138
138 ― The Tree Connected to the Sky
The man slipped in quietly. It wasn't that he made no sound. His footsteps rang out normally, and he didn't particularly suppress his breathing. Someone with superhuman hearing might even be able to hear his heartbeat.
Yet no one paid attention to the man. Like an ordinary scene that exists everywhere. Like background scenery. The man observed the White Land that had appeared in the outskirts of Seoul without catching anyone's eye.
'Is this what Seoul looks like now...?'
His name was Sumiyama. A Hunter from Tokyo. In other words, an assassin whose specialty was suppressing his presence.
While staining his hands with blood was his job, this time wasn't because of that. He had come to observe the recent rapid changes in Seoul and to carry out a certain mission.
'There are more ordinary people than I thought.'
Around the White Land he was observing, there were many who could be called ordinary people. Besides the Hunters and researchers investigating the land, there were those who had come with interest in the new land. Groups that seemed to be from broadcasting stations could be seen, and there were also those conducting personal filming. On one side, what looked like a religious group was kneeling and praying together.
'It feels different from Hong Kong.'
It was different from when White Land had appeared in Hong Kong. That time was the first occurrence, and above all, the land was dangerous and limited. A location not easily accessible to just anyone.
However, the area near Seoul had monsters fairly well cleared out, and above all, there was a lot of land. Since it was spreading throughout Seoul, even at this very moment, it wasn't a situation that could be controlled.
'Is that the root?'
One root protruding noticeably entered Sumiyama's view. That must be the root he'd only heard about, which was covering all of Seoul. The subject that purified the black earth and turned it into White Land.
That area had an atmosphere that prevented easy approach. Unlike other White Lands, the vicinity of the root had thorough security. Observing from afar or taking photos was fine, but unauthorized passage was strictly prohibited.
If he tried to infiltrate, it wouldn't be impossible. Sumiyama was an A-rank Hunter, but his ability regarding stealth alone was comparable to S-rank. Though he hadn't directly faced off, by the underworld's evaluation, he was said to be comparable to that Kurenai. Of course, not in combat power.
'That's not my objective.'
However, he turned his head. He hadn't been dispatched to collect merely a root. Merely a terminal end. He wanted not a part of the root, but the tree itself.
Turning his feet from a distance to avoid suspicion, he headed toward the city. The place he was heading to was the land that could be considered the hottest in Seoul right now.
'Where Kang Jin-woo lives.'
The place where the house of Kang Jin-woo, a Seoul Hunter, was located. At his house, there was the tree that was the source of that root. The location currently receiving the attention of all of Seoul—no, the entire world.
'Huuu...'
The man steadied his breathing. Starting from that point, sound completely disappeared. Even stepping on gravel made no sound, and his lungs expanded without a breath sound. Even his heartbeat didn't extend beyond three steps from the man. Unless someone entered within that range, no one could hear the man's sounds.
Having suppressed his presence in earnest, the man headed toward the land where redevelopment was in progress.
The man's existence was further concealed since many people were coming and going anyway. Though already perfectly hidden, he still carefully surveyed his surroundings. Indeed, befitting an important area, there was quite a lot of secretly hidden security.
'Hunters are scattered everywhere.'
Someone wearing a hard hat, someone in a suit with a blue necktie, a pot-bellied middle-aged man with a camera around his neck.
All of them were Hunters hiding their identities. They were probably affiliated with the Seoul Management Bureau, beings who guarded this land, Kang Jin-woo's tree.
'Amateurish.'
However, their suppression of presence was amateurish. To him as an expert, their disguises were laughable. If they were going to disguise themselves as ordinary people, they should at least be careful with their footsteps.
Chuckling, he headed toward Kang Jin-woo's house. Though it was his first time in this city, he already knew the location. He had already thoroughly memorized the geography of this area.
'There it is.'
The target was in sight. The house was just an ordinary house. An old house that existed anywhere, with nothing particularly eye-catching about it.
'Does he live in a place like that? That Kang Jin-woo.'
Sumiyama had never seen Kang Jin-woo but had heard many stories. He was also the person who had dealt with the erosion near Tokyo in the past, and had greatly contributed to the Ireland incident in New York and recently to the Hong Kong case.
It was a well-known story among those in the know that Kurenai Masato, the ruler of Tokyo's night streets, treated Kang Jin-woo with considerable familiarity.
For such a great Hunter to live in such a cramped, old house...
'Well, it doesn't matter since he hit the jackpot. Such a treasure grew in that old house's front yard.'
Setting aside idle thoughts, Sumiyama concentrated on his mission. The mission content was simple.
Steal the tree that grew at Kang Jin-woo's house.
It would be best to uproot it and bring it, but cutting it and bringing it was also fine. If that didn't work, break off even a branch and steal it. That was the content of the mission he had been assigned.
One might ask how a single person could uproot, cut, and do all that to a tree, but for him as an A-rank Hunter, that much was nothing. He had brought tools, and if one knew even a little about handling mana, it wasn't difficult.
