Chapter 61: I’ll Send Her Right Back!

The interior of the Erosion Zone was in the midst of a transformation.

Trees, black and tinged with blue, soared skyward as if to pierce the heavens, and the terrain was twisted and warped at will.

The dark crimson earth squirmed like the guts of a living monster, and boulders the size of houses heaved as if breathing.

Abandoned vehicles scattered among them endlessly screamed, their cries a jumbled mess of unknown mechanical noises and groans.

Ssskreee!

Shooooosh!

Grrrroooaaar—!

Occasionally, the eerie cries and roars of mutated beasts echoed like a soundtrack.

The once-straight roads, where hundreds of thousands of vehicles had passed daily, were now the domain of monstrous flora, transformed into forbidden realms where humans dared not set foot.

While the terrain, plants, animals, and even the civilization left behind by humans were swept up in the mutation, strangely, humans alone were spared.

But this was not entirely a blessing.

Because the mutated plants and beasts considered humans their primary prey.

Naturally, entering was impossible for anyone who wasn't a Hunter.

The 'Forest of Silence' was an ironic name.

It wasn't silent; it was a warning meaning anyone human should be silent.

Yet at this moment, someone was screaming as they ran through the forest.

Kyaaaaaah!

"That damn bitch!"

"Shh, be quiet!"

"Everyone, close your headsets!"

Surprisingly, the one fleeing was not a Hunter.

Those chasing her were Hunters, but fortunately for the pursued, they weren't particularly skilled.

=That woman isn't even a Hunter, so why is she so fast!

=Everyone, stop! We can't chase her, we'll become targets too!

=Is that bitch screaming on purpose?

=Damn her...!

=What do we do?

=Forget capturing her. Let's wait here.

=When it's over, we'll just take a confirmation photo.

=Will there even be a trace left?

=Then what are we supposed to do? That bitch is drawing everything here to her!

Indeed, unknown things from all directions were heading toward the source of the screams.

A vine draped over a tree lashed out like a snake.

The ground suddenly gave way, then rumbled thump-thump as it moved toward the screaming.

Growl, grrrr!

The sound of howling in the distance was also getting closer.

Guh-huk!

In an instant, the ground beneath her feet gave way, and the woman, who had fallen flat, let out a ragged breath.

The scratches on her face and arms from brushing against branches didn't matter.

The problem was her ankle, twisted in the fall, which immediately swelled up, making it impossible to run any further.

'Was this as far as I could go...'

As intended, her pursuers could no longer chase her, but she had been prepared for this from the moment she started screaming.

Rustle, rustle-rustle!

Crunch, crunch!

Something unidentifiable was surrounding her, closing in.

Growl, grrrr!

The sound of something pushing through the undergrowth was getting closer.

The moment she tried to turn her body and crawl in the opposite direction, something grabbed her ankle.

A hard vine, like a living snake, coiled around her ankle and began to pull.

Ggguh!

She resisted, belatedly stifling a scream, but as her already injured ankle was seized, a scream finally burst out.

Kyaaaaak!

Swish!

The bushes right in front of her shook.

"Ah, no...!"

As a massive shadow loomed over her, she reflexively covered her face with both hands.

'So this is how it ends.'

Her life flashed before her eyes in the face of imminent death.

'...I shouldn't have. If only I hadn't...'

But something was strange.

She felt none of the pain that should have accompanied her death.

When she raised her head, a bizarre scene unfolded before her eyes.

A beast, black as a panther and enormous, was dangling from a vine, struggling.

In an instant, a large green leaf wrapped around the beast's body, rolling it up tightly.

If she hadn't seen it happen, she would have thought it was a giant cocoon hanging there.

The woman didn't know it, but the vines spreading in all directions were blocking the approach of other monstrous plants, and the trembling ground was held firmly by roots.

A moment later, the leaves that had enveloped her on all sides parted, revealing the woman.

To the pursuers waiting for her end, this seemed like good news.

If they could bring back the woman alive, the reward would be greater.

=That bitch, she's not dead yet!

=If she's alive, that's even better!

=Wait! What's that? What's she caught on?

=Who cares? It doesn't seem like it's eating her. We'll just cut it!

=Hey, don't make a sound!

These guys, who had simply chased the woman in, didn't know the terror of the Erosion Zone.

They didn't deeply consider why the area around the woman had cleared, or why this forest had such a name.

Perhaps it would have been better if they understood the law of absolute survival of the fittest.

They didn't see what happened to the first predator that charged in.

They didn't know what was inside the green cocoon, or why the predators drawn by the woman's screams were only watching warily.

In fact, while it might have seemed like only the area near the woman had stopped, predators drawn by the screams were still steadily gathering.

The pursuers had walked right into the predators' encirclement.

Slither, slither.

The first to move was the mutated vine that had been following the woman from the start.

Before the clueless prey could all enter the predator's territory, it snatched one.

Kyaaaaah!

=What? Where?

But when they looked back, one person was already being dragged away, his foot caught on a branch.

=R-run!

Yet at the same time as that shout, another person was sucked into the ground with a whoosh.

=We, we shouldn't have come here!

The last pursuer tried to flee, but it was too late.

Groooowl!

Something plummeted from the trees above, seized him, and ran off.

