Episode 835

How long had it been?

At some point, Lee Han realized he could no longer hear the Mad Clone’s insane voice.

‘What? Did I turn it off?’

Annoyed enough to do it unconsciously, Lee Han checked his staff just in case to see if he’d turned off the Stone of Echoes.

But his staff wasn’t in his hand.

“?!”

Before he could even panic, the fluttering Black Book appeared over his hand.

Unlike before, thanks to having just learned how to observe his own soul, Lee Han could feel that the Black Book was connected to his soul.

‘Ah. I see. So it’s connected to my soul like this, which is why it could appear in my dreams whenever it was needed.’

Lee Han tried to extend his magic and prod at the connection. The Black Book fluttered in alarm.

If the connection was damaged, it would never be able to appear before this magician to help again.

“Don’t?”

Affirmative.

“Okay… Wait a minute. Have you always listened to me? Why should I listen to you?”

……

The Black Book shook with awe, marveling at the magician’s growth.

To resort to threats the moment he held the sword…

“More importantly, you seem to be mistaken. I’m not asleep. I’m walking through the mad spirit—cough—King of Broadcloth’s forest.”

Deciding to discuss old grudges later, Lee Han decided to clear up the misunderstanding first.

The Black Book seemed to have the wrong idea about something.

He was not asleep, but stumbling through the forest.

‘If it tries to force spell study now, I’ll sever the connection for good.’

The Black Book fluttered, as if to say it knew Lee Han wasn’t asleep.

“You know? So, did you summon me here while I’m suffering from a curse, just so I could learn spells? You really are as evil as your master…”

Before Lee Han, more foul-mouthed than usual from the curse, could unleash a verbal barrage, a powerful presence approached across the empty horizon.

Lee Han turned his head.

Where previously only the Black Book had existed in the wasteland, another being now appeared.

“…!”

The sight shocked Lee Han.

Not just the heavy presence, but the strangeness of that outer form was unlike anything he’d seen.

It was a tree.

A tree that seemed to condense the very meaning of violence!

‘Do trees even… look like that?’

All the tree spirits Lee Han had encountered up to now had been gentle, generous, soft in image.

Spirits couldn’t fully depart from their roots, so this made sense.

Fire or lightning spirits were usually fierce, while tree or earth spirits were usually calm.

But the tree spirit before him shattered every preconception of tree spirits he’d ever had.

It looked as if a tree had been carved and twisted into the shape of a giant, bipedal monster.

Crack!

When it moved, the sound of wood creaking rang out.

A sound that should have been lively, but for some reason felt menacing and aggressive.

Hey. Thanks. Thanks to you, I’m free from the seal.

The tree spirit spoke like a back alley mercenary or thug.

Perplexed, Lee Han asked.

“Who are you?”

Who? Who? This brat… Whatever. It’s a good day, so I’ll let it slide. I am the Ironhead Beech King, Saratan. Remember that.

‘What kind of nonsense…?’

Puzzled, Lee Han tilted his head, but then realized something belatedly.

In its head were embedded the blue gem of the Frost Giant King, a stone of teleportation, and the Stone of Echoes.

‘Staff!’

The high-ranking tree spirit who’d been sealed in the staff.

Without doubt, this was that tree spirit.

“How did you escape…”

Before he could finish, a fist flew at him.

Thwack!

A knobby wooden fist stretched through space and clocked Lee Han.

But Lee Han didn’t spit blood or collapse.

Having met so many lunatics this year, he’d braced himself at first sight.

He angled his telekinesis as if he’d expected the attack and bounced back swiftly, letting the impact flow away. The Black Book, standing in for his staff, fluttered approvingly.

What, not dead? Not bad, brat.

“Why are you attacking me?”

You were disrespectful, opening your mouth as I spoke. Watch it—I won’t let it slide a second time.

“……”

Lee Han was dumbfounded at the posturing tree spirit’s words.

He hadn’t even interrupted—he’d listened, then spoken, but apparently the tree spirit was pissed Lee Han thought he was done.

‘They should take the “mad” off Broadcloth King and slap it on this one.’

He now understood why the other tree spirits had sealed this one.

As Lee Han kept his careful guard up, the tree spirit, now released, rambled on, evidently in high spirits.

Hey. Do you know how stifling it was for me? Trapped in the hands of a feeble, stupid human, unable to use my power or even resonate. I thought I’d die of frustration.

“I see. My apologies. I was lacking.”

Glad you get it, human brat.

Lee Han decided he’d have words with the Talking Oaks when he got back.

How could they give a kid a spirit like this?

Professor Willow would get an earful too.

—No, giving something like that to me? What do the Talking Oaks have against me?

—Ah, it’s not like that. You’re misunderstanding. They probably thought if it reflected for a long time and its temper cooled, it should follow a young magician, help, and atone. From what I see, with your abilities you could befriend even this spirit. Haha…

If you’re a professor, at least say, “He’s no ordinary brute—don’t awaken it, even if it means losing its power!” What the hell kind of nonsense is that?

Of course, Professor Willow had also said, “It’s probably too soon to awaken this one,” but Lee Han’s mind was blank on that point.