After waiting a bit, day turned to dusk. As the surroundings darkened, people's footsteps gradually ceased. Taking that time as his cue, Sumiyama climbed over the fence and infiltrated.
The tree visible before his eyes. The objective was right ahead. Circulating mana and gathering it in his palm...
Pweok—!
'Huh...?'
He lost consciousness and collapsed.
He didn't know how long he had slept. Opening his groggy eyelids, he was flustered to find himself bound. He tried to rotate his magic power to break the rope, but it wouldn't break. It seemed to be a specially made reinforced rope.
"Another one came."
"Did he succeed in taking even a piece of bark?"
"Obviously he failed."
Moreover, there were not just one or two people bound up tightly like him. Seeing the newcomer who had been brought in tied up like themselves, they clicked their tongues. Sumiyama looked at them with a dumbfounded face.
***
"Caught another one?"
"Yes. This one seems to be from Tokyo again."
Jin-woo handed the unconscious, bound man to Ma Du-sik. When Ma Du-sik gestured, men with rough features approached and dragged the man away with brutish hands.
"I'm sorry. This type of approach isn't easy to prevent..."
"Since manpower has its limits, it can't be helped. The whole world is targeting it, but our people are limited."
Since the land value became expensive, flies started swarming. More precisely, the increase in value itself was also a result.
The World Tree. There were too many who coveted that tree. Some offered vast sums of money to buy it, and some threatened and tried to seize it. Though they had heard many rumors about Jin-woo, they seemed to think they must have been exaggerated.
Naturally, it wouldn't work on Jin-woo, and he drove them all away. Most of those who approached during the day could be blocked with Ma Du-sik's power. Thanks to that, daytime was fine.
The problem always erupted at night. At night, areas emerged where Ma Du-sik's authority or the Seoul Management Bureau's power didn't reach. Those who failed at daytime persuasion started pulling tricks at night, and their identities were from all over the world.
Jin-woo had lately been preoccupied with dealing with thieves who climbed over walls at night.
"Kurenai, can't you do something about it from your side?"
―I'm sorry. As I said before, Tokyo is a city that's difficult to control.
Once, he had contacted Kurenai Masato to complain, but he only laughed it off as always.
It was obvious he wasn't taking it seriously. Even if he wasn't leading this thievery, it was clear he had no intention of stopping it. From his position, no matter how things flowed, he would have nothing to lose, so it was a natural choice.
They weren't strongly connected colleagues to begin with, and were merely acquaintances who had fought together briefly, so it couldn't be helped. Jin-woo hadn't seriously thought he would take his side either.
"Now that I think about it, how did the matter of stealing the divine artifact from the Temple of Light turn out? Did you get the result you wanted?"
―Well, somewhat... Though I'm still not sure yet.
He didn't know what divine artifact he had taken. Naturally, he wouldn't tell even if asked.
One might think the divine artifact's power would have disappeared now that Praysiar was dead, but Kurenai showed no such sign at all. There was no need to talk about his own bad news to others.
Hanging up the phone, Jin-woo climbed onto the roof. The World Tree growing in the yard was visible at a glance.
Moonlight poured down, illuminating the World Tree. The tree, fully bathed in light, sent it down through its roots and scattered it throughout the city.
[ The God of the Moonlit Forest is delighted. ]
The 'real' World Tree over there was also pleased by this change. It was the complete opposite of Jeraxon trying to suck Earth dry and Praysiar trying to control it. The World Tree was rejoicing that Earth was recovering its vitality. So it would gladly lend its power.
'At this rate, the day when the entire Earth recovers will come, right?'
[ The God of the Moonlit Forest affirms. ]
The number of World Tree individuals couldn't be increased. The recovery speed wouldn't increase, but still, as time passed, it would steadily extend its roots. Eventually, the day would come when it draped its branches over the entire Earth.
When that time came, Earth would reclaim all the planet's vitality that had been stolen. Of course, it would look very different from the old Earth. It would be a situation of relying on a single tree that had grown suddenly.
Still, as long as that tree remained sound, there was a future. Somehow, such days floated in his mind.
The future, or perhaps the past. His previous life self had also cultivated a similar world. That place wasn't Earth and wasn't in as terrible a situation as current Earth, but still, it was the same in that there was a large tree and an ecosystem formed depending on that tree.
The memory of those old days overlapped with the future he envisioned, bringing a sense of relief. A sense of relief that he could do well. Perhaps it was anticipation.
'This ability exists only in this tree.'
The seedling that Shartia had taken and grown didn't have such power. So the recent night visitors were all wasting their efforts. Even if they cut this tree and took it away, it wouldn't grow properly in that land.
While one could grow a tree of the same species, the true 'Soul Tree' existed only in this tree here.
Jin-woo understood the reason instinctively. Because the tree's appearance closely resembled that tower.
'The tree connected to the sky.'
It hadn't actually grown tall enough to touch the sky. But the tree's very existence was connected to the sky, to that place where spirits lived.
Just like that tower where Fermue was imprisoned.
―Uwoong.
Not only that. Ego Sword rang softly. It meant that the worlds the World Tree had its feet in were not just that one—there was one more place.