The jungle had always breathed.
Its leaves sighed when it rained. Its roots whispered underfoot. Its canopy rustled like the hush of ancient stories.
But tonight?
It called.
Not a whisper.
A summons.
Renga Guild – Before Dawn
Kazuki awoke to a chill—not from cold, but from realization.
The jungle was awake.
He didn't remember standing up, but he was already dressed, bag slung, sword sheathed. Smile floated beside him, silent for once. Mikiri was waiting by the door.
"You felt it too," she said simply.
He nodded.
One by one, the others emerged. Aurelis. Fenrir. Raika. Even Vee the bat showed up, upside-down on the rafters.
And just before they could step outside—
Boom.
A sound like thunder rolled through the city.
No—through the earth.
The streets were silent. The stars above held their breath.
And then the vines came.
The March of Green
They sprouted all across the capital.
Not destructive, not violent—just urgent.
Flowers blooming along fences. Moss creeping over stones. Giant jungle lilies rising like sentinels from the cobbled alleys.
And all pointing… south.
"It's guiding us," Aurelis whispered, awe in her voice.
"The jungle chose its messenger," Mikiri added. "And now it wants its champion."
Kazuki cracked his knuckles. "Then we go."
No hesitation. No looking back.
And for the first time in the story, no detour.
The Journey – Back to Where It All Began
They moved fast—past rivers they once crossed as enemies, past ruins they once camped in. Past booby-trapped banana groves (Kazuki still fell in one, but laughed it off).
And through it all, the jungle opened for them.
Like an old friend.
Trees bowed away. Roots rolled back. Animals watched from the treetops, not as threats… but as witnesses.
Even beasts who had once attacked Kazuki—like the Ironjaw Crocodile from Chapter 11—simply watched now, silent.
By nightfall, the group stood before a familiar cliff.
Below it: the crater where Kazuki had first awakened. The cave where Smile had sloshed out, curious and bouncy.
Kazuki exhaled.
"…I'm not the same kid."
Smile wobbled proudly.
Then the earth split.
A spiral of vines unfolded like a staircase leading deep, deep into the earth. Not like a trap. Not like danger.
Like an invitation.
The Hollow Heart
They descended in silence.
Torchlight flickered across walls covered in murals—painted not by hand, but grown by the forest itself.
Scenes of old:
A boy holding a sword to protect a slime.
A beast bowing to his outstretched palm.
The goddess, watching from above.
At the bottom: a circular glade, lit by moonlight that pierced all the way through the canopy above.
At the center… a throne of roots and flowers.
And on it?
A mirror.
Kazuki approached slowly.
And saw himself.
But not the version he was now.
Not Doppelganger-Kazuki.
Not the lost boy from Chapter 1.
This reflection had no expression. Just calm. Steady. Still.
"…What is this?" he whispered.
The goddess's voice echoed around the chamber—not spoken aloud, but felt in every breath of air:
"The jungle is alive because of the bonds it sees. The chaos, the choices, the laughter, the loss. It reflects what you are."
"But before the jungle crowns its champion… it must know what you've become."
The mirror shimmered.
And from it stepped…
Every version of Kazuki.
Trial of the Self
Kazuki the Coward from Chapter 2—who only wanted to hide.
Kazuki the Overconfident from Chapter 10—who tried to solo a wyvern.
Kazuki the Lonely from Chapter 19—who cried when no one saw.
Kazuki the Reckless from Chapter 33—who nearly burned down the guild.
They didn't attack him.
They stood with him.
The goddess's voice returned:
"A crown is not forged in strength. It is grown in honesty."
Kazuki fell to his knees.
Not in weakness—but in acceptance.
"I don't want to be the jungle's king," he whispered. "I just wanted to live. To be free. To laugh."
Silence.
Then—
The throne bloomed.
Roots twisted into a new shape.
Not a throne…
…but a circle.
An open space.
Kazuki stood and walked into it.
At the exact moment Smile bounced in behind him—
The jungle roared.
Not in anger.
In celebration.
The Awakening
From the circle, light shot up like a pillar into the sky.
Across the world, vines pulsed with mana.
Beasts howled in joy.
The sky shimmered emerald.
In the capital, people looked up in awe.
Aurelis covered her heart. "He did it."
Mikiri closed her eyes. "The jungle chose."
Final Scene – The Goddess Appears
As Kazuki and Smile stood in the glow, the air shimmered—and the goddess appeared.
She had no face, but her presence warmed like sun through trees.
"You did not conquer the jungle."
"You understood it."
She reached out—and from her hand bloomed a flower with seven petals.
Each petal pulsed with different mana.
Only one of them shone green.
"You are the first. But not the last."
Kazuki stared.
And slowly, smiled.