Chapter 425: Confront and Protect (12)

The Witch of the Forest.

She was unlike any Dark Elf Cale had ever encountered.

Rustle, rustle—

Branches swayed and coiled around her like living serpents, constantly twisting and writhing.

Leaves.

Her hair was dark and beautiful like the night sky, yet unlike other Dark Elves, it wasn’t merely adorned with leaves—
they were growing from it.

– It’s hard to tell if she’s a Dark Elf or a plant.

As Super Rock commented, the Witch of the Forest’s appearance was truly unusual.

They say she has no name.

She was simply known as the Witch of the Forest.

“You’re the Creator, aren’t you?”

When she asked again, Cale looked straight at her.

“…”

“…”

Her eyes were as dark as a moonless night.

It was said she couldn’t see anything.

Yet she ruled over a territory—and an entire race—here in the dangerous Demon Kingdom.

Cale’s lips slowly parted.

“No.”

“Hm?”

She asked him about a Creator, so he answered honestly.

“I’m not the Creator.”

Cale’s voice carried a touch of disbelief.

“And I’m human.”

“Ha—”

The Witch of the Forest let out a soft sigh.

“So, you insist you are human, not the Creator?”

She looked genuinely bewildered.

“Then why do I sense absolute power from you?”

“…What?”

Cale, thrown off by the absurd question, retorted. The Witch of the Forest pondered for a moment before speaking.

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

Her shifting emotions stirred the leaves around her, making them tremble and fall.

“In truth, I have a secret I’ve never shared.”

“Hm?”

Cale’s expression stiffened.

His original plan had been simple: form an alliance with the Demon Kingdom through the Witch of the Forest, then head to the Demon World to rescue Choi Jung Gun and draw the Five-Colored Blood Family’s attention.

He had intended to leave the rest to Alberu, exchange a few polite greetings, and move on.

But things had taken an unexpected turn.

What the Witch of the Forest said next made him freeze.

“Since my earliest memories, I’ve been able to see the essence of things.”

Rustle.

Her fingers did not move. Instead, one of the branches around her extended forward, pointing at Alberu.

“For example, this person is a player.”

Then the branch lifted toward the sky.

“And this world is a game.”

…Oh.

Cale immediately realized the Witch of the Forest was another variable—like the Dark Phantom, Count Lupe.

“Not only that, but I also know this world is changing.”

“Hm.”

Alberu, standing nearby, let out a quiet sigh.

“This world was originally made of numbers. Combinations of 0s and 1s.”

Cale was genuinely startled by her words.

“Seeing the essence made surviving here easy. I could always find bugs and solutions. But I was fine playing the role this game gave me, as long as it allowed me and my race to live peacefully.”

Perhaps the Witch of the Forest was even more remarkable than Count Lupe. She didn’t see a virtual reality—she saw the system itself.

“But now, everything here feels more and more like a real world to me.”

She extended her hand.

Rustle—

Branches wrapped around her like flowing strands of life.

“These trees are real now too.”

The Witch of the Forest—this elderly woman—smiled softly.

“This means my life is becoming real.”

She wasn’t born; she was created.

Her purpose had been predetermined.

Her mission wasn’t destiny but an assigned role.

But now, all of that was changing.

“I’m no longer a created being. I finally have the chance to exist by my own will.”

She could live a real life.

For the Witch of the Forest, who had spent countless years alone imagining such a possibility, that hope was now close enough to touch.

“How could I miss this chance?”

She absolutely couldn’t let it slip away.

The Witch of the Forest wanted this world to become truly real.

But—

“You mentioned the God of Chaos, didn’t you?”

Her expression changed.

She did not want this world to fall into chaos.

“That night, when the God of Chaos appeared, I saw this world become more real… but I also sensed an immense power trying to invade. That must have been the power of the God of Chaos.”

So, when she sent scouts, she had dispatched not only her most trusted aides but also powerful warriors.

“At that moment, I realized that presence was divine.”

That overwhelming force.

A force that seemed capable of tearing through the world’s walls.

