After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
"Everyone, get back!"
Marina and Nene held back the "True King of the Forest, Ilwen" on the front lines, while Rain and Jamie weaved through their movements, casting offensive spells to keep the enemy in check.
To these four, I gave the order to retreat.
"You've all held out well to this point."
I meant it from the bottom of my heart.
Their efforts were far more reliable than the protective winds guarding the garden.
Thanks to them, Silk and I were able to manifest the “Amber.”
"It's beautiful," Rain said, her eyes shining as she looked at the “Amber” held in my hand.
Well, it could be considered a magical artifact, so it's understandable that Rain would be intrigued.
But this isn't something so benign.
This “Amber” is the crystallization—the culling—of thousands of tree spirits, the Trent, who were sacrificed to construct the World Tree. In other words, the Dark Elves of the “Amber Forest Clan.”
Synchronizing with Silk, I linked myself to the World Tree through the chant.
No—perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I merged with it.
It felt far removed from anything a human should be doing, but because of this, the prayers and wishes of the Dark Elves—who once resolved to journey across worlds—now echoed in my heart.
And among those wishes was the hope: “May the World Tree never be used again.”
That’s why I must use what Silk entrusted to me.
"Ilwen Pearlwood… now that you've become the 'True King of the Forest'... what do you see?"
If Silk and Ilwen had continued synchronizing, maybe he would’ve seen what I see and stopped.
Thinking that makes me feel just a bit sorry for this man, who threw away his reason and became the monstrous “True King of the Forest.”
But it's too late for hypotheticals.
He's chosen to become the cull, one that will destroy this world.
"Yuke, this is bad! He’s crazy strong and won’t go down!"
"Every time we knock something down, more grows back—it’s a nightmare!"
Marina and Nene retreated, panting and complaining.
"Even burning it with magic doesn’t work. It’s like the forest’s life itself is walking around," Jamie observed keenly.
Exactly. That thing is the very embodiment of the forest’s “cull.”
"Yeah. And the spirits… are interfering," Rain added.
"Rain, you can see the spirits?"
"Biblion helped me," she replied, as a white snake spirit slithered into Silk’s hair, making her eyes widen in surprise.
"He’s happy, isn’t he?"
"Biblion, thank you for helping everyone."
"──……"
Biblion responded with a whisper. Finally, things were in place—except for what I had to do.
"Yuke, it's coming!"
At Marina's voice, I gave a small nod.
I was ready—in both preparation and resolve.
"Goodbye, Ilwen Pearlwood."
With that, I reversed the flow of the “Amber’s” power.
To oppose that cull, I must become the same.
That’s what the “Amber” is for.
A surge of power rushed from the “Amber,” one strong enough to tear apart my very soul.
Even as a Walker—one who travels between worlds—enduring such alien power is nearly impossible.
But I am also… a Red Mage.
A jack-of-all-trades, if nothing else, and that gave me a sliver of hope to withstand this.
"……Rozaj folioj, hurlantaj nigraj hundoj, la maro glutanta la sunsubiron, blanka miksaĵo kun nigro, stagno kun helaj koloroj……!!"
I gathered the raging, swirling torrent of power from the “Amber” into a chant.
Each magical formula screamed, trembled, cracked, and crumbled—yet rebuilt itself anew, forming once again.
Shifting from iridescent to gray, and back again—it was like the ever-turning cycle of the seasons.
When the chanting ended, the spell before me was unlike any known magic—completely foreign and unstable.
It was nothing like the “Prismatic Missile.”
But I understood what it was.
"Go— Amber Will …!"
The magic shone, inverting the world.
Ilwen Pearlwood, the "True King of the Forest," began to harden into amber from the edges inward and shattered.
The fragments, fueled by abnormal regeneration, tried to reform—but turned back into amber and shattered again.
Over and over—shattering and reforming—until Ilwen's massive body gradually collapsed.
"What kind of magic is that…?"
Jamie stared in astonishment.
The others were just as stunned.
