Chapter 378

Zeon sat on a thick tree branch.

It was the largest tree in the Black Forest.

No one would believe this tree had been a mere sprout only a few days ago.

Even Zeon himself would not have believed it if he hadn’t seen and experienced it firsthand.

“Wahaha!”

“Catch me if you can!”

“Heehee!”

Children were running around beneath the tree.

Human and dark elf children played together in harmony.

They darted between trees, laughter echoing through the forest. Their joy seemed contagious—even the adults working nearby wore gentle smiles.

It had only been ten days since Yurie was born.

In what was a short time, the forest had nearly recovered its former appearance.

Faced with such a miraculous phenomenon, humans and dark elves had united as one.

Awakened humans guarded the forest from the outside, while the dark elves cared for the trees.

Thanks to the powder Yurie had scattered, the trees grew rapidly—accelerated further by the elves’ nurturing.

In a little more time, they would be able to build tree homes, just like they had in Kurayan.

And so, all the dark elves busied themselves tending to their future homes.

Among them was Brielle.

Her sleeves rolled up and her hands in the soil, her face was lit with a radiant smile.

Even though her entire body was smeared with dirt, she didn’t mind.

After all, it wasn’t the dull, dusty sand she’d grown sick of.

It was fertile, life-giving black soil.

Brielle, like the rest of the dark elves, was entranced by the feel of the rich earth—something she had never touched before.

Josephine, who had become close friends with Brielle, scooped up a handful of soil and said,

“Look at this, Brielle! Even here, sprouts are growing.”

“You’re right!”

Brielle’s eyes widened.

From the soil in Josephine’s hands, a shy little green shoot peeked out.

Grinning from ear to ear, Josephine said,

“See? Soon the whole forest will be covered in grass like this.”

“Yeah! That sounds so beautiful.”

Brielle closed her eyes and imagined a forest blanketed in green.

An emerald island in the middle of the desert.

It was a bit small for now, but as the trees grew denser, the forest would continue to expand. She allowed herself the hopeful dream that one day, the entire Earth might once again be lush and green.

Carefully placing the soil back down so as not to harm the sprout, Josephine grabbed Brielle’s hand.

“Why?”

“Come on! I’ve found a tree that’s perfect for you.”

“Really?”

“I told you I’d grow a tree just for you. I’ve already gotten the adults’ approval. Let’s go see it!”

“Okay!”

With a bright smile, Brielle followed Josephine.

From up in the tree, Zeon watched as the two of them disappeared deeper into the forest, hand in hand.

Just then, Levin landed beside him in ghost form.

“She looks so happy. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if she said she never wants to go back.”

“If that’s what Brielle decides, we should respect it.”

“Wouldn’t that make you a little sad?”

“What about you?”

“I’d be sad, sure—but if it’s what makes her happy, I’d accept it.”

“Same here. For elves, the forest is the source of life itself. They’re a race that isn’t meant to live apart from the woods. If this is what she wants, then it’s only right.”

The two of them shared similar smiles.

They both genuinely hoped for Brielle’s happiness. If she was happy here, they would gladly let her stay.

Suddenly, Zeon seemed to remember something.

“By the way, what’s the situation with the monsters?”

“Strangely, they’ve all disappeared.”

“Really?”

“Maybe it’s because of Gaia, but all the griffins and wyverns are gone.”

Levin had taken to the skies to scout whenever he had time. Yet for some reason, ever since that day, all flying monsters had vanished.

After all that frenzy to devour the spirit, the monsters had disappeared once she was born.

Whether it was due to Yurie herself, or the fact that she was always with Gaia, Levin didn’t know.

Then he suddenly scowled.

“Ugh, look at that. What an eyesore…”

His gaze shifted toward Gaia and Yurie.

The two floated close together in the sky, like lovers sharing a moment of intimacy.

—Piii!

Gaia’s cheerful chirp echoed through the sky.

Each time she cried out, the dark elves who were tending the trees looked up to admire her.

Their faces were full of smiles.

As if enjoying their gaze, Gaia twirled her streamlined body in the air. Yurie quickly followed, spinning alongside her.

“At this rate, they’re gonna end up having a baby or something.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“No way! Gaia’s still young!”

“Then Yurie is even younger. She was just born days ago.”

“That’s true. So basically, it’s a no-go either way?”

“Who knows. Spirits live differently than we do.”

Zeon smiled and looked up at Gaia.

Just then, Phloa climbed up the tree where Zeon and Levin were sitting.

“There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“For us? Why?”

“I think it’s time we talk about how we’re going to protect this forest.”

Phloa’s face looked noticeably more haggard.

No wonder—over the past few days, she had been meeting with Goduwon and the elder dark elves to discuss ways to safeguard the forest.

To use a human analogy, the forest was still in its infancy.

How they managed this period would determine whether the forest flourished or fell into ruin.

While most of the dark elves were still giddy about reclaiming the forest, Phloa couldn’t help but worry about how to protect it from outside threats.

