The One Branch of The Tree
- Raka, an ordinary high school student, dies of exhaustion and is reincarnated with his entire class into a fantasy world. There, everyone receives a class and a blessing from the gods to start a new life. While his friends acquire powerful classes like knight, mage, healer, and assassin, Raka is given the class considered the weakest and most shameful: the One Tree Branch.
- Considered a burden and a threat to the group, Raka was betrayed and hunted by his own friends on their first day of arrival. Cornered in the Forbidden Forest, a place known as a region full of monsters and death, Raka discovered his class' true ability: Devour Root, the power to absorb the attributes, energy, and even skills of anyone he kills.
- Since then, his life changed completely.
- To survive, Raka is forced to kill monsters, bounty hunters, and the people who hunt him. Each victory makes him grow stronger, while his class weapon slowly evolves from a lowly twig into an increasingly terrifying weapon.
- In the midst of his struggle for survival, Raka meets Nara, a mysterious girl wielding two daggers who has her own agenda in the Forbidden Forest. Together with Nara, Raka enters the Core Zone, the mysterious center of the forest filled with ancient ruins, artifacts, and a dangerous organization called the White Council.
- There, Raka discovers that his class resonates with a mysterious entity called the False World Tree, a giant tree that is the source of the anomalies in the Forbidden Forest.
- The deeper he unravels the secrets of the False World Tree, the more it becomes clear that the One Tree Trunk class is not a failed class, but rather a forbidden fragment of the true World Tree-a power that has long been sealed away because it was thought to be capable of destroying the balance of the world.
- Now Raka is at a crossroads: take revenge on his friends who betrayed him, or pursue the truth behind the World Tree fragment that is now directly connected to him.
- But one thing is certain, the more power he absorbs, the closer he gets to something far more dangerous than death: losing himself and becoming the new vessel for the World Tree.
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Chapter 2
I continued running through the forest, my breath becoming heavy. My feet felt hot, and tree branches whipped at my face and arms, leaving thin scratches.
Behind me, I could still hear the sound of footsteps. They were really chasing me, not to scare me, not just to chase me away; they were intent on killing me.
I chuckled amidst my ragged breath.
“Great.”
“Just moved to another world, and already made an enemy.”
When I think about it, my life has consistently not been about giving tutorials. Kevin's voice came from behind.
"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"
It was so noisy, I jumped over a fallen tree trunk, almost slipping on the slippery ground. Damn, this body did feel a little stronger than it used to be, but I was still no athlete.
I glanced around and saw three people at the front approaching. Kevin, Reno, and a kid named Dimas, the Archer. The annoying combo of fire, lightning, and arrows was not good for my long-term health.
“Shoot him!” Kevin shouted.
The sound of the bowstring being pulled was heard, my reflex moved, I dropped my body to the side.
HAPPY!
An arrow whizzed past my cheek, dangerously close. I rolled to the ground and immediately got back up. Okay, they're serious! I gritted my teeth. If this kept up, I'd be caught, and if I was? It was over. No save points, no respawns. I had to find a quick way to glance at my status.
Name: Raka
Class: One Tree Branch
Level: 1
Skill:
Devour Root (New)
It's just one skill, and I don't even know how it works yet. It's great, a truly hardcore game. I tried to focus on that skill, and as soon as I thought about it, the information would automatically appear.
Devour Root
The ability to absorb the essence of targets that have been killed by the user.
Effect:
Absorbing some attributes
Absorb some energy
Chance of acquiring certain traits
I almost stopped. What? I reread it. Absorbing the power of the target I killed? My eyes widened slightly. Okay, this isn't weak, this isn't weak at all, this is absurd and broken. It doesn't make any sense.
There's only one problem: I have to kill something first, preferably something weaker than me.
Second problem: I don't know if there is anything weaker than me, a very extraordinary situation.
As the footsteps drew closer, I turned sharply into a darker area. The deeper I went, the denser the trees became, the ground became rougher, and the air felt colder. It was strange: the birds' voices began to fade, and the forest felt different—it wasn't normal.
But perhaps this was my chance; dangerous areas usually make normal people hesitate. Unfortunately, Kevin didn't seem so normal.
“He went deeper!”
“Chase!”
The amateur killer's dedication was remarkable, and I finally arrived in a more open area. A small depression was filled with a thin mist, tree roots crawling everywhere, and something was moving in the middle.
I stopped immediately. A monster? Finally, the creature was small, about the size of a dog, with a body like a mix of a wolf and a lizard, with gray skin, red eyes, too many teeth, and frankly, it was unpleasant to look at.
A notification appears.
