“Give it here, Lina. I have to go now.” Seong-Hwi rushed Lina, who was frantically fiddling with her Microscope of Truth.

“Wait... Five more minutes... No, one more minute... One more second...”

“That’s one second. Hand it over.”

“I can’t believe you’re taking it away so soon!”

Lina took her eyes off the microscope’s eyepiece and glared at Seong-Hwi like a child whose lollipop was taken away. Her reddish eyes were watery.

“Are you crying?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“Oh, I didn’t want to waste time blinking, so... Urgh,” Lina mumbled as she took off her glasses and blinked repeatedly, using her fingers to move her eyelids. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Seong-Hwi stared at her pitifully and outstretched his arm, saying, “Hand it over.”

“Tch! Here.”

Lina stared at Seong-Hwi’s hand as if it were her mortal enemy. She grabbed the Earthquake Stone Fragment on the microscope stage and placed it on Seong-Hwi’s hand.

“Did you find out anything?” Seong-Hwi asked.

Lina shook her head and answered, “Components, unknown. Effects, unknown. Unknown, unknown, unknown... I didn’t get to find out a single thing.” She glared at the Race Stone fragment in frustration.

Seong-Hwi nodded and thought, It would’ve been more shocking if she discovered the Race Stone’s secrets in that short time.

Even though Lina was a genius among geniuses, the task itself was impossible from the outset. However, Lina’s following words caught Seong-hwi’s attention.

“Huuu... But I came up with a strong hypothesis,” she said.

“A strong hypothesis?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“Yeah. If it’s true, it explains a lot.”

Lina’s hypotheses tend to be correct, Seong-Hwi thought.

She possessed extraordinary insight, enabling her to arrive at conclusions, skipping the process to get there.

Seong-Hwi anticipatedly asked, “What hypothesis?”

“If I had to name it... Race Stone, the Primordial Copy, I guess?”

“What?” Seong-Hwi asked, unable to understand.

Lina explained, “Back then, you told me that after you fell into an involuntary trance, you were able to use the race skills of other races.”

“Yeah, so?”

“And then, I told you that you might have peeked into the master copy.”

“You... did. Something about backtracking the countless copies and reaching the master copy,” Seong-Hwi remarked, recalling what Lina had told him back then.

Lina nodded, her cheeks slightly red. “It’s all thanks to you that I could come up with such a hypothesis. What if the Race Stone of each race holds that race’s primordial copy?”

“Uhh... What?”

“How do you not understand this shocking hypothesis?” Lina noticed that Seong-Hwi did not fully understand what she meant and shouted, “The first ever DNA molecule! The first ever mutation that was born from the primordial soup, overcoming a one-in-a-trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion... In any case, an unfathomably low chance!”

She clenched her small fists and continued, “What if a Race Stone holds that primordial copy? You could call it a race’s past, present, and future!”

Seong-Hwi stared at the Earthquake Stone Fragment and checked its description.

[Earthquake Stone Fragment

Description: A small fragment of the Earthquake Stone. It holds the past, present, and future of the race Subterranean.]

The primordial copy? Seong-Hwi thought.

Lina quick-fired, “I’ve always been curious about how an entire race could be subordinated by seizing their Race Stone. This hypothesis can explain it. The primordial copy is being manipulated!”

“Manipulating... the primordial copy?”

“Yeah! For example... the fairies’ Race Stone. The genetic information that fairies must submit to dragons is added to the primordial copy held by the Race Stone.”

Seong-Hwi’s mouth slowly widened.

Lina continued, “I’m sure the primordial copy is linked to the duplicates—in other words, the entities that hold the duplicates! Changing the primordial copy also changes the duplicates!”

“Are you saying... the primordial copy goes beyond awakening one’s ancestral traits and allowing them to use race skills?” Seong-Hwi asked.

Lina crossed her arms and said, “Race skills? Are you kidding me? If this hypothesis is true, it goes way beyond that!”

“What?”

“If this hypothesis is taken further, the duplicates can be deciphered to reach the original. Just like how your Wings of Evolution peeked into the primordial copy, if it can be read in full and replicated...” Lina gulped and continued, “We might be able to... create a Race Stone.”

Chills ran throughout Seong-Hwi’s body.

***

Seong-Hwi walked down the street with a serious expression, but it was not the familiar environment of the Capital. Around him were destroyed Portuguese architecture, asphalt roads that had been reduced to powder, and other things that showed the city had fallen once before.

