Inside the cabin imbued with the energy of spring, I knelt down, meeting eyes with Hwangdo with only the candle in one corner as our light source.
Hwangdo, amidst the awkward ambiance, shivered as she extended a cup of tea to me. It was well-brewed peach black tea.
"Thank you."
"Baekdo owes you one. I'm sorry. And also, about that, don't worry about it. It was an accident."
"It's alright."
While replying, I snuck a glance to the side.
Sansuyu was drinking peach black tea in contentment. She seemed to like sweet things.
What in the world was happening?
Dissociative identity disorder?
Having dual personalities like Hwangdo and Baekdo was truly astonishing.
"Baekdo will probably be back by tomorrow morning."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And about the misconduct committed by Baekdo… I can only say I'm sorry. I'll do anything within my capabilities."
"That's also alright."
Comparatively, Hwangdo seemed to have proper values, allowing me to reply pleasantly. Thinking of that woman engulfed in madness then… it was honestly quite hard to endure. I patted Shiba on the flowerpot I was holding. Squeak, Shiba seemed pleased. I brought her here, fearing she might throw a tantrum if she was left again.
-Gulp.
Drinking a sip of the peach black tea, I felt a warm relaxation. It had a pleasant taste. Reflecting on the day, I wondered if I had to undergo such hellish training again tomorrow.
Baekdo was truly unbearable. Wouldn't it be better if Hwangdo trained me instead?
Looking at Hwangdo with such thoughts, she, who had been staring at my face for a while, smiled brightly.
"…I, I like soft peaches. Hehe."
What!!
"You are quite learned."
I genuinely thought so.
Hearing my words, Hwangdo blushed and started mumbling.
"Peaches should be soft. Don't you think? Soft so that even children and elderly can eat, and also very sweet."
"That's right, that's right."
"Canned peaches are all sweet! They need to be juicy to be tasty."
"Kya. You only speak the truth."
"Hehe, we have something in common."
We united over peaches.
Talking about peaches for a while, I felt Hwangdo and I had quite matching personalities.
"Should we make a peach oath?"
"Peach oath?"
"Don't you know? Strengthening our beliefs under a peach tree. So, a peach oath."
Hwangdo sparkled her eyes and extended her hand, looking at me with full anticipation.
"Peach Oath!"
I reached out my hand. Hwangdo placed her hand on mine.
"Peach Oath. Though not born in the same hour of the same day, we'll thirst for the water attribute and die in the same place. From today, we are Peach Friends."
"Peach Friends…! What a cool name."
This was the peach oath. Guan Yu was left out. Hwangdo placed her hand on her chest and smiled brightly. She looked pure and cute. It was questionable why Baekdo behaved the way she did when she had such a cute face.
"I look forward to working with you, sister."
"Si, sister?"
"We are now oath siblings. We must somehow defeat the cunning Crack Squad."
"Th, that's right. I understand, younger brother! Hehe."
"Since it's late today, shall we sleep?"
"Got it!"
We turned off the light and quickly went to sleep.
There was only one room, so I lay next to the two women, but honestly, I was too tired to think of anything else.
"You brat!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The extremely angry voice of Baekdo echoed loudly in the cabin.
I sprung up from my spot as if struck by thunder, my heart racing in surprise.
"Isn't it the most basic courtesy not to disturb someone when they're sleeping?"
"How dare you speak such words after touching the chest of a pristine maiden!"
"Are you blaming me for the mishap?"
"Be quiet. And using the term' Peach Oath', how dare you use such a sacred word!"
I yawned as my sleep completely abandoned me.
"I read on the internet that 60% of the people in the world prefer soft peaches."
"Stop the nonsense, you commie!"
This was infuriating.
I couldn't even retort to being called a commie.
"Even if I abandon the Crack Squad, I won't let the world abandon it!"
"What a trivial ambition."
It hadn't even been a day, and I already missed Hwangdo.
I remember Hwangdo from last night, answering with all her sincerity with a gentle smile whenever I spoke to her. I felt terribly gloomy.
Baekdo turned her head with a furious face. While her appearance held a clear grace and beauty, she was just like a child in my eyes.
"…Is Siwon awake?"
Sansuyu woke up amidst the noise and rubbed her eyes. Was it because it was morning, or was it because the elongated white tee left her collarbone undefended? The part that popped out, whether she threw her underwear while sleeping, seized my gaze. I deliberately turned my gaze away.
"It's not Siwon, it's Shiheon."
"Yeah."
She didn't even correct me now. Was it because she was still sleepy?
Baekdo walked to the now awake Sansuyu and lightly hugged her. Their chests softly overlapped.
"We are the prime disciples of the Crack Squad. Let's become Peach Friends and make a Peach Oath."
"Peach Friends? If it helps in improving skills… Sure."
Unbelievable.
Did she want to make the Peach Oath, too?
