The woman who absorbed the potion rapidly regained her strength. Her emaciated frame, which seemed to have been all but bones, now bore flesh that had grown back—in a literal sense of ‘grown back’. Her dry and lusterless hair fell out and was replaced by new, fresh green locks.

As soon as the woman regained her consciousness, a breeze carrying the fresh scent of trees blew through the area.

‘Is she an elf?’

To cut to the chase, the woman I saved was from the ‘Elf Tribe.’

‘Elf Tribe.’

They are known for their excellent healing magic and regeneration abilities, as well as for their love of peace and strikingly beautiful appearance. Among them, the ‘Oak Tree Elves’ are particularly renowned for their staunch ‘non-violence’ philosophy.

‘There will come a time when others exploit these traits.’

For instance, infamous slave traders like ‘Seo Joon.’ Nonetheless, I have now rescued a member of the Elf Tribe.

I had seen it plenty on YouTube. The beauty of the Elf Tribe was already well-known, and there were many streamers dedicated to filming them.

‘Seeing one in person…’

The saying “breathtaking beauty” seems a tad exaggerated.

‘Is it because I’m used to Senia’s presence?’

Though not visible to me at the moment, I was so accustomed to Senia’s appearance that the elf’s beauty didn’t strike me as profoundly. Just the recognition that she was immensely beautiful. Ah, very pretty—that was the extent of my impression.

Thanks to a temporary boost in my sensory rank, I could read the elf’s information.

──────────

[NPC]

Name: Líndia

Age: 91

Level: ?

Tribe: Oak Tree Elf

Condition: Confused/Hungry/Fearful

Summary: A confused pacifist

+ Level cannot be determined.

+ Low proficiency in Sensory Eye renders detailed information inaccessible.

──────────

“Thank you for saving me.”

Our conversation began as such. As usual, conversations with NPCs who offer quests or clues always start with simple greetings. Then questions about why they came, if there’s something that can be helped with, and so on, are exchanged. Almost formulaically pre-set, the conversation was not difficult for me to navigate.

I said,

“Seems you’re a native of this place. You’ve had a run-in with the Forest Master…”

She nodded. She fled to a well to escape the Forest Master and was the only one who had managed to survive. We continued to talk for a while, and ultimately the conclusion was this.

“You must offer a sacrifice to the Forest Master.”

“A sacrifice?”

“Yes.”

The ‘sacrifice’ mentioned in the letter as well.

“What is this sacrifice?”

“That is…”

Líndia looked troubled.

“I don’t know what the sacrifice is.”

“Yes. I have absolutely no idea. If I did know… I would have offered it at the altar to the south…”

I learned there was an altar somewhere in the south.

“I’m soon to return to the embrace of nature.”

“…”

Us. Or in human terms, she implied she was going to die. According to Líndia, she had not fully recovered but merely rallied her strength for a moment.

“Really?”

“Yes. I shall return to the embrace of the earth that bore me. Don’t be alarmed. I will become dust and nourishment for the oak trees.”

She spoke with her hands on her chest, like a goddess who truly loved the forest.

“I suppose you will.”

But her goddess-like appearance wasn’t all there was to her. The forest scent that tickled my nose no longer felt as refreshing either.

“But you know what.”

After encountering the elf, something became clear.

“Really. Are you actually able to return to the oak tree?”

I added another word.

“Pretense.”

* * *

This forest, meaning ‘The Forest Unknown,’ had been strange right from the start.

‘I detected signs of a predator, but no traces of them being consumed.’

The wild boars acted as if they had never been hunted by anyone.

‘Uncharacteristic of predatory monsters, they didn’t engage in territorial fights.’

Moreover, at night, I heard the sounds of nocturnal predatory birds, but there were seemingly no monsters around for them to actually prey on. Something was off—an unusual ecosystem.

‘Incongruously… fruit packages dropped from boar tusks.’

And that wasn’t all.

‘Magically ensnared artifacts also existed in such a place.’

The system typically places considerable importance on basic ‘settings’ and ‘continuity.’ Of course, there are scenarios that are haphazard and come out of nowhere. However, such scenarios usually don’t emerge in a ‘beginner area.’

‘And here an elf is supposed to be?’

It’s true that the healing abilities of elves are unparalleled. But it’s not possible that a mere ‘beginner-level’ healing potion could have provoked such rapid recovery.

“Well, let’s say for the sake of argument, there could be elves here.”

But then,

“Why did you say you’re a native of this place?”

Elves do not harm trees. Even if they live atop trees, they would not carry out actions like sawing into them. Hence, if elves were living in this village, there couldn’t be any cabins. However, there are cabins here. And there are also elves. That’s why I directly inquired if she was ‘a resident of this village.’

“Can elves build cabins and live in them?”

From start to finish, everything was riddled with oddities. Upon closer examination, contradictions surfaced. Strikingly out of sync with continuity.

An elf turning to dust before my eyes caught my attention. The elf, Líndia, looked genuinely clueless.

“I don’t understand what you’re suggesting.”

She gave me a parting piece of advice.

“Offer a sacrifice to the Forest Master. The altar is at the southernmost point.”

