MTLNOVEL Chapter 37
Chapter 37. The Monster of the Giant Tree
We leave the tent and push our way through the forest, heading for the giant tree.
A small light can be seen in the distance.
As we advance, the light gradually grows larger, and once we emerge from the forest, we finally reach our destination.
Unlike before, the ground here is bare, without grass or trees—a slightly open area.
But before us stands a massive tree, so tall we must crane our necks to see it.
“This has to be the place.”
“Well, it’s obvious if you just look around.”
The giant tree is one thing, but everything else about this place screams that we’re in the right spot.
A horrific scene stretches before us.
Blood splattered everywhere—it’s fitting to call it a sea of blood.
People, likely members of the investigation team, lie collapsed on the ground, completely motionless. It’s clear they’re already dead.
I had hoped at least one person might still be alive, but reality isn’t so kind.
(Sorry. I can’t bring you all back. But at least I’ll avenge you.)
Frowning, I take a step forward, closing in on the giant tree.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a branch whips through the air, attacking me.
I already knew this wasn’t just an ordinary tree, so I’m not surprised. I swing my right arm, smashing the branch to pieces.
“Ho… you resisted, huh?”
An unpleasant voice echoes from above.
Looking up, the trunk of the giant tree—plain just moments ago—now has a massive face carved into it.
It’s hideous and unnerving enough to make me gasp.
(It speaks? And it’s intelligent. No doubt, this is an S-Rank creature.)
“Ugh, that’s so gross.”
“My sanity’s taking a hit.”
It’s an oddly casual conversation, but tension is clear in our voices.
We’re facing an S-Rank monster—enough to challenge entire nations—yet there’s only two of us. Honestly, it’s a pretty hopeless situation.
“Ka-ka! Fear me! Despair!”
Countless branches flail wildly and surge toward us.
Hattori-san and I leap away from the spot.
The ground where we were just standing is struck like a whip, tearing a huge crater into it.
(The power’s decent, flexibility’s exceptional, and there are endless types of attacks.)
The tricky part is that the attack paths are unpredictable.
Even if you dodge, the branches suddenly change course and chase you down.
At this point, predictions are useless.
“[Mountain Breaker].”
Then I’ll just destroy them head-on.
I blow away the incoming branches by force.
“Tch!”
But they regenerate almost instantly.
It doesn’t even take a second. At this speed, I’ll have no chance to recover my stance.
“Futile! It’s pointless! You and I are incompatible—there’s no victory for you!”
Annoying tree!
Would you shut up already?
Dodging the homing branches, I leap high into the air.
“[Meteor Shower].”
My fists rain down on the monster with overwhelming destructive power.
The monster’s body is shattered, crushed, and pulverized.
Its majestic form is now riddled with holes, barely recognizable.
(Not enough. It’s too big—I can’t hit the whole thing.)
“Still don’t get it? Humans are foolish, arrogant, and laughably weak.”
It regenerates, as if time itself is reversing.
Within seconds, the holes and broken branches are completely restored.
(I thought destroying a certain amount might kill it, but I was wrong.)
I could press the attack here, but seeing the monster remain utterly unfazed makes it clear this would be a waste of effort.
“Hm, what do we do? Cutting it seems useless.”
Hattori-san appears beside me.
“Maybe it has some kind of core. Destroying that giant body would be too much for us, so I’d rather not think about it.”
“Then we’ll just chip away at it.”
Hattori-san charges forward.
Branches lash out at her over and over, but they can’t keep up with her speed.
With every flash of silver, she slices through the monster bit by bit.
(I can’t just stand here either.)
“Rank Ascension—Awaken, [Mars].”
The branches close in, but I ignore them completely.
From what I’ve seen, this level of attack can’t deal real damage to me now.
“Annoying.”
As expected, no matter how much they hit, I’m unharmed—but it’s starting to get old.
(Guess I’ll blow it away.)
I channel my fighting spirit into my legs.
Pulsing, brilliant white energy surges stronger and stronger.
“Hattori-san, back up a bit.”
“What are y—”
Before she can respond,
I lightly tap the ground with my toe.
It’s an action so mundane—like simply wearing shoes—that anyone would doubt its significance.
It shouldn’t change anything.
—Under normal logic.
“[Star Fall].”
But this was far beyond normal logic.
The moment my toe touches the ground, ultra-pure energy floods outward, radiating a hundred meters around me.
As soon as it touches the surrounding trees, they’re pulverized without question.
Within seconds, the overwhelming force reduces everything to atoms, transforming the area into barren land.
“Whoa! I thought I was gonna die!”
Hattori-san, who had retreated into the air, lands safely on the ground.
“Sorry. I figured with your speed, you wouldn’t get caught.”
“Well, I didn’t, but… think that did it?”
Oh, that’s a flag.
The ground stirs.
The giant tree monster rises again—threefold this time.
Wait, why are there more of them?
I was sure I destroyed the core… Isn’t this a bit much?
“So this is S-Rank.”
Common sense doesn’t apply.
No—even attacks outside common sense don’t work.
“I told you, you and I are poorly matched. True, I have a core—but it exists within this space itself!”
…He can’t mean this entire massive space, right?
I glance into the distance, but there’s no end in sight.
“Ka-ka! You’ll never find it!”
The branches gather, transforming into spear-like shapes—countless in number.
With a beat, they rush toward us like a tidal wave, tearing through the air.
“Hah!”
I destroy every single one, tracking them with my eyes.
“This is a losing battle.”
But at this rate, we’ll never defeat it.
While I won’t take damage, we still need food and water—so we’ll exhaust ourselves first.
With just fists and daggers, can we really destroy the core in this endless space?
Is there even a point to attacking blindly?
I need to think of something, fast…
“Yanagi-kun, step back.—I’m going to kill it.”
A chill runs down my spine, like a thin blade grazing my back.