The World Does Not Exist for ■■

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: ford53
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< Chapter 20: A Coincidence for the Heroine >

“…The World Tree is just a huge tree.”

–Excerpt from the American-Elf War Surrender Documents.

***

Dung Beetle regarded the remaining men with an indifferent gaze.

The pig-headed men who had just uttered a curse were now silent, trying to grasp the situation, and the branch manager rolled his eyes with a pale face.

“Damn it, with just a gesture, he took down a shepherd…”

As if the branch manager’s words were a signal, Dung Beetle kicked off the ground. Witnessing this, one of the pig-headed men stepped forward and shouted.

“Carry the agent and run!”

His eyes glowed red, and the mana in his voice surged.

Soon after, a curse-laden voice was unleashed towards Dung Beetle.

“Kyaah!”

An invisible curse struck him but Dung Beetle did not falter. The ground he stood on caved in, kicking up dust, but that was all.

“…He blocked it with his bare body?”

That became the last words of the pig-headed man. Dung Beetle rushed at him, grabbed his throat, and snapped it.

With a gruesome sound, the shepherd’s body went limp.

When Dung Beetle turned his head, the branch manager, who had just been carried by one of the shepherds, was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression.

Before he could say anything, there was no need for conversation.

Whoosh!

Dung Beetle kicked off the ground again. Shadow Skipping now felt familiar. Over the movements of martial arts, he imbued the wave of Pyangyeol.

It was a kick close to a performance test. The mana surged to its limits without considering the opponent’s level, creating waves from his thigh to his toes.

“Dodge it!”

The branch manager shouted, but the shepherd had already misgauged the power of the kick. There was no escaping it.

Without hesitation, he threw the branch manager aside and threw himself at the kick.

“Guh!”

The pig-headed man was struck directly by the kick and was launched into the air. Moments later, the delayed impact of the mana blew him away.

Thump!

The man flew a distance before crashing into the downed van. Even after the crash, the hit still had the strength to bend in the van, spilling out gasoline.

The sight made the branch manager groan.

“This is crazy…”

Muttering in despair, the shepherds who had just straightened themselves out behind him grasped the situation. They immediately turned and started to run.

Seeing them split into two directions, it seemed they weren’t just running aimlessly out of fear.

‘Rather than total annihilation, at least one aims to survive and call for help.’

Watching the backs of the fleeing men, Dung Beetle gave a sideways glance at the branch manager and then pursued the men.

Swoosh!

With a swift movement, he closed the distance to them instantly.

The first to be caught was the one who fled to the right. He died without a struggle, his head crushed.

The second man was breaking out a pistol when his neck was snapped, and the third died just before he could unleash a curse.

The last one, realizing he couldn’t escape, tried to contact someone with his phone.

But before the call connected, Dung Beetle’s kick smashed both the phone and the man’s head.

It was such an anticlimactic end to the government-trained shepherds that it was almost unbelievable.

However, their deaths evoked no emotion in Dung Beetle. He dusted off the flesh and blood from his clothes and turned back to the branch manager.

“You, who the hell sent you…? Australia? Japan? Or maybe a mage tower?”

The branch manager, attempting to flee in a crouching position, asked. He pointed a trembling hand with a gun at Dung Beetle.

“Huh? You’re Korean, right? Tell me, you traitorous bastard. Why target the government? For money? Is it money?”

Dung Beetle didn’t answer and kept walking.

Right in front of the branch manager. Only when they were close enough to see their reflections in each other’s eyes did Dung Beetle take off his hat.

“Branch Manager.”

“Damn it, you… I recognize that… face—cough!”

Dung Beetle grabbed the branch manager’s throat. The latter tried to shoot the gun too late, and his wrist was seized, forcing him to drop the gun helplessly.

“Branch Manager. You don’t remember who I am, do you? It’s okay. Then, do you remember the work team leader?”

Hearing “work team leader” the branch manager’s face visibly distorted, but his voice made no coherent words.

“You, you can’t mean, cough…”

“Good. At least you understand why you are dying.”

Dung Beetle tightened his grip. Or, he was about to.

Just as he was about to clench his hand, something flew from behind and struck his wrist.

‘…A rock?’

Dung Beetle let go of the branch manager and turned towards the direction the rock had come from.

