How Druids Live with the Beast

No matter how angry I was, I didn’t know which family teaches to suddenly throw poison around like that.

The dizziness from the poison made it impossible to even speak calmly.

“You… if I were just an ordinary person, I’d be dead by now. Do you know that?”

After being hospitalized, I realized that I recovered faster than most people.

I wondered if it was because I had become a druid.

Eunho wiped the blood flowing from his mouth and looked at his palm.

‘You really enjoy it.’

The blood that had been on his palm disappeared completely, so Eunho tried to offer more blood to the tree but stumbled, feeling dizziness and reached for the ground.

The grass quickly grew back around him.

“…You, are you Poiki? No, Poiki is the name someone gave you, right?”

Eunho furrowed his brow for a moment.

Cold sweat ran down his face.

It felt like something invisible was stabbing him.

Eunho staggered to get up but slipped.

“Human. Do not stand, the poison is spreading.”

The black hound strongly restrained him, and Eunho tightly shut his eyes.

“…I’m fine, big dog. No, maybe not really.”

Eunho gave a small laugh at his own wavering words and leaned against the tree.

It was similar to the sensation he felt before collapsing after a few weeks of overtime.

“Human. Close your eyes.”

“No, big dog. Don’t kill me.”

“I was going to kill you.”

“Honestly, I’m angry, but my sense of social decency won’t allow it. And if you’re going to hit me, I’ll do it myself.”

As Eunho waved his hand, the branches and vines that had covered the beast moved along with his gesture.

It felt like he was connected to the tree, so he tried it once, and it worked.

‘…It really works.’

What was moving now was just one tree.

I wondered if, someday, he could make the entire forest move.

“Friend.”

Eunho looked at the beast.

The beast was struggling to escape from the narrow space formed by the tree’s roots and branches, but the more it struggled, the more the tree spread its branches and pressed the beast down.

“…No matter how blinded by rage you are, this is too barbaric, don’t you think? If this keeps going, are you going to kill them all?”

Starting with its long, extended arms and legs, the beast’s sharp impression had changed, giving it a different look from Poiki.

It seemed like an entirely different species, but Eunho still saw this beast as Poiki.

The way it emitted poison and the resentment it held toward humans in the area—Eunho knew only Poiki could fit that description.

“…You’re the leader of Pipi, aren’t you?”

Poiki reacted to the name Pipi.

“How do you know Pipi? Did you kill Pipi? You! You killed Pipi, didn’t you?”

It was definitely Poiki.

It screeched as if it were scratching its throat, burning with the anger that had been held back, struggling in agony.

Hatred.

It was the only emotion visible, which made Eunho furrow his brow.

“Human.”

The black hound, who had stepped back for a moment, called out to Eunho and moved forward.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you too, the one siding with this human!”

Poiki, shedding hot tears, spewed out poison.

It hated everything.

It had lost its home for reasons it didn’t understand, and today, its family was dead.

It resented everything.

“I’ll kill you all!”

“How dare you!”

The black hound swirled the poison and Poiki’s fury into a black wind and blew it away.

Turning his back on Poiki, the black hound looked at Eunho.

“…Do you understand this anger?”

As if drawing a line, Eunho smiled broadly.

“I can’t understand it. You attacked me just now, didn’t you?”

“Yes. That’s right. You wouldn’t understand.”

“But I’m still trying to look into it.”

“…Human, are you really that stupid?”

“Big dog, did you forget? I said I’d be the temporary shelter for the beasts, remember?”

“I didn’t forget.”

The black hound stood up and looked at Poiki, who was still screaming.

It didn’t seem like it would calm down anytime soon.

“You can’t forget. I made a promise to you.”

Eunho coughed and wiped away the blood that had spilled again.

“…Hey, leader. Pipi isn’t dead. It was here until just now… but suddenly, it disappeared into the forest.”

“Ha! Do you think I’ll fall for that?”

“I promised Pipi, but now it’s gone, which is troublesome. But, let the leader see how well I keep my promises.”

Trust isn’t something that’s built with words.

Eunho reached into his bag.

He took out some Tyrell flowers, which had pain-relieving properties, and chewed on them.

“…Give me the knife. The knife.”

He already knew that this bag was unusual.

If he had to describe it, it felt like an infinite item inventory.

But it wasn’t a bag where you could just pull anything out whenever you wanted.

It seemed like it would take more time to confirm that.

Eunho took a knife out of the bag. The blade was sharp enough to cut well.

“…Human.”

The black hound reacted as soon as it saw the knife.

It knew what it was.

One of the weapons humans used.

“What are you doing right now? Put that down.”

“I need to keep my promise.”

“Human… Do you even know what state you’re in right now?”

“I know. I’m in a lot of pain.”

Eunho smiled brightly as the black hound approached.

It wrapped Eunho’s arm with the darkness around its body.

“Big dog, nature doesn’t lend everything. If you want to borrow from nature, there has to be a price, right? Trust is the same. To receive it, there’s a very high price.”

