[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 226

“Absolutely do not consume it. Those who are unqualified will go mad just by getting close to it.”

“Is that so?”

If Mara had ill intentions, a human like me would have vanished from this world long ago.

“Even if you consume it, the current Ga-eul won’t be able to absorb everything.”

It’s the first time I’ve seen an angel make such a distorted expression.

Unlike the angel, who keeps moving away, Baekseol treats the black orb like a toy, tapping it with her front paw.

“This isn’t a toy.”

“Ball!”

She seems to love anything round.

Even if Baekseol is friendly, the fact that the angel is acting like this means it’s dangerous.

“Here, play with this ice ball.”

“Ball!”

As soon as Baekseol lifts the ball above her head, I realize my mistake too late.

The ancient chill makes my head spin.

“Ugh, it’s cold. What do I do?”

As the chill brings me back to my senses, my eyes fall back on the black orb resting on my hand.

It’s been calling out to me ever since I leveled up, and I can’t help but feel a strange fondness for it.

“Hmm. Fondness? Why do I feel fondness for a ball? Is this thing hypnotizing me or something?”

As I glare at the black orb, it starts trembling even more.

“What the hell did you do to me?”

Thanks to Baekseol’s ice massage, I seem to have regained my senses.

I’m not Baekseol, yet I suddenly felt affection for a round object. The fact that I didn’t even notice how weird that was gives me chills.

As I shake the black orb, Haetnimu’s tense expression softens.

“Are you trying to die? Huh?!”

“What are you doing… huh?”

Gulp.

“…Huh? Where did the orb go?”

“She ate the ball!”

I turn my head and see the angel looking horrified.

In just one day, I’ve seen the angel’s expression change twice.

Even though it’s clear I swallowed it, I don’t feel any foreign sensation in my body.

“Gag—”

—Crackle!

A faint electric current spurts out of my mouth, accompanied by the feeling of something being digested.

“Huh?”

“Why is the electricity red and black… Ga-eul, what on earth did you eat?”

“Umm, hold on.”

I pick up Baekseol, who’s on my head, and close my eyes. Instantly, my focus sharpens.

Plop!

In sync with the sound of a water droplet, I erase the intrusive thoughts like a guest.

I clear away all distractions.

I peel away layers of delusion.

After easily entering a state of selflessness, I observe my inner self again, and all sorts of things start to appear.

The pleasantly flowing wind.

The giant tree swaying its branches in response.

The sound of a babbling stream.

A fruit that’s still too small to identify but looks like a peach is slowly growing.

This is the Heavenly Peach (天桃) rooted within me, my foundation, the stepping stone for growth, and life itself.

The source of it.

“Whoo─”

At Cheondo, as I turn my head and let out a light breath, distracting thoughts creep in again.

It’s not that the staff master, who has attained the status of Buddha, is complaining for no reason.

Even delivering a single punch in a state of selflessness drains all my energy.

That’s why I have to use the Cloud Technique in short bursts.

Still, I feel happy because I can sense progress the more I train.

“Whoo─”

Without realizing it, distracting thoughts come again.

So I peel them off and erase them.

Once I even erase the thought that distracting thoughts might come, my inner darkness begins to show.

I see a heart pounding fiercely like a war drum. A dark, dragon-shaped creature is coiled around it.

Every time that heart beats, lightning shoots out. That must be the Brain Lightning that guy just ate.

I also see a black orb slowly orbiting the heart like a satellite.

Every time the heart beats, it emits a faint black energy, but the amount is very weak.

As the angel said, it seems I can’t absorb it directly yet.

“Whoo!”

Taking a deep breath, I snap out of my selfless state.

“Ah, this is tough.”

“….Autumn.”

“Yeah. You waited.”

The angel, who slightly nodded, strides over.

“Did you inherit the lineage of Shakyamuni?”

“Hmm, should I say I did?”

“He…. No. I don’t think I can tell you.”

Given the angel’s personality so far, it doesn’t seem like they’re refusing to speak out of dislike.

“What’s so secretive? But how do you know?”

“Autumn was so in tune with nature that there wasn’t even a slight movement. Not even a heartbeat. That’s impossible even for a divine being. It’s on a completely different level from a body stiffening after death. That’s why I asked.”

“I have to erase it. Everything.”

Upon checking, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly harmful to me.

In fact, it seems more accurate to say it’s helping, like injecting nutrients.

“Let’s go in. I’ll make you food.”

“Food!”

“I’ll make something delicious for Baekseol too.”

“Excited!”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The angel, seemingly trying to hide complex emotions, gives a bright response.

“Just trust me.”

As I try to open the door to go inside, I notice a pet door installed below it.

“Baekseol’s special door is cute.”

“Yeah!”

It’s a cute pet door full of clouds, chosen by Haetnimu, which doesn’t quite match the house’s atmosphere.

“Did Haetnimu do it?”

“She did!”

“Thank you, I should.”

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it, Baekseol. It’s only natural since we’re friends.”

