Chapter 5

The moment I woke up, I saw the rabbit looking up at me with concern on his face.

“You nearly scared me,” he said, his large ears twitching slightly.

“What just happened?” I asked, rubbing my temples.

“You fainted for a few hours.”

“Oh ... sorry for scaring you, but I don’t know why that happened.”

“I do,” Hopperius replied. “You used your nature magic until you passed out. Get up and look around—you’ll see the result of your hard work.”

Slowly, I pushed myself up and took in my surroundings. My eyes widened in shock. Everywhere the animals had planted seeds, tiny saplings had sprouted, stretching toward the sky as if reaching for the sun. The barren patches of dirt from earlier had transformed into a vibrant nursery of greenery.

I turned back to the rabbit. “How is this possible?”

He flicked his ear, amused. “While you were using your magic, you didn’t just channel energy into a single seed—you spread it across the entire land. Every seed in the soil absorbed a bit of your power and grew all at once.”

The revelation left me speechless. I had intended to nurture only a few plants, yet my magic had affected the entire area. This world’s magic system was more complex than I had imagined.

Before I left, I turned to the rabbit. “I never asked for your name.”

He puffed out his small chest. “Hopperius.”

“A good name,” I said with a smile.

With that, I resumed my journey.

For another week, I traveled through the forest, but something felt ... different. I started noticing damaged trees—branches snapped clean off, bark gouged out, entire trunks cracked as if something massive had torn through them.

Each time I found a wounded tree, I stopped and used my nature magic to heal it. Some were easy to restore, needing only a small burst of energy, while others required deep, intense healing. The more I worked, the more I wondered—what could be causing this destruction?

And yet, something even stranger stood out: despite the widespread damage, I hadn’t encountered a single magical beast.

If something was strong enough to break through trees like this, where was the creature responsible? Where were the predators, the territorial monsters, or even other humans who might have caused this?

A strange unease settled over me. Something was wrong with this forest. And I needed to find out what.

One day, while walking, I suddenly felt a surge of magic emanating from somewhere ahead. It wasn’t a faint, lingering presence but a strong pulse—almost as if it was calling out to me, directing me toward it.

A shiver ran down my spine. I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether I should follow the pull or turn back. But curiosity and instinct won over caution, and I pressed forward.

That’s when I realized something crucial—I had neither weapons nor armor. If danger lay ahead, I was completely defenseless. Panic briefly settled in as I scanned my surroundings, frantically searching for anything that might be useful.

After a short while, I spotted a thick, dead branch lying on the ground. It was sturdy, about five feet long, and surprisingly solid. I picked it up, weighing my options.

What should I use this for? A weapon? A tool? A shield?

After a moment of thought, I channeled my nature magic into the branch, molding and reshaping it. Slowly, it transformed, its fibers tightening and strengthening as I guided it into the form of a shield.

It was thick and sturdy, slightly bent, and rectangular in shape—resembling the scutum shields used by ancient Roman soldiers. It measured about four feet in length and two and a half feet in width. But when I lifted it, I realized it was too heavy for me to wield effectively.

I need to make this more practical.

Focusing again, I reduced the shield’s width slightly and repurposed some of its mass to create a wooden sword. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something—better than walking into the unknown completely unarmed.

With my makeshift shield strapped to my arm and my sword in hand, I continued forward.

After a few minutes of cautious walking, I reached a clearing. As I stepped forward, I felt an odd sensation—like passing through an invisible barrier.

Instinctively, I turned around to look back. My heart skipped a beat.

The forest I had just walked through ... was gone.

Not a single tree, not a single path, not even the remnants of my footprints. It was as if I had stepped into an entirely different space.

Turning back, I saw a massive tree standing alone in the center of the clearing. It was ancient, its thick trunk covered in twisting, glowing veins of emerald light. Its roots spread across the ground like the fingers of some great beast, and its canopy stretched so far above that I couldn’t see the top.

Cautiously. I moved closer, my grip tightening on my sword. Something about this tree felt ... alive.

I reached out, intending to touch its bark with the tip of my weapon—

“Welcome, traveler.”

A voice echoed in my mind, stopping me dead in my tracks.

I frantically looked around, my heart pounding in my chest.

The voice had come from nowhere, yet it had echoed directly in my mind. There was no one in sight, no movement in the clearing except for the gentle rustling of the leaves. My grip on the wooden sword tightened as I cautiously turned back to the enormous tree standing before me.

“H-Hello?” I called out hesitantly.

“Yes, it is me you are speaking with,” the voice replied calmly.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to steady my nerves. A talking tree? That was new—even for this world.

“Okay ... hi. My name is Asher Vale,” I said, my voice more controlled this time.

“I know your name, Asher Vale. I also know the reason you are here.”