The Generous Tree Awakens

The next morning after that fateful opportunity, I smiled at the message floating before my eyes. Hell yeah. That's my Suyeon.

A Witch's seed is divided into three major stages: good, neutral, and evil. There are more detailed classifications, but with my current olfactory skill, I can only see these three. In the first round, they were all evil. This time, I'll turn them all into good.

Of course I don't know the current states of Han Yuri and Lee Seol, but as long as they haven't turned into flowers yet, I can change their corruption levels anytime.

I closed the messages and headed to the buffet, where I spotted Han Yuri's back in the distance. I activated the skill on her.

Neutral and evil existing together. Considering I killed her father, this was a decent outcome. I let out a small sigh of relief and approached her.

But...

"...Why do you look like that?"

"...Like what?"

"Never mind..."

Han Yuri's complexion was a disaster. Dark circles, hollow eyes—like a fish that had been dead for days. Rotten pollack eyes.

Then Choi Ahyeon came out.

"Yuri, what happened to your eyes?! Didn't you sleep?!"

"...It's fine. I slept well, so leave me alone."

And when Shin Suyeon finally appeared...

"......"

"......"

The atmosphere was unbearably awkward. The two avoided each other's gaze and kept their distance. What the hell is going on?

A bizarre mood. An atmosphere that defied words. Carrying that uncomfortable feeling in our chests, we headed to the restaurant.

"Whoa! It's this lavish even for breakfast!"

As expected of a hotel, the quality was off the charts. After filling our stomachs properly, we returned to the Forest of Shadows.

"Ugh. Doesn't it feel even creepier than yesterday?"

"Yeah, a little..."

The atmosphere had shifted. From merely eerie to a forest steeped in the scent of death. Whether we looked around or not, Shin Suyeon walked deeper as if possessed, scribbling away at her report.

"Miss Suyeon. Let's take it slow. We have plenty of time."

"Yes..."

This is strange.

Ever since yesterday, her condition turned weird the moment we entered the forest. It might just be my imagination, but...

Just to be safe, I maintained maximum vigilance while burning Equivalent Exchange at full power. Fortunately, my worries proved groundless. We reached the deepest area without incident.

"Everything here's dead."

"No kidding."

The ground was split open in jagged cracks. In the center stood a single tree. Or rather, could you even call that thing a tree? It was only as tall as my navel, with one solitary leaf barely clinging to a branch.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Look over there."

Han Yuri pointed. There was Shin Suyeon, staring at the tree with a vacant, lost expression. Did she discover something?

I was completely ignorant when it came to curses, so I couldn't read her thoughts. We waited about an hour until she finally walked back out.

"Did you finish your investigation?"

"Yes. For the most part. Could we come back tomorrow too?"

"Of course."

We had scheduled this as a three-day, two-night trip anyway. By the time we returned to the hotel, evening had fallen. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Everyone was drooling over the dinner options when—

BOOOOM!

A heavy impact shook the building.

What the fuck?

I turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window that had been blasted open on one side.

What the hell is that bullshit...

Hundreds of Shadow Woods were marching toward the city in formation, their roots tangled together. The sight of them smashing streetlights and power poles as they charged forward looked like a tidal wave.

At the same time, sirens began to wail.

"Seonghyun, what do we do?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? We run for the hotel shelter."

"B-but..."

"The Association will send support anyway. Don't worry about it."

Han Yuri brushed off Choi Ahyeon's concern. Even so, Ahyeon kept staring out the window, clearly anxious. The streets were packed with people leaving work, all of them panicking and crashing into one another. Saving a handful of people by rushing out there? It was obvious we wouldn't even break even. Academy students had no obligation to get involved unless it was a national-level emergency.

"Then we'll eat later and..."

Huh? Where did she go?

I scanned the entire restaurant. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Miss Suyeon?"

"Sister? She was right here a second ago?"

A terrible premonition shot through me. I quickly turned back to the window and focused mana into my eyes.

This is insane...!

Amid the crowd fleeing the monsters, one woman was pushing against the flow.

"Huh?! Sister's over there!"

"Why the hell is she out there...!"

Choi Ahyeon and Han Yuri had spotted her too. They looked stunned. She has a defense artifact, so she'll probably be okay, but... I couldn't just leave her. I sprinted toward the door, shouting back at them.

"Get to the shelter first! I'll bring Suyeon and catch up!"

"Hey! Wait!"

I ignored Han Yuri and activated Thunder God immediately. My vision blurred and my body grew sluggish, but this wasn't the time to be picky about hot or cold rice. In the blink of an eye, I was out of the building and chasing after Shin Suyeon.

Why...?

Given her personality, she wouldn't do anything reckless. Especially not in an emergency like this. There has to be a reason. That was the only explanation that made sense.

I practically ran along the walls ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠toward the seaside. Hell itself greeted me there.

"Graaaah!"

"Kyaaaaah!"

The non-aggressive Shadow Woods were advancing on the civilians. Roots ten meters tall—each one the size of a five-story building—were more than enough to inspire pure terror. And that wave was about to swallow Shin Suyeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whole.

