Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Three Days of Happiness (5)
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💬 Private Chat —Me: ▶∥――――[4:15] - Video File Me: Is this how it's done? —Champi? Master: Yeah, you've got talent. Me: Thanks, Champi Master! —Champi? Master: Champi X, not Chamfi O Champi? Master: Hey, didn't I tell you to fix your nickname properly? It's Champi, you idiot, Champi. —Me: Sorry ㅠㅠ A grand room befitting the title of nobility.
In that place where all the lights were off, Cornus typed away at the chat using just her index finger.
—Champi? Master: Hey, but... why are you browsing the galleries? Me: Huh? —Champi? Master: A kid from a good family with great talent, why? It's not like you're a worthless loser like me who started gallery browsing from the beginning. Me: No friends to play with. Me: So lonely. Me: That's why. A brief pause. Her master's flustered text pops up.
—Champi? Master: Ah... Don't those nobles have parties or something? You could build connections there. Me: Not really these days. So I'm taking Miho's advice and studying society by browsing TreeInside. —Champi? Master: Tree X, not Tsuri O. Champi? Master: That's the saddest thing I've heard since becoming an S-rank Hunter. Miho? Who's that? Me: It's Ji-ho. My secretary. Champi? Master: What's Ji-ho? Fire him if you can. Sage advice laced with the seasoned aura of someone who's lived in online communities for years.
How did these two end up in a master-disciple relationship?
Just like any other users, it started when Champi Tree, who was always lurking in the community, helped Cornus—who didn't fit in at all in the swordsmanship gallery—and their bond continued from there.
—Champi? Master: Stop browsing the galleries. Of course, Champi Tree's goal was to get Cornus to quit the community altogether.
This madhouse, overrun by Lewd Trees shouting about sex instead of swordsmanship every day, was no place for an innocent like Cornus.
But the pure Cornus couldn't even comprehend that properly.
That's why, on days when she had no training scheduled with Si-heon, she holed up in her room like this, glued to the community.
Click, click.
Releasing the chat screen, Cornus scrolled the mouse wheel and immersed herself in the posts. Browsing the galleries was fun.
Sometimes comics.
Sometimes commoners' chit-chat.
All of it so novel. And the uncensored writing was a huge thrill for her.
📰 Late-Night Snack Post —Gonna have a late-night snack (Chicken photo) Gonna watch this year's Sword Cup with it. Late-night snack, right? —Anon(12.34) Flip off 'Yas? What's yas?'
New words stimulating her brain cells brought faint pleasure to the emotionally numb Cornus.
And since it involved chicken, she figured she liked yas too.
But soon, a fresh hot-off-the-press post caught her eye.
Eye-catching, provocative titles that stuck like magnets. Titles that seemed professionally crafted.
📰 Dowonhyang Baekdo Butt Close-Up.jpg Recommends: 21 | Disrecommends: 54 Dowonhyang Baekdo. 'I know that name.' Familiar, she happily hovered the cursor over it, and the screen changed to reveal the post's photo.
The single image in the firefly-like title was...
📰 [Photo Inciting Disgust] —Dowonhyang Baekdo Butt Close-Up.jpg —Anon(14.23) What the fuck —Anon Why is this a hate post? You crazies are fucking lame. ↳ Reply Anon(51.233): Lol, can't die alone lol —No Way It is kinda hot tho ㅇㅇ; ↳ Pervert: ? ↳ Anon: ? ↳ Anon(552.23): Where tf you seeing that ↳ Anon(32.122): Came to curse but lost my words, teacher... A photo so bizarre that even she, who felt no emotions from ordinary stimuli, thought it was weird.
Cornus's eyes widened round as she instinctively glanced behind her.
Confirming no one was there, she returned to the community and posted.
📰 Why Post Stuff Like This? Author: SoftCornus I don't get it. Why post weird stuff like that? —Champi Tree: Didn't I tell you not to browse galleries? The master's comment raced in right after she posted, sending shivers down Cornus's spine.
But she didn't yield to Champi's scolding.
She was too curious about the poster's psychology, so she held off deleting and running for a full five minutes.
Ding! Ding!
Ignoring Champi Tree's summons, Cornus frantically refreshed every few seconds.
—Anon(52.13) High-nick but why's the speech like that? ↳ DivineBeast: That's just how she is. Anon(52.13): Shit, now we're rubbing dicks with guys like that? DivineBeast: Rubbing what, asshole? I'm just saying that's how it is. The usual provocations that always followed her posts. But not the answers she wanted.
—Anon Don't like that meme? Amidst it, one comment with an orange, cute little icon. Cornus's eyes widened.
↳ SoftCornus: It's weird. Anon: Take it. 'Take it? Take what?'
Then a notification popped up on the right side of Cornus's community account.
Below the orange nickname, her master's comments piled up.
↳ Champi Tree: Hey, you crazy bastard. ↳ Champi Tree: Dragging a kid who knows shit about galleries. Anon: Jealous? Then mass-report it. Bzzz! Vrrr!
Her phone vibrated wildly. Cornus read the mail line by line, then moved her mouse pointer to one spot.
—Anon Whoa? Why'd Gal Master's nick turn blue? Swordsmanship Gallery.
