Eat The World Tree

Chapter 234: Timing (5)

Shiheon and Taeyang looked at each other.

“Tree Spirit King.”

That name, uttered in a single heavy word, struck deep.

Lee Shiheon, the heir to the Tree Spirit King. To him, the Tree Spirit King was an unforgettable name.

It was endlessly tiresome, and despite having nothing to do with him, it kept being mentioned.

From the time he received the blessing of the Color Eye, to when he traveled to the past, and even now.

It’s purely a personal feeling, but it’s not very pleasant.

He knew it’s a power he must use, but it’s not a power he liked.

Even though he had been enduring obscene desires every day, this temperament didn’t go away because of the Tree Spirit King’s ability.

It’s not going to get better.

He needed to be with as many women as possible.

And he needed to subdue and make the trees his own.

These feelings have been growing increasingly lately.

Ever since returning from the past, his mind became hazy when he was not next to certain people.

Though he hadn’t said anything, his mind was crowded.

Lee Shiheon was aware of this. He bitterly touched the collar of his shirt.

“Seeing that reaction, it seems like you know something.”

Taeyang, reading Shiheon’s face, turned his body. His tone changed.

On the surface of his tanned brown skin, scars that were not easily noticeable were engraved.

They were not scars from a sword.

They were scars from the skin being ripped apart in several directions and then subsiding. Marks of being whipped or tortured.

“I do know. Why?”

Taeyang’s face turned sour at the calm response.

His eyes seemed filled with inexplicable joy and a very high level of excitement.

It was clear he couldn’t control his emotions.

Even though he was trying to be as solemn as possible, it was obvious.

“…If I told you there’s someone who inherited the Tree Spirit King’s power?”

Shiheon was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“It’s probably me.”

He said it as if it were nothing.

Inheriting the power of that giant figure, the Tree Spirit King, so casually.

For a moment, joy spread across Taeyang’s face, and he wiped his face with both hands.

“Ah, damn. Finally….”

Taeyang cursed, venting his emotions.

The result of searching for Lee Shiheon for quite a long time. How many years had it been?

He glanced at Shiheon’s mask through his fingers and spoke heavily.

“Sorry about that. Got a bit excited.”

“So, what is it?”

“So. Aori and I, we both came here to find you.”

“I already know that. For what reason?”

Shiheon responded coldly.

The power of the Tree Spirit King. Why were they looking for him?

And why was this power given to him?

Taeyang, catching his breath with overflowing emotion, slowly opened his mouth.

“I only heard the story. Someone who inherited the Tree Spirit King’s power would appear around this time, so find and guide that person.”

Guide.

Taeyang, drawing out the end of his words, quietly added as if to avoid misunderstanding.

“Of course…. They also said if the person with the Tree Spirit King’s power is not suitable, then take that power away. Oh, wait. Wait…. It’s troublesome if you suddenly show killing intent. I have no intention of hostility, and even if I did take the Tree Spirit King’s power, I don’t have the confidence to handle it.”

“Be specific.”

“So… damn, where do I even start explaining this.”

Taeyang scratched the back of his neck, his face wrinkling in complexity.

“Aori and I are not your enemies. As long as you prove that you are worthy of that power. Anything…. Okay? We can tell you everything.”

“Prove?”

“Prove it. Yeah, prove it. Damn, these guys explained it too abstractly, so… damn….”

Taeyang’s inner thoughts were frustrated. Like a soldier forcibly assigned an unwanted mission.

He couldn’t figure out where to start explaining.

Then, suddenly, a good idea came to him.

Taeyang began to loosen his hands.

“So, to put it simply.”

A slight hint of hostility could be felt in Taeyang’s eyes.

“This is it-”

A swift surprise attack.

A straight punch coming directly at him. The blow was fast and powerful, especially for an academy student.

-Whoosh!

Shiheon tilted his head to avoid it and stepped back.

“Teaming or whatever, it’s exhausting to create relationships and gauge whether to attack from behind or not.”

Anyway, that’s more convenient for him too. Such a question made Shiheon frown.

No need to waste time figuring out the opponent’s intentions through conversation.

That was the intention, but did it annoy him?

“Seoul Academy Mok Taeyang. Did you introduce yourself?”

Taeyang took a stance.

“I don’t have a surname. I was picked up and raised in an organization that gathers only the descendants of the Tree Spirit King.”

“So.”

“My mission there was to test if the Tree Spirit King’s successor ever appeared.”

As he started swinging his fists, his thoughts became clear.

Descendants of the Tree Spirit King.

The Tree Spirit King violated all sorts of trees and wood spirits. Certainly, his seed would have spread among women all over the world.

Even if the World Tree selected and rejected those descendants, some would survive somewhere.

“Don’t use magic. How about a fight?”

However, for Shiheon, that was not important information.

What mattered was that there was someone in front of him who might know information about him.

“Anyway, it’s a relief to know that you’re the successor of the Tree Spirit King. If you didn’t know, I might have had to kill you.”

-I might have to kill you.

