Chapter 7 Trampling the Sprout (3)
Sprout Trampling.
It was a vile custom of the Adjak family from the upper autonomous regions, interfering with the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
The powerful elders of the upper autonomous regions desired to maintain their influence.
For that to happen, those from the upper regions needed to consistently stand out in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
The official support of the Adjak Council of Elders, which money could not buy, was only granted to those who achieved excellent results in the ceremony.
Thus, the adults of the upper autonomous regions often resorted to underhanded tactics, trampling the promising sprouts from the lower autonomous regions before they could even participate in the ceremony.
It was a deplorable practice that should have disappeared long ago, yet it had persisted for quite so ti.
The upper autonomous regions avoided even ntioning sprout trampling for the sake of their own interests, while the lower autonomous regions were never given a voice to speak out in the first place.
The people who appeared before us now were those despicable adults who had set out to tramp sprouts.
“Hello, little ones?”
“Giggle, we had to wait quite a while this ti.”
“Lord Tayon never gives us an opening, does he?”
“He’s the hero of the lower autonomous regions, after all. Let’s make this wait worthwhile and do it right.”
About ten people erged from the forest.
Every single one of them had their faces uncovered, as if they had no intention of hiding their identities.
‘Well, it’s practically as if they’ve got the tacit approval of the autonomous regions. They even gave the sprout tramplers the nickna Bigfoots.’
I gritted my teeth.
“Those who aren’t ready to fight, scatter into the forest!”
The participants of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony dispersed into the forest in a rush.
In contrast, Kiyot and Siriel ca to my side, facing off against the Bigfoots.
“Let’s do it like we practiced.”
“…We have to.”
“Yeah.”
Even Kiyot and Siriel, who usually radiated cheerfulness, responded curtly with hardened expressions.
They must be scared too.
But they didn’t choose to run.
Soone had to stand and fight to increase the chances of others’ survival.
We had promised to face the Bigfoots together.
‘Their talent is real. We’ve been training together diligently. The problem is that there are too many opponents…’
The Bigfoots were ten well-trained adults.
Considering that typically four or five Bigfoots were deployed, this was almost double the usual number.
Siriel overca her fear and took a step forward.
I stood right behind her, with Kiyot at the rearmost position.
“They’ve got positions?”
“Seems a bit odd for that, though.”
“The smallest girl is at the front?”
As the Bigfoots mocked us, a large man standing at the back shouted.
“Stay sharp. The fact that they have positions at all is unusual.”
“Yes, Captain!”
I had hoped they’d let their guard down.
The Bigfoots’ excited atmosphere subsided in an instant.
The man called the captain drew his sword and strode forward.
Siriel gripped her daggers tightly with both hands, Kiyot raised his axe diagonally, and I lifted the Branch of World Tree.
A tense, explosive mont.
Then, a strange sound echoed.
Tap-tap-tap-.
Tap-tap-tap-.
It was like the sound of a cane tapping the ground.
The intervals were eerily uniform and for so reason, there was no sense of distance.
It felt as if it was sounding right beside my ear.
This inexplicable sound wasn’t just audible to ; it seed the Bigfoots could hear it too.
Their movents, poised to charge at us, froze.
Tap-tap-tap-.
“Could it be Pinnon?”
“Why would that monster be here?”
Tap-tap-tap-.
The sound didn’t stop, even as the Bigfoots exchanged words in panic.
“That’s strange. The top three autonomous regions don’t do things like sprout trampling.”
“They act all high and mighty… but it seems they’re concerned about this batch. The heirs of the leaders from Districts 1, 2, and 3 are all participating.”
“Stay sharp!”
The captain shouted loudly, urging the Bigfoots to stay alert.
But those words beca his last.
A line of blood was drawn across his face and he collapsed as is.
Next to the fallen giant stood a man dressed entirely in black, leaning on a cane.
It was Pinnon.
“Captain!”
“Pinnon! Why are you attacking us?”
“Yeah! Aren’t you here for the sa reason as us?”
Their cries boiled with anger.
Yet, they couldn’t bring themselves to point their swords at Pinnon.
“The sa reason…”
Pinnon replied softly.
But the tense atmosphere didn’t ease at all.
“You’re not wrong. I was tasked with the sa job as you.”
“Then why!”
Pinnon vanished once more, then pierced the throat of the shouting woman with his black cane.
“Even so, ten of you ganging up to take down three kids lacks dignity.”
“You bastard!”
Attacked and insulted, the Bigfoots no longer paid attention to us, charging at Pinnon in unison.
Pinnon disappeared and reappeared.
Each ti he did, a Bigfoot fell.
It didn’t take long for the fight to end.
At Pinnon’s feet lay the bodies of the Bigfoots.
“…What am I even looking at?”
“Don’t try to track him with your eyes. It’s just a trick.”
I could guess what kind of Tune Pinnon was using.
[Flashing Eyes]
A Tune that confuses the visual perception of others.
Among the human senses, sight has the greatest influence.
Many believe that what cannot be seen does not exist.
Trying to track the movents of soone with [Flashing Eyes] would only lead to becoming a corpse.
‘To use a Tune to that extent. He’s definitely a powerhouse. What Rank is he?’
Pinnon seed to have raised the level of [Flashing Eyes] to its limit. In ga terms, he’d be max level.
Moreover, I could see an aura emanating from the staff he wielded.
