There she is. How was school?" asked Karl as he watched his granddaughter enter the dining room just as lunch was being prepared. The long table was already filled with family members, a sight that had become surprisingly rare over the past year. Ever since the search for the mana stone veins had begun, nearly two-thirds of the Sonnenberg family had been scattered across the black forest. Seeing everyone gathered together beneath the same roof once again made the manor feel alive.
"Good, now that Grandma has dealt with the principal," Tilly replied cheerfully as she walked toward her seat. "And I heard from Arin that our family made a fortune by helping discover a mana stone vein." She smiled brightly as she looked toward her grandfather, who sat calmly at the head of the table while everyone else settled into their chairs. After spending so many months with an unusually quiet household, she was happy to see every familiar face gathered around the dining table once more.
"Yes, we did," Karl answered with a satisfied nod, "but the money is not what matters most." His expression softened as he shifted his attention toward Arin, who sat a few seats away after returning from his year-long mission. "The important thing is that everyone returned safely. Escorting miners and supply wagons through unexplored wilderness is dangerous work because it removes nearly every advantage that a ranger normally possesses."
Arin nodded slowly before answering. "It certainly wasn't easy." He leaned back in his chair and released a tired sigh that carried months of exhaustion. "The forest felt isolated... almost hostile toward humanity itself. Every step reminded us that we were guests walking through a place that no longer wanted us there."
He understood why the forest behaved that way. Humanity had spent centuries cutting down ancient forests, poisoning rivers, and treating nature as nothing more than another resource to exploit. Now that mana had awakened the world itself, the forests finally possessed emotions of their own, and they had long memories. The resentment lingering beneath every ancient tree was impossible for someone like Arin to ignore.
"It isn't just the Black Forest either," Arin continued after taking a sip of water. "The Crimson Forest feels exactly the same way." He glanced around the room, knowing every ranger present already understood what he meant. "If our family had not protected it for generations, it probably would have been cut down long before the System ever appeared."
"The forest recognizes our bloodline," Arin explained. "That is why outsiders cannot simply wander wherever they please." Even the newest recruits were forbidden from inviting strangers into the deeper parts of the forest unless they followed one of the officially approved paths. Those restrictions were not traditions anymore; they were necessary for survival. The forest itself decided who was welcome.
Tilly quietly listened while the older members of the family nodded in agreement. Although she was still young, she had already experienced enough of the Crimson Forest to understand that it truly behaved like a living being. There were days when walking through the trees felt peaceful and comforting, while on other days every branch seemed ready to drive intruders away. Few outsiders would ever believe such stories, but everyone sitting around the table knew they were true.
"The hardest part of the mission wasn't finding the mana stones," Arin admitted after a moment of silence. "It was carving out a safe route without angering the forest." He rubbed his temples as though the memory itself was giving him another headache. "Every time we had to clear trees or mark a trail, I could feel the forest watching us. It tolerated our presence, but only barely."
He paused before giving everyone an annoyed smile. "Unfortunately, the mining company sent several experts who believed they knew better than the people who had spent their entire lives living in forests." His voice carried more frustration than anger. "According to them, the fastest route between two points was obviously a straight line, so naturally they wanted to build their road exactly that way."
Several family members rolled their eyes before Arin had even finished speaking. They had encountered plenty of officials over the years who believed maps were more reliable than experienced rangers. On paper, a straight road looked efficient. In reality, forests rarely rewarded people who ignored the terrain.
"The problem," Arin continued, "was that their perfect straight road crossed several major hunting grounds." He spread his hands across the table as though tracing the route through the mountains. "Not only would they disturb countless predators, but they would also destroy several natural migration paths that had probably existed for centuries." Simply imagining the proposal again made him frown.
"I warned them repeatedly," he said. "I explained why the route was dangerous and suggested several alternatives that would only add a little extra travel time." He shook his head with clear disappointment. "None of them wanted to listen because they believed construction costs were more important than respecting the land."
