Chapter 109

The World Tree desired the complete eradication of dark magic.

So, what was the “original world”?

Before she could even voice her curiosity, the World Tree, as if sensing her thoughts, trembled its branches in laughter.

The spirits floating around it quivered along with it.

However, the World Tree never answered her question.

Having completed its purpose, the World Tree mercilessly cast her out.

The light vanished, and she found herself standing once more in the dark underground.

It felt like waking from a dream while still wide awake.

But the sword she held in her hand proved that it wasn’t a dream but reality.

Though called a sword, the blade given by the World Tree was a wooden one, crafted from its branches.

It looked far weaker than a sword forged from steel.

However, since it was made from the purifying branches of the World Tree, its performance was undoubtedly exceptional.

Holding the weapon that even instilled confidence in her, she began to ponder how to escape this forest.

The monsters she had encountered over the past few days were only a small fraction of those inhabiting the Haltonea Forest.

There were undoubtedly monsters far stronger than she could imagine lurking within the forest.

But standing still and hesitating wouldn’t lead to any answers.

She quickened her steps and exited the underground.

Only then could she fully take in the true sight of the Haltonea Forest.

The forest was untouched by human hands, preserved in its perfect, natural state.

The ground was uneven, with thick tree roots protruding and scattered signs of monster tracks and disturbances.

A faint mist hung in the air, obscuring distant views, and the cold air sent chills through her body.

She decided she needed to find higher ground to determine her exact location.

There were no signposts in a monster-infested forest, and she lacked Eched’s sense of direction.

For now, she resolved to leave the flatlands and seek higher ground.

As she wandered the forest in search of an elevated area, she inevitably encountered monsters.

Surprisingly, dealing with the monsters was much easier than she had anticipated.

All it took was for the monsters to come into contact with the World Tree’s sword, and their bodies would burn away.

The most challenging encounter was when she faced a lindworm—a wingless dragon.

The lindworm, as large as a water buffalo, spewed fiery flames.

For a moment, she thought she was doomed, but the flames didn’t touch her. The sword blocked the fire.

Watching the fire split and pass harmlessly to either side of the blade, she thought to herself:

This is quite the artifact.

She silently thanked the World Tree for giving her such a useful weapon.

Even though it was given for the World Tree’s purposes, what did it matter?

With the help of the sword, she managed to defeat the lindworm in a single blow.

Now she understood why knights always emphasized experience.

In just half a day of battling monsters alone, she had learned how to deal with them.

While there were intelligent monsters, most had low intelligence and predictable attack patterns.

Once she understood this, countering them became easy, and the adrenaline coursing through her made her movements sharper than usual.

“Tonight will be the real test.”

The sun had dipped lower since she emerged from the underground.

Though nightfall was still some time away, she decided it was best to find a safe spot in advance.

After walking a bit further, she discovered a massive tree before the sun had fully set.

The giant tree’s branches intertwined with those of smaller surrounding trees, making it possible to climb quite high using the nearby trees as a ladder.

She decided to climb the tree.

Holding the sword—which lacked a sheath—made climbing more challenging, but she eventually reached a height where she could see the forest clearly.

The wind rustled around her.

Her hair, now long enough to cover her back, swayed in the breeze.

Forest, forest, lake, mountain.

The Haltonea Forest was so vast that no matter how high she climbed, that was all she could see.

However, spotting the ridgeline of the Solun Mountains was a stroke of luck.

With her destination decided for dawn, she settled on a spot midway up the tree.

The tree’s massive size meant its branches were sturdy enough to rest on for the night.

The dense foliage of the intertwined branches provided ample cover to conceal her from view.

After confirming there were no monsters nearby, she finally allowed herself to sit down comfortably.

Perhaps the only fortunate thing in this harsh situation was that her backpack, slung over her back, hadn’t fallen off.

She pulled out some scorched rice from her bag and nibbled on it, easing her hunger.

At least she didn’t have to worry about food for now.

