CHAPTER 138
A Tree Connected to the Sky**
The man blended in quietly. It wasn’t that he made no sound. His footsteps were normal, and he didn’t bother to suppress his breathing. Someone with superhuman hearing might even have been able to hear his heartbeat.
Despite this, no one paid him any attention. Like an ordinary part of the scenery. Like the background. The man observed the White Land that had appeared on the outskirts of Seoul without catching anyone’s eye.
‘So this is the Seoul of today…’
His name was Sumiyama. He was a hunter from Tokyo. In other words, he was an assassin whose specialty was erasing his presence.
His job was to bloody his hands, but he wasn't here for that this time. He had come to observe the recent, rapid changes in Seoul and to carry out a certain mission.
‘There are more civilians than I expected.’
Around the White Land he was observing, there were many who could be called civilians. Besides the hunters and researchers investigating the land, there were people who had come out of interest in the new territory. He could see a group that looked like they were from a broadcast station and others filming on their own. In one corner, a group was kneeling and praying, looking like a religious organization.
‘I can tell this is different from Hong Kong.’
It was different from when the White Land appeared in Hong Kong. That was the first time, and more importantly, the land there was dangerous and limited. It was not a place just anyone could easily approach.
But the area around Seoul was relatively clear of monsters, and above all, there was a lot of land. It was appearing in spots all over the city, growing even at this very moment, so it wasn't a situation that could be controlled.
‘Is that one of the roots?’
Sumiyama’s eyes fell on a root bulging from the ground. That was the root he had only heard stories about, the one that was covering the entirety of Seoul. The source that purified the Black Land and turned it into White Land.
That area had an atmosphere that made it difficult to approach. Unlike the other White Lands, security around the root was tight. Observing from a distance or taking pictures was fine, but unauthorized passage was strictly forbidden.
It wasn't impossible for him to slip through. Sumiyama was an A-class Hunter, but his stealth abilities were on par with an S-class. Though he'd never met him, the underworld's evaluation was that he was comparable to Kurenai himself. Of course, that absolutely did not apply to combat strength.
‘That’s not my target.’
But he turned his head away. A mere root. He hadn't been dispatched to collect a mere extremity. He wanted the tree itself, not a piece of a root.
Turning away from a distance so as not to arouse suspicion, he headed toward the city. His destination was what could be considered the hottest piece of real estate in Seoul right now.
‘The place where Kang Jinwoo lives.’
The home of the Seoul hunter, Kang Jinwoo. In his house was the tree that was the source of those roots. A place that was currently receiving the undivided attention of Seoul, no, of the entire world.
‘Hoo…’
The man steadied his breathing. From that point on, all sound from him completely vanished. He made no noise even when stepping on gravel, and his lungs expanded without a single breath being heard. Even his heartbeat did not travel more than three steps away from him. This meant that unless someone came within that radius, they would not hear a single sound from the man.
Having thus thoroughly erased his presence, the man headed toward the land undergoing redevelopment.
There were already many people coming and going, which helped to further conceal the man’s existence. He was already perfectly hidden, but he still cautiously scanned his surroundings. As expected, for such an important area, there were quite a few hidden guards.
‘Hunters are stationed everywhere.’
The one wearing a safety helmet, the one in a suit with a blue tie, the pot-bellied middle-aged man with a camera hanging around his neck.
All of them were hunters hiding their identities. They were likely affiliated with the Seoul Bureau, tasked with guarding this land and Kang Jinwoo’s tree.
‘Sloppy.’
But their attempts to hide their presence were sloppy. To his expert eyes, their disguises were laughable. If you’re going to pose as a civilian, you should at least pay attention to your gait.
With a smirk, he headed toward Kang Jinwoo’s house. It was his first time in the city, but he already knew the location. He had thoroughly memorized the geography of this area.
‘There it is.’
He could see his target. The house was just an ordinary house. A run-down building that didn't stand out in any particular way.
‘He lives in a place like that? The Kang Jinwoo?’
Sumiyama had never seen Kang Jinwoo, but he had heard many stories about him. He was the one who had dealt with the Erosion near Tokyo in the past, and he had also played a major role in the incidents in New York’s Ireland and, more recently, Hong Kong.
It was a well-known fact among those in the know that Kurenai Masato, the ruler of Tokyo’s nightlife, treated Kang Jinwoo with a certain degree of friendliness.

