At that moment, the San Guild, which hurriedly exited the Elf Great Forest gate, gathered at the nearby San Guild branch of the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute.
Originally, they had gone there to recover fragments from the Elf Great Forest, but instead of engaging in a proper battle or recovering the fragments, they were incapacitated the moment they entered the forest, being blindsided by Nugeo River Green and Green.
Despite deciding to retreat to handle the aftermath of the research institute, which had been terrorized by pigeons, the outcome was disastrous.
They lost not only all the capital and confidential items invested by the San Guild but also the fragments of the Demon Lord that were supposed to be stored in the underground research lab.
The executives of the San Guild led by Cheon Danaa were powerful individuals, with most being on the verge of S-grade or already classified as S-grade Hunters.
Even if they tried to intercept the birds carrying the Spirit Nukes with all their might, they became trapped in the Elf Great Forest, lagging behind while chasing a flock of pigeons. With multiple factors in play, it was impossible to shoot down the massive flock of pigeons that obscured the sky.
They managed to catch a few giant pigeons, but ultimately, the pigeons that escaped the forest began dropping mysterious corn kernels one by one onto Chinese soil, causing a tremendous forest to rapidly grow in those areas.
As soon as Cheon Danaa and the high-ranking executives of the San Guild exited the Elf Great Forest to chase the remaining pigeons, the gate of the Elf Great Forest locked again. The vast wooded area that had appeared on the southern outskirts of the Gobi Desert began spreading, covering all the paths leading to the Qingzhou Wanshe Industrial Complex.
It would have been better if it ended there, but the Spirit Nukes disguised as corn affected even the top-secret underground research facility of the Chinese government.
No, it wasn’t just an influence.
The research institute, the industrial complex, and even the initial enchantment research facility located underground were overrun by the trees and vines generated by the Spirit Nukes.
From the outside, it would appear as if a beautiful forest had grown, hiding the fact that a massive disaster had occurred.
While disasters and terrorism typically bring destruction and chaos, the Elf Spirit Nukes were cunningly specialized in blocking and restricting human access.
However, given the countless secret researches and their results stored in the underground facility, coupled with the Spirit Nukes’ characteristic of absorbing life force, a far more monstrous forest began to grow underground, powered by the immense vitality and mana involved.
Thanks to the life forces of many monsters held in the confidential research facilities underground and the life forces of experimental subjects that violated international law, there was no lack of life force to fuel the Spirit Nukes, meaning no people had died.
However, both the Chinese government and the numerous Hunter guilds that supported the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute suffered irreparable and severe losses, particularly the San Guild, which had been the largest investor in the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute and had even requested research on the Demon Lord’s fragments.
“I can’t stand this anymore! We have to kill all those forest guardians!”
The executives of the San Guild, who had returned to the headquarters in Shanxi Province, were filled with rage.
“At this point, we have more than enough reason to declare total war! The party has suffered countless losses, hasn’t it?”
“Right. This has crossed the line. Even if there are no casualties, it’s no different from a terrorist attack on critical facilities.”
“Disgusting bastards… Do they think this planet is their land? How dare foreigners…!”
The executives of the San Guild were composed of A-grade and above Hunters, all just shy of S-grade.
Endowed with a strong sense of self-esteem and pride, they took immense pride in being executives of the San Guild, which protected Shanxi Province.
Given these circumstances, it was only natural for them to feel enraged, especially after being soundly beaten and forced to flee the Elf Great Forest without being able to hold a proper fight with the Elves. To make matters worse, the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute—which was of utmost importance to the San Guild—had been completely destroyed.
If things ended there, they could at least consider it a relief, but the Elf Spirit Nukes disguised as corn also affected the underground research facility, one of the government’s most closely guarded secrets.
And it wasn’t just a minor impact.
It had resulted in the annexation of the research institute, the industrial complex, and even the initial enchantment research facility underground by the trees and vines created by the Spirit Nukes.
From the outside, it might look like a picturesque forest had sprung up, but the great disaster that had truly occurred was hidden away.
Disasters usually bring fire and destruction, but the Elf Spirit Nukes had cleverly specialized in blocking and preventing human access.
Yet, the countless secret experiments and their results stored in the underground research lab were infused with immense life force and mana. As the Spirit Nukes absorbed life force for extensive forest terraforming, a more monstrous forest than on the surface began to take shape underground.
Thanks to the life force of numerous monsters and experimental subjects violating international law, there was no shortage of vitality to empower the Spirit Nukes, ensuring that no humans had died.
However, the Chinese government and the numerous Hunter guilds supporting the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute had suffered an almost unrecoverable amount of damage, particularly the San Guild, as they were the largest investors and had also requested research on the Demon Lord’s fragments.