I hurried to activate Thunder God again when—

Huh?

Light exploded from Shin Suyeon's body.

Hunter Association Situation Room.

WEEEOOO! Sirens blared as response team leader Wang Taein screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Move faster! This is an emergency situation!"

"Yes sir!"

Fuck, what the hell is happening?!

He had been about to clock out when the call came in. And it was in Incheon, of all places.

"Monsters are pouring out of the Forest of Shadows!"

"Is it a dungeon outbreak?!"

"It appears so!"

"Did you request support?!"

"Yes, but... there are simply too many..."

The monitor flickered to life. Hundreds of Shadow Woods had linked their roots together and were sweeping through the city like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tidal wave. A wave of roots.

"This is fucking insane..."

A dungeon outbreak with zero warning signs. Something that happened maybe once a year had just exploded right now.

"Evacuation status?"

"The roads are completely paralyzed because it's rush hour!"

"Goddammit..."

That was why the hunters' arrival was delayed. If this keeps up...! It was going to be a catastrophe. A massive one with hundreds of deaths.

Cold sweat ran down his back as the monitor caught something strange.

"T-team leader! Look at the monitor!"

"What now?! Wait...?"

While everyone else fled from the monsters, one woman was running straight toward them.

"That crazy bitch...!"

Was she trying to commit suicide? But the thought vanished the moment he saw her expression on camera. She's crying?

Those weren't the eyes of someone ready to end their life. Those were eyes filled with determination. Resolve. The eyes of someone prepared to save something at all costs.

"The wave! It's about to hit!"

The instant the root wave tried to swallow her, every single root froze in place. Like a mother stopping her furious child. The moment her hand touched the roots, light poured out. Brilliant, radiant light.

Save me...

The strange voices had started the moment I stepped into the Forest of Shadows.

Please... save me...

A tiny sound you wouldn't notice unless you focused. At first I thought it was a hallucination. But the deeper we went, the clearer it became.

Only you... can save us...

The emotion carried in that voice was pure desperation. Soon the sound wasn't just ringing in my ears but vibrating through my brain. I stared blankly into the forest.

Can't the others hear it?

When I put on a serious expression, Seonghyun asked with concern.

"Is something wrong?"

"Um... don't you hear that sound?"

"Sound...? I don't hear anything."

"...I must have misheard then."

As expected. It seemed only I could hear it. The next day, the voices grew even clearer the deeper we went into the dungeon.

Save us... please save us...

Finally we reached the deepest part. There was a tree there. Unlike the other massive ones, it was tiny.

How pitiful...

That last single leaf. It looked like it would fall at the slightest breeze.

Help us.

This child. The child begging me for help.

How can I help you?

Pluck this leaf.

But that's...

For decades. That's how long we've endured this curse. If you're willing, we'll entrust our energy to you and return to the primordial soil. We... we just want to rest now...

The tree bowed its head in utter desperation. To others it might have looked like nothing more than leaves fluttering in the wind, but its earnest wish reached me clearly.

Fate. I wanted to pluck that leaf. It was in pain. It was suffering. Just like I had suffered under the curse. Knowing that feeling, my hand moved on its own.

Then his words flashed through my mind.

Once inside the dungeon, you must not touch anything recklessly.

I couldn't ignore his advice. It might cause trouble for everyone else. Let's come back tomorrow. There would still be time to think it over carefully.

Back at the hotel, just as we were about to eat dinner—

I hate this...

Even outside the dungeon, the voice was crystal clear. And then—

KWAAAAANG!

The dungeon exploded.

In that instant, I understood. If I didn't step forward, countless people would die. I moved immediately. Pushing through the fleeing crowd, dodging flying debris, I stood before the Shadow Woods.

Then I saw it. The single leaf that had been sobbing, begging to be released.

"Throwing a tantrum like this... how childish."

At my sigh, the leaf simply trembled quietly. Earnestly. Desperately. Even though it was an inanimate object, its emotion struck my heart. I smiled and reached out to the tree.

"You've suffered long enough."

Now rest. Return to the earth.

Right after Lee Seonghyun ran outside, Han Yuri and Choi Ahyeon sprinted in the same direction instead of heading to the shelter. Thanks to Wind God, they arrived faster than expected.

"Huh?! Seonghyun's over there!"

"What the hell is he doing in such a dangerous spot?!"

Lee Seonghyun stood there as if he'd been struck by lightning, staring blankly in one direction.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

"......"

He silently pointed. When the two followed his finger with their eyes—

"Huh...? Sister...?"

"What on earth..."

Thousands upon thousands of leaves were falling from the sky. As if celebrating the birth of a new tree. The warm sunset glow and gentle breeze decorated the stage perfectly.

And on that stage stood one woman.

Black bobbed hair shining with such luster it seemed overflowing with life. A figure so perfectly sculpted it looked divine. The word "pretty" wasn't enough. She was beautiful.

Shin Suyeon.

The Generous Tree had finally risen.