He was in Manaus, a human city on the edge of Forestis’s fourth zone. Seong-Hwi could imagine the tragedy that had unfolded here from the countless holes in the ground.

He mumbled, “Create a Race Stone? That’s complete nonsense.”

Lina’s words swirled hectically inside his head.

“I should hurry with the experiments to awaken the ancestral traits by force. You’re going to Forestis, right? Collect as many—”

“Seong-Hwi. Seong-Hwi!” someone called from beside him, interrupting his thoughts.

Seong-Hwi turned and saw a caped man with dark brown skin and curly hair, looking at him worryingly.

“Oh, Leo,” Seong-Hwi responded.

“Are you okay? You’ve been a bit off since earlier.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“About this mission?”

“You could say that.”

Seong-Hwi had taken on the mission to infiltrate Elvenheim and confirm Kang-San’s status as quickly as possible. If he were captured, they would rescue him and retreat. If not, they would regroup with him and continue the mission.

Remy and Bong-Seong suggested that Seong-Hwi go with as many Rankers as possible, but Seong-Hwi refused. Not only would teammates he had never worked with before be a nuisance, but a mission like this was more fit for a small elite force, or just himself. Hence, he had only brought along Leo, a trustworthy reserve, to Manaus after crossing several warp gates.

Seong-Hwi shook his head to chase away Lina’s words and thought, Even Lina said it was only a hypothesis. It’s not like my thinking will make a breakthrough. This is Lina’s field of expertise.

Leo stopped in his tracks and said, “I think we’re here.”

Seong-Hwi turned and saw a giant building made of pink and white bricks, and the dome ceiling of French ceramic tiles. The classical Italian building was the Amazonas Theatre, the representation of Manaus’s heyday during the rubber boom. However, its beauty was reduced severely because the part of the building facing east was half destroyed.

“Let’s head inside. The faster we’re briefed, the quicker we can formulate a plan,” Seong-Hwi said as they walked toward the Amazonas Theatre.

He thought, Lina will do what she does best, and I will do the same.

He set aside Lina’s theory to a corner of his mind and focused on reality.

***

Seong-Hwi and Leo were guided to a terrace on the second floor, where they could see the stage clearly.

“Greetings, Record Breaker, Master Cheon Seong-Hwi.”

They turned around and saw a smiling black man in shorts and a T-shirt. He was fairly robust, had short hair, and a machete at his waist.

“I am Henri Konan, the master of Clan Cocoa Farm, dispatched to Manaus. Please call me Konan,” Konan said as he brought his hand forward.

Seong-Hwi shook his hand and thought, What is this? I feel a strange sense of familiarity.

Seong-Hwi thought for a moment and responded, “Henri Konan, forty-eighth in the human ranking, the Black Reaper of Cote d’Ivoire. You’re a conservative faction Ranker, correct? Nice to meet you.”

Konan smiled relaxedly and waved his hand. “Let’s not talk about ranks. I almost pissed my pants seeing you at the Ranker meeting. Seeing you at only 143rd tells me the ranking bureau isn’t doing its job.”

Leo smiled from beside Seong-Hwi and remarked, “I’m sure the ranking bureau is having a hard time, too. He’d surely place within the top ten, but it’s full right now.”

“And you are?” Konan asked as he stared at Leo.

“I’m Le-Yeyo. You probably haven’t heard of me. It hasn’t been that long since I’ve come into the light.”

“Oh, you must be an Irregular.” Konan nodded slowly and turned to Seong-Hwi again. “You wish to know the current situation in Forestis, correct? Sir Bong-Seong asked me to help you however I can.”

“I will be in your care, then,” Seong-Hwi said.

“Before that... there is someone I’d like you to meet,” Konan said as he looked behind him. An Asian man staggered out from behind a pillar. Konan continued, “He is Wang Chen. He used to be a guide for Clan Spirit Tours. He should be helpful to you.”

***

Wang Chen was scrawny, had bald spots throughout his head, and his eyes were sunken deeply. He explained what had happened in Forestis in a hoarse voice.

“A clash between Ellaim, the water spirit monarch, and Insectum, the Insect King, huh?” Seong-Hwi remarked.

He mumbled inwardly, Events are playing out similarly to my past life.

Insectum had a confrontation with the spirits in his past life as well. But of course, their clash had moved up as much as the World Tree War, which had occurred four years earlier than it should have.

