Unexpected Encounter
"This is……."
Kim Jehyun stared at the earth dwarf that had appeared before him. It was an earth spirit laced with patches of purple throughout.
Bzzz.
Jehyun's pupils turned amber as Dragon Eye activated.
'A mid-tier earth spirit…… This one's corrupted by that purple energy too.'
It was more or less what he'd expected. The entry ticket was called the Polluted Spirit Forest, after all. Just as the tree spirits had been infected by the purple orbs' energy, he figured the spirits and creatures emerging from the forest would be tainted by the same purple aura.
―Groooaaar!
While Jehyun was lost in thought for a moment, the mid-tier earth spirit, the gnome, launched its attack.
Krraaa-boom!
The ground flipped over, and a surge infused with earth spirit power assaulted Jehyun.
Thud.
Jehyun leaped into the air, and the earth where he'd been standing moments ago exploded.
Booom!
Dirt flew everywhere, carving a massive crater into the ground.
'Whoa. That's some serious destructive power.'
As expected of a mid-tier earth spirit.
'The best attribute against earth is water.'
Ziiing.
Mana began gathering in Jehyun's hand.
He manifested a 4th Circle water spell: Water Blast.
In the meantime, the gnome hurled boulders at him, but Jehyun blocked them effortlessly with his Dragon Scale, taking no damage.
Jehyun unleashed Dragon Fear, drastically lowering the gnome's magic resistance.
And then—
Shwoooosh!
The powerful jets of water erupting from both of Jehyun's hands were amplified twice—once by his Dragon Horn and once by his legendary artifact—before slamming into the gnome's body.
―Gro… groooaaar.
Water magic was devastatingly effective against the gnome. The spirit, struck directly by Water Blast, let out a feeble groan. Its body of earth spirit power wobbled as if it might scatter apart.
Shiiiing.
A blue blade surged from Jehyun's hand. He manifested Water Blade, forming a blade of water.
Slash.
As he descended to the ground, he cleaved the gnome in two.
―Gro… groooaaar.
The gnome's spirit power dispersed as it emitted a mournful wail. For some reason, Jehyun felt a twinge of pity.
Earth spirits like gnomes were typically the most composed among spirits by nature. It had been corrupted against its will by the purple energy, forced into aggression beyond its control. As it faded, freed from the purple aura's bonds, it grieved its own fate.
Normally, it should have been reverse-summoned to the spirit realm. But the corruption had severed its connection there, so death here meant true annihilation.
―Gro… groar…….
Its body flowed into the earth, and finally, something like tears streamed from its face. Then it was fully absorbed into the ground.
It had completely vanished.
"Winning doesn't feel great……."
Jehyun picked up the tear the gnome had shed at the end. It had already coalesced into a round item.
"This again."
It was the same item that had dropped from the tree spirits. Exactly the same this time too.
Jehyun stored it in his inventory for now. He had a feeling it might come in handy someday.
The subsequent foes were all corrupted spirits as well. Low-tier water spirits like undines and mid-tier ones like undaimes appeared, along with low- and mid-tier forest spirits like nymphs and dryads.
And not just them. Fire, lightning, wind, and more—an array of spirits in every variety confronted Jehyun.
They wielded all sorts of attributes, but none could breach the defense of Jehyun, who now possessed Dragon Scale.
All the spirits showed sorrow in their final moments as they faded away.
'Feels kinda off.'
There was no helping it since they'd been tainted by the purple energy, but it still didn't sit right with him.
In the midst of it all, his level rose by two more, reaching 36. Regardless of the sentimental mood, his growth rate was outstanding. He'd already entered the mid-stages of level 4.
"Phew. Leveling up feels good, but……."
Jehyun shook his head and pressed deeper into the forest. He'd vowed to cast aside weak sentiments, but apparently he hadn't fully shaken them yet.
How far had he ventured into the forest like that?
'Why aren't any more spirits showing up?'
