Cornus Family, which both Flower and the World Tree are targeting, right, hyung?”

“Just Sansuyu.”

“Yes, yes, just Sansuyu noona. The point is, you, who’ve been passively holding them at bay, are now planning to go head-to-head with both forces, aren’t you?”

Taeyang tilted his head as he summarized the situation.

It was reckless. At this point, with everything tangled up and my growth already underway, if I strayed any further, my future would become uncertain.

Tap, tap.

Taeyang tapped the floor with his hand. His now-serious face looked at me.

“First off, I’m against it.”

As soon as he said that, surprisingly, the surrounding noise disappeared.

“I’m not going to say something like, ‘There are plenty of women out there…’ I know how much you care for Sansuyu noona, hyung, because I’ve seen it up close.”

Perhaps afraid of getting hit, Taeyang dragged out his words.

I had a vague idea of what Taeyang’s opinion would be.

He always thought about my path to becoming a king, no matter where we were.

As long as it didn’t hinder that path, he didn’t care much about what I did.

But in situations like this, where my life or future was at risk, he was extremely sensitive.

“Your potential is still limitless, hyung. Why do you think you’re still alive? The World Tree and Flower are too busy fighting each other to care. That’s why.”

“And?”

“But if you help Sansuyu, there’s a 70% chance you’ll end up screwed.”

It was a rational judgment.

Taeyang emphasized his opinion several times.

“But even so, you’re going to do whatever you want, aren’t you, hyung?”

“…”

“I’m good at reading people, and you’re not the type to back out here.”

He was sharp.

It seemed like Taeyang secretly drank a mind-reader’s potion while I wasn’t looking.

“But here’s what I can say for sure.”

Taeyang raised a finger and smirked confidently.

“Your mentor, the people around you, including me—most of us will try to stop you from doing this.”

“Why?”

“You might wonder why. That’s because you haven’t been here long.”

Being treated as a heretic by the Faith of the World Tree meant there was a reason and a sin behind it.

“This world, you see, brainwashes people from the textbook education stage about the essence and power of the World Tree. Heretics are considered fair game to kill… Even a saint with a pure and clean image, once labeled a heretic, instantly becomes the worst scum in history. Right? Even without any evidence.”

“Probably.”

“Advocating for such a person, trying to protect them—can you imagine it?”

No matter how close you were, they were still an outsider.

And yet, I was willing to ruin your life for that outsider.

If it were just my own life being ruined, that’d be one thing, but there’s no way it’d look good in others’ eyes.

If Seyeong or Jin Dallae knew everything and figured out how I’d act?

Even I think those two would try to stop me.

In fact, there’s a chance they’d fall into a trap while trying to help me.

“…It’s a problem.”

The bonds I had built up until now felt like a burden.

It’s not that I disliked them or anything. It was because I liked them that I didn’t want them dragged into my miserable future.

“As always, the decision is yours, hyung. I’ll follow it. If you tell me to die, I’ll die.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s why I’m clinging to life so desperately.”

I wouldn’t change my approach.

If I could somehow secure Sansuyu without getting caught, I could start anew with a new identity or live in hiding—there were ways.

Reading my expression, Taeyang shrugged.

“I’ll be ready to fight whenever. I’ll let Aori know. It’s a vassal’s duty to make reckless things happen.”

“…You’re already someone whose life was ruined by being manipulated by trees. If you can’t do what you want, that’d be unfair, wouldn’t it?”

Taeyang, who had achieved much in the past but lost just as much.

Perhaps seeing something in me, his smiling lips contrasted with his deeply empty eyes.

“Do what you want, hyung.”

Find a method.

It wasn’t like I was searching for a dragon ball that grants wishes by collecting seven pieces; there were almost no pieces of information rolling in.

I had searched through all known residential areas of the Cornus Family, but there was no significant trace.

Even after mobilizing spirits to look for traces of magic, to no avail.

As if proving why they were one of the top families in the world, the investigations by the World Tree or my own actions met with obstacles.

―The Hidden Cornus, Where Are They? [HOT]

Despite their financial power surpassing even the World Tree Foundation, I couldn’t find them even after thoroughly investigating all the companies and guilds they cooperated with.

Considering most of their money goes into research, they shouldn’t have amassed that much power.

‘Can’t find them at all.’

Well, they were a family with a thousand years of history.

It means they could compete in size with the relatively new Flower or the World Tree.

“…Disciple…”

My thoughts deepened. Was there really nothing I could do?

Jung Siwoo once received a location tracker from the World Tree.

If I drew some gacha, wouldn’t I have a chance to get one if I was lucky?

I had earned plenty of points from overlapping with many trees in the last cradle. There was nothing I couldn’t do.

But if that was the case, it didn’t make sense that the World Tree didn’t know Sansuyu’s location.

Maybe the Cornus Family had settled in a place even the World Tree couldn’t easily reach.

“Third Disciple.”

I hadn’t slept for over a week. My body had healed sufficiently, but something still felt stuck.

‘…Should I use a hardline approach?’

