Chapter 754: The Forest Inside the Tree

Luke had spent the past few days dealing with a simple problem. Spiders. For the first time, he was almost convinced he had killed every last one in the forest. The past few days had been a tedious cycle of hunting, tracking, and walking into ambushes set by creatures that posed no real threat. Even so, he had searched every corner.

Now he moved between widely spaced trees beneath a canopy too high and dense to reveal what lurked above. He used [Message] to speak with Franky while watching through Angie’s eyes with [Soul Infiltration].

“You need to eat the food Angie made,” Luke said.

On the other end, Franky stared at the bowl as though it contained poison. He had been like this for the past few days, refusing to eat anything Luke hadn’t made himself.

“I’m not eating anything that jealous rat made.”

The wooden spoon in Angie’s hand cracked, then snapped in half.

“Hey,” Luke warned. “You really shouldn’t piss off the scary angel lady. I’m not there to protect you, and neither is Charlie.”

“Her food isn’t even good. It’s weird. It’s liquid.”

“Weren’t you the one saying you were a snake? Snakes eat things raw. You’re lucky she bothered preparing anything for you at all.”

Angie took a slow breath.

“It contains everything that child’s body of yours needs,” she said.

“I’m not a child!”

While the two of them argued, Luke kept his attention on the forest. This part was more open, with wide gaps between the trees and a deceptive sense of peace. Fish darted through clear streams winding across the leaf-covered ground. The thick canopy overhead, however, hid whatever might be lurking above.

“Angie, I need an update on the village.”

“The villagers are still worked up over what happened,” she replied. “They can barely sleep.”

“Have any orcs returned?”

“No.”

Otto and several others had gone to Nyvma for information. Angie had followed them.

“They truly didn’t tell anyone about us,” she said. “I watched them the entire time.”

Charlie had stayed behind to guard the Core while she was gone.

“Other settlements were attacked as well,” Angie continued.

“I doubt Nyvma has enough soldiers to station troops in that many villages.”

“They do not, my lord.”

“All right. Make them the offer. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Luke ended the conversation just as something moved between the trees.

“Here they come again,” he muttered.

His foot sank into a trap hidden beneath the leaves. The mechanism triggered, ropes creaked, and a spike-covered log dropped from a tree and slammed into him. The impact would have crushed an ordinary human. Luke simply kept walking.

“The human was struck!” the goblins cried, celebrating from the bushes.

“He really is the monster who imprisoned the Great Spirit!” another shouted from a safe distance.

There were five of them. They surrounded Luke as though their ambush had actually worked. A moment later, stones began flying toward him. One struck his shoulder. Another bounced off his head. He caught the third in midair.

“If you’re trying to hurt me, you’re doing a terrible job.”

Luke closed his fist, crushing the stone into powder between his fingers.

A clump of mud struck him in the face.

“If you’re trying to annoy me,” he continued, slowly wiping his face clean, “you’re doing great.”

The goblins did not stick around to test their luck.

“Evil creature!”

They bolted through the forest. Luke watched them disappear between the trees. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t find them. He simply couldn’t be bothered. Over the past few days, this had become routine. Traps, ambushes, rocks, mud, and dramatic threats. The goblins were barely above level 5. They couldn’t even scratch his skin.

“They truly believe you’re the one making me sick,” Illyra said, the small green sphere floating beside him.

“I’ll deal with the misunderstanding later. Right now, I’m fixing the actual problem.”

Clearing the Great Tree would complete two Core missions and remove the last obstacle inside the forest. Not bad for one extermination.

“Once you can speak to them again, you can explain our coexistence agreement yourself,” Luke said. “I’m not wasting time on it now.”

He headed toward the Great Tree, using his cloak to accelerate along the way. When he arrived, Charlie was waiting for him.

“Did any goblins come here to attack you, Charlie?”

“No, Master Luke.”

Over the past few days, Charlie had shown up several times to bring him meals. She enjoyed turning the place into something resembling a picnic.

