The Self-Proclaimed Tree Surgeon

The side that activated the second foothold first was the direction Seo Ian had dashed off toward.

Hong Jehun, who had widened his eyes in confusion at the notification echoing through the dense forest, didn't even get a chance to open his mouth before—

My eardrums were assaulted.

“Perhaps they fainted from the shock of your yelling?”

As soon as he realized he had lost the bet, Hong Jehun quietly let his lips droop in disappointment. He slowed his pace slightly.

“Give me the coordinates.”

Two footholds appearing in completely opposite directions. If he only knew Seo Ian’s location, he wouldn't need to wander around anymore; he could head straight there.

‘The connection is cut off.’

It wasn't a common occurrence, and since it was happening inside the Tower, the premonition was even worse.

Just as Hong Jehun, feeling uneasy, was about to pick up his phone instead of the communicator to try and reach Kim Uju—

The two of them realized at the same time why Uju’s communication had suddenly cut off.

Seo Ian was frustrated at the fact that she had missed out on that sweet contribution, and Hong Jehun felt a sense of regret that a Hidden Dungeon he had never once entered had disappeared.

“Ah, life.”

The person in question, Kim Uju, was feeling a profound sense of existential dread.

A sense of injustice surged from my gut.

I thought it was a gathering zone?!

I thought it was a gathering zone!!

I should have known the moment '???' appeared on my Hawk's Eye.

It was already water under the bridge, but as I recited the basic repertoire of regret in my head—like "if only I could turn back time"—I felt something.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instinctively sensed that something was wrong, that I was, in common parlance, "screwed."

The very wind that had been refreshingly wrapping around my body changed in an instant.

The wind that had still retained the freshness of the forest turned into the smell of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burning and scorching air in a blink, and the scenery that had boasted lush greenery was, in a split second, covered in pitch-black soot and red flames.

There was even a black haze rising from the ground, swallowing the entire forest.

For some reason, my body felt heavy.

But what was more distressing than that was something else...

It was the notification calling it a "Hidden Dungeon."

That was the place where even Seo Ian, a top-tier Korean ranker, had to use every doping item, gear buff, and skill buff she had to clear it. And even then, she’d had the Rabbit’s help both times.

But I couldn't get the Rabbit’s help.

Once my thoughts reached that point, I wondered, "Is my insurance valid?"

I immediately pulled up the Tower Intrusion window.

-Beep!

A "beep" sound, not a "ding."

As soon as I heard that sound, an instinctive unpleasantness washed over my entire body.

A situation where I couldn't use 'Intrusion.'

Is it because I opened it myself?

It seemed that while I had entered the 50th floor itself via Intrusion, the Hidden Dungeon newly created within it was treated as something I had "personally" generated and entered.

Anyway, I was thoroughly flustered by this unexpected development, but then—

An additional explanation followed: if I didn't catch the boss, I couldn't get out for a week.

It had been 24 hours during an Intrusion.

Intruding directly into a Hidden Dungeon was 24 hours, but entering a Hidden Dungeon from a floor I had already intruded into seemed to be treated as a direct entry, not an Intrusion.

Ah, is that obvious?

Either way, I had to devise a way to "survive" in here for a week.

If I messed up the boss fight and became a "Watcher," it would be a disaster, so I had to be as quiet as possible.

First, under the roots of the burnt giant tree nearby...

-Snap!

I tried to get in, but it broke.

“Huh? That shouldn't happen?”

In my desperation, I took out a low-grade recovery potion and poured it on.

“Oh?”

It seemed to have an effect, but then it vanished.

It seemed to be dealing continuous damage, like the 'Mist' option on my crossbow.

It looked like it wouldn't work unless I caught the haze, but I didn't know how to catch the haze.

It didn't have a physical form, and even using Hawk's Eye didn't catch anything.

“In that case.”

Snap! Snap!

Hiding under tree roots wasn't my only option.

Since it broke anyway when I tried to enter, I deliberately broke the tree roots into smaller pieces to increase the quantity.

Then, I piled them on top of myself.

Perfect concealment...

Well, not quite, and it would look suspicious to anyone, but since the monsters had low intelligence, maybe they’d just pass by without noticing?

After that, I opened my inventory.

‘Please, let there be something edible!’

I quickly recited the names of God, Buddha..., and finally, even the names of various gods on Olympus.

After finishing my prayer, I scanned my inventory.

‘...From now on, I’ll just pray to one person.’

Did my prayer power get diluted?

All I could see for food were elixirs and potions.

Actually, for places where I needed food until now, I had always checked for information in advance via the Intrusion window or communities and prepared it separately.

So, there was no way I would have such things right now...

But I had hoped.

I had hoped it wouldn't be the same old story.

But it’s okay! I have a pickaxe!

Everything is burnt, so it doesn't look like there’s anything edible, but—

If I try something, maybe I can synthesize something edible?

‘Well, I can try to figure out the food situation with synthesis. But what about sleep for a week?’

For clothing, I could just endure the filth.

For food, I’d try to survive with crafting.

But what about shelter?

As my train of thought deepened—

Flash!

A clear, light green light wrapped around the space in an instant.

As I savored the phenomenon, entranced by the warm energy—

It was almost simultaneous with the notification sound.

