“Blue…”

The [Combat Strength Indicator] categorizes an enemy's strength by color.

Red, orange, yellow, green.

And then, blue.

‘Even yellow indicates a fairly strong enemy.’

For a green-level monster, even multiple members of our unit would need to engage to subdue it.

But beyond that, blue.

In truth.

It wasn’t my first time seeing a monster radiating blue energy.

Even now, there was a monster within my shadow.

‘The “Noble of the Night” species emitted a blue hue.’

However.

When looking at Ariella, the blue was very faint.

It was just barely within the blue range, indicating she was a strong fighter, but only just.

That’s likely why her title was only ‘Baronet.’

On the other hand, the being before me…

‘Not extremely intense, but not faint either.’

This meant it was stronger than Ariella, at the very least.

I wasn’t without confidence.

If I didn’t have confidence, I wouldn’t have ventured in here alone in the first place.

-Should we step in, sir?

A force of 100 soldiers hidden in the shadows.

Hardly any sunlight filtered through the dense jungle.

Our strength wouldn’t be reduced.

However, the problem was the environment.

‘A monster that moves the jungle itself.’

If that creature controlled the surrounding trees…

This wouldn’t be a battle of 100 versus 1.

‘It would be like fighting the entire forest.’

Perhaps I wouldn’t lose.

But the damage would be significant.

After a moment of contemplation, I made my decision.

‘I’ll observe it for now and retreat.’

After all.

My strength didn’t lie in full-scale battles without any information.

[Chef’s Eye]

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]

Two abilities that allowed me to analyze an enemy’s weaknesses and information.

And the [Cooking] buffs that responded dynamically to the identified weaknesses.

The synergy of these two abilities was key to tilting battles in my favor.

There was no need to fight right away.

But to use that strategy, I needed to see the enemy for myself.

[Chef’s Eye] wouldn’t activate unless I focused on observing my opponent for a while.

I muted my footsteps.

Carefully, I moved inward.

A shape emitting blue energy.

Just as it started to come into view.

Crack.

“…!?”

A tightening sensation around my ankle.

A tree root on the ground had wrapped around it.

‘Damn it.’

Had I been detected!?

I quickly checked my traits.

[Environmental Assimilation] was still active.

It meant I was still perceived as part of the jungle.

Then how…

No.

“Damn, it’s a blue-level monster.”

It wasn’t surprising that it could do something unexpected.

Especially since this forest was its domain.

I shouldn’t have let my guard down, even with [Assimilation] active!

Woosh!

The root around my ankle expanded rapidly.

It began dragging my body somewhere.

I wasn’t sure where.

But it wouldn’t be for my benefit.

“Prepare for battle…!”

I shouted into the shadows urgently.

At this point, there was no choice.

Even if the vampire soldiers were decimated, we had to fight.

Shifting my mind to combat mode, I hastily drew my sword.

The plan was to fend off the next attack and sever the root holding my ankle.

…

But no follow-up attack came.

“What…?”

The root that had gripped my ankle and started dragging me somewhere.

It suddenly stopped moving.

I cautiously scanned the area, but there was no sign of an impending attack.

Perplexed, I turned my head back.

“…Holy—crap, that scared me.”

Right in front of my face.

A pair of eyes met mine, staring directly at me.

[Ingredient Identification - Enhanced]

[Alraune]

[Chef’s Eye]

[Intermediate Culinary Technique, ‘Insight on Alraune Preparation,’ acquired.]

What stood there…

Was a small tree.

In the heart of the dense forest filled with towering trees.

It was too small and frail to occupy the central area.

The only difference was…

Its patterns were peculiar.

You know how some tree patterns can resemble human faces?

This tree was like that.

Its central pattern resembled human facial features almost perfectly.

But then.

Swirl.

‘This is unsettling.’

The eyes embedded in the tree opened, their gaze rolling around to meet mine.

‘It wasn’t just a pattern—it was an actual face.’

The face enveloped in bark looked at me, bewildered.

I instinctively felt the need to hold a staring contest.

But it didn’t feel healthy for my sanity.

It was just too grotesque.

“…”

-…

The staring contest lasted a while.

No attacks came.

The thing just kept staring at my face silently.

-Master? Shall we attack?

“No… No. Stand by for now.”

I was suspended upside down, held by my ankle in midair.

It was an unpleasant sensation as blood rushed to my head.

Not a situation I liked.

But judging by the atmosphere.

It didn’t seem like it was planning to attack me.

“If I’m attacked, respond immediately. If necessary, sacrifice all your subordinates. My life takes priority.”

-As you command.

