In Eumsong Village, North Chungcheong Province, a car pulled into the parking lot at the base of Sosokri Mountain.
"Looks like more people showed up than I expected," Yoo Seh-Eun said as she stepped out of the vehicle.
At that, Lee Ji-Ah turned to look toward the trailhead where a dozen Hunters had already gathered and asked, "How many will be going on this trip?"
"Including the Guildmaster, Ji-Yeon, Ji-Hee, and us, there will be seventeen in total. Don't you think that's quite a lot of the guild already?"
"That's true. It seems like there will be a lot more of us going than I thought there'd be."
Kim Ki-Rok had laid out an open invitation for anyone to co along. However, the bait had been so fragrant that it seed like everybody had flocked to the opportunity.
Yoo Seh-Eun and Lee Ji-Ah walked over to the start of the hiking trail, where the rest of the guild had gathered. As she got closer to the Southern Vermillion Bird, or rather, her childhood friend Nam Dong-Wook, his pallid expression ca into view.
"Hm? What's wrong with your face?" she asked Nam Dong-Wook, eyeing the dark circles sinking almost to his cheeks. He was rubbing his stomach and looked like the very embodint of a two-day hangover.
After he managed to confess his cris, Yoo Seh-Eun berated him, "Did you do nothing but drink for forty‑eight hours?"
"Mhm." Nam Dong-Wook nodded queasily.
"Weren't you supposed to et up early and hang out with Ji‑Yeon and Ji‑Hee?"
He kept his mouth shut. The rest of the Cardinal Guardians were standing next to him with similarly ill expressions, trying to soothe their stomachs with various hangover redies.
They had indeed planned to hang out with Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Ji-Hee during the two days leading up to the expedition, but on their first day in Eumseong, they arrived too late to et up outdoors. So, the four of them drank the night away at a nearby food stall. After oversleeping the next day, they missed their chance again, and the cycle repeated.
After staring blankly at the Four Cardinal Guardians in disbelief, Yoo Seh-Eun shook her head and asked, "So, where's the Guildmaster?"
"He's already here," Nam Dong-Wook inford her. "He just took Ji-Hee to the restroom."
"Then what about Ji-Yeon?"
"She went with them too. The Guildmaster can't exactly follow Ji-Hee into the won's bathroom."
Kim Ji-Hee was mature enough to handle the bathroom on her own, but she was never allowed to go anywhere without at least one guild mber accompanying her. It was a necessary precaution, as she was simply too famous to be left alone in public.
"What about Man-Kook?" Yoo Seh-Eun asked, suddenly rembering their other friend.
"He's not answering my calls. Ugh, my stomach... Seung-Tae, don't you have another hangover cure?" Nam Dong-Wook pleaded.
"There's none left," Boo Seung-Tae replied coldly.
"Then what's that you're drinking right now?"
"This one's for ," Seung-Tae replied flatly, downing the rest in one gulp.
Nam Dong-Wook sighed heavily and resud rubbing his stomach.
After confirming everyone present, Yoo Seh-Eun asked, "What about Seh-Hyuk?"
Nam Dong-Wook shook his head. "He couldn't make it. He's on a family trip. Said he'd be back in Seoul soti this afternoon."
"Ah." Yoo Seh-Eun nodded.
Nam Dong-Wook smirked. "He seed pretty bumd about missing the chance to et an elf."
While the group chatted, Kim Ki-Rok, Kim Ji-Hee, and Lee Ji-Yeon returned, walking over together. There was sothing oddly familiar about the sight of Ji-Hee dangling from their hands, the two Hunters strolling on either side like a family.
"To those who didn't know them, they'd think those three were a couple who had a kid way too early," Yoo Seh-Eun muttered.
But everyone was so used to Kim Ki-Rok's antics that nobody found the scene particularly odd. If anything, the first thought that crossed their minds was, Ji-Yeon must've had a rough few days.
Any suspicions died quietly before they even had a chance to form.
"Wow, I confird everyone's attendance ahead of ti, but still—seeing all of you here is sothing else," Kim Ki-Rok said, scanning the gathered group. His eyes paused on the Four Cardinal Guardians. "And rember what I said: there's only a chance we'll run into an elf. If we don't, I don't want any complaining or badmouthing behind my back. Got it?"
