Chapter 3 - Spirit Guardians
When the first bolt of lightning descended, the world turned white.
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BOOOOOOM!!
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'Young' man couldn't even comprehend what had happened.
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Pain.
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There was only pain.
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His massive body slammed into the ground.
His scales shattered.
His flesh burned.
His muscles were charred black.
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After the first tribulation, only a burned serpent remained.
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For an ordinary Wild Demonic Beast, that would have meant death.
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But then...
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Something exploded deep within his heart.
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The core he had swallowed.
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The vitality accumulated within it over hundreds of years was suddenly released.
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Like a warm river, it flowed through every part of his body.
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Burned flesh regenerated.
Broken bones fused together.
Shattered scales grew back.
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Within a few breaths, his body had completely recovered.
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"...?"
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Young man stared at himself in shock.
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He had survived.
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The heavens, however, seemed far from pleased.
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The second bolt of lightning began to descend.
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This time, it was larger.
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BOOOOOM!!
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A blue lightning bolt crashed directly onto his back.
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His muscles tore apart.
His bones shattered.
His internal organs exploded.
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For the first time, the serpent felt his very marrow being destroyed.
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The pain was so intense that he couldn't even scream.
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But the core activated once more.
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Immense vitality surged through his body.
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Destroyed marrow regenerated.
Broken vertebrae reformed.
Scattered organs took shape once more.
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The Heavenly Tribulation sought to destroy him.
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The core he had swallowed sought to recreate him.
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The third lightning bolt descended.
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Then the fourth.
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Then the fifth.
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Each one was stronger than the last.
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At some point, all of his scales were destroyed.
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Then his flesh.
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Then his bones.
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Little Snake remained standing as nothing more than a skeleton.
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Yet the core continued to release vitality.
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New flesh formed.
New blood flowed.
New organs appeared.
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It was as if he were dying and being reborn over and over again.
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When the sixth tribulation descended, his eyes were destroyed.
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During the seventh, his heart stopped.
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During the eighth, half of his body was completely erased.
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Under normal circumstances, the eighth tribulation was already the end.
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Most creatures only faced eight lesser tribulations and one great tribulation.
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Yet the vortex in the heavens continued to spin.
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No.
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It was growing larger.
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As if everything until now had merely been preparation.
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For the first time, little snake felt fear.
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True fear.
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Because the ninth lightning bolt no longer resembled lightning.
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The heavens themselves were cracking apart.
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The clouds split in two.
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And from above descended a pillar of white-gold light.
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This was not lightning.
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It was a decree.
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A judgment.
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An ending.
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The system's voice echoed one final time.
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[Ninth Great Heavenly Tribulation.]
[Permission requested for breakthrough.]
[Warning.]
[Breakthrough denied.]
[Human Form cannot be obtained.]
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"...Human?"
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Little one heard the words.
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But he had no chance to understand them.
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Because the Ninth Tribulation descended.
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And the world was swallowed by light.
This pain was different.
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The previous tribulations had destroyed his body.
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This one was destroying his very existence.
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His scales scattered into nothingness.
His muscles disintegrated.
His bones melted away.
His blood evaporated.
His heart ceased beating.
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Even the core of the Thousand-Year Centipede he had swallowed began to crack.
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Crack.
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Crack.
Crack.
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The vitality accumulated over centuries poured out uncontrollably.
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Snake could feel it.
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The energy was running out.
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The thing that had kept him alive until now was disappearing.
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For the first time...
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He truly believed he might die.
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Yet the heavens showed no mercy.
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The Ninth Tribulation continued to descend.
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Again.
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And again.
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Every trace of regeneration was immediately erased.
Every new cell was destroyed the moment it formed.
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Even the final remnants of the swallowed core began to fade.
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Vitality.
Yin.
Yang.
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Everything was dispersing.
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Finally...
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The core shattered completely.
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The centuries of accumulation belonging to the Thousand-Year Centipede vanished.
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Nothing remained to protect him.
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Then the final strike descended.
