"I've found you."
"…!"
-Vroom!
Instinctively, as the chainsaw revved, my outstretched arm was instantly severed.
-Splash!
The chains tore through my skin, sawed through my muscles, and pierced the inner tissues. I could feel the sensation of muscles being detached from bones. My dwindling energy stopped the chainsaw's operation after a brief moment.
"!"
The sudden halt startled the girl.
"…You crazy b*tch."
Despite the pain and battle frenzy, I focused on her emotionless face. My volatile energy throbbed menacingly as if it could swallow her any moment.
Even as the girl tried to extract the chainsaw, my bloody hand held onto it firmly. Without utterance, I reached out with my other hand to snap her neck.
-Vroom!
The chainsaw revved again. Blood spurted from the severed artery. If I let go, I would die. I clenched the chainsaw's handle with my jaws.
Trembling, pain blurred my vision.
-Slash!
Another chainsaw plunged into my back. Unaware of the second person, my adrenaline had blinded me.
Two girls in black attire, eyes filled with hatred, looked at me.
"Cough, wheeze…"
I stumbled and escaped their grasp. They wielded blood-stained chainsaws. The trees watched us with an almost zombified gaze.
Embedded in the chainsaw's handle was a green orb.
It felt similar to what Lee Seonghan once had.
"…Who are you?"
"No need for you to know."
The younger-faced girl spoke with blatant disdain.
"Why are you after me?"
"Pathetic man, imbecile. You don't even know?"
"How am I supposed to know after all the unfair treatment here?"
My vision faded. They might be a tad weaker than the liberated Lee Seoyeong if it came down to raw power or physical strength.
"Die here for the World Tree."
"Beta, you talk too much."
"…Either way, don't think of dying easily. You'll die here after suffering."
My almost-depleted healing powers barely kept me standing.
Escape was impossible. Energy tightly wrapped around my body, slithering through every channel. Muscles swelled, and the bleeding stopped.
More precisely, more resiliently. Boosting my concentration, I got into a stance.
The wooden martial arts stance. An elite martial art I had developed.
Though still far from its peak, I had made progress. Pushing a step further, I forced myself beyond my limit.
-Thump, Thump.
I steadied my breath. In this tense situation where neither could retreat, our eyes exchanged looks that seemed ready to tear each other apart.
-Drip. Drip.
In the silence, only the dripping of blood marked the passing of time.
-Vrrrrrr.
The chainsaw started vibrating again, its chains glowing with power. Light burst forth from the green orb.
-Clank!
[―!!!!]
As they lunged at me with their weapons, dozens of trees surrounding me did the same.
-Vroom!
It was a noisy weapon for a surprise attack. Amidst the onslaught of trees, the girl named Beta swung her chainsaw at my head.
I swiftly turned my head to avoid it. Before its blade touched my trapezius, I struck her waist with my arm.
-Bang!
Concentrating my energy on a singular point, I instantly launched a blow. Any ordinary hunter would have been impaled on the spot.
"Ah!"
A gust of wind pushed Beta away. The turned-off chainsaw couldn't pierce my skin and fell limply. However, dozens of wooden beings were still targeting me.
Another girl glared at me from the gaps between the trees.
'Would I have stood a chance if I'd fought from the start?'
I sensed my impending defeat. The branch that touched my outstretched hand was crushed under my power.
[Growl!]
Now, they weren't even making human-like sounds.
-Vroom!
The roaring chainsaw aimed for my back. I turned my head and crossed my arms to block it.
-Screech!
A noise like grinding steel. I spun on my heel and dodged, but a direct hit shattered a nearby tree. Roots sprouted and coiled around my calves and arms. Trying to break free, my organs twisted and spurted blood.
In my accelerated state, I couldn't think. All I could do was block the blows coming from every direction.
However, to others, my desperate resistance might have looked like the fierce retaliation of a wild beast.
"Cough, hack."
Was that sound coming from my mouth or from the holes in my abdomen?
Ah.
A bitter taste filled my mouth as death approached – the taste of blood. Never thought I'd die like this. Those who threatened me with death will surely be punished.
-Flutter.
The sky and the ground inverted. The chainsaw stopped. They looked down at me with contempt. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out who sent them. Did I unknowingly incur someone's wrath? Why, even in that dungeon, setting traps, did they so desperately want to kill me?
"Heh. Hah. We did it, Alpha."
"…Yeah."
A voice filled with a sense of accomplishment. I no longer felt wronged. The emotions to be spent on such things were left behind long ago.
"…Crazy b*tches."
I could only scoff.
[…Force Activation Initiated!]
Things were taking a weird turn.
Lee Seyeong bit her nails. The sharp pain was evident as blood oozed slightly from the freshly bitten nail.
"…Damn it for real."
