Eat The World Tree

It wasn’t easy to force myself into the mold of a genius.

To represent an entire nation was a position only those capable of bearing such weight could aspire to, and I wasn’t one of them.

I simply became a National Tree because I was a little bit smarter than others.

‘Honestly, I didn’t like it.’

Wearing the tricolor badge over my heart felt burdensome.

Carrying the national flag and competing alone against other countries was unpleasant.

Representing the pride of my people.

Publishing every detail of my research.

And having my actions turned into political fodder or fuel for online criticism.

I cried a lot, and I complained a lot.

No matter how hard I tried, nothing changed, so I half gave up.

Everyone wanted me in this position.

Betraying them would be too cruel.

As long as I was the only one suffering, it was fine.

I would quietly hold this position and wait for someone else to come along and take it over.

Just like all the other Maronnies of France, I would become one of the countless statues lining the Champs-Élysées.

Staying forever in the hearts of my people wasn’t such a bad thing.

Let’s just keep it this way.

That’s the kind of cowardly person I was.

‘Not anymore.’

Boom!

Pure white flowers climbed steep cliffs, spreading upward and beyond.

Go farther—

Farther, carrying this heart, these eyes, and these burning tears until they slowly resound far away.

Then, it would be my turn to step forward.

Opening my mouth, I released my magic.

“Entr’Acte.”

The scattered petals sank into the ground.

The fragrant purity spread to the furthest reaches, and the bodies of the monsters began dissolving one by one.

The space resonated to where the sound reached, progressively dominating it.

The wave of magic met the monsters and began to devour them.

The mountain’s echo.

The toxicity of the Chestnut tree was enchanting but vicious.

As the flowers advanced, the monsters dissolved.

Terrified by the incomprehensible scene, they fled in haste.

Wooong!

Then, suddenly, the fleeing monsters stopped.

The runes engraved on their foreheads glowed intensely, and they surged forward like a tide once more.

I kept smiling.

Hundreds of wooden spears embedded in the ground ominously aimed at the monsters’ foreheads.

There was something only I could do.

At this moment, I could accept the stigma of being called a genius.

<“Maronnie. If you set your mind to it, you can become the greatest magician, no matter where you are.”>

-Blanche.

The voices of that person and that man echoed.

I straightened my neck, strengthened by their words. My shoulders felt supported.

The dress made of roots swirled around me.

Bang!

When the spear moved, a sonic boom reverberated.

The slender, elongated spears pierced through the approaching monsters in an instant.

Sixty percent of the practical front line of the hotel.

The only entrance through which monsters, the greatest threat to civilian lives, could approach the hotel.

That path came under Maronnie’s control at that moment.

[You coward.]

A voice suddenly rang in my head.

[What are you doing now?]

The best a fledgling kid could do.

[Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be a National Tree?]

I did.

[Then-]

But now, my thoughts were different.

I imagined it. As far as these short arms and small hands could reach.

[Would you throw away your name?]

Even if I were an unworthy stray cat, wouldn’t it be far more meaningful to stretch out with all my might?

[…]

‘I do have a name.’

The Sage, Lee Shiheon, Sansuyu.

There were still people who called me Blanche.

‘It’s fine.’

It was fine.

‘I can do it.’

I’d make it so no living being could set foot here.

Confidence radiated from my brilliantly resonating blue eyes.

-Bang!

As their long claws clashed, the two women were pushed back.

Crash! The ground cracked where their feet struck, barely withstanding the enormous impact.

“Get a grip, onee-sama. Please.”

“The only one who still hasn’t come to their senses is you, Saku. Being kind should have its limits, don’t you think?”

“Since when… did it start?”

Even now, while the cadets were still evacuating, retreating wasn’t an option.

Saku had no choice but to wring out her fatigued body.

“Since when? Ha. The Yoshino family ends today. My little sister isn’t a fool, yet she still doesn’t get it.”

“What are you even talking about—”

“It’s your fault. None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for you.”

“Onee…sama?”

“Don’t call me that! Why did you become the National Tree in the first place? You can’t do anything—can’t save the nation, can’t even protect us from a terrorist attack.”