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BOOOOOOOM!!
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Young man crashed into the ground.
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Silence.
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A long silence.
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The clouds above slowly began to disperse.
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The tribulation was over.
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The serpent could not move.
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His body had become a ruin.
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But at that moment...
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A small vibration appeared where his heart should have been.
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Thump.
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Thump.
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Thump.
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It was not a heartbeat.
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It was something deeper.
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Throughout the entire tribulation, one thing had never been destroyed.
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His essence.
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The countless creatures he had hunted.
The Demonic Beasts he had devoured.
The battles he had survived.
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His desire to live.
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All of it began gathering toward a single point.
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For the first time...
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Yin and Yang reached perfect balance.
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The energy condensed.
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Compressed.
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Rotated.
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And finally...
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At the center of his chest, a black-and-white core appeared.
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A seed.
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His own seed.
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After a long silence, the System spoke once more.
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[Demonic Core successfully formed.]
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[Advancement to the Ancient Demon Realm successful.]
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[Human Transformation available...]
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[Title acquired: Guardian of the Spirit Forest.]
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[Excess stat accumulation detected.]
[Points will be distributed automatically.]
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[Warning...]
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[A suitable body for breakthrough is required.]
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[Evolution initiated.]
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[Failed.]
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[Retrying...]
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[Retrying...]
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[Retrying...]
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[Retrying... x13]
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[Superior evolution path unavailable.]
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[Secondary evolution route selected.]
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[New abilities acquired: ???, ???]
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[Existing abilities have evolved.]
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[Warning...]
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[Human Form], [Demon Body] and [Spiritual Form] have merged and evolved.
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Name: ???
Realm: Ancient Demon Beast
Species: Soul-Devouring Demon
Bloodline: Primordial Demon
Bloodline Purity: 0.01%
Title: Guardian of the Spirit Forest
Level: 100
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Stats
STR: 1000
HP: 980
DEX: 940
INT: 450
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Unassigned Points: 0
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Abilities
• Spiritual Senses
• Demon Fangs
• Thousand Poisons
• Demonic Maw
• Analysis
• Spiritual Communication
• Demon Eye
• Primordial Demon Body
• Noble Demon (Knight)
• ???
• ???
---
At last...
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The Heavenly Tribulation was over.
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The black clouds slowly dispersed.
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The distant roar of lightning finally faded away.
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For the first time in what felt like forever...
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The world became silent.
...
His body felt heavier than ever before.
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The young man slowly rose to his feet.
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Every movement felt unfamiliar.
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Strange.
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Awkward.
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As though he had borrowed someone else's body.
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But he paid little attention to it.
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His eyes were fixed on the world around him.
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The sight before him was horrifying.
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The forest was gone.
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For kilometers in every direction, there was nothing but devastation.
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Burned trees.
Shattered mountains.
Melted stone.
Blackened earth.
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The Nine Great Heavenly Tribulations had left only destruction behind.
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The young man stood there silently.
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For a long time.
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Then...
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The ground trembled.
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"...?"
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He froze.
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A faint pulse echoed from deep beneath the earth.
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Thump.
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Thump.
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Thump.
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It sounded like a heartbeat.
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As if the forest itself were alive.
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Then something impossible happened.
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Pale white lights began emerging from the soil.
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At first there were only a few.
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Then dozens.
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Hundreds.
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Thousands.
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The entire ruined land began to glow.
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Spiritual energy rose into the heavens.
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Then descended back to the earth.
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The cycle repeated endlessly.
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The young man's eyes widened.
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Burned trees began sprouting fresh green buds.
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Charred roots regained life.
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Broken branches fused together.
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It looked as though time itself was flowing backward.
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Within minutes...
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The destroyed forest began rebuilding itself.
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Yet this was not the same forest.
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Faint streams of light flowed beneath the bark of every tree.
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The leaves glimmered like stars in the night.
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The air itself shimmered with spiritual energy.
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Then another miracle occurred.
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A cluster of white light gathered nearby.