"Yes, S.D., sir," Nam Dong-Wook said with a mock salute.
"S.D.?" Kim Ki-Rok raised an eyebrow. "Let guess... Sadistic Son-of-a-Bitch?"
"Hey now," Nam Dong-Wook said, grinning. "No way we'd give our beloved Guildmaster a nickna like that."
"Oh?" Kim Ki-Rok narrowed his eyes. "Then what does it stand for?"
"Special Director," Nam Dong-Wook answered quickly.
"Is that so," Kim Ki-Rok said slowly, eyeing him. "Then why does Mr. Lee-Ha look like he just swallowed a bug?"
Nam Dong-Wook kept a straight face, but Dong Sung-Min couldn't help glancing at Seo Lee-Ha.
"Well, enough with the cross-examination," Kim Ki-Rok said, waving a hand. "I could brief you on the way to the Gate, but since we're out here in public—and we're about to et an entirely different species—let's wait until we're inside."
***
This Gate was called "The Dying Forest."
What greeted them beyond it was exactly what the na promised.
"It really is dying," Lee Ji-Yeon murmured, letting out a sigh.
Everything around them showed signs of decay. The earth was stripped of mana, and the trees were withering as if a disease had passed through them all.
A low growl echoed in the distance.
Kim Ki-Rok had heard that all the monsters within the Gate had been eliminated during a previous attempt to clear the Gate. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a monster shaped like an animal that had been resurrected as an undead.
Even though she could tell there was no curse affecting her, Lee Ji-Yeon felt a heavy gloom settle over her body like a weight.
Nam Dong-Wook grunted in surprise. "Hmph. Want us to take care of it?"
"Well, this Gate doesn't have a known clear condition, so... Ah, wait. Of course. Discernnt," Lee Ji-Yeon said, her voice picking up.
She had been worrying about the lack of information, but with his skill that could detect far more than the basic appraisal system, Kim Ki-Rok would likely be able to uncover how to clear the Gate in advance.
He was already scanning the area, his expression grim.
It's worse than I thought...
Not only were the trees dying, the land itself had lost all vitality. Even the monsters here had turned undead.
Startled by the eerie surroundings, Kim Ji-Hee, who had hopped through the Gate like an excited bunny just monts ago, now buried herself in Yoo Seh-Eun's arms.
"Guildmaster," Lee Ji-Yeon called out.
"Yes, Miss Ji-Yeon?"
"Do the clear conditions have anything to do with cleansing whatever's been corrupted?"
He nodded, rembering what Discernnt had shown him. "Almost certainly. But before we start making any plans, let's find the spirit we ca here to et."
While entering their nas into the Gate's visitor log, Kim Ki-Rok had already confird sothing with the Association staff at the entrance. They had permission to clear the Gate at any ti.
Well, it makes sense. Hardly any monsters left, no one living here, and even if the land isn't cursed, the whole place still gives off a depressing atmosphere.
Having decided to clear the Gate after they completed their main objective, Kim Ki-Rok started leading the guild forward.
"It should be around here," Kan Cho-Woo said, coming to a halt. The Hunters stopped with him.
Before them stood dozens of massive tree stumps, each one stained black by mana from the demon realm, seeping up from a contaminated mana stone buried underground.
"They burned it all. Corrupted every last thing," Kan Cho-Woo muttered, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
Kim Ji-Hee, who had hidden her face against Yoo Seh-Eun's shoulder until now, suddenly tightened her grip on her friend's clothes.
"Unnie, please let down," Kim Ji-Hee requested.
Yoo Seh-Eun blinked. "What? Here?"
"Mhm."
She glanced at Kim Ki-Rok, who gave a small nod. Yoo Seh-Eun crouched and gently lowered her to the ground.
The girl stood still, silently observing her surroundings. Then, without a word, she began walking forward. The others followed, quietly keeping pace.
Kim Ji-Hee stopped and raised her head in front of a towering, blackened tree.
"The tree is dying," she said softly.
Among all the dead stumps, this one still clung to life. It was the last tree in The Dying Forest that hadn't fully given in.
She stepped closer, placing a hand against the trunk. Lee Ji-Yeon and Yoo Seh-Eun moved to stop her on instinct, but Kim Ki-Rok raised a hand to hold them back.
