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.

Chapters

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]

Continue to next part

When gifted cellist Vivienne Aurel inherits her late father's catastrophic $4.2 million debt, she expects to lose everything. She doesn't expect the debt to be bought by Caspian Vane, the most feared private equity magnate in New York. Caspian doesn't want to ruin her; he wants her to work exclusively for him as the artistic director of his new cultural foundation for eighteen months. Forced into his world under a binding agreement, Vivienne prepares to fight against a cold, transactional cage. But as the intense, quiet proximity between them begins to blur the lines of their contract, she discovers a terrifying truth: the man who now owns her future has been watching her from the shadows long before she ever knew his name.

Action Billionaire Modern

8.6

Apocalypse Rebirth: Seven Days to Hoard and Take Revenge

8.6

In my past life, the Cerberus strain leaked, turning the world into a blood-soaked hell of rotting flesh and mutated monsters. I thought my boyfriend Declan and my best friend Hailee would have my back as we fled the quarantine zone. Instead, when the surging crowd of the infected cornered us, they didn't hesitate. They shoved me backward into the horde just to buy themselves three seconds to run. As I fell into the mud, I saw them fleeing without a single backward glance. "She's dead weight anyway!" Hailee screamed. "Just keep running, she'll distract them!" Declan yelled back. I was torn apart, feeling the agonizing tear of rotting teeth sinking into my neck and the hot spray of my own blood. Before the apocalypse, my greedy uncle had locked away my ten-million-dollar trust fund, leaving me with nothing but a fake boyfriend who only wanted me for my money. Until my last breath, I couldn't understand how the people I loved most could trade my life for a head start. Why did I blindly trust them? Why didn't I see through their perfectly choreographed lies? Opening my eyes again, the stench of decaying flesh vanished, replaced by the sterile smell of my college dorm room. Hailee and Declan were standing over my bed, faking tears of concern over my meningitis fever. I was back exactly seven days before the world ended, and my spatial vault ability had come back with me. This time, I'm extorting my uncle for every cent, hoarding the city's supplies, and leaving them all to rot.

Action Modern Sci-Fi

8.6

Beauty In The Boy's Dorm

8.6

"What do you think people would say if they found out you don't have a dick?" Christian asked, his voice low and dripping with seduction. His hand pressed firmly against my crotch, fingers exploring the flat, unfamiliar emptiness there. A devilish smirk curved his lips. "Or if they discovered these voluptuous breasts you've been hiding so well?" A strangled moan slipped from my throat as his hand slid under my shirt, his fingers brushing over my hardened nipples, teasing them with slow, deliberate strokes. "Which do you think they'd call you?" he murmured, eyes gleaming. "A boy with tits... or a dickless little fraud?" I stared into his hungry blue eyes, words failing me. "The term you're looking for is 'girl,'" came Xavier's smooth voice from the bathroom doorway. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click, his gaze raking over me with open interest. "So tell me, little girl... what the hell is someone like you doing in an all-boys dorm?" Christian's smirk widened. "She wants to be devoured by boys like us." His fingers gave my nipple one last firm pinch before he leaned in closer, breath hot against my ear. "And I'll be more than happy to give her a taste."

Action Mafia Modern

9.2

Boys Like Him

9.2

She loved him until she lost herself. Now, behind locked doors and shattered glass, she must learn to breathe again. When she first met Lloyd, he was magnetic and intoxicating. The kind of man who turned every head when he entered a room, who spoke in promises sweet enough to taste. With him, she felt chosen, cherished, and safe. But safety was an illusion, and love became a weapon. And slowly, piece by piece, he dismantled her until nothing of the woman she once was remained. Now institutionalized after a breakdown, she begins to piece together the brutal truth of what really happened in the shadows of their love story. Memories sting like open wounds: the manipulation disguised as tenderness, the apologies that blurred into threats, the desperate hope that tomorrow he'd be the man she fell for again. Yet beneath the grief and the shame, a quiet rebellion stirs, a vow to reclaim her voice, her freedom, and her life. Because this is not just a story of how she fell apart. It is a story of how she rises. Haunting, raw, and achingly intimate, Boys like him peels back the glittering mask of a toxic love affair to reveal the kind of darkness that hides in plain sight, and the unbreakable strength it takes to escape it.

Action Modern Romance

9.3

Dangerous Temptation: No Escape From My Brother-In-Law's Obsession

9.3

Born into privilege, Eleanor never imagined her life could shatter in a single night. Then her father disappeared with his mistress, her mother fell from a building and slipped into a coma, and everything she once owned turned to dust. Determined not to ruin Jonathan's future with her family's disgrace, she ended their relationship and became the bride of a man trapped in a vegetative state. She believed that was the last time their paths would cross. But two years later, Jonathan pinned her in the dark and whispered, "Long time no see, my sister-in-law."

Action Adventure Modern

9.6

FROZEN BONDS: THE HALF-BLOOD'S MATE

9.6

She was sold as a broodmare. He was a warrior with no memory. Together, they'll burn down the world. Lyra has been called many things: half-blood, mongrel, dirty blood. Rejected by every pack she's approached, she's given one final chance-as a bride to Ronan, the cruel Alpha of Red River Pack. But when her wedding night becomes a nightmare, she stabs her new husband and flees into the frozen wilderness. Stellan remembers nothing. Not his name, not his past, not the ancient tattoos covering his body. He only knows that when he sees a terrified woman falling from a cliff into an icy river, he must save her-even if it kills him. On the run from a vengeful Alpha and his army of hunters, Lyra and Stellan discover an impossible bond growing between them. The moon has chosen them as mates. But Stellan's memories are returning, and with them, a devastating truth: he's not just any wolf. He's the Alpha of the North Star Pack. And a half-blood can never be his Luna. Now Ronan's brother has sworn revenge, an ancient prophecy awakens, and three packs prepare for war. Lyra must prove that bloodlines mean nothing-and that the most powerful bond of all is forged in ice and fire. He lost his memory. She lost her freedom. Together, they'll find everything.

Action Romance Werewolf

The One Branch of The Tree

Chapter 2

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