CHAPTER 85

085 - The Black Root

Giants with green skin advanced, destroying the forest.
Their innate size was supported by bone and muscle. Their mana was turbid, but for that very reason, all the more destructive.
With the strength of their grip alone, they uprooted centuries-old trees and swung them like clubs, pulverizing the forest.
Though not as orderly as human soldiers, the sight of them advancing in a line was enough to suffocate any onlooker.
“Block them! Hold them back!”
“Aim for their legs! Immobilize them!”
The Elves did not stand idle.
The soldiers of the Elea family, guardians of this Oak Leaf Forest, immediately sortied and fired arrows at the ogres.
To the green giants, the Elves’ arrows were no bigger than thin acupuncture needles, but they were not without effect.
The arrows they fired consistently struck the joints in the ogres’ legs, like their knees and ankles. Thanks to this, the ogres had to slow their advance to deal with the Elves.
“Dammit! For them to attack so suddenly…!”
An Elf cursed as he drew his bowstring.
Occasionally, one or two would wander in. Such stray ogres could be driven off with warning shots or, if the threat didn't work, could be killed and dealt with simply.
But this was the first time so many had attacked at once. At least several dozen giants, each capable of uprooting trees with their bare hands. Faced with such numbers, even a veteran ranger who had protected the forest for hundreds of years couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
“Aargh!”
An ancient tree swung by an ogre passed over his head with a terrifying roar as it split the air.
He avoided a direct hit but was knocked over by the wind. He quickly righted himself and looked forward, only to see a shadow fall over him.
Looking up, he saw the massive tree plummeting toward him, about to crush him flat.
‘This is it…’
Sensing his death, his pupils dilated. This wasn't an attack he could walk away from with a few broken bones. He was already too close to dodge.
May this soul return safely to Mother World Tree. As he thought his final prayer and watched the tree fall…
KRAAACK! CRUNCH!
A gale force wind shot from the side, twisting and shattering the ancient tree. The wind, not losing its momentum even after destroying the thick trunk, slammed into the ogre that had been holding it. The ogre’s body shook violently before it fell backward with a thud.
“Are you alright?”
“My Lord!”
The man, barely saved, called out to his rescuer with a voice full of emotion. It was Ionia, guardian of the Oak Leaf Forest and head of the Elea family. The Lord who ruled this territory.
At her gesture, the winds gathered and swirled. Unlike the previous gust, this time they were honed razor-sharp, and the resulting blades of wind shot toward the ogre.
The neck of the ogre, which had been clumsily trying to get up, was severed, and it collapsed back onto the ground. With a simple gesture, the monstrously strong ogre that had been wielding a tree was killed in an instant.
“The Lord is here!”
Her arrival dramatically boosted the morale of the Elves, who had been pushed back.
The guardian of the forest. A High Elf born already blessed by the World Tree. Her strength was on a level that they, as normal Elves, could not hope to reach even with a lifetime of training.
An ogre that was difficult for them to face would surely be dealt with easily by their Lord.
Indeed, with Ionia joining the battle, the tide turned dramatically.
Compared to before, when their best effort was to shoot an ogre’s joints to make it fall, Ionia’s wind sliced through the ogres’ necks, limbs, and even their thickest waists in a single blow.
The Elves regained their momentum, and Ionia, sensing victory, continued to dispose of the ogres with a detached air.
‘What on earth is happening?’
Even as she defended the forest, her mind was racing.
‘For so many ogres to attack in unison… this is no ordinary matter.’
Ogres were not creatures that acted in groups. On the contrary, they were a belligerent race that would fight even more ferociously upon meeting their own kind.
It was in an ogre’s nature to charge a powerful enemy alone and die a glorious death rather than form a pack.
And yet, an attack like this. A gut feeling told Ionia that something unusual was happening somewhere she didn't know, and she couldn't let her guard down.
**
“Fools. Mother World Tree will not forgive your insolence.”
Even as she swung the winds, her voice filled with fury, she couldn't shake the ominous premonition.

