Purification Operation
I'd only meant to destroy the Corrupted Demonic World Tree right in front of me at first.
But as I scorched it down to the roots with Fury of Annihilation, I discovered those roots were connected to other Corrupted Demonic World Trees.
Meaning they weren't planted just here.
Tracing them with Death Terraforming revealed they'd been sown evenly across the world.
No wonder it fell so easily.
I started by clearing out the ones planted in Korea.
Five in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi Province, then Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan...
I burned every last one, all the way down to Busan and Jeju Island.
I'd contacted the Gaon of Light Main Temple in advance to evacuate residents from the affected areas, which took some time, but I couldn't delay even a day longer—not when more kids would become victims. I had to uproot these demonic weeds as fast as possible.
The moment I finished purging them nationwide, I—flying through the sky—saw it.
Our country's Divine Power, long suppressed by the Corrupted Demonic World Trees, shining brilliantly as it drove back the darkness.
Gaon's land has been partially purified by the removal of the Corrupted Demonic World Tree!
Gaon of Light's Divine Power attack power has increased by 0.5%.
Gaon of Light's Divine Power penetration has increased by 0.5%.
Gaon of Light's Divine Power defense has increased by 0.5%.
Gaon of Light's Divine Power purification power has increased by 0.5%.
You have acquired a large amount of experience.
...
You have completed the Emergency Quest!
…
A Friendship Tree That Grows Rapidly (S-Grade)
📍 Friends like Go Chang-seok and Seol Yun-ji are under threat from the Corrupted Demonic World Tree!
📍 Rescue your friends and nearby residents from the tree monsters and earthquakes, and eliminate the Corrupted Demonic World Tree.
◾ Remaining Clear Time: Clear Complete
◾ Clear Conditions: Save the lives of your friends and nearby residents (S-Grade)
> Part 1: Rescue friends from the underground dungeon at Hunter Academy (Complete)
> Part 2: Evacuate nearby residents safely from earthquake threats with the Holy Knights (Complete)
> Part 3: Eliminate the Sword Valley Cultists at Hunter Academy and the Corrupted Demonic World Tree (Complete)
◾ Clear Attempts: 1
◾ Clear Rewards: Thornless Friendship / New Demonic World Tree Seed (Unique Grade)
Quest rewards have been distributed.
The system messages scrolled busily.
What's with all the fanfare?
I'd just settled a personal grudge, but I'd gained all sorts of benefits.
From level 102 after taking down the gargoyles at the main temple, I'd gained two more levels, and Gaon of Light's Divine Power had grown even stronger.
This was just from clearing Korea, and already the Divine Power had surged, solidifying my foundation immensely.
Not just attack power, but penetration, defense, and purification too...
Truth be told, unlike demonic "mana" or my "dark energy," Gaon of Light's Divine Power had always been like a pretty but useless paper tiger.
Even though plenty of people couldn't awaken it, in past regressions, Gaon of Light lost to me partly because their Divine Power was weaker than other energies.
It was so feeble it even lost to spirit power...
Now I saw—the weeds devouring the Divine Power had been too overgrown.
Then all I have to do is pull them all out.
Right on cue, a perfect quest arrived from Gaon of Light.
Parasitic Plant, Let's Break Up Already
📍 Remaining Clear Time: Within 2 days
📍 Clear Conditions: Uproot all Corrupted Demonic World Trees freeloading on Gaon's land. (Remaining: 459 trees)
📍 Clear Attempts: Unlimited
📍 Clear Rewards: Massive experience / ?? ?? (SSS-Grade), ?? ?? (SSS-Grade), ?? ?? (SSS-Grade)
A quest with three rewards, all SSS-Grade. No brainer—I hit Y and started purging from neighboring countries.
The rush of surging Divine Power with every weed pulled had me hooked.
"Where's it this time?"
The Pope, back at the Gaon of Light Main Temple for global communications, asked Jeong Hyun-seop, who was in close contact with the Hero.
"Mumbai, India."
Jeong Hyun-seop, marking the Hero's path on a world map, replied.