The room grew noticeably quieter as Arin's expression became serious. "The moment they unfolded their final map and insisted on that route..." he began before stopping briefly. "I felt the mood of the forest change." Even recalling that instant caused him to shiver involuntarily. "It wasn't subtle either. It was as though something enormous had suddenly opened its eyes."
A heavy silence settled across the dining room. Almost every Sonnenberg present instinctively shivered along with him because they had experienced similar moments themselves. Their profession demanded far more than simply surviving in the wilderness. Rangers learned to observe the smallest changes in the wind, the birds, the animals, and even the emotions carried by the forest itself.
Most people dismissed such instincts as superstition, but the Sonnenbergs knew better. Long before mana had appeared, their ancestors had relied on those feelings to survive. Now that the forests possessed genuine awareness, those instincts had become more valuable than ever. Ignoring them was often the difference between returning home safely and disappearing forever beneath the trees.
Karl carefully observed everyone's reactions without interrupting. As the patriarch, he knew that shared fear often revealed more than words ever could. Seeing nearly every ranger around the table react the same way confirmed exactly how dangerous that situation must have been. Even Tilly, who had not been present, found herself unconsciously sitting a little straighter.
Finally, Karl released a slow sigh before breaking the silence. "It is only to be expected," he said in a calm voice filled with resignation rather than surprise. His eyes briefly wandered toward the windows overlooking the Crimson Forest outside. "When have businessmen ever respected the laws of nature if there was more money to be made by ignoring them?" He gently folded his hands together before adding, "That way of thinking has always existed, and unfortunately, mana has not changed human greed."
"So, how did you handle that particular disagreement?" Karl asked, fixing Arin with a look that demanded a proper explanation. Judging from the expressions around the table, everyone expected the story to be entertaining, even if they doubted it had been particularly diplomatic. Quite a few family members were already suppressing smiles because they knew Arin well enough to suspect that he had found an unconventional solution. Whether the mining company appreciated that solution was another matter entirely.
"Oh, it was simple," Arin replied with an innocent smile that immediately made several people at the table suspicious. "I spent three hours arguing with him, explaining why his plan was dangerous and why he should trust the experience of the people who had actually lived in forests their entire lives." He shrugged helplessly before continuing. "Unfortunately, he believed he knew better than we did and confidently declared that, even in this new age, nature could not stop determined humans."
"I actually agreed with part of what he said," Arin admitted. "If humanity truly decides to accomplish something, nature alone usually cannot stop it." He paused for a moment before the smile on his face became noticeably sharper. "The problem is that achieving those goals usually comes with an enormous price, and that was the part he conveniently ignored."
"So I proposed a compromise," Arin continued, causing several relatives to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "I told him I would support his route without another complaint." He casually folded his arms as though the proposal had been perfectly reasonable. "I even offered to give up our family's share of the profits from discovering the mana stone vein if he could simply walk one hundred meters along the path he wanted to build and return alive."
For a brief moment, complete silence filled the dining room before several people burst into laughter. Everyone present understood exactly what Arin had done. It sounded like a generous offer on the surface, but every ranger in the room knew that surviving those hundred meters was practically impossible. The challenge was less a negotiation and more a demonstration of reality.
Karl rubbed his forehead with a tired sigh before looking at his grandson. "Of course you did," he muttered, sounding only mildly surprised. "Murdering people has become rather unpopular these days, even when they insist on behaving like complete fools." Although amusement flickered across his face, his expression soon became serious again.
"Please tell me you stopped him before he accepted," Karl continued. "I know the type of people headquarters likes to send." He folded his hands together while carefully considering the situation. "If he had been given performance conditions tied to his promotion or bonus, he might have accepted your challenge despite knowing the danger. People chasing money rarely make rational decisions."
