Chapter 30: Elatrium (3)

Elatrias.

They confirmed Chuchu’s words were true—through the branch imbued with their <Spirit Power> that they had given it.

[Ah… ah… the remnants… of Mother… can be felt…]

[It’s true… it truly is…]

Once they realized that the land blessed by Gagia did indeed exist, there was no more room for hesitation.

“Rise, my Brothers.”

With those words—

The massive trees slowly, yet with unmistakable resolve, began to rise from the darkness of the forest.

Their movements, as though pulling free from where they had been rooted for hundreds of years, seemed powerful enough to split the earth itself.

Rrrrrrrumble!!

The Elatrias began to move, dragging their deep roots from the soil with a low, heavy rumble.

As the hulking Elatrias moved, their thick branches and leaves swaying vigorously, they collided with thunderous crashes.

Thud. Thud. Thud!!!

Each step shook the ground, the earth trembling with their advance.

The monsters nearby fled in every direction, overwhelmed by their sheer presence. T

he air became saturated with the heavy, earthy scent emitted by the swaying Elatrias.

Kwoooooaaaa—

Their march resembled a green tidal wave sweeping through the forest.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of Elatrias moved as one, creating a rolling sea of vibrant greenery.

With each movement, deep emerald leaves and soft green vines sparkled under the sunlight.

The light pouring through the leaves shimmered like the sun dancing upon ocean waves.

“Chu!!”

To meet that wave of green, Chuchu came dashing out.

Thump,

‘Churururu~!!’

With lightning speed, Chuchu leapt onto the head of the leading Elatria.

“Chuchu!”

Then, as if it had become the captain of a massive fleet, it began to lead the Elatrias.

Their destination was clear.

“Chu!!!”

Its home—and its masters’ home.

The Dragon’s Lair.

[This is… the place…]

[Ah… ah… I feel it… Mother’s… presence…]

[Thank you… servant of… the Great Being… it truly… existed…]

Rumble rumble rumble!

The Elatrias circled the lair and planted their roots firmly.

Kwoooaaah!!

In an instant, the surrounding mana density surged.

Overflowing with life energy, they established a forest of abundance and prosperity—Elatrium.

“Chuchuchu!!!”

Chuchu cried out in celebration—it had successfully completed the migration!

Then it turned back to the Elatrias with one final request.

“Chuchu!”

This was the dwelling place of the Great Being.

It was only by the Great Being’s grace that they could remain here.

They must never do anything to offend that Great One.

[We shall… bear that in mind… and offer… our deepest… gratitude… for this grace…]

[We shall… not forget… the favor… we have received…]

[To the Great Being… our utmost respect…]

“Chu!”

Chuchu nodded in satisfaction, believing it had thoroughly established discipline among the Elatrias.

“Chuchu!”

But Chuchu had no intention of stopping here.

Now that the Elatrias had settled here…

It was time to collect every benefit possible!

Firstly,

[The forest’s protection… worry not…]

Defense of the forest.

To fortify the lair into an impregnable bastion.

[Now that we have rooted here… we shall naturally… put more effort… into its protection…]

“Chu!”

Chuchu nodded.

This was something that would’ve happened on its own, even without asking.

Next,

“Chuchu!”

[The Seeds… likewise… as promised… whenever needed… as much as needed… the forest… shall provide…]

Perfect.

Now the cultivation of legendary elixirs like Seondo and Mandragora could proceed even faster.

And finally:

“Chuchuchu!”

『Are you… asking for seeds… of high-grade spiritual herbs…?』

Indeed, Chuchu was demanding seeds of rare spirit herbs.

After all, they were tree spirits—they must have grown and nurtured countless legendary spirit herbs.

Of course, that was back during the golden age of Elatrium…

But just like they say: “Even when a noble house falls, its fortune lasts three generations.”

Surely, somewhere, they still held onto some legendary-grade spirit herbs.

Chuchu’s true target was to raid that storeroom.

『You’re… stripping us bare… right down to the roots… But since we’ve… been granted grace… far beyond what we deserve… This… is not… an unreasonable request…』

“Take it, servant of the Great Being.”

Flash!

Seeds wrapped in green light.