Eunho spoke with confidence, but in reality, he was scared.

Was it easy to put a knife to his own body?

But that was the price. The price to accelerate plant growth.

It was the same when he first met the black hound and when he created the Tyrell tree.

Maybe the pain relief from the Tyrell flower helped, but his mind felt clearer than before.

“Tablet, is there a permanent growth besides just regular growth?”

The current growth had a time limit.

Once the blood he sacrificed disappeared, things would return to their original state.

That wasn’t his goal.

“Searching for the relevant information.”

“No direct content exists. After compiling various information, the following conclusions were drawn: The growth of plants, called ‘overgrowth’ (temporary name), is proportional to the amount of blood sacrificed to sustain it. However, general growth doesn’t appear to follow the same rule as overgrowth. Therefore, general growth is permanent.”

“Thank you, Tablet.”

In short, the basic growth of plants is permanent.

But any growth beyond that, and other aspects, are not permanent.

There was nothing for Eunho to worry about, and it meant he could do what he wanted.

‘How much blood will be needed to restore the forest?’

Not having a clear sense, Eunho didn’t hesitate to cut his palm.

“Ugh! This hurts like hell!”

He thought the poison would dull the pain, but that wasn’t the case.

His bleeding hand trembled uncontrollably.

When Eunho looked up, he made eye contact with the lying Poiki.

The look in its eyes was like it was staring at a madman, and for some reason, Eunho smiled.

“Yeah, look at me like that.”

With his bleeding hand, Eunho pressed it to the ground and held his breath for a moment, closing his eyes.

He felt the sensation flowing from his fingertips through the earth.

The grass swaying with the wind, the rustling leaves, and everything crawling on the ground seemed to fall into his grasp.

A strong gaze from them all focused on him at once.

What was he trying to do?

What did he want?

It felt as though the land was reaching out countless hands to watch everything unfold. As these hands touched his skin, it felt as though only he was connected to nature.

Druid.

The name of one who was closest to nature was utterly deserving of its meaning.

It felt as if nature itself was pleased with his actions, guiding him in the right direction.

The place where humans, blinded by greed, had erased the forest.

That very place was where Eunho awakened countless lives still remaining in the soil.

“Stretch your branches once more.”

Following that command, the green light from Eunho’s grasp spread in all directions.

Kuguguguung.

The entire earth trembled as the forest resonated like a song blessing new life.

Wooooo.

It was a sound unlike that of beasts.

Following that sound, numerous lives, like starving beasts, reached toward the sky.

The empty place was quickly covered in green, revealing its fresh vitality.

The black hound watched the impossible scene unfold, and before long, it had collapsed to the ground.

The forest had come back to life.

The speed was unimaginable, and the power was hard to believe even with one’s own eyes.

‘How did that human… move nature?’

The black hound turned its head and looked at Eunho.

He was smiling like an innocent child.

Then their eyes met.

“The forest…”

“…The forest has returned.”

Poiki interrupted Eunho’s words, its eyes fixated on the lush forest.

“The forest… it’s back!”

Tears welled up instantly.

What could he even say about this?

It could only be called a miracle.

“The forest…”

He was overwhelmed by a wave of emotion like a violent tidal wave, and his voice caught in his throat.

Unable to say anything, he quietly wept. Seeing this, Eunho wanted to restore the trees that had bound Poiki back to their original state.

‘But how… do I do this?’

He could feel the blood draining through his connection to the trees, but he didn’t know how to break the link.

Even though he waved his hand in the same way, it didn’t return to being an ordinary tree.

“Tablet…”

“Seo Eunho!”

At that moment, Pipi’s voice rang out.

Seeing Pipi running toward them, Poiki looked at her.

Tears that had dried up fell again.

“Seo Eunho! The forest suddenly returned! My mother! My mother has come back…”

Pipi, who had been running, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

A particular tree had grown abnormally large, and her gaze slowly moved up.

She ran toward Eunho, grabbing him tightly.

“That tree… it’s too big.”

Even the black hound, who had been watching the forest’s restoration with pleasure, sensed that something was wrong.

“Human… did you make a mistake?”

“I… think so. Maybe the price was too much.”

Eunho awkwardly laughed.

The tree that was growing, growing, began to reveal thick branches reaching toward the sky.

It felt like seeing the world tree from mythology.

Though he knew it would disappear over time, Eunho felt a slight fear.

“…Should we run?”

Eunho seriously suggested to the Black Hound.

He didn’t know what would happen if they got caught.

As he tried to stand up, dizziness suddenly overtook him, and his body leaned forward.

Instinctively, he closed his eyes.

Just as it felt like he would crash into the ground, he suddenly stopped.

Eunho blinked as he opened his eyes.

The branches were carefully holding him.

It felt like he was being gently laid down on the ground, as if being cradled like a newborn.

The Black Hound, who had rushed over, looked around in confusion.

“Tablet… what’s going on? I haven’t done anything, so why are the plants doing this?”

