Ember
"Mu-hyuk!"
"Hey, isn't that the guy? The one who just awakened as a hero."
"Yeah...! Whoa, he's seriously badass!"
Seol Yun-ji and about a dozen kids greeted me with their own reactions.
But only Chang-seok kept his head down, unable to meet my eyes.
I hurried over to the kids, handing out potions to everyone and instantly healing their wounds.
Then I sat down in front of Chang-seok and gave him an extra-bright smile.
"You okay?"
"......You heard?"
"What? Oh, that barking from the dean earlier? Not all of it, just the end."
"Ugh...! So you did hear."
"Hey! Chang-seok, look me in the face."
Chang-seok sniffled and slowly lifted his gaze to mine.
"You don't need to apologize or feel sorry to me. In my memories, you're always the friend who had my back."
"Mu-hyuk... sob."
"Having you around is what got me through Hunter Academy. That's what friends are for."
"Ugh, sorry... And thanks, Mu-hyuk."
"Yah! You punk! Stop crying already! I can't say any more sappy stuff."
"...Got it, you ridiculous bastard."
As I pulled Chang-seok to his feet, a quest message appeared.
The growth debuff 'Thorn' planted in Go Chang-seok has been removed!
Go Chang-seok's awakening is imminent.
'Thorn' was that kind of thing? Looks like Chang-seok's about to awaken soon.'
I nodded to myself with a satisfied look, and Seol Yun-ji, having finished her potion, came over.
"How'd you know to come here? Did you come to save us?"
"Yeah, but no time to chat now. We gotta get out and link up with the knight order right away."
Remaining Summon Time: 3 minutes
Once the giant's summon time ended, the Corrupted Demonic World Tree would reactivate, and protecting the kids while fighting this massive tree monster would be next to impossible.
So we had to get the kids out within the summon window, no time for explanations.
To evacuate multiple kids in three minutes, bundling them together and flying out was best.
Conveniently, branches from the Demonic World Tree were scattered around.
I turned my back—just in case the kids saw—and used Death Terraforming to weave the branches into ropes like straw.
The kids behind me just gawked at the golden armor I wore, oblivious.
"Whoa, do you get to wear stuff like that as a hero? Awesome!"
"Is it made of gold? It shines so bright!"
Hard to believe these were kids who'd just been brushing death, squealing so innocently.
I chuckled wryly and put on a stern face toward them.
"We're tying you up with this to get out. No moving, got it?"
"Yeah! We'll stay still."
I bound their bodies tightly like stacked dried fish, then spread the armor's wings to prepare for flight.
"Hold on tight! We're flying!"
"Wheeee!"
Remaining Summon Time: 0 minutes 15 seconds
Boom boom boom boom!
I wrapped the kids in divine power to shield them from the shock and shot up at full speed.
Giantiana's summon time has expired and the summon has been released.
The Corrupted Demonic World Tree resumes activity!
Rooooar!
Kieeeek!
I dodged the tree monster's lashing branches and finally reached the main auditorium building.
Fwoosh!
"Ugh, so bright!"
The kids, suddenly emerging into light, shielded their eyes in agony, but I had no time to worry.
The Demonic World Tree, spotting its escaped prey, writhed its branches like a giant kraken to snag us.
I pulled the shield I'd kept stowed from my inventory—too cumbersome till now—and resummoned Giantiana.
⯈ Defense +1500
⯈ Attack Power +200
⯈ Divine Property 20
⯈ Increases max summons of Holy Sword Giantieuus by 1.
Groooaaar!
The Sacred Giant Giantiana has been summoned for 10 minutes!
Enemies are afflicted with stun, confusion, and similar effects from the Sacred Giant Giantiana's summon.
Giantiana crushed the branch-swinging Demonic World Tree with its massive arm, knocking the tree out cold again.
Thanks to that, I could fly to the holy knights with the kids at a leisurely pace.
"Whoa! Did you see that? A giant! Huge!"
"Insane size! Wow!"
"Tree monster's out too. Kekeke."
Unlike the excited kids chattering at the novel sight, the heavy shield and dangling kids were draining my stamina fast.
"Ugh... heavy little shits."
The holy knight order, waiting for me, had air mattresses ready.
I roughly tossed the kids onto them and sped back to the academy auditorium.
"Wheee! So soft!"
"That was fun!"
'You damn brats...'
