Morning broke with a scream.
"MASTER JAEHYUN, IT MOVED AGAIN!"
Jaehyun's eyelids snapped open.He was so sure he'd sealed that thing last night.But no.Because when you were Choi Jaehyun, sleep was never an ally — only an illusion that mocked you.
He bolted out of his tent, still half in his farming overalls, and stopped dead at the sight before him.
The "mutant vegetable patch" — now affectionately called Mr. Sprouty by the kids — had doubled in size overnight.It was now the size of a shed.And… walking.
Like, literally walking.
A cluster of cabbage leaves formed stubby "legs" while its vine-tendrils slapped the dirt with the enthusiasm of a drunk octopus.
"It's evolving!" Hana gasped.
"I told you the monster core was good fertilizer!" Bongyu cheered proudly.
Jaehyun's brain gave up halfway through processing that sentence.He ran a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath.
"This is it. This is how I die. Trampled by bok choy."
The Battle of the Barnyard
"Everyone, listen to me carefully," Jaehyun commanded, trying to sound like an adult who had any control over the situation."We are not going to panic."
At that exact moment, Mr. Sprouty turned toward the chicken coop and began absorbing the fencing.
Jaehyun's face twitched.
"...I said don't panic, Bongyu!"
"I didn't!" Bongyu yelled, already running with a bucket."Then why are you screaming?!""Because it's eating the chickens!"
Chickens flapped.Kids ran in circles.Hana tried to use her new "Green Aura Burst" to command the plants, but the vines smacked her into a hay bale.
It was pure chaos — a slapstick ballet of eco-terrorism and farming gone wrong.
At one point, Jaehyun found himself wrestling a vine for control over his shovel, both refusing to let go.
"GIVE IT BACK, YOU LEAFY DEMON!""...it's literally photosynthesizing on your arm," Minji observed quietly.
The Calm After the Storm (Sort Of)
After what felt like hours (and several near-death experiences involving compost), the field finally settled.The massive plant-creature stopped thrashing, its vines retracting as if retreating into a dormant state.
Now, at the center of the field, a faint green light glowed beneath the mud.
Jaehyun squinted.
"...Wait. That's not mana leakage."
The light pulsed again — softer this time, rhythmic, almost like a heartbeat.
The other kids leaned in, curious.Then the ground beneath them trembled slightly.
"Okay," Jaehyun said, standing quickly, "everyone back up. Now."
The Descent
By the time Jaehyun finished casting a stabilizing barrier, the light had grown stronger — a bright emerald radiance bleeding from beneath the soil.And something inside Jaehyun responded.
His Green Aura stirred, humming faintly in his veins, resonating with whatever was down there.
"Master…" Hana whispered. "Is it calling you?"
Jaehyun exhaled slowly.
"No idea. But it feels… familiar."
They began digging — carefully this time — until they uncovered a small, circular patch of ancient stone.Ritual markings lined its edge, pulsing in time with that same eerie rhythm.
A sealed door.
Beneath the Roots
The air below was heavy.Moist.Alive.
Roots wound around the cavern walls like veins, glowing faintly with greenish light. The further they descended, the darker the aura became — until Jaehyun realized it wasn't green anymore.
It was black.
Black mana.Thick, suffocating, and cold — yet… peaceful?
The tunnel opened into a small underground chamber.At its center floated a black crystal, jagged and cracked, encased in tangled vines.
And within it—
"A… baby?" Hana whispered.
There, sleeping soundly in the heart of the dark core, was a tiny child — with bark-like skin, soft moss hair, and faintly glowing veins of green light.
A Dryad's baby.Something that should've been extinct since the first mana wars.
Jaehyun stepped closer, his chest tightening.
"That's… impossible."
He reached out — and the crystal pulsed once, sending a ripple through the room.
All the roots trembled.The air quaked.And Jaehyun's Green Aura flared on its own, reacting instinctively.
"Master Jaehyun!" Bongyu cried. "It's—It's waking up!"
The black core cracked open with a sound like glass breaking underwater.A burst of light flooded the chamber, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
When it faded, the baby was no longer sealed.It floated gently in the air, vines cradling it like hands.The child's tiny eyelids fluttered open — revealing eyes the color of living emeralds.
The baby yawned.
Then, in a voice soft as wind over leaves—
"...Papa?"
Jaehyun froze.
Every child turned toward him.Even the vines seemed to point accusingly in his direction.
"...No," he said flatly. "Absolutely not. I am not raising another one."
But deep down, he already knew.He was doomed.