The black haze that had been constantly rising from the ground was caught as if it had never been there.

The flames and black smoke that had been soaring high into the sky also vanished in an instant.

As if a candle had been blown out.

As if it had never existed in the first place.

Then, another change occurred.

As if replacing the space where the black haze had disappeared, brilliant light dust fluttered up from the forest floor into the sky.

I don't know if it was the influence of the light dust, but the gaunt, burnt trees began to barely regain their life, and where the flowers had fallen, tiny sprouts poked their heads out, executing a weak but certain leap of life.

Furthermore, I could see that gatherable zones were being added here and there.

Tree stumps, sprout leaves, the tips of branches, and so on.

A peaceful silence dominated the space.

Hiding my body under the tree log, I rolled my eyes this way and that, observing the situation.

I didn't let my guard down prematurely.

‘This might be a trap too. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!’

Having already been dragged into a Hidden Dungeon by stepping on something that looked like a gathering zone, I couldn't help but be cynical.

‘I have to wait for the next notification...’

If I move now for no reason and draw aggro, that’s it.

From then on, the difficulty would escalate from Normal to Hell.

A full-scale game of tag would begin.

And for a whole week.

Without being able to sleep.

Without being able to eat!

As I waited, a new notification popped up as expected.

‘Uh... me?’

That thought lasted only a moment.

But wait a minute. If it's not a quest to catch a boss, isn't this actually a goldmine for me?

Isn't "Help it recover" easier than "Catch the boss"?

Should I check in a bit more detail...?

Just then.

“Don't move!”

“Stay still!”

Above the sky. That is, right above me, a clear but threatening voice rang out.

When I rolled my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes and looked up, two figures with long ears were looking down at me from the branch that had been my concealment, and they were—believe it or not—"aiming bows" at me.

‘What on earth are those ears? And why are they so pretty? Could they be the elves I only saw in movies...?’

No, that’s not it. That’s not it.

Elf or whatever, what does that matter?

The situation is that those sharp arrows are aiming right at me.

“I said don't move!”

“I told you not to move!”

The ear-folk were threatening me again.

I felt wronged.

I was already in a state where I wasn't moving or budging at all.

I was dragged off by them for the time being.

I had already doped up with recovery potions.

I didn't like them looking at me with those sharp, grass-colored eyes, but regardless, I needed their help.

The World Tree.

If what I know is correct, it is the parent of the elves and the giant tree that is the source of life force.

The key here is "giant."

But I can't see it.

The thing I have to purify and help recover.

I had already used Hawk's Eye.

I couldn't find its location, which is why I had obediently followed the elves in the current situation.

Even if the World Tree had purified itself, it seemed it couldn't do anything about the traces of arson.

The entrance to the elf village, where the traces of the flames that had engulfed the forest remained intact.

Blackened tree trunks stood tall like spears here and there, and the wooden buildings that looked like guard posts had their burnt bark peeled off, revealing silver-gray grains.

It was a sight that felt too alien to be a village in a forest that had regained its life force and was emitting a faint blue glow.

As I was admiring the village entrance and confirming that the World Tree was not in the village, it happened.

“Chief, we’ve caught one of the ‘Apostles’!”

The elf on my right said.

“We discovered this wicked ‘Apostle’ hiding, and we caught him!”

This time it was the elf on the left.

That damn Apostle.

A term I had heard so much that my ears were calloused all the way here.

Synthesizing what I had heard, they were a heinous group that coveted the source of the World Tree to satisfy their own greed.

By the way, since they called him the Chief, I expected an elderly person, but—

There was a young man.

Who else but an elf, he was very handsome.

He looked like Rian Carter.

Though the vibe was very different.

Unlike Rian, who had a slick feeling, he felt a bit worn down by the storms of life?

“Nice to meet you, Chief.”

First, greetings.

“I am a ‘Tree Surgeon.’ I mainly fix ‘trees’ and flowers. And my specialty is ‘purification’.”

Since I had already impersonated a Tower Merchant, why couldn't I impersonate a doctor?

Humans are animals of adaptation. The first time is always hard, but the second time is easy.

Especially if you have an arrow aimed at the back of your head!

Furthermore, I directly mentioned "purification," a keyword they would be interested in.

There’s no way they’d turn away a doctor who came to heal their parents, right?

Still, let’s make it a bit more certain.

I added,

“I was just going to pass by, but since the parent World Tree has been contaminated while taking care of you all, how could I just pretend not to see it and pass by! First, I want to start by purifying it to help the parent World Tree recover!”

I stated my purpose first.

Someone working together to achieve the same goal? That’s an ally.

“This guy dares?!”

“We saw this Apostle guy cutting the tree and hiding under it!”

It seemed hiding was the problem.

“That was unavoidable because of the Apostles! I was being chased because they found out I could purify the World Tree!”

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

In other words, an ally.

“But! If he isn't an Apostle, how could he cut down life so ruthlessly!”

The elf with twin tails interrupted.

Now that I think about it, cutting the tree a little bit seemed to be the problem.

“You have to cut out the rotten parts. Otherwise, the other parts will rot away too. I can show you if you want. If I do that, will you believe that I am not an Apostle?”

Seeing is believing.

Showing them is enough.

Am I confident?

I wouldn't have thrown it out there if I wasn't!