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Chapter 216: The Clear Signal of the Forest’s Crisis

The rustling travelled through the leaves like a wild fire, clearly signaling a crisis in the forest. It soon reached the guardians of the land.

A purple shadow, having been snoozing atop a branch, slowly rose.

A massive earth dragon twisted its body beneath the ground.

Trees basking quietly in the sunlight opened their eyes.

Monsters, unfamiliar with the word “cooperation,” gathered to protect the forest.

To guard their territory, to prevent the lush forest from suffering. At first glance, their actions seemed to be based on this noble cause.

But would such insignificant reasons unite monsters? They only desired one thing: to completely secure the spring for themselves someday.

They were merely waiting for the moment to devour the three little bugs, deluding themselves that they were equals.

In short, it was just about biding time until their moment arrived.

After all, the future king of this forest would be neither humans nor any of the three other monsters, but undeniably, themselves.

The four monsters known as “the masters” always thought this way.

*

“Do you really think non-kin monsters can get along?”

At Yeon-woo’s incredulous question, Baek In-hwa shook her head. Kim Yoo-min alone tilted her head, puzzled by their obvious disdain.

“Uh, they could be friendly, right?”

“Not likely. Besides, we’re currently allied with golden goblins, orcs, and lizardmen, but not everyone sees them as allies, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

In the hunter society, news of racism popped up almost daily. Discrimination wasn’t just about skin color; it stemmed from the fact that they were different races.

If even humans who could communicate had issues, how could monsters, who barely communicated, truly get along?

“I can’t firmly say that’s impossible, but it would already be a miracle at that point.”

And that was where Yeon-woo had to dig in. A Night Stalker, angry at intruders invading her territory, might be cautious about others joining swiftly.

Thus, her priority was to deal with Ja-young, a named Brutal Panther who was inherently fast.

The direction was south. It would be great if she could finish off the target quickly alongside Baek In-hwa, but as a high-ranking monster, it wouldn’t be that easy.

Don’t get complacent. This bet was formed with the lives of friends on the line, something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Be cautious and calm. I must not let my guard down until we return home.

After many self-reminders, Yeon-woo galloped after Baek In-hwa and Kim Yoo-min, who were ahead. No, she knew they were fast, but why were they this fast in such an obstacle-laden area?

*

The master ruling over the southern forest, Ja-young (紫影).

A Brutal Panther with black leather and a mutant born with purple leather, Ja-young had been targeted by hunters countless times since she was a cub.

Brutal Panther leather was in high demand. With its practicality of being light and durable, aesthetic value of being soft and beautiful, and rarity due to low population, such a trifecta was hard to find.

Amongst such a rare breed, Ja-young’s mutant leather was object of the hunters’ desires.

If one could dispose of it without a scratch, it would be valuable enough to retire.

And yet, Ja-young survived. Against all odds, she made it through the muck and finally reached the position of the forest’s ruler.

Hunters and monsters were no different. Those who survived were strong. Edward’s ability to grow old and count his white hairs was testimony to his strength.

Ja-young was strong and clever. One could sense this from the leisurely way she moved from tree to tree.

Her overwhelming mana seemed almost unbelievable for a monster. The power radiating from her soft body was akin to that of a crocodile under a Demon King’s special curse.

‘The mana spring effect is peak.’

To think that such a strong monster could potentially grow to require individual assault teams for each territory in a few years made perfect sense.

‘It was wise to set up a silence here.’

While it rendered verbal communication impossible, who cared? The two by her side were comrades who established prior signals.

Yeon-woo raised three fingers. Baek In-hwa nodded, and a chilling energy coalesced around her hand.

3, 2, 1.

As all fingers folded, Yeon-woo thrust her hand into her shadow. Ja-young, though known as the purple shadow, wasn’t genuinely endowed with shadow-related powers.

Transcending space, her blackened arm emerged from the shadow of a branch. Ja-young, startled, tried to maneuver away, but the shadowy arm transformed into a whip and snagged her ankle.

At the same time, the formed chilling energy detonated. The surrounding trees and bushes were swept away in a whirlwind of sharp ice shards.

Of course, it was foolish to assume that such a surprise attack would kill Ja-young.

Immediately after, Kim Yoo-min charged in. The ice shards blocking the view were controlled by Yeon-woo, who possessed ice mana, ensuring they were not an obstruction.

