Could It Be... the World Tree Has Returned?
A flower bud? A flower bud has formed!
I was so shocked that I sent my mana probing in every direction to check it out. It had a shy, huddled shape. No doubt about it—a flower bud.
If this flower blooms... will it bear fruit too?
Then it hit me. Could this be...
The flower bud before the Evolution Fruit forms?
It was entirely possible. Just like a tree blooms flowers and bears fruit. This bud could be the beginning of the Evolution Fruit.
Jackpot.
I was excitedly shaking my branches when Kan approached. He stared at the flower bud for a moment before speaking.
"Mana and divine energy are gathered here."
A low, quiet murmur of admiration. Rin flew circles around the bud, inspecting it closely.
-But it might take a while to bloom!
Fair enough. It had only just formed. Expecting it to bloom right away would be greedy.
I'll just have to wait.
Actually, the anticipation of watching it day by day sounded fun.
As I thought that, Tori let out a long yawn beside me.
"Yaaawn..."
Oh right, it's about time to sleep.
The sun had set long ago, and the sky was now pitch black. After the battle, everyone must have been tired.
Time to call it a night.
Rin burst into giggles and fluttered over, plopping down on one of my branches.
-Yay yay! I'm sleeping right next to my friend!
Her voice was full of affection. She was so cute that I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Alright, alright.
At that moment, Kan spoke in his calm tone.
"Then we'll head out, Master."
Yeah. Good work today.
"However..."
Kan paused briefly before continuing.
"I've given it some thought. We need to investigate the reason why the magical beasts came charging in like that."
I could guess what he meant. The straw cicadas all getting poisoned by magi at once. The way they'd rushed straight at us like they were being controlled. Something about it must have bothered him.
Yeah, it might be better to figure out the cause first rather than getting hit again without knowing why.
But there was one thing nagging at me.
Finding the cause means sending scouts farther out?
"Yes."
Hmm...
I hesitated a little. Sending the goblins out far could be dangerous. We were just starting to settle in—if something happened to them, that would be bad too.
Seeing my uncertainty, Kan spoke up.
"I know what you're worried about, Master. You're concerned our elite troops might get hurt."
Oh. Mind reader?
"But it'll be fine."
Kan smiled softly.
"If they get injured or killed on a short recon, they don't deserve the elite title."
...Huh. Is that how it works?
"Please don't worry about that at all, Master."
Come to think of it, the goblins I'd seen in the straw cicada fight didn't look like ordinary ones. They moved with perfect coordination, struck and retreated at precise timings, like they'd trained for years. Recalling that made me feel a bit better.
Alright then. I'll leave it to you. But...
I glanced at the spirits.
Take one spirit with you.
"...A spirit?"
Kan looked surprised, clearly not expecting that.
Yeah. You need someone who can alert us if things get urgent.
I turned to the spirits.
Anyone willing to help?
The spirits nodded eagerly.
-I hate going with those guys, but!
-If it's your request, sure!
-Just overlook a little prank or two!
-Right?
I rustled my branches at their giggling antics.
Yeah yeah. Thanks. Kan, you hear that?
Kan bowed his head.
"Yes, Master. Thank you for your consideration. We'll move out starting tomorrow."
With that, Kan left, and the remaining spirits, growing tired, began leaning against my branches one by one and drifting off. Even Rin buried her face in my branch and slowly closed her eyes.
Today's been a good day.
I gazed blankly at the sky. Unlike the Seoul sky from my past life, the stars here were incredibly clear. The night sky was filled with densely packed stars like the Milky Way. Just looking at them was healing.
Staring up like that stirred strange feelings in me. Not long ago, I was just a sprout. Now I had a village, close aides, and all sorts of abilities.
Of course, something seemed to be targeting me, which was worrying. But overall, it wasn't bad.
I let my branches sway in the breeze as I mused inwardly.
Life's been pretty good so far.
The sun blazed down mercilessly. Ashelia couldn't even wipe her sweat as she glared ahead.
"Kirrr..."