Deeper in, they'd even started appearing in groups of two or three. But at some point, not even a glimpse of one could be seen.
As he tilted his head at the odd situation—
A massive presence emanated from ahead.
Shiver.
Jehyun's body trembled. He'd sensed a power surpassing his own tier.
'This is…….'
Jehyun cautiously approached the source. Climbing a ridge, he looked down and spotted the entity radiating that overwhelming presence.
'What the hell is that?'
It resembled hazy smoke, yet also seemed to form some vague shape. An amorphous being sat there, brimming with enormous energy.
'Dragon Eye.'
Jehyun's eyes gleamed amber as they scanned the entity.
'……!'
Jehyun's eyes widened. An S-rank entity. A high-tier darkness spirit.
Gulp.
His throat bobbed as he nervously backed away and retreated from the area.
'I absolutely can't beat that thing right now.'
Jehyun's own rank was C. He'd handled the A-rank spirits in this forest with ease, but S-rank was another story entirely.
S-rank meant surpassing the second major wall. The gap between crossing it or not was as vast as heaven and earth.
'Who'd have thought something like that would be smack in the middle of the forest.'
This meant he couldn't properly conquer the forest just yet. Clearly, that high-tier darkness spirit was the boss of this place.
'How is this an A-rank ticket?'
Jehyun let out a disbelieving chuckle. Luckily, it showed no intention of moving and just guarded its spot. If he'd encountered it first thing, he'd be dead by now.
'Insane difficulty.'
He shook his head.
'But…… the system always rates places according to their difficulty.'
There had to be a reason it was marked A-rank. Which meant there might be a way to defeat that thing without reaching S-rank yourself.
'Am I missing something?'
Jehyun retraced his steps from the forest outskirts to this central area.
'Nothing special stood out…….'
He pondered deeply as he gradually distanced himself from the forest center.
'For now, maybe I should skirt around the center, wipe out all the corrupted spirits, and see if that reveals a solution. I might level up a few more times in the process.'
'Yeah. Let's explore more of the inner forest.'
Jehyun made up his mind. He'd move slowly, careful not to provoke the darkness spirit.
Rustle.
At that moment, movement stirred in the bushes behind him.
No matter how deep in thought Jehyun was, for something to slip within this range undetected meant the other party was a master at concealing its presence.
"Huh?"
Jehyun turned around curiously. The spirits wouldn't make such a rookie mistake with their presence.
Were there monsters in this forest too? With that thought, he looked back—
And came face-to-face with an unexpected being.
Pure white skin like jade. Dazzling golden blonde hair. Perfect proportions sculpted by the gods themselves. And pointed ears that captivated the eye.
"An elf?"
The moment Jehyun uttered the word "elf," the elf—who'd been staring at him with pupils trembling like there was an earthquake—prostrated herself flat.
"I-I greet the great one."
Jehyun let out a bewildered chuckle at the sudden turn. She seemed to be an elf of considerable attainment. She'd probably lost her composure upon spotting him and leaked her presence.
"Stand up."
At Jehyun's words, the elf woman before him sprang to her feet. Her rigid posture screamed tension.
"What's your name?"
"S-Seranti, my lord."
"I'm Jehyun."
Jehyun smiled and extended his hand. Seranti bowed at a perfect right angle, grasping his hand with both of hers. They were trembling.
'Why's she reacting like this? It's way too dramatic.'
Even more intense than the elves he'd met in the Elf Forest last time.
―There are two possibilities for this kind of reaction.
Alkasha explained. By ancient pact, elves bore the mark of dragonkin in their souls. Thus, every elf had served a dragon as master in life.
Some dragons, like Arkanios, treated them relatively kindly.
―While others treated them like utter slaves, viciously.
Dragons were never purely benevolent. They leaned neutral overall, but clans like red or black dragons often had savage or dark dispositions.
This elf before him seemed to have served under one of the cruel ones.
'Hmm.'