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Slowly...
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It took shape.
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A rabbit.
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Then a mouse.
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Then a bird.
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A wolf.
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A deer.
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Countless silhouettes emerged one after another.
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Creatures that had failed to escape the Heavenly Tribulation.
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Creatures that had died.
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Yet their souls had not dispersed.
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The immense spiritual energy was rebuilding them.
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Not as living beings.
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But as spirits.
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Translucent bodies wandered quietly through the newborn forest.
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There was no fear.
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No pain.
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Only peace.
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The young man stared blankly.
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Thousands of spirits walked among the glowing trees.
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At that moment...
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An invisible change occurred.
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Death itself had become part of this place.
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The destruction left behind by the Heavenly Tribulation had transformed into something entirely new.
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A sanctuary.
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A resting place.
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A home for wandering souls.
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And from that day onward...
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No one ever called this place by its former name.
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Because it no longer belonged to the living.
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It became known as...
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The Spirit Forest.
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...
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From that day onward, everything changed.
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At first, nobody noticed.
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A rabbit died.
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Torn apart by a wolf's fangs.
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Yet its soul did not disappear.
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Instead...
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An invisible force pulled it away.
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Across rivers.
Across mountains.
Across valleys.
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Until it finally arrived at the Spirit Forest.
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And joined the countless souls already gathered there.
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Then another creature died.
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And another.
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And another.
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As years passed, a strange truth became known.
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Whenever a creature died...
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Its soul would eventually find its way to the Spirit Forest.
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Weak beasts.
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Wild Demonic Beasts.
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Even powerful Demon Beasts.
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After death, their souls were unconsciously drawn toward the same destination.
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As though a hidden gate had opened somewhere within the world.
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And beyond that gate...
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Only the Spirit Forest existed.
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The number of souls grew rapidly.
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At night, countless lights drifted between the trees.
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Some called it a curse.
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Others called it a miracle.
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But nobody knew the truth.
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Not even the young man standing at the center of it all.
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He still hadn't realized...
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That the Primordial Demon Core inside his body was changing.
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Or that the Spirit Forest itself was connected to his existence.
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Yet one day, the entire world would learn a single truth.
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No matter where they died.
No matter how far they traveled.
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All souls eventually returned to the same place.
The Spirit Forest.
...
Thus began his life as the Guardian of the Spirit Forest.
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The first few days were... strange.
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The spirits liked him.
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The beast spirits liked him.
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Even some tree spirits had started following him around.
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But Young man was not happy.
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Because he was bored.
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Very bored.
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For the first time in his life...
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He was human.
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He wanted to talk to people.
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He wanted to see human cities.
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He wanted to explore the world.
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There were countless things he was curious about.
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After all...
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He had spent years living as a snake.
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"What could possibly go wrong if I take a short walk?"
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Thinking this, he headed toward the edge of the forest.
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He took one step.
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Then another.
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And stopped.
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"...?"
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His third step never landed.
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No matter how much he tried, his leg refused to move forward.
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As though an invisible wall stood before him.
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Snake frowned.
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Then tried again.
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Nothing.
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He changed direction.
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Still nothing.
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He gathered strength and charged forward.
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BOOM!
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He slammed face-first into a tree.
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The tree snapped in half.
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The invisible barrier remained untouched.
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"..."
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The young man stared blankly.
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Then the System finally spoke.
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[Warning.]
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[You have been designated as the Guardian of the Spirit Forest.]
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[The Guardian cannot leave the protected region.]
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"..."
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Young man froze.
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"...What?"
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[Explanation complete.]
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"..."
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"..."
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"When exactly did I agree to this?"
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The System did not answer.
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Snake stood there silently for a very long time.
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Then slowly sat down.
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For the first time in his life, he had become human.
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And for the first time in his life...
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He had been placed under house arrest.
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A few nearby spirits laughed.
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The young man glared at them.
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They immediately pretended nothing had happened.
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Several days passed.
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Snake tried leaving again.
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And again.
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And again.
