Chapter 371

Chapter 371

Brielle crouched beneath the carbonized tree trunk, staring at a sprout. Sitting next to her was a young dark elf girl of similar age.

Her name was Josephine.

With a look of awe on her face, Josephine murmured,

“So amazing! Brielle, have you ever seen anything like this?”

“No! It’s my first time too.”

“Really? Even with all your experience?”

“It’s not about experience. You just can’t see sprouts like this anywhere else.”

“I see…”

“You do know the responsibility you bear, right?”

“Of course. This is my tree, so I’m going to raise it myself.”

It was the tree that had sprouted today.

Floa and the other dark elves had entrusted the tree to Josephine.

The heavy responsibility of nurturing this tiny sprout into a magnificent tree now rested on Josephine’s shoulders.

Every young dark elf, not just Josephine, had been assigned a tree.

If protecting the Black Forest was the role of the adults, raising the trees was the duty of the children.

Josephine turned to Brielle.

“Aren’t you a little sad?”

“About what?”

“That you didn’t get a sprout. Why don’t you stay here and raise a tree instead of leaving?”

“It’s sad, sure. But I can’t help it. This isn’t my home.”

“If another sprout grows, I’ll raise it beautifully—for you. So if you ever miss the forest, come visit anytime.”

“Thank you. Even if it’s just words… that really means a lot.”

“It’s not just words! I mean it!”

Josephine looked at Brielle with an expression of indignation.

Brielle smiled at the sight of Josephine, who looked on the verge of tears.

“I know you mean it. So take good care of my tree, okay? I’ll come visit often.”

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me! I’ll raise it big and beautiful.”

“All right. I’m counting on you.”

“Mm!”

Josephine answered with a beaming smile.

Unlike Brielle, she hadn’t been through the harshness of life at the bottom, so there was a certain innocent brightness about her.

Not just Josephine—the other dark elf children were all pure in heart.

That’s why, even though they were the same age as Brielle, they felt much younger.

“My legs are getting numb. I should get up.”

Brielle rose to her feet, tapping under her thigh with a fist.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. I should check on Zeon.”

“Okay! See you later.”

“Yeah.”

Brielle headed toward the moat, where Zeon was.

Nice...

A smile lingered on her lips as she walked through the Black Forest.

Everywhere she looked, she saw sprouts—tender and green—and dark elves tending them with care. It filled her heart with peace.

She had never felt such peace before.

Now she finally understood why the elders of the High Elf village had so longed for the forests of Kurayan.

Someday, when she returned to the village, she wanted to bring back one of these sprouts.

The High Elf village was no different from the one the dark elves had lost.

A barren land where not even a single blade of grass grew, where they barely survived each day, holding on to life without hope.

Looking back, that was no way to live.

It wasn’t life—it was merely enduring, unable to end things themselves.

Humans or elves alike, they needed hope.

Just like the dark elves here, who had seen sprouts and begun to dream of a future.

She wanted to protect that hope.

And to do so, they needed to protect the Black Forest.

Zeon stood in the center of the forest, near the cocoon where Hahr rested.

He wasn’t alone.

Go Doo-won, Levin, Floa, and several dark elf warriors stood with solemn expressions, guarding the cocoon.

The cocoon was glowing.

For the past few days, it had been emitting a pure white light, as if it held the sun within.

It was already white to begin with, but now the light made it so dazzling it was hard to look at directly.

Floa and the dark elves couldn’t conceal their expressions of awe.

“It looks like the spirit is going to be born soon.”

“To think I’d see a spirit with my own eyes…”

“It’s unbelievable. That I’m here for this miraculous moment.”

Though none of them had ever seen a spirit before, they felt it instinctively—

That a spirit was about to be born.

Brielle stood before the cocoon as well.

As the cocoon’s radiant light touched her, vitality surged through her entire body.

The aura emitted by the spirit was affecting her—because she was a High Elf.

On the other hand, Zeon and Levin, both human, didn’t feel much of a change. Just a mild refreshing sensation.

Brielle and the dark elves closed their eyes and let the cocoon’s energy flow through them.

Though the spirit wasn’t yet fully born, their bodies were already reacting.

It felt as if a lost piece of their souls had returned.

That hollow space inside them now filled, making them whole.

Now she understood—

Why the older dark elves from Kurayan so desperately longed for the days of old.

Elves were beings loved by spirits.

Every elf had a contract with a spirit and could wield their power without cost.

Those with greater affinity often contracted with multiple spirits.

Spirits were their friends, their companions of the soul.

But when they came to Earth, all connections to the spirits had been severed.

Losing something they had always taken for granted had left a deep void.

They must have lived all these years as if missing a part of their souls.

Not understanding any of that, she had brushed off the elders’ words as just romantic nostalgia—and now, she was ashamed.

