Eat The World Tree

Chapter 222: Lonnie (2)

“Hey, Abie.”

At Bell’s words, the National Tree of England, Abie approached, and they high-fived each other.

“I get it. When you clear the dungeon, they give you food.”

Meeting on the first day was nothing short of a great blessing. In this vast dungeon, gathering team members was an extremely rare occurrence without proper magical detection.

“There are artifacts too.”

Therefore, it was only possible to gather team members after clearing the dungeon and loosening the supply of artifacts a bit. Bell showed various food items like biscuits and cheese from his backpack.

“Not bad.”

Abie nodded while looking at the items.

If we keep enduring like this, a week will pass quickly.

“Hey C, do you see this? These are things we got from this dungeon.”

“C? What’s that?”

“It’s the name of this artifact.”

The camera floating beside Bell tilted its head like a puppy.

Bell hugged the camera as if putting it in a headlock and giggled, patting the lens cover. Bell’s cheerful face was vividly reflected in the camera lens broadcasting the scene.

“Now we just need to find Maronie.”

Abie muttered while adjusting her backpack.

“Where’s that shorty and what is she up to?”

“If the distance is too far, it might be hard to meet. We might have to endure just the two of us.”

“So, she’s surviving alone in this swampy forest?”

Bell laughed at Abie’s words, already imagining Maronie with a sulking face.

“…Well, it would be tough for us too if we become targets.”

Abie tried to calm Bell’s imagination. After all, the Forester Selection Competition was a competition among the National Trees. If they didn’t get Maronie to join soon, the damage would be theirs to bear.

“Kheuheu. I can clearly see her whining about mud on her clothes and aching legs.”

Bell laughed, clasping her hands behind her head.

Just then, monsters in the forest began to gather.

-Whirr.

A faint whistle sound echoed through her lips.

“It’s a catchy tune.”

Even though she didn’t care about anything else, Maronie’s flute playing was fantastic.

Bell thought to herself.

Everything else was crude, and her magic skills were poor.

But she wished she could hear the song soon.

-Boom.

Red energy gathered in her fists.

“My legs hurt.”

“…How much have you walked?”

Maronie, following behind me, hit the pebbles on the dirt path with her staff. The girl was panting heavily as she trudged through the forest path.

I was the one clearing the tall grass and branches to make a path, yet why was she more exhausted?

Even if I wanted to argue, she’s a capable magician.

‘Right from the start, her skills are… almost S-grade Hunter level.’

If you asked if her skills have reached S-grade, it’s still ambiguous to conclude. However, seeing her skill in magic and the complex incantations, I could understand why she was treated as a National Tree.

And the unique abilities each National Tree possessed. That’s dangerous.

“…Hah. Hah.”

Of course, she looked like this now.

Maronie was on the verge of collapse. She didn’t even use the common body strengthening magic to save her mana.

A magician without magic was just an ordinary person.

For someone as small as Maronie, visible even through her clothes, her stamina was hopeless.

“How about using some magic?”

“…Ugh.”

Maronie’s eyes wavered at my advice.

Though she’s saving mana, there’s no point if her stamina was that low. She seemed to be in a self-contradiction.

“We need to move faster.”

“Oh… my gosh.”

“What if the dungeon is taken?”

“Okay, I get it.”

Reluctantly, she gathered mana in her staff and pointed at her feet.

“Golem. Bisou.”

A giant stone golem appeared under her feet.

It seemed about 2.5 meters tall, looking like a bent-over stone statue of King Kong.

Her face looked much brighter as she climbed onto its shoulder.

A cat on the shoulder? It felt like that.

“The golem’s name is Bisou?”

“…W-what about it?”

Maronie snapped back at my question.

Bisou translated to kiss. My translator heard it that way.

She must like cute things.

Thinking that, I diligently moved my arms.

As we moved a bit further, Maronie, who had been watching me cautiously, asked.

“Shall I make the path now? I summoned Bisou.”

“It’s not difficult, so don’t bother.”

“…Are you a magician?”

Magician.

Maronie asked, trembling.

She seemed to recall the time we fought.

“Even magicians who specialize in close combat don’t usually have such physical abilities.”

I stopped moving and stared at her.

Maronie averted her gaze at my blunt stare.

“I didn’t mean to belittle you. I’m not doubting you…”

“Alright.”

“…Are you a National Tree?”

“El Academy student.”

Maronie swallowed nervously at my words.

“And you?”

“You… don’t know me?”

“I don’t.”

“U-uh really? Hmm… I am. Manhattan Academy.”

It seemed like a matter of pride not to say she was a National Tree, mentioning the second-ranked academy instead.

There’s no reason to lie.

She seemed stubborn.

“What’s your name?”

“Usually… don’t you say your name first?”

“Lee Shiheon.”

“Ma… I’m Maronie.”

-Whistle Whistle.

She whistled again. Surprisingly, the whistle sounded pleasant. Maybe it was because of her good voice.

It would probably get a lot of views if posted online.

I continued clearing the forest path at a quick pace.

-Hoong!

As I pushed aside the last tall grass, the blocked view suddenly opened up.

Finally, the refreshing wind hit.

