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The undying sucked in a breath, tensing his body, and in an instant, his slightly twisted limbs snapped back into place. The scratches all over him healed within seconds, while his withered physique swelled as if soaking in water with equal speed.

Fully revived, he gazed at his hands and feet, exclaiming in marvel.

“Oh! I am filled with vital essence! How did this come to be?”

As the undying looked around in wonder, the officer, who coincidentally stood before him, cleared her throat and began in a rigid tone.

“Rasch, of the Tantalus Education Facility. Correct?”

The undying answered swiftly.

“Indeed! To be greeted by such a beauty the moment I open my eyes, my life has not been in vain! This, too, is a blessing from Mother Earth!”

“…Beauty?”

“How else, then, are we to call a beautiful person!”

His words carried a wily charm, yet they were too abrupt for the officer’s liking. She frowned, unable to take them at face value.

“No time to play with words. I am Major Callis Kritz, appointed as the warden of Tantalus and also its administrator. And…”

The officer opened the package she was holding and took out what it contained. Rasch, eyes filled with curiosity, turned bright upon recognizing the object.

“Is this not a world tree leaf?!

“So you recognize it.”

Just as there were kings among beasts, there were world trees among the verdure. But unlike beasts, the kings of plants didn’t take human form.

Humans were rulers of the earth’s surface, but that reign only extended to the realm of beasts. No human, no matter how arrogant, could claim dominion over even plants. And it was true. Plants were indifferent to the affairs of beasts and remained steadfast in their original forms.

There did exist kings among the countless blooming flowers and grasses, but finding them was nigh impossible. Plant Kings had their individual appearances, making them difficult to distinguish. Even if you were blessed enough to discover them, as soon as they were plucked, their life would end.

But some trees could live for thousands of years, and their kings were no different. Tree Kings lived for dozens to thousands of years, and among them, some had revealed their identities by existing for so long.

People called them world trees. For many millennia, these trees had absorbed the earth’s essence to the limit. They were said to have roots like small hills and leaves like huge fans. Born and grown alongside Mother Earth, these great, magical Tree Kings were revered and worshiped by some as gods.

Rasch the undying was one such worshiper.

“Naturally! Our tribe is intimately connected to Mother Earth, more so than any other in the world. How could I not recognize its bountiful vital essence?! Though we never had a blessed maidenhair tree near us! We always yearned for them!”

But for others, the trees were seen merely as large, slightly curious, and somewhat precious, with their fallen leaves fetching a price.

The officer spoke.

“Then I presume you know how much value this holds?”

The undying nodded immediately.

“Of course I understand its objective worth! I once tried to buy it, but the price was outrageous! Making a purchase with the meager earnings of my labor was out of the question! Regardless, I am grateful. It just so happened my regeneration was slowing due to lacking vital essence! Thanks to you, I am fully restored!”

Despite being the one to hand over the world tree leaf, the officer was internally bewildered, though she hid it.

｢Strange. I did not even feed him the world tree leaf, yet his right arm jumped around on its own, and he regained his strength. What is going on?｣

Wait a second. The potion that healed his arm, did it contain…?

Half in doubt, I asked the regressor.

“Mr. Shei, about what you put in that healing potion…”

“Mhm. The earth’s essence works well on the undying, so I used a world tree leaf. What about it?”

I couldn’t help but be astonished by her answer.

“Woow. Only so generous for matters like that.”

“It was the necessary minimum. Somebody reduced the arm into a total rag. Considering the severity of that curse, it wouldn’t have been possible to heal it without something as potent.”

“Oh yes, it was all my carelessness.”

I clicked my tongue and stuck close to the corner of the wall to peer inside the classroom, observing cautiously. The regressor followed suit, still unaware of what was going on.

“So the major met the undying. Is this why you called me over?”

“Too late to do anything. Just keep watching.”

As we looked in, the officer appraised the undying with a sharp gaze beneath her cap’s visor. He had a muscular build and stood at two meters in height. The skin visible through his tattered shirt was even darker than bronze, seeming more metal than flesh.

And even though she hadn’t used her world tree leaf, his robust body was brimming with vitality, and he had regained the peak of his strength.

｢That aside, what was with that right arm that leaped in here earlier…?｣

Well, as long as the result was good.

The officer dismissed her curiosity for the moment and scrutinized the undying from head to toe.