Like a bullet, Kim Yoo-min darted in, instinctively sensing Ja-young’s presence, and threw a concentrated fist.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar that felt like a cannon blast erupting, the trees of the forest trembled. Tiny birds around, startled, squawked and fled from the forest.

What a horrifying creature. I seriously hope that punch isn’t headed my way.

‘Can’t believe she controls such difficult elemental mana to that extent.’

Kim Yoo-min’s elemental mana was fire, explosions. However, she mostly used it to create small explosions within herself to enhance her physical capabilities.

Of course, like all elemental enhancements, it wasn’t a technique without risk. Misuse could certainly cause significant damage to her blood vessels, bordering on self-harm.

But the efficiency in terms of power was top-notch. With an aura fist and full throttle elemental enhancement combined, she could probably break down city walls at this point.

Taking advantage of the dust cloud created by Kim Yoo-min’s hit, Shar focused her will. Nature, answering the will of the dragon, cleared the dust cloud, revealing Ja-young’s form.

『……!』

Though her side swelled a nasty color, unfortunately, she didn’t die. Somehow, she managed to shrug off Kim Yoo-min’s attack.

Though she definitely leapt back, that alone wasn’t enough for an attack of that caliber to end.

“It would’ve been best if we could’ve killed her. Too bad.”

As Yeon-woo mumbled this, the ground began to tremble. Seems like someone was quick on the uptake. Figured if she delayed any longer, one of them would die.

“Anyway, I can’t just watch prey escape right before my eyes.”

Selfish little monsters, thought Yeon-woo, as the Grand Serpent sprang from underground.

With the giant tree swaying to the sides, a larger tree giant, the Elder Tree, walked over.

“I really question if this is something nature should protect.”

“Yeah, I was thinking that too.”

Kim Yoo-min vigorously nodded in agreement with Yeon-woo’s disheartened murmur. In any case, it seemed the main events were finally gathering in one spot.

“Please, Shar!!”

As Yeon-woo shouted, a giant wolf appeared from behind the Elder Tree, along with a surge of mana. The massive wolf rose on its hind legs and started pushing against the shocked Elder Tree.

『U, O, O, O─!!』

Though the Elder Tree tried to withstand with a howling, it was impossible to bear the power of Shar, who had transformed using amplified mana.

It wouldn’t last long, but it was enough for Baek In-hwa to create an opening to confront the Grand Serpent.

“I’ll see you soon, Baek In-hwa!!”

“Yeah, I’ll come help!”

Leaving the ever-calm Baek In-hwa behind, Kim Yoo-min and Yeon-woo dashed toward the direction of pushing against the Elder Tree. The Grand Serpent began to burrow back into the ground in haste.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The frosted-over ground, now a vivid blue, wouldn’t allow the Grand Serpent to enter its domain.

“Die, bug.”

Baek In-hwa, with her frost skin pulled back to her wrist, smiled upon the ice rink.

With the sound of wings, Namgung Seong and the Night Stalker swooped down above them, clashing swords and claws.

“It’s going smoothly; can I borrow this ice rink!?”

“Don’t know what you plan to do, but if you can use it, go ahead!”

*

“Hehe, this is tough!!”

The giant wolf whined in a cute voice. Yeon-woo turned back with a bitter smile. Beyond Ja-young’s approaching figure, the ice rink spreading across the ground was visible.

“Alright, here we go! Good job, Shar!!”

“Kiheeeng…!”

With a pop, Shar’s massive form disappeared, and soon a small girl fell down. The Elder Tree, confused, looked around in panic, trying to resist the wolf’s roughness.

To think Shar, who underwent such a massive transformation, could only push for a few hundred meters on ice and still make a noise was ridiculous. How many tons does that thing weigh?

At Yeon-woo’s command, Kim Yoo-min skidded to a halt, leaving a long mark on the soil. Taking advantage of the opening, Yeon-woo jumped in to block Ja-young’s claws.

“Stick to the plan, got it, Kim Yoo-min!?”

“Formation A! Let’s do this, Shar!”

“Just leave it to me!!”

Formation A: Yeon-woo counters the agile Ja-young, while Kim Yoo-min takes down the defensively strong Elder Tree with Shar’s support.

Is this really a plan…?

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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