While Taeseong rested, Xiao Yun and Doman moved around, waking up the administrators.
The ones who had regained consciousness late each reacted differently.
Some, as if waking from a long dream, looked around blankly.
“Are we… alive? Is this… not all just a dream?”
Some, realizing they were still alive, expressed gratitude to every god that existed on Earth.
“I’m alive! I’m really alive! Thank you! Thank you so much! All the gods who heard my prayers, I sincerely thank you!”
Others, overwhelmed by relief and fear that hit them belatedly, let out the tears they had been holding back.
Many had died.
Among them were colleagues they had worked with for a long time.
They were grateful to have survived another day, but as administrators, they knew that tomorrow, death could come at any moment.
The Korean administrators, after regaining their senses, sought out Taeseong first.
Like the others, they had also lost consciousness, but their past experiences and trust allowed them to clearly understand who had caused this entire situation.
“It looks like he’s over there.”
“Whoa… What the hell is all this? Did a missile drop or something?”
“What exactly happened here…?”
Yu Gi-jun jumped into the massive crater, using psychokinesis to slow his descent, while Oh Haeyoung, struggling to climb down, eventually shouted, “Oh, whatever!” and just jumped in.
She tumbled quite a bit but wasn’t weak enough to be seriously injured from it.
Taesan, carrying Lee Eunha and Go Yeonghui over his shoulders, jumped in as well.
With a heavy thud, he landed, kicking up dust in all directions.
“You’re all awake now.”
Oh Haeyoung’s large eyes welled up with tears before she suddenly dashed toward Taeseong.
She looked just like an excited puppy rushing to its owner.
“Taeseong-siiiiii!”
She threw herself into Taeseong’s arms, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him.
Startled, Taeseong tried to push her away, but after seeing her expression, he changed his mind.
“I’m really… really glad you’re safe! If only I were… stronger, then you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this alone… I’m sorry for being useless!”
Oh Haeyoung had performed remarkably well for an Epsilon-grade administrator, but unfortunately, she was surrounded by too many exceptional people.
Recently, she had been coming to terms with her own lack of power, and this incident had painfully reminded just how weak she was.
If Yu Gi-jun hadn’t broken his limits.
If Go Yeonghui hadn’t overcome her trauma.
If Lee Eunha hadn’t sacrificed her lifespan.
If Taesan hadn’t shown up.
If Lee Taeseong hadn’t arrived.
She would have died.
Without someone’s help, she couldn’t have survived.
That realization made her feel even more miserable.
And she wasn’t the only one thinking this way—everyone here felt the same.
Whether by choice or not, they were all administrators of the Tree.
Their individual goals might have differed, but they would continue living as administrators.
That meant they would always be standing closest to death.
They would face situations like this again, and while they were lucky to have survived this time, there was no guarantee for the next.
That’s why they had to become stronger.
To survive the next crisis.
“Captain, you’ve been through a lot. I just keep owing you my life.”
“Thank you, Taeseong. I always scolded you for acting recklessly… but this time, we survived thanks to your unpredictability.”
“Hahaha! I suppose this will be the last time I call you ‘Chief Lee Taeseong.’ Not just me, but all my teammates owe you our lives. I’ll forever take pride in the fact that I once had a man like you as a subordinate.”
“…Thank you.”
The rest of the team also expressed their gratitude.
They all knew it.
The fact that every single member of the Korean team had survived this mission—while countless other administrators had perished—was nothing short of a miracle.
From the moment Yukina, one of their key combatants, had died, failure had seemed inevitable.
If Taeseong hadn’t come, not a single administrator on this mission would have made it out alive.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“…….”
“For staying alive.”
As Taeseong spoke those words, everyone fell silent, letting them sink in.
Thank you for staying alive.
Such simple words carried so much weight.
.
.
.
【Aokigahara Forest Entity Subjugation Mission Report】
Total personnel deployed: 300
- Beta-grade administrators: 3
- Gamma-grade administrators: 32
- Delta-grade administrators: 189
- Epsilon-grade administrators: 76
Casualties: 277
- Beta-grade administrators: 1
- Gamma-grade administrators: 28
- Delta-grade administrators: 172
- Epsilon-grade administrators: 76
Survivors: 23
● Due to the intervention of an anomaly, there was a significant inconsistency in the intelligence obtained beforehand. As a result, the operation was deemed a near-certain failure following the death of Beta-grade administrator Yukina, one of the primary combatants.
● It is presumed that Delta-grade administrator Lee Taeseong of Korea single-handedly eliminated Ryomen Sukuna, the true ruler of Aokigahara’s sea of trees.
● Estimated classification of Ryomen Sukuna: ■■
● Approximately two-thirds of Aokigahara’s forest has been annihilated, presumably due to the aftermath of Lee Taeseong and Ryomen Sukuna’s battle.