“I can’t take this anymore! We need to annihilate those tree guardians!”
The San Guild executives, back at their headquarters in Shanxi Province, were filled with rage.
“This is more than enough reason to declare total war! The party has taken significant hits, hasn’t it?”
“True. This crosses the line. Even if there are no casualties, this is similar to a terrorist attack on critical facilities.”
“Those filthy bastards… Do they think Earth is their land? How dare outsiders…!”
The San Guild executives were composed of A-grade and above Hunters, many of whom were just shy of S-grade.
With a very strong sense of self-esteem and pride, they also held immense pride regarding their role as executives of the San Guild protecting Shanxi Province.
So, it was natural for them to be enraged considering they couldn’t even touch the Elves and were soundly beaten; to add insult to injury, they had lost the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute, which they considered vital.
Particularly, the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute was a significant loss as it was where the San Guild had invested massive capital and stored fragments.
“Master, we need a campaign of annihilation!”
“Yes!”
“Now is the perfect time to utilize the fragments’ power!”
After one executive’s words, Cheon Danaa quietly sipped her tea.
It seemed that her life force had been consumed quite a bit while saving the executives from the Great Forest, as the taste of the tea was unusually special.
“Master, we’ve been training for this moment! We’ve also subdued the fragments and trained our bodies to the point we can synchronize with their power!”
“It’s time to reap our rewards.”
“Indeed, why else would we have trained?”
“It’s time to decide, ignoring international relations! They have insulted and harmed us, so there’s no reason not to go to total war!”
“With our strength, even if it’s Elves…!”
“Huh…”
However, in contrast to her enraged executives, Cheon Danaa only quietly and elegantly sipped her tea.
Clink.
Swirl…
Having finished her tea, Cheon Danaa without any fuss, began pouring herself new tea, not providing even a word in response to her executives.
“Ma-Master!”
“A decision is needed quickly!”
“We must show those damn Elves, who have mocked us and our land, what we’re capable of…!”
“Silence.”
“….!”
When Cheon Danaa finally spoke, her voice was icy cold.
Only then did the executives realize.
Cheon Danaa wasn’t ignoring them or sipping her tea absentmindedly; rather, she was maintaining her composure and gathering her thoughts to assess the situation coolly.
While all else exploded with rage, and they seethed with fury against the Elves who had bestowed upon them such a tremendous humiliation, Cheon Danaa remained calm and quietly composed, like a chilled wind from the north rather than a volcanic eruption.
As the chief of the San Guild protecting Shanxi Province and the owner of the world’s largest guild, she aimed to grasp the situation as objectively as possible.
Fueled with ambitions to manipulate the fragments rather than be devoured by them, Cheon Danaa was quietly and coldly seething with her latent fury.
“The party has given orders.”
The executives gulped at Cheon Danaa’s words.
“Cease further hostilities.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean…?”
“Ugh!”
“No, no… What does this even mean?!”
“It means we’re merely a test case.”
Cheon Danaa blew on the steaming tea.
“From the party’s perspective, if we could have invaded the Elf Great Forest and subdued the Elves, it would have been splendid. However, the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute has been precisely struck—not only the Gobi Desert but also the nearby industrial complex. Consequently, the state-secret research facility is now entirely buried in the overgrown forest. We’ve now lost the fragments of the Demon Lord that we were supposed to recover, not to mention the research on the elixirs that were being conducted to secure longevity for the high-ranking party members. From the onset, the party commanded us indirectly through a method of delegation. Even if we managed to subdue the Elf Great Forest, the credit would be claimed by the party. Conversely, if things went south, they would shift all the blame onto us.”
“So they wish to dump the responsibility on us?!”
“Actually, this works in our favor! This gives us a pretext to launch total war against the Elves!”
“On the contrary, the party has taken the pretext for themselves.”
“Pardon?”
Cheon Danaa took a sip of her tea.
Although the green tea was slightly bitter, the faint sweetness at the end enriched the flavor.
“The party evidently feels it’s shameful to declare defeat to merely thirty thousand Elves without even declaring war.”
“……”
“Think rationally, comrades.”
Cheon Danaa’s gaze shone sharply.
While it seemed as if she was smiling, those who had served by her side for years realized that there was a cold rage simmering in her smile.
“The damage to the San Guild and the research institute pales compared to the party’s wish to keep the failure that their Hunters and forces were defeated by extraterrestrial Elves a secret. Since they can recoup human losses, they probably figure they can critique us at any time.”
“Even so, how can…!”
“Shall we analyze the situation objectively? Those Elves can open and close gates at will. Plus, they possess weapons that can rapidly grow vast forests by sucking the life force from the surroundings. If the Elves were to avoid a full-scale war with us and opened a gate in the middle of a city and utilized their weapon to create forests while striking and retreating, what then?”