“Still, I should ration it, just in case.”

After all, she didn’t know how many days she would wander this place.

Eched had once told her that conserving energy was also a survival strategy. She wondered what Eched was doing now.

If, by some chance, he had entered the Haltonea Forest to search for her, she hoped he was eating and sleeping properly.

Even as she thought of him, fatigue overwhelmed her, and her eyes grew heavy.

She wrapped her robe around herself like a blanket and closed her eyes, intending only to rest briefly.

Her dark consciousness began to stir at the faint sound of someone calling her name.

‘Shaterian…’

A voice, distant yet familiar, called out to her.

It was the voice she had longed to hear, and she slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw made her gasp. Eched lay before her, bleeding and collapsed.

His body was so mangled, as if torn apart by a beast-like monster, that it was unrecognizable.

She grabbed Eched’s body. It felt cold to the touch.

“Eched…?”

She shook him gently, her voice trembling.

But his closed eyes showed no sign of opening.

Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to process the sudden situation.

Eched was dead.

The coldness of his body left no other explanation.

But why weren’t my tears falling?

“Ah…”

A soft sigh escaped her lips. She forced herself to calm her racing heart.

Slowly, she recalled the events of the day.

She had woken up underground, received the sword from the World Tree, fought monsters, found the tall tree, and rested briefly.

So the sudden appearance of Eched’s corpse before her couldn’t be real.

This entire situation…

This had to be a nightmare.

As soon as she realized this, Eched’s body disappeared without a trace.

Instead, she felt a heavy pressure on her chest.

She opened her eyes and found herself face-to-face with a pair of orange eyes staring down at her.

A Nightmare. A monster said to sit on the chest of sleeping people and induce nightmares.

The Nightmare fled as soon as it realized she was awake.

Despite having slept, she felt utterly exhausted.

Rotating her stiff shoulders, she glanced around and noticed a pair of glowing eyes watching her from the darkness.

The Nightmare, which had fled earlier, was observing her from afar.

Nightmares were low-level monsters with no combat abilities, relying on sapping energy through nightmares.

It was likely waiting for her to fall asleep again.

But she didn’t want to revisit that dream.

A dream where Eched died.

Yet sitting idle would only lead her to doze off again…

Sighing, she checked her surroundings for safety and climbed down from the tree.

The moonlight was unusually bright that night. With the path ahead clearly visible, she decided to move while she could.

Relying on the moonlight, she walked until she reached the lake she had glimpsed earlier from the tree.

The still surface of the water reflected the moonlight, shimmering beautifully.

The tranquil, peaceful scene was almost unbelievable for a monster-infested forest.

Looking at the water, an inexplicable unease crept over her.

Yet she couldn’t bring herself to approach the lakeside, as the memory of the nixie she had encountered in the Solun Mountains lingered in her mind.

Like a miser hanging dried fish on the ceiling and eating only rice, she gazed longingly at the lake from a distance.

It was while she was absentmindedly staring at the lake that she heard the rustle of grass and sensed someone’s presence behind her.

She immediately turned around, sword raised toward the source of the sound.

From the dense shadows beneath the trees, the figure slowly emerged.

“Eched…?”

She blinked in disbelief at the sudden appearance of Eched.

‘Could it be that I haven’t escaped the Nightmare’s dream?’

Like those common tales of waking from one nightmare only to find oneself trapped in another.

Cautiously, she infused holy power into the sword in her hand.

As a low-level monster, the Nightmare would flee at the slightest trace of holy energy.

Yet the Eched before her didn’t disappear.

Instead, he fully stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself entirely.

Still unable to shake her doubts, she remained wary of him.

Certain species of monsters could transform into humans.

Nymphs and nixies were such examples.

Dragons, especially the zmey, were masters of transformation.

With their intelligence, they could easily deceive humans if they wished.

The figure stepped closer to her.

Gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, she spoke.

“Don’t come any closer. Who are you?”