[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 260

As I opened the door to the training hall, a strong smell of sweat wafted out.

“Hey, guys.”

After stepping into the wide entrance of the training hall and calling out to my friends, the gazes of the men working out turned toward me.

Among them, the trio from afar also noticed me and waved.

“Baekseol, let’s deliver this and go call Danpung.”

“Okay!”

Since my friends are clearly on a tough journey, I should at least feed them well.

“Did you call for me?”

While I was organizing what I had prepared for my friends, someone approached me.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, I’m from Class B…”

At that moment, a hand landed on the shoulder of the man who was speaking, stopping him.

“Ah! What the heck!”

The man, who quickly shook off the hand gripping his shoulder, turned around with a sharp glare.

“Get lost. She’s our supporter.”

“V-Vice Captain Shin Yong…”

Realizing it was Shin Yong who had grabbed his shoulder, the man took a step back.

“Here’s the second-in-command too.”

Behind Shin Yong, Chan-yong and Noa popped out.

“I’m the dragon.”

“No, who said that? And I’m a dragon too.”

They started bickering without pause.

“Stop fighting and let’s go eat this.”

“What is it?”

When I shook the lunchbox basket in my hand, the trio’s eyes sparkled.

They seemed to have already figured it out without me saying anything.

“I packed high-protein lunchboxes for you guys.”

“Impressive. As expected of our supporter.”

Shin Yong, who rarely shows any expression, gave a thumbs-up with his usual blank face.

This guy seems to be breaking down somewhere as time goes by.

“Did you pack this yourself, Autumn?”

“Of course.”

“Yay!”

Kim Chan-yong waved his hands like a dancing balloon, acting all excited.

“Let’s eat on the grass.”

“Great idea.”

“Let’s hurry.”

“Thanks, Autumn.”

***

“Ta-da!”

“Wow!!”

As I spread out the food on a mat laid out on the grass, the trio let out short cheers.

“You guys have been working hard preparing for the competition, so I put in some effort.”

“Whoa!!”

Kim Chan-yong had the best reaction, but the other two weren’t far behind.

“Our supporter is the best.”

“Haha, Autumn, we’ll enjoy this.”

“Yum. Eat until you burst.”

The noisy guys suddenly became as quiet as anyone could be the moment food entered their mouths.

“Chan-yong, have some more soup.”

“Mmm!”

Anyone watching would think they were facing a life-or-death situation.

They eat with incredible intensity.

“Ooh, ah, uh, ah, uh…”

“Hey, finish eating first.”

“Ugh.”

“High-protein, low-fat diets are dry because they lack fat, so why does this taste so good?”

Kim Chan-yong nodded.

“That’s because you guys have been stuffing yourselves with chicken breast. For example, beef or squid might be expensive, but they don’t have that downside. And since you’re not dieting, you need to consume some fat too.”

Kim Chan-yong nodded again and started busily moving his chopsticks.

“Eat up, guys.”

“Mmm!”

“It’s so good!”

“It’s delicious, Autumn.”

“It’s probably the last supper.”

A silence fell among the trio, who had been happily clinking their chopsticks.

“Ahem!”

Perhaps startled by the sudden silence, Kim Chan-yong coughed briefly, and a grain of rice flew out of his mouth.

“Are you okay? Here’s some water.”

“Drink.”

I handed water to Kim Chan-yong, who eagerly took it and gulped it down.

After finishing the water, Kim Chan-yong stared at me intensely, as if demanding an explanation.

Not just Kim Chan-yong, but the other two were giving me the same look.

“What are you looking at? Finish your meal.”

“Autumn, you just mentioned the last supper…”

“Yeah, the last supper is the last supper. You know, the meal you eat before you kick the bucket?”

Noa, who had asked the question, rolled her eyes around.

“Food!”

“Should Baekseol eat too?”

“Yes!”

Ding!

“Great!”

Baekseol settled on my lap and started nibbling on a flower.

“So… Autumn.”

“Huh?”

“Are we going to die?”

Gulp.

Kim Chan-yong’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily as he listened to Noa’s loaded question.

“Halfway?”

“Huh? Why? Why on earth?”

Kim Chan-yong pressed urgently.

It sounded like a joke, but everyone had a serious face.

“How long are you going to scribble with metal scraps in the training room?”

“We’re trying our best.”

Perhaps feeling that their efforts were being belittled, Shin Yong put down his spoon and answered seriously.

“Did you do your best?”

“We’re trying to do our best.”

“So, can you win?”

“We’re trying to win.”

Kim Chan-yong and Noa, sitting around, nodded in agreement with Shin Yong’s words.

“I’ll make sure you can win. But it’s going to be hell.”

“…How?”

“I’ll introduce you to a teacher.”

“A teacher? Don’t we have the J-class instructor?”

These guys are seriously mistaken.

What we’re currently learning at the academy is completely different from what’s needed for the war.

“Are people monsters? What we’re learning here isn’t human combat, it’s monster combat.”

“Isn’t that obvious? Then what are we supposed to do?”

“What do you mean, what? We need to learn how to fight.”

As soon as I finished speaking, a different kind of silence fell.

“Luckily, there’s someone near me who’s been through so many wars they’re practically numb. A true specialist in human combat.”

“War…?”

I guess they take the weight of the word “war” more seriously now that they’ve had a taste of it.

“I told you about my time in the tower. They don’t even bother hiding it anymore. They openly encourage killing each other.”

Like the guy with the helicopter glasses I met earlier, people around here keep talking about it. It’s not the monsters causing trouble, it’s the humans.

“I guarantee, if you die, it’s more likely to be at the hands of a human, not a monster.”

