Solo Leveling: Banishment of the Anomaly

Jinwoo's thoughts raced as the situation spiraled further out of control.

His gaze locked onto Joo-Hee's unconscious form, now standing before him like a walking corpse.

Yet, the immense life energy radiating from her told a different story.

The miasma thickened, and with a thundering crack, countless roots and vines erupted from the earth, twisting and writhing as if alive.

'This doesn't make sense. Could it be…?' Jinwoo thought, his expression grim.

'Does Joo-Hee have a system too? The mechanical pang, and echoed voice—it's too similar to mine.'

'But if she does… where did she get it? I'm pretty sure I was the only one who remained in that dungeon after all...'

His musings were abruptly cut short as the roots lashed out, their sharp tips slashing through the air like spears.

Jinwoo dodged deftly, flipping backward as the roots chased after him with relentless precision.

...

Behind the rampaging body of Joo-Hee, Chi Yul and Jeonho stood just a few meters away, their expressions shifting from confusion to horror as the overwhelming energy coming from Joo-Hee's body began to suffocate them.

Before they could even realize it, the bioluminescent ferns that had been growing around her feet earlier had continuously released a faint, almost imperceptible mist.

Its paralyzing and narcotic effects had seeped into their bodies with each passing breath and second.

Chi Yul staggered, falling to one knee as he coughed violently.

The usually composed mage's face twisted not in pain but in inevitable forced exhaustion.

"This... this isn't something we can handle. She had gone berserk..." he gasped, his voice strained.

"I thought Joo-Hee had awakened again as a healer, but... no. This is something far worse. She's reawakened... as a mage."

"A-a powerful one!"

Jeonho clutched his throat, gasping for air as his chest heaved.

The energy in the air was dense, oppressive—far beyond anything they had ever encountered.

His vision blurred, and the edges of his consciousness began to fade.

Through sheer will, he managed to choke out, "That silhouette... it-it's Jinwoo!"

"He... must have won against Tae-Shik, but at this rate... we don't know what w-will happen to him..."

The countless roots with glowing green patterns surged upward, relentlessly attacking Jin-Woo.

Their movements were chaotic but purposeful, clawing at the dungeon's walls and ceiling, as if they were trying to terraform the barren cavern of the goblins.

A radiant light pulsed from Joo-Hee's body, intensifying with every second.

The ground beneath them trembled as if the dungeon itself were reacting to the unleashed power.

Chi Yul's hands glowed faintly as he attempted to summon fire magic, but the flames sputtered out before they could take form.

His lips quivered as realization struck. "It's… too late. We've already... been too affected."

"The ferns... they've been releasing spores... intoxicating us... from the moment the greenery grew..." His voice faltered as his strength waned, his body collapsing onto the ground.

Jeonho, too, faltered, his legs giving out beneath him.

He clawed at the earth, desperate to reach and stop Joo-Hee.

But each of his muscles felt like they were melting, and his limbs heavy as if mountains were crashing him down.

The overwhelming vitality in the air—so thick it almost tasted sweet and addictive—was paradoxically suffocating.

As the seconds dragged on, both hunters found themselves thoroughly paralyzed, no longer feeling any inch of their bodies.

Unable to do anything but watch as the roots continued to grow and thrash—the scene reminiscent of nature taking revenge on humanity.

Their bodies were now covered with vibrant moss and grass, a silent testament to their helplessness.

They observed silently but could no longer feel what was happening around them.

Their breaths came in shallow gasps, their vision darkening at the edges.

Chi Yul's eyes glazed over as his consciousness began to slip away.

'W-we failed… we couldn't do anything against her…'

Jeonho's last thought was filled with despair.

'Jinwoo… I'm sorry... but y-you're her only hope now…'

Their bodies fell still, lifelessly sprawled on the dungeon floor as the miasma thickened around them.

Little did they know that the moss and greenery covering them were doing more than just suffocating them.

Roots pierced Chi Yul's shoulder, and the moss and grass slowly infiltrated their bodies.

...

More than ten minutes had passed, and Joo-Hee's unconscious form remained at the center of the chaos.

The roots pulsated with energy, almost as if they were sentient.

Her flawless form and stance now exhibited an almost unnatural perfection, an improved level of skill in 'Basic Swordsmanship' that Joo-Hee—Jake—could hardly dream of.

Jinwoo glanced back, his jaw tightening as he saw the two hunters collapse.

A flash of guilt and anger crossed his face, but he forced himself to focus.

Their sharp tendrils whipped and lashed at him, tearing through the air with deadly precision, trying to snare and capture him.

