Eat The World Tree

Chapter 318: Collapse Of The Cradle (3)

Thud.

The iron chain hit the ground with a heavy clatter.

“Hoo.”

Now was the time.

With narrowed eyes, she raised both fists.

She dodged the incoming punch aimed at her face with a quick turn of her head.

Relying on her reflexes, she defended herself against the continuous blows.

The shadow of a man loomed in front of her. Dozens of punches branched out in multiple directions simultaneously.

She couldn’t read the movements.

Refining the basics, honing her edge.

She adjusted her techniques, mended her movements one by one, and adapted them to counter him.

After another bout, she reconstructed the image in her mind.

If it were him, how would he move? Would he defend? Or would he counterattack?

-Flash!

Bao’s eyes glimmered in resonance.

She evaded the countless strikes coming from a diagonal angle with uncanny agility.

The more she understood, the more mysterious the martial arts became. Who on earth devised such movements?

It was as if someone who had reached the pinnacle of their craft refined and perfected a martial art solely for themselves.

The veins on her muscles twitched. Her entire body was on edge, her eyes scanning left and right.

Four fists flying toward her face.

She extended her leg forward, dodging the attacks.

An existence unmatched in physical ability and reflexes.

The Fighting King. Bao.

Her talents alone were comparable to the gods of the African interior.

The last thing reflected in her eyes was the panicked shadow finally exposing an opening.

-Wham!

She landed a decisive strike against the opponent who had come within reach.

The entire room shook, and the shadow vanished on the spot.

“Hah, hah...”

Breathing heavily, Bao wiped her eyes. Her entire body was drenched in sweat.

At last, she dropped to her knees, blinking her reddened eyes.

“Finally.”

A raspy voice scraped out of her throat.

Closing her sweat-stung eyes tightly, she trembled as if her overtrained body was on the verge of collapse.

She had skipped the third trial entirely.

She had devoted everything up until now solely to prepare for the next battle.

She now believed she had caught up to Lee Shiheon’s martial arts. The culmination of her grueling efforts was a martial prowess unmatched by any comparison. ŖᴀNobΕs

“I can do it.”

A bright, childlike smile appeared on Bao’s lips.

Her expression soon twisted into a wicked grin as she strode out of her room.

The hotel door, unopened for weeks, finally swung open. Cadets in the hallway stared wide-eyed at her.

The source of the nightly pounding noises. Her torn clothes and sweat-soaked appearance were quite the spectacle.

“Uh... Are you alr—”

A cadet attempted to speak, but Bao, her eyes wild, was already striding confidently downstairs.

With her shoulders squared, she arrived in front of Lee Shiheon’s door.

She knocked, and soon, a man stepped out.

“Huh?”

Lee Shiheon tilted his head at the familiar face.

Before long, a smile broke across his lips.

“Ready? Today, I’ll make you cry.”

Bao, brimming with confidence, even pointed a finger as she declared this.

Lee Shiheon merely shrugged without much reaction.

“Bring it on.”

He denied her.

“Nope.”

“...What?”

“Come in first.”

Lee Shiheon opened the door and patted her on the shoulder. Bao, bewildered, stepped inside.

Inside the suspicious room, a man and a woman sat, their faces already bored.

After letting Bao in, Lee Shiheon quietly muttered behind her.

“One secured.”

Bao’s skill ranked among the highest of the National Trees.@@@@

Even though the National Trees possessed excellent practical experience and skills due to state-level training, few could match Bao, who had been grinding her bones in battles since childhood.

“Not exactly.”

It was impossible not to laugh. Wasn’t it odd?

If it continued like this, all S-rank hunters within the Cradle would become suspects.

The Forester Selection Competition, more scrutinized than a national news broadcast, would become a flashpoint for global chaos the moment it stopped.

Even though it’s just a festival, chaos could ignite for the pettiest reasons.

“I stand in the middle of this absurd turmoil. Not on anyone’s side—just trying to save a few people and for my personal gain.”

It was laughable, really.

“Hey.”

I turned my head toward the voice and saw Bao scowling.

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about after calling me here. Get up. Let’s fight.”

“...Did you not listen to a word I said?”

I had explained at length why there was no need for us to fight right now.

From global politics and economics to the possibility of war and an assault on the Cradle, I laid it all out.

Yet, this woman, whose brain seemed to be made of muscles, yawned as if she was bored.

“So, are we not fighting? My insides are burning.”

“Aren’t you the one setting your own insides on fire?”

“I get what you’re saying. But why should we be the ones to step up?”

“...Aren’t you a National Tree?”

“I wasn’t, originally. I have no obligations, nor do I remember receiving anything for it.”

I had forgotten.

Her way of thinking was beyond what I could understand.

The world was fair, after all. If you were excessively talented, there’s bound to be a flaw somewhere.

Wasn’t there clear evidence of that in the four people present here?

“Four, you say?”

Hearing my mutterings, Taeyang shook his head.

“Make that three. I’m pretty sure I don’t belong in that group.”

“Shut it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ha!”

Bao let out a baffled laugh at our exchange.

“What are you guys? Playing master and servant?”

“Anyway. We can’t fight now. The situation is what it is.”

“...Sigh. After it’s all over?”

Bao stepped back slightly, but the disappointment wasn’t mine.

I was the one with the Spring Peach Blossom’s contact information.

I was the one who had set the stakes for three matches.

Breaking this arrangement would result in no loss for me.

“It’s difficult.”

“What?”

Her voice grew cold, like ice.

“When the Cradle falls, what comes next? War, right? I’ll be too busy worrying about how to survive to be messing around with you.”

“...What, what nonsense is that?”

The National Trees slept in warm beds and couldn’t comprehend the gravity of it.

People like Taeyang and me, we commoners, couldn’t do anything if a war broke out.

It’d be the start of a real-life apocalypse, plain and simple.

Especially now that turning civilians into Ents had been confirmed as possible.

An Ent Apocalypse was not out of the question.

“Do you think I’d just stand by and watch that happen?”

“Then help cleanly.”

For what felt like the hundredth time, I asked Bao the same question.

“You’re someone who loves fighting. Wouldn’t this be a pretty great experience for you, too?”

Instead of emphasizing morality, I leaned into her passion for battle.

For someone like Bao, who views combat as sacred, this was the better angle to persuade her.

“You’ve timed this all wrong. You wasted too much time.”

“......”

I wasn’t sure how much image training she’d done imagining ways to beat me up.

But the fact that she’d skipped the third trial to prepare for this fight showed how serious she was.

That kind of dedication naturally consumed a lot of time.

Bao remained silent for a long while.

“...Hoo. Fine.”

In the end, Bao agreed. Satisfied, I reached out and shook her limp hand enthusiastically.

One down.

I still needed a few more.