“W-Well…!”
“The party would much rather suffer the shame of admitting defeat in silence than provide any support, and they’ve taken away our cause to strike back at the Elves. In all likelihood, the current chairman would want to avoid creating chaos for the upcoming congress. The moment the information of their embarrassment spread internationally, countries like the predatory Western nations and even neighboring Korea and Japan wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.”
Whether it was Korea or Japan, both countries had become stronger since the emergence of the Great Rift and the Hunter era. Even if China currently held a surplus of Hunters, they weren’t a country that would remain unguarded.
Above all, Korea had the legendary Yeonseo alive.
Although politically neutral and in retirement, if Yeonseo ever decided to act in pursuit of national interests, it could become quite a headache for both China and the San Guild.
After all, Yeonseo had already destroyed the San Guild’s openly exposed secret research lab.
While things had been acceptable until now, with the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute affected by the Elves’ forest terraforming, further losses could become dangerous.
“True, but that doesn’t mean we should do nothing. The party’s commands have us at a standstill for now.”
As she sipped her tea again and calmed her thoughts, Cheon Danaa sighed softly.
Everything seemed to converge just perfectly.
The entire situation led to a line of thought that suggested someone had deliberately orchestrated this unfavorable scenario for the San Guild.
“And I also refuse to get entangled with the Elves.”
“What do you mean, Master?!”
“Let’s consider the scenario you desire. If we were to invade the Elves’ dungeon and engage in open confrontation, our San Guild might still win against thirty thousand Elves.”
With the world’s largest guild and the most A-grade and S-grade Hunters within, their stature wasn’t built carelessly.
If all went well, an estimate of the potential outcome would arise.
“However, would we be able to avoid bloodshed?”
“…..!”
Each of the thirty thousand Elves was equivalent to an A-grade Hunter’s combat power.
This wouldn’t just be a skirmish with a few troublemakers; instead, they would face an army from another realm.
The massive depletion of manpower and resources from such a conflict would be daunting—even for the San Guild.
Naturally, such losses might cause them to relinquish their position as the world’s number one guild, and the recovery process could take years.
And was the forest of the Elves and the Great Forest worth the price of such sacrifices?
Of course, that would provoke questions.
“The party’s stance is that engaging with the Elves doesn’t ultimately yield profits; even if they are conquerable, the damages would be enormous. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say Chairman’s ambition to become the Emperor of the Central Plains does not want any chaos providing a base for his power to shake. After all, the Qingzhou Wanshe Research Institute was built largely by our San Guild, so from the party’s viewpoint, letting go of that facility would not equate to a significant loss for them. In fact, the elderly who favor natural scenery might even welcome the emergence of the forest.”
“Cough!”
Cheon Danaa continued sipping her tea.
As her enraged executives fumed and gnashed their teeth, she continued her tea ritual.
She drank, and then drank again.
“Ahh.”
Yet, irrespective of the anger swirling around her, Cheon Danaa continued to analyze the situation with detached clarity regarding the Elves.
‘Including the paths leading straight out of the Gobi Desert, the strength displayed to destroy my research lab. Unlike a conventional nuclear weapon, they can autonomously deploy this without any risks… and, according to the usage method, they can even precisely target and drain the life force of Hunters…’
The realization struck Cheon Danaa deeply that those using such weapons were indeed her enemies, concluding that engaging in a full-scale war would result in severe casualties.
‘Additionally, if the Elves are now established in Korea, then it seems we’ve gone too far for the San Guild to engage them alone. If the Elves have affiliated with a nation, they would quickly shed us, forcing the Han, sitting firmly in Korea, to take on foreign affairs.’
Elves intelligently orchestrating these maneuverings within such a brief period meant they had sought a safe haven within a nation carrying a degree of national strength and yet still remains at odds with China today—either the United States or another affiliated country.
The optimal scenario might be Japan, but Korea—where Yeonseo resides—was also a fitting sanctuary for the Elves.
Once dispersed through affiliation or refuge in another nation, the target known as the Elf Great Forest would be diffused, rendering any attempt at internal interference from both the San Guild and China nearly impossible.
“However, not all is lost.”
“What do you mean…?”
While a direct confrontation may not yield results, there are always alternative routes to explore.
And most importantly… having lost the research institute made the fragments the San Guild possessed substantially lesser in number.
‘Come to think of it, there was a suitable candidate in Korea…’
The name was Yoonjeong, if memory serves.
If they hadn’t secured him, it might have been an accepted loss, but given that the San Guild’s current situation involved major losses, the existence of such a rare and suitable individual became immensely precious.
They must… secure him.
“Gather all our connectors in Korea.”