● With the anomaly’s source eradicated, the fundamental objective of the operation has been achieved.
Mission result: Success.
The administrators who had been sent out for the subjugation mission returned.
Since it had been such a large-scale operation, rumors about the mission had already spread widely within the Japan branch.
Naturally, the most talked-about figure was Delta-grade administrator Lee Taeseong from Korea.
He was already incredibly well-known—having defeated the Yato siblings in a spar, ripped off Xiao Yun’s arm, and even caused chaos in the Japan branch.
He was so infamous that even office workers and janitors in the Japan branch had heard his name.
But this mission was on a completely different scale than anything before.
A large-scale operation involving 300 administrators.
While they had managed to eliminate the source of the anomaly and complete the mission successfully, the majority of the personnel had perished.
Even within the Tree, where death was always close, casualties of this magnitude were extremely rare.
Yet, despite that, the Japan branch was in a celebratory mood.
Rather than mourning the dead, they were rejoicing over the safe return of the survivors.
There was a reason for this attitude.
When they first received news of Beta-grade administrator Yukina’s death, most in the Japan branch were convinced the mission had failed.
Even after hearing that Lee Taeseong was the additional reinforcement sent in, their reaction remained the same.
Sure, he had shown some extraordinary feats, but if even a Beta-grade administrator had died, what could he possibly do?
They had all assumed that no one would return.
It was a tragic thought.
Three hundred invaluable personnel—longtime comrades—were about to die a meaningless death in some remote forest.
At least, that’s what they had believed.
But then, against all odds, some had made it back alive.
And not only that—the mission had been a success.
And the one who had accomplished all of this was a foreign administrator.
Delta-grade administrator Lee Taeseong from Korea.
A mere Delta-grade administrator had gone as reinforcements…
And a miracle had happened.
So rather than dwell on the dead, they chose to celebrate the return of the living.
A joint funeral for the deceased would be held in a few days.
Until then, they would maintain this atmosphere.
To the Japanese staff, Taeseong was nothing short of a hero.
At first, he had been an unknown menace.
Then, he became a madman who had slaughtered Japanese administrators just to save his sister.
And in the end, he was the hero who had saved them all.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“Because of you, our comrades have returned safely. You are our hero.”
“Administrator Lee Taeseong, if you ever need help, just say the word. If there’s anything I can do, I will gladly assist.”
“I will never forget this debt. Korea is our brother.”
A foreign administrator had risked his life to march into the jaws of death.
Regardless of his intentions, his actions were something rarely seen in the bleak and ruthless world of the Tree.
Having become a hero overnight, Lee Taeseong felt overwhelmed by the praise and cheers as he made his way to the Japan branch director’s office.
“…….”
He wanted to rest immediately after returning, but this wasn’t just any administrator summoning him—it was the director himself.
He had no choice.
Upon arriving at the office, Taeseong knocked on the door, and a voice called out from inside.
“Come in.”
The moment he heard the voice, he instantly knew who had summoned him. The person from before when he was fighting against Japanese administrators.
—Everyone, halt.
—Deputy Director Yukina, relay the orders from above.
A mere voice alone had commanded everyone to stop. An Alpha-grade administrator.
Taeseong entered and sat in the chair across from the director.
The man in front of him looked surprisingly ordinary.
A weary-looking man, seemingly in his mid-thirties.
At a glance, he was no different from an average office worker.
“This is our first time meeting face to face. I’m Hashimoto, the director of the Japan branch of the Tree.”
“Lee Taeseong .”
“I received the mission report. You performed beyond expectations.”
“I was just lucky.”
Hashimoto’s tired eyes landed on Taeseong, and he spoke in a lazy tone.
“Just lucky, huh… That’s quite the understatement, considering the display of strength you showed. I heard that every time you swung your sword, dozens of Gamma-grade entities were wiped out. Would you really call that luck?”
“Yes. I was lucky.”
“You’re more shameless than I expected.”
Already exhausted, Hashimoto found himself growing irritated at this pointless back-and-forth.
“Don’t make that face. I apologize if it sounded like I was interrogating you. Whether you were hiding your strength or not, it’s none of my concern. Since the higher-ups haven’t said anything, it must have already been settled. I was merely curious.”
“…….”
“But that’s not the real reason I called you here.”
“What is it?”
“I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
Hashimoto nodded and handed Taeseong a single blank sheet of paper.
“What’s this?”
“Write whatever you want. If you don’t need money, name anything else you desire. As long as it’s within my power, I will grant it. And, I will offer you the now-vacant position of Deputy Director.”
“…….”
“Administrator Lee Taeseong. Come to Japan.”