The moment Cornus, with her unparalleled genius in swordsmanship, proudly pinned the moderator badge on her shoulder.
It was the disaster brought by Lee Si-heon's indifference.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "What's with this peach?"
The next day.
After airing out the room to greet the morning, Cheondo eyed the peaches on the nightstand suspiciously at me.
"I bought them in the early hours."
"Buying this many all of a sudden in the dead of night?"
"I was craving peaches."
Maybe I should've been more moderate.
If getting caught mid-cleanup and just going at it was the problem, then it was a problem.
Lost in pleasure, we ended up with way more peaches than two people could eat, so we roughly aligned our stories.
"...Hm. If you wanted some, you should've just said so. I could've used magic."
Not even imagining what Hwangdo and I had been up to, Cheondo picked up a peach from the nightstand and squeezed it.
Afraid it'd give us away, I quickly snatched the peach from her hand and took a big bite, singing its praises.
"It's a water peach. You'll see how sweet it is when you bite into it."
"I can tell just by looking. But it feels kinda familiar..."
"Just your imagination, right?"
"Is it?"
"I'll eat it, so leave it be."
Chewing the soft peach flesh, sweet juice burst in my mouth.
Insanely sweet, to the point of being cloying, but still edible for now.
'Peaches really are delicious.'
Convinced we were safe, I tossed the pit into the trash.
Cheondo tilted her head.
"Anyway... I'll explain what you need to do next, so come sit here."
Cheondo patted the blanket beside her and pulled my arm.
I sat right up against her, and she pulled out her phone from her luggage, showing me a video.
Vrrr!
Cheondo's hand wrapped around my shoulder.
"Scoot closer so you can see better. Closer. More."
Shoulder to shoulder, the video finally came into clear view.
An arena filled with swords and magic flying everywhere.
Unfamiliar faces, young players. Like the Olympics or something.
I tilted my head and asked her.
"What's this?"
"It's the Forest Guardian Selection hosted by the World Tree Foundation. It's a TV program and tournament that gathers first-years from academies around the world every time."
Forest Guardian.
Less a job, more an honorary title.
Someone talented enough to protect the world. Of course, winning the title doesn't come with responsibilities or duties. It's like a trophy.
Topping this selection makes you the 42nd Forest Guardian, drawing tons of attention.
"After midterms, El Academy will also assemble its top students and promising cadets for the selection."
"I see."
"The selection will probably run from the end of exams until break. Lee Si-heon, you must go there."
Must I?
That was my initial thought.
But sitting there and thinking it over, I grasped what Cheondo really meant.
The Forest Guardian Selection is a gathering of young talents.
Future powerhouses assemble early, synergizing their skills, boosting each other, and building bonds.
Factions might form, but that's inevitable everywhere.
"Lots of talents will be there."
"Yes."
"Cherry blossoms, ginkgos... You'll probably meet heirs from families symbolizing national prestige too."
Japan's cherry trees.
China's ginkgo and plum blossoms.
Led by national tree families that laid the foundations of nations, Wood People with strong power and talent will appear in that arena.
Just gathering talents by your side would make you powerful.
Not just power? Talents bring money, and opportunities to attract more talents.
Even on my old Earth, society revolved around becoming or clinging to talent via books.
In a place where might makes right,
in a society where power solves everything,
how much more so?
This world has systems, but personal might can exceed limits.
In such an unstable world, talented people and connections are always absolute.
To build friendships and shape the future, attending was practically mandatory.
"Then I need to climb the ranks as high as possible."
My current ranking is abysmal.
But entrance ranking is just that. Current ranks depend on midterms and finals.
Everything will be decided by future performance. Cheondo gave a faint smile.
"Exactly. Let's flip the board big time in this exam."
Our shoulders pressed tight, Cheondo's steadfast gaze met mine.
"We'll announce to the world whose disciple you are in this selection."
There were不安 certainties.
With my World Tree connection severed, some World Trees would eye me.
Of course, resentful ones might resort to physical means.
"Keep training."
They might send assassins like last time.
But oddly, I wasn't too worried.
Cheondo and Hwangdo would handle it in a flash anyway.
If Cheondo couldn't come up with a solution,
then I'd figure one out myself.
"Proclaiming the birth of the Little Heavenly Demon."
I shrugged lightly. Cheondo, pleased with my resolve, looked utterly beautiful.
But nah, I didn't think we'd develop into that kind of relationship.
Cheondo didn't seem to see reason as reason at all.
'Good thing, actually.'
Too many women around me lately, I thought.
Lee Se-young, Star, and now Hwangdo.
Until now, it felt unreal, so I hadn't shown it.
'Not sure.'
I lay back on the bed.
"Sleeping again?"
"Nah, I'll get up soon. Just wanna lie down for a bit."
I needed time to think about Hwangdo and romance.
Surprisingly, no one had asked me out yet. Was I that unappealing?
If someone did, that'd be a problem too. I'd have to end things as they were.
That was obvious.
Clean romantic relationships are basic courtesy for lovers.
"..."
—Polygamy's allowed tho?
But slyly, deep in my heart, I recalled Star's words.