“Starting a few years ago, I began sensing a similar presence.”

Cale froze the moment he heard those words.

What?

She had sensed something similar to the God of Chaos?

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

“That presence grew stronger… heavier. A silent frenzy, it reminded me of a storm yet to come.”

And that storm—

“It felt like an impending disaster.”

The Witch of the Forest had borne this fear alone.

She had never revealed her abilities to those around her.

She acted like an ordinary NPC.

“I knew only I could sense this disastrous presence, but I couldn’t say anything.”

The reason was simple.

“Because I was made different from the start. I realized that if I were discovered, I might disappear.”

Ah.

Hearing that, Cale finally understood how he should view the Witch of the Forest.

She wasn’t a variable.

Nor was she an awakened being like Count Lupe.

She was simply a bug. One that had existed as an error from the moment she came into being.

“I was afraid of being discovered, of being replaced, so I stayed cautious and silent.”

The Witch of the Forest had hidden herself perfectly.

She never revealed the world’s secrets to anyone, enduring her inner turmoil alone.

She could only watch as everything moved around her, unable to tell people that their lives might not be real.

But now, she felt compelled to speak.

“That’s why I’ve always feared yet waited for the Creator’s arrival.”

Because the Creator would be the one who truly understood her existence.

“Despite that immense power growing stronger, the Creator didn’t act. That means the Creator either couldn’t locate that power… or was powerless against it.”

She raised her hand and pointed in a direction.

“When this child came to me, I realized the Creator knew of my existence.”

She pointed at Alberu Crossman.

Alberu had visited her with a mission—

to become the first emperor of the Dark Elves.

And that mission had been given by the system.

Just like the Hero mission.

Ah.

Cale finally understood the full picture.

The system…that guy—

It must have been hiding from the Transparent Operator’s gaze, working alone.

The Witch of the Forest looked directly at Cale.

“I sense the Creator’s power in you.”

“Ah.”

Cale understood now.
The Creator she spoke of wasn’t a god or a being—it was the system itself.
In fact, Creator was a more fitting term for it than anything else.

Could she have sensed the Red Hand?

The Red Hand.

The punishment the system could issue to anyone who broke the rules of the game.

“The Creator shared its power with me.”

At Cale’s words, the Witch of the Forest reacted sharply.

“Then… are you on the Creator’s side?”

“Yes.”

Cale answered briefly, then approached her.

“Witch of the Forest.”

The immense, frenzied power she had sensed—

“Which direction is that power coming from?”

She had recognized its existence only after sensing the power of the God of Chaos.

“Where is the divine power you felt coming from?”

The Witch of the Forest had sensed divine power.

And there was only one being that could match that description.

The Absolute God.

Without a doubt, she was referring to that presence.

Cale hadn’t been able to pinpoint the Absolute God’s location, but now—finally—he had a lead.

The Witch of the Forest spoke.

“The West.”

Her branches extended, pointing toward the west.

An immense power was gathering there.

“That presence kept growing… then it stopped expanding and only grew more frenzied.”

The presence ceased expanding, but the aura within it grew stronger.

Combined with the information that the Absolute God was about to be born, what the Witch of the Forest sensed was indeed the Absolute God’s aura.

“That frenzied terror is indescribable.”

Rustle.

Her leaves, branches, and even her fingers trembled faintly.

“I wanted to inform the Creator of this power, so I waited. I believed the Creator would recognize my existence and come find me.”

The system itself didn’t know the Absolute God’s location.

The Transparent Company—no, the Transparent Blood and the Five-Colored Blood—had hidden the Absolute God more deeply than anything else.

It was their greatest asset.

Naturally, it would be hidden where no one could reach it.

But a bug knew.

“You found the right person, Miss Witch of the Forest.”

Cale asked quietly:

“That power belongs to the Absolute God. Once that god is born, this will no longer be the world you live in.”

“I see.”

The Witch of the Forest nodded with a calmness that suggested she already expected as much.

“To pinpoint the exact location, I must leave this place and head toward that presence. But I’ve never left the Demon Kingdom.”

