CHAPTER 110: You'd Better Answer Well

It was strange. Judging by the fire's intensity, it should have incinerated the entire forest and still burned fiercely, but it didn't.
Instead, the forest was extending its roots and vines, trying to erase the fire and invade its territory. To stop it, the fire desperately raised its intensity, burning itself up.
At the boundary where the fire and forest met, a fierce battle was unfolding to protect their respective territories, a scene no different from a war.
"What a place... Whoa!"
A stray spark of flame billowed toward Kalesian and Jinwoo in the sky. Not only that, but from behind them, rapidly growing trees were extending their branches and rushing forward.
The two hastily dodged and continued to observe. The fire and forest that had attacked them weren't specifically targeting them.
They had simply been caught in the crossfire at the fierce boundary where the two were fighting.
Realizing this, Jinwoo and Kalesian moved away from the boundary and landed on solid ground. On the forest side, of course, not the fire.
"The fire is burning right in front of us, but it's so lush here."
"Just one step away and it's a completely different world."
From where they landed, the boundary between the fire and the forest was clearly visible. It was only a few steps away.
Despite that, they couldn't feel the heat of the fire, nor did the smoke choke them.
Instead, the unique freshness of the forest and its moist, cool scent were very distinct.
"So this is the Spirit Realm..."
Kalesian looked with fresh eyes at the surging waves of fire and, conversely, the forest's offensive that was overwhelming it.
The sight itself was new, but not particularly surprising. As someone from the Dragon Star Realm who had seen the territories of all sorts of bizarre dragons, the sight of a forest spreading towards a fire was nothing to be amazed about for Kalesian.
However, it was the fundamental environment, things like the air floating in the Spirit Realm and the particles of mana, that truly surprised him.
"I see why you said my elixir warehouse felt like the Spirit Realm. This world itself is a world that holds immense mana."
"Thanks to that, I benefited a lot when I came here before."
He remembered how surprised he was the last time he came.
Mana replenished just by breathing, and even the fruit he picked and the fish he caught on the road had a subtle mana imbued in them.
The magic of the cloak I just used to fly is also replenishing quickly.
Jinwoo was currently wearing the black cloak he had received from Kalesian, and he had consumed a considerable amount of mana just by flying once.
Since the magic was originally intended to lift a dragon's massive body, the consumption was significant, but that much mana was already being refilled to some extent.
Gauging the rate of consumption and replenishment, he probably couldn't fly for even an hour on Earth, but here, he could easily fly for over three hours.
"Not only that, but the ingredients were also incredibly delicious. I still remember."
"Is that so? This place would be perfect for training, so why did you go back?"
"Why did I go back to Earth? Well..."
As he was about to answer, he felt a chilling sensation. Kalesian seemed to have felt it too, as they turned to look at the same spot at almost the same time, and saw vines and tree roots rushing to overwhelm them.
If the previous attack was merely being hit by a stray shot from the fierce boundary, this one was clearly aimed at them.
"Leave it to me!"
Kalesian stepped forward and wrapped several layers of barriers around them. It was hastily deployed, but it was a barrier created by a dragon. It was the epitome of defensive magic that could withstand not only ordinary attacks but even a missile strike.
Crr-unch!
The tree roots slammed into the barrier and squeezed. With a skin-crawling sound, the crumpled barrier shattered in an instant.
"Ugh!"
"Let's run!"
Kalesian took off in fright, and Jinwoo followed him using the cloak's magic.
The roots still pursued them, soaring up to crush them. Kalesian, even in his haste, showed his resourcefulness and this time shaped the barrier into a sharp awl.
Ruuuumble!
With a heavy impact from the immense mass, the tree roots split and were deflected.
Chased back into the sky, the two had no choice but to head back toward the boundary. This place was just as dangerous, but at least the two sides were too busy fighting each other to attack them directly.
"Phew. Just because it's a lush forest doesn't mean it's safe."
"Let's catch our breath."
If they landed in the forest, they would be attacked by monstrous, tentacle-like roots, and it was too risky to cross over to the fire side.
In the end, this dangerous boundary was the only place they could breathe.
"About that question from before, I don't need an answer. I get it now."
"Question? Oh, that."
Why he returned to Earth when he had such a good place for training.
The experience just now was enough of an answer. Training is good, but you have to be safe to survive.
"That aside..."
Leaving Kalesian to his understanding, Jinwoo looked at both sides.
The view from the sky stretched far into the distance, with the horizons on both sides clearly visible.
On one side was an endless forest. It stretched so far that no matter how much he looked, he couldn't see the end.
The other side was also covered in fire, burning endlessly. There was no place to rest easy no matter which way they went.
"For now, shall we follow the boundary line and have a look around?"
"That sounds like a good idea."
Kalesian agreed with Jinwoo's opinion. If they followed this boundary where the fire and forest were fighting, wouldn't they find something?
Jinwoo landed on a relatively intact piece of ground, and Kalesian positioned himself in the air next to Jinwoo's head.
And so, the two began to walk along the boundary.

