When Ij'gne finished his recollection, he realized he was approaching his home. It was the same place he'd lived all his life, but over the years, he'd grown quite attached to this humble hut. Ij'gne had repaired it many times, and with each instance, his fondness for it grew alongside his efforts.
What had once been an annoying chore had become a tranquil pastime for Ij'gne, second only to his duties. There was little left to occupy his day since his conquest, so these small tasks had become his joy.
As Ij'gne walked up to his home, he discovered a ferret on his doorstep. This was unusual because small animals rarely approached civilization, let alone a place filled with human activity.
Additionally, ferrets weren't native to this world, making the creature quite strange to Ij'gne's eyes. Despite its peculiarity, Ij'gne felt a sense of friendliness toward it and had a sudden urge to take care of it. Ij'gne slowly approached to avoid startling the creature and gently picked it up. To his relief, the ferret stayed put and allowed him to do so.
"What are you doing here, little guy?" Ij'gne asked, causing the ferret to tilt its head in confusion.
Ij'gne chuckled at this response and rubbed its head before walking inside. Yet before he could fully enter, Ij'gne felt a bite on his finger, followed by intense nausea.
'What? What's going on?' he wondered, swaying from side to side before collapsing onto his face.
Ij'gne turned his head in time to see the ferret close the door behind him before trudging back over to him. It then loomed over him, watching him with glowing eyes, as his vision blurred and he slipped into unconsciousness.
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When Ij'gne woke up, he found himself enveloped in darkness. Everything around him was pitch black as if light had completely disappeared. For a moment, Ij'gne even thought his eyes were closed, and he was merely seeing the back of his eyelids.
However, this notion was quickly disproven when he felt himself blink. He also experienced a sensation of weightlessness, as though he were floating in space rather than standing on solid ground. Moreover, his daggers had vanished, leaving him feeling vulnerable.
'Where am I?' Ij'gne wondered.
Suddenly, the darkness around him began to distort, morphing into swirls of color. Within seconds, he found himself in a forest again, accompanied by the croaking of frogs and the chirping of orioles. Ij'gne looked around cautiously but didn't detect any immediate danger.
'What a strange place,' he thought, trying to ascertain his location.
Just then, the rustling of leaves indicated the approach of another being. Judging by the sound of footsteps and the rustling, Ij'gne deduced it was another human. He took a guarded stance, ready to confront the newcomer.
Moments later, a man with tan skin, blue face paint, and a fur skirt emerged from the foliage. Ij'gne recoiled in shock; he recognized this attire. After all, he had personally commanded the genocide against their race not long ago.
'A barbarian!? How can this be? Aren't they all dead? I made sure of it!" Ij'gne's eyes widened in disbelief. "Unless... we missed some, and this is their revenge!'
With this thought, Ij'gne's muscles tensed, and he shouted at the approaching figure, hoping to extract some useful information. "Hey! Who are you? What scheme are you playing at? I'll let you know, you won't get away with this. The Lord will break your foul magic and bring you to justice!"
The barbarian, however, ignored him and continued to approach. With no other option, Ij'gne launched himself forward and aimed a powerful kick at the man's neck. He expected the barbarian to defend himself, leading to a fierce battle, but the man’s stride remained unchanged.
'What the...? A trap? Or is he actually weak?'
Ij'gne immediately dismissed the latter idea. It was implausible that someone capable of dragging him to this unknown location would be unprepared for a fight. Surely, they wouldn't have been clever enough to escape their hunt otherwise.
Determined to take advantage of the situation, Ij'gne increased his strength to the maximum and aimed his heel at a major artery, hoping to disable his foe with a single strike.
To his astonishment, the strike passed right through the barbarian, as if striking a mirage. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ij'gne backed off and executed numerous defensive maneuvers, expecting an ambush. But there were no attacks.
"HUH?" Ij'gne was now thoroughly confused. What was going on? Why was everything so counter-intuitive? Was this not a trap devised by his enemies? Ij'gne stared at the man, but he continued to ignore him as if nothing had happened.
Relaxing slightly, Ij'gne approached from behind and attempted another attack. The result was the same: his fist phased right through the man.
Ij'gne was now certain something was amiss. Before he could contemplate further, a rift suddenly opened up behind the barbarian. Startled by this change, both Ij'gne and the man leaped away from the source, adopting wary stances.
The crack in space widened, and a masked man in a loose cloak stepped out. On his shoulder, Ij'gne recognized the very ferret that had put him in this predicament. But what truly shocked him was the familiar gear worn by the man. It was identical to the equipment he had found on a corpse in his childhood — the previous owner of the daggers and the attacker of the world tree.
"Who are you?" the barbarian demanded, gathering the surrounding energy.
Genji gave him a sidelong glance and muttered to himself. "So this is why EverRealm sent me through a portal. There's someone else around. But this only makes my life easier."
"Stop mumbling and explain yourself!" the barbarian shouted, clearly unnerved by the situation.
