Green Ivy shook its leaves and said, "Of course, the dandelion seeds can travel quite far. It probably sensed your hostility, which is why it started attacking you from such a distance.
But if you deal with its clones, it will actually weaken its main body, making it easier for you to handle when you finally face it."
Park Su nodded, signaling that he understood. It seemed that his previous strike had at least caused a small injury to the Illusionary Dandelion. As he was walking, a very familiar voice suddenly came from behind. "Park Su, where did you go? How did you disappear so quickly?"
Park Su immediately turned around and saw the worried face of the one he had lost earlier, standing behind him. He sighed in relief and said, "I was caught in an illusion, but don't worry, I've already dealt with it and wasn't hurt. Let's go. We need to reach its main body. Only by dealing with it can we fully end these illusions. Who knows, it might create some kind of heart demon illusion again, and I don't want to fall for that."
Xu Nuo frowned when he heard this, "Hmm, don't get distracted, let's move forward. I'll clear the way for you."
As Xu Nuo moved in front of him, Park Su noticed that Xu Nuo didn't seem to be facing any danger, and he gradually relaxed. Just as he was about to say something to Xu Nuo, he suddenly turned and looked at him, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Actually, I was caught in an illusion too."
Park Su froze. Why was Xu Nuo telling him this now? But after hearing that Xu Nuo had also fallen under the illusion, he grew concerned and quickly checked if Xu Nuo was injured, relieved when he saw that he was fine. But at the same time, he didn't quite understand why Xu Nuo was suddenly telling him this, so he instinctively asked, "What illusion did you fall under?"
Xu Nuo's gaze darkened, and he replied, "It was you."
"Ah?!" Park Su was stunned. What was going on? "How could it be me? What happened?"
Xu Nuo's eyes deepened as he said, "I saw you being tricked by the Illusionary Dandelion's illusion, getting hurt, and my heart… it hurt. I think my feelings for you are… not quite right. I believe I might have fallen for you."
When Park Su heard this, his heart skipped several beats, and he looked up at Xu Nuo, his expression utterly foolish. "Y-you… what did you just say?"
Xu Nuo didn't hesitate. Instead, as he walked closer to Park Su, he said, "I think I've developed feelings for you. So, do you like me?"
Park Su stood there, rooted to the spot, as Xu Nuo got closer. He felt utterly flustered. Did Xu Nuo like him? The thought of it had never crossed his mind before.
After all, Park Su didn't know Xu Nuo's sexual orientation, and he always assumed that Xu Nuo wouldn't accept men. Even in the post-apocalyptic world, there were still many people who couldn't accept being with a man.
Even if some straight men were "turned" by their lack of options, powerful figures like Xu Nuo could easily attract women. The competition was fierce, and they could choose whoever they wanted. Unless someone like Xu Nuo was already inclined toward men, there was no way he would choose a man.
Park Su had always seen Xu Nuo as distant and hard to approach. He didn't seem like the type to be interested in other men. How could someone like him suddenly confess feelings for Park Su?
So, he thought, this must be a trick. The person in front of him couldn't be the real Xu Nuo. Yet, even if it was a fake, Park Su realized he had no defense against the confession. His heart raced uncontrollably.
He couldn't believe it — the warning to himself was all meaningless. It seemed that, despite everything, he had developed feelings for the person in front of him. This realization took him by surprise.
After all, he had convinced himself that after Sun Mu Yang's betrayal, he would never love anyone fully again. Moreover, this was Xu Nuo — someone Park Su looked up to. He had never imagined that he could be someone Xu Nuo would like. Just building a good relationship and being a loyal follower was more within his reach. But becoming his significant other? That seemed completely out of the question.
And yet, when Xu Nuo confessed, Park Su found himself emotionally overwhelmed.
Before he could speak up and call out the fake Xu Nuo, the person who had just confessed walked straight up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and stared into his eyes.
The usual coldness in Xu Nuo's eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by warmth and depth. "Why aren't you answering me? Or was my confession too sudden, and you couldn't accept it right away? That's fine. I can make it clearer for you."
With that, Xu Nuo's face came closer to Park Su's, as though his lips were about to meet Park Su's.
Park Su instinctively wanted to push him away, telling himself that this person was a fake. However, he found himself hesitating. He didn't want to push him away. Looking at Xu Nuo so close to him, his mind seemed to freeze.
But just when he realized the danger, it was too late. The fake Xu Nuo quickly slashed a wooden blade across his arm and chest, leaving a wound that wasn't too shallow.
Blood instantly began to pour out of Park Su's body. If he had reacted faster and realized the danger earlier, he would have dodged the attack, but he had been distracted by the illusion. Had he realized this was a fake earlier, the injury would have been far less severe. Indeed, beauty could be deceiving.