A small flame fluttered in the forest. The fast-moving flame flickered from the tip of her tail.
Her red tail and ears were flattened by the wind as she ran in a hurry. At a glance, she looked like a beastman, but her true identity was a spirit.
Born from a small bonfire, she had taken the form of a cat and eventually evolved into a form close to a beastman.
The vast majority of spirits in the world were just small specks of light, but some, like her, took on a physical form.
The Spirit Realm, in particular, was a world blessed by mana, so individuals like her were not uncommon. One of those spirits was running through the forest.
"...Kyaak!"
Suddenly, she tripped on a root and fell. Normally, this would be impossible. A beastman wouldn't trip over an obvious obstacle in a forest.
She, having taken the form of a beastman, had similar traits and could run faster in the forest than on flat ground.
The reason she tripped was that the root had suddenly grown. To catch her.
"Ugh!"
The roots that had been chasing her pounced on her fallen form. She swung her hand, and a flame took the shape of a sword, cutting and burning the roots.
Using the same method to remove the root wrapped around her ankle, she got up and ran.
—Screeeech!
A terrible sound, like scraping metal, came from behind. Goosebumps ran down her back as if a current of electricity had shot through her.
They were right behind her. The mother of all forests. The Dragon Fang Soldiers of the Forest Sea Dragon, Silbaern.
Twisted warriors born from a mixture of dragon teeth and forest wood chips were chasing her to capture her.
No!
Her already urgent steps became even more frantic. Yet, her speed didn't increase much because she had to be wary of the roots that suddenly shot out from underfoot.
If she let her guard down for even a moment, she didn't know when she would trip again. That would be the end. If she fell one more time, she would be caught for sure!
However, her extreme caution was in vain as she tripped once more. Caught off guard while running, she tumbled to the ground.
Her face was scraped and her nose was bleeding, but there was no time to fix her appearance. Holding back the tears that threatened to burst forth, she lifted her head.
A terrifying dragon was staring down at her from point-blank range.
"KYAAAAAAAH!"
Not a Dragon Fang Soldier, but the dragon itself! So shocked she felt like she would faint, she couldn't get up and fell backward.
But something was strange. When their eyes met up close, she didn't realize it, but after falling back, it was... smaller than she thought. It was a petite size that didn't seem like a terrifying dragon.
Almost like a hatchling, not a full-grown adult...
"Miss Spirit, could you explain what you're in such a hurry for?"
"Do you expect a proper answer when you stop someone in a rush?"
"We can't just not ask. We need information."
The small, hatchling-like dragon was chatting with a man. For her, whose heart was pounding as if it would explode, their leisureliness was agonizing.
And in that brief moment she was distracted by the strange group, her pursuers caught up.
—Kkigik! Kkigigigi!
A Dragon Fang Soldier with skin like tree bark burst through the bushes and thrust a spear at her.

At first, he thought she was a beastman. But the fire on her tail, and more importantly, the energy he felt.
A spirit?
She was closer to a spirit than a beastman.
Weren't spirits supposed to be small orbs of light?
All the spirits Jinwoo had seen so far were like that. The spirits wielded by the Ego Sword were like that, and the spirit Rona had assigned to him was like that too. The other spirits he had occasionally seen in the Elf world were all just small lights, like candlelight.

This was the first time he had seen a spirit with a distinct form, let alone a proper human one.
And then there were the Dragon Tooth Soldiers chasing her.
“Hm. It seems this forest is a dragon’s territory.”
Kalesian spoke leisurely as he beat his wings. The gust of wind he created split the space between the spirit and the soldiers.
“Who should we help?”
“The one we can talk to would be best,” Jinwoo replied after Kalesian’s question.
They weren't on the forest's side or the fire's side; all they needed was information. Therefore, they needed the party that would be more cooperative and communicative.
“H-Help me! Please, help me!”
- Kruk… Krrrk…
It was obvious which side could talk. Jinwoo drew his sword and sliced through a Dragon Tooth Soldier, spear and all.
CRUNCH! CRACK!
Its exterior looked like a golem made of wood, but the sensation of cutting it was similar to a skeleton. However, it was incomparably tougher than any skeleton.
“To slice through a dragon’s tooth so easily… As expected of the sword that cut the Red Cliff.”
“A tooth?”
“They are Dragon Tooth Soldiers. Artificial lifeforms born from a dragon’s tooth.”
“Are they really lifeforms? They feel more like undead.”
In Jinwoo’s eyes, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers had no Blue Flame to signify a soul. They were like the skeletons he had seen on the 2nd Floor, moving without souls.
Kaaaaah!
Kaaaaa-aaaaah!
Two more similar creatures appeared and roared threateningly. Saliva flew from their mouths, and a foul stench like rotting wood filled the air.
They also attacked with spears, but a single swing from Jinwoo’s sword cut both spear shafts in two. Then, flames unleashed by Kalesian instantly incinerated the newcomers, reducing them to ash.
It took less than a minute to deal with the three Dragon Tooth Soldiers. The spirit watched with astonished eyes. To think they could dispatch those horrifying soldiers more easily than finishing a meal…
“T-Thank you. You saved me.”
The spirit immediately prostrated herself, pressing her head to the ground. Even so, her eyes darted around, searching for a way to escape.
She was grateful for being saved, but these beings were also dragons. To her, who had suffered under the Water-Forest Dragon Silbaern for over a hundred years, dragons were objects of extreme caution.
Kalesian knew she was wary of them and trying to flee. While it would have been nice to soothe and reassure her, he chose an easier method.
“Don’t even think about running. A high-ranking spirit that has grown this much should have some intelligence. You must know how easy it is for a dragon to tear a single spirit to shreds, don’t you?”
Hiccup. She looked at Kalesian, her expression a mask of swallowed fear.
Even a hatchling was still a dragon. Moreover, the mana he was subtly emitting was far beyond what one would expect from a hatchling.
After creating a thoroughly threatening atmosphere, Kalesian subtly gestured to Jinwoo with his eyes.
He’s pushing all the annoying work onto me. Jinwoo sighed, then crouched in front of the frightened spirit to meet her gaze.
“Don’t worry. We just have a few questions. Answer them well, and we’ll let you go.”
His tone was blunt, but at least he had a human form. It was far more comforting than the dragon emitting terrifying mana behind him.
The spirit, looking slightly relieved, nodded her head several times.