“……”

“So, friends, the choice is yours.”

This place isn’t as peaceful as where I used to live. It only looks the same on the surface; the core is completely different. The deterrent against war is laughably weak.

Especially with highly developed civilizations and personal combat skills, politics also exist. These innocent friends of mine would be torn apart if they got caught up in politics.

“The academy’s protection will only last a few years at most. Grow up fast before then.”

Unfortunately, individual strength can’t compete with power. Everywhere, groups try to control those with high combat skills, under the name of politics.

To stop that, you either need to belong to a power group, or if that’s not possible, turn away from worldly affairs. And if you don’t want to do that either, you need the strength to back it up.

“If we go, what will we learn?”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier? You learn how to fight. If you grow up like this, you’ll end up playing on someone else’s tongue and die screaming, right?”

“You can fight here too…”

“Did I beat around the bush too much? You need to learn how to kill people.”

*Whoosh!*

With my hand gesture, a space opens in the air, and a pitch-black abyss-like thing pokes its head out as if it’s the entrance.

“By the way, I prefer pulling out tongues.”

“……”

“The choice is yours. If you go in here, there will be a PT trainer.”

“P… PT?”

Talking about killing people and then suddenly dropping something so random, they look completely lost, unable to grasp the situation.

“One thing’s for sure, you’ll become much stronger than you are now.”

As I nod and make eye contact with the three companions, a glimmer of desire slowly fills their previously blank eyes.

“I’ll go. I can’t miss the chance to get stronger.”

“Me too! I’m going too!”

“…I’ll go too.”

Shin Yong takes the lead, and one by one, they express their agreement. As expected, when there’s nothing else to say, just making eye contact makes them interpret it positively.

Honestly, I just nodded without any particular reason.

“If you’ve decided, go in.”

Once again, Shin Yong, true to his role as the leader, moves first.

Shin Yong takes a step forward, standing right in front of the space, and looks back at me.

All I need to do is nod again.

“I’ll repay your trust.”

“As expected, Shin Yong, the top student. I trust my friend.”

Hearing the response, Shin Yong nods with a serious expression and disappears into the space.

Next is Kim Chan-yong.

“Our time together hasn’t been long, but I trust you.”

“Keuh, you’re the best, Chan-yong.”

“Right? I’m Chan-yong, after all.”

“Of course.”

“Hehe.”

When I nod at Kim Chan-yong, he disappears into the space, leaving behind a mischievous laugh.

Lastly, it’s Noa.

“Ga-eul…”

“Noa Taylor.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t mess around and work hard.”

The face of the guy who looks like a nobleman twitches slightly.

Noa is one of the strongest in the class. But contrary to that, his appearance, personality, everything about him is gentle.

“…Alright.”

After Noa finally goes in, the once lively picnic spot falls silent.

It feels similar to that heavy mood when a broadcast just ends.

“They’re all gone.”

“I’m here!”

“Oh? My friend is still here.”

“Yeah!”

As Baekseol crawls up to my chest, I pick her up and flip her over to show her round belly.

“Wow, our Pposiraegi ate well.”

“Yeah!”

Even though I just sent them off, I’m already worried.

Just in case, I sneak into the space and, as expected, see the three companions panicking.

“Teacher, take good care of our kids.”

*Image description: A scene from the story.*

“Ga-eul. Are those the friends you mentioned before?”

“Yeah.”

The frozen trio trembles as they look at me.

I’m used to it by now, but Hercules is basically a friend who radiates an insane amount of murderous energy.

The overwhelming intimidation that makes even breathing difficult is something they’re experiencing for the first time.

“It must be something I’m going through.”

“Can I die?”

“Just keep me alive. I’ll figure out a way to survive somehow.”

“Then leave it to me.”

“Take care!”

The three companions, with faces looking half-dead, seem to want to say something.

“Guys, this is an incredibly expensive PT session. It’s a golden opportunity, so learn well and come back.”

***

“Summoning magic isn’t just about connecting a straight path. It’s a large-scale, complex magic that transfers attributes and personalities between the summoner and the summoned, and then fulfills a contract. Scholars have divided this process into five stages: Gung, Sang, Gak, Chi, and Woo, breaking down the sounds and attaching them to the process.”

If last time it was Baekseol who came, this time I have to find them.

The attribute is thunder. A zappy, zappy squirrel.

Zap!

I’m not sure about the personality yet. But it keeps trying to give me what it has.

Maybe it’s been alone for so long and is just happy to have a family now.

Zap zap!

Its appearance is round and cute like Baekseol. It has soft fur, round eyes, and wags its bushy tail when happy.

Also, being an autumn squirrel, it’s a bit chubby. Especially its cheek pouches—always bulging with something.

Or maybe it’s just chubby cheeks.

Rumble—!

It kept cracking sunflower seeds and stuffing them into my mouth.

A squirrel with pretty brown stripes that suit it very well.

It’s about the size of a handful.

That’s the kind of friend it is.

Zap zap zap—!

I paint a picture on the canvas with the brush of thought.

It’s okay if it’s clumsy.

As I close my eyes and draw, the image of the squirrel waiting over there becomes vivid.

The little one, alone in the grass, seems to have noticed me, looking around before finally gazing at me.

It feels like it’s been waiting for me for a long time.

“Danpung.”

BOOM—!!

As soon as I call its name, a massive thunderbolt crashes down.

Thanks to that, sunlight streams through the hole in the gym ceiling along with thick dust.

Thud thud thud.

Before the dust even settles, something rivaling Baekseol charges forward rapidly.

“It’s great!”