By her expression and demeanor, she seemed sincere.

‘Real… surely.’

Perhaps she was a being conceived with such a setting, fabricated for the sole purpose of conveying that information. In other words, not a real ‘Oak Tree Elf.’ This place, a special hidden field known as ‘The Forest Unknown,’ was probably rehashed adequately to suit it—a forgery.

‘The Sensory Eye probably just detected Líndia’s settings.’

Líndia, believing herself to be an elf, disappeared into dust. I chuckled lightly.

“Oak Tree Elves do turn to dust when they disappear.”

But it was a bit clumsy.

“Green wind should accompany that process.”

I glanced behind me and looked around. Nothing was there. Nothing caught in the Sensory Eye.

“That’s strange.”

I was still in the depth of the forest.

“Why would a new forest scent appear? Just because the elf regained consciousness?”

Elves don’t generate a new forest scent. It’s just that the scent of the forest where the elf resides lingers strongly on them. If you think about it, it’s quite peculiar.

“Doesn’t it strike you as overly contrived?”

All pieces of the puzzle clicked together. This field that I stood upon, ‘The Forest Unknown,’ was fake. A feigned world cobbled together clumsily—by someone who had only learned of the world through books and couldn’t replicate it with finesse.

“I constantly feel like someone’s watching me.”

That too, would be explained. If this fake field was artificially created, there must be someone controlling it, someone who’s been watching me.

“It’s bothersome.”

[‘The Forest Unknown’s magic effect is being detected.’]

[Your ‘Sensory Eye’ begins resisting the magic effect.]

I felt as though strength drained from my body.

‘To create a forgery of this scale…’

A considerable amount of magic would be needed. Whoever created this fake world was likely no trivial adversary.

“Ugh…!”

In haste, I used the recovery potion I had stored in a slot. It felt as if energy was being sucked out of my body. A severe headache crept in.

[‘The Sensory Eye’ begins to discern the true nature.]

[‘The Sensory Eye’ begins to visually correct the distorted space.]

“Cough!”

Blood dripped from my mouth. To shatter this special space, it seemed my power was scarcely sufficient.

‘No.’

I can do it. There’s so much I want to do. I’ll live flamboyantly, with a bang. I won’t be brought down by something like this here.

[‘Sensory Eye’ reacts to the player’s ‘strong will.’]

My eyes felt as if they were bursting. I felt blood vessels bulging. It dawned on me here.

‘If I can’t break free from this fake… I’ll die.’

Or else?

‘I’ll live in this false space, believing in the fake like the fake elf did.’

I could end up becoming an NPC that provides false quests to other players who might discover this place in the future. That cannot be. The place where I must live is in reality, not falsehood.

‘I’ll break it…!’

I gritted my teeth.

‘There must definitely be a limit to this forgery.’

It seemed the creator of this fake didn’t want their limitations exposed. That’s presumably why they explicitly included the phrase ‘easternmost end’ or ‘west end’ in the letter. The edge of the field where one couldn’t go any further.

‘Surely the scoundrel is listening to me.’

If I could rattle the scoundrel even slightly, it would be to my advantage. Despite the severe pain that made me feel like my eyes were about to burst, my head was about to split open, and my entire body was about to shatter, I endured. Outwardly, I forced a leisurely smile as I spoke.

“Your fake, confined to such a limit, I’ll shatter now.”

[‘Sensory Eye’ begins to shatter the magic effect.]

[‘The Forest Unknown’s destruction condition is met.]

[‘The Forest Unknown’ commences its destruction.]

I, too, lost consciousness.

* * *

How much time had passed when I awoke? I opened my eyes.

‘I’m alive.’

It seemed I still hadn’t left ‘The Forest Unknown.’ But I could tell for sure.

‘The area has significantly shrunk.’

Originally, this place was vast enough not to be detected by my Sensory Eye. But not anymore. It had shrunk to the size of a slash-and-burn village. A tiny space, like a garden decorated to resemble a forest.

Something caught in my Sensory Eye. It wasn’t a person.

‘Something’s there.’

But for the moment, I didn’t focus on that. I had something else, far more important left to address.

“I’ve shattered the fake.”

Honestly, it was somewhat perilous for me too, but nonetheless, I shattered it.

“But you know.”

I’m sure you’re listening, Master of the Forest.

“However I think about it, you couldn’t have created such a wide field with your real abilities.”

If the ‘someone’ had that level of ability, they would’ve crafted everything much more deftly. It was somewhere slapdash and slap-dash.

“That means.”

It won’t take long to scour this not so broad space.

“You must have received help from something.”

Such as,

“An artifact that dramatically amplifies magical power.”

Those items trade for an exorbitant price. No, they hardly trade at all. They’re so rare. At most, they find artifacts that work once, maybe twice.

“Where could that be?”

It was said that it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good. Now that I understood everything about this field, I could see what I needed to take from it. And I realized that it was a very valuable treasure. Truly worthy of a special hidden field within a Hidden Field.

“But don’t I see it very clearly?”

I moved forward. And then, at that moment. ‘It’ revealed itself.