#59 If You're Afraid, That Is Fate.
Kang-ho took an unwitting step forward. This space allowed entry only to certain individuals.
What kind of restrictions are there...? He still didn't know. His burning curiosity about this otherworld was impossible to contain. Yet a moment of hesitation followed. One lesson from his long life: 'Sweet temptations always come with a price.' That hard-earned wisdom halted his step.
"What should I do?"
Niva stared at him with a dazed expression. She quickly realized this was no ordinary matter.
"......According to Druid legends, the western Druid clans spoke of a five-tailed White Fang that opened the gate to the otherworld."
-And in the west, they say a five-tailed White Fang one day opened a door to the otherworld and vanished into it. It's all passed down as legend.
Niva's words matched what Phantom had once told him.
"Perhaps... you're the only one who can pass through that gate—the master of a White Fang subspecies."
"Hmm..."
Kang-ho glanced down at Seol-a. She looked up at him with a chirp—Kyuu!—wagged her tails, then darted straight into the space!
"Ah...!"
Seol-a had crossed into the Mu Continent. She floated there midair like some kind of aircraft.
"......"
Seol-a glanced around as if it were utterly familiar. Watching her, Kang-ho steeled his resolve.
"Kang-ho...!"
Niva jumped to her feet and handed him something.
"......?"
"This... is the emblem of our Central Forest Druid clan. If... if you ever meet other Druids, show them this."
"......"
Kang-ho nodded gravely. He took another heavy step forward.
Shwoop!
His body slipped through the space. A chill wind brushed his skin. Mana unlike Earth's—raw and unfamiliar—surged from all directions. The air pulsed with an endlessly cozy, fragrant forest scent.
Shwooo!
Kang-ho had fully entered the Mu Continent. He bobbed gently in the air like a balloon.
He glanced back. The portal to Earth still hung open behind him.
Whoooosh!
A breeze swept in. Kang-ho began drifting slowly across the Mu Continent.
This forest was immense. Calling it merely a forest felt inadequate. Its scale rivaled the entire country of Korea where he lived. An endless expanse of towering, lush greenery stretched out. Amid it all, like colossal lighthouses piercing the clouds, stood gigantic trees—one in each direction, with the central one the mightiest of all.
Those must be the Druids' Life Trees.
A wry smile tugged at Kang-ho's lips as he gazed down at the homeland Niva so longed for.
I wish she could have come too.
Still, how long could he stay? He peeked back again. The open portal was closing ever so slightly, bit by bit.
An hour at most...
Too short. Absurdly so.
Over there—precisely below, in the heart of the underbrush—a strange power stirred.
Hm?
It was pure, unadulterated natural force.
Pop!
In an instant, its source appeared before Kang-ho's eyes.
"......!"
"......"
Kang-ho instinctively raised both arms. Before him stood a young man in his twenties. His long brown hair was tied back tightly; he wore flowing robes like ancient hanbok. His eyes gleamed with pristine natural power.
He stared intently at Kang-ho, then shifted to Seol-a.
"[Otherworldly tongue.]"
The language of this world. Yet it reached Kang-ho clearly.
"A stranger, are you."
"......"
Kang-ho nodded slowly.
"It's been ages since I last laid eyes on a White Fang subspecies. This child must have opened the gate."
No malice colored his voice. Kang-ho found himself in awe. The man's innate goodness shone through even in a few words—pure, unfeigned benevolence. That was the essence of the man before him.
He extended a hand to Seol-a, who floated over happily, tails wagging furiously as she somersaulted in midair.
"This child sees you as family."
"Family..."
"A rare thing. For a White Fang subspecies to accept a human as kin... They even wary of we Druids, companions of nature."
He pondered, then added, "I am Nergan. And you?"
"......Choi Kang-ho."
"Not a name from these lands. Where do you hail from?"
Kang-ho eyed him steadily. "A dimension called Earth."
"Earth..."
Nergan nodded slowly.
"I've heard this is the Mu Continent."
"We knew of otherworldly beings, but you're the first to come from there."
Kang-ho reached into his pocket and showed the Druid emblem from Niva—a wooden plaque etched with otherworldly runes pulsing with natural power.
Nergan raised a brow. "Niva was on Earth?"
"In our country, we call them crash-landed strays."
"Crash-landed from dungeonfication... The greatest mystery of our age."
Nergan now gazed at the portal Kang-ho had come through.
"That gate..."
He flew up to it. Crackle! A fierce repulsion flared. Visible, but impassable.
Nergan looked saddened. "You can clearly see this gate, can't you."
"You can't?"
Kang-ho's question drew a nod. "To me, it's just a faint warp in space."
