Dimension Weaver: My Wife Is The Dragon Empress!-Chapter 109 - - Between a Rock And a Hard Place (Part 1)

The forest shook powerfully, as dirt, broken trees, and all kinds of other things started sliding down to the middle. All the students who took that route to escape found themselves being hit by an avalanche from both sides.

Some of the unlucky ones were hit by broken tree trunks.

"AAAGHHHH!! My leg!!"

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!"

Panic spread across the entire group as they realized the massive disaster happening. Nobody expected such an outcome from entering this place. They prepared themselves mentally and physically to fight actual monsters, not a moving forest!

"Don't panic and keep moving! We aren't far away from the exit!" Hyun-Jae's voice echoed through the entire place, capturing the attention of the students. Her voice, as cold as it was, brought them a small glimpse of hope as they kept running.

Meanwhile, still at the last line, Hyun-Jae went everywhere, helping any student she could help. She wasn't intending to exit the forest the first one even if she could and the reason for that was simple.

'I need to buy Talon as much time as possible. I can't let him down!' She thought to herself as she used her sword to cut a way through the rising hills.

Even under such an unexpected situation, Hyun-Jae's priorities remained the same. She was buying as much time as possible for him. That was what they agreed upon. It was a promise she made that no matter what, she would fulfill her part.

Like a flash, Hyun-Jae jumped through tree branches and from one side of the forest to the other in quick succession. Her eyes followed the students as they exited the forest. She could see tens of them still stuck inside the forest and it made her frown even harder.

Even if she wanted to, she couldn't save them on her own. She wasn't even sure if she could get out of there unscathed considering how far behind she was.

'I need to hinder this forest's movements…' Looking around her, Hyun-Jae tried to look for anything she could use.

What made her discover that the forest was alive in the first place was the blade of grass. When she snapped it in two, she felt the Aetheris within the blade of grass transfer to her which was something that happens only when she kills a living being… Precisely, a creature that has Aetheris in it.

As far as she was concerned, Hyun-Jae had never seen a plant imbued with Aetheris before so the last option left was that this blade of grass was very similar to the rest of the monsters… In other words, an enemy. What remained was a simple conclusion that the entire place was the same.

It also made perfect sense why the monsters vanished as if they were never there. It wasn't because they ran away, but because of this living forest.

'Think, Hyun-Jae, think… There has to be a way to it!'

Even as she moved, she knew that time was ticking down at a rapid pace. At most, she had 80 seconds before the forest would completely close and squash her to death. What she does in those 80 important seconds is going to determine the success of the entire plan.

***

Meanwhile, far away to the east.

"What… the fuck…" Talon witnessed everything that ensued in shock. A few seconds ago, he saw the sign for him to start his move. But, the moment he stepped out of his hiding spot, the place suddenly started shaking violently.

For a moment, he thought that the expansion was about to start. But, that suspicion was completely shattered when he witnessed the entire forest suddenly rise from the ground, leaving behind a giant crater beneath.

"A living being…" Acrypha murmured as she looked at the scenery.

"What?"

"That forest is a living entity." She repeated.

"How the…" Talon couldn't even find the word to ask his companion.

"You don't have time to ask questions. You need to move now! I can feel the humans being trapped in there."

Clenching his teeth, Talon nodded his head and rushed toward his destination at top speed. In a matter of one second, he crossed a hundred meters, seemingly appearing like a flash to the naked eye.

With 70 points in agility, increased to 90+ with the Boundless Breaker class bonus, Talon had broken through the boundaries of what was possible for any human to ever do. The path he took was toward the northern east, taking a long detour around the forest.

As he ran, his eyes kept staring at the continuously rising forest. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't extremely worried about Hyun-Jae being in there. But, he knew that he needed to focus on the task and trust her.

'She will handle this situation, somehow. I need to reach my position as quickly as possible.'

*Swish*

With that, Talon vanished into the distance, leaving behind a cloud of dust on his path.

***

"Help me!! Please help!! AGHHHH!" A student screamed for help as she found herself stuck between two tree trunks, slowly being crushed by their massive weight.

Tears rolled down her eyes as she felt her bones cracking and her organs being crushed. The pain was unimaginable.

Suddenly, she heard a ringing sound in her ears out of nowhere before the weight of the trunks suddenly vanished.

"Can you stand up?" Hyun-Jae asked as she lifted the giant trunks and threw them to the side before she pulled the girl up.

"Ugh!" The student squinted in pain as she felt her broken leg touch the ground.

"Tsk, you! Carry her and move, now! You still have time!" She called for another student.

"Y-Yes ma'am!!"

"I'm stuck!!"

Immediately, Hyun-Jae heard another scream for help behind her. Clenching her teeth, she rushed back to help. At this point, the entire forest was at a 100-degree angle on both sides and rapidly closing.

Meanwhile, tens of students were still stuck, unable to move and there was only Hyun-Jae there. She felt completely powerless as she tried to save as many as she could. As strong as she was, this was simply far above her level and it was frustrating.

Even as she moved back and forth, barely dodging the debris raining down on her, she knew that she was only minimalizing the damage. People were going to die.

"DAMN YOU!!" She cursed loudly as she sidestepped a falling branch and leaped in the air, crossing a big distance in one step.

Her heart raced wildly and her thoughts felt chaotic. She had to continuously do small yet precise calculations of where, how, and when to move so that she didn't end up being buried alive. Dirt covered her body and soiled her hair, but she didn't care at all.

"President!!" Reaching one of the survivors, Hyun-Jae found him stuck under piles of rock and dirt. Using her sword, she sliced through them before she tried to carry the remaining pile to free him.

But, she underestimated how heavy it was. Even as she used all of her strength, the boulder, and the dirt barely moved. She estimated that the weight of the entire thing was at least 400 kilograms.

"Hnnng…" Frowning hard, Hyun-Jae tried again, only to fail.

'So… heavy…'

Her fingers dug into the boulder, pressing into it. She felt her nails breaking from the sheer pressure. But, she ignored that and continued trying to lift it up.

"Please… president…" The student begged in tears as he tried to wiggle out. But, his legs were completely crushed by the immense weight on top of him.

'Come… on!! Move!!' Hyun-Jae's eyes turned even colder. But, even then, there was a limit to how much she could really do.

With a rough estimate, Hyun-Jae had no more than 20 seconds left before the entire place completely closed shut.

Hyun-Jae was slowly losing hope of saving anyone else. The rest of the students were either too far away or were in a situation so dire that it would probably take minutes for her to save them.

As she was like that, Hyun-Jae suddenly felt a presence appear behind her. Before she could even react, she felt the weight of the boulder reduce as it started moving faster than before. In less than a second, the weight was pushed to the side and the student was released.

Hyun-Jae blinked in confusion as she turned around quickly.

"I'm here, president!" Chin-Hwa said as he quickly picked up the student. "Let's get out of here before the entire place closes!" He said.

"..." Hyun-Jae opened her mouth to say something but then shook her head. "You go first. I'm going to stop the forest!"

"What?! How?" He asked.

However, Hyun-Jae stood up and smiled coldly. "I have an idea."

***

At the same time, inside the research center.

"Oh lord… What is happening outside?" One of the scientists tapped frantically on the table as he listened to the loud noises coming from the outside.

His peers had the same terrified looks on their faces for many reasons. But, perhaps the biggest one was the fact that today was the deadline set by their abductor. They had to breach into the satellite and get her what she wanted.

However, there was one small problem. Before they could fulfill that task… The generators ran out of fuel.

(A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )