The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

The man in the hat shoved his way roughly through the crowd. He was clearly a pickpocket, but no one tried to stop him.

Everyone was too busy to bother with some petty thief.

Not that I expected anyone’s help anyway.

Still, I needed to act before I lost him in the press of bodies.

Flutter!

The spirit, at my command, clung to his back.

The shimmering light visible only to me served as a guide, unaffected by the chaos of the streets.

‘Pretty professional for a petty thief.’

The way he cut through the crowd was quick and practiced.

Definitely not someone doing this for the first time.

Even without knowing I was on his tail, the way he plotted his escape route was calculated.

If I had just chased him blindly, I might’ve lost him.

But with the spirit tagging along, he was already in my palm.

“……”

He slipped out of the central district and abruptly turned.

The direction was so precise that I hesitated for a moment.

“District 4……?”

A broken sign hinted at the atmosphere beyond.

The lawless zone—commonly called Junk Town.

Its reputation was well-known to anyone living in Gellerg City.

Unlike the slums of District 7, District 4 wasn’t about poverty.

Though officially within the city’s jurisdiction, it had its own order, independent from government control.

Not a place one entered lightly.

……But my errand wasn’t light.

‘If you want to catch a tiger, you go into its den.’

My pocket felt light.

That wallet was everything I had.

If I didn’t get it back, I’d be sleeping on the streets.

I crossed the boundary without hesitation.

To put it simply, District 4 was a lawless zone.

The already pompous authorities completely ignored this area.

Even murder went unreported; minor fights weren’t worth a glance.

Here, the gangs and strong held power. The law was a distant tale.

Constant turf wars were so frequent they were jokingly called a local specialty.

Naturally, criminals often hid here.

It was dangerous even for them, but then, those who worried about law and order weren’t the ones committing crimes.

For human refuse, it was paradise.

「The World Tree rustles its leaves in excitement.」

Rustle, rustle!

‘For all its reputation, District 4 really does have plenty to see.’

The din of chatter pounded my ears.

The lights were dazzling, the buildings tidy.

The clean streets put some of District 3’s thoroughfares to shame.

‘A lawless zone doesn’t mean a slum.’

That was just a prejudice outsiders held.

District 4 was still a neighborhood where people lived.

Respect the local order, and you’d be treated like a guest.

‘At a glance, it’s more of an entertainment district.’

Even in broad daylight, taverns and gambling dens thrived.

Barkers dragged in passersby, who allowed themselves to be led and spent money freely.

The air was thick with incense and liquor.

‘Looks peaceful enough, despite its reputation……’

But a place wearing the mask of civility only showed what it wanted.

My eyes pierced through to Junk Town’s darker depths.

A blank sign pointing downward meant an illegal clinic. A building shrouded in heavy curtains hid a black market.

Behind it, a brothel; to the side, a drug club. Step wrong, and every kind of crime waited.

Clack!

The cold sound of metal teased my ear.

I glanced over.

A bald, scarred giant casually tapped a gun at his hip.

‘One of the ruling gang’s enforcers, maybe.’

I’d been moving from place to place, not entering any businesses, and he was watching me suspiciously.

‘No need to draw trouble with suspicion.’

I had come to District 4 only to catch the pickpocket.

I cared nothing for gang identities or turf wars.

I walked on, deliberately relaxed, to ease suspicion.

I didn’t need to search aimlessly. My destination was already set.

Flash!

The spirit clinging to the pickpocket had left behind glittering dust.

Like pollen, scattered at even intervals.

I followed the trail only I could see.

‘Stopped here, huh.’

At the end of the path stood a shabby bar.

Dank and quiet—the kind of place where anything could happen unnoticed.

A perfect image of District 4’s reputation.

I pushed open the swing door glowing faintly with light.

“Welcome.”

The middle-aged master greeted me.

There weren’t many patrons.

Barely five.

All seated at the same table together.

“Haah, feels like I can breathe again.”

“What kind of monster did you run into to be drenched in sweat?”

“I don’t know, just had this bad feeling like someone was following me. So I made circles on purpose. Looks like it was nothing after all.”

“Idiot. I told you it’s getting harder to pick pockets in that district. Should’ve taken it easy.”

“What are you, my wife? Quit nagging.”

They laughed boisterously as the man downed his drink.

I didn’t need to check his face.

It was him.

The spirit swam in his beer glass.

“Whoever that bastard was, there’s no way he followed me here. You’re right, we’ll drop that area from now on. No point risking it for pocket change.”

“How much did you get?”

“Light haul. Rich-looking guy, but couldn’t even afford a meal.”

“Probably some conman living off his face.”

“So, how much did you lot make today? I’m broke, so you’re paying……”

“……Hey.”

I slid into their circle mid-conversation.

“Hm?”

They turned to me, faces red from drink.

“Sounds like you’re having fun.”

At my words, the atmosphere froze like cold water had been thrown on it.

One of them, drunker than the rest, snapped.

“And who the hell are y—”

“……Wait.”

The man stopped his friend from swinging a fist.

“So I wasn’t just being paranoid.”

He recognized me.

“You really followed me here. Crazy bastard.”

His expression was mixed with disbelief.

“You know him?”

“That’s the guy I told you about earlier.”

“Oh, the loser who got his wallet lifted?”

The group snickered.

Sensing the tension, the master shot me a glance, then slipped quietly into the back.

As expected of District 4’s residents—they had no intention of getting involved.

“Hand it over.”

“…What?”

“My stolen wallet. Hand it over.”

I tilted my head slightly as I gave the command.

“Ha, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

The man’s reply was a hollow laugh.

