The Ear Guy's Head Shone Like a Shining Path
Weekend over. Monday had arrived—the first one since midterms. As usual, Hye-ji was waiting at the desk beside mine. The icy expression she'd worn yesterday was nowhere to be seen. She looked like her mood had completely recovered. That was a relief.
At the same time, the moment I stepped into the classroom, a quiet murmur rippled through the room. I wouldn't have caught it before, but with my physical specs improved, every word came through crystal clear, like they were speaking right next to me.
"As expected of the God of Adas. He even crushed a Gold-rank high elf."
"My money... Sapiens Must Die."
"Don't mix up the world settings, you idiot. We only share the same serialization platform."
"This proves Adas is superior to Huda."
"Please stop claiming you're an Ada. You're just an Ada because your face is a disaster. You're a reject."
"Don't shove the truth down my throat, you fucking bastard."
Unlike before, the voices tearing me down had noticeably decreased. Instead, they were busy tearing into each other. Of course, some students still had questions about what happened at the end.
"But didn't that guy get a little faster at the end? Something felt off."
"Right. That speed wasn't something a talentless guy should be able to pull off."
"The idiots who lost money must have broken eyes too. Look at them trying to slander Shinwoo-nim no matter what."
"This bastard. He used to hate ability discrimination and looking down on the talentless the most, but the moment he made money he flipped. You Udyr?"
"He made us money, so he's not your Shinwoo, he's our Shinwoo."
The students who'd bet on me and made a tidy profit were now defending me.
[How ugly you all are.]
'This is what financial therapy looks like.'
Then I noticed someone sitting beside Hye-ji. That seat was usually empty, or at most occupied by Kyoko. But today—
"Wait, why is a real Ada in the classroom? Did you come to bully the weak?"
"The lesson content isn't that different, so I received permission from the professor to attend."
Jung Ayeon was there. She sat with her arms crossed, nodding as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Before I could even ask, she opened her mouth first.
"This lady wishes to observe Lady Hye-ji up close and learn from her."
"Whoa, Hye-ji. You've got a stalker girl attached to you. Congrats."
"She's giving me a headache. She even tries to use the same stall in the bathroom."
Hye-ji clutched her head, clearly burdened by Ayeon's presence. A woman obsessed with another woman. This was a serious matter.
"Hye-ji, should I add the tags 'obsession,' 'yuri,' and 'view beam' and upload it?"
"Don't fuck around!!! I'm heterosexual!!!"
Hye-ji reacted violently to my words. Ayeon simply patted Hye-ji's shoulder and spoke calmly.
"Lady Hye-ji, do not be so agitated. You will grow accustomed to it soon enough."
"You shut the hell up, fuck."
Hye-ji's face looked slightly haggard. Probably because of Ayeon, who showed no intention of leaving.
"Hye-ji."
"What."
"Should we throw in 'ruination' while we're at it?"
"You fucking bastard!!!!!!!!"
Hye-ji lunged to strangle me. At that moment, the classroom's front door burst open with a violent slam. Two gleaming bald heads followed.
Lucianer. And Professor Pilyong.
Lucianer was huffing with visible rage, while Professor Pilyong wore an awkward, troubled expression. Both fixed their gazes on me and began walking straight toward my seat.
[They shine so brightly my eyes are burning.]
'Why the hell is a Sportage driving into the classroom?'
Then Lucianer slammed something very familiar onto my desk. Professor Pilyong's ability reader. It landed with a heavy thud, but Lucianer's furious roar was even louder.
"Short-lived species! How dare you deceive this body!"
"Shinwoo, I'm really sorry."
Lucianer openly displayed his hostility. In contrast, Professor Pilyong was apologizing. Honestly, Lucianer acting like that was expected, but Pilyong's attitude was completely unbelievable. Not yelling at me, but saying sorry instead? I reached out and rubbed the professor's bald head, just to check if he was fake.
"......What are you doing?"
"It's really Professor Pilyong."
"You crazy bastard!!!"
With not a single strand of hair or even the slightest friction, it was definitely him. Professor Pilyong swallowed his anger and began explaining the situation.
"I told him several times, but Lucianer said he couldn't believe it."
"I cannot believe it unless I verify it with my own two eyes!"
Clear displeasure showed on the professor's face. Having his research results openly denied probably didn't sit well with him. Not that Lucianer cared—he kept ranting.
"This trash bastard! How dare you scam me by pretending to be talentless?"
"It wasn't a scam, you pathetic fuck. Watching you whine is disgusting."
"Anyway, the match is void!!! Void, I say!!!"
"If you're voiding it, void your World Tree declaration too, you idiot."
Lucianer started going berserk. Drool flying everywhere, he looked like a rabid dog.
"That was because you threatened this body!!!"
"It wasn't a threat, dumbass. You made a vow, so you should keep it."
Lucianer ground his teeth and glared at me. He looked so pathetic that I decided to add one more hit.
"No hair, no conscience either. Is that a bald guy trait?"
"......Shinwoo, come to the research building after class."
"Ah, fuck."
Another critical hit landed on someone else too.
Lucianer, veins bulging on his neck, started screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Forget that and put your hand on this damn thing already!!!"
"Shinwoo, sorry, but just once. Please."
Arguing more would only hurt my throat. I just wanted to get it over with, so I placed my hand on the device like usual. The LED blinked just like before. Soon the reading finished and a voice came out. But the voice was...
"Reading complete."
"Unable to identify ability."
"Classified as talentless."
...slightly different from usual. The voice had changed out of nowhere. Various reactions followed.
Lucianer looked triumphant. Professor Pilyong's eyes sparkled like he'd found new research material. Hye-ji looked shocked. Ayeon just looked confused. And the students started murmuring again.
