11. The World Tree (3)
Lee Hwa-yeon had established a strict quarantine around Bukhansan. The Magic Association’s Science and Technology Department had collected samples of the parasitic monsters, and the results confirmed their classification as a Level 1 threat.
Even a single larva escaping into the city could have devastating consequences.
Initial estimates predicted a death toll of over 200,000 if containment failed.
She was stationed at the final checkpoint, the last line of defense before Bukhansan.
She had been here for days, practically camping out, but she wasn’t bothered. This kind of life was familiar to her.
She preferred it to the endless paperwork and the constant bloodshed of the battlefield.
“Shit.”
She cursed under her breath, a reflex.
She frowned, another habit.
She tried to focus on the positive.
Positive thinking.
It strengthened one’s mental fortitude. One of her most trusted comrades had told her that once.
‘When was that?’
Strangely, she couldn’t remember who it was, or when it had happened. She stood there, lost in thought, when…
“Hmm?”
She sensed movement inside the quarantine zone.
She hopped over the fence and headed towards the source.
If it was a monster, it was best to eliminate it quickly. The soldiers stationed at the frontlines were mostly young recruits, barely out of their teens.
All conscripts.
If something happened to them here, the compensation their families would receive was meager, and even that was often delayed.
“Sigh…”
She shook her head and continued walking.
As she got closer, she realized it wasn’t a monster.
Which meant things were about to get complicated.
Screech!
A Mimic Larva, attracted by the scent of cigarette smoke clinging to her clothes, lunged at her. But before it could reach her…
Poof!
It burst into flames, incinerating instantly.
She ignored the insect and continued walking.
A spider, concealed in the undergrowth, emerged.
Her mana core activated, and pillars of fire erupted around her. Her form blurred, then reappeared in front of the spider.
“Get lost.”
Wham! Boom!
She punched the spider in the head, flames erupting from her fist, cooking it instantly. Seeing these creatures so close to the perimeter reinforced the need for the expedition.
Not that she liked it.
Whoosh!
A shadow darted past her, and she clenched her fist.
“Tsk.”
She inhaled sharply, her brow furrowing, and a magic circle appeared before her, crackling with fiery energy.
Boom!
She punched the circle, unleashing a wave of fire. Trees exploded, the path ahead incinerated.
Just as the flames were about to spread…
Snap!
She snapped her fingers, and the fire vanished.
“So… which idiot decided to sneak in without authorization?”
She walked towards the source of the disturbance.
A figure landed gracefully on the ground, leaping from a falling tree, and turned to face her.
“My, my, what a fiery maiden you are.”
He took out a fan from his sleeve, as if trying to cool down.
Lee Hwa-yeon’s face contorted in displeasure as she recognized him.
“A high elf…?”
He was a high elf, dressed in modified hanbok, a traditional Korean hat perched on his head, his demeanor relaxed.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Deran Hainus. And you are?”
“How did you get in here?”
He took out an identification card and showed it to her.
She shook her head. She hadn’t received any reports of his arrival.
Despite the emergency situation, the military wasn’t cooperating with the Enforcement Department.
It was because of the internal factions within the Magic Association.
“Hmm.”
He waved his fan, and a jet of water shot out, slicing through the air, obliterating a swarm of approaching insects.
“Be careful, maiden.”
“Just follow the quarantine protocols.”
“Haha! I have some business to attend to inside. But since fate has brought us together, why don’t we have a cup of tea?”
He smiled pleasantly, and she rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
She desperately wanted a cigarette.
She had run out of nicotine gum a while ago, thanks to a disastrous blind date.
She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure.
“Your Highness Deran Hainus, I am Lee Hwa-yeon from the Enforcement Department. If you do not comply, I will be forced to arrest you, in accordance with the Magic Association’s quarantine regulations…”
“Oh! It’s Hwa-yeon! What a beautiful name.”
“In accordance with the regulations, you will be quarantined for one week…”
“If tea isn’t to your liking, perhaps a walk? It’s not every day we encounter such a delightful coincidence.”
This bastard.
He wasn’t listening.
Crackle!
Flames erupted from her hand.
He simply smiled.