Those words were not light.

As if to say shut up, he moved before Taeyang finished his words.

-Tadak.

When Shiheon exerted his strength, his muscles swelled. Even his status window briefly expanded.

His increased physical abilities were hard to follow with the eyes of an ordinary cadet.

In that state, he moved forward and threw a single punch at Taeyang’s face.

-Paang!

Taeyang urgently raised his arms to block the attack. The weight was beyond his imagination, causing him to stagger backward.

Shiheon closed in on Taeyang, who had lost his balance.

-Giwutung.

With that alone, it was already over.

-Kwaang!

He grabbed his opponent by the neck and slammed him to the ground.

With his legs straightened, Taeyang’s body spun in a circle.

His body hit the ground without understanding the situation.

His lungs contracted as pain erupted from his mouth, unprepared for the agony.

“Krakh…!”

-Ddduduk!

Taeyang’s eyes widened. The sound of ribs breaking. His face twisted in pain.

But it didn’t stop there.

Shiheon reached out, grabbed Taeyang’s neck like a chicken, and twisted it. With his other hand, he created a blade from a thin layer of mana.

“It seems you’ve got some serious misunderstandings.”

Just before stabbing the blade, he spoke.

His voice was cold and calm.

“Killing is not your decision.”

Taeyang’s eyes twitched. Blood trickled from his nose.

His lips were trembling.

The strength was a bit much, but it was okay.

He had controlled his strength enough that the others couldn’t hear.

“Tree Spirit King or whatever. I don’t know who you are.”

Evaluation?

Ridiculous.

“But you should speak properly.”

Did you expect no reaction while talking about killing?

The heir to the Tree Spirit King, indeed.

He had already experienced assassination attempts. Shiheon’s cold eyes focused on his face.

Even hidden behind a mask, it was evident.

Eyes that have killed dozens, hundreds of people.

A palpable fear. An absurd laugh escaped Taeyang’s lips.

He tightened his grip.

The suffocation was felt through his pulse. The taste of death just before reaching it. And the sensation of life being cut off just before dying. He knew both well.

“…Gup, guk.”

Taeyang looked at Shiheon even as he gasped for breath.

His gaze remained unchanged.

The veins on his forearm slightly loosened. He could breathe again.

A voice that seemed almost dead flowed from Taeyang’s mouth.

“Kuk, damn. Got beaten.”

An absurd remark. Ironically, it revealed Taeyang’s personality well.

Shiheon judged that Taeyang was a person with no attachment to life.

He had seen many such cases among the people he had killed.

Those who lost their minds on the battlefield, showing no change in expression even in the moment of death.

But Taeyang was slightly different.

He had the face of a man living at the bottom. A different kind of madness, having experienced things stickier than death.

Taeyang had suffered since childhood.

Keeping death nearby was natural. During the process of receiving part of the Tree Spirit King’s power, he had also endured pain equivalent to death.

Indifferent sex? Of course, he had done it.

He had committed all sorts of petty and dirty deeds.

Even a scumbag like Taeyang momentarily shuddered at the fear before him.

“Okay. I acknowledge… No, brother. Please let it go now. I’ll tell you everything.”

Even though he admitted defeat, Shiheon’s face didn’t relax.

No matter how you looked, his face was dizzy and disoriented.

This was just a simple duel. How would he be in a real life-and-death battle?

He seemed to catch a glimpse of the aura of the Tree Spirit King, who once ruled the whole world almost dominantly.

Maybe he didn’t know yet. Did he even know he was making such a face?

It wasn’t a human expression.

The power of the Tree Spirit King seemed to be slowly aligning him to kingly qualities.

At first glance, his face seemed a bit playful.

When he threw a punch, his face instantly changed.

Shedding his clumsy appearance, he immediately revealed his true self.

The chilling eyes were enough to turn his fleeting thoughts into certainty.

Despite his shaking legs, Taeyang kept smiling.

He might have thought he looked like a king.

“What do you want to know?”

Shiheon responded to Taeyang’s question.

“Everything.”

Taeyang shivered as if in agreement.

For some reason, his body responded even without answering.

Feeling the compulsion, even his slight doubts were resolved.

“Anything I know.”

Taeyang was laughing until he nearly passed out.

“But… brother. Could you please… heal me now?”

As the battle ended, Taeyang felt the oxygen in his head depleting and crawled.

At that moment, Shiheon’s expression began to loosen.

As the fight ended, his face became a bit softer.

The terrifying aura disappeared, and the eerie pupils regained their light.

Like adding expressions to an emotionless wooden doll, Shiheon, adding a touch of humanity, stared at Taeyang in front of him.

Gradually, his lips curled up.

With an open mask, his expression was somewhat readable.

Taeyang read Shiheon’s expression.

Instinctively, he judged there would be no mercy, not even a sip of comfort.

He had hoped for a potion, but soon Shiheon’s mouth opened.

“Just faint, you bastard.”

“…Yes.”

As expected.

There was no mercy for those who attacked him.