Zeon looked at her, puzzled.

“Is there something to discuss with me? Can’t you just go with what the meeting decided?”

“That’s the thing—we need your help.”

“My help?”

“We plan to erect a Great Barrier until the forest becomes self-sustaining. It still needs protection.”

After long deliberation, the conclusion was to erect a Great Barrier around the forest.

“A Great Barrier? Are you saying there’s a barrier strong enough to conceal this entire forest?”

“Luckily, one of our village elders was trained in the art. In the old village, we couldn’t do it due to the lack of materials and a spirit, but here it’s possible.”

“That’s good news.”

Zeon’s face lit up with genuine relief.

The way they preserved and nurtured this forest would shape Earth’s future.

Once word got out about this forest, it would attract more than a few greedy eyes.

Neo Seoul, scavengers, other elves, and countless alien races—

All of them would want this bountiful forest.

Once exposed, they’d come in droves to take it.

A barrier was essential to protect it.

Zeon asked,

“You said I was needed for this?”

“Yes! He said your help was absolutely essential.”

“If it’s something I can do, of course I’ll help. Let’s go.”

Zeon rose from the branch.

“Thank you. I’ll never forget this favor.”

“No need for thanks. I’m not doing this for gratitude. It’s necessary for everyone’s survival, so there’s no need to thank me.”

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re our benefactor.”

“Geez…”

Zeon chuckled awkwardly at Phloa’s firm response.

＊＊＊

Phloa led Zeon to the village square.

It used to be a desolate clearing, but now trees and grass had grown around it, giving it a quaint charm.

Dozens of boulders had been placed around the square.

They were stones from the corpse of the rock crocodile that had attacked the Black Forest.

Since stone was a rare material, the people had repurposed it to decorate the village.

“Welcome, Lord Zeon!”

“Zeon-nim!”

As Zeon arrived with Phloa, everyone stood to greet him.

At the center stood Goduwon.

The awakened humans and dark elves had united under Goduwon’s leadership.

Though awkward at first, he had since adapted well and was now skillfully mediating between both sides.

“Welcome.”

“So it’s been decided—a Great Barrier to protect the village?”

“It was a collective decision. Until the forest and village can stand on their own, we’ll protect it. Personally, I’d love to open the village to more people, but everyone says it’s too early.”

“I agree. We don’t know what kind of beings might come if we open up prematurely. Until we have the strength to defend ourselves, we should stay isolated.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Goduwon had struggled with doubt.

Was closing the forest really the right call? Wasn’t it a selfish decision?

He’d lost sleep over it for days. But hearing Zeon say this gave him some peace of mind.

Then, an elderly dark elf approached Zeon.

His face was deeply wrinkled, clearly aged, but his eyes remained sharp and clear.

He suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully.

“I, Teriuden of the dark elves, greet the savior of the forest.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“No, Lord Zeon. You are our savior. We, who live in this forest, will never forget your kindness.”

Zeon couldn’t hide his discomfort at the elder’s sincerity.

He always broke out in hives at over-the-top courtesy like this. But with someone of this age being so formal, he couldn’t outright reject him either.

In the end, he waited until Teriuden finished paying his respects.

Fortunately, the elder soon stood again.

“If my actions caused discomfort, I apologize. But as the tribe’s eldest, I had to show due respect.”

“Please don’t do that again.”

“I understand.”

“You said you know how to construct the Great Barrier?”

“Yes. Our village in Kurayan also had one. I helped in its construction. After reviewing the land here with others, we believe we can erect one. However, I cannot do it alone. I need everyone’s help—and yours.”

“My help?”

“We need to reshape the terrain surrounding the village to support the barrier. Ideally, we’d have sand hills to the north, south, east, and west.”

“Hills…”

Now Zeon understood why they’d called for him.

The area around the Black Forest was essentially flat.

It wasn’t well-suited for defense against monsters.

“How tall do they need to be?”

“They don’t need to be too high. A hundred meters should suffice to bury the sacred relics.”

“Sacred relics?”

“Treasures our tribe preserved since Kurayan. They react with one another to form the foundation of the barrier. Of course, there are other steps involved, but that’s not your concern. We just need you to create the sand hills to hold them.”

These were relics so treasured they hadn’t even been used when their village was taken by orcs.

The fact that they were being used here meant the dark elves were staking everything on this place.

Zeon confirmed,

“A hundred meters is enough?”

“Yes. That will be sufficient.”

“Got it. I’ll start right away.”

“You mean now?”

“If we’re going to do it anyway, the sooner the better.”

Zeon had rested well these past few days—he was in top form.

He immediately left the village and began using his dominion.

Whooosh!

The wind began to blow.

It was a sandstorm.

And it grew stronger by the minute.

Zeon’s figure vanished within the swirling sand.

But the storm cleverly avoided the village.

After two straight hours, the sandstorm finally calmed.

And surrounding the Black Forest—

Four towering sand hills now stood.