She feared being discovered.
Feared being erased.

Though she didn’t say the rest, it wasn’t hard to infer.

“You need a guide, don’t you?”

“Yes. And someone who can hide my existence.”

Exactly.

The Witch of the Forest had to stay hidden.

If the Transparent Blood Family’s operators discovered a bug, they would erase her without hesitation.

It was already a miracle she had survived this long.

Even though she hid her true nature well, she was still one of the four leaders of the Demon Kingdom.

Her status wasn’t low—
and the operators could have easily detected her as a bug at any time.

But they didn’t.

There was only one explanation.

Cale looked into the empty air.

“You heard that, didn’t you?”

He was speaking to the system.

The system hid the Witch of the Forest.

The system had deliberately preserved this bug.

It had even assigned Alberu a mission that required using her.

“You should know the answer.”

A system like that would surely understand exactly what the Witch of the Forest needed.

Zrrt—

Cale’s vision began to distort.

[#$%$—]

Unreadable text flickered into view.

Under the Transparent Company’s strict surveillance, the system had become more cautious and more secretive.

Of course, its control, however, had grown even stronger.

[#$%$ Mission: Escort the Witch of the Forest out of the realm, hiding the bug #%#%]

It conveyed its intent to Cale with clearer language than before.

“Alright, then issue the mission.”

Zzt—

The air warped faintly.

“Hm.”

Alberu seemed to sense something.

[Hero Mission!]

A prompt appeared before Alberu.

[Hero’s Companion Mission!]

The same window appeared before Cale.

But the content was identical.

[Escort the Witch of the Forest to her destination.]

[Time Limit: None]

“Hm?”

“Ah?”

Choi Han and Rosalyn received the same Hero’s Companion mission.

“Huh?”

Raon tilted his head.

[Hero’s Companion Mission!]

Of course, Raon received it as well.

The companions of the Hero, Alberu Crossman, now included Cale, Choi Han, Rosalyn, and Raon—
a total of four.

“This place will be handled by me and Miss Rosalyn.”

“We’ll avoid the wanderers’ eyes and move discreetly. The Dark Elves will cooperate fully.”

Alberu and Rosalyn, who would remain in the Demon Kingdom, spoke firmly.
Cale nodded and turned to leave.

“Let’s go.”

After making their preparations, they set off.

Eruhaben, Raon, Choi Han, and Heavenly Demon stood by his side.

“First to the Seventh Evil, then through Aipotu to the Demon World.”

The Demon World.

He had to meet Choi Jung Gun.

Of course, he’d pick up Choi Jung Soo on the way and reunite with his long-lost team leader, Soo Hyuk.

But what have those guys even been doing lately?

They didn’t seem to be helping Representative Choi Seon-hee on the Earth 3 either.
They said they were investigating the God of Chaos, but—
what exactly were they doing?

* * *

Cale frowned as he left the Demon Kingdom and entered the Seventh Evil.

And there—

Flap, flap!

A tiny baby dragon—smaller than Raon, almost palm-sized—fluttered over to him.

“Nya!”

Hong puffed out his chest proudly and announced:

“Our youngest is flying so well now!”

On, standing nearby, smiled warmly at the Dragon-half blood, Eden Miru.

“Hm.”

Cale noticed the faint disillusionment on Eden Miru’s face but pretended not to.
Instead, he turned to greet the human standing quietly to the side.

“So, how’ve you been?”

Clopeh Sekka smiled brightly and replied:

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

His eyes sparkled.

“You’ve created another legend.”

– Human! Human!

Raon’s anxious voice brushed against Cale’s thoughts.

– Clopeh Sekka’s eyes are all sparkly!

Of course, Cale knew.

Looking at Clopeh’s expression — practically trembling with excitement, as if begging to speak —
Cale felt his heart tighten.

He was genuinely a bit scared.

 -----
P/R Thoughts: Cale gains a vital lead on the Absolute God from the Witch of the Forest—only to be immediately confronted by Clopeh’s reverent, terrifyingly sparkling eyes.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]