For such a great hunter to live in such a small, old house…
‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since he hit the jackpot. To think a treasure like that grew in the front yard of that old house.’
Putting aside his stray thoughts, Sumiyama focused on his mission. The mission was simple.
Steal the tree growing in Kang Jinwoo’s house.
Bringing it back uprooted would be best, but cutting it down was also acceptable. If all else failed, he was to at least break off a branch and steal it. Those were the details of the mission he was assigned.
One might ask how a single person could uproot or cut down a tree, but for an A-class Hunter like him, it was no trouble at all. He had brought the necessary tools, and it wouldn't be difficult for anyone who could handle even a little mana.
After a short wait, the sun set. The surroundings grew dark, and the number of people began to dwindle. Taking that as his cue, Sumiyama climbed over the fence and trespassed.
The tree was right before his eyes. The target was right there. He gathered mana in his palm and…
Thwack!
‘Huh…?’
He lost consciousness and collapsed.
He didn’t know how long he had been out. He groggily opened his eyelids and was startled to find himself tied up. He tried to circulate his magic to break the ropes, but they wouldn’t snap. They seemed to be specially made, reinforced ropes.
“Another one’s here.”
“Did you manage to grab even a piece of bark?”
“Of course he failed.”
Not only that, but he wasn't the only one tied up like this. They clicked their tongues as they looked at the newcomer who had been brought in, bound just like them. Sumiyama stared at them with a dumbfounded expression.

“Caught another one?”
“Yes. Looks like another guy from Tokyo this time.”
Jinwoo handed the unconscious, tied-up man over to Ma Doo-sik. At Ma Doo-sik’s gesture, some rough-looking men approached and dragged the man away with their coarse hands.
“My apologies. It’s not easy to stop these kinds of approaches…”
“Our manpower is limited, so it can’t be helped. The whole world is after it, but our people are finite.”
Ever since the land value shot up, the flies had started to gather. To be precise, the price increase itself was a result of the tree.
The World Tree. There were far too many people after it. Some offered huge sums of money to buy it, while others tried to take it by making threats. They must have heard the rumors about Jinwoo but assumed they were exaggerated.
Naturally, none of it worked on Jinwoo, and he drove them all away. Ma Doo-sik’s power was enough to block most of those who approached during the day. Thanks to that, the daytime was fine.
The problem always started at night. At night, there were areas beyond the reach of Ma Doo-sik’s authority or the Seoul Bureau’s power. Those who failed in their daytime persuasions began to pull tricks at night, and they came from all over the world.
These days, Jinwoo was busy dealing with thieves climbing the wall at night.
“Kurenai, can’t you do something on your end?”
—My apologies. As I’ve said before, Tokyo is a city that’s impossible to control.
He once called Kurenai Masato to complain, but Kurenai just laughed it off as he always did.
It was obvious he wasn't taking it seriously. Even if he wasn't orchestrating these thefts, it was clear he had no intention of stopping them. From his perspective, it was a natural choice, as he had nothing to lose no matter how things turned out.
They weren't strongly connected allies in the first place, just individuals who had briefly fought together, so it was unavoidable. Jinwoo hadn't seriously expected him to take his side.
“By the way, what happened with the divine object you stole from the Temple of Light? Did you get the results you wanted?”
—Well, in a way… but I’m still not sure yet.
He didn't know what divine object Kurenai had taken. He hadn't told him, of course.
One would think the divine object's power would have vanished now that Prycia was dead, but Kurenai showed no sign of it. Then again, he wasn't the type to tell others about his own misfortunes.
After hanging up, Jinwoo climbed onto the roof. He had a clear view of the World Tree growing in the yard.
Moonlight streamed down, illuminating the World Tree. The tree, bathed in light, sent that light down through its roots and scattered it throughout the city.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest is pleased.]
The ‘real’ World Tree on the other side was also delighted by this change. It was the complete opposite of Jerakson, who tried to suck the Earth dry, and Prycia, who tried to control it. The World Tree was happy that the Earth was recovering its life force. That must be why it was willingly lending its power.

‘At this rate, will the day come when the entire Earth is restored?’
[The God of the Moonlight Forest affirms.]
The number of World Trees couldn't be increased. The speed of recovery wouldn't accelerate, but with time, its roots would continue to spread steadily. Eventually, the day would come when its branches cast a shadow over the entire planet.
When that time came, the Earth would reclaim all of the life force that had been stolen from it. Of course, it would look very different from the old Earth. It would be a world dependent on a single tree that had suddenly sprouted.
Still, as long as that tree remained healthy, there was a future. For some reason, an image of such days formed in his mind.
A future, or perhaps a past. In his past life, he himself had cultivated a similar world. It wasn't Earth, and it wasn't in as dire a situation as the current Earth, but it was the same in that there was a great tree, and an ecosystem had formed in reliance on it.
The memory of that ancient past overlapped with the future he envisioned, bringing a sense of relief. A relief that he could do it well. Or maybe it was anticipation.
‘So this ability only exists in this one tree.’
The saplings that Chartia took and grew didn't have this power. That meant the recent night visitors were just wasting their time. Even if they cut down this tree and took it with them, it wouldn't grow properly in their land.
While they could grow trees of the same species, the true ‘Soulwood’ was only this tree, right here.
Jinwoo intuitively understood the reason why. Because the tree’s appearance was an exact replica of that tower.
‘A tree connected to the sky.’
It hadn't actually grown tall enough to reach the sky. But the tree's very existence was connected to the sky, to the place where the spirits live.
Just like that tower where Permu was trapped.
—Voom.
That wasn't all. The Ego Sword vibrated faintly. It meant the World Tree had a foothold in one more world besides that one.