"It's amazing… but terrifying."
"Yeah. My hands are shaking."
A cull countering a cull—it made sense, in theory.
Simple. Effective.
But the fact that I had become a cull shook me to my core.
Used wrongly, this power could easily destroy the world.
A servant of the evil gods, a Walker of worlds…
And now, a cull.
Each of these powers is more than I can handle.
While I was lost in that bitter reflection, Ilwen Pearlwood crumbled.
From his massive fallen form, amber-colored trees sprouted, already beginning to grow.
The “True King of the Forest” would now simply expand as part of the forest.
Whether Ilwen Pearlwood’s consciousness still remained within—no one could say.
"Mission complete, huh."
"Y-You, Yuke-san! More importantly—your arm, your arm!!"
Nene, flustered, reached for my right arm.
When I looked down, my right arm had turned to stone—no, to amber.
"Wait a second…! Is that okay?"
"Does it hurt? Can you move it?"
I tried moving it lightly in response to Jamie and Marina’s concerned voices... there was no pain, and I could move it just fine.
It was a shock, sure, but as a price for wielding such power beyond my limits, this was getting off easy.
Considering I could’ve died doing what I did, this wasn’t so bad.
"Let me see."
Rain gently touched my right arm.
"...Yeah. It's not like petrification. Hmm… it’s more like crystal sickness. Sorry, just a sec."
Rain tapped my arm with the tip of her staff.
A hard, stone-like sound rang out, and Rain flapped her hand, clearly numbed by the contact.
"Hey, Rain! You're gonna break Yuke!"
"It’s fine. Does it hurt?"
"...No."
I could feel the touch, but there was no pain at all.
"Maybe it's a type of internal magical disorder. Once we’re back, I’ll look into a cure."
"...Yeah."
I answered and grabbed Silk’s hand as she quietly tried to step away.
"And where do you think you’re going, Silk?"
"…"
Silk gave a troubled smile and gently pulled her hand from mine.
"I have to close the Abyss Gate."
"Ah, right… but I’ll do it."
I meant to say it cheerfully, but everyone slumped their shoulders with a collective sigh.
"There he goes again."
"Yup. Again."
"Yuke never learns."
"Seriously, you never reflect, do you?"
With how harshly they said it, I felt a bit down myself—but this wasn’t something I could back down on.
"It’s not like I’m saying this without thinking. I’m the most suited for the job."
"You said that last time, too."
"And besides, it’s the king’s duty. Right, Silk?"
"It’s the priestess’s duty as well. You don’t need to take it all on yourself, Yuke-san."
I didn’t want this to turn into an endless back-and-forth, but either way, we had to close the gate quickly—or the forces of the ‘True King of the Forest’ would soon come rushing in.
There wasn’t much time left.
"Everyone, listen. You saw what just happened, right? I’ve basically become half a Cull now. I can probably survive passing through that gate, and there’s a chance I’ll make it back."
"You say that, but this gate is something we of the Amberwood Clan brought with us. I’m likely the safest option."
Silk and I locked eyes, silently staring each other down.
Neither of us was willing to back off.
"I’m going too."
At Rain’s words, Jamie, Marina, and Nene all nodded.
"We’ve decided. We’ll go together, find Rune, and come back together. Yep—perfect."
"Right? As long as we’re together, we can adventure anywhere!"
"I’m in too! I’d be worried if it were just Yuke-san."
"I figured you’d say something like this, so we all decided beforehand. We’re not taking no for an answer!"
The four of them crowded around me, and I looked to Silk for help.
Silk shook her head slightly and gave a wry smile.
"Looks like it’s decided. Let’s go together."
"You guys, seriously…"
"I haven’t forgotten what you did last time, Yuke."
Rain, frowning, hugged me tightly.
"We’re absolutely staying together."
"Indeed. What you did back then was unforgivable, Yuke-san."
Hearing that made my conscience ache.
It was true—I had tried to trick them into returning to the surface. That was undeniably a betrayal.
"...There you go again."
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