Chapter 128
The Everglow Forest.
A place where everything shimmered faintly.
Where all things were gently preserved.
A mysterious forest where spring lasted all year long.
But it hadn’t always been a special place.
Originally, it was just another ordinary forest in the Eastern Mountain Range.
That changed 300 years ago, when a group of elves settled there.
They were descendants of elves who once served dragons.
Disillusioned with the human world, they chose seclusion.
They cast a unique magic over the forest.
Created a paradise of their own.
“So there’s no cold here all year round. No extreme heat either. It’s like a perfect spring day that goes on forever.”
At the entrance to the Everglow Forest.
Lloyd looked around at the mystical scenery and let out a small chuckle.
‘Now that I’m here, it’s real.’
No, it was ‘too’ real—completely different from how it was described in the novel.
There was a vast gap between the image he had imagined and what stood before him.
‘This isn’t just spring. It’s ‘too’ much spring. The bitter winter wind from just outside the forest is completely gone, flowers I don’t even recognize are in full bloom, butterflies and honeybees are flying about, and of course, the hallmark of spring…’
“Achoo!”
Javier sneezed, having inhaled some pollen.
Lloyd flinched.
“Hey, shh!”
“Sorry. Ah, ah…”
“Cover your nose and mouth, quick.”
“…Hmf!”
Javier barely muffled the next sneeze.
Lloyd shot him a glare.
“You… do you even know where we are right now?”
“I do.”
“Then why’d you just launch a sneeze like that? You trying to get us a meeting with some elf ladies?”
“Mm, I couldn’t help it. It came out suddenly.”
“You’re not allergic to pollen or anything… right?”
“Of course not… ah… ahhh…”
“Gah?”
“Aah… huff… I-I’m fine.”
“……”
He did ‘not’ seem fine.
Lloyd stared at him suspiciously.
“Don’t give me that. You totally are. Just look around—pollen’s flying everywhere.”
And it really was.
It wasn’t just “a lot.” It was worse than South Korea’s winter smog.
Like someone was clapping an old chalkboard eraser in your face. Or like it was snowing pollen.
It was a consequence of this eternal spring.
If Javier had a pollen allergy he didn’t even know about?
That could be a problem.
“But aren’t you a Swordmaster? Can’t you, like, control your sneezes?”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a bodily function.”
“Wait. So even as a Swordmaster, you can’t, say, hold your pee forever?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Swordmasters aren’t all that, huh.”
“……”
“Anyway, this won’t do. Here, take this.”
“……”
Javier took the handkerchief Lloyd handed him.
He wrapped it around his face like a mask, covering his nose and mouth.
Breathing got a little easier.
“Follow me.”
They moved along the edge of the forest.
As they walked, a memory from eight days ago surfaced.
‘We’ll steal it.’
Stealing Elensia tree sap.
That was Lloyd’s plan to solve the insulation issue.
And Javier?
He had exploded.
Called it nonsense.
To sneak into the Everglow Forest and steal sap from under the elves’ noses?
That sounded less plausible than teaching a chicken swordsmanship to go tiger hunting.
‘Even for me, that’s pushing it.’
Yes, he was a Swordmaster.
But even then, he wasn’t confident.
Anywhere else, maybe. But not in the Everglow Forest.
‘They say the elves can sense even the smallest change in the air here. And he wants to trick ‘them’? Lloyd is overestimating me.’
It was a concern.
But regardless of his worry, the plan had moved forward.
That very day, Lloyd had gone to see the Baron.
Explained his plan in detail.
A battle of wills broke out between Lloyd and the Baron.
But the result?
As always.
Before Lloyd’s unwavering persistence and meticulous planning, the Baron became a yes-man.
‘And so, we set out.’
They left the estate the next morning.
After seven days of travel, they had arrived just now.
And now, Javier heard an unexpected part of the plan.
“Alright. This is where we start.”
“You mean harvesting Elensia tree sap?”
“Yeah.”
Lloyd stopped walking.
Javier asked,
“So what do you need me to do?”
Surely, he had something prepared.
It was Lloyd, after all.
‘This is the elves’ forest.’
They couldn’t let their guard down.
Even as a Swordmaster, he had to be wary.
At least within this forest, the elves’ senses rivaled his own.
‘And he wants to deceive those senses and extract sap from an Elensia tree? What kind of plan does he have?’
Javier waited for Lloyd’s response, tense.
When Lloyd finally gave him an answer, his expression stiffened even further.
“Run.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Run. Far.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t know how to run?”
“Of course I do.”
“Great.”
“You mean… just run?”
“Yup.”
Lloyd smirked.
“As far away as possible, as fast as you can, and make as much noise as you can while you’re at it. Into the forest. But don’t get lost.”
“…You want me to be bait.”
“Yup.”
“You’re not worried I might be in danger?”
“Nope.”
“……”
“I’m worried about me.”
“What…”
“Think about it. You’re a Swordmaster.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve got Triple Circles, too, right?”
“I do.”
“So even if some elf or whatever comes at you, it’s not like you’ll be in any real danger.”
“You’re that sure?”
“Yup. And one more thing—I ‘am’ sure that I’m the one in more danger than you.”
“You are?”
“Yep.”
That part was absolutely true.
Lloyd glanced around and said,
“You? You can protect yourself. Me? I’ve got nothing.”
“So while I’m causing a distraction, you’ll extract the Elensia sap?”
“Now you’re catching on.”
“But that’s still too dangerous for you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve.”
“…Can I trust you?”
“Wait, are you worried about me?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what?”