“The past few days have been terribly boring, Charlie,” Artemis complained. “Luke insisted on searching every corner of the forest, especially after he discovered that killing the spiders expanded the Core’s territory...”

Boring or not, nothing truly dangerous remained in the forest. The only things keeping the Kingdom Core from using its full power were the creatures Illyra wanted to protect and the pests inside the Great Tree.

After eating lunch with Charlie, Luke turned his attention to Illyra. Charlie still watched the spirit with suspicion, but Artemis had already explained that Spirits did not lie. Once one gave its word, it kept it.

“I can open the way inside now,” Illyra said.

The roots near the trunk began to shift. The earth sank, stones broke loose, and the ground peeled open in layers, revealing a dark passage leading underground.

“I did it,” she said.

Luke studied the entrance. “If this is some kind of trap...”

“My word is sacred. Besides, even if it were a trap, I am certain you would find your way out.”

Luke entered first. A narrow tunnel sloped downward into the earth. He followed it alone for several minutes, alert to the smell of damp soil, the distant sound of water, and the strange energy pulsing through the tunnel. Then the tunnel ended in open air.

He stopped. There was a forest inside the tree. The passage opened into an immense cavern beneath the surface. Glowing crystals grew between the rocks, luminous mushrooms cast a soft light, and entire trees rose through the underground chamber as though they had never needed the sun. The sound of running water echoed from somewhere farther ahead.

The Core’s screen flickered beside him. A notification tried to form across its surface, then collapsed into a blur of unfamiliar symbols.

“This is actually interesting,” Luke murmured. “Did your monsters live here before the pests invaded?”

“No. This place is for those who wish to prepare before going deeper.”

“It goes deeper?”

Illyra let out a soft laugh.

“I am one of the Guardians who watch over an entrance to the Underworld.”

Luke looked into the darkness beyond the underground forest. “And you waited until now to mention that?”

“You never asked.”

He stared at her for a moment.

“The Underworld?”

“Your world extends as far below as it does above.”

A new region meant more creatures, new ecosystems, and, with them, new plants.

“How deep?”

“Deep enough that this forest is only the entrance.”

Somewhere in the distance, wood cracked like thunder. Luke fell silent for a moment. Then he returned to Charlie.

“It’s safe.”

The two of them entered together and continued through the underground forest. It did not take long for them to find the first strands of webbing. There were spiders here. Excellent.

“I hear something in that direction, Master Luke,” Charlie said.

When they reached it, they found enormous creatures crawling between the roots, pale and bloated, each one the size of a bus. One of them sank its jaws into a root thicker than Luke’s torso. The wood cracked.

“Termites?”

The creatures surged toward them the moment they noticed the intruders. There were dozens of them, but they were far too slow. Charlie charged without hesitation and cut them down with clean, precise strikes.

“There are more of them throughout this forest,” Illyra said. “They eat the trees. I’ve been growing new ones faster than they can consume them. If I stop, they’ll spread.”

Luke summoned the Spectral Beast.

“Let’s go, Charlie.”

The path ahead would be long, and apparently full of termites. They climbed onto the spectral spider and rode deeper into the underground forest.

Luke settled onto its back.

“All right,” he said. “Tell me more about the dangerous creature trapped down here.”

***

Angie watched from the forest as fear did its work. Otto stood in the center of the crowd, trying to listen while everyone spoke at once. Nearly seventy villagers had gathered around him, all of them on edge since the orc attack. A woman near the back still favored one leg. Angie’s healing could have erased the pain entirely. She had chosen not to. The injury would heal without any lasting damage. The fear it caused was another matter. Angie had done the same with several others. She needed to know whether that fear would drive them toward Nyvma, or toward whoever offered them safety first.

“I spoke with some of the other village chiefs in Nyvma,” Otto said. “The baron says the kingdom will send help, but with everything happening right now, I doubt we’ll see any soldiers anytime soon.”

“What about Nyvma’s soldiers?” someone asked.