A soft hum filled the air as Kim Ji-Hee, her palm still resting on the trunk, began to release her mana.
"A transfer?" Kim Ki-Rok muttered.
She was transferring her mana directly into the tree.
"She's waking soone," Kan Cho-Woo said. "Soone resting inside it."
Kim Ki-Rok's eyes narrowed. "There's a spirit inside?"
"That's right."
"And is it the spirit of an elf?"
"That seems to be the case. Though, not the Spiritualist you were looking for."
A soft blue light began to spread from the tree, washing over the area. From high in the trunk, a translucent woman began to take shape. She wore an elegant dress adorned with flowers and leaves, a crown of blossoms resting on her head, and carried a translucent staff in hand.
Kim Ki-Rok turned to the Archwizard. "Sir Kan Cho-Woo, this elf... Was she soone important?"
"She certainly was soone of high standing."
"Their queen...?"
"Well, they don't have actual queens, but so elves hold as much power as any monarch," Kan Cho-Woo explained.
Kim Ki-Rok nodded slowly, coming to a realization. "So she's a High Elf."
Suddenly, a voice rang through the air. It was clear, beautiful, and completely out of place. "So these guests are from another dinsion."
As it echoed through the forest, the gloom that had settled over the group seed to lift. The voice sighed. "How disappointing. I was hoping so of my comrades might have arrived."
After a pause, the owner of the voice seed to notice sothing. "Oh my?"
The group instinctively looked up toward the source. The voice was coming from the tree itself. In its pri, this enormous tree must have been a majestic sight.
"Can you hear ?" the voice asked, now laced with hope.
They all nodded.
"Oh... oh, so that's the case. It's thanks to this young Spiritualist, then. Because of her, you can all hear ."
There was warmth in the voice, but also a thread of sadness woven through it.
"Ahem! Cute little Spiritualist—would you mind lending so of your special mana?" the voice asked gently.
Without hesitation, Kim Ji-Hee stepped forward and placed both hands on the tree, sending out a surge of mana. A rush of energy pulsed through the tree, and from its trunk, a figure began to form.
An ethereal woman stepped forward, radiant and translucent.
"Miss Tree?" Ji-Hee asked, eyes wide.
The woman smiled. "I'm not actually a tree, Miss Spiritualist. Please, call Ayla."
Ji-Hee tried to pronounce the na carefully. "Ayl... unnie?"
"How cute," the spirit said with a soft laugh, floating gently to the ground and patting Kim Ji-Hee on the head. Thanks to the amount of mana Ji-Hee had shared, her touch felt real. It was soft, like the mory of a quiet, peaceful forest.
"Miss Spiritualist."
"Yeeees, Ayl-unnie."
"Would you be willing to grant a request?"
"A request?"
"Yes. I want you to take the seeds of this tree and plant them sowhere else. If you agree, I can give them to you now."
Kim Ji-Hee didn't know what kind of tree it was, or where the seeds would grow, but the elf had lived alone in this forest for who knew how long, guarding those seeds in silence. That was enough for her.
"Okay," Ji-Hee said with a nod.
"Thank you," she replied, relief in her voice.
Then Kim Ji-Hee added, "You should co with us."
"Hm?"
"Co with us. Unnie, please co with us."
"You want ... to go with you...?" The spirit looked at her for a long mont, then smiled. "Sure, why not?"
Right as the elf swept Kim Ji-Hee into her arms, a wave of light rippled through the forest.
[The spirit of the High Elf has awakened.]
"This is insane," Kim Ki-Rok muttered at the holographic ssages floating in the air.
Kim Ji-Hee was unfazed as she casually swiped them away, her beaming gaze still fixed on her new unnie.
[Notice to all Hunters currently within The Dying Forest]
[Hunter Kim Ji-Hee has obtained Seeds of the World Tree. On February 15, 2041, a Gate will open before Kim Ji-Hee. All Hunters are requested to assist Hunter Kim Ji-Hee in this quest.]
[Clear Condition: Plant the Seed of the World Tree while defending against monsters and Black Wizards]
[Analyzing current Hunter levels...]
[Participants: Hunter Kim Ji-Hee and 17 Hunters]
[Probability of failure: High]
[Assistance will be granted. A prophecy will be delivered to the high elves of the Yuashiel Dinsion.]
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