“We have company.”

Far away, upon the bridge, he saw two figures cloaked in ponchos.

Without hesitation, they jumped down from the bridge. Surprisingly, not even a light footstep was heard where they landed.

Dung Beetle narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the uninvited guests. Instantly, he frowned.

Above the ponchos, slightly pushed back hoods revealed faces that weren’t human.

‘…Elves?’

Shimmering lips, large eyes, sharply curved eyebrows, sculpted noses, and… long, pointed ears.

Astonishingly beautiful faces. They were the faces of elves he often saw on the news.

The two elves who had landed on the ground met his gaze with expressionless faces.

“…What are you? Elves don’t usually play mercenary in Korea.”

Dung Beetle looked down at the ponchos the elves were wearing.

On the ponchos, there was a symbol of a large tree with a red star within it.

The World Tree Revolutionary Faction.

Red elves who even made Stalin admire them, guerilla elves from beyond the dimension door who serve Demerond Ipp Marx.

“Human superhuman. We have no quarrel with you. Our business is with that one.”

The elf with light silver hair nodded towards the branch manager, who was still gasping from being choked, looking puzzled.

“Business? What business?”

“It’s elf business. Not for outsiders to know.”

“Ah, I see.”

Dung Beetle grabbed the branch manager’s throat again. Seeing this, one of the silver-haired elf’s eyebrows arched long and high.

“Human superhuman, let him go while I’m asking nicely.”

“What if I don’t?”

“If you insist on tasting punishment, I won’t stop you.”

The elf pulled out a sword from under the poncho. Under the lamplight barely illuminating the bridge below, the sword emitted a sinister glow on its own.

Faced with the blatant threat, Dung Beetle pondered for a moment.

Should he hand over the branch manager to these elves?

It was clear that these red elves were not on good terms with the branch manager. But to hand over the object of his revenge was a different matter altogether.

“Do you plan to kill this man?”

Dung Beetle asked, harboring a sliver of hope. As expected, the elf shook her head.

“Again, it’s none of your business.”

After hearing the response, Dung Beetle alternated his gaze between the branch manager, who was struggling to survive, and the silver-haired elf, who was gripping her sword.

And behind the silver-haired elf, he evaluated the blonde elf with green streaks, who was watching him with an incomprehensible expression.

Mana could be felt from both elves. Needless to say, both were superhumans.

Well, that explained how elves could freely roam a human city.

‘If I don’t hand over the branch manager, I’ll be fighting 2:1 against superhumans.’

It was a ridiculous situation, but when did things ever go exactly as planned in this world? Dung Beetle sighed and tightened his grip.

“No!”

Crack. The branch manager’s body went limp, and the silver-haired elf widened her eyes in anger and shouted.

“How dare you!”

Dung Beetle threw the corpse of the branch manager at the silver-haired elf and kicked off the ground.

As the elf had said, why the elves were after the branch manager and why they were here… it was none of his concern.

He had his own business to attend to and would just run away.

Whoosh!

As he unleashed the essence of Pyangyeol in his martial arts, Dung Beetle’s body quickly accelerated.

“You wretch!”

The elf pursued him with superhuman speed, but Dung Beetle was faster.

Once they were tens of paces apart, the blonde-haired elf behind him spoke up.

“Lion! Capture him!”

‘Capture? What?’

As Dung Beetle thought this, something invisible grabbed him from the air.

‘What’s this?’

What held him was a massive hand-like mass of energy. Invisible to the eye, but the mana was clearly discernible.

Crunch!

The invisible hand squeezed him tightly.

Dung Beetle didn’t hesitate and directed the mana within his body. Following the essence of Pyangyeol, the surging mana flowed through his muscles and pushed against the invisible hand.

Just as he managed to barely free a hand, he launched a punch at the invisible grasp.

Boom!

A heavy thud resounded, and the pressure that held him lessened. Dung Beetle flitted his body through his fingers and escaped the grip.

Landing on the ground, the silver-haired elf was already close. Silence passed between them for a brief moment.

This time, Dung Beetle initiated the attack.

Thwack!

With incredible speed, he extended his leg aiming for the silver-haired elf’s head. The elf leaned back gracefully and swung her sword.

Swoosh!