A curse laden with sorrow and lamentation. She pulled a band-aid from the drawer and wrapped it around her finger.
"Those damn World Tree bastards."
It had been 3 days since Lee Shiheon was kidnapped.
It was clear after understanding the circumstances, even without witnessing or hearing anything from the scene.
For some reason, the World Tree had a vendetta against Lee Shiheon.
Forcing him into crimes.
Manipulating his fate. Even trying to take his life after twisting his personality.
Lee Shiheon himself seemed indifferent. But he hadn't truly comprehended the situation.
In the end, that clueless guy was caught.
"…I shouldn't have left things be."
She ground her teeth several times, trying to control her anger.
She couldn't leave this boiling rage, which was like lava, unchecked.
Regret was useless. It was something to be dealt with after everything was over.
With burning intensity in her eyes, Seyeong swallowed back her tears and dialed a number.
Seyeong spoke in a hushed, lowered tone to the woman who answered the call.
"Is everything ready?"
[Yes. But why go to such lengths for just one guy getting kidnapped? If it's for image-making, you don't have to-]
"Just stop with the unnecessary talk. If everything's ready, proceed immediately."
[Ah, okay.]
After hanging up, Lee Seyeong, exhaling a shaky breath, looked at the mirror by the dressing table.
Mascara beads imprinted in her eyes. Dark circles trailed down her cheeks. Her sunken face looked utterly exhausted.
She touched her withered cheeks, recalling Lee Shiheon's rough hand pulling them once.
"Haha."
It was ridiculous. To be in this state over just one man.
She almost laughed at the absurdity.
"Don't you dare die."
'If you do, I'll follow you to hell.'
Makyung Forest.
A sanctuary for abandoned trees.
Swish.
At the heart of such a forest, inside a well-built wooden house, Alpha was cleaning the blade of the chainsaw with a faded cloth.
Thud.
The door opened, and her younger sister walked in.
"Sis."
"Yes?"
"I've sprayed all the potions."
"What about the cuffs?"
"They're secured."
Cuffs designed to suppress magical circuits and lower abilities. Since they used the kind meant for the most heinous criminals, it was safe to assume the man wouldn't go berserk now.
Alpha, having finished oiling her chainsaw and propped it against the wall, turned to look at her sister. Her sister's eyes, still filled with emotions, shone brighter than hers. Alpha hugged her younger sister and caressed her head.
"You did well. Now, the World Tree will guide our path."
"Do you think they'll reveal our names?"
"Of course. They'll let us know soon."
To the Tree People and the trees, having a name held a value comparable to life itself. A name confirmed their existence, not merely a title but something of unimaginable worth.
That was why Tree People with titles were treated like nobility.
And those without were treated even worse than humans.
Being so low that they couldn't even uphold the names granted by the World Tree, Alpha and Beta were such discarded children.
For them, the World Tree they served was a savior, a revered entity. Since it saved them, they blindly followed, regardless of right or wrong. To Alpha and Beta, Lee Shiheon was the worst kind of person, instilled as such by the World Tree.
They'll ponder over Lee Shiheon's treatment in the days to come. Whether it's torture or drugs, one thing's for certain: they intended to bestow upon him the most horrible death imaginable.
"Everything will be as the World Tree commands."
Alpha and Beta got up and walked out of the house, heading toward a basement hut. Outside, the chilling air was palpable. The sharp scent of blood wafted in as they opened a door studded with thorns.
They looked at Lee Shiheon, who was tied to a bed.
"All preparations are complete."
"Yes."
In response to her sister, Beta remarked,
"What we've prepared is nothing special."
To begin with, it wasn't their idea, so the preparation was easy and simple. The World Tree's revelations to them were brutal and horrifying, too horrid to even put into words.
"…cough cough."
The man, opening his eyes, took ragged breaths, then, with blurry vision, he stared at the ceiling and the girls, murmuring with a sigh.
"Why did you keep me alive?"
A voice filled partly with resentment. Beta, infuriated, snapped back at him.
"Shut up! Before I use the chainsaw on your lips. Just talking to you makes me feel like vomiting. How dare someone who incurred the World Tree's wrath speak like this?"
He calmly met her enraged gaze, succinctly replying,
"Who's holding a grudge?"
His angry tone made Beta step back in fear, and then, feeling ashamed, she raised her voice even more.
"Heh, haughty. Anyway, you're going to die today, and in the worst way possible."
The man remained silent, but his gaze wandered, evaluating his surroundings. Feeling triumphant, Beta was about to make another comment.
"You won't find any-"
"Beta, quiet."
Alpha interrupted, silencing her. Alpha briefly assessed the man and turned her back. Beta followed suit.
No matter how much they bickered, the outcome was predetermined.
Lee Shiheon.
Today, he was expecting four guests.