“There are too many villages to defend. They advised us to stay in Nyvma until this is resolved.”

“Go to Nyvma? For how long?”

“As long as it takes,” Caleb replied.

He was young, probably around thirty, and better dressed than anyone else in the village.

“We already lost half our crops in that orc attack,” a man said. “If we don’t tend what’s left, we’ll have nothing to eat. Going to Nyvma is madness. What are we supposed to live on afterward?”

“Better hungry than dead,” Caleb shot back.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve got no one depending on you. I have a daughter.”

“So do I,” another man said.

The argument swelled again. Some of the villagers wanted to leave for Nyvma. Others argued that too many of the elderly couldn’t make the journey. Even if they reached the city, no one could promise them food or shelter. Otto remained silent.

“Nyvma is our best option,” Caleb insisted. “Whether you like it or not.”

“And how long would we stay there?”

“Until the kingdom handles this. It isn’t safe here.”

“You really think anyone in the capital is going to send help all the way out here?”

Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Then what do you suggest?”

Angie stepped out of the forest. “You have another choice.”

The crowd fell silent almost at once.

“We can protect you.”

It was time to set the plan she had devised for her lord in motion.

“You?” Otto stared at her in surprise. “Lady Healer... I thought you had left.”

The villagers turned toward her. Several looked hopeful.

“My lord and I have not gone anywhere,” Angie said. “We are still in this forest. There is a place nearby where you can stay safely until the situation is under control. Close enough that you won’t have to abandon everything.”

“And where would that be, Lady Healer?” Otto asked.

“The castle in the forest.”

Several villagers’ eyes widened at the mere mention of it.

“The castle?” Otto repeated. “The one guarded by spiders? That place... it isn’t safe, my lady. Even being near it is dangerous.”

“You have my word that it is.”

Once she had explained enough to calm the crowd, Angie led three representatives to the castle: Caleb, Otto, and Joseph. Each held some influence in the village.

“This place now belongs to my lord,” she said as she opened the doors.

The three men entered, staring around in awe. The castle still bore the scars of abandonment, but it no longer resembled a monster’s lair. It offered plenty of room, solid shelter, and, most importantly, walls thick enough to let frightened villagers sleep at night.

“Did you kill all the monsters inside?” Caleb asked.

“It is safe. You have my guarantee.”

Angie led them through the corridors, letting them take in the castle’s true size.

“My lord also has a proposal for you. As you can see, the castle needs repairs. So do the surrounding structures. Help him rebuild this place, and in return, he’ll protect you. You’ll have food and shelter inside these walls. His protection will last as long as you need it, until you’re ready to return home.”

“And when the repairs are finished?” Caleb asked. “Will we owe your lord anything after that?”

“No. What comes after will be your decision.”

Caleb studied her for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

“We are grateful, Lady Healer,” Otto said.

“My name is Angie.”

“Lady Angie,” he corrected himself, bowing his head. “There are seventy-three of us.”

“This castle can hold all of you and still have room to spare. There is plenty of space outside as well. You may pitch tents if you are uncomfortable sleeping within these walls. And as you already know, I can deal with the orcs myself. My lord guarantees your safety. You won’t go hungry, either.”

She opened one of the doors. Inside were crates and barrels overflowing with fruit and vegetables. Everything was fresh, neatly organized, and far more plentiful than any of them had expected.

Joseph lifted a watermelon with both hands, his eyes wide. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had one of these? Merchants bring them through sometimes, but they charge a fortune.”

“This is a lot of food, Lady Angie,” Caleb said.

And it was only a small portion of what Luke had grown since the tutorial. All of it had come from there, and there was plenty more. The fruits and vegetables were richer and more flavorful than anything grown in the region.

They returned outside.

“Is your lord a noble of the kingdom, Lady Angie?” Otto asked. “Was he sent to govern these lands?”

Angie looked at him. “You tell me. In all these years, has your kingdom ever cared about this place?”