"Don't mind me," Genjin said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm just passing through. As long as you don't attack me, we will get along fine."
At that moment, Ij'gne stepped between them and asked, "Can you two see me?"
However, their unfocused gazes told Ij'gne everything he needed to know. He wasn't transported into a trap but was witnessing a past event as a spectator. That was why he couldn't interact with anyone in this scene. To test this theory further, Ij'gne pressed his hand against a tree, only for it to slip right through.
'No doubt about it. I'm a specter in this scene.'
Suddenly, Ij'gne heard a small ding, and he noticed the masked man’s eyes moving back and forth as if reading something. To Ij'gne's surprise, the same text appeared before him, allowing him to understand the context.
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Talent Promotion Trail: Natural Green
Background:
Not much is known about this world. Only that it's in the transitioning phases between the two steps, and that its inhabitants know a mystical art that harnesses the strength of their surroundings. Please explore on your own.
Mission Details (S Rank): The world is dying for some reason. Find the cause and resolve the issue.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Duration: Until you complete the mission.
Note: You can give up the trial, but you will face a demotion of 2 ranks in your status. Should you choose this path, both your legacies will be confiscated, and you will be demoted to Enforcer.
World Restrictions:
* Futuristic technologies are weakened by 37%.
* All undead-related abilities are weakened by 76%.
* All curse-related abilities are weakened by 42%.
Note: These values are decreasing as the world loses its strength. When all values reach 0, it will signify the world's death.
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'Promotion trial? World restrictions? What is all this?' Ij'gne wondered, giving Genji a strange look.
'A dying world? How's that supposed to work? Isn't it transitioning to the 3rd step right now? Why is it getting weaker instead of stronger?' Genji asked at the same time, glancing at the barbarian again. After a few seconds, he decided to test the native and see if he could get any leads. "I just got information that your world is dying. Do you know anything about it?"
To Genji's surprise, this immediately caused the barbarian's expression to change into one of shock, followed by joy.
"A savior from another world! You're a savior!" the barbarian exclaimed, causing Ij'gne to raise his brow.
Ij'gne sized up Genji again, thinking, 'He certainly looks the part. I haven't seen anyone with his equipment before.'
On the other hand, Genji's gaze sharpened, and he abruptly appeared beside the man, holding his saber to the barbarian's neck. "Why do you know this? How much do you know about us?"
The chilling gaze frightened the barbarian, but he held back his flinches, slowly raised his hands, and said, "Calm down, sir. I've only heard stories about you otherworlders. I can bring you to our village leader if you want to know more. He has met an otherworlder before."
"Is that so?" Genji asked, lifting his blade. "Then lead the way."
The barbarian sighed in relief and thanked Genji for his understanding before resuming his normal trajectory. He was already returning to the village, and it wouldn't hurt to bring a guest. After all, the otherworlders have never been strictly hostile to them.
As Genji walked off with the barbarian, Ij'gne had a pensive look. He was evaluating Genji's combat power and realized Genji's speed could potentially rival his Lightning Inspiration. Even to this day, Genji would prove to be a troublesome opponent. Ij'gne was starting to understand how tragic that initial battle was.
After a few moments, Genji and the barbarian walked out of sight, and the surroundings around Ij'gne began to blur. The next thing he saw, Ij'gne was back in the darkness prior to that memory. This state lasted a couple more seconds before the darkness warped again. This time, he was inside a village building where many people were gathered for a feast.
There were no tables in sight; instead, they used the floor as their seating and large tree leaves as their plates. Among this group, Ij'gne spotted Genji eating slowly with his fingers and feeding the ferret, while the red horse beside him scarfed down everything. The hosts noticed Bruce's appetite and brought out more food.
Bruce neighed in appreciation, bringing a smile from the server before he returned to his meal. They also served an amber liquid with the meal, which the guests happily downed.
The drink had a light smell of honey and alcohol. The mead was mild enough that the guests wouldn't get drunk but strong enough to add a good depth of flavor. Genji took a liking to this drink and frequently lifted his mask for a sip, prompting many refills.
Once the guests were satisfied, the host raised his cup for a collective cheer before starting his speech.
"After so long, we have finally been visited by a powerful warrior. With his help, we may finally rid ourselves of the cursed tree and return our world to its natural order. To that, cheers! Celebrate with all your heart because you may never be able to again. We are prepared to sacrifice our very lives to bring down that tree."
As the audience raved with the man, Ij'gne scoffed loudly at his words. "Fucking hypocrites. It was their greed that caused this mess, yet they have the audacity to push the blame to our lord. And to spread it so rampantly and make themselves seem like saints. No wonder Father lost hope in them."
While Genji didn't feel as extreme as Ij'gne, he had strong skepticism about the situation. These people had accepted his story too easily for him to take them at face value. For all he knows, they could be feeding him false information to manipulate him. Until he could better understand this world, he would refrain from taking a side.