“I’m worried about getting scolded by the Baron if I lose track of you.”
“Aha. You’re feeling the fear of unemployment. Very fitting for our uncertain job market.”
“Exactly.”
“Warms my heart. I’ll make sure you don’t get fired, so take care of yourself.”
“…Understood. I’ll trust you, then.”
“Good. Now go. Be back in 30 minutes.”
Javier gave a short nod.
That annoyingly sharp-tongued young master.
But truthfully, he knew.
Even if he was the bait, the one truly putting himself in danger tonight was undoubtedly Lloyd.
‘Please be safe.’
Would Lloyd be able to avoid detection and successfully collect the sap?
Wouldn’t it be more rational to find a different method than this risky plan?
But it was too late to turn back now.
‘And Lloyd still seems overly confident.’
He knew now.
When Lloyd acted like this, it always meant he had something hidden up his sleeve.
‘So I’ll trust in that and go along.’
Swoosh!
He drew his sword.
And in the same motion, launched off the ground.
Like a beast roaring after holding its breath.
He raised his sword to the sky.
His mana circles collided.
Boom!
A fierce blast shot into the air.
‘I’m here. Come and catch me if you can!’
Javier dashed deeper into the forest. Farther and farther from where Lloyd was.
Behind him, dozens of pale green figures glided across the forest in pursuit.
♣
‘Damn, he’s fast.’
Moments after Javier ran toward the forest’s center.
Lloyd, hidden in the bushes, quietly observed the direction he disappeared into.
Javier was already out of sight.
Instead, bursts of energy shot into the air where he’d gone.
Faint green flashes flickered from time to time.
‘Those must be the elves. They’ve already started chasing.’
As expected, the elves’ senses were incredible.
At least above ground, deceiving them was near impossible.
‘But that’s only on the surface.’
After ensuring the area was clear, Lloyd stood up.
He already had a shovel in hand.
‘Underground is a different story. I might not be able to fool them completely, but I can at least buy some time.’
Scrape, scrape.
He dug as quietly as possible.
Thankfully, the soil was soft and moist.
Few rocks.
Digging was easy.
As he continued carefully digging, the tunnel gradually deepened.
Fifty centimeters. One meter. Two meters.
Soon, Lloyd was completely hidden inside.
‘Time for phase one of concealment.’
He emerged briefly and covered the entrance with leaves and twigs.
Made it look like an animal burrow.
Then returned to his tunnel.
‘Now the real digging begins. [Energize].’
Ding.
[Asrahan Heart Technique Option: Energize (Modified) activated.]
[Triple Circle efficiency maximized.]
[You will not tire for 20 minutes.]
Vrrrm!
‘Man, it’s been a while since I felt this!’
Energy surged through his body.
All three mana circles spun at full speed.
With it came an endless, ad-worthy burst of stamina.
‘Let’s gooo!’
Papapapak.
Still making little noise.
But digging fiercely.
He tunneled horizontally.
Moved underground.
Five meters. Ten. Twenty.
And he still wasn’t tired.
He had already mapped the direction.
‘Should be hitting roots around here.’
He’d started digging only about 20 meters from the Elensia tree.
But he couldn’t approach it directly.
If he emerged and tried to collect sap from the trunk?
He’d be wrecked.
Absolutely.
He’d read about it in ‘The Iron-Blooded Knight’.
Some adventurers had tried that and got caught immediately by elves.
Lloyd shook his head.
‘Their mistake was twofold. One, exposing themselves on the surface. Two, even if you slash the trunk, you’ll barely get a few drops a day.’
If you want sap fast, go for the roots.
That was the lesson.
Elensia trees stored sap in their roots.
‘So just cut off a few thick ones and squeeze it out.’
Lloyd reviewed his plan and redoubled his digging.
Just before the Energize option ended, he finally found the roots.
‘Yes, there it is.’
Bzzzz.
Another skill had been active all along.
[Underground Scanning] from Land Survey.
He had a clear view of the space 5 meters ahead.
Thanks to that, he saw it.
‘That’s definitely a root.’
He dug faster.
Finally, the shovel hit near the root.
Thud!
Lloyd grinned.
‘Bingo.’
He’d found it.
From there, his digging became delicate.
Like scooping up slippery tofu with a teaspoon. Or extracting a big chunk of earwax without breaking it.
He gently removed the dirt around the Elensia root without harming it.
After some sweat and careful work…
The root finally appeared in the torchlight.
‘Wow.’
Incredible.
Lloyd marveled and picked up the torch he’d set aside.
The Elensia root was thick and crystal-clear, like glass. Inside its smooth exterior, a milky-white liquid shimmered.
‘That’s the sap.’
Time to collect it.
He cleanly cut three roots.
Wrapped them in layers of oiled paper and stuffed them in his bag.
Success.
But he didn’t relax.
He didn’t try to leave the tunnel immediately either.
Instead, he raised the torch and held it close to the remaining roots.
Then he spoke calmly.
“To the lovely ladies sneaking up behind me—freeze. Any closer or if you keep aiming those arrows, I’ll roast this root right here with the torch, got it?”
His low voice echoed through the tunnel.
The elven women approaching stopped.
“You’re… going to use a hostage tactic? In a dead-end tunnel like that?”
At the front of the group, an elf woman named Muirah, who had been aiming her bow at Lloyd’s back, voiced her disbelief.
Lloyd smiled brightly and smugly.
“Yes.”
They couldn’t shoot.
So this would work.
He was sure of it.
And pressed the torch to the root’s tip.
“If you don’t like it, go ahead and shoot.”