The horizon was burning.
Jaehyun could see it from his field — smoke curling up from the far mountains like black claws against the sky. The wind that carried the scent of ash also carried something worse: mana. Heavy, warped, and hateful.
He tightened his grip on the shovel, eyes narrowing. "...That's not natural mana."
Behind him, the dryad baby whimpered. Her leaf halo dimmed, turning from green to pale yellow.
The plants around the farmhouse flinched. Leaves curled inward, flowers closed like fists. Even the soil shuddered — afraid.
Jaehyun had never felt that before.Nature itself trembling.
⚔️ The First Strike — The Monster Vanguard
The first attack came at noon.The tremors started small, like distant thunder. Then, from the northern forest, a wave of creatures emerged — not the usual beasts, but twisted forms of life.
They looked grown, not born — half plant, half animal, with glowing red veins and wooden armor. Their eyes burned like coals.
"Papa Green!" Bongyu shouted from the watchtower, voice shaking.
"There's something wrong with the forest! It's… moving!"
Jaehyun's gut twisted. "No," he muttered. "That's not the forest."
The monsters advanced with terrifying coordination — no chaos, no hunger-driven madness. They moved in patterns, almost military.
Then a voice echoed through the air, low and resonant.
"Human cultivation… has gone too far."
The voice wasn't coming from one creature. It came from all of them at once.
🌳 The Mind Behind the Horde
A figure stepped out from behind the monstrous ranks — tall, humanoid, skin like carved bark streaked with crimson sap. Its eyes glowed gold, intelligent, calculating.
"I am Eidros," it said. "Spore Sovereign of the Verdant Depths. We watched your kind burn our roots, poison our rivers, choke our air. Now…"Its gaze fixed on Jaehyun. "The cycle reclaims itself."
Jaehyun set the baby behind him, vines instantly forming a protective cradle."You want a cycle?" he muttered. "Then start by recycling yourself."
Eidros tilted its head. "You are not afraid."
"Oh, I'm terrified," Jaehyun said, leveling his shovel like a weapon. "I just don't have time to show it."
💥 Battle of the Green Haven
When Eidros raised a hand, the ground split open — and roots, black with corrupted mana, surged forward like serpents. The farmland shook, fences collapsing, trees writhing under the invasion.
Jaehyun slammed his shovel into the soil. "Verdant Field Protocol — activate!"
[Guardian Farmer Title — Resonance Surge Activated]
Radius: 800m
Mana Output: Linked to Emotional State
The crops responded instantly.The cornfields rose like soldiers, vines snapping forward, sunflowers turning their massive faces to blast light beams of condensed mana.
The air became a blur of green and red — nature fighting itself.
Jaehyun's eyes burned with determination. "You picked the wrong farmer to mess with."
🏙️ Elsewhere — Humanity Mobilizes
Across the continent, the human cities panicked. The Council declared a Mana War Emergency. Guilds scrambled. Entire divisions of magitech armies deployed toward the spreading corruption zone.
Broadcasts echoed across every mana tower:
"All units, brace for contact! The Spore Legion is advancing from the north! This is not a dungeon — this is an invasion!"
In the sky, fleets of airships began to converge. Some headed for Jaehyun's coordinates.
Jinwoo watched from his command bridge, jaw tight. "Damn it, Jaehyun… stay alive."
🌿 Back at the Farm — A New Instinct
Jaehyun fought like a man possessed. Every swing of his shovel unleashed bursts of raw green mana, vines snapping in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The baby, watching from her cradle of roots, began to glow brighter — her halo turning a deep, luminous emerald.
Then the system pinged:
[Seed of the Guardian — Awakening Phase: 1%]
Warning: Emotional Overload Detected.
"Not now!" Jaehyun shouted, ducking under a root that smashed into the barn.
But the baby's eyes opened — and the battlefield froze.
Every monster halted. The corrupted roots trembled. Even Eidros paused, its golden eyes widening slightly.
"So… you still exist," it whispered.
Jaehyun blinked. "You know her?"
Eidros's voice deepened, layered with old grief. "She was our mother."
🌲 When Both Sides Remember
The dryad baby raised her hand weakly — a tiny gesture. Green light flowed outward, washing across the field like wind through grass. Wherever it touched, the corrupted monsters hesitated, as if remembering something.
But the effect faded fast. The corruption fought back, hissing and burning the light away.
Eidros grimaced. "She cannot stop what was begun."
Jaehyun stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Then I will."
He swung the shovel again, striking the ground — a shockwave of pure mana rippled outward, splitting the earth in a glowing line between the farm and the invading horde.
[Boundary Established: Verdant Haven Sanctuary]
Eidros's voice echoed coldly. "You defend humanity. Yet they are the ones who created me."
"Yeah," Jaehyun spat. "And I'm the idiot trying to fix their mess."
🌩️ The War Expands
Far beyond the farm, reports poured in: cities overrun by sentient forests, rivers turning alive, mountain roots tearing through steel.
The war between humans and monsters had begun — not for dominance, but for survival.
And in the middle of it all stood one exhausted farmer with a baby goddess on his back, a shovel in his hand, and a world depending on him not to screw up breakfast.
Jaehyun looked toward the burning horizon and muttered,"Great. Now I'm not just babysitting the apocalypse… I'm farming through one."