I made the command, just in case.

Then, still suspended, I looked at the tree.

-Hmm?

The face on the tree seemed to show a puzzled expression.

Whoosh.

The root holding my ankle started moving again, dragging me somewhere.

I glanced back.

There was a fairly large tree.

Whoosh.

It moved me to another spot.

This time, a tree of a slightly different type stood there.

“What’s it doing, dragging me around like this?”

-I think I get it.

“Huh?”

Though I was bewildered by its strange actions.

Ariella, who had been observing from another perspective, seemed to have an idea.

-It looks like it’s comparing you to other trees.

“Comparing me to…”

-I think it’s confused about what kind of tree you are.

“…”

My trait [Environmental Assimilation] was still active.

This meant I was still integrated into the jungle.

Normally, this trait was just used as a stealth ability.

But to this creature, it didn’t seem to work for hiding.

However.

It didn’t mean the trait was completely ineffective.

-From my view, it looks exactly like that. It’s wondering, ‘Why is this one different?’ and comparing you.

“That’s plausible.”

Even if the stealth effect was gone.

The integration effect remained, so it perceived me as an unusual-looking tree.

That expression in its eyes made sense now.

-‘Is there a tree like this?’

Well.

A tree walking around on two legs would be strange from its perspective.

If I were it, I’d be curious too.

-Looks like things are going well, right? It means it doesn’t see you as a threat.

“That’s not certain yet.”

For now, the situation seemed manageable.

I checked the information on the Alraune I had just learned.

[Alraune]

[A legendary species that appears only in forests with unique history and scale.]

[A natural-born ruler of plants, capable of controlling surrounding vegetation. This power is so exceptional that an Alraune, fully awakened, is sometimes called the World Tree.]

[To prepare an Alraune, start by thoroughly cleaning its roots—]

According to the description.

This creature had the power to control and influence surrounding plants.

‘That explains this jungle.’

And.

“To it, I must appear as a tree that doesn’t submit to its control.”

A monster with the ability to command plants.

Confronting a being that didn’t submit to its rule.

How would it react?

A scene flashed in my mind.

‘How dare you defy me!’

An arrogant noble decapitating a rebellious slave with a single stroke—

If this creature ruled plants.

It might see me as insolent for refusing its command and decide to dispose of me.

I’d have to adapt based on its reaction.

Then.

Thump.

“Oh. Are you putting me down?”

The root holding me gently set me on the ground.

When I stood up.

The Alraune’s roots, protruding from its body, swayed toward me.

They moved softly before me.

Was it…

“Is it trying to shake hands?”

-Looks like you’ve made a friend.

I heard a chuckle from the shadows.

A being that commanded all plants.

Now facing a plant that didn’t submit to its command.

I thought it might try to destroy me for being insolent.

-But it seems you’re being acknowledged as an equal.

Looking back, it could make sense.

The Alraune placed me down on the ground and did nothing else. It simply stared at me in silence. It didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking, so I relaxed a little.

Just then, its eyes slowly began to close.

“Is it… sleeping?”

-That’s quite the laid-back tree, isn’t it?

Even if it recognized me as an equal, this was still unexpected.

‘Still, I guess there’s no immediate danger.’

It was strange to see it comfortably dozing off while I stood tensely. But there was no point in staying on high alert when the creature seemed so calm. I allowed myself to relax and looked around.

The towering trees that reached high into the sky.

“Taking a closer look, this is impressive.”

This dense jungle was unlike anything that would exist in South Korea.

Even abroad, forests like this were rare.

Being at the center of the jungle, the trees around were gigantic and stood like sentinels.

Seeing them in person, they resembled the legendary baobabs one might see in documentaries. Especially around the Alraune—the massive trees clustered as if guarding their master were particularly imposing. They were like something out of a movie.

Because of them, the smaller Alraune seemed even tinier in comparison.

Looking more closely, I noticed that it wasn’t just large trees in this jungle.

There were plants I had never seen before, diverse and unfamiliar.

Then again, I wasn’t an expert in botany, so it was hard to tell if these were mutated native species or something else entirely.

[Herb: Burgestoma]

[Branch: Miscus Tree]

“What the…”

Upon closer inspection, these plants weren’t of this world at all.

Now that I thought about it, things did start to seem odd halfway through my exploration. I also remembered what Cheol-wook had said:

-There are plants inside that make a farmer’s heart burn with passion!

“So, this must be what he meant.”

Like the Alraune, these were foreign plants brought from another world. No wonder someone like Cheol-wook, awakened as a farmer, was so excited.

However…

[Due to the environmental influence, growth is stunted.]