Gray Fang Cub Lv.1
I almost smiled. Level 1? Perfect. The monster also saw me, letting out a low, aggressive growl. Good, we need each other. I gripped my branch. It still felt absurd that my first weapon was just a tree branch.
The monster lunged at me faster than I expected, and I reflexively dodged to the left. Its claws barely grazed my arm.
“Ah, damn!”
I quickly retreated, and the monster turned around, ready to attack again. Okay, my focus was lighter than before, and my reflexes felt better. It was probably a new world effect, or adrenaline mode. The monster attacked a second time, and this time I waited a little longer.
NOW.
I twisted my body to avoid it and hit the monster's head with my branch.
TOK.
...
It was quiet, I stared at the branch, the monster stared at me, we both looked offended.
“That's embarrassing,” I said.
The monster looked angry. I agreed. The attack barely did any damage, but at least I learned something. My strength was pathetic, so I had to get creative. The monster charged again. I retreated behind a tree. The monster chased after me, just as it circled the trunk. I stabbed a branch into its eye.
SQUELCH.
The monster screamed, a critical attack, and finally, I couldn't wait, I stabbed again and again. A wild, inelegant, uncool move, just a survival move, but it worked.
After a few seconds the monster finally fell, its body stopped moving. Silent, I was panting, my hands were shaking, I had just killed something.
For the first time, the feeling was... strange. There was no heroism, no drama, just relief. Then, the stalk in my hand glowed a faint green. Small roots sprouted from its surface, piercing the monster's body. I instinctively recoiled.
"What else now?"
The roots absorbed something from the monster's corpse, and a thin stream of light flowed up the branches and into my body. Warm energy flowed throughout my body, my fatigue lessened, and my wounds healed slightly.
A notification appears.
Gray Fang Cub has been absorbed
Strength +1
Agility +1
EXP gained.
Level Up!
Level 2 reached.
I widened my eyes.
“Oh this is crazy.”
Not only can I absorb it but the effect is immediate and real, I feel my body a little stronger, a little faster, my heart beats faster not because of fear but because of enthusiasm.
I looked at the stalk, its shape had changed slightly, just a little. The surface of the stalk looked darker, harder, and sharper at the tip—a small improvement, still ugly, but promising.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Oh, right, I wasn't alone. Kevin and the others appeared from behind the trees. They stopped when they saw the monster carcass and me still alive. Kevin narrowed his eyes.
“You killed that?”
I smiled a little.
“Yes.”
Kevin didn't seem to like seeing me calm. Good. Reno took a step forward.
“I'm done playing around.”
A small bolt of lightning appeared in his palm. Oh, good, the battle royale continues. I gripped the pole tighter. I was now level 2, still weak but no longer helpless, and most importantly, I knew this class wasn't trash. This class was a monster, I just needed time. Kevin drew his sword, and flames erupted.
“Kill him.”
Five people started moving I smiled faintly.
"Okay."
I take a position.
“If you keep insisting…”
My gaze swept over them one by one.
“…I'm going to start thinking of you guys as resources.”
Their expressions changed slightly. Good, let's start the real game.
[END CHAPTER 2]
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8.3
Betrayed at the altar. Replaced by her own sister.
On what should have been the happiest day of her life, Amara loses everything-her fiancé, her dignity, and her future.
But that same night, a dangerous man steps out of the shadows with an offer she can't refuse.
Marriage. Power. Revenge.
Now bound to a ruthless CEO, Amara is ready to destroy everyone who betrayed her.
There's just one problem...
Her new husband knows more about her past than he should.
And the closer she gets to revenge-
the more she realizes she may have married the man who ruined her in the first place.
8.4
I worked three double shifts at the garage just to buy a velvet-boxed cake for my wealthy girlfriend, Arleen.
But when I pushed open the VIP room door, I saw her lover kissing her bare leg.
She didn't push him away. Instead, she laughed and swirled her martini.
"I only forgot Finn because I knew he would stay. He is a poor boy from Queens who follows me around like a loyal dog."
Later that night, her lover intentionally crashed a Porsche to scare me, sending a piece of jagged metal into my skull.
Lying in a growing pool of my own blood, I watched Arleen crawl out of the wreckage.
She didn't even look at me. She threw herself at her uninjured lover, screaming for a medic.
"He just got scraped by a piece of plastic. He is faking it. Deal with Jaquez first!"
When I woke up, I wasn't free. Arleen had locked me in a private hospital wing with 24-hour security, planning to isolate me and keep me as her broken, captive toy forever.
My blind, pathetic devotion finally froze into absolute disgust.
I looked at the heart monitor next to my bed and grabbed an IV needle.
I severed the sensor wire to trigger a flatline, slipped out the fire stairs while the nurses panicked, and burned my identity to ashes.