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Every attempt ended in failure.
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One time he even tried digging underground.
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The barrier extended beneath the earth.
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Another time he attempted flying using spiritual energy.
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The barrier extended into the sky.
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"..."
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He spent the rest of the day lying on a tree branch.
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Questioning his life choices.
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Then one evening...
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The Spirit Forest suddenly trembled.
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A strange wave spread through the forest.
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One pulse.
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Then another.
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Then another.
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Nine in total.
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Snake immediately sat upright and transform to human.
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The spirits nearby scattered.
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Something powerful had entered the forest.
Very powerful.
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The mist between the trees parted.
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And enormous figures slowly emerged.
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Snow-white fur.
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Crystal-like antlers.
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Translucent hooves.
Nine majestic creatures stepped from the mist.
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Their presence alone caused flowers to bloom.
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Spiritual energy gathered around them naturally.
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Every spirit in the forest instinctively stepped aside.
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As though royalty had arrived.
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The leader finally stopped.
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Golden eyes locked onto Snake.
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Silence filled the forest.
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Then an old voice echoed directly inside his mind.
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"Human."
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"Where is the master of these lands?"
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"..."
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Snake blinked.
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"Who?"
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The leader of the Nine Ghost Deer paused.
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Then replied.
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"The Lord of the Spirit Forest."
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"..."
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"..."
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"I don't know."
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The answer came immediately.
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The deer stared.
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'Young man' shrugged.
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"I'm just someone who wants to go outside and socialize."
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The entire forest became silent.
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Even the wind stopped.
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One of the younger deer finally snorted.
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Unlike the others, he appeared far more expressive.
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And far less patient.
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"Socialize?"
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The mockery in his voice was obvious.
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"Who exactly do you think you're fooling?"
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Young man blinked.
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"What?"
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"The spiritual veins of this forest move with your breathing."
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"Every soul here reacts to your presence."
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"Even the trees bow toward you."
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"And you're telling us you're merely a traveler?"
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Snake thought for a moment.
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Then answered honestly.
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"Yes."
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"I really wanted to travel."
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"..."
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"..."
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The Nine Ghost Deer collectively lost faith in reality.
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The younger deer slowly lifted his head toward the heavens.
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As though asking for patience.
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The leader simply closed his eyes.
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For the first time...
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He began wondering if the Guardian of the Spirit Forest might actually be an idiot.
The younger deer stared at him for a long time.
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Then at the forest.
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Then back at him.
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Finally...
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He asked a question.
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"When was the last time you looked at yourself?"
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Snake frowned.
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"This morning?"
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"No."
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"I mean looked at yourself."
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"..."
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"What kind of question is that?"
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The young deer almost looked offended.
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Before he could answer, the leader stepped forward.
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His golden eyes narrowed.
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"Human."
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"What realm are you currently in?"
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Snake thought for a moment.
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Then answered.
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"Ancient Demon Beast."
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The nine deer nodded.
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That much made sense.
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Then 'human' continued.
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"I think."
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The deer stopped nodding.
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"...What do you mean 'I think'?"
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"Someone said something."
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"I wasn't really paying attention."
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"..."
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The Nine Ghost Deer collectively questioned their ancestors.
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At that exact moment...
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The Spirit Forest trembled.
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Once.
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Twice.
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Three times.
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A warning.
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The expressions of the deer changed immediately.
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The playful atmosphere vanished.
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The leader slowly turned toward the northern edge of the forest.
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His gaze darkened.
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"They found us."
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"Huh? Who?"
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The old deer answered quietly.
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"The Crow Court."
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Human tilted his head.
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"The what?"
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"The Soul-Eating Crows."
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"They feed on wandering spirits."
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"They devour souls."
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"They are looking places like this."
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The forest suddenly became silent.
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Countless spirits froze.
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Some began hiding behind trees.
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Others fled deeper into the forest.
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Fear spread everywhere.
---
Snake noticed it immediately.
---
"..."
---
He slowly stood up.