Beyond it, in Kang-ho's eyes, stood Niva—gazing longingly at this world.
"Niva's standing right there."
"Niva..."
Nergan stared intently.
"Am I seeing her now."
"Yes."
"I see. She's aged much."
He peered fixedly and asked, "Can Niva see me too."
"......The direction matches."
"......"
Nergan's face softened with reminiscence. He nodded slowly.
"Come down for some tea."
"Very well."
* * *
Beneath the central Life Tree loomed a simple table. As Kang-ho sat, tree roots emerged from nowhere, carrying a teapot.
Clink. A cup of tea was poured.
Kang-ho studied Nergan. He was powerful—beyond Kang-ho's measure. How is this possible? Incredibly so.
Transcendent.
Yes. He was a transcendent being.
Could I win?
Kang-ho couldn't help but consider it first. But he knew without doubt.
No.
That chilled him. Victory was impossible. Their power was on different planes—different realms entirely.
From Nergan's core pulsed something uncanny: the power of an Eternal Crystal.
-The High Priest of the Central Forest. Only he wields that power.
Recalling Niva's words, Kang-ho realized: the man before him.
"You're the High Priest of the Central Forest."
"Indeed."
Nergan nodded lightly. He wielded the Eternal Crystal's power flawlessly. No—different from the demon realm's.
Even compared to Agalares of the demon realm, he was far stronger. The reason...
Ah.
The Eternal Crystal he harbored was vastly larger—a massive chunk, not a mere fragment like Agalares'.
"......"
Suddenly, Kang-ho noticed Nergan staring at him intently. The man spoke.
"A calamity looms."
"......?"
"The Eternal Crystal's master descending upon this land, a White Fang subspecies deeming you family... Mere harbingers of the upheaval."
Master. He meant Kang-ho.
"You haven't awakened it yet. Afraid, are you—"
Yes. Kang-ho feared it. The unknown force lurking in his heart—what it might turn him into terrified him.
He had suspected. As he gathered Eternal Crystals one by one, corrupting Kang Tae-yong utterly while leaving him unscathed. Living in eternal youth, at his peak.
He'd suspected, but hearing it confirmed made his heart sink.
"If fear holds you, that is your fate."
Nergan murmured, lifting his teacup.
"Fail to overcome it, and that too is your fate."
"How did you master that power?"
Nergan smiled faintly at the question.
"I simply yielded to it. Nature demands surrender—no other path. But your crystal is different."
Eternal Crystals varied by dimension. Kang-ho understood.
"What manner of place is Earth?"
Kang-ho pondered. How to describe it? He pulled out his smartphone. No signal, of course, but apps ran offline.
"A curious artifact."
Nergan showed interest. Kang-ho opened his gallery, showing modern daily life photos.
Flipping through, Nergan paused at one of Niva with Seol-a.
Gazing at it, he smiled warmly.
"That's Niva."
Affection filled his eyes.
"For her, it's been an eternity. Fifty years already..."
He lingered on it long before handing the phone back.
"She seems well."
"An Eternal Crystal from the Mu Continent appeared on Earth. I delivered it to a Life Tree, and..."
Kang-ho explained roughly. Nergan nodded solemnly.
"I knew a fragment from our world vanished. But dungeonfication—even I cannot halt it."
Dungeonfication. A disaster beyond even this mighty being's power.
"One certainty: the frequency rises."
His face darkened with worry.
"That sinister shard you carry has fallen to Earth as well."
"......!"
He knew of Kang-ho's demon realm Eternal Crystal fragment too.
"Don't draw it out. Its corrupt aura could taint this land."
Kang-ho nodded.
Crackle—crackle—
High in the sky, the portal flickered.
Seol-a circled Kang-ho, then looked up and whined—Kiiing!
"Time grows short. A pity—I'd hoped for more talk."
Nergan looked regretful. He drew something from his robes.
"Tell Niva: Nergan waits in this forest, forever for her."
"......"
"If fate wills it, we'll meet again."
His voice was calm. Kang-ho nodded.
"......Understood."
It was an antique wooden doll, palm-sized, shaped like a little girl—worn smooth by years of handling.
"'Niva' means 'little girl' in this world's tongue. Like that doll."
He smiled and offered one more item.
"And this is a gift for you."
A turquoise gem.
"It may aid in overcoming your plight."
Kang-ho accepted it. Nergan nodded with a smile.
"And lastly..."
"......?"
"Cherish that child."
He pointed to Seol-a, who blinked her wide eyes.
"Though I'm sure you already do."
He closed his eyes gently.
"Go now. We'll meet again, I feel it. Save the rest for then."