Who could have known Lee Han would break the seal so soon?

‘But how did it wake up? I didn’t use any powers…’

As he puzzled, Lee Han realized the cause.

It had to be the King of Broadcloth’s forest.

‘But a seal doesn’t break just from being in a forest… Wait. This is the world of the soul, not reality. Does that mean I’ve already gotten the branch in real life?’

Nothing else seemed likely.

Who would have thought grabbing the branch would break the seal on a mad spirit!

Lee Han couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd misfortune.

Who could have foreseen a forest’s gift turning into disaster.

Then get lost. Don’t let’s ever meet again. If you so much as claim you wielded me for a staff, I’ll rip your tongue out.

Far from feeling grateful to a mere second-year for breaking the seal, the tree spirit heaped curses and threats on him.

Lee Han swore inwardly but bowed politely.

Fine, get out of here!

‘As if I don’t already have enough weirdos around—I don’t need another like this.’

The authority of a high-ranking spirit was tempting, but he wanted nothing to do with a character this deranged.

But the Black Book fluttered and shook its head gently.

“?”

Almost as if to warn him to be ready, it settled on Lee Han’s hand and prepared magic. Lee Han went on high alert.

…What’s this? Why not? Son of a— The seal isn’t completely broken? Damn those spirits!

The tree spirit tried to leave, but when it seemed to get stuck, he let out a stream of furious curses.

His consciousness had returned and he’d thought the seal was broken, but now it seemed it wasn’t fully undone.

Another spirit might have reflected, given thanks for the partial release, and cheered on the magician—hoping for a quicker full release next time.

But Saratan, the Ironhead Beech King, thought the opposite.

Fine. I’ll just have to smash you.

“And why, exactly?”

Shouldn’t I at least be able to move where I want? Huh?

Attacking the magician wouldn’t break the seal or restore his power, but at least he could try fleeing somewhere else.

While his essence was bound to the magician, escape was impossible.

The tree spirit swaggered closer, intending to crush this terrified young magician.

“Ironhead Beech King, Your Highness! Please just hear one thing!”

What? Go ahead.

To Lee Han’s respectful shout, the tree spirit hesitated for a moment.

In that instant, Lee Han used the Black Book’s power to blast the tree spirit with maximum telekinesis.

!!

Flying backward, the tree spirit was astonished.

He was surprised at how powerful the magician brat was, but even more so that he’d been tricked by a mere human child.

Taken in by such a green human?

I’ll ki—

Flap!

The Black Book now moved faster and more desperately than Lee Han had ever seen.

That meant the threat was all too real.

“Geh!”

The tree spirit hadn’t attacked yet, but Lee Han coughed up blood from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth.

The Black Book had forcibly cast a high-level spell, sending his mind into overload.

If not for Lee Han’s nearly limitless mana, his body might have been pulverized by the rebound, instead of merely battered.

Even if this was a soul-world, the damage was not trivial—serious harm to the soul could carry over to the true body.

‘You little—’

Lee Han cursed the Black Book. But, given the opponent, the Black Book had no choice.

‘…That’s Gonadaltes’s Ruin…!’

As the Black Book cast -Gonadaltes’s Ruin- with Lee Han’s hand, the overload transferred to the opponent.

Saratan, a spirit, was assaulted by a discomfort almost unknown to his kind.

Let me go! I’ll kill you if I get caught!

Lee Han, feeling better, exhaled a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the spell the Black Book had just forced to completion blazed forth.

Personal World, Dendrobium!

!!!

Saratan recoiled in shock at the enigmatic magic.

A spell at the level of a Personal World could shake reality itself; even beings from other dimensions would have to be wary.

Cra-ack!

A massive tree sprang up, its roots forming from the empty air.

Seeing a magician challenge him—a tree spirit—with tree magic, Saratan laughed in disbelief.

You insane?

Abandoning all caution, he conjured a huge tree club. He would smash both the meddling magic and the magician at once.

Then die!

With a roar, the tree spirit began his assault.

At that moment, a black flower bloomed at the tip of a branch on the conjured tree.

?!

Saratan was thrown off when he felt nothing as his tree club should have struck home.

He was certain he’d smashed both magician and magic in one go!

‘…It’s nullifying local physical attacks!’

Lee Han caught on first.

A Personal World spell rewrote the rules of its local space.

Right now, this tree was nullifying all physical attacks in its vicinity.

If the seal weren’t limiting his power, Saratan could have shattered the magic by force; as it was, he should have calmly assessed the domain’s edge and lured the magician out.

But Saratan, infuriated at being outmaneuvered by a green magician, just kept swinging furiously. Every blow only sliced empty air.

Thud!

Is it over? You’re dead now, brat!

When the club finally struck the ground, Saratan grinned.

The bizarre magic must have ended at last.

But, in his excitement, he failed to notice the change in the flowers blooming on the branches.

A red flower had blossomed.

…Gwaaaah!

With a horrific scream, Saratan’s essence was viciously siphoned away.

Lee Han watched, panting at the scene, then suddenly remembered and spoke up.

“…Wait. Wasn’t this the spell the Skull Principal used in his youth?”

The Black Book fluttered, pretending not to hear.