Joo-Hee's worries were quickly soothed. With a spark of enthusiasm, she raised her hand and commanded, "[Arcana], proceed with creating the inventory. Make it as fast as possible. If you need it, use any resources we have to speed up the process!"
The system confirmed her order and requested authorization to consume all 3,000 soul fragments and 5,000 essence stones, estimating a reduction of nine hours in crafting time.
She gave her approval without hesitation, a bright smile on her face as her eyes drifted toward the three-meter-high wooden web cage filled with loot and treasure.
"Hehe~ Sooner or later, I won't have to worry about baggage ever again," she mused, her tone light and almost smug.
The system also informed her that it would be unable to assist with any personal commands during the inventory's creation period.
Joo-Hee was fine with that. A temporary inconvenience was nothing compared to gaining a cheat-like ability to store items at will.
But peace, as always, was short-lived.
Moments later, she felt multiple presences closing in. Scratching her head in mild frustration, she frowned.
She hadn't planned on announcing her return to the world just yet—not like this.
And with her current appearance changed beyond recognition, there was a real chance they might mistake her for some humanoid monster carrying the memories of a once-human girl.
Not to mention, the ridiculous pile of loot trailing behind her made stealth escape impossible.
With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and typed the only message she could think of:
_________________
Lee Joo-Hee: Chairman, I'm back. I need some help. Please pick me up at the same dungeon I disappeared into.
_________________
No sooner had she sent the message than she activated [Sprint], dashing through the Gangwon forest in a blur.
As she ran, her fingers grazed the grass and earth, planting seeds she had never gotten the chance to use inside the dungeon.
With each step, she channeled her energy into the land, activating [Verdant Growth].
When the silhouette of hunters came into view in the distance, she poured more power into her spell and whispered one final command:
<
The forest responded at once.
Gloomshade Flowers and Ironwood Thornvines burst from the soil at an awe-striking pace. The earth cracked and heaved beneath their rapid expansion, creating a living barricade of enchanted flora—wild, beautiful, and terrifying.
The growth of the two plants didn't stop. They spread wildly, consuming the entire section of the forest she was in.
The steel-like thorny vines of the Ironwood Thornvine twisted around trees, growing thicker, darker, and sharper with each passing second.
Meanwhile, the Gloomshade Flowers began releasing a pale, drifting mist from their petals. Spores filled the air, gradually cloaking the entire area in a dense, fog-like shroud.
Even Joo-Hee's vision started to blur, and her body weakened under the subtle pressure of the fog's effect.
Thankfully, the quest scroll she carried quickly neutralized the side effects.
She narrowed her eyes and thought to herself, 'Let them think a dungeon break is about to erupt. If the hunters believe that, they'll retreat and call for reinforcements. That should buy me enough time to escape… in case the chairman doesn't respond to my message or call.'
Somewhere far from the forest, inside a black car speeding down the highway, Chairman Go Gun-Hee stared at his phone with a skeptical look.
The message he'd just received was... out of question.
A name he hadn't expected to see again blinked on his screen. In the driver's seat, Woo Jin-Chul glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed the chairman's expression.
"Chairman? Are you alright? That golden light in the sky earlier seems to be slowly fading. And the spatial fracture around the Gangwon region seems to be—"
He was abruptly cut off.
"Jin-Chul," the chairman said, voice low and brows furrowed. "What are the odds... that girl, Joo-Hee, is still alive?"
"Chairman... with all due respect, her loss was unfortunate, and a waste, but it's already been months—"
Go Gun-Hee turned the screen toward him.
Woo Jin-Chul's eyes widened. He immediately stepped on the brakes, the tires screeching slightly as the car slowed to a sudden stop.
On the screen was something Jin-Chul couldn't believe:
an incoming call. From Joo-Hee.
The chairman answered it without hesitation. A familiar voice came through the speaker, calm and casual.
"Chairman. It's been a while." Her voice was calm, but edged with cool intent. "Took you long enough to answer my call. I wonder… does our deal still stand?" A brief pause. "But before we get to that, I need a favor. I trust you're still capable of helping me."
The tone was unmistakable. The voice was hers.
Go Gun-Hee stared out the window, eyes narrowed. Then, with a steady breath, he replied.
"Yes. Let's meet... and talk."
...
By the time Chairman Go Gun-Hee and Woo Jin-Chul arrived, the forest's perimeter had already turned into a battlefield of tension.
Clusters of hunters stood in formation, faces pale and drenched in sweat. Some clenched their fists with trembling resolve, while others muttered curses under their breath—half in fear, half in frustration.
A few wore eager expressions, thrilled by the promise of combat, but not one of them dared to cross the threshold into the twisted wilderness of Gangwon Province.
Chairman Go and Jin-Chul were met with a flurry of greetings from the gathered hunters, among them the nation's top guild leaders—Baek Yoon-Ho, Choi Jong-In, and Ma Dong-Wook—who were hunched over a makeshift war table in the center of the command zone, deep in the middle of a heated discussion.