"Not quite," Arin answered with a faint grin. Instead of replying immediately, he reached into one of his pouches and carefully placed a dark green mana stone into Tilly's hands. The crystal glowed with a rich emerald light that pulsed gently like a living heartbeat, instantly capturing everyone's attention. Even those who had already seen the stone found themselves staring at it again.
"He was about to accept," Arin explained while watching Tilly admire the crystal. "He even took a step toward the proposed route." Arin's smile widened ever so slightly as he remembered what happened next. "Then about a hundred pairs of glowing eyes suddenly opened in the darkness exactly where he intended to walk."
The family remained silent as Arin continued his story. "The eyes didn't move," he said calmly. "They simply watched him without making a sound." Even now, remembering that eerie sight sent a chill down his spine. "Apparently, the prospect of becoming dinner was enough to convince him that perhaps my suggested route deserved another look."
Several family members chuckled quietly, while others merely shook their heads. Rangers understood that forests rarely needed to threaten intruders directly. Sometimes, allowing someone to glimpse the predators patiently waiting nearby was more than enough to change their mind. Nature had made its opinion perfectly clear without shedding a single drop of blood.
"I have to admit," Arin said with exaggerated disappointment, "I was rather looking forward to seeing reality teach him a lesson." He spread his hands helplessly as if fate itself had robbed him of a satisfying conclusion. "Sadly, common sense finally won." His tone suggested that common sense had arrived far later than it should have.
Karl gave his grandson a long, disapproving look before sighing once more. "That is probably for the best," he said at last. "Projects like these are difficult enough without people dying because of their own arrogance." A faint smile appeared despite his words. "Even if some individuals make that restraint rather difficult."
With the conversation finally settling down, Karl reached for his crepes and began eating. The rest of the family quickly followed his example, and the lively discussion gradually gave way to the familiar sounds of a family lunch. After spending so many months apart, simply sharing a peaceful meal together felt surprisingly comforting.
Tilly reluctantly placed the nature-attributed mana stone beside her plate before picking up her utensils. Every few seconds, however, her eyes wandered back toward the glowing crystal. The emerald light was strangely mesmerizing, almost as though the stone contained a tiny fragment of a living forest within it. Even after everything she had seen over the past few years, she still found it difficult to believe that such treasures now existed.
Conversation drifted naturally between different family members as they enjoyed lunch together. Some discussed recent construction projects around the town, while others compared stories from their various expeditions across Europe. Laughter occasionally echoed through the dining room, making the large manor feel warm despite the rain continuing to fall outside. For the first time in nearly a year, everyone was finally home.
After everyone had finished eating and the plates had been cleared away, Karl gently coughed to regain everyone's attention. The room immediately fell silent. Years of habit ensured that no one continued talking once the patriarch wished to address the family. Every pair of eyes quickly turned toward the head of the table.
"I have received information from several reliable sources," Karl began in a calm but serious voice. "According to the latest estimates, humanity's first cultivators should break through the First Stage in approximately one month's time." He slowly looked around the table to ensure everyone understood the importance of those words. "The various governments are expecting some kind of reaction from the System when that happens, even though the next Guardian Trial is still roughly sixteen years away."
"No one knows what that reaction will be," Karl continued. "Perhaps nothing will happen at all." He folded his hands together while carefully considering every possibility. "However, assuming nothing happens simply because we do not understand the System would be careless. I refuse to allow this family to be caught unprepared."
"For that reason," Karl said firmly, "I want to know who absolutely must leave the Crimson Forest during the next two months." His gaze moved from one family member to the next. "If your assignments can be delayed or delegated to someone else, postpone them. I want every capable member of this family close at hand until we understand what happens after the first breakthrough."
The room remained completely silent as everyone absorbed Karl's instructions. No one questioned his judgment because history had repeatedly proven that his caution often saved lives. If the patriarch believed something important was about to happen, then every Sonnenberg would prepare accordingly. Whatever change the System had planned for humanity, they intended to face it together.