“Hwa-yeon, my apologies. I understand your enthusiasm, but I have some urgent business to attend to…”
He turned towards Bukhansan.
His eyes widened. Something was happening, a surge of energy emanating from the mountain.
She felt it too. The ground beneath her feet bulged, then erupted, throwing her into the air. Deran, reacting swiftly, caught her.
She frowned, then, with Deran’s help, climbed onto a nearby tree, its branches swaying.
“What is…?”
His eyes widened in disbelief.
They both stared, speechless, at the scene unfolding before them.
A root had burst through the ground, its tip sprouting, a bud forming, then blooming into a beautiful flower.
Its petals, shimmering with iridescent colors, were unlike anything they had ever seen before, a beauty that seemed otherworldly.
Her eyes widened.
It was like a dream.
“A World Tree flower…?”
He muttered, his voice filled with awe.
She was speechless.
Their gazes followed the root, tracing its path towards Seoul, towards the World Tree.
And then…
Boom!
A soft light emanated from the World Tree, its branches swaying violently. The branches, which had seemed so lifeless before, stretched towards the sky, new leaves sprouting.
They were too far away to see clearly, but…
Flowers were blooming on the World Tree, countless blossoms erupting.
The World Tree, which had been a monotonous green, was now a riot of colors. Petals, like cherry blossoms, rained down, dissolving into shimmering lights as they fell.
‘The World Tree will recover.’
Remembering the boy’s words.
Deran’s eyes softened.
‘Recover…’
This wasn’t recovery.
‘Resurrection is a more fitting word.’
The falling petals symbolized the cycle of life, the World Tree’s purification process. The impurities it had absorbed were transformed into beautiful, cleansed petals, returning to the earth as nourishment.
The true cycle of the world.
His mother had told him stories about it when he was a child.
Lee Jin-woo.
He was an intriguing boy.
He felt like something that had been fixed, predetermined, was now shifting, bending.
And the direction it was heading… it wasn’t bad.
Snap!
He closed his fan.
“…Shit.”
“Lady Hwa-yeon, you curse with such refreshing vigor! I’ve learned something new today! Hahaha!”
She glared at the high elf, his cheerful demeanor grating on her nerves.
He was just as irritating as that damn Lee Jin-woo.
El stepped out of the cafe and looked up at the sky.
People passing by in the alley were all smiling, their gazes fixed on the spectacle above.
“Wow!”
“Is that cherry blossoms? No, what is it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
The petals that fluttered down from the sky, covering the entire city of Seoul, became a beautiful, shimmering light that rained down on them.
People got out of their cars on the road and looked up at the sky. The road was jammed, but no one complained.
Everyone just smiled and gazed at the beautiful sight.
It was a moment of mental rest.
“I think I can make a petal coffee too.”
“Until we meet again.”
El said with a bright smile.
Aina, who was folding laundry with Harmu in the yard, paused, her hand resting on a white sheet. She seemed lost in thought for a while, prompting Harmu to smile at her.
“Thinking of someone?”
“Huh? Oh, no.”
Aina shook her head, startled. Harmu chuckled, noticing her reddening ears.
Despite their pleas, Jin-woo hadn’t contacted them since entering Bukhansan. Aina, returning from school, would spend the entire day glued to her phone or hovering near Harmu, waiting for any news.
After the lockdown was imposed, both Aina and Harmu found themselves sighing more often.
As Aina resumed folding the sheet…
The white fabric shimmered, bathed in a beautiful light. Aina and Harmu stared at it, then looked up at the sky.
Petals were falling, shimmering lights raining down. It was a sight that warmed the heart. Aina reached out, and a light, like a petal, landed on her palm.
It vanished as it touched her skin.
A comforting warmth spread through her, a feeling she had never experienced before. Jin-woo’s face flashed in her mind, and a smile touched her lips.
Harmu put her arm around her shoulder, gazing up at the sky.
‘Young Master.’
The feeling she had experienced when Jin-woo had helped her, the feeling of Aina being saved…
She was certain that this beautiful phenomenon was connected to Jin-woo.
“…I wish he was here.”
“Me too.”
Harmu nodded in agreement.
She decided that she would hug Jin-woo tightly when he returned.
Aina shared the same sentiment.