I grumbled as I tidied up my sleeping space, and Sansuyu also got up and headed straight to the training ground.
Baekdo, standing before us who were kneeling, glared at me once, then with a warm gaze at Sansuyu, she began to speak.
"Today, we will start with some simple endurance training. It's a very simple task."
She unfolded a massive map she got from somewhere. It detailed the geography of Jirisan.
"Near here exists Cheonwangbong. Start running from here, and after Cheonwangbong, it's Banyabong, then Nogodan, then Chilseon Valley, Samdobong, Togibong, and Piagol. Once you hit all these locations, return here. We will repeat this five times."
"We will only be running?"
At my question, Baekdo smiled insincerely.
"Of course not. I will be hindering you in the process. Of course, I have also set traps."
I thought as I saw Baekdo holding her laughter.
This jerk was clearly going to be extra annoying to me. How could I not retaliate?
"Those who fall behind have to descend immediately."
"What are the conditions of falling behind?"
"Not completing five rounds. And-"
Baekdo glanced to one side.
-Growl.
A bear of unseen size, drooling, was approaching us.
Was the mild magical response earlier due to her summoning the bear? The bear was way larger than I thought. Even a strong living being would suffer severely if stepped on by those large paws.
"Wrap this scarf. It attracts the bear's attention."
Baekdo handed three scarves to me and one to Sansuyu.
"Is this a joke? Why do I get three?"
"Because you are the 'third' disciple."
"This is absurd. Really."
"What? If you don't start now, the bear will catch up."
-Roar!
The half-moon bear of Jirisan started running towards us with a ferocious face.
The speed of its four-legged run was quite fast.
Let's see. I wrapped the scarf and moved quickly.
This endurance training was a clear race against time.
If I started too fast, there was a risk of being caught by the bear later.
It might not be a problem for Sansuyu, the mana tank, but it was a serious issue for me.
"Sansuyu, which way will you go?"
"Left."
"Then, I will go right."
The scenery in front of my eyes swiftly passed by.
It was like being in a car. The silhouettes of the trees appeared and then distanced. My running speed was gradually increasing. The problem was the strength of the scarf was beyond imagination. More bears started to emerge from different places.
'There's more than one.'
Just as I was changing direction,
A shadow descended from the sky, covering me.
"Foolish third disciple!"
Between the trees, occasionally creating walls in the air to fly, Baekdo's hand held a bow.
She confidently drew the bow. The tension in the drawn bowstring was more than I imagined. That crazy woman was acting up again, especially towards me.
"Receive divine punishment!"
-Thundering noise!
Thunder struck from the sky.
A blow filled with magic energy hit right next to my feet, creating a huge storm and shaking nearby branches with the wind.
If I saved my magic, I would become bear food.
I wrapped my whole body in magic and safely escaped the aftermath of the storm.
Baekdo, walking in the air, laughed in an arrogant voice that could make the great sage ashamed.
"Crack Squad Domination!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
With every movement of my legs, pressure was applied to my whole body. An absurd technique I had never heard of made my veins pop on my forehead.
'Real madness creates such techniques. That crazy jerk!'
I admitted her skills. Baekdo had strength beyond mine and lacked in nothing, from magic to physical ability.
She must have been recommended by the Hunter Association at that level.
Probably, overcoming this cowardly trial, my skills would improve rapidly.
-Boom boom boom boom.
My body was creaking. Due to the pressure applied to the whole body, the bears couldn't even approach.
The sound of her drawing the bowstring was heard. That was a real arrow. If hit, it would definitely cause serious injury.
Even if I was not hit, she would make a fuss and tell me to descend.
I raised my eyes and captured Baekdo's body.
I read the position of the magic and sifted out her intention.
Crack Squad Domination. That name couldn't be true.
It was evident she was trying to torment me by attaching a ridiculous name to a top-notch technique she had created.
It was even more infuriating. How dare she insult the domination technique.
I drew out the magic in my whole body.
Baekdo's technique was a formidable feat, capable of crushing mountains.
Beneath her feet, no one could stretch their legs properly, and every being bowed their head. I couldn't just watch that.
I applied the domination technique in reverse. Twisting the magic on the spot, I shot into the sky.
If Baekdo had the mountain beneath her,
I just needed to overturn the mountain.
-Groaning sound!
My magic was rapidly draining, and little by little, freedom began returning to my body.
"...What?"
Baekdo was startled for a moment. There was an atmosphere of disbelief at what she saw.
But what could she do? I was good at imitating.
Assembly was the reverse of disassembly. If you knew the method, it was possible to apply it in reverse.
I moved my body again and shouted at her resentfully.
"Stay there!"
"Stop acting like a child! It's disgraceful!"
Projecting the image of Liu Bei escaping from Cao Cao's army, I began running towards Cheonwangbong, leading the innocent bears.