In front of my eyes, a large waterfall and a vast lake filled my sight.

There was a slightly fishy but cool scent of water. The spray of water falling like snow.

-Swoosh.

And naturally, the faint trace of mana sensed inside the waterfall.

“Found it.”

It was a dungeon.

The reason I brought Maronie along.

My mana capacity was not significantly different from other National Trees, so I needed to conserve mana too.

Clearing the dungeon would reward us with something valuable. The rewards in such places were plentiful, as we had already learned in El Academy.

There would be enough to share between the two of us.

[Jiing]

[Iing]

As we got closer to the dungeon, cameras began to gather around us.

Maronie looked embarrassed. It was understandable since a National Tree was walking around with a mere student. Perhaps an article about it had already been published by now. Imagining it was amusing. France would find it fascinating, and so would Korea.

“Are we going right now?”

Instead of answering Maronie’s question, I pointed inside the waterfall with my staff.

“…I told you this would be the last time, right? This is the last time we clear a dungeon together.”

“Yeah.”

“Hoo, okay.”

Maronie raised her staff and invoked her magic.

As her body lifted, mine also floated in the air.

A bubble-like air barrier formed around us. Like a soap bubble, it slowly flew towards the waterfall.

The increasingly loud sound of the waterfall. Cameras approached us, capturing the two of us in their lenses.

-Swoosh!

Water parted as we entered the waterfall.

Fortunately, cameras did not follow us inside the dungeon.

It meant that whatever happened inside the dungeon wouldn’t be filmed.

-Drop.

Inside the waterfall, it was quiet. Only the sound of water dripping from the stalactites echoed leisurely.

The inside of the dungeon was a massive cave. A hidden dungeon with a small magical seal at the entrance.

When I reached out to the large, rusty iron door, I felt resistance.

“…This seems like it would take a lot of magic to unlock. What do you think? Will you do it, or should we share the load?”

Maronie approached from behind and asked me.

Indeed.

I didn’t expect such a sturdy magic seal to guard the dungeon door.

Unless we broke this seal, the door wouldn’t open. The magic was so intricate that it would be difficult to unravel without infusing it with a lot of mana for a long time.

“You do it, Lonnie.”

I told her.

Maronie asked, bewildered.

“Huh, what?”

“Don’t want to?”

“Of course, I don’t! Are you stupid? Or dumb? We need to survive for a week, and you want me to use about 20% of my mana here?”

“Then we’ll starve? You look hungry. I’ll handle the clearing.”

“Hungry…!”

-Growl.

Maronie blushed and held her stomach.

“See?”

“Anyway, using this much mana for just one dungeon is a waste.”

“If it’s worth this much, there’s a reason for such a strong magical seal. Don’t you know hard work pays off?”

“No matter how good the weather is after the rain (Après la pluie, le beau temps)… Still, this is too much. How about sharing the load, like fellow academy students? What if we run into other National Trees?”

Desperately trying to conserve her mana, Maronie.

I looked at her silently and sighed.

“….”

Her shoulders trembled at my unusual response.

“Should I just do it…?”

No, forget it.

If she didn’t want to use that much mana.

“Then I’ll break this. Will you handle the clearing?”

When I suggested swapping roles, Maronie’s face brightened.

Her expression said it all, so there was no need for a response.

I turned my head and showed my back to Maronie. I gripped the staff tightly.

‘If it’s this level of magic seal.’

No cameras were watching us here anyway.

-Slip.

Black mana crawled up my shoulder. It moved like a snake, dark with a hint of red.

“If you do it, it’s good for me. I can really clear the dungeon well… Wait, wait. What are you… doing?”

I raised my staff and struck the door.

-Bang!

Bolts flew off.

“Hyah!”

Maronie, startled, stepped back like a cat.

The echo of the door’s scream resounded through the cave.

-Screech~, Screech.

The door, as if begging for mercy, emitted a wailing sound.

I struck the door again with the staff.

-Bang! Bang!

After five strikes, the bent door finally broke.

I kicked the half-destroyed door.

-Bam Bam!

Thick dark energy oozed from the shattered door. The magical seal on the door slowly lost its power, failing its purpose of guarding and disappearing.

“…Uh, uh.”

Maronie blinked her wide eyes.

I stepped over the threshold and spoke to her.

“Come in. You said you’d clear it?”

Maronie, who had been sitting blankly for a while, hurriedly gathered her staff and entered the dungeon.

The entrance to the dungeon was made of green moss-covered stone bricks.

Water droplets fell from the ceiling, and the torches on the walls flickered as if they might go out at any moment.

“…It smells strong.”

Maronie, who was leading the way, looked around and wrinkled her nose.

Limestone. Alcohol. Water and blood. Various strong scents mixed together and were overwhelming.

We took a step forward.

-Clunk.

A sign popped up from below suddenly.

“Ki, Ki-jil?”

Maronie tilted her head, reading the sign.

What kind of writing is on it to make her react like that?

I read the sign over her shoulder and smiled bitterly as I finished reading it.

[Temperament, your unique trait is enhanced.]

Temperament.

The sudden effect sent chills down my spine.