They floated down in front of Chuchu.

“Chuu!”

The seeds, tinged with a brown hue.

Chuchu immediately tucked them into its belly pouch.

But Chuchu wasn’t satisfied with just that.

“Chuu?”

When it asked if there were more—

『Not now… there are none… Later… later… when our… glory… is restored… Then… come back… again…』

The Elatrias wore sorrowful expressions.

Only then did Chuchu nod in understanding.

***

Not long after Chuchu entered the lair—

Sssrrrr…

Something appeared near the lair—an enormous being over 30 meters long, resembling a serpent.

Its appearance was identical to the <Nagattara> that had died here not long ago.

No—it possessed an even more savage and menacing aura and exterior than that previous Nagattara.

It was a being that had undergone one more stage of shedding and evolution.

Why had such a creature come here?

Sss…

Because it was the mate of the Nagattara that had been killed here.

“Tssrrr—”

It was seething with rage over its mate’s death.

It had come with the resolve to tear apart and devour every last being involved in her demise.

But—

“Tssru.”

The Nagatara froze in place, as if startled.

Dwooom!

Before it surged a colossal wave of green light.

As a being that had surpassed the 200 Lv wall, it could tell.

It could sense just how massive and dense the mana was within that green wave.

Ordinarily, it would have given up and turned back.

However—

“Tssrrr—!!”

It could not endure without releasing the fury piled up in its chest.

And so—

It unleashed a full-force breath toward the green wave.

Flash.

KWAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

A cataclysmic blast, as if the sky would flip and the earth would melt away.

But—

ZHHHHHHRRRMMM!!

The forest’s shield absorbed that breath completely—without so much as a scratch.

“Tssriiit!”

The Nagatara, about to unleash another breath, froze as a voice echoed—

『What… being… dares… to challenge… the wall… of Elatrium…』

GRRRRRRRRRR.

The ground trembled.

The wrath of the forest pressed heavily upon the air.

“T-Tssrrrt—”

Before that overwhelming pressure, the Nagattara’s blazing fury melted away.

Ssssss…

It curled its tail and fled.

Only then did the surging mana in the air settle down.

『The land… imbued… with blessing… No matter what happens… we shall… protect it… This place… the forest… of prosperity and abundance.』

Or rather—

Elatrium, once called a natural fortress.

This was the moment when the forgotten glory of that past began to be revived once more.

***

“Oh. Is it finally over?”

“Chuchu!”

I lit up at Chuchu’s words.

The trembling of the ground that I had been feeling for a while.

The sudden surge in atmospheric mana density.

All of it was a result of the Elatrias.

“Wow, I don’t know about the rest, but this mana density is no joke.”

You know that feeling when you enter the mountains and the fresh, clean air clears your head?

That’s exactly what it felt like now.

Cool, clear, and crisp mana filling the air.

‘Nice.’

It really felt like I was deep in a mountain forest.

A smile naturally formed on my face, lifted by the refreshing surge of pure mana.

“Chuchu!”

Then, Chuchu pulled something out of its belly pouch.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Brown seeds.

As I placed them in my hand, information surfaced.

[Kujija Leaf Herb (Seed), LV 100]

“Kujija Leaf Herb?”

I got an odd feeling.

It felt like a name I’d heard before.

Immediately, I searched on SuperNet.

Username: Thirty-Thousand-League Search for Elixirs

Post Title: Let’s Learn About Rare Elixirs (39)

Content: Hey there! This is my thirty-ninth post.

Today, I’m introducing a rare herb known for its mysterious healing and powerful detox effects: the Kujija Leaf Herb.

The Kujija Leaf Herb is a mystical plant discovered deep in ancient forests, with its purplish leaves giving off a uniquely lustrous sheen.

It’s been regarded not just as a herb, but a powerful detoxifier.

Since ancient times, it has been considered an essential ingredient to counteract poisons. Thanks to its excellent detoxifying properties, people who’ve been poisoned or who handle poison-based powers often seek it out…

(omitted)…

What’s particularly interesting is that the Kujija Leaf Herb thrives in toxic environments.
It even absorbs poison and converts it into its own energy.