The fake Xu Nuo, now with an expression of regret, looked at Park Su and said, "Such a pity. You were so close. Just a little more, and I could've taken you down with one strike.
I didn't expect you to remain so vigilant even when someone you like confesses to you. Looks like I miscalculated."
When Park Su saw the fake Xu Nuo's face speaking these words to him, a surge of anger rose within him. But even that anger couldn't cover the faint sense of disappointment he felt when he realized the person before him was indeed not the real Xu Nuo.
It made sense, though. Someone like Xu Nuo could never fall for someone like him. It was all his own delusion. He channeled all his fury into the illusionary dandelion before him.
His wood-type ability surged to its maximum, and the overwhelming energy instantly controlled the illusionary Xu Nuo, immobilizing him so that he couldn't move a single inch.
The controlled "Xu Nuo" looked at Park Su in surprise. "Your ability is so much stronger than mine. How is that possible? I clearly detected a third-tier ability. I thought you wouldn't be much stronger than me!"
But Park Su wasn't interested in listening to any more of his nonsense. Around them, the weeds suddenly shot up to their height. The flexible grass quickly wrapped around the illusionary Xu Nuo, mummifying him, leaving his face entirely covered.
Park Su couldn't bring himself to deal a fatal blow to the fake Xu Nuo, even knowing it wasn't really him. This way, he could resolve things quickly without hesitation.
However, the wrapped-up dandelion seed wasn't going to accept its fate so easily. It shouted, "Wait! Wait! Don't you want to know what your friend's illusion is? If you release me, I'll tell you everything right now!"
Park Su sneered. "Don't worry. I don't need you to tell me. Once I capture your true form, I'll learn everything I need to know."
Without giving the dandelion seed another chance to speak, Park Su clenched his fist, and the vines around the fake Xu Nuo twisted, crushing the dandelion seed into pieces, leaving behind only fragments on the ground.
After resolving the illusion, Park Su finally relaxed. The pain from his previous wound immediately surged into his brain.
He couldn't help but wince and take a sharp breath. At least this wound came from Xu Nuo, not Sun Mu Yang. He felt a bit of progress in himself.
Thinking of Xu Nuo, his ears turned red. He quickly urged Green Vine to guide him to the dandelion's true form. He didn't want to face another illusion like that.
"Let's hurry," he muttered. "And why didn't you warn me when I realized the person wasn't Xu Nuo?"
Green Vine responded, "The illusions created by the Dandelion of Illusion have a small barrier around them. Unless your power is much higher than its, you can't break through the barrier easily. The dandelion's level is quite close to mine. It's already at the peak of the second tier."
This information caused Park Su's heart to stir. The dandelion was even more valuable than he initially thought. If he could capture it, it would become a powerful ally. Even though the illusions couldn't trap zombies, the dandelion seeds could turn into solid forms and help him block zombies. They could even create one-on-one or multiple battlefields, making it the ultimate support-type ability.
More importantly, the dandelion seeds probably created the illusions for Xu Nuo as well. Park Su was deeply curious about what Xu Nuo experienced in his illusion. If he could capture the Dandelion of Illusion, it might reveal everything about what Xu Nuo went through in the illusion.
With this thought in mind, his interest grew, and he began moving faster, following Green Vine closely. Just as they were about to reach the dandelion's true form, Park Su suddenly noticed someone standing near the dandelion's location.
As Park Su looked at the person ahead, he froze in place. It was none other than Xu Nuo. But what was even more bizarre was that Xu Nuo's body was covered in scattered wounds.
Although the injuries weren't very severe, the bloodstains were enough to make Park Su furrow his brows. The sight sent an uncomfortable chill through his spine.
Xu Nuo clearly noticed Park Su's presence as well. However, his gaze didn't soften as it usually did. Instead, it remained cold and indifferent, almost as if he were a stranger. The chilling look in his eyes made Park Su shudder, and his heart filled with confusion.
Could this be another illusion created by the dandelion's seeds? After all, Green Vine had mentioned that the Dandelion of Illusion could produce many seeds. Throughout their journey, Park Su had only encountered two illusions, which seemed rather strange.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. After all, with a plant mutation at the second-tier peak, it should never have been able to harm someone as strong as Xu Nuo. Moreover, the Xu Nuo before him seemed entirely different—his eyes were distant and frigid. Xu Nuo had never looked at him like that before.
This made Park Su suspicious. Could this truly be Xu Nuo in front of him, or was he just another illusion created by the dandelion? And if it was Xu Nuo, why was he acting this way? Why did he have those wounds?
The situation grew even more complicated. Park Su felt a mixture of unease and determination as he tried to make sense of what was happening.