Saku’s determination faltered.

“Why do I have to lose my spirit and my power because of you? What about that political marriage?”

“…Really, is that… the issue? I’ll… I’ll figure something out, Haku-neesama.”

Haku’s eyes narrowed.

“Disgusting.”

She stuck out her tongue, pretending to gag.

“You were all silent and chummy with the other National Trees when I was suffering. And now—”

“But… I didn’t know anything.”

“Shut up.”

-Boom!

Wind magic engulfed Saku.

Her collar ripped, her skin was slashed, and blood began to flow.

“Ugh…!”

“Don’t take it to heart, Saku.”

“Suyeon…?”

“For now, enduring is all we can do.”

Despite her words, Suyeon’s condition was already ragged.

She emotionlessly chewed on a pill placed in her mouth.

Even the best potion’s effects dulled over time.

The amount of mana stone used had also surpassed its limits.

“Hmm.”

Suyeon’s hand trembled as she gripped her sword.

Maehwa, unscathed, smirked as he approached.

“Aren’t you going to unleash it? It’s starting to lose its fun.”

“…Who knows?”

Suyeon responded with a forced smile, facing Maehwa.

“You’re nothing without it, after all.”

If she revealed her full strength, the cadets around them would inevitably be swept up in the aftermath.

Each National Tree’s power was unique. Both of them knew their abilities better than anyone, which was why they couldn’t use them fully here.

Suyeon gathered her thoughts, tightening her grip.

The white mana pooling at the tip of her sword gradually became transparent, pulling in the surrounding space.

A force capable of cutting through anything. A power that surpassed all others in the realm of blades.

As Suyeon’s blade approached Maehwa step by step, the space around it began to split.

“I can kill you as I am now.”

An absurd statement. Maehwa continued to mock her.

“Kill me? Who? Even your ancient grandfather couldn’t kill me.”

“…You might want to watch your words.”

To Suyeon, Mugung was untouchable.

She was destined to follow him someday and genuinely respected him.

“The only one who can kill me is Baekdo. Only one person! Ha, hahaha!”

Maehwa laughed hysterically, holding out his hands. The same pure white mana Suyeon wielded gathered in her palms, emitting an ominous energy.

“Oh… how wonderful it would be to die by her hands.”

“You’re insane.”

“Of course I am. How could anyone not lose their mind after meeting her?”

His eyes rolled unnaturally.

His twitching lips and erratic gaze revealed his frenzy and madness.

As his previously emotionless face started to show feelings, it became something disturbingly inhuman.

He was unhinged.

Had he truly lost his way amidst countless killings?

His appearance was almost unbearable to witness. Suyeon frowned deeply.

“…….”

Maehwa turned his gaze back to Suyeon.

His expression shifted to one of boredom. His constantly changing demeanor was difficult to adapt to.

He moved his hand slightly.

“If you don’t unleash it—”

Before he could finish his sentence, another woman’s fist struck Maehwa’s face.

-Pow!

Maehwa instinctively raised his arm to block the blow.

The woman who had rushed in grabbed Maehwa’s arm and quickly delivered a kick to his solar plexus.

Bang.

Maehwa was sent flying in a straight line.

The intruder, Bao, flexed her fists, radiating intensity.

“Phew, finally found you.”

Tying back her short black hair, her striking yellow eyes glared at Maehwa. She raised her fists.

Suyeon stared at Bao with a startled expression.

“Why.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Suyeon, feeling like she’d lose if she used formal speech, replied curtly.

Bao, unconcerned, continued to vigilantly watch Maehwa.

Soon, Maehwa’s form vanished.

All eyes in the area turned to one spot. Bao and Maehwa exchanged blows.

-Bang!

A fierce and relentless battle ensued, neither side yielding an inch.

As the damage accumulated, Bao’s physical abilities amplified—her power, “The King of Fists.”

Even as her skills steadily grew stronger, Bao refused to falter.

The two National Trees stepped back momentarily to catch their breath, locking gazes with confident smiles.

More driven by the moment than by gravity, their fierce rivalry seemed to amuse them greatly.