Starting with an attack that sliced through the air, their bodies tangled.

Dung Beetle’s kick aimed at their legs as the sword jabbed at the waist. As he extended his fist, the withdrawing sword aimed at the shoulder, and when he tried to create distance, the elf tenaciously found and exploited any opening.

The elf’s swordplay had no beginning or end. Sometimes it drew straight lines, other times curves, with attacks that never ceased.

As if preparing to assume a stance, the elf would suddenly seize an opening and move.

‘This is superhuman swordplay.’

Whether human or fairy, as long as they have limbs, the muscles covered in mana moved as if they knew no bounds.

A moment of inattention and a vital spot could be pierced by the sword.

Dung Beetle admired and instinctively memorized the movement of the sword. At first, he saw where the sword went, and then he felt the movement of the mana.

‘Flexible yet resolute. Like the roots of a tree.’

The mana that had been surging with the essence of Pyangyeol began to mimic the elves’ swordplay through Inspiration or enlightenment.

A sensation that defied explanation filled his body. The path of the sword, the movement of muscles wielding it, and even the mana that supported it.

It all felt incredibly alien and beautiful.

Dung Beetle held the momentary inspiration in his hands. Lacking a sword, he spread his fingers to create a blade with his hand.

Swish!

The first gesture was clumsy, allowing a sword to nick his left forearm, but Dung Beetle trusted his regeneration ability.

He ignored the wound and reached out with his other hand.

The second swipe was sharp, cutting through the air.

The third made the elf dodge, and the fourth was blocked by her hand.

On the fifth, Dung Beetle’s hand reached through the very short gap in the elf’s swordplay.

The contact was only at the edge of the poncho, but that was enough. The wave of Pyangyeol tore through the garment.

Rip rip rip!

“Uh?!”

The onslaught of sword winds stopped. The silver-haired elf ceased her offensive and stepped back.

Her expression twisted as she looked down at the torn poncho.

Dung Beetle took a moment to create some distance and spoke up.

“What’s the name of that sword technique?”

“…”

“Doesn’t have one? A nameless sword technique of this caliber is quite impressive.”

The silver-haired elf narrowed her eyes, once again taking offense at the taunt, and gripped her sword again.

She raised the handle high to her ear in a knightly posture. Another new sword technique. The surging mana suggested that this technique would be her true intent.

In a moment of unconscious anticipation from Dung Beetle, a voice called out from behind.

Had he been too engrossed in sword technique to forget that his opponent was not just the silver-haired elf?

“Rellin! Subdue with light!”

As soon as they saw the distance between Dung Beetle and the silver-haired elf, the blonde-haired elf behind called out another spell.

Different from before, this magic was visible.

Flash!

An immense light burst forth right in front of Dung Beetle’s nose. His optic nerves spasmed, and his vision went dark.

A short breath, a large gap.

Thud!

The silver-haired elf didn’t miss the moment and charged at Dung Beetle.

And that was her misstep.

She was also blinded by the light. But unlike her, Dung Beetle could feel her movements even without sight.

An abnormally delicate sense of mana made it possible.

Through the darkness created by the light, Dung Beetle extended his hands.

Thrust, the elf’s sword pierced his left hand. The mana in the sword and the hand clashed, splattering blood.

But that blocked her movements.

Dung Beetle pulled back his right hand. The surging mana overflowed from his shoulder to his fist.

Pyangyeol, when the hand carries the wave, it’s Pyangyeol Punch.

Whoosh!

The air trembled with the sound of wind.

The silver-haired elf belatedly filled her sword with power, but Dung Beetle’s Pyangyeol Punch had already reached her midsection.

!

Before the fist even touched, mana pounded her body. The elf was lifted into the air.

Thump!

As his vision returned, the elevated elf fell to the ground.

“Cough!”

The delayed shock shook her body, and acidic saliva sprayed from her mouth.

“Ugh… Uh… Ugh…”

Dung Beetle pulled the sword from his left hand, gripped it in his right, and approached her.

“Comrade Rime! No, don’t! Lion! Rellin! Protect Rime…”

The blonde-haired elf, seeing this belatedly, attempted to chant something, but Dung Beetle pointing his sword at the silver-haired elf’s throat was a bit quicker.

“Stop. If you chant another spell, she dies.”