[Quality is somewhat reduced.]

“Environmental influence, huh?”

This mountain where the jungle had sprouted wasn’t exactly ideal, even as a joke.

“The trees were sparse, and those that existed were in poor condition.”

Typical for most small, local hills.

Plant growth depends heavily on the strength of the soil.

This forest, with its colossal trees that would be hard to find even worldwide, couldn’t possibly be supported by the meager soil of a neighborhood hill.

“If that’s the case…”

I turned my gaze to the Alraune, now fast asleep. The spot where it was rooted caught my eye.

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]

[Soil]

[Freshness: Lowest]

“Lowest…”

It might seem strange to consider soil as fresh or not, but that [Freshness] metric indicated much more than just its surface quality.

Simply put, that soil had lost all its vitality.

The Alraune, being a type of plant according to its description, would need nutrients from the earth to survive.

Now I understood why it had suddenly fallen asleep.

“It’s malnourished.”

The soil here couldn’t sustain the Alraune or the other plants around it.

It hadn’t dozed off out of peace or contentment.

‘It didn’t even have the strength to keep its eyes open.’

The Alraune likely hadn’t walked here on its own, considering it had no legs.

My unit had already mentioned it was impossible for anything to slip past their surveillance.

It must have suddenly appeared here, like it was teleported.

And once it appeared, it realized the land was far from ideal.

‘It’s an unlucky tree.’

I had a good grasp of the situation now.

If my assumptions were correct.

“It won’t be difficult to handle this.”

The Alraune, the culprit behind the jungle, was slowly dying here.

Because it couldn’t take in the necessary nutrients.

-The expansion of the jungle might have been an attempt to find new, fertile land.

“That’s likely.”

However.

At least one direction of its expansion was blocked by my unit.

And the surrounding areas wouldn’t have rich soil either.

In other words.

-If we just leave it alone, it’ll dry up and die soon enough.

The work my troops were doing to control the spread of the jungle.

If they just expanded that work for a few weeks, it’d be enough.

If the Alraune didn’t find fertile ground, it would eventually wither on its own.

The crisis threatening the ammunition base and village would be resolved simply.

Not a bad outcome.

It wasn’t bad, but…

Hmph.

“It feels like a waste.”

-Sir?

“These plants.”

The diverse types of plants spreading around the Alraune.

When I first awakened, I wouldn’t have noticed, but now I could tell.

“They’re filled with magical energy.”

Cheol-wook’s talk about the passion of a farmer wasn’t for nothing.

And as a chef, I could feel the same.

Magically infused meat is tastier and more effective than ordinary meat.

So then…

Wouldn’t vegetables be the same?

“I’ve been feeling like the ingredients have been lacking recently.”

Letting those plants die felt like too much of a waste.

I couldn’t just pass up an opportunity like this.

I stood up with a decision in mind.

Blink…

As I moved, the Alraune’s eyes fluttered open and glanced at me briefly.

But only for a moment.

They soon closed again, weakly.

Must be really hungry.

“I’ll be back soon.”

It didn’t try to stop me from leaving.

Climbing up was tough, but the way down was a bit easier.

Without much trouble, I returned to the unit.

“Hey! Sergeant Shin is back!”

“Sergeant Shin has returned!”

As I re-entered the base, the soldiers working hard to stave off the jungle shouted at my arrival.

Hearing the noise, Lee Sang-ah approached with a look of exasperation.

“Didn’t we agree not to take unnecessary risks?”

“We did. See? I’m back safe and sound.”

“…”

She seemed lost for words.

I did feel a bit guilty, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

Lee Sang-ah looked like she had something to say, but I left her behind and called out a name among the gathered soldiers.

“Private Park Cheol-wook.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

A man stepped forward, rushing out from among the troops at my call.

Park Cheol-wook, the farmer Awakened.

He had been discharged a while ago but recently re-enlisted.

This wasn’t a call from a cook’s perspective but from a commander’s.

The atmosphere felt a bit tense for him, and he seemed nervous.

“I have an important task for you.”

“Just say the word, sir!”

He stood straight, rigid with tension, as I gave the order.

“I need you to teach me how to make fertilizer.”

“Pardon…?”

Maybe it was because he had been out of the military for a while, but his response lacked sharpness.

“I need nutrient-rich soil, so teach me how to… no.”

“...?”

“Teach me how to *cook* fertilizer.”

With the soil depleted of nutrients, the trees were suffering from malnutrition.

As a chef, my task was clear.

Just wait.

‘I’ll make sure you won’t be able to live without the soil I prepare.’