Knowledge gives birth to civilization.
And likewise—knowledge can destroy civilization.
The catastrophe arrived unnoticed.
The Crimson King had brought knowledge that did not belong to this world into this world.
Forbidden knowledge spread like a plague.
Mad whispers flooded the mind, ash-gray scales crawled across one's back.
Even the earth itself seemed drained of life, leaving behind only hopeless deathly silence.
Across the boundless Great Crimson Sand Sea, a group of scholars wearing the long robes of the Academy of Dawn walked across the dead desert.
A faint green glow shimmered from their bodies—eye-catching against the lifeless sand sea.
This was not the power of the King of a Thousand Trees, but the blessing bestowed by the Academy's all-knowing Great Sage.
"Gods… what happened here? These tribal corpses… it looks like they suffered inhuman torture before death. This one—he clawed his own head open…"
One scholar swallowed hard. Under the blazing sun, his throat felt drier, his scalp numb.
"So this is what the Great Sage warned us about? Good thing he had the foresight!" another scholar said in shaky relief after witnessing the horrifying sight.
"Let's keep going."
The team pressed forward.
They saw withered vegetation in what used to be an oasis.
Green life that once flourished in the desert had been drained in an instant.
"Record everything. Before this spreads to the rainforest, we must find a way to counter it!" The scholar's expression was grave as he wrote and analyzed.
"Careful—don't dig too deep into those things. That was the Great Sage's warning."
"Relax, I know. I don't want to die as miserably as they did."
The scholars moved cautiously.
They had all volunteered and been assigned to collect samples.
Each carried the Great Sage's blessing, allowing them to walk unharmed through the despair-ridden sands.
The deeper they went, the more oppressive the solitude felt.
Soon, they encountered desert dwellers.
These people clutched their heads, scraping at their spines, all bearing expressions of immense pain.
"We've confirmed it. Something is whispering in their minds. According to them… the murmurs are impossible to hear clearly. Whether they try to listen or try to ignore it—nothing works. The less clearly they hear it, the more their heads hurt, and the more twisted their minds feel… it's unbelievable. It sounds just like the… the evil gods the Great Sage once mentioned."
"Leader! The people growing scales—we've checked them too. This disease is strange!"
"What's strange?"
"It seems caused by elemental disorder, but the true source is still that weird stuff. Maybe my skills aren't enough. Could you take a look?"
"Alright."
"…Same as you said. But this disease only weakens and torments the body—they might still be savable."
"Really?!"
"Not sure. We'll need the healer-sages. If even they can't handle it, then only the Great Sage has a solution."
"What about the deeper scouting team? Any new findings?"
"None so far."
"Then let's return."
The scholars headed back toward the rainforest.
They passed a place called Aru.
Many desert people had gathered here.
Most were untainted—either long-time residents or those who frequently traded with the rainforest.
The scholars returned with grim news.
Gu Chen sighed after reading their report. "I underestimated these taboos after all."
He looked up and asked the team leader, "Is the rainforest threatened?"
"Great Sage… from what we found, this spreads like a plague. It's almost impossible to stop."
Gu Chen understood. He waved the man out.
When he was alone, his expression grew heavy.
At some point, Buer pushed open the door. Seeing Gu Chen deep in thought, she asked softly, "The situation is that bad?"
"Mhm."
Gu Chen nodded heavily.
Even the Lord of Wisdom, who foresaw all things, felt troubled.
"Will that proud king regret this?" Gu Chen murmured.
"To watch everything he built destroy his own kingdom, his own people, corrupt the land, and spill across the world… perhaps."
Buer's tone was strange, tinged with faint sorrow.
"Have you decided to act?" Gu Chen looked at her.
"Humans are innocent," she replied quietly.
"But wisdom itself will be wounded. We could turn away—but we won't."
"To knowingly walk into danger—
Isn't this why you chose me?" she said with a faint smile.
Gu Chen chuckled. "Yes. A compassionate Lord of Wisdom would never watch the world collapse without lending her hand. I support you."
Buer knew Gu Chen possessed strange power.
His blessing had allowed scholars to move through the desert unharmed—proof enough.
But that wasn't the point.
What mattered was that he never wavered, always standing beside her.
After arranging matters in the rainforest, the two set out for the desert.
Following Buer's method, Gu Chen gathered priests to construct several temples across the sands.
Buer infused each with divine life-power.
The temples formed chains that pierced and shackled the unseen calamity.
The spreading disaster was miraculously halted.
The desert dwellers who fled to Aru survived.
"This can only hold for now," Gu Chen murmured, watching the stagnated corruption. "Miracles never last…"
"Yes. As long as forbidden knowledge exists, it will remain this world's festering wound."
"With only you, it won't be enough," Gu Chen said. "Time for the madman who started this to take responsibility."
Buer nodded silently.
Together, they visited the Crimson King's dwelling—once a radiant capital, now drowned in despair.
On the divine throne, the Crimson King sat in silence.
His divine power seeped into the land.
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