Thud, thud.
Han Seori scraped the bark of the giant tree with a hoe.
The hoe effortlessly pierced through the bark and, following Seori’s movements, peeled it off with ease.
“Oops.”
Due to the unexpected ease, the chunk of bark slipped from her grasp, passed over her shoulder, and crashed to the ground.
Seori’s eyes tracked the falling bark, ensuring it didn’t land on anyone’s head, then she let out a sigh of relief.
She felt a sudden dizziness and shivered, fidgeting with her lips unconsciously.
Only now, regaining awareness, did she realize just how high she had climbed. It was much higher than she had anticipated.
“…They really ate a lot, didn’t they?”
Seori was currently high up because the Jellies and Daesik had stripped the bark from the lower areas of the tree, making it necessary to ascend further to get a sample.
She recalled the footage from nearby cameras.
The Jellies had gathered around the tree, dividing the bark among themselves and celebrating in what seemed like their own festival.
“…Is it really that delicious?”
Though the scene felt oddly disharmonious given the tense circumstances at the time,
perhaps that’s why it piqued her curiosity even more.
How could they continue to eat so contentedly, sharing the bark even in such a situation?
Of course, tampering with something from the Singularity realm could be extremely dangerous, so caution was necessary…
“Is this still part of the Singularity?”
The tree itself seemed peculiar. While it was certainly extraordinary in size—enough to qualify as part of the Singularity—classifying it as such felt somewhat ambiguous.
After a few days of observation, this tree was essentially just a “very large tree.”
It was verified by specialists from other laboratories and civilian botanists called in. The existence of the Singularity needed to remain hidden from the public.
The arrangement was advantageous, allowing experts in the domain to cross-check findings.
Although the researchers at the Lab studying the Singularity were not inexperienced,
the more they delved deeper into the Singularity, the further they strayed from their original fields.
With entities that defied common knowledge,
it was almost inevitable that the researchers at the Foundation began to drift away from reality.
Some basic understanding remained, but still,
this new group of experts came eagerly when contacted, making it a win-win.
However, too deep an investigation might cause them to distance themselves from the real world as well.
“Just an enormous tree.”
Back in the present, Seori swung the hoe once more to collect the required sample.
She gently placed the bark in her hand.
“…Should I try it?”
Since the experts had confirmed it was just a tree, it should be safe, right?
As she fiddled with the bark, her thoughts wandered to a story Kim Cheon-soo had told her—about Lime making pudding with the Jellies, but the Jellies refusing to eat it.
“Hmm… hahaha…”
Remembering this, she couldn’t help but chuckle imagining how dejected Lime must have felt back then.
After clearing her throat, she was relieved no one was around to witness her laughter.
“Still… the Jellies, known for their picky taste, like this…”
She couldn’t suppress her curiosity any longer.
If it was just a regular tree now, surely it would be safe to try it.
Though the idea of tree bark being sweet was hard to fathom.
Resins, perhaps, she could see.
“…”
Seori glanced around, ensuring no one else was nearby, then tentatively bit into the piece of bark she held.
Her teeth struggled, as expected, to chew something so tough.
But to her surprise,
she could suck on it like candy.
The bark left a sticky, syrup-like sweetness coating her mouth.
“Sweet…”
Seori, caught off guard by this unexpected sweetness, momentarily spaced out before snapping back to reality.
“…Hmm.”
Could this genuinely just be an ordinary tree?
The sweetness was pleasant, yet it left her mind buzzing with questions.
“Not like I intended to test this today anyway.”
Musing over this, Seori decided to climb down and share her thoughts with others nearby.
As she did, she spotted Lime and the Jellies arriving and smiled warmly.
Seeing the puddings on their heads reminded her amusingly of Lime’s earlier tale,
and Seori embraced Lime, finding their cuteness irresistible.
Taking in the sight of the Jellies interacting with the people, as well as the onlookers observing these moments,
seemed to bring her closer to the world she had envisioned.
But then,
something odd happened.
Lime, for some reason, approached the “normal” tree.
Initially, Seori thought it was just to eat the bark,
but soon realized it wasn’t that.
The bottom of the tree had already been stripped of its bark, revealing smooth white wood underneath,
meaning Lime would have to climb up to find any bark.
“…Does Lime intend to climb the tree?”
Though Lime certainly had the ability to climb, it soon became clear that instead of climbing,
Lime squeezed into a crack in the tree.
Only Lime’s helmet was left behind, clattering to the ground.
“…What?”
Seori blinked in confusion before rushing toward the crack where Lime disappeared.
However, it seemed Lime had penetrated deep into the tree, far beyond sight.
Seori bit her lip, a growing sense of unease filling her.
Though Lime often acted unpredictably, this was unusual even for them.
Moreover, their demeanor prior to this moment had felt off.
Lime, who’d been so protective of their newly replaced helmet, suddenly discarded it.
Something must have happened.
Perhaps the tree wasn’t as ordinary as they thought.
Seori’s head throbbed as she ushered the bystanders back.
Even though Lime wouldn’t harm anyone, it was better to exercise caution.
With no civilians around, they complied without resistance.
Near the tree remained Hwang Bo-yul, a few others, the Jellies, and Electric Scent.
Seori glanced at Electric Scent, wondering if they had any insight.
“Um… do you happen to know why Lime is doing this?”
“…I don’t know.”
Electric Scent’s tone was cold.
They were typically a bit rigid, but this definitive answer seemed genuine.
“Phew…”
Seori felt a headache brewing. The stress she had momentarily eased by hugging Lime earlier returned in full force.
Why give it back just to snatch it away again?
She looked toward the Jellies, specifically Daesik, hoping they might have some connection or explanation.
Though no definitive link had been established, Jellies seemed attuned to Lime’s behavior.
If something happened to Lime, the Jellies should be the first to notice.
However, the Jellies were…
Just… calm.
The smaller Jellies continued feasting on the snacks left by humans. Sosik and Jungsik lounged under the warm sunlight, contentedly rolling around.
The only exception was Daesik, who occasionally looked between Seori and the tree, but even this seemed cautious and not indicative of serious concern.
“…Ugh.”
Maybe nothing serious was happening?
Seori couldn’t help feeling that her concerns only made her seem foolish.
It was a familiar feeling, especially in the realm of Singularity research.
These beings defied all she had known. Despite countless studies, she couldn’t fully grasp how they functioned, how they thought, or how they acted.
Even the pages of instructions written in blood offered little insight.
Though speaking of blood-soaked manuals, maybe enduring this stress was preferable to the alternatives.
“What… are you even doing, Lime?”
Why couldn’t Lime just give her a heads-up?
Now that Electric Scent was around, why such silent behavior?
She ruffled her hair, exasperated, but there was nothing to do but wait.
Fortunately, the wait didn’t seem long.
Not long after, the ground began to tremble—not the ground itself, but the giant tree.
“Eek, Mommy!”
“…Be careful.”
The Jellies remained unperturbed, while nearby, Yang Ha-na stumbled but was caught by Electric Scent.
As Seori watched with a strange mix of emotions, the giant tree slowly swayed,
then creaked! The sound of wood splintering echoed,
and the tree began to deform.
For someone familiar with past incidents, it might have been easy to think “Could it be…?”
But Seori watched calmly.
Worrying only made her feel foolish.
The immense tree swayed, groaning as it transformed into something else entirely.