Even Maehwa’s playful demeanor cracked slightly.

He wiped the blood from his broken knuckles and tilted his head with a smirk.

“…Not bad.”

A worthy opponent.

Maehwa’s movements suddenly shifted.

“One.”

The head of the massive monster slammed into the dirt and was dragged across the ground.

Blood gushed forth, following the trail of the corpse.

A cadet, watching in silence, trembled uncontrollably.

“…Ah, uh….”

“Are you okay?”

No matter how thoroughly we led and instructed, it’s impossible to avoid having some people stray.

When monsters appeared suddenly, it was not uncommon for groups of civilians to become stranded in isolated areas.

“The monsters shouldn’t come this way anymore. Follow that path straight ahead, and you should be fine.”

“Th-thank you. Truly… thank you.”

As gratitude filtered through the translator, I smiled awkwardly and was about to leave when I noticed a familiar face among the civilians.

“What are you doing here?”

Lim Jonghyun.

A fellow alumnus of El Academy, though to be honest, I had never paid him much attention.

His aristocratic mentality was so deeply ingrained that he didn’t even consider me a person. He also seemed to dislike the attention I receive on the internet and in communities.

“…We ended up like this while trying to protect them.”

A man spoke, and Lim Jonghyun’s face twisted in irritation.

Perhaps his “noble” spirit drove him to fight monsters among this group of cadets and civilians.

Indeed, there weren’t many monsters left here.

“Anyway, move quickly.”

After giving a few words of guidance to the civilians, I handed potions to the injured, one by one.

These weren’t full potions but refined pills.

Unlike Flower, who have seemingly limitless resources, we couldn’t carry endless war supplies like potions or mana stones.

“Take it. I’ll give you some credit for this.”

“…….”

I placed a small potion and a pill in front of Lim Jonghyun and spoke.

He clenched his teeth as though the situation was utterly humiliating.

“…I wasn’t beaten.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Since he got injured saving people, I’d let it slide for now. If he pushed it any further, though, my tolerance might run out.

Ignoring his words, I resumed my movement. There were plenty of stragglers like him.

And even in the midst of this war, there were those who sought to claim my head, as well-known as it was.

-Boom!

A blast of magic enveloped my body from afar.

The intense heat threatened to melt my body, though only for a moment.

I read the flow of mana and identified its type.

“Get him! If we capture that one…”

“Use whatever artifacts you’ve got!”

The Flowers I had been keeping an eye on finally emerged, surrounding me.

-Crackle, crack, crack!

Sparks flew off my body, charring my skin a fiery red. Melted flesh reattached itself.

Sometimes, you didn’t know unless you took the hit.

-Whoosh!

Flames erupted from my grasp, sweeping through the surroundings.

The Flowers encircling me were engulfed, reduced to a handful of ashes.

“…This is absurd!”

As one of them, far in the distance, tried to flee, I intercepted and blocked their path.

Drawing a dagger from their waist, they screamed in near-panic.

“What… what the hell are you!?”

Dodging the blade, I reached out and gripped their throat.

There was no need for conversation—I squeezed until the voice ceased.

“Not even human—kgh!”

-Crunch!

Flesh splattered as their blood stuck to my body.

Capturing just a few individuals like this could secure the entire frontline.

The battlefront itself wasn’t extensive, so pulling off a miracle like this was feasible.

However, the Flower executives or Baekdo could perform such feats on even larger scales.

“Huff… huff.”

One Flower, clutching a crossbow, held their breath behind me.

An arrow, prepared earlier, pierced their back.

The one staring at me in terror died before they could even realize it.

-Thud!

It wasn’t the first time someone had attempted group assassination.

“Do they get bonuses for killing me or something? Of course, they do—makes sense.”

No matter how many times they came, it didn’t matter.

I was beginning to grasp the extent of my power’s growth.

At this rate, even if I expended myself for an entire night, it wouldn’t be an issue.

-Crackle!

The sound of a walkie-talkie from my pocket.

A rare moment of triumph brought a smile to my face.

[“Your Majesty. We’ve won.”]

Even our Aori managed to make her mark.