...The hunt was over.

A brief silence, then the forest stirred.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The creatures that had come chasing prey began to return to their places.

The woman, frozen, watched the scene from within the fence of monstrous plants.

But she was not entirely safe.

Thud.

The woman fell to the ground.

The monstrous plants that had been protecting her were slowly collapsing.

Thud, thud.

The vines that had encircled her like a fence lost their strength one by one and settled to the ground.

Just as the monstrous plants had grown rapidly, they withered away just as quickly.

While the other retreating predators didn't seem to notice yet, the problem was the beast that had targeted her first and gotten trapped.

As the pressure vanished, the green cocoon thrashed violently and finally broke through the leaf, freeing itself.

The beast's blazing yellow eyes began to fix on the woman.

"Aah!"

The woman reflexively clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream and shook her head.

That's when it happened.

A circular portal was opening in mid-air.

'A, a rift...!'

Even the mutated beast panicked and fled.

To make matters worse, in this worst possible situation, she felt a hollow laugh bubbling up.

But it was slightly different from a rift.

Rifts tore through the air, so they couldn't be this perfectly circular shape.

Moreover, there was no sign of anything emerging from it.

No, wait, something did come out.

A small leaf fluttered down and landed in front of her.

On the leaf, which resembled those of the monstrous plants, was a message.

-Choose. If you enter here, you will be bound for life.

Who would enter such a suspicious-looking place at a glance!

The woman recoiled in disgust, shaking her head violently.

Then, the hole began to shrink without hesitation.

Crunch!

At that moment, she sensed a presence behind her.

The beast that had fled was now staring at her again.

"Ah, no!"

The moment the hole vanished completely, the woman also disappeared.

---

Thump!

The woman who appeared in mid-air fell straight down.

"Huh, Heung-bok, catch her!"

Heung-bok skillfully caught the woman and carefully set her down.

It was fortunate she had fainted.

Whether it was due to passing through the gate or the shock of nearly dying, she didn't seem likely to wake up immediately.

Go Nam-tae checked the woman, who was as still as death, and let out a small sigh.

'Bound without a chance to resist.'

The system was spitting out information about the woman.

[Subordinate Information Confirmed]

Name: Jin Gayoung (27 years old)

Trait: Blacksmith

Status: Awakened as the Boss's Subordinate

Magic Power: A

Loyalty: 10

Note: Was being chased by illegal loan sharks while trying to protect her father's inheritance.]

※ Immediate Judgment Possible: Will you reclaim Jin Gayoung's life?

......It was truly dizzying.

With just a glance from Go Nam-tae, this woman could lose her life right here.

He hadn't intended to bring the woman here from the start.

He hadn't even known it was possible until right before the gate closed.

Go Nam-tae knew that as his authority grew, living beings could come and go through the gate.

He thought that would only be possible after 'fixing' the gate, not that it could happen so suddenly.

Any sentient being passing through the gate in that way would be unconditionally bound to him.

They would become beings who must obey the Boss absolutely, and whose very life and death were subject to his authority.

That's why he thought he would never invite anyone through the gate, but the future is truly unpredictable.

[If the Boss had not saved her, the woman would have died.]

"...Right."

'Immediate Judgment Possible'

The moment Go Nam-tae saw that phrase, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

A sense of discomfort rose to his throat, making him absolutely not want to face this woman.

"Heung-bok, take this person to the villa and lay her on a bed."

'Yes, Boss.'

Even though the woman disappeared from sight, Go Nam-tae could tell what she was doing.

She seemed to be trying to wake up, frowning and suffering from the pain in her ankle.

"Toto, is there anything nearby good for a sprain?"

[Among the locally growing plants, there are Cheonghyeolcho and Rurancho.]

[They have similar effects to Earth's sedge and mugwort, but their potency is over ten times greater.]

'I know those!'

'We'll go gather them!'

Ha-eul's family found the herbs as fast as lightning.

[Cheonghyeolcho - Blue Grade: Lowers body temperature and pain.]

[Rurancho - Indigo Grade: Reduces swelling and boosts recovery.]

The grades alone were incredible.

Using them as-is would help, but what would a woman who just woke up in an unfamiliar place do?

Go Nam-tae personally pounded and kneaded them into a paste like a rice cake, then handed it to Heung-bok.

"Apply this to the injured area and wrap it well so it doesn't fall off. And leave this for her to eat when she wakes up."

He also sent along a small lunchbox containing rice cakes and soft tofu along with the medicine.

As he couldn't smooth his troubled brow, Toto spoke again.

[The woman is alive thanks to the Boss.]

[And she made the choice herself.]

Hearing that didn't provide much comfort.

Die, or don't die.

Could that really be called a choice?

"...I can send her back, right?"

[It is currently one-way only.]

Toto had now skillfully condensed the explanation to 'need more magic power to send her back.'

Still, the fact it was possible was something.

"I'll send her right back as soon as it's possible!"

It seemed like sending her back would get rid of this discomfort.

But authority wasn't that simple.

[Even if she returns to Earth, the subordination will remain.]

[The mission held by a subordinate does not disappear until death.]

[There are probably quite a few subordinates sent to Earth in that way.]

"What!"