On the bright side, they didn't stoop to something as low as spiking their food. Otherwise, Genji wouldn't be listening to them right now. The village leader had briefed him on the current situation of the world before the celebration, and Genji was still trying to wrap his head around it.
According to the leader, a demonic tree is siphoning the life out of the world to grow. If they don't uproot it soon, it is only a matter of time before the world dies. They've been on this trajectory for a long time now, and the symptoms are only worsening.
It was a wild story, but the leader did provide him with some ways to confirm the truth. This made the story somewhat credible, but Genji needed to see for himself before drawing any conclusions. He'd been schemed against one too many times to believe everything that conveniently came his way.
For now, Genji would accept these conveniences and move forward. At this moment, the scene ended for Ij'gne, and he returned to the dark space. This time, Ij'gne was much calmer and patiently waited for the next setting.
A few seconds later, Ij'gne found himself back in the forest. This time, he was amidst an ambush. The barbarians from the previous village were accompanying Genji in a battle against a group of men in tight camouflage clothing. Ij'gne recognized this group; he had once participated in their operations. They were the secret assault teams under Zarasu's command.
Heavy punches were exchanged by both sides, often destroying the surrounding vegetation. During this chaos, Ij'gne observed Genji's fighting style. Between imperceptibly precise dodges and subtle shifts in footwork, Genji would slash down with his saber, inflicting large wounds.
These cuts would quickly fester purple, crippling the stronger fighters and killing the weaker ones. Ij'gne was taken aback by the terrifying efficiency of this weapon and closely examined the injured.
The fighters clasped their wounds with all their strength, hissing in pain as their vitality drained from their bodies. It was a frightening sight, but Ij'gne understood the potency of these sinister methods. With just a single cut, his opponents would perish without a chance. Even Ij'gne was tempted by this weapon.
Minutes later, the battle ended, and the barbarians began cleaning up the battlefield. They disposed of the corpses by tossing the enemies to the animals and giving their comrades a proper burial. Afterward, they settled down to recover from their injuries.
“Damn tree lunatics. Always attacking us for no reason,” a barbarian cursed under his breath.
Genji overheard and grew curious about the term. “Why do you call them tree lunatics?”
“Because they defend that accursed tree. Why would anyone do that unless they’d lost their minds? They also don't have any regard for their own lives. Many of them will happily trade away their existence if it means killing enough of us. What other name can we give them besides lunatics?”
"That's because you don't know what it's like to fight with faith. When we have something to fight for, why would we care about our lives? Our deaths will have a purpose and lead to a better future."
When Ij'gne finished his outburst, he realized his mistake and sighed. "I'm getting too emotional. Whatever is happening is affecting me more than I thought," he muttered. "To think I would be yelling at memories of the past one day. What has become of me?"
Genji made no comments on the topic because he was also one such lunatic. But that's how he's still alive today. Many of his enemies can attest to that. Instead, he said, "Let's rest for tonight. You can continue guiding me tomorrow."
The barbarians thanked him and began clearing the broken trees for a cooking fire while some went hunting for food.
Once they settled down, Genji approached the barbarians again for some more questions. "So how long has this conflict been happening?"
"Twenty years," the person replied. "The tree and its religion suddenly appeared then, but we suspect they've been around much longer. You don't suddenly appear with such a big group out of nowhere and carve out a large territory without preparations. It was also around then that we noticed an obvious decline in our world."
"And how are you so certain?"
"The art we practice is called Nature's Harmony," he answered. "It heightens our sense of nature, and in turn, our connection with the world. The more active the plants are, the healthier our planet is. If there are no plants, then it wouldn't be long before we cease to exist as well."
"Makes sense. I noticed that you use a different combat system than the lunatics. Why is that?" Genji continued.
"Don't lump us with them. They only care about pumping out as many fighters as possible in the short term. They have no consideration for how to maintain them. That's why they keep sending so many teams to attack us. And the craziest thing is that these people don't even mind that they're sacrificial pawns. Don't they realize how few of them return after the first expedition? Yet they continue without slowing down. I swear they have to be indoctrinated or something."
"So how does that differ from you guys?"
"We actually consider long-term sustainability and how to keep the balance of the world. The first thing we learn is how to sense this balance and how to maintain a proper ratio of fighters to nature. Too many, and we'll consume more resources than what's available. That would be a true disaster. I've heard plenty of stories from you otherworlders about the consequences of breaking that balance. We know better than that, especially considering our strength directly relies on borrowing power from nature."
"Sounds interesting. I would love to learn your arts, but I don't have much time right now," Genji remarked.
"Feel free. We're happy to teach you as long as it's after we uproot the abomination that calls itself the world tree."
Genji glanced at him and subtly shook his head. 'They're really pushing that agenda, aren't they? Either they hate that tree with all their heart, or they genuinely believe what they're saying. For simplicity's sake, I hope they're telling the truth. Otherwise, I will have a lot to deal with this month.'