The air on the other side of the portal was thick — humid, heavy, and pulsing faintly with something alive.
The moment Jaehyun's boots hit the ground, he squinted.
"Oh, great. It's wet. I hate wet."
The terrain stretched out like a scar across the world — cracked plains swallowed halfway by creeping black vines. Here and there, trees stood fossilized in place, their bark petrified mid-growth. The sky shimmered strangely, like the air itself was being filtered through water.
Behind him, the Green Kindergarten stumbled out of the portal in an almost comedic procession.
"Sir! Permission to puke!" Hana gasped, clutching her stomach.
Bongyu toddles out last, yawning so wide his face scrunched like a dumpling.
"We're here? Can I sleep now?"
Jaehyun pointed at the ground. "No. You're on weed duty."
Bongyu's sleepy eyes brightened. "Like—funny weed?"
Jaehyun deadpanned. "Don't make me call my mother, Bongyu."
The team set up a small perimeter, deploying the clunky portable greenhouse node — a cube-like device powered by their combined aura.
When activated, it shimmered faintly green, projecting a field that could purify the corrupted soil for a few hours at best.
Jaehyun crouched and pressed his hand to the ground. Immediately, his green aura flickered out like roots searching through dirt.
Beneath the surface, he could feel it — the faint hum of life struggling to breathe, smothered by something darker.
"There's still something under here," he murmured."But it's weak. Like the land's… choking."
"Then we heal it!" one of the younger recruits declared brightly.Jaehyun glanced up at her, expression flat.
"Right, because nothing says 'medical expertise' like stabbing dirt with optimism."
Still, he motioned them to begin. The Green Awakeners gathered in a semicircle, palms glowing faintly as they directed their energy into the soil.
For a moment, the ground responded — faint green light weaving through cracks, soft sprouts trembling to life.
And then—
The sprouts withered. Instantly.
The light dimmed, snuffed out by a pulse of something oily, black, and alive. The ground twitched, and a faint vibration rattled through their boots.
Jaehyun's stomach sank. "...Oh no. That's not just bad soil."
A moment later, the earth shifted.
The black vines began to move.
Chaos followed.
"IT'S MOVING—WHY IS IT MOVING?!" Hana shrieked as the vines lashed upward, tendrils snapping through the air like whips.
"Form defensive positions!" yelled the senior recruit.
Jaehyun, meanwhile, was frozen mid-sip of his canteen, blinking slowly.
"Of course. The one time we do actual farming, the land tries to kill us."
He jumped back just in time as a vine slammed into where he stood, exploding dirt in every direction.
"Bongyu! Shield the others!"
"But I'm sleepy!""Then sleep louder!"
Bongyu flailed, summoning his faint green aura — his plants sprouted in panic, tangling around his legs like clingy toddlers.
It wasn't elegant, but it slowed the incoming vines long enough for Jaehyun to act.
Jaehyun slammed both palms onto the dirt, forcing his aura outward in a desperate wave. The air crackled — green against black, life versus decay.
But his power wasn't meant for combat. His aura trembled, then flickered.
"Damn it—come on!"
The light dimmed again. The vines pressed closer, the corrupted mana seeping through his fingers like tar.
Then something — faint, soft — brushed against his hand.
A tiny sprout.It had survived.
It wasn't much. Barely a leaf. But it pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat — stubborn, defiant.
Jaehyun gritted his teeth.
"...Fine. You wanna choke me out, world? Let's see who breathes longer."
He poured every ounce of his remaining aura into that one sprout.
For a split second, the entire field erupted in green light.
The vines shrieked — if such a thing could — and recoiled, thrashing before retreating beneath the ground. The air fell still again, leaving only the faint sound of rain dripping off armor and heartbeats pounding in their ears.
The others stared at Jaehyun in stunned silence.
He slowly sat back, panting, wiping dirt off his face.
"Congratulations," he muttered. "We just survived an angry salad."
As the others checked the perimeter, Jaehyun stared at the surviving sprout still glowing faintly by his hand.Something about it felt… wrong.
No, different.
He could feel the black mana underneath, still pulsing faintly — alive, waiting. The corruption wasn't gone. It was learning.
He frowned.
"Root of trouble, huh…?"
Behind him, Bongyu had already fallen asleep on a rock, hugging a vine like a teddy bear.Jaehyun sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Of course. Chaos, death, and baby naps. Just another day for the world's most underpaid farmer."