I shook my head as cheers trailed behind my flying form.
"What? A monster appeared at Hunter Academy?!"
The Iron-Blooded Pope's blood pressure spiked again at the morning bad news.
Cheon Myeong-jin couldn't fathom why these incidents kept happening.
The hero's family gets kidnapped, demons pop up in central Seoul, and now some unseen monster at a student academy.
The saintess, who used to get revelations regularly before the hero, now wandered aimlessly with none coming. Holy knight cadets, figuring promotion was hopeless with the hero around, mass-demoted to regular believers.
The only solace: the hero's emergence awakening strong faith, converting civilians and even Inquisitors to Gaon of Light followers, boosting holy donations massively.
Just that morning, chatting happily with Sanggye-dong Hunter Academy's dean about a graduation for the hero—then this monster out of nowhere.
Rushing to the scene, feeling ten more white hairs sprout, the Pope sighed at the milder damage than expected.
"The discovered monster is the Corrupted Demonic World Tree, a poison-attributed colossal tree monster nearing 1-2 km in size."
"Nearby residents evacuated for quake risks. Casualties among academy cadets hard to tally exactly, but estimated at around 100..."
As reporters broadcast and evacuated residents milled about, Knight Commander Jeong Hyun-seop rushed over upon spotting the Pope.
"Your Holiness, you've arrived."
"I heard the damage report on the way. The hero's handling the tree alone—is that true?"
"Yes, the holy knights are deployed for resident evac and cadet protection."
"No, leave that to Hunter Rescue and have the knights slay the beast!"
"Well... with our current forces, engaging would just feed it mana..."
The frustrating report had the Pope pounding his chest before slumping into a shelter command chair with a sigh.
"Might have to cancel tomorrow's World Alliance summit."
"Situation unresolved, hard to say, but probably."
"Haa... They're already hounding us to hand over the hero, and now this. What do I even tell them?"
"They want the hero for their own national security. If he'd appeared in the US or China during this, they wouldn't share."
The Pope grunted in agreement.
"Of course those bastards would. When the saintess emerged here, they ranted about safety and tried dragging her off!"
"Your Holiness's power secured Gaon of Light Main Temple's safety, letting her stay."
Rubbing his temple irritably, the Pope suddenly looked up.
"So, what caused this colossal monster to appear in central Seoul?"
"From rescued cadets' testimony, seems Dean Gu Sang-ho's doing."
"What?! Why the hell would he?!"
The Pope goggled in disbelief—the man he'd spoken to normally that morning.
"Reason unclear till investigation post-incident. But kids say he got buried under rocks last..."
"Hm, then he's probably dead. Tsk."
As the Pope clucked his tongue, a massive quake rumbled from Hunter Academy.
"What? He didn't die?"
Returning after dropping the kids, I saw Dean Gu Sang-ho climbing the auditorium ruins via the World Tree's trunk.
Made sense, really.
The dean's level was pretty high. No way rocks would kill him.
"Best to squash annoying bugs."
I had Giantiana drop the World Tree and strike the dean.
Thud! Boom! Thud! Boom!
Giantiana stomped the area wildly. The auditorium floor caved, ceiling and walls crumbling entirely.
I flew up to assist, diving while unleashing Wrath of Evil Extinction.
Kaboom!
Should be dead now, but no quest completion meant he was hiding like a rat.
Sure enough, as dust settled, the World Tree-fused Gu Sang-ho peeked from branches, grinning.
"Oho! Aren't you our academy's pride, the hero!"
The dean bared his teeth in a ghoul-like leer.
"Kuhahaha... Know how much trouble your pointless hero awakening caused me?"
"Not my problem if you took a hit."
"You scum! After awakening thanks to the Demonic seed I planted in you, now you pretend ignorance? Ungrateful hero bastard!"
"Hm? What'd you say? You. Planted. Something. In my body...?"
Ice water doused me, freezing solid.
"You wouldn't remember, but I took you and planted the seed! Yet instead of repaying, you awaken as foe and wreck my school...!"
"Ahh... So. It. Was. You, Dean."
Rumble...
Uncontainable rage finally found its target.
"The bastard who planted this dogshit curse in my body."
My frozen body ignited, blazing red.
"Yes! It was I who..."
The dean, about to rant, shuddered at the sinister rising aura.
Not the tree's poison or his mana—dense dark energy I'd never seen.