Chapter 1 — The First Thorn
The wind moved gently through the tall grass outside the quiet village of Ling Grove.
Morning had just begun, and the world still felt peaceful.
Birds chirped among the trees. Farmers prepared their tools. Children ran along dusty roads laughing without worry.
But not everyone felt calm.
At the edge of the village, a young man stood alone near a small forest.
His name was Yi Kun.
He stared at the trees with quiet concentration.
Something… felt wrong.
Yi Kun slowly knelt down and placed his hand on the ground. Tiny green vines grew gently from the soil and wrapped around his fingers like curious snakes.
"Tell me," he whispered softly.
The vines trembled slightly.
Then they suddenly shrank back into the soil.
Yi Kun frowned.
"That bad, huh…"
For as long as he could remember, Yi Kun had possessed a strange ability. Plants responded to him. Vines, roots, leaves—they listened to him as if he were part of the forest itself.
But lately, the plants had been restless.
Fearful.
As if something deep in the wild was waking up.
The First Problem
Behind him, a familiar voice shouted.
"Yi Kun! There you are!"
Yi Kun stood up as a teenage boy ran toward him, breathing heavily.
It was Bo Lin, his childhood friend.
"You're supposed to be helping your father in the fields," Bo Lin complained.
Yi Kun looked back toward the forest.
"I was just checking something."
Bo Lin noticed his serious expression.
"What's wrong?"
Yi Kun hesitated.
"The forest feels… disturbed."
Bo Lin laughed.
"You say that every time a rabbit runs through the bushes."
But Yi Kun did not laugh.
The vines had never reacted like that before.
Suddenly—
A loud scream echoed from deeper inside the forest.
Both boys froze.
Another scream followed.
Bo Lin's smile disappeared instantly.
"…That didn't sound like a rabbit."
Yi Kun's eyes hardened.
"Stay here."
Before Bo Lin could argue, Yi Kun ran toward the trees.
Inside the Forest
The forest grew darker the deeper Yi Kun ran.
Branches scratched his arms as he pushed forward.
Then he saw them.
Two hunters were lying on the ground beside a broken cart.
And standing over them…
…was a creature.
It looked like a wolf.
But something was horribly wrong.
Its body was larger than any normal wolf. Black veins pulsed beneath its skin. Its eyes glowed with a sick green light.
The creature turned slowly.
And looked directly at Yi Kun.
Yi Kun's heart began pounding.
He had heard stories about these things before.
Soul Beasts.
Creatures born from corrupted spirit energy.
Normally they appeared deep inside the Jungle of Souls, far away from human villages.
They were never supposed to come this close.
The wolf-like beast growled.
A thin trail of green venom dripped from its fangs.
Yi Kun clenched his fists.
"I'm only Level 1…" he muttered.
The beast suddenly lunged.
Yi Kun jumped backward just in time as the creature crashed into the ground where he had been standing.
Its claws tore through the dirt easily.
Yi Kun's mind raced.
He had never fought a real Soul Beast before.
But he had no choice.
The vines beneath the soil began to respond to his fear.
Slowly… carefully… they moved.
Yi Kun raised his hand.
"Now!"
Thick thorn vines burst from the ground and wrapped around the beast's legs.
The wolf roared and struggled violently.
Yi Kun's eyes widened.
"It's stronger than I thought!"
The creature ripped one of the vines apart instantly.
Yi Kun stepped back.
Another vine shot forward and wrapped around the beast's neck.
But the wolf snapped it in half with its jaws.
Yi Kun realized something terrifying.
"I can't hold it…"
The beast broke free.
It charged again.
For a moment, Yi Kun thought he was going to die.
Then—
An arrow suddenly flew through the air.
THWACK.
The arrow struck the beast's shoulder.
The creature howled in pain and turned toward the trees.
Yi Kun blinked in surprise.
"…An archer?"
But the shooter was already gone.
The wolf beast staggered backward and fled deeper into the forest.
Silence returned.
Yi Kun stood there breathing heavily.
Slowly, he looked at the arrow stuck in the tree nearby.
It was beautifully crafted.
Far better than any hunter's arrow.
Someone skilled had fired it.
Someone who had just saved his life.
Yi Kun pulled the arrow from the tree and studied it.
"Who…?"
Far away, hidden on a distant hill, a young archer quietly lowered his bow.
His name was Kim Tae Kook.
And this was only the beginning.
Elsewhere…