The world quests, Lumber the World Tree and Kill Insectum, appeared in my past life as well. Does that mean they’re related somehow?

As Seong-Hwi was thinking, Leo asked Wang Chen, “That aside, you are quite impressive to have returned alive amidst a battle between Ellaim and Insectum.”

“Returned alive, huh?” Wang Chen mumbled as fierce resentment and wrath lingered in his black eyes. “Can you call... running away by myself... after losing eleven of my brothers... being alive?”

Leo remained silent, realizing he had touched a nerve.

Konan smiled kindly as he intervened, “Now, now. Allow me to continue the explanation. As you’ve heard, the Insect King’s charge began from the third zone, and he is heading straight to Elvenheim, where the World Tree is.”

“Are you saying the Insect King is targeting the World Tree?” Leo asked.

Konan shrugged and replied, “We don’t know. According to the Kill Insectum quest, he has become a Chaos. He might not be himself.”

“Not himself?”

“Even now, he is traversing Forestis as he annihilates everything in his path. He’s practically creating a freeway straight through this thick forest.”

Insectum was the Tenth Fiend; not many could stop such a monster’s charge through Forestis.

“The elves of Sefirot are clashing against him to stop his charge, but they are no match for him. On top of that, Echion, Redeo, Necrophilia, Orbis, Barbaria, and other terrifying groups are occupying this forest. I get chills just from hearing their names.”

“Hmm...” Leo expressed.

Seong-Hwi’s expression stiffened.

Konan spread his arms outward and continued, “At the very least, the Sēmen has prohibited the Ten Lords and Fiends from entering Forestis. Oh, but other World Rankers have received no such restrictions. Some are likely in this forest.”

“Like who?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“I do not know exactly. I’m sure you know... the state of humanity’s information network.”

Seong-Hwi clicked his tongue. Information exchange was highly developed among humans through the Network, but such information was limited to the fourth zone and lower. They had no access to events in the inner zones.

“In short... Forestis is currently an arena. Even if we try to avoid confrontation as we travel... I cannot guarantee we will reach Elvenheim. Even if we do reach it, that’s a whole other issue. After all, we can’t get in.”

“I’ll take care of that myself. All I need is to get to Elvenheim,” Seong-Hwi said.

Konan stared at him in silence and nodded. “Well, alright. That’s what I have Wang Chen here for.”

Seong-Hwi and Leo turned to Wang Chen, who said drearily, “As mentioned before, I used to be a guide for Clan Spirit Tours. I know Forestis better than anyone. I’ll be your guide.”

“Can you get us to Elvenheim?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“I can. I’ve never been there myself since it’s in the fifth zone, but I know the way there.”

Seong-Hwi nodded in satisfaction and thought, Lee Bong-Seong sure has put out all the stops.

Time spent would be drastically reduced with a guide who knew Forestis like the back of their hand.

Konan looked at Seong-Hwi and cautiously remarked, “We at Cocoa Farm were planning to help you as well, but—”

“That’s not a good idea. Three people are already too many,” Seong-Hwi said.

Konan shook his head as if it couldn’t be helped.

Seong-Hwi turned back to Wang Chen and asked, “Wang Chen, was it? Why did you volunteer to be a guide? I’m sure you don’t want to go back to the place where your comrades died. Is it to pay respects?”

“Seong-Hwi!” Leo shouted from beside him.

However, Seong-Hwi did not budge. He needed to know Wang Chen’s intentions if he was going to take him along.

Wang Chen remained silent momentarily and answered, “Pay respects, huh? Something like that. My comrades are all dead, so I have a duty to do so.” He clenched his bony fists and continued, “Insectum... emitted Chaos Mana everywhere. My brothers were corrupted by it... and became Bodies where they died. Their bodies are covered in flies and maggots.”

Seong-Hwi and Leo remained silent.

Wang Chen continued, “Seeing that, I... was so scared that... I crawled on the ground like a worm... and ran away.”

“So, are you saying you’ll face Insectum to avenge them or something?”

“What if I am? Will you not take me with you?” Wang Chen asked as he stared at Seong-Hwi daringly, expecting Seong-Hwi to say it was suicide or that he was moronic.

However, Seong-Hwi simply smiled after confirming Wang Chen’s pure motive.

He responded, “Good. We’ll be in your care on the way, guide.”