｢He is rumored to have torn people apart with his bare hands. Although he doesn’t stand out here in the abyss, he is an undying, a race once known as berserkers. Among them, he holds the second-highest position as the ‘Right Arm’… He could prove to be a sufficiently valuable ally.｣

Rasch had left the land of his people, who had yet to move past tribal society, to roam the world. Eventually, he found great interest in the prosperous and powerful Military State.

The undying went so far as to go through numerous negotiations and accept strict conditions to be granted temporary citizenship, all to stay in the State… though he ended up sentenced to abyssal imprisonment without any possibility of reconsideration due to committing murder.

｢He is among the rare few who harbor positive feelings for our country.｣

The abyss was full of nothing but enemies, yet in this desolate place, the officer had discovered the sole potential ally. A profound sense of relief washed over her.

｢I’m glad I solved the mystery of that package. If I failed to think of it… Their orders are always delivered in such cryptic ways…｣

With a hand resting on her chin, the officer finished her cold calculations. Meanwhile, the undying gazed happily at the world tree leaf, full of anticipation.

“Am I truly allowed to take this?”

“You may. On condition, however.”

“My word, such a precious gift! I thank you!”

“Did I not say on condition?”

Deeming Rasch useful enough, the officer adjusted her visor as she continued.

“It is no gift. It is the price I paid for your sake, trainee. Considering the significant expense on my part, you owe me—”

“Haha! Haha! State folk sure have a stern way with words! I shall accept this gift with much gladness and delight!”

“Trainee. I will say it again…”

The officer eyed the undying with displeasure as he continued to emphasize the word “gift”. She assumed he intended to simply take the world tree leaf as a present without offering anything in return.

However, she was greatly underestimating the undying’s magnanimity.

“No, it is a gift!”

The undying stubbornly shook his head, giving a thumbs up.

“This is an incredibly precious gift to me, and it is also the nourishment I needed most due to my lack of vital essence! You personally sought me out and presented me with such a gift. Therefore, it must be a giving of the heart, and since our hearts have connected, we can consider ourselves friends!”

“…What?”

Having grown up in the Military State, the officer wasn’t accustomed to such words and took a moment to understand his meaning.

In essence, the undying was refusing a relationship based on debt and instead choosing to take on an obligation of the heart. Because debt ends with payment, whereas friendship doesn’t wither until feelings fade.

“I am not one to reject a friend’s request. So, friend, what favor would you ask of me?”

Taken aback, the officer was momentarily speechless and lost in thought. But her back was against a very steep wall. Currently, she had no position to refuse, and neither the reason nor will to do so.

“…I have a task at hand. I… hope you can assist me with it, trainee.”

“Haha! Anything for a friend’s request!”

The undying extended his hand, and though she wasn’t too keen on a handshake, the officer eventually took it.

｢…I do not want to be friends with the likes of a Tantalus prisoner, but it seems the better option to make immediate use of him.｣

Be it of friendship or of debt, the form of the relationship didn’t matter. She decided not to care what she’d call it, so long as she could use the undying who feared nothing for his life.

｢I don’t know if it’s his size… but even his hands are big. His fingers alone are two-thirds longer than mine…｣

As they shook hands, the officer was suddenly struck with an uncharacteristic thought. But she quickly shook her head and regained her senses.

｢No. I just thought about his stature. That size would make him the perfect meat shield.｣

Alright, it’s about time we step away.

Taking my eyes off the two, I whispered into the regressor’s ear.

“Mr. Shei.”

The regressor jumped in disgust.

“Oh fricking… You startled me. What?”

What’s with the overreaction? As the regressor hissed, the hairs on her entire body standing on end, I asked her a question.

“Why are you so surprised when we’re both men?”

“It’s gross! You could just say it out loud, why whisper?!”

“Well I can’t shout for them to hear, can I?”

“I constantly make sure no sound will leak, so it’s fine!”

Stalking is a passive ability to you, huh. Very nice.

I nodded and pointed to the side with a finger.

“It seems they’ll be coming out soon. Shall we run?”

“Run? Didn’t you have business with the undying?”

“It ended a while ago.”

I glanced over to their side and eyed the officer who had obtained the trustworthy, dependable ally she wanted. I continued in a mutter.

“I’ve gotten what I wanted.”

The regressor tilted her head, not understanding what I meant.

“It feels a little iffy to go like this. The undying… Him joining the major won’t make any significant changes… but I still don’t want things getting troublesome.”

“How ironic, coming from the world’s biggest pain in the neck.”

“What?”

“Forget it. Just come!”

It was about time for the officer and the undying to leave the classroom. To avoid getting in their way, I pulled the regressor outside.