Just as I was contemplating whether to use force.

“THIRD DISCIPLE!!!”

Baekdo’s loud shout shook my eardrums.

“…Yes, yes?”

“What are you doing while your master is here?”

-Bang, bang!

Baekdo thrust the wooden mallet in her hand towards me, tapping the entrance.

Just now, our Peach Sisters came to see my face.

Baekdo must have had a lot on her plate lately, even getting drunk.

“Follow me quickly.”

“Am I a can opener?”

“Tsk! There’s an old saying, ‘Respect the teacher and honor the way.’ I’m making a beast like you into a human. Shouldn’t you at least receive this much treatment?”

“What have you ever done for me?”

If I learned anything, it was mostly from Cheondo.

“GO!!!!!!”

My eardrums felt like they were going to burst. How can Baekdo not have changed a bit since childhood?

“Alright, alright. Give it to me.”

-Click.

That damn Peach Sister. She made me want to give her a proper education.

With the world in chaos, they had a lot to say to me, and since this was the only time they could rest, they took a three-day vacation.

Baekdo chugged the beer I handed her with a pleasant mood. I couldn’t help but laugh at her serene appearance and took a sip myself.

Beer dripped from Baekdo’s lips, trailing down her chin and splashing onto her chest.

Skin was peeking through. Her underwear was black.

Under the black robe, there were dolphin shorts and a white crop top that made one question their eyes.

Compared to full-body stockings, it was ordinary, but she definitely didn’t look like a martial artist.

“Lee Shiheon, why are you so ugly?”

“What?”

“I don’t like anything you do. I came all the way here to see you after finishing my work, but you don’t even welcome me… just lost in your thoughts.”

Perhaps feeling a bit hurt inside, she grumbled while drinking.

She was supposed to be older than me, but after our past experiences, her complaints seemed rather cute.

Even if I denied it, I had to admit that her appearance was pretty.

“Bastard.”

“……”

Yet today, she was more irritable than usual.

There was a reason for this.

When we went to the airport to pick her up and headed to the hotel, Hwangdo decided to show something interesting with spatial magic, pulling out various trophies.

-Little Brother, Little Brother, want to see something really amazing?

-What?

A pure gold trophy. It was so ornate that once seen, it was unforgettable.

Especially the ten characters written in the center.

[Miss Tree Contest Grand Prize]

And below that, the name.

[Baekdo]

Despite Baekdo’s attempt to dodge when Hwangdo suddenly revealed it, what was seen couldn’t be unseen. As a result, I found myself serving Baekdo now.

Yes, I was caught up in the whims of the mischievous peach tree.

“Sigh.”

She seemed to think of the Miss Tree Contest as her own disgrace.

“Water.”

Her face turned bright red as she hit my back relentlessly.

The handprint on my back proved it.

I poured cold ice water into Baekdo’s cup as I spoke.

“Winning an award is a good thing. What’s wrong with you? Are you mad at me for this?”

“I’m not mad….”

“Then don’t pout and wipe your drool.”

A true martial artist wouldn’t participate in such beauty contests, or so Baekdo’s philosophy seemed.

“…Hwangdo applied for it without my consent. What can I do…!”

“I didn’t say anything. And, I saw you’ve won four times in a row. At this point, aren’t you enjoying it?”

“No….”

Despite nodding off, Baekdo denied it.

“Sigh, really.”

She fell asleep soon after.

Who would find such a tree beautiful?

Just because someone had a pretty face, big chest, soft thighs, and a slim waist didn’t mean they’re everything.

A woman should have a good personality. It was hard to meet someone with a heart as black as coal, no matter how much you polish it.

‘She is pretty though.’

But I didn’t expect her to make it big on a world scale.

Miss Tree Contest.

She won first place, beating out all those beautiful national trees and wooden figures.

Four years in a row, no less.

There might be trees that didn’t participate because they weren’t interested, but still, it was an impressive feat.

So what?

In my eyes, she was still very ugly.

“…Mmm.”

“Wake up.”

Sighing, I got up, hugged Baekdo, and lifted her.

The strong scent of peach filled my nose.

I hugged her slim waist, stood up abruptly, and leaned her against me.

Her arms went around my neck for support, and Baekdo’s body naturally leaned against mine.

-Fluff.

I undressed her from the black robe and laid her on the bed.

How was it that her skin was whiter than the hotel sheets?

‘Maybe I should just sleep too.’

I had been up too many nights. I would like to leave right now, but my eyelids were heavy.

“…Yeah.”

As Baekdo turned over, scratching her stomach, her lower half was slightly visible under her full thighs.

No matter when I looked, her appearance was close to my ideal type.

But why was her personality like that?

Irritated, I slapped her thigh once.

-Smack!

“Huh!”

A short scream. Done. All that was left was for Baekdo to strangle me when she saw the handprint tomorrow.

I found a spot in the corner of the bed and lay down.

Sleepiness came over me enough to fall asleep immediately.

“…Little Brother.”

It was then that I heard Hwangdo’s seductive voice.