All eyes were fixed on Kairos—until, suddenly, heads snapped toward the red gate.
Jumanji stepped out of it with slow, measured strides and an unsettling calm. The blood that had flowed from his head had already dried, staining his clothes and skin with marks that still clung to his appearance.
"Oi… isn't that Jumanji? It's the 'spoiled one'!"
One of them turned and burst into laughter amid the crowd after seeing him in that state, continuing mockingly, "The spoiled brat with a low-quality farm… how pathetic!"
Those words struck Jumanji's father like a thunderbolt. He had been watching him silently from the moment he emerged—he was the only one who had spared Kairos no more than a passing glance before fixing his eyes on the gate with concern and unease.
As for his grandfather, who stood beside him, he looked at Jumanji with sunken eyes carved by long years, then asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
The old man knew his grandson well. Seeing Jumanji like this—he who had always been lively and full of energy—was a real shock that stirred unease deep within him.
Jumanji said nothing. He simply gave a slight nod, his head still weighed down by an eerie silence, then moved with calm steps toward Galvan.
Galvan stood there in complete disbelief, as if the ground beneath his feet had begun to crumble. Never had he imagined that Jumanji would awaken with a poor-quality farm—he, whose expectations had once soared beyond even his elder brother.
The shock was harsh… bitter… it froze the words in his throat and left him lost, unable to face this shattered reality.
Jumanji's brother, on the other hand, remained silent as well, watching him with unreadable eyes while whips of mockery lashed at the boy from every direction.
"That bastard was so spoiled he thought the world was smaller than his ambitions… but reality hit him harder than he ever imagined!"
Another voice shouted sharply from the crowd, "He deserves what happened to him—a fitting punishment for all his arrogance!"
At that moment, Kairos turned toward him. A cold, arrogant smile appeared on his lips as he muttered, "Trash… who doesn't even know his true worth."
With Kairos's venomous words, the boy in yellow clothes supported him with biting sarcasm, "You're absolutely right. He truly is trash."
Even the elders did not hide their disappointment. They looked at him with eyes filled with disillusionment. It was customary for one's farm quality to justify their arrogance—but reality had been deeply disappointing.
One of them muttered with a mix of regret and contempt, "Since you were such a spoiled brat, your farm should have at least justified that pride… but what a disappointment. You're nothing but empty arrogance."
Amid this rising noise, the white-haired boy was the only one who remained in dignified silence.
Deep down, he knew that quality—no matter how high—was nothing but a lifeless shell without ambition or effort to give it meaning.
In his past life, he had witnessed people who rose to fame despite starting with poor-quality farms, while others who possessed extraordinary ones sank into laziness until they were swallowed by the abyss.
He merely muttered inwardly, with disdain, "Narrow-minded fools…"
At that moment, Jorko broke the silence, calling out, "Mahinor, let's go."
Jumanji finally stopped in front of Galvan, who had not taken his eyes off him since the moment his feet touched the ground. Galvan spoke in a trembling voice, heavy with disappointment, "Let's go home."
Despite the barrage of insults striking his ears, Jumanji did not react. He did not even spare his critics a glance. That cold composure and absolute indifference only fueled their hatred further, making their gazes toward him burn with even more resentment.
Jumanji followed Galvan's heavy steps, and together they began leaving the depths of the cave.
At the exit, their path was blocked by Genji, Taskast, and the two youths he had previously encountered in the forest. They wore pure white outfits, adorned on the chest with the emblem of a green bamboo leaf—a symbol of their elevated status.
Genji stepped forward confidently and placed a hand on Jumanji's shoulder, trying to comfort him.
"Don't worry, brother. Quality isn't everything… you just need to work harder and put in more effort."
Jumanji formed a faint smile, barely noticeable, and nodded lightly, murmuring with brief gratitude, "Thank you."
Deep down, he knew his brother's words were nothing more than a desperate attempt to encourage him.
As for Taskast, her gaze froze as she stared at that strange smile.
In that instant, a sudden fear clawed at her heart—an inexplicable sense of danger she couldn't understand.
She turned left and right, searching for the source of the pressure weighing on her breath, but found nothing. When she looked back at Jumanji, he had already walked away.
"What was that feeling just now…?" she wondered inwardly, trying to steady her breathing.
Taskast was the only one who sensed that hidden terror. Although Genji's farm quality matched hers, she possessed an innate sensitivity that far surpassed his—allowing her to catch a fragment of what lay behind that smile.
Meanwhile, Kairos became the center of attention.
The elders rushed to congratulate him on his remarkable achievement, even Jumanji's grandfather, despite his composure, acknowledged his talent.
Within moments, a group of youths gathered around him, showering him with praise, fully aware that befriending someone with such a high-quality farm was a profitable investment for the future.
Kairos basked in pride and exhilaration. His features grew even more arrogant as he glanced toward the cave's exit with sharp, confident eyes, then muttered to himself with disdain,
"I'll leave you behind, drowning in your own weakness… you fool."
The moment Jumanji stepped into his home, he went straight to his room and shut the door tightly behind him, sealing himself in complete isolation.
Even when his mother approached and knocked with a heart full of worry, he did not open the door. Understanding his silence, she stepped away with heavy, sorrowful steps.
His father spoke to her in a low voice, burdened with concern, "Leave him be… he'll return to normal. He's suffered a severe shock and needs time to process it."
But the truth inside the room was entirely different from what everyone believed.
Jumanji's face showed no sorrow… no brokenness.
Only cold calmness—and a mind burning with calculation.
His thoughts were focused on how to secretly slip out of the village to search for the resources needed to evolve the essence of the Leech he had taken from the tribe's farm.
Time was not on his side.
Only three days remained before his farm collapsed and vanished.
He had to use every second in this desperate race against fate.
Yet the greatest obstacle before him was escaping the village.
According to the laws imposed on him, he was forbidden from leaving for an entire year as part of his punishment.
This dilemma occupied his mind completely.
How would he break through the walls surrounding him without raising suspicion?
How would he disappear from sight and embark on such a dangerous journey?
At that moment, a voice cut through his thoughts from behind the door:
"You should prepare well. Now that you've awakened your farm, you will go tomorrow to the Bamboo Academy."
End of Chapter