Brielle asked Zeon,

“What do you think will happen next?”

“What do you mean?”

“When the spirit is born… what happens to the elves? And to this world? Can it recover, like before?”

“Well… it won’t happen overnight. But if more spirits are born, the chances improve. The first is always the hardest. After that, things get a little easier.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

Brielle clenched her small fists.

A determination shone on her face—something that hadn’t been there before.

Seeing it, Levin said,

“What’s with that look? Are you planning to fight the whole world?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your eyes… they look like you’re ready to take on the entire world by yourself.”

“Tch. What are you even saying?”

Just then—

Boom!

A thunderous explosion rang out from the entrance of the Black Forest.

“Monsters!”

“Everyone, rally up!”

Urgent voices of the dark elves guarding the entrance echoed through the forest.

Those who had been standing guard near the cocoon, including Zeon, rushed toward the entrance.

There, a swarm of monsters had gathered.

From low-level beasts like one-horned hyenas, to mid-tier monsters like crimson bears with thorn-covered bodies, to large-scale monsters like club-wielding cyclopes—their numbers were staggering.

“What the hell? How many are there?!”

“This is insane!”

“Quit gawking and get ready. We can’t let them cross the moat.”

The Awakened and dark elves prepared for battle with grim expressions.

Sweat rolled down their tense faces.

Thankfully, the moat had been completed in advance.

Thanks to the massive trench Zeon had made, the monsters couldn’t all charge at once.

It was wide and deep—even large monsters couldn’t cross it easily.

Made of sand, the moat would trap anything that fell in—its sides constantly crumbling.

Because of that, the monsters drawn to the spirit’s aura had no choice but to funnel through the narrow entrance at the center.

That narrow passage had been left open deliberately—to lure the monsters in.

Some monsters were smart enough to avoid such obvious traps. But fortunately, none of those were in this group.

Sniff sniff.

Grrr…

The monsters, intoxicated by the spirit’s scent, had lost all sense of reason.

They clawed and shoved their way through the narrow opening, fighting each other to reach the spirit first.

It was utter chaos.

“Everyone, attack!”

“Not a single one must get through!”

The human Awakened and dark elves launched their assault.

Swords, spears, and spells tore through the charging beasts.

Boom!

Screee!

Explosions and monster cries blended into a cacophony of chaos at the forest entrance.

Fighting off lower-tier monsters like one-horned hyenas or flame wolves wasn’t too difficult.

The real threat was the mid-tier and above.

Boom! Boom!

These monsters stomped over the smaller ones without hesitation, aiming to break into the forest.

If they made it inside, the sprouts would be crushed beneath their massive feet.

Floa shouted,

“Warriors, prepare to strike! Not a single monster gets through!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The dark elf warriors responded with fierce determination.

Graaaah!

Then came the crimson bear—covered in thorns, over five meters tall—roaring as it forced its way through.

With an annoyed swipe of its paw, it sent several lower monsters flying in bloody chunks.

Its bloodshot eyes scanned the area, drooling thick saliva.

It sniffed around as if searching for the source of the scent—

And then locked its gaze on the cocoon.

It charged forward.

Floa issued a command immediately.

“Unit One, take down the crimson bear! Aim for the armpits—they’re its weak point!”

“Yes!”

A dozen dark elf warriors sprang toward the beast.

Floa had divided her warriors into five units, ready to respond based on the situation and enemy type.

Unit One engaged the crimson bear in fierce combat, targeting its armpits as instructed.

Another mid-tier monster appeared.

Floa gave another command without hesitation.

“Unit Two, move out!”

“Yes!”

And still, the monsters came, forcing their way through the gap.

Floa continued deploying warriors according to the changing battle.

The human Awakened didn’t just stand by, either.

They worked seamlessly with the dark elves, as though they had trained together for years.

Thanks to their coordination, the mid-tier monsters were held off.

Raaagh!

The crimson bear that had stormed in fell with a scream—struck down by the dark elf warriors.

“This is our home. We’ll never hand it over to monsters.”

“You’ll have to kill every last one of us to take a single step inside!”

The dark elf warriors roared.

But they all knew—

The real battle hadn’t even begun yet.

The large-scale monsters hadn’t moved.

Once they did, the true fight would start.

And that moment was drawing near.

Boom… Boom…

At last, the giant monsters stirred.

The one to open the gate was a cyclops.

It hoisted its massive club onto its shoulder and began lumbering toward the forest.

“You’re mine.”

Floa dashed forward like lightning.

Dark elf warriors on standby followed behind her.

Zeon and Levin couldn’t help them.

Their eyes were fixed on the distant sky—

Where flying-type monsters blotted out the sun.

“Our turn, huh?”

“I’m going up first, Hyung!”

Levin transformed into a specter and soared skyward.