She wanted to share this warmth, this feeling of peace, with Jin-woo.
* * *
Jin-woo remained in the chamber, leaning against the wall, until sunrise.
He had pushed himself too far, and it took a while for him to recover. If he had been an ordinary mage, his mana core would have been permanently damaged, his major veins ruptured.
‘I used Grand Magic at my current level…’
But his body, tempered by years of hardship, was now as resilient as a martial artist’s.
Greater magic, more powerful spells, grander feats of magic…
The day when he could wield the full extent of his power, the techniques that had remained theoretical due to a lack of resources, was fast approaching.
He examined his condition.
Using the sword and the ring had affected him. Most of their power had been used to restore the World Tree, but a portion remained within him.
‘My mana capacity has increased.’
He had surpassed 7th Grade and reached the level of a 6th Grade mage.
In the past, it had taken him years to reach this level. It had taken him a decade to become a mid-level mage, and another 18 years to reach the Archmage level, surpassing the high-level.
He had finally broken free from the limitations of a low-level mage.
‘Faster than expected.’
It hadn’t even been a year since he had returned and become Lee Jin-woo.
It was an unbelievable feat. But Jin-woo couldn’t afford to be satisfied. His enemies were numerous, their power vast.
‘Interesting.’
The supernatural ability he had absorbed had taken root within him, but not in its original form.
His senses were heightened, his perception sharpened.
Kim Jin-hyeok, the Genius Swordsman.
His talent, his potential, had become Jin-woo’s. It had merged with his own innate abilities, blossoming into something extraordinary.
There were no benevolent supernatural powers.
Miracles had to be earned, achieved through human effort, to hold any true meaning.
That was why “supernatural phenomena” weren’t called miracles.
If Kim Jin-hyeok had trained with an ordinary sword…
He might have reached the Master level at an even younger age. The sword had stunted his growth, granting him power at the cost of his true potential.
‘Artifacts…’
Jin-woo knew their true nature, the price they demanded.
Kim Jin-hyeok, consumed by the ring’s power, had become a twisted, monstrous being, his once charming features replaced by a mask of greed and depravity.
Reliance on artifacts eventually led to the user being consumed.
Just like Dr. Kim Jin-han.
‘Artifact maker…’
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
He looked down at himself.
His sleeves were too short. His body had grown, his physique enhanced by the surge of magical energy.
He stepped out of the chamber, sealing the entrance, ensuring that no one would ever stumble upon this place.
His mission was complete.
He had eliminated the Red Hand Guild, the cause of the World Tree’s withering, and the elite monster.
And most importantly, he had dealt with Kim Jin-hyeok.
The other guilds weren’t as corrupt, not worthy of extermination. With the Red Hand Guild gone, they would no longer be influenced, their ambitions checked.
They were still useful.
He looked up at the sky.
A new day was dawning. Many had died in Bukhansan, but time marched on, indifferent to their sacrifices.
‘Perhaps it’s because I’m younger now…’
He felt a weight on his heart, a fleeting moment of melancholy.
He steeled his resolve. Only a monster could defeat a monster.
‘The command remains.’
He started his descent, heading towards the foot of Bukhansan.
The mountain’s landscape had changed.
The slopes leading towards Seoul were ablaze with color, the leaves transformed, as if painted by autumn.
The World Tree’s roots had reshaped the terrain, altering the mountain’s very structure.
Fortunately, the impact on the city had been minimal. There were some reports of broken windows and burst pipes, but nothing major.
Strangely…
‘Does the World Tree possess a will?’
The thought crossed his mind.
He remembered reading a paper on the subject. Considering that the high elves were born from the World Tree, it wasn’t an unreasonable assumption.
He reached the command center.
The expedition teams hadn’t returned yet. Bukhansan’s altered terrain would slow them down.
“Hmm…”
The command center was in ruins.
The World Tree’s roots, erupting from the ground, had ripped through the building, crushing those who had been guarding it.
He had come here to eliminate them, but it seemed like the World Tree had done his job for him.
He approached the collapsed building.
“Is anyone out there?!”
“Help!”
“Get us out of here! What are you waiting for, you bastards?!”
He heard voices from beneath the rubble.
Familiar voices.