"Mumbai? Isn't that overrun by monsters—no survivors possible?"
"Yes, so he said he's just proceeding with the Corrupted Demonic World Tree removal."
"Hmm, I see."
Thanks to the Hero jumping straight into purges across regions before even the Sanggye-dong incident wrapped up, the Gaon of Light order was in a frenzy.
He'd gone everywhere domestically, so evacuations were needed in advance, and internationally, they had to notify about the operations.
Fortunately, most overseas spots were monster-overrun, minimizing evacuations, but some nations surprisingly opposed the removals.
Lots of areas already dominated by Sword Valley Cult.
Some openly declared as Sword Valley Cult nations.
But most were failed states—survivor groups calling themselves countries.
With no government or manpower left, the Sword Valley Cult easily seized power.
Gaon of Light had always been hostile to them and the UHN, facing clashes and terrorism.
So opposition when the Hero announced purges was expected.
The Pope's stance was clear: support the operation despite Sword Valley Cult backlash.
Knowing those grotesque plants had been sowing black seeds in kids worldwide... impossible to ignore.
That explained why Gaon of Light talents couldn't wield Divine Power properly—and it fueled the Pope's rage.
As they supported amid protests, a letter arrived from UHN Chairman Carl Rutley.
"Ugh..."
Pope Cheon Myeong-jin groaned, rubbing his forehead as he read the letter.
Since the Hero appeared, endless incidents piled up work.
Supporting the purges made it worse; he'd planned to postpone or cancel tomorrow's UHN summit.
Lea Shed, the 'foresight' user.
Before Korea's Saintess, inviting her meant excuses and secrecy—no specifics shared, causing headaches.
Only after the Saintess received revelations did UHN reach out.
Cheon Myeong-jin didn't crave attention or crave the Saintess's power.
But against Sword Valley Cult attacks and UHN grabs for her, media strategy was essential.
Main temple falling meant handing Korea to the cult—he had to grit his teeth.
Protecting the young Saintess like a treasure had reasons.
"Dispatching their precious Lea Shed... Chairman Rutley must be desperate."
"Seems so. All thanks to the Hero, right?"
The Pope chuckled wryly; Knight Commander Jeong Hyun-seop nodded.
"Sigh, can't postpone the summit now. Wonder if the Hero finishes purges before tomorrow."
"He said by tonight."
"Ha, what a guy! So dedicated to purification... truly God's chosen Hero."
"I'll inform the prep committee to proceed."
"Yes. Good work."
As Jeong Hyun-seop bowed out, the Pope glanced at the letter again, muttering:
"Hope tomorrow's summit goes smoothly..."
Gaon's land has been partially purified by the removal of the Corrupted Demonic World Tree!
Gaon of Light's Divine Power attack power has increased by 95.5%.
Gaon of Light's Divine Power penetration has increased by 95.5%.
Gaon of Light's Divine Power defense has increased by 95.5%.
Gaon of Light's Divine Power purification power has increased by 95.5%.
You have acquired a large amount of experience.
…
Remaining quest completions: 4 trees
I'd hustled since morning, but relocating residents slowed me down.
Most knew of the Hero, easing evacuations, but remote survivors unaware or uncontacted attacked instead.
For those, I'd Death Terraform the tree to shake things up—they fled on their own.
Showing a monster plant in their soil beat explaining.
Good thing most areas were monster-only, letting me keep pace.
Just four more, then back to Korea.
The last four were in Canada—Vancouver, home to UHN Chairman Carl Rutley.
Carl Rutley.
No connection in past loops.
No special feelings or memories—just head of Lea Shed's group, the 'foresight' user.
I vaguely figured ties to Gaon of Light since they were under UHN.
One oddity: Choi Joo-bong, the 'prophecy mirror' guy, avoided mentioning him.
Maybe Gaon of Light link, but...
Looked more like fear.
Choi Joo-bong, allied with demons for atrocities, feared even naming him. Unlikely unrelated to Sword Valley Cult.
The answer came upon arriving at Vancouver's Corrupted Demonic World Tree.