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The air became heavy.
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Very heavy.
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Far away...
---
Dark clouds appeared.
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No.
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Not clouds.
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Birds.
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Thousands of them.
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The sky darkened as black wings filled the horizon.
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The Soul-Eating Crows had arrived.
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The younger deer cursed.
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"There are more than before."
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"Much more."
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The leader's voice became grim.
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"They are testing the forest."
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"If we appear weak..."
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"They will return with their entire flock."
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The spirits trembled.
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Even the Ghost Deer looked tense.
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Only Young man seemed confused.
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He looked at the approaching swarm.
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Then at the frightened spirits.
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Then at the deer.
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Finally...
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He pointed at himself.
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"Do I have to do something?"
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The younger deer nearly exploded.
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"YOU ARE THE GUARDIAN!"
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"Oh i see... it makes sense."
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A pause.
---
"...Umm."
---
Another pause.
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"...How?"
---
The deer almost fainted.
---
At that exact moment the System intervened.
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[Warning.]
---
[The Spirit Forest is under threat.]
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[Guardian Authority Activated.]
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"...Guardian authority?"
---
The moment those words appeared...
---
The entire forest lit up.
---
Millions of motes of spiritual light rose from the ground.
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The trees glowed.
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The rivers glowed.
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The spirits glowed.
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Everything glowed.
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Then all of it rushed toward little human.
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BOOOOOOM!!
---
An invisible pressure exploded outward.
---
The sky shook.
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The earth trembled.
---
The incoming flock froze mid-flight.
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Every crow stopped moving.
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Silence.
---
Absolute silence.
---
Even Young man itself blinked.
---
"..."
---
"...What did I do?"
---
The System answered.
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[Domain Amplification.]
---
[Spirit Forest Authority: Active.]
---
[Current Power Output: 100000%.]
---
"..."
---
"...That seems excessive."
---
Far away...
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The leader of the Soul-Eating Crows looked down.
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For the first time in centuries...
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Fear appeared in its eyes.
---
Because standing at the center of the Spirit Forest...
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It no longer saw a young man.
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Behind him stood something enormous.
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A shadow.
---
A colossal silhouette stretching into the heavens.
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A black haired human.
---
No.
---
Something beyond a human.
---
Something older.
---
Something primordial.
---
Its golden eyes opened.
---
The entire sky seemed to freeze.
---
The Crow King turned around instantly.
---
"RETREAT!"
---
The flock scattered.
---
Thousands of crows fled in panic.
---
Within seconds...
---
The sky was empty.
---
The battle ended before it even began.
---
Little snake watched them leave.
---
Then scratched his head.
---
"..."
---
"That was easy."
---
The Nine Ghost Deer stared at him.
---
Then slowly lowered their heads.
---
Not out of respect.
---
Not out of admiration.
---
But because they finally understood.
---
This fool...
---
This absolute fool...
---
Was genuinely the master of the Spirit Forest.
---
And somehow...
---
He still had no idea how terrifying he actually was.
The forest remained silent for a long time after the crows fled.
---
The spirits slowly emerged from their hiding places.
---
One by one.
---
Cautiously.
---
As though afraid the terrifying pressure might return.
---
Young man stretched lazily.
---
Then sat down.
---
"Well."
"That solves that."
---
The Nine Ghost Deer stared.
---
The younger deer twitched.
---
"You almost frightened a Crow King to death."
---
"Oh."
---
"Was that important?"
---
"..."
---
"..."
---
Nobody answered.
---
The leader slowly exhaled.
---
At this point he had accepted reality.
---
The Guardian truly knew nothing.
---
Yet somehow possessed enough power to terrify ancient creatures.
---
Before anyone could speak again...
---
The System suddenly appeared.
---
[Guardian Authority recognized.]
---
[The Spirit Forest lacks official protectors.]
---
[Recommendation: Get Spirit Guardians.]
---
"..."
---
Snake squinted.
---
"What is a Spirit Guardian?"
---
[Individuals recognized by the Guardian.]