Jinwoo hid himself and observed the battle.
At first, the Elves seemed to be struggling, but at some point, the tables had turned. It started after a woman in flowing robes flew in and joined the fight.
‘If there are no other variables, they’ll win without much trouble.’
Seeing the wind the woman wielded, he could tell the ogres were no match for her. No matter how powerful the ogres were, they stood no chance against that wind.
Just then, a strange sight caught Jinwoo’s eye.
A faint, haze-like something was shimmering around the ogres.
“Jinwoo!”
“Rona?”
Jinwoo looked at Rona as if seeing someone unexpected. With something this major happening, he had assumed she would naturally be helping them fight the ogres.
“Jinwoo, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“As you can see, I’m fine. More importantly, don’t you need to fight with them?”
“I spoke to Lord Elea, but she refused, saying they could protect it with their own strength. That protecting the forest is the duty and pride of its guardian.”
What does that mean?
When Jinwoo gave her a confused look, Rona shook her head with a bitter smile.
“High Elves have many promises they call ‘pride.’ They can be promises made to others, or promises made to themselves. One of them is that the forest they rule must be protected by their own hands.”
On the surface, it sounded like a noble sentiment symbolizing responsibility, but the emotion in Rona’s eyes told a different story.
Pathetic… was perhaps an exaggeration, but there was a definite sense of pessimism.
“Did you want to help?”
“Me?”
“You’re making a face like you don’t approve.”
Finally realizing her own expression, Rona rubbed her cheeks to fix it. She tried to return to her usual expression but soon gave up and sighed.
“It’s not so much that I want to help, but it’s pitiful to see them stubbornly refuse assistance. I’ve seen a family fall to ruin because of that before.”
Her own family had been the same. It was a crisis for all to see, yet they had obstinately refused to ask for outside help. And outsiders, knowing the pride of High Elves, didn't extend a hand first.
The result was the annihilation of her house.
Although she, the last of the bloodline, remained, she too had ultimately been saved by a stranger. Without the help of another, her line would have been severed without a single heir left.
For that reason, she found Lord Elea’s attitude pitiful as well. While they had strength, that pride would establish the family’s authority and earn the people’s trust, but the moment that strength was gone, it would snap.
As Rona fell silent, Jinwoo found it hard to ask more.
Come to think of it, Rona was a High Elf with the name Garcia. But in all the days he had spent with her, he had never heard her talk about her family.
It was clearly a topic she didn't want to discuss. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious, but he figured a day would come when she would tell him herself.
“Jinwoo, I have a favor to ask.”
Rona spoke up cautiously.
“What is it?”
“I know your situation is urgent, but could we watch for a little while before we leave? Just for half a day, no, even just a few hours.”
If he hadn't seen anything, he might have hesitated, but right now, Jinwoo also had a reason to stay.
He turned his head and looked again at the haze covering the ogre horde.
The thing he saw was faint, but only because its power was weak. Unlike what his eyes saw, Jinwoo had already seen through its true nature.
‘…It’s similar to Grisella’s case.’
Grisella, who had been controlled by a connection to a Core of Erosion. It was very similar to her situation.
Of course, the power was far weaker than back then, so it only appeared as a faint haze. It didn't exude the same intense presence as when the Sky God had partially descended.
But it was undoubtedly the aura of Erosion. Perhaps a minion of a Monarch was nearby, having orchestrated this whole incident.
At the mention that there might be a minion, Rona’s eyes immediately sparkled.
“Let’s find them!”
If they could catch that culprit, they could drive away the entire ogre horde that was destroying the forest.
It was the best course of action she could take right now.

It wasn't difficult to find it, even if they had to search.
All they had to do was grasp the energy covering the ogre horde and trace it back to its source.
They just had to be careful not to run into Ionia or the other Elves, which wasn't hard since everyone was busy fighting.

However.
“Looks like it was hiding inside the territory.”
“To think it was this close…”
The problem was that the flow of energy led to the Elea territory.
It didn't matter for Rona, but it wouldn't be good for Jinwoo to be discovered. If a human suddenly appeared in the territory where Elves lived, it would surely cause a commotion.
“Pull your hood down low. Be careful it doesn’t get blown off by the wind.”
Rona checked Jinwoo’s attire after he put on the hood. He was bundled up in a large robe, and he made sure to pull the hood down securely so his ears wouldn’t show.
The entrance to the territory was quite chaotic due to the battle outside, but thanks to Rona, they entered easily. The guards already knew her face and were well aware that she was a guest of the Lord and a High Elf.
Seeing the guards not daring to question her and bowing extremely low, Jinwoo was reminded of just how rigid the Elven social hierarchy was.
Still, it was fortunate for now. Otherwise, they would have been questioned, and his short ears would have been discovered immediately.
“Where is it?”
“This way.”
Now that they were safely inside the territory, it was Jinwoo’s turn to lead. He didn't know the layout of the land, but he was the only one who could sense the aura of Erosion.
The place they arrived at was the most remote area in the territory. Should it be called the slums or a ghetto?
It was the only place within the green and brown forest territory that was tinged with a dreary, ashen air.
There, a man stood wearing a hood, just like Jinwoo.
The difference was that while Jinwoo wore a plain, patternless brown robe, the opponent wore a black robe embroidered with silver thread. At a glance, it almost looked like a priest’s vestments.
A robe unbefitting of the slums. And a face hidden by a hood.
“Well, if it isn’t Knight Garcia.”
The man saw Rona, smiled, and removed his hood. The face hidden beneath belonged to an Elf with dark skin. A Dark Elf.
Jinwoo, who already knew from seeing his flame, wasn't surprised, but Rona was. Her eyes widened, and she drew her sword in a single motion.
Her reaction was too swift and without hesitation to be simply because he was a Dark Elf.
“Black King!”
Rona was genuinely shocked to meet him in a place like this.
The King of the Dark Elves, Guardian of the Deepest Root, the Wandering Pilgrim.
Just as her queen, the White Queen, was a priestess who served the World Tree, he, the king of the Dark Elves, was also a priest who served the World Tree.
The only difference was that while the queen could not leave the White Tower, the king could not be tied to one place. He was a wanderer, destined to roam forever.
Therefore, it wouldn't be strange to encounter him anywhere, but she had never expected to meet him in the middle of a territory ruled by a High Elf.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo was surprised for a different reason than Rona.
‘That man…’
In a place not easily visible to the naked eye, inside his robe. A black root was coiled around the man’s leg.
‘No need to go to the royal palace, then.’
He had found the root of the World Tree.