Jehyun's eyes turned amber. Dragon Eye scanned the elf's body.
―Hm. As I suspected, this seems to be a real existing space.
'What?'
Jehyun blinked at Alkasha's words. He'd assumed it was a system-generated dungeon.
But it wasn't?
―Grandrsha. The continent where Arkanios resided.
'… …!'
Jehyun whipped around to stare at Alkasha in shock. Hadn't the continent where Arkanios lived been devoured and destroyed by the purple orbs?
In fact, when he'd entered, a barrier had prevented going too far beyond the forest outskirts. So he'd naturally assumed it was an isolated space.
―We'll have to observe more. Let's investigate this together step by step.
'Right.'
Jehyun nodded and turned back to the elf.
'But you're right about this elf…… She was a servant of a black dragon.'
―As expected.
Alkasha replied in a knowing tone. Her situation made perfect sense now.
But more importantly, he wondered about this forest. Why it was corrupted. Whether other elves besides Seranti lived here.
"W-well……."
Seranti explained the full story.
This place had originally been the Spirit Forest, brimming with spirit power. All sorts of spirits manifested here, and her people, the Meria tribe, had lived alongside them.
Then one day, the world changed abruptly. As the continent grew chaotic, their master—who hadn't stirred from her lair in ages—the black dragon Sekira, soared into the skies.
And that was the last they'd seen of her.
With Sekira's protection gone, the forest was exposed. Various races coveting its spirit power invaded, and the Meria tribe fought to defend it.
In the endless battles, they'd held on thanks to Soruk, the high elf guardian of the forest and leader of the Meria tribe.
"But…… that didn't last."
Soon, the spirits dwelling in the forest began succumbing to a strange energy. They turned on each other, and eventually all were tainted purple.
The Meria tribe had no choice but to flee. All except two elves.
"Soruk-nim and I…… couldn't abandon this forest."
Soruk had been born and raised here, unable to betray the Spirit Forest. As Soruk's right hand, Seranti had chosen to stay with her.
In the end, the two elves remained, hiding from the purple spirits while eking out a life in the forest.
"But…… even that won't hold out much longer."
Seranti said in a forlorn tone, her voice thick with emotion. She looked utterly pitiable.
"Where's this Soruk, the high elf?"
"Well…… I'm sorry, but Soruk-nim can't move right now…… May I guide you to her?"
Seranti asked with utmost caution. Normally, elves should greet a visiting dragon, but Soruk was in no state to do so.
Jehyun followed Seranti toward Soruk's location.
'There's a path like this, huh.'
Jehyun was surprised as he trailed her. They followed what was called an elf path—an exclusive route known only to elves. Though they traversed the same forest, it felt like moving through an entirely different space.
They arrived quickly. A barrier etched with runes appeared before them, and Jehyun entered as Seranti led.
Flash.
His vision flipped, revealing a cozy space with a small cabin enveloped in warm energy. It contrasted sharply with the gloomy forest aura from moments ago.
"We've arrived, great one. This is the place."
Seranti bowed politely.
Jehyun nodded. He sensed a faint presence from the cabin ahead and headed toward it.
Creeeak.
The cabin's interior was a space of about 10 pyeong. A bed sat in one corner, and atop it lay an elf of peerless beauty resembling Seranti. The difference was her platinum blonde hair.
"……!"
The high elf, presumed to be Soruk, lay there but jolted upon seeing Jehyun, her eyes widening. Her trembling hands gripped the bed as she struggled to rise.
"You can stay lying down."
At Jehyun's words, Soruk replied with a pallid face.
"I-I greet the great one. Thank you for your…… consideration."
Even speaking seemed laborious; she panted heavily as she answered.
'Her condition looks really dire.'
―Yeah. Clearly not normal at a glance.
Jehyun's pupils glowed amber. The power of Dragon Eye scanned Soruk's entire body.
'……!'
His eyes rounded wide at the information displayed before him.