Chapter 171: Unearthed
Yuberis's expression hardened. How did he find me? He knew Jinwoo could sense the Seeds. The man from a past life would certainly have the ability to feel the Seeds he himself had sown.

That's why he had kept his distance. He dug deep into the earth to avoid being found. He was confident that no matter how sharp Jinwoo's senses were, he wouldn't be able to detect him this deep, this far away.

And indeed, his assumption had been correct. For a while, Jinwoo had lost his direction and faltered. In the meantime, he had to dodge Rondar's sword and protect the city. There should have been no time to search for him.

But in an instant, he had been found, and Jinwoo had drilled straight through to him. How on earth?

'The root?'

It was a root that had dug through the ground. Jinwoo had ridden that root to get here. Did that mean the root had found him?

No… only Kang Jinwoo could find the Seeds. It was more correct to see the root as merely a tool for digging.

'That damn Elf wench…!!'

Looking at the surface, he could see the Elf controlling the roots. Her race was human, but her soul was that of an Elf. To Yuberis's eyes, which saw essence rather than sight through his blindfold, Chartia's true nature was visible.

"Do you have time to be distracted?"
"!!"

He hadn't turned his head, and his eyes were covered, so he couldn't see. Yet, Jinwoo sensed that Yuberis's attention was focused on the surface. He thrust his sword into that opening.

Horrified, Yuberis dodged the blade. Having descended to Earth, he had abandoned his physical body and was in a state similar to a spirit. His body didn't get buried in the earth, and conversely, Jinwoo's sword was difficult to swing.

"Tsk."

CLANG! The sword got caught on a rock, and Yuberis melted into it to escape. Jinwoo sent a signal to the root, and it began to rotate like a drill, chasing after Yuberis.

The root's power was so immense that it bored through the solid ground as if it were water. This was not good for the city. If the ground became soft, it would be difficult to erect buildings.

As expected of an S-class. Given enough time, Chartia's ability was at a level where she could make an entire city collapse.

'Right now, Yuberis comes first.'

But that was something that could be dealt with later. It would cost a lot of money and manpower, but it wasn't impossible to restore. However, if they let Yuberis escape, the damage would be irreversible.

"Gah, you persistent…!"

Shaking off the pursuing Jinwoo, Yuberis continued to flee. He had various abilities, but at his core, he was a necromancer. A physical fight with the swordsman Jinwoo would be a certain defeat.

But no matter how he tried to shake him off, he was pursued. The root carrying Jinwoo chased him relentlessly, never letting go no matter where he fled. Like a hunting dog that had caught the scent of its prey.

"Enough!"

Yuberis, shuddering, clapped his hands together. Clap. There was no sound, but it felt as if a wave of that nature was emitted. Simultaneously, a guillotine fell from above.

SKRA-A-A-ATCH!

It was Rondar's sword. The vertically descending blade passed between Yuberis and Jinwoo, neatly severing the root Jinwoo was riding. Jinwoo, having sensed the Seed and anticipated the sword's fall, wasn't cut, but he had lost his means of pursuit.

"Chartia."
—I'm on it!

Chartia was also aware of the underground chase through the roots. As soon as the root was cut, she raised a new one and sent it to Jinwoo.

That wasn't all. She had planted numerous trees in Seoul. Since her arrival, trees had grown all over the city, turning it into a city of green. How many complaints, bordering on demands for her return, had New York sent to Seoul after losing her?

Those planted trees were now playing their part. Their roots grew and blocked Yuberis's path ahead of time. Yuberis bit his lower lip and cut through the roots blocking his way.

"Annoying pests!"

They didn't contain as much power as the root chasing him. But they were a nagging obstacle. It felt like running bare-bodied through a dense forest.

In the meantime, Jinwoo was steadily closing the distance from behind.

'Should I fight?'

He considered it for a moment. He had come to kill the man in the first place, and a fight was inevitable. The only thing to consider was whether the situation was advantageous for him or not.

A one-on-one duel is like a war; the outcome is not determined by simple strength. It's commonplace for victory and defeat to be overturned by terrain, environment, small tactical plays, and minor differences in condition.

So, right now…

'No, I can't.'

After a brief glance back, Yuberis immediately changed his mind. Just as the tree roots were obstructing him, he also kneaded the earth with mana to block Jinwoo's path.

But the man's sword destroyed everything in its path and charged forward without stopping. Its momentum, far from diminishing, was rising with every moment, to the point where he could feel a chilling premonition at the back of his neck even from this distance.

A moment's distraction and I'm dead. If he felt that way even at this range, a head-on fight? Absolutely not.

'I'll retreat for now.'

He had to admit it. This invasion was a failure. He had made his preparations and chosen a decent time to invade Earth. And once a certain level of control was established, he sent Prycia's corpse as a declaration of war to lure the man out.

But the result… was a spectacular failure. The biggest factor in his failure was that his location was discovered so quickly. According to his original plan, several cities should have fallen while Jinwoo, unable to find him, was running around frantically to protect them.

But the very first step had failed. Now, he had no choice but to admit it. His preparations were insufficient.

'Next time, I must devise a way to avoid being detected.'