Otto lowered his gaze. “No...”

“Then don’t expect it to start now. If you want to thank someone, thank my lord.”

The old man fell silent, staring at the castle.

“Lord Moon... has done more for us than the kingdom ever has.”

When they returned to the village, Otto no longer spoke of whether they should accept the offer. He asked how quickly they could move the elderly. By sunset, the first families had begun packing. The first part of the test was complete.

***

Orc General Ruax stood with the other generals inside the military encampment. Built in the heart of a swamp, the fortress was surrounded by dark water, twisted trees, and a perpetual fog that clung to its wooden walls.

“The other generals are already mobilizing their troops,” General Gartix said. “Our time in this forest is coming to an end. We’ll leave a few captains behind to oversee things here.”

“I was getting sick of waiting for Lord Rokhan to send us into battle,” General Truvor said, his satisfaction impossible to hide.

Ruax kept his expression neutral. The others saw an invasion; he saw a deadline.

They had spent months pushing deeper into the human-controlled continent, encountering nonhuman tribes scattered throughout the forest, subjugating them, and putting them to work. The dwarves forged weapons for the orc armies, while the ratmen hauled supplies and kept the camps running. Now, at last, Lord Rokhan had ordered the armies to march on the human cities.

Officially, they were launching an invasion, but Ruax knew better. The invasion was real, certainly, but it was also convenient. Rokhan wanted the generals out of the region so he could carry out his plans without interference. Everything served a single purpose: bringing down Gurgal, the Orc King.

When the meeting ended, Ruax told the others he needed to inspect the soldiers stationed among the ratmen. No one questioned him. He followed the path toward their camp without looking back, and once the fortress disappeared into the fog, he veered into the trees and broke into a run, leaping over roots, rocks, and fallen trunks.

Only when he was certain the fortress lay far behind him did he stop.

He had not heard anyone approach. A voice came from the darkness.

“Things aren’t going well for you, Ruax.”

An orc in a dark cloak stepped out from between the trees. Ruax recognized Kutar beneath the hood, an assassin serving in Gurgal’s court.

“Rokhan’s making this harder by the day,” Ruax replied. “He’s watching every move we make, demanding results, and now he’s sending us even farther away.”

Ever since Rokhan had captured the former Royal Guards, he had learned far too much, enough to begin searching for the one thing that could change everything.

“That isn’t my problem, Ruax,” Kutar said. “You’re the one who begged the Orc King for mercy. You’re the one who asked to be taken back.”

“Rokhan sent Kargan to search every forest between here and the coast. And I’ve already given you more than anyone else, Rokhan’s location, the Teleportation Matrix, everything I could confirm.”

“And you think that’s enough to earn your pardon?”

The contempt in Kutar’s voice was unmistakable.

“Others have already made it here. Some have even captured orcs from your faction. It’s only a matter of time before we find what we’re looking for. And if someone finds it before you do, there’ll be no reason to keep you alive.”

Ruax clenched his fists. He still had one advantage. He knew this continent better than the orcs who had only just arrived. Even so, plenty of them would be hunting for it. Orcs with classes built for tracking, some of them nearly as skilled as Kutar himself. Worse, Kargan now possessed the information Rokhan had torn from the Royal Guards. With the War Wolf joining the search, Ruax’s advantage would not last.

“I’ve risked my neck spying for you.” Ruax stepped toward him. “That has to count for something.”

“Don’t try to bargain with me.”

Kutar stepped closer, his face still hidden beneath his hood.

“You saw one crisis and mistook it for weakness. You saw Rokhan’s swarm and convinced yourself he could win, especially after you learned what those larvae gained from feeding on humans.”

A smile flashed beneath Kutar’s hood as his silhouette began to fade.

“You saw what you wanted to see, Ruax. Then you chose the losing side.”

He vanished. A moment later, his voice drifted through the trees.

“Ruax, you’re running out of time. The Orc Treasure is lost somewhere on this wretched continent. Find it before someone else does.”