Haetnimu taps Baekseol’s short forelegs as she clings.

“Ooh.”

Opening the door and entering, unlike the stoic angel, the interior is surprisingly cozy.

“Pretty. You must have worked hard.”

“It was fun, thanks to you.”

“Thank goodness.”

The angel gives a faint smile that’s hard to notice.

Having spent long years just looking for items on the tutorial floor, it’s no wonder nothing feels exciting, but seeing them so happy makes me feel good too.

“And for now, let’s use the oil generator for electricity. It has a transformer and everything inside, so we just need to pull the wires. Later, I’ll embed the outlets neatly.”

“Understood.”

The reason I always carried a generator wherever I went was because I recognized the importance of energy infrastructure.

Although there are various types of generators in the subspace, the lack of electrical wiring makes installation time-consuming.

“Alright! Shall we show off our skills?”

“Let’s do it!”

As I roll up my sleeves, Baekseol, who’s been clinging to me, also gets excited and starts fidgeting.

“Let’s have that housewarming party we talked about.”

“You mean the event where you invite relatives and throw a party?”

“Yeah. Since we’ve moved into a new house, it’d be nice to have lots of people to celebrate with.”

“I’m fine with it.”

“Great!”

With the members’ agreement, it seems we can bring them over quickly.

“Baekseol, play with Haetnimu.”

“Okay!”

As the angel said, it seems they’ve really become friends, as Baekseol climbs onto the angel’s shoulder without hesitation.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Waving to them as I step outside, I can feel the air has changed once again.

Although it’s pleasant outside, it’s nothing compared to inside the tent.

“PT teacher!”

Ding!

As the gazes of the people around focus, an invitation flies in as if it had been waiting.

Placing my hand on the invitation, the quality of the air changes once more.

“Ugh, I feel dizzy.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hercules, have you been well?”

“Of course.”

Hercules, who takes great care of his body, is holding a cola in his right hand.

He’s been fond of it since last time, so it seems he’s taken a liking to it.

“Want to come to my house? I’ll make lots of delicious food.”

“Can I go? I’m trapped here.”

This place is similar to the tent I was in.

The only difference is the shabby cabin Hercules built himself, which looks like it could drive anyone insane.

According to Son Goku, he’s already unstable, and with the environment like this, there’s no hope for improvement.

“Haetnimu said it might be possible.”

“Is that so? Are you talking about that tent?”

It seems Hercules has been watching from here too.

“That’s the one.”

“Hmm. Getting out sounds good, and your food is even better. If I go, I’ll get to eat lots of delicious things, so before that, let’s do some lower body training.”

“Why? Why does it suddenly come to that conclusion?”

“All striking power comes from the lower body. The stronger your lower body, the more explosive your strikes and mobility. How many times have I told you?”

“Ugh.”

“Are you here? Why are you suddenly gagging?”

“Ugh…”

“It’s harder than when I ate Brain Lightning. Anyway, this is Hercules.”

“Nice to meet you, Scribe of Light. This is the second time I’ve seen you in person.”

“Nice to meet you, Hercules. You can call me Ariel.”

At the angel’s words, Hercules nods his head.

“Are you two acquainted?”

“Yes, we had the chance to meet once before.”

“That’s unexpected.”

Hercules stands there with a stoic expression.

The double-height ceiling is a relief. Otherwise, the giant Hercules would have had to walk around hunched over.

“Your house is very beautiful.”

“Haetnimu decorated it.”

I suddenly remember Haetnimu, who was dazzled by my storage space. Even if I had offered to help, she probably wouldn’t have let me lift a finger.

“Can we go outside from here?”

“If you go out, you’ll be fixed to the coordinates I came from, so it should be fine, right?”

Ariel shakes her head at Hercules’ question.

“If the first-floor guardian spots us, it’ll be a headache.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“If you’re feeling too cooped up, there’s also the yard. Look out the window. Since the house is built in the middle of the forest, it should feel similar to where you used to live.”

“Oh, I see.”

Hercules makes eye contact and nods, then strides outside.

“Phew.”

“Ga-eul, why are your legs shaking? That’s bad luck.”

“How do you know that? And I’m not shaking on purpose.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Hercules keeps acting like this, as if he’s the only one who matters.”

I can’t help but sigh as I speak.

“It feels good to get stronger every moment, but I feel like my mind will give out first. It’s such hard training.”

Haetnimu tilts her head slightly, as if out of habit.

“How so?”

“He keeps making me do duck walks while holding a tree as big as a house.”

“I think it’s because he believes your basic stamina is lacking.”

Even I don’t think my stamina is particularly lacking. But when your comparison is Hercules, anything will seem lacking. It’s just unfair.

The only saving grace is that the percentage of muscle training techniques I’ve learned from Hercules is steadily increasing, so I can endure it.

“Hercules is a specialist in close combat, so you can trust him with physical training. I guarantee there’s no better physical training master than Hercules.”