"What? Why's the result different from last time?"
"Did Professor Pilyong's research students finally do some work for once?"
"If that were the case, they'd be rolling around like dogs every day and releasing an improved version."
Professor Pilyong's research students definitely weren't lazy. I could guarantee that. I'd seen them updating the reader in real time even while half-asleep.
"See? I told you he has an ability!"
"No, abilities manifest before age twenty. Why would he suddenly get one now?!"
"Maybe because he's the God of Adas, he received a unicorn's blessing."
"If you're a virgin until thirty you're a wizard, if you're a virgin until twenty you awaken an ability. Sounds plausible?"
Of course, the most shocked person was me. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open, unable to say a word. The situation in front of me didn't feel real at all.
At that moment, a voice echoed in my head.
[Were you very surprised?]
'Why did this happen? Did the coding get messed up?'
[The result was bound to be different.]
'Did you switch from Siri to Bixby or something?'
The voice in my head chuckled and continued.
[It is because of the mana that formed inside your body after you awakened your ability.]
'Mana...'
Now I had some idea how the reader worked. It probably detected the mana inside ability users and identified their powers based on that. Which led to the obvious next question.
'But it couldn't read my ability properly?'
[Of course not. You are someone who has only lightly set foot in this world to begin with.]
[In this world, your ability cannot be defined.]
Now I was starting to understand why this phenomenon occurred.
'So I have mana, which means I have an ability, but no one knows what it is?'
[Correct. I am truly moved that you finally used your head for once.]
'Let's see that "grandma" later, you bastard.'
[I'm sorry! Please forgive me just this once! I never want to see her again!]
I ignored the desperate voice in my head. Right on cue, Lucianer started shouting again.
"Hah! This is where deceiving this body by pretending to be talentless ends!"
"Shut up, ear guy. Even I don't know right now."
I didn't feel like giving a proper answer, so I brushed him off. When I roughly pushed Lucianer away, Professor Pilyong approached instead.
"Shinwoo, make sure you come to the research building later. Thanks to you, I can write a new paper."
"Why did the result change? Did you bring a different operating system?"
"It's the same reader as last time. What exactly happened?"
I considered telling the truth, but the person speaking so kindly right now was a professor. He could sell me out for his own gain or stab me in the back the moment he got the chance. I couldn't trust him.
"......I don't know."
"How strange."
Professor Pilyong tilted his head. Then another question occurred to me—what would happen if others found out I'd awakened an ability.
"What happens if it's an ability awakening? I didn't lie to get in, so would I get expelled?"
"......That will be decided through an internal meeting."
The professor answered seriously. It was clearly going to become a complicated issue. Only Lucianer kept chattering with a bright smile.
"Anyway, the match is void! Officially announce that your World Tree declaration was made under duress!"
"Please just leave. A clingy guy isn't a popular character even in Noppia."
Despite my words, Lucianer even grabbed me by the collar. He must have been really desperate.
"Explain it already!!! Because of you, I'm at risk of being cut from the candidate list!!!"
"Nothing's going to change anyway. Just give up quietly."
"It will change!!! If you just explain, this body can become the World Tree reception representative again!!!"
"That will not happen, Lucianer-nim."
At that moment, a clear voice rang through the classroom. The source was the front door, left wide open. An elf stood there. With golden hair braided down over a leather tunic, the elf walked in with crisp steps. She carried no weapons, her body light. Yet everyone fell silent, slightly tense. An intimidating aura quietly leaked from her.
The elf only stopped once she stood directly in front of Lucianer. Her graceful yet disciplined posture reminded me of a sharply honed beautiful sword. In the silence, only Lucianer bared his teeth and growled.
"What do you mean by that!"
"Exactly as I said. You will never become the World Tree reception representative."
"Who dares spout such nonsense!"
Unable to contain his anger, Lucianer received a calm reply from the female elf.
"It is the Senate's decision."
"Those old bastards who won't die dare—!"
"Your father is included among them."
Lucianer let out a sigh. But the elf wasn't finished.
"You should be grateful. If it weren't for your father, your head would have been cut off long ago."
"Even so, cutting off my head is too much!"
"Too much?! What is too much!!!"
The female elf exploded. Her sudden shout made the pressure in the room swell instantly. Startled, Lucianer took a step back, and the elf stepped forward without missing a beat, her eyes filled with contempt, as if looking at something disgusting.
"You expect to live after insulting the World Tree like that!!!"
"That's because this human lied about being talentless in the first place!"
"Is that pathetic excuse the best you can come up with after losing so disgracefully!!!!"
"Kuh!"
"Fighting just to take a single short-lived species woman as your wife! Is that head of yours just decoration!!!"
Now anger burned in the female elf's eyes. Her gaze was so sharp it felt like it could pierce through someone. Overwhelmed by that stare, Lucianer fell silent and didn't argue back. The elf took several deep breaths, then spoke again in a calmer tone. The content, however, was anything but calm.
"I will only state the result. You have been stripped of your high elf qualifications and expelled from the tribe."
"D-don't talk nonsense!"
"Therefore, you have been removed from the World Tree reception representative candidacy. The vote will proceed with a single candidate."
"How... can this be..."
Shock spread across Lucianer's face at the devastating decision. As he trembled, the female elf drove the final nail in.
"Survive on your own. Not as a high elf of any tribe—just an elf. Lucianer."
Lucianer collapsed to the floor on the spot. At the same time, he began laughing like a madman from the overwhelming shock.
"Haha... This can't be... hahaha... I am the World Tree reception representative... haha."
Honestly, neither Hye-ji nor I felt much pity. We were more amazed he was laughing instead of crying.
"Hye-ji hyung-nim, that guy's laughing."
"Leave him. He must be having a nice dream."