Eunho couldn’t help but ask about this strange and unfamiliar phenomenon.

He had no idea what was happening.

The plants seemed to move on their own and cause this situation.

It wasn’t fear, but more of a bewilderment.

《Searching for relevant information.》

《Plants that absorbed the price will consider it part of the contract with you, based on the amount of the price. As long as the price is alive, they will become your strong allies.》

《It is determined that the plants have become your allies due to the price.》

Upon seeing the text on the tablet, Eunho finally relaxed.

‘…Ah, they’ve become my allies.’

Looking at the soft sensation, he saw an unknown plant growing like cotton near him.

As soon as his fingertips touched it, the tablet began to move frantically.

《The Mangly Flower has been recognized.》

《It provides a calming effect and has detoxifying properties.》

‘…I’m alive.’

Eunho finally smiled more brightly.

Detoxifying.

As he stared blankly at the sky, the Black Hound entered his field of vision.

“Big dog, it says this has detoxifying effects. I’m alive.”

“…You need to grow. You’ve lost too much blood.”

The Black Hound looked at him with exasperation.

“Blood…?”

Eunho, confused, looked at the hand he had cut with the knife. More blood than before was dripping.

Was the ground still absorbing the blood?

‘…No wonder the tree grew as big as the World Tree.’

He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he quickly wrapped his hand in his clothes and pressed it down to stop the bleeding.

As the clothes quickly soaked in blood, Eunho couldn’t help but smile.

“Is now really the time to laugh, human?”

The Black Hound sharpened its tone, and Eunho, still smiling, replied.

“I just feel proud.”

It was amazing that he had saved the forest by sacrificing his blood, and it felt strange, as though he had become something special.

‘I really have power now.’

It was funny that he was only realizing it now.

Suddenly, he felt something crawling in his palm, and when he turned his head, he saw the grass pulling at his clothes.

It seemed to be asking him to move it, so Eunho shifted his clothes, and the grass wrapped his palm like a bandage.

A message popped up on the tablet.

《The Himos Tree has been recognized.》

《It has a hemostatic effect.》

‘…It even helps with stopping the bleeding?’

Eunho was moved as he looked at his palm and the Mangly Flower on the ground.

Hearing a rustling sound, he turned his head to see Pipi running toward them.

When Pipi saw the Mangly Flower, her tail drooped, and she hid the flower she was holding behind her back.

“…I was going to give that to you first.”

“…Pipi, did you pick it for me?”

Looking at the flower, Eunho couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

She had done this for him, someone she had just met.

“…Yeah. You need this to get rid of the poison.”

It was indeed the Mangly Flower.

“Thanks, Pipi. Can I eat it?”

“No! You don’t eat it, you rub it. The pollen comes out, and you inhale it through your nose.”

《Additional information about the Mangly Flower is now available.》

The tablet displayed more text.

‘…Even other people’s knowledge is recorded?’

Eunho thought it was quite useful and glanced at Pipi.

“If you do it like this…”

Pipi, who was rubbing the Mangly Flower, sniffed for a moment.

Turning her head at the familiar scent, she spotted Poiki.

Poiki, upon seeing the flower in her hands, dropped it and showed a shocked expression.

“Did the boss… did the boss attack Seo Eunho? Really, Seo Eunho?”

“It just happened that way, okay?”

As Eunho looked embarrassed, Pipi tightly grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“I… I’ll apologize. The boss had to protect us, and a while ago, his family died, so that’s why he did that! The boss is bad! I know he’s bad, I know…”

Pipi’s front paws slid a bit, and she immediately ran over to the Mangly Flower, rubbing it with her paws.

“…I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Seo Eunho. I was bad. You kept your promise, but I didn’t trust you.”

White pollen began to rise from the flower, as if it were hiding Pipi’s tears.

“Seo Eunho kept his promise… but we hurt him.”

Eunho raised his hand and gently patted Pipi’s head. He could feel her trembling.

Pipi grabbed his finger.

As Eunho wiped away Pipi’s tears, he smiled brightly.

“I’m not in pain anymore, you know? Pipi, you brought me this flower, right?”

Eunho held the white Mangly Flower and shook it.

It was just one flower, but the heart Pipi had given him was more than enough.

“Ah! If you keep apologizing, just invite me to your house.”

He just wanted to see Poiki and the others smile like that.

Wasn’t that a small wish?

“Boss, if you refuse, you’ll have no conscience. It’ll be really… petty.”

Eunho struggled to sit up and looked at Poiki, who was bowing his head.

Poiki, with his mouth tightly shut, nodded.

“Let’s go right now, Big Dog!”

At Eunho’s energetic words, the Black Hound gently pressed Eunho’s face with his paw.

“Human, treatment comes first. Lie down.”

“How petty.”

“You can be petty with an idiot who doesn’t understand his own condition. We’ll leave after that.”

Really, he was a human who needed a lot of attention.

The Black Hound shook his head.