---
[Spirit Forest defenders.]
---
[Bound to the Spirit Forest.]
---
[Receive blessings.]
---
The younger deer froze.
---
The leader froze.
---
All nine deer froze.
---
Even the surrounding spirits froze.
---
Everyone understood what those words meant.
---
Everyone except Young man.
---
"Oh."
---
"That sounds useful."
---
The Nine Ghost Deer immediately became nervous.
---
Very nervous.
---
The leader stepped forward.
---
"Guardian."
---
"Naming carries power."
---
"It should be done carefully."
---
Snake nodded.
---
That sounded reasonable.
---
The deer relaxed slightly.
---
Then Snake spoke.
---
"I've already decided."
---
The deer immediately became nervous again.
---
The Guardian pointed at the first deer.
---
"You."
---
The white deer straightened proudly.
---
A powerful name.
---
Surely a powerful name was coming.
---
"Silver."
---
A beam of light descended.
---
BOOM!
---
The deer's body trembled.
---
Spiritual energy exploded around him.
---
His antlers grew larger.
---
The forest itself acknowledged the name.
---
The deer blinked.
---
"..."
---
"It actually worked."
---
Snake pointed at another.
---
"You."
---
The deer stood proudly.
---
"Cloud."
---
BOOM!
---
Another pillar of light.
---
The third deer.
---
"Mist."
---
BOOM!
---
The fourth.
---
"Moonlight."
---
BOOM!
---
The fifth.
---
"Dew."
---
BOOM!
---
The sixth.
---
"Wind."
---
BOOM!
---
The seventh.
---
"Ash."
---
BOOM!
---
The eighth.
---
"Whitehorn."
---
BOOM!
---
By now the entire forest was glowing.
---
Spiritual energy surged everywhere.
---
The Nine Ghost Deer had become significantly stronger.
---
The leader watched all of this happen.
---
Slowly.
---
Very slowly.
---
He developed a terrible feeling.
---
A truly terrible feeling.
---
Then Young man finally looked at him.
---
The leader swallowed.
---
The forest became silent.
---
Even the spirits stopped moving.
---
This was the strongest among them.
---
The oldest.
---
The wisest.
---
The future commander of the Spirit Guardians.
---
Surely he would receive a dignified title.
---
A legendary title.
---
A name worthy of his age and history.
---
Young man stared at his enormous antlers.
---
For a long time.
---
Then snapped his fingers.
---
"I got it."
---
The leader closed his eyes.
---
Preparing himself.
---
"Big Horn."
---
"..."
---
The forest stopped.
---
The wind stopped.
---
Even time seemed to stop.
---
The leader opened his eyes.
---
"...What?"
---
BOOOOOOM!!
---
A colossal pillar of light descended from the heavens.
---
The Spirit Forest shook.
---
Countless souls cheered.
---
The leader's body erupted with spiritual power.
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His antlers doubled in size.
---
His aura exploded.
---
Within seconds...
---
He became the strongest among all nine deer.
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The System's voice echoed throughout the forest.
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[Spirit Guardian successfully created.]
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[Big Horn appointed Commander of the Spirit Guardians.]
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[Spirit Forest Defense increased.]
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[Spirit Forest Stability increased.]
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[Spirit Forest Growth Rate increased.]
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The leader stood there silently.
---
For a very long time.
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Then he looked toward the heavens.
---
His eyes became moist.
---
"..."
---
"I waited over a thousand years."
---
"..."
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"And my sacred title became Big Horn."
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The other deer looked away.
---
None of them could bear to watch.
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The younger deer even placed a hoof on his shoulder.
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A gesture of sympathy.
---
Meanwhile...
---
Young man nodded proudly.
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"I think it's a great name."
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The System remained silent.
---
Even it seemed unwilling to comment.
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Thus...
---
The first Spirit Guardians of the Spirit Forest were born.
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And on that day...
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The legendary Commander Big Horn gained a title that would haunt him for the rest of his immortal life.
To be continued...
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