A group of tooth centipedes had gathered there. Click. Clack clack. Their sharp teeth clashed, issuing warnings. Their eyes were rolled back, and magi rippled over their bodies. Magi-poisoned magical beasts.
Tooth centipedes don't travel in packs.
For them to be swarming like this—it was more than strange; it was highly unusual. Normal tooth centipedes were low-grade beasts, easy to dispatch in one hit. But this was Pirel Forest. Each one was two or three times larger than usual, with mid-to-high-grade power or higher.
And on top of that...
...There are too many.
Ashelia gritted her teeth and raised her sword.
"Maintain formation!"
At her shout, the knights thrust their shields forward and tightened their spacing. In that instant, two tooth centipedes lunged.
Bam-!
Two shields met them head-on, and the impact sent one knight staggering back. Ashelia slipped into the gap and slashed at its side.
Clang-!
Sparks flew off its exoskeleton. Just a scratch—no penetration.
Tough.
The tooth centipede twisted direction swiftly. Its countless legs propelled it forward, head rearing toward Ashelia. She twisted her sword upward under its jaw.
Thud-!
It pushed her back. Her foot dragged half a step.
"Mages! Now!"
Two fireballs streaked from behind in succession.
Whoosh-!
The centipede took them full in the face and reeled. In that opening, two knights charged and stabbed between its joints.
"Kirrr-!"
It thrashed, its tail whipping one knight away.
Thump. The knight crashed into a tree and fell.
"You alright?!"
"I'll hold-!"
It wasn't over. While one staggered, the others crouched and lunged at the gap.
Ashelia dashed to block, raising her sword at an angle.
Click-!
Teeth clamped onto the blade. She snapped her wrist, twisting to shove its head away. Her feet dug into the ground. She braced her whole body.
"Hah-!"
As she shoved it back, another came from the left—but a nearby knight blocked with his shield.
Kwang-! Crack-!
The shield split in two. "Urk..!" The knight clutched his arm and retreated.
"Fall back!"
Ashelia filled the spot, facing two with a single sword.
This won't be easy.
One centipede gaped its maw wide. Ashelia reflexively raised her sword vertically.
Craaack-!
The moment its teeth sought the blade—
Swoosh.
Something flashed past. Before she could register it—
Slash. Slash slash slash. Slash-!
Something streaked by at blinding speed, and the tooth centipedes shattered into pieces. Sliced clean apart. In an instant.
The chunks scattered across the ground.
"......"
Ashelia froze in place. The knights did too—swords and shields still raised. No one moved.
What had they just seen? Someone this strong in Pirel Forest? Another adventurer? Or a powerful monster living here?
They stared blankly at the centipede remains. Then, from amid the corpses, someone emerged.
It was...
"...Goblins?"
Goblins. About five of them. Each one had a sturdy, muscular build.
And beside them, green orbs of light flitted about.
-Ugh! Stinky!
-Ugly things deserve to die!
Clear, light voices. Ashelia blinked.
The lights were talking?
The goblins noticed Ashelia and her group, tilting their heads.
"Kiee?"
The lights swarmed over, inspecting Ashelia before shouting.
-Not this one!
-Yeah! She's pretty!
-Not ugly at all!
The lights buzzed around Ashelia nonstop.
-Totally different from those guys!
-She sparkles! So pretty!
Then—
"Gasp!"
A sharp intake of breath from behind.
"...C-Could it be."
Lillia, leaning against a tree, stared wide-eyed.
"Spirits...?"
Ashelia whipped around in shock.
"Spirits?!"
Lillia continued in a trembling voice.
"Yes... I heard spirits vanished completely after the World Tree disappeared..."
She slowly extended her hand. Very carefully.
The lights paused, then giggled and landed on her palm.
-You're pretty too!
-Clear eyes!
-Pure energy!
Lillia's eyes quivered faintly. It was certain. They were spirits.
She murmured at the light on her palm.
"If spirits are living in Pirel Forest again..."
One possibility dawned on her.
"Could it be... the World Tree has returned?"
Lillia's eyes shook finely.