It was then that the Chairman learned the full extent of what had occurred.
The entire forest had mutated. Spores and pollen from a rare flowering plant—known to take at least three years to bloom—had spread across the terrain, flooding the area in a thick, blinding haze.
Hunters whispered about its properties and high value on the black market due to its hallucinogenic and visibility-reducing effects.
But it didn't end there.
The Ironwood Thornvine, a notoriously aggressive flora species, had proliferated at a terrifying rate. Its razor-sharp thorn, steel-like vines climbed over the landscape like an invasive crown, piercing trees and twisting into towers of barbed foliage.
What was once a peaceful forest now resembled a forsaken realm, hostile to all life.
"We should burn it," Jong-In growled, slamming his hand down on the table hard enough to make the maps jump. "Torch the entire place. It's been abandoned for months. Who's going to care if it goes up in smoke?"
"You bastard," Baek Yoon-Ho snapped, his voice rising. "Think for a second. You might be right about clearing the forest, but what about the consequences? That smoke could drift into nearby cities. If even a fraction of that pollen spreads, do you know how many unawakened civilians could go temporarily or permanently blind?!"
Jong-In turned toward him, eyes blazing. "So what do you want us to do? Sit here and wait? Let those things pour out from the gate and run wild across the country?!"
Tension flared. Their voices clashed like blades, escalating by the second. Ma Dong-Wook, ever the mediator, raised both hands and tried to step in, attempting to calm them down. "Hey—hey! Let's just hold on, alright?! Chairman, can you please weigh in and settle this—?"
But the Chairman was no longer there.
Ma Dong-Wook blinked in confusion, then looked around in a panic as he thought, 'Chairman? Chairman—? Don't just leave me here with these lunatics...!'
As Chairman Go Gun-Hee and Agent Woo Jin-Chul stepped out of the command tent, the sight before them drew their breath away.
The forest that once sprawled lush and green across Gangwon Province was now shrouded in an eerie fog, painted in hues of green, violet, and yellow.
The air was thick, not only with the spores and pollens of a mutated ecosystem, but with the heavy tension of the unknown.
"This fog," the chairman said, his expression darkening, "did Joo-Hee do all this?"
Jin-Chul, scanning the horizon warily, shook his head. "Highly unlikely, sir, unless... she had mastered that unique ability of hers, commanding nature itself through voice alone. But… covering the entire forest to this extent? This is beyond the mana limit of an A-rank hunter like her."
He hesitated before continuing, "Even Darya Sveltenal, one of the world's greatest nature mages, could barely pull off something of this scale."
Before the chairman could respond, a sudden wave of golden energy swept through the area. Everyone on site flinched—hunters, soldiers, even the high-ranking ones.
The air shifted.
The weaker hunters fell to their knees or stumbled in shock. But the S-rankers stood still, their expressions hardened, eyes wide and cautious.
Then, without warning, a message—no, a thought—slipped into their minds, spoken without sound:
"No need to be so alarmed. Just send everyone home. The chairman can explain the small context on my behalf. Also… I'll be staying here for a while. So go."
The S-rankers slowly turned toward Chairman Go, confused and waiting for confirmation and answers. The Chairman could only pinch his forehead with a deep sigh and mutter, "All of you… inside the tent. Now."
...
Elsewhere, deep within the heart of the forest, a woman lay reclined on a lounger shaped from living wood.
Joo-Hee, eyes gleaming with a strange eclipse—mixture of gold and silver—breathed slowly as she rested, body basking in the pulse of nature.
"Well," she murmured, voice soft with exhaustion, "that should do for now."
But just as she leaned back and wanted to rest while the system was creating her inventory, something shifted as it walked towards her place.
A surge of malice, a pure, cursed force than anything she had felt before, grated against the vibrant harmony of the forest.
It wasn't mana. It wasn't natural.
It was vile.
Joo-Hee sprang to her feet, quickly putting distance between herself and the threat.
With a sharp inhale, she slammed her palms together, and her eyes shimmered—shifting into ever-changing patterns of collapsing fate.
Without hesitation, she invoked the [Fragmented Tongue of Babel], [Verdant Growth], and [Nature's Embrace], her voice fracturing into a chaotic screech that tore through reality.
<
Nature obeyed.
From the depths of the trees, Ironwood Thornvines exploded outward in frenzy.
They snaked and pierced through the forest floor like living spears, targeting the eastern sector without mercy.
Branches tightened and twisted like fists, compressing the shadows where the dark energy had emerged.
Then, through the thick canopy, a laugh—velvet, venom-laced, and sickeningly sweet—slithered through the air.
"Oh my, little boy~" cooed the voice, playful and smooth. "Such a bold welcome. I was expecting a 'long time no see' at the very least~"