He already had more than enough means of attack. His minions would cover this star, and any powerful beings who stood in his way would not be able to withstand a single blow from Rondar's sword.

The only thing he needed was time. The time to turn this star into a dead star and bring it under his command. For that, he had to hide well so that the man wouldn't find him.

'To the Spirit Realm, for now.'

He opened a Gate. A Gate leading to his own domain in the Spirit Realm. He pushed his body into it and closed the Gate. Watching the rapidly closing rift, he let out a sigh of relief.

Just then, a single light flashed.

"What…"

The moment he was about to say, "What was that?", a sword sprouted from his forehead. No, it hadn't sprouted; it had flown and embedded itself there.

The sword Jinwoo had thrown was stuck in his head. In the next moment, Jinwoo had already squeezed through the Gate, grabbed the hilt of the sword embedded in Yuberis's forehead, and twisted it.

"Y-You bastard…!"

Yuberis was flustered. He had planned to escape alone, but the man had latched onto him. A Gate didn't care about physical distance, so even if they entered together, they could end up in different places.

The problem was that the man had driven the sword into him and was holding on for dear life. Right now, Yuberis was in a spirit-like state, a soul, and Jinwoo's sword was embedded in that soul.

This meant that in the Gate's flow, which moved souls, Yuberis and the sword would move together. Naturally, Jinwoo, who was holding the sword, would follow.

"You made a mess of my house. Let's see yours."
"Damn youuuuuuu!"

Yuberis tried to shake him off somehow, but Jinwoo didn't budge. The two entangled souls, connected by the sword, were sucked into a part of the Spirit Realm.

In an instant, all the pressure vanished.

The hair-raising presence of the powerful beings felt from underground, and the terrifying giant sword rampaging in the city's sky. All of it disappeared, as if it were a midsummer night's dream.

But Chartia knew the whole story.

"Jinwoo! Jinwoo, are you okay?! Answer me!"

Through the roots she controlled, she knew everything that was happening underground. So she also knew that Jinwoo couldn't possibly answer. She had clearly grasped that the enemy had opened a Gate to escape, and that Jinwoo had chased after him.

Yet, she couldn't help but call out. A man who had jumped into the enemy's stronghold alone. A man who had fallen into a dangerous place where she couldn't help him no matter how much she wanted to.

—Chartia, it's me.
"Jinwoo!?"

But a connection was made. He definitely entered a Gate, so how?

Feeling a warm energy from her pocket, Chartia took it out. It was a branch from the World Tree. The new World Tree planted at Jinwoo's house. Just in case, she had broken off a small branch and kept it with her.

Jinwoo's voice was being transmitted through that branch.

—I'm fine, so please take care of things over there. And look after the World Tree.
"Are you really going to be okay? Aren't you in the enemy's stronghold?"
—That's right, but… I'll manage somehow. See you.
"Jinwoo? Jinwoo!"

She tried to contact him further, but it wouldn't connect. Jinwoo could connect to her, but she couldn't connect to him. Because the only one in the world who could use the World Tree's power—or rather, the only one the World Tree would willingly lend its power to—was Jinwoo.

“Hunter Chartia! This is Ma Doo-sik. The zombies have suddenly melted away. What’s the situation on your end? Did you defeat the sorcerer?”

A call came from Ma Doo-sik immediately. Chartia, after taking a moment to collect her thoughts, quickly relayed the key points.

“The sorcerer was underground. Jinwoo pinpointed his location, and I dug through the earth to chase him. In the process, the enemy opened a Gate and fled. Jinwoo jumped into the Gate with him to pursue.”

“—He jumped in? Alone, into the enemy’s stronghold?”

“Yes.”

“—Is the Gate still there? We need to gather personnel and send support right away…”

“Unfortunately, it closed. Jinwoo had to forcibly squeeze his way in while the enemy was trying to escape alone.”

“—Forcibly squeezed his way in…”

Hearing such an unbelievable story, Ma Doo-sik was momentarily speechless. But he couldn’t stay that way for long. As the mayor of Seoul, even before being an S-class Hunter, he had far too much to do. He had to check on the citizens, assess the destroyed city, and plan for the future.

But before that, he had one more thing to say. Just one.

“—Is there any way to get a message to Hunter Kang Jinwoo?”

“I can’t call him from my end, but he can call me. The branch of the World Tree I have can relay messages.”

“—In that case, when you next connect, please pass on a message. Tell him we wish him good fortune.”

May the hero who saved Seoul—no, who saved this planet—return safely. With that final prayer, the call from Ma Doo-sik ended.

It was a colossal underground labyrinth. In some ways, it greatly resembled the 2nd Floor. Could the labyrinth of the 2nd Floor have broken off from this place?

Dark and damp. An aura of emptiness that seemed to drain one's energy just by breathing filled the surroundings. Even for Jinwoo, it felt as though his strength would leak away if he didn’t stay focused.

Yet, as he looked at this massive structure, so full of malice, within this underground labyrinth…

Jinwoo was recalling the past.

He remembered the burrow dug by a country mouse that had devoured his garden, defecated filth, and spread plague everywhere.