Because of that, it’s incredibly effective at alleviating symptoms of poisoning and purifying toxins in the body.

Hence, it’s known as a legendary detoxifier in myths and…

(omitted)…

With long-term use, it’s said one can attain “Absolute Poison Immunity.”

Information about the Kujija Leaf Herb.

The explanation was long, but…

It could be summed up in one phrase:

“Legendary Detoxifier.”

And it’s not like it’s lacking in magical energy either.

Even setting aside its detox ability, its inherent mana reserve alone makes it highly useful.

And the most important benefit of all—

“You can become immune to all poisons.”

Damn. How could I possibly pass that up?

One of the biggest threats in the Superhuman World is poison.

Take Donghyun, for example.

He’s no exception.

His mana circuits were damaged beyond repair by the poison of the Assassin.

“If I become immune to all poisons, I won’t have to worry about anything like that again.”

Even before I knew it, I was already planting the Kujija Leaf Herb seeds into the soil PoPo had tilled.

“How did you get these?”

Judging by the looks of it, Chuchu probably got them from the Elatrias.

“You didn’t… rob them or anything, right?”

“Chuchu!”

At my words, Chuchu jumped up and wagged its index finger side to side.

“Chuchuchu!”

Definitely not, it insisted. It simply received fair compensation!

That’s how hard it was appealing.

“Haha, alright, alright. Well done, good job.”

Seriously, Chuchu, what a clever little creature.

So full of talent.

I don’t know how it managed to get such a valuable item, but thanks to it and PoPo, the lair was growing ever more abundant.

Wuuuuung!!

And then—

“Huh?”

“Chuchu!”

“Popo!”

‘..Arkeron’

We all simultaneously looked up.

That direction—

Was where Dania was.

Our gazes were all drawn in unison.

Why?

Because—

Paaaaah!

A brilliant light of five radiant colors began to pour out of Dania’s egg.

***

At that moment.

A building in Shanghai.

In the waiting room before the final round of the Shanghai Asia Master Chef Cooking Competition, Ahn Jaeseong steadied his breath, calming his nerves.

“This is it.”

He had poured everything into reaching the finals, and now the moment was here.

“Whew…”

Ahn Jaeseong let out a heavy breath.

The pressure of representing Korea on this stage weighed on his shoulders.

Up until this very moment…

It wasn’t easy.

With fierce competitors.

And local bias against Koreans.

He overcame all of it and made it to the finals.

‘The Archmage… If it weren’t for his ingredients, it might’ve been tough.’

From the preliminaries to the finals, he showcased dishes worthy of praise using <Lunadria>, <potatoes>, and <sweet potatoes>—all ingredients he had purchased from the Archmage.

‘The finale will be decorated with cherry tomatoes.’

He was the person who had recently won cherry tomatoes at an auction hosted by the Archmage—for 300 coins each.

That person was none other than The Bangbaedong Gourmet.

He had spent a fortune preparing for today’s event.

That’s how confident he was.

Because—

The final dish he had prepared was not only one of his personal favorites, but also a specialty he was proud of:

Cherry Tomato Marinade.

‘If I win with this, it wouldn’t be wrong to say I won not alone, but together with the Archmage.’

He let out a soft chuckle.

Because it wasn’t a lie.

‘Then I’ll do just that.’

He made up his mind.

For his victory speech.

‘That’s why I’ll give it my all—so I have no regrets.’

As he steadied himself—

Ping!

Suddenly, his head started to spin.

A subtle tremor starting from his shoulder began to spread through his entire body.

With a puzzled expression, he looked down at himself.

He remembered the drink handed to him earlier by a Chinese chef.

It had been exchanged as a gesture of camaraderie after the match—but now, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.

It was shortly after drinking that his senses began to dull.

“No way… was it poison or drugs?”

As his vision blurred, a surge of panic washed over him.

His heartbeat grew erratic, and the objects in the waiting room began to sway and distort.

He tried to stay conscious, but his mind was already in chaos.

‘I… need help…’

He reached for the call bell to summon a staff member—but hesitated.

This place—

He could no longer trust anyone.

‘I’d be better off… getting an antidote on SuperNet…’

With labored breath, he pulled up SuperNet.