He shook his head, exchanging glances with his buddies.

Soon, the look they gave me turned menacing.

“What a lunatic. You really don’t get the situation, do you?”

“……”

“If you had business with me, you should’ve come when I was alone. There’s five of us here, and you’re by yourself—what exactly do you think you can do?”

His mocking tone was laced with ridicule.

“My brothers here aren’t cheap. We can’t just let you go. You’ll pay for disturbing us.”

He jerked his chin.

The gang got the message and cheered.

“Pretty face like that—bet plenty of people would pay to have it skinned.”

“Idiot, we should sell him as a slave, not skin him.”

“Even better. Steal one wallet and a gold mine walks in.”

They spoke casually about my fate, as if it were nothing.

So they weren’t ordinary pickpockets after all.

“I was going to just rough you up a bit…”

But no.

Letting their mouths run like that left no reason for mercy.

“Oh? Guess you’ve got some pride. Think you’ll land a punch?”

“Coddled brat like you doesn’t know his place. Lucky for you, we’ll give you a life lesson.”

“Not such a good lesson if he dies, is it?”

“Then too bad. What were kidneys going for these days…?”

Their drunken eyes gleamed with greed.

They already thought of me as a caught fish.

‘No point listening any longer.’

Just hearing them made my ears rot.

I reached toward the laughing man.

“What, arm-wrestling? Cute. Must’ve grown up sheltered, huh—”

He never finished the sentence.

Caught off guard, he didn’t react in time.

I grabbed the back of his head—

And slammed it down.

Crack!

The grotesque sound cut through the laughter.

Too drunk to understand, the others froze for a moment.

“In this district, don’t fists do the talking?”

Disputes in District 4 weren’t solved with words or reason, but violence.

Smashing someone’s head into a table out of nowhere? Nobody would bat an eye.

Primitive, yes—but when I was the one swinging, it was refreshing.

Wham!

“Gahh!”

One more slam drew a scream.

The man’s face was a mess of blood and splinters.

Considering the table had broken under his skull, it was a miracle he wasn’t unconscious.

I let go of his head without hesitation.

“You bastard…!”

Only then did his friends catch on. They shot to their feet.

“You’re dead!”

Each of them drew a blade from their pockets.

‘Now it’s serious.’

They weren’t throwing punches—they went straight to blades.

No hesitation in their swings either. These were hands that had killed before.

Typical for criminals surviving in District 4.

But they were no match for me.

Crash!

“Ugh!”

I kicked the table, sending it crashing into the ones rushing at me.

That alone was enough to end the fight.

“Wh-what the hell!”

“M-my body won’t move!”

“Arghhh!”

The World Tree’s tendrils had snaked out, binding them fast.

With my affinity for nature strengthened, its pressure was far beyond what ordinary humans could resist.

Soon they were foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling back as they collapsed.

“Ughh…”

“You should’ve just handed it over quietly.”

The only one still conscious was the first man I’d slammed.

I stepped closer. His bloodshot eyes glared up at me.

“Do you… know… who we are?”

“…?”

“You… even know… who you’re messing with?”

Normally by now, a man would be pissing himself in fear.

But even terrified, he tried to threaten me with their identity.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“Heh…”

He chuckled and raised his arm.

At first glance, it looked like a cheap skull tattoo, but I knew better.

“…Brotherhood?”

He grinned, showing broken teeth, confirming it.

‘If true, that’s a big organization.’

The Brotherhood.

A crime syndicate infamous even in the underworld.

Their reach extended beyond a single city.

In sheer scale, they could be considered the largest in the world.

I’d clashed with them in several past playthroughs.

Wherever I went, I couldn’t avoid crossing paths with them.

“Even so, you’ll bow to us, becau—ugh!”

His arrogant boasting didn’t last.

My heel crashed down on his head, silencing him.

‘No apologies now.’

Too late to cover things up.

Better to finish it clean.

‘And the Brotherhood won’t care anyway.’

For all their size, they were hollow inside.

They weren’t the type to stir the whole city over some dead pickpockets.

As long as the mouths were shut, this would stay a District 4 incident.

‘And corpses don’t talk.’

I made sure of it.

No need to worry about revenge.

“Apologies for the mess.”

I retrieved my wallet, and while at it, emptied their pockets.

As expected of notorious pickpockets, they’d amassed a decent haul.

I gave a portion of it to the master to cover the broken table.

I was about to leave the bodies to his care when—

“Ah, fuck.”

I felt a presence beyond the swing door.

“Why the hell are they all lying around?”

A woman stepped in. Ripped jeans, a tight t-shirt, casual and free-spirited.

She glanced between the sprawled gang and me.

“That was you?”

Her eyes narrowed.

At the same time, a heavy pressure washed over me.

‘This is trouble.’

A Brotherhood officer, maybe.

All this, just for chasing one pickpocket.

‘No way to bluff through it.’

She’d seen the scene. I couldn’t deny it.

So I confessed.

“Yeah, I did it.”

“…Why?”

“They stole my wallet.”

“……”

Her brow twitched.

Her sharp eyes turned fiercer.

Looked like she was ready for a fight.

‘Damn. Just when I thought I’d made some profit, I’m about to lose money again.’

I was about to suggest taking it outside when—

“Hand it over.”

“…?”

She clicked her tongue and held out her palm.

“You picked their pockets, didn’t you? Hand over my wallet.”

I glanced between the unconscious gang and the scowling woman—

And finally understood.

Her fierce look had made me assume wrong.

“…You too?”

“Yeah, me too.”

She wasn’t Brotherhood at all.

She was another victim.

(End of Chapter)