The miasma thickened, and with every breath, Jinwoo felt its oppressive effects slowly encroach upon him.

'If I stay here any longer, even I might not be able to resist these effects for long.'

The air buzzed with unnatural energy, a suffocating mix of vitality and menace.

Jinwoo's heightened resistance to status ailments was working overtime, but the sheer concentration of spores made his body feel slightly heavier with each passing breath and moment.

"Damn it!" he growled, slashing through a cluster of roots that had nearly impaled him.

His voice echoed through the cave as he shouted again, "Joo-Hee! It's me, Jinwoo! Wake up, you fool! Are you really going to let this power control you?"

For a moment, there was no response—just the chaotic rustling of roots and the oppressive hum of energy.

Then, without warning, Joo-Hee's body dashed toward him with dashed speed.

Her wooden swords glowed with a verdant light, merging to form a single, improved sword adorned with ancient glowing patterns.

Infused with nature's mana, the sword's edges sharpened and its strength amplified.

The system amplified all of Joo-Hee's abilities to their maximum potential, bringing all her basic skills to level 10 by forcibly redistributing and expending her stats temporarily.

Jinwoo barely had time to block the countless roots.

Her transformed sword clashed against his dagger, sending a shockwave rippling through the air.

He thought, 'Damn it, should I use my daily reward to improve my stats? But what if I need to heal later?'

At that moment, his system sent him a quest to subdue Joo-Hee, offering a reward of 15 stats and improved self-regeneration ability.

Jinwoo bit his lip as he thought, 'I don't have any choice right now.'

He glided backward, his arms trembling slightly from the restless force.

His sharp gaze locked onto her, but her eyes—normally so full of warmth—were now empty, void of any recognition, almost dead.

"She's not listening. If I don't do something, she'll tear me apart sooner or later," he muttered under his breath.

Joo-Hee's body moved with terrifying precision, her sword striking at Jinwoo in rapid succession.

He deflected and dodged, each clash sending sparks flying in the transformed cave.

Roots and a small forest began to materialize around them, due to Joo-Hee's skill, 'Verdant Growth,' creating a domain that was highly favorable for her system.

Despite his reluctance to attack Joo-Hee, Jinwoo knew he couldn't keep this up forever.

He gritted his teeth and made his move.

With a quick feint, he parried one of her strikes and delivered a powerful kick to her torso, sending her slightly stumbling backward.

Little did Jinwoo know, it had no effect as the system activated Nature's Embrace.

A thousand sturdy yet small hexagonal scales appeared all over her body, fully capable of protecting Joo-Hee from most damage.

Seizing the moment, he leaped away, creating distance between them.

As he landed, Jinwoo took a deep breath to steady himself.

But the system didn't let Jinwoo rest.

It repositioned its wooden sword and drove it into the ground.

Ten buds of unknown flowers sprang up from the ground, immediately beginning to devour the leaked energy from Joo-Hee's body.

They pulsed with a sinister glow, recharging some kind of energy within themselves.

Jinwoo's eyes widened as he noticed the buds starting to glow, emitting compressed mana.

The air crackled with energy, and he knew he had to act fast before the flowers unleashed their devastating power.

Seeing the nearby corpse of Tae Shik, Jinwoo didn't hesitate and grabbed ownerless daggers.

He crouched low, the ground a blur beneath him as he activated his [Dash].

His daggers, honed to razor sharpness, felt like extensions of his own limbs.

Adrenaline surged through him, masking the tremor in his hands as he acted fast.

"Claim daily reward, full recovery!" he snarled, his voice a low growl.

The familiar warmth surged through him, mending his wounds and replenishing his strength.

But it wasn't enough. He needed an edge.

"Use Rune Stone: Stealth!"

Immediately activating [Stealth], Jinwoo vanished into the shadows, becoming a phantom-like being.

He moved with the silence of a predator stalking its prey.

Striding with the grace of a black panther, every muscle tensed, every sense heightened.

He circled Joo-Hee, searching for an opening, a weakness.

"Sorry, Joo-Hee," he said softly, his voice tinged with regret.

"I'll try not to hurt you too much… but you'd better snap out of it fast."

With a burst of speed, Jinwoo launched himself at Joo-Hee.

She raised her hand, commanding the flowers to bloom like a general ordering her soldiers.

The buds opened majestically, releasing condensed rays of golden-green light, destroying the surroundings in a desperate search for Jinwoo, who was cloaked in stealth.

His daggers flashed in a deadly dance of steel and shadow.

The air crackled with the anticipation of the inevitable clash, revealing a collision of creation and destruction.