At least Fifth-Rank.
A realm not easily attained.
The only thing I could conclude about him was that facing him would an certain death.
“First, I apologize on behalf of those vile adults.”
Pinnon spoke to us with an expressionless face.
But I didn’t trust him.
He had admitted in the earlier conversation that he shared the sa purpose as the Bigfoots.
“I know about you. Kiyot, Siriel, and Polarin, right?”
No one could speak.
Pinnon, a mber of the Black Veil dispatched from District 3, Dmong.
He wasn’t on the sa level as Tayon, but he was undoubtedly a big deal.
The fact that such a person knew our nas didn’t bring any joy.
“A trick, huh… Impressive. I can see why Lord Tayon gave you a special assignnt.”
“Killing won’t nullify the special assignnt.”
“I know and the children of Dmong are strong enough without a special assignnt.”
His tone was arrogant.
It was confidence backed by substance.
His words carried weight.
“Polarin Adjak. If you give his head, I’ll let you go.”
As soon as he said that, Siriel and Kiyot looked at .
We had trained together all this ti.
Even so, it was hard to say our trust was deep.
“No way.”
“…Absolutely not.”
But Kiyot and Siriel didn’t hand over.
Instead, they gripped their weapons even tighter.
Far from being displeased by their reaction, Pinnon seed pleased.
For the first ti, a smile spread across his usually expressionless face.
“Sorry. I’m just another vile adult.”
Tap-tap-tap-.
He struck the ground with his cane.
The rhythm was precise as ever.
But his body didn’t disappear this ti.
I sharpened my senses, trying to figure out how his Tune worked.
Knowing the type of Tune and understanding how it operated were entirely different matters.
“Nothing’s changed. We do it like we practiced.”
Nod, nod.
“Don’t be swayed by what you see. If you can’t help it, close your eyes.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Siriel shot forward.
She dove to Pinnon’s left, while I charged to his right.
Tap-.
Pinnon tapped his cane and vanished.
But he was only invisible, not truly gone.
Clang!
Siriel’s dagger was blocked by Pinnon’s cane.
At the sa ti, the Branch of World Tree I thrust aid for his neck.
Clang!
The cane that had just blocked Siriel’s dagger instantly deflected my Branch of World Tree.
Pinnon effortlessly dodged Kiyot’s axe, which ca crashing down, and remarked in surprise.
“Your coordination is good.”
With that, Pinnon vanished again.
Though he wasn’t visible, I could sense his presence.
I thrust the Branch of World Tree toward it.
The cane and branch clashed.
My hand tingled.
There was no more conversation.
Pinnon kept disappearing and reappearing, pressuring us.
The Mana surging from the Dragon Heart accelerated my body.
Clang.
Another clash rang out.
Pinnon didn’t attack Siriel or Kiyot.
His attacks were directed solely at .
It wasn’t a continuous barrage, but the cane stabbing from blind spots threatened my life with every mont.
After a few clashes, I realized it wasn’t just a cane—it was a weapon honed like an awl, specialized for piercing.
It suited Pinnon’s combat style, which aid to take lives in a single strike from beyond sight.
Indeed, the bodies strewn on the ground bore only a single wound each.
The intense battle continued, but I focused my mind on the Branch of World Tree.
Strange as it sounds, this standoff was only possible because of Pinnon’s restraint. He believed his actions weren’t justified and hesitated to attack us fully.
I had to make a move while Pinnon was holding back.
‘Respond! Please!’
I prayed for the spirit of the World Tree to lend its power.
If the strength within this branch could awaken, it could turn the tide.
Then, Pinnon’s cane ca at faster than before.
A killer’s tactic—letting the opponent adjust to a rhythm, then suddenly increasing speed.
With my sword extended, I was in a position to et certain death.
“Hoh?”
Boom!
The ground where I stood caved in as I leaped back, and Pinnon looked at with interest.
‘Damn it.’
I had wanted to keep [Rush] hidden as long as possible.
A trump card could deliver a decisive blow.
But if I hadn’t used [Rush] just then, that cane would have pierced my throat.
Before Pinnon’s exclamation could finish, I used [Rush] again.
I lunged like an Adjak.
I swung my sword in a Linked Sword technique, slashing diagonally to maximize the attack range.
Clang!
For the first ti, Pinnon stepped back.
I kept using [Rush] to press him.
The distance between us wasn’t great, but it was enough to slightly increase my attack speed.
Pinnon, seemingly unable to handle the montum, was pushed back a few steps with each attack.
But that was as far as it went.
Pinnon’s cane pierced my right shoulder.
Then he yanked it upward.
“Polarin!”
The cane, having pierced my shoulder, shattered my collarbone as it tore through my body.
Excruciating pain, enough to paralyze my brain, enveloped .
Unable to hold myself up, I dropped to one knee.
In this life-or-death crisis, the Branch of World Tree still gave no response.
‘After all the Mana I’ve poured into you.’
Pinnon spoke to as I sank to the ground.
“Your talent is a pity.”
Pinnon ntioned talent.
His tone was relaxed, yet tinged with genuine admiration.
But his words didn’t please .
Talent that doesn’t bloom is aningless.
There’s only one way to prove talent.
‘To stand above everyone.’
Enduring the pain, I forced myself to stand.
Then, a light began to emanate from the Branch of World Tree in my hand.
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