Chapter 69: Love Has No Bounds: Dryad Edition

But now... everything was different. The park, which had been covered in gore and filth, no longer existed. He was still there, but the only difference was the trees and flowers everywhere.

The chirping of birds and the fresh air took him back. YuWon ran his hand through the grass beneath him, realizing he was lying on a flower bed.

"What's going on here?"

As he remembered more details about his fight, his hand moved toward the shoulder where the ghoul's tail had hit him. The wound had long since been healed and only a faint scar remained.

How is this possible—?

YuWon thought, but stopped upon noticing something else. He had an overgrown beard, thick, but it wasn't unkempt. Even his hair felt as if someone had recently washed it. But his focus was on the beard. How long had he been unconscious for it to grow so much?

Just then, the rustling of the leaves caught his attention, and he jumped up, curling his fists for a fight.

"Please, savior of the forest," a soft feminine voice echoed through the place. "I wish you no harm. If I had any ill will for you, you would never wake in the living's world."

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the trees. It was a woman, but she didn't look like any woman YuWon had ever seen. She was dressed in a gown made entirely of leaves and flowers.

The woman's waist-long black hair was decorated with garlands, and her skin was as white as snow, glowing in the sunlight. She looked like something out of a dream and the realization made YuWon pinch himself.

The woman chuckled and offered him her hand to see if she was real. But YuWon didn't want to, fearing his touch would ruin her delicate appearance.

"What—I mean... who are you?" he asked.

"I am called Lysandra, a forest dryad," Lysandra replied. "The protector and nurturer of this forest. And you are my savior."

YuWon raised an eyebrow, confused. How was he her savior when they were meeting for the first time? Lysandra noticed YuWon's gaze and smiled.

She continued, "You are my savior, as you freed me from that curse."

"What are you talking about?"

"The ghoul you fought... that was me. I was cursed after failing a quest long ago and trapped in this penalty zone." Lysandra replied. "Over time, the curse twisted me into that creature, and I lost myself."

"Woah, woah, woah, hold up a moment! I didn't sign up for this shit!" YuWon vehemently shook his head. "Besides, I already have a wife. If she saw me with someone else, she'd have my head and probably yours too!"

YuWon's words did not bother Lysandra at all. In fact, when he mentioned a wife, her smile widened.

"There's nothing either of us can do about it, Savior," she said, raising her head. "As for your wife, you can keep her. I don't mind."

"...but she does!"

"She might be your wife, savior. But I am bonded to your soul. I'm your soulmate. It's a bond that goes beyond any mortal relationship you could have with anyone else."

"You don't get it..." YuWon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Soulmate or not, she will kill both of us—"

"I understand that this may come as a shock to you, but these are the system's rules," Lysandra replied, holding onto his hand. "I am bound to you. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

Before YuWon could object again, a series of familiar notifications flashed before his eyes.

[Achievement Unlocked!]

[Love has no bounds: Dryad edition.]

[Description: Form a romantic relationship with a Dryad.]

[Effect: Being around nature would slowly heal the Awakener of all wounds and curses. Creatures with a close relationship to nature won't show any hostility towards the Awakener.]

...I never had a choice, did I?

As YuWon sighed in defeat, another thought crossed his mind.

"Wait... how long have I been unconscious?"

Lysandra met his gaze with a hint of sadness and replied, "Two months."

"That's not long—" YuWon sighed, thinking he could still catch up to the regressor, but Lysandra spoiled his plans.

"Time flows differently in the penalty zone," she continued. "It has been two months here. But an entire year has passed in the real world."