This time, I was going to disappear to London, build my own empire, and watch hers burn.
7.2
Clifton, the god of esports, was secretly battling a career-ending wrist injury to protect his team.
A year ago, he kissed his duo partner, Justice, only to be met with violent disgust. Justice shoved him away and dry-heaved in the rain, looking at him like a monster.
Humiliated by the straight man's raw revulsion, Clifton cut him out of his life.
But now, Justice suddenly appeared at Clifton's club as a rookie tryout.
Instead of an ambitious climber, Justice played the perfect, pathetic victim. He cowered, trembled, and acted terrified whenever Clifton was near.
He even signed a bloodsucking contract with a toxic teammate, sparking rumors he was brought in to replace Clifton as captain.
During a scrimmage, Clifton hesitated to shoot because he remembered Justice had just severely burned his hand.
Justice showed no mercy. He ruthlessly gunned Clifton down, humiliating the captain in front of the entire coaching staff.
Clifton was consumed by blinding rage and betrayal.
If Justice was so disgusted by him, why did he fake his devotion for six months just to use him?
Why was he acting like helpless prey now, after trampling all over Clifton's pride?
Determined to rip off the liar's disguise, Clifton dragged Justice into a live stream in front of sixty thousand viewers.
"He's asking if you are in love with me."
Clifton smiled cruelly, waiting for the public execution. But just as the trap snapped shut, a choked, terrified gasp came through the headset.
8.6
Lilac Stone once wanted nothing more than being unnoticed. But everything changed the moment she met Adrian Cole, the new lecturer.
He's distant and completely off-limits. She's quiet, guarded, and unprepared for the way he sees right through her.
What begins as harmless conversations after class quickly turns into something far more dangerous-something neither of them can stop no matter how hard they try.
But then they're living in a world where rules are meant to be followed, and their connection is one line they were never supposed to cross.
Whispers turn to accusations. Secrets are exposed. Their futures are at risk.
They are merely two opposites-a lecturer and a student, a male and a female-but they are bound to destroy each other as long as they are huddled in one space at the same time.
What then can they choose: forfeit their futures and embrace their happiness, or let the latter slip while keeping their careers intact?
8.8
"Fuck...please..."
He risks a nibble, sending shockwaves to my core. My back arches off the wall with a sharp moan.
His hand slides between my legs, cupping my soaking panties.
"Look how wet you are," he whispers, "...shaking, and I haven't even fucked you yet."
He strokes my clit gently first, then harder. My toes curl, hair spilling into my sweaty face.
He's breaking me, ruining me with just his tongue and fingers. I can't speak. I can't think. I just tremble in his arms.
*********
The night I caught my fiancé cheating, something in me broke.
I cried.
I screamed.
I drove - into the rain, into nowhere, into him.
Cassian Cross.
A stranger with gray eyes, a sinful mouth, and hands that made me forget my name.
One night was all it took. One reckless mistake to burn away my heartbreak.
Until he showed up at my mom's wedding...
As my new stepbrother.
Now, Cassian won't stop.
He corners me in hallways, whispers filth at the altar, and looks at me like he still owns my body.
But there's one thing he didn't tell me-
He already belongs to someone else.
A fiancée bound to him by a contract... and a secret that could destroy us both.
He's dangerous.
He's forbidden.
He's promised to another.
And God help me, I still can't stop wanting him.
9.7
Gemma expected the tearing agony of the bullet wound that had just ended her life.
Instead, her trembling fingers met the cool, smooth friction of heavy silk.
She stared into the mirror. Her face was flawless, completely devoid of the jagged scar that had marred her cheek for the last five years.
It was exactly ten years ago. The day of her engagement party to the ruthless billionaire, Brion Hubbard.
In her past life, her "best friend" Katelyn convinced her to run away with a scheming scumbag.
Katelyn claimed Brion was a heartless tyrant who would ruin her. Gemma had foolishly believed those fake tears.
That choice led to her family's bankruptcy, her brutal disfigurement, and ultimately, a fatal bomb explosion.
The only person who tried to save her was Brion, his blood-soaked body shielding hers from the blast.
She even realized too late that the strawberry cream cakes she always made for him were full of dairy.
He wasn't leaving to cheat on her. He was locking himself in a medical bay, fighting fatal allergic shock, just to accept a tiny scrap of her affection.
Gemma had been so incredibly blind. Why did she trust the venomous snakes who destroyed her, while hating the man who died for her?
Hearing Katelyn frantically knocking on the dressing room door, urging her to run away again, a towering hatred surged through Gemma's veins.
This time, she wasn't going to run.
She was going to expose the traitors, take back her family's wealth, and claim the tyrant for herself.