Eat The World Tree

-Whirr!

The artifact camera blinked its lens as it opened the aperture. As it became transparent, the surrounding students tensed up and stiffened. Everyone was nervous, knowing that all their actions could be broadcast to the entire world from now on.

[Whirr? Whirr.]

The transparent artifact floated around, capturing each of us on screen. As it moved past many students, it was finally our turn. The spherical artifact took a shot of my face before zooming in on Sansuyu in front of me. Sansuyu blinked her large eyes and stared intently at the artifact. Then, she reached out and petted the head of the artifact.

“…Like a puppy.”

-Pat, pat.

[Whirr?]

Despite being broadcast worldwide, she didn’t care and did as she pleased. It’s moments like these that show her pure nature. Since it wasn’t something to get criticized for, I just stood by. Then she tugged at my collar.

“Siheon, Siheon. Look, doesn’t it look like a puppy?”

Just like when she met Shiba, Sansuyu liked cute things. However, no matter how much I looked at it, it didn’t seem cute. Did girls have different thoughts? Considering this artifact had a fan club, it seemed there were people who liked cameras that looked like this.

[Whirr?]

“…Yeah, it’s kind of cute.”

Inside the mask, I nodded in response to Sansuyu’s question while looking at the camera. Sansuyu continued petting the camera.

[Whirr]

The camera, lowering its head, zoomed in even more. Its lens focused on her chest.

-Shake, shake.

Maybe because she didn’t properly wear her compression bra after we drained her milk this morning, her chest was slightly shaking. What a tease. I reached out subtly. While covering her chest and lowering her arm, I thought it would be too sad if something unexpected ended up on the internet.

[Whirr]

The camera darted away as soon as Sansuyu’s hand was off it. She watched the camera with a disappointed look.

-Thud, thud.

At that moment, a sound came from far away.

“The 25th Forester Selection Competition…”

The archbishop of the World Tree Order stepped forward and began his speech. With his white hair, he glanced around before clearing his throat and continuing.

“This is the first trial.”

The artifacts that had finished filming stood in a row around the archbishop.

“You must have heard the explanation.”

Forest Survival. Just as the name implied, it’s a survival game in the forest. A typical competition format where you gathered food, formed teams, and eliminated competitors.

“To those who aspire to become knights of the World Tree, I extend my utmost respect and wish you good luck.”

Repeating the usual speech, the archbishop stepped down from the platform after his final words. The hall became quiet. The students, with tense expressions, started moving while keeping an eye on each other. The artifacts captured their movements.

They headed to the place where the magic circle for spatial magic was located.

I approached Sansuyu closely.

“Siheon?”

“Find me as soon as we enter. You remember why, right? I explained this morning.”

“Yes, you said we must form a team?”

Good understanding. It was tough persuading Sansuyu, who saw me as a competitor. I had to coax and cajole her, saying I needed to help her if she got sick. When I patted the top of her head, her lips pouted.

“You touched my head again.”

Sansuyu disliked being touched. Yet, she was okay with her chest being touched? Wasn’t it usually the other way around? A bitter sigh rose within me.

-Hum!

The students at the forefront started disappearing via the magic circle. We walked and looked around.

First, the students of El Academy.

Guseul, Lim Jonghyun, and Sansuyu. The most suspicious among them was Guseul. Hiding her abilities and overtly showing she’s special were both noticeable traits.

If there’s a Flower among us, she was the most likely candidate.

‘I haven’t properly tested others yet.’

There were those who I thought would at least survive until the later stages of the competition. The first ones, the National Trees, walking from afar.

Bell, Maronie, Abie.

Kim Soo-yeon, Saku, Banya.

And… the dark-skinned woman.

‘Was her name Bao?’

They all exuded an unusual atmosphere.

‘There are notably eye-catching people among the students.’

Being called the Green Generation, the students’ power made me gasp. Many were as strong as Jung Siwoo based on the midterm exam.

Therefore, honestly, it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to be a Flower.

“Good morning, Shiheon! Good morning, Soo-yeon!”

“Good morning to you both.”

Saku and Kim Soo-yeon greeted us as they passed by. Sansuyu and I greeted them back.

“Hello.”

“Hi, both of you….”

Seeing Sansuyu waving her hand softly made the two girls smile. It was clear Saku and Soo-yeon found Sansuyu adorable.

“Soo-yeon, you two are together again today? Are you… teaming up?”

“Yes.”

“I see~”

“Teaming up is necessary. Even the National Trees are teaming up.”

They chatted with Sansuyu before turning their attention to me. Initially, I was just the masked guy next to her. But as we kept meeting in the hallway and cafeteria, we became somewhat familiar.

“Shiheon, are you not nervous?”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. Just do it.”

“Wow, so confident!”

Saku clapped with an onomatopoeic sound, and Kim Soo-yeon continued looking at my face as she spoke.

“Teaming up is ideal with 3-4 people. Have you found others?”

“Not yet. But do the National Trees team up? It seems unfair.”

I couldn’t be sure of victory against the National Trees unless I used all my abilities. My power fluctuated significantly depending on the Black Path, but teaming up strong competitors seemed unbalanced.

Kim Soo-yeon smiled faintly and disagreed.

“National Trees team up not to eliminate other students but to compete with other National Trees.”

“So it’s their internal fight.”

“Exactly… but not just that.”

“What?”

Kim Soo-yeon raised her finger to her lips, signaling for silence with a sly smile.

“It’s not that they won’t eliminate students. Be careful. They’re enemies when you meet.”

Kim Soo-yeon, Saku, and the woman standing next to them—were they forming a team? The dark-skinned woman wore extremely revealing clothes. It looked like she had customized the Forester Selection competition uniform to her liking.

Her neck and arms were exposed, revealing a lot of skin.

‘Tattoo.’

Her body was covered in tattoos. It seemed she had cut her clothes to show them off. What do those patterns mean?

As I was examining the geometric patterns on her slender body, the woman noticed my gaze and glared at me.

“Disgusting.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Her sharp voice in Hindi was translated by the device. I quickly apologized and looked ahead.

Finally, it was our turn.

The magic circle before me glowed golden with tree roots sprouting here and there. Stepping onto it, I felt a faint vibration. I looked at Sansuyu’s face one last time. I believed she remembered what I had said.

‘Let’s see how this goes.’

Stepping onto the magic circle, I glanced around.

The students, their faces tense, were all staring at me.

Would I do well?

What if I just got eliminated?

Their faces clearly displayed the worries blossoming in their hearts.

‘Maybe it’s better for the students to be eliminated quickly.’

I predicted that Flower’s attack would surely happen. Even if the executives didn’t appear, they would use any means necessary to reveal the World Tree’s incompetence.

From there, I had to determine what actions to take and at what distance.

With those thoughts, I closed my eyes against the blinding light before me.

The unique bitter smell of crushed weeds wafted in.

“As expected.”

People were randomly placed in the forest.

I hadn’t been assigned a camera yet.

This meant that as an ordinary student, I wasn’t being broadcasted.

“So, what should I do?”

Muttering, I tapped the bracelet on my wrist.

-Swoosh!

The mistletoe transformed into a black liquid, instantly taking a definite shape.

Creating a large staff in my hand, I stuck its end into the ground and stretched.

A wizard.

The profession I had to master for this Forester Selection Competition.

Unlike the sword in the entrance exam and the fist in the midterms, this was a different area, but I was confident in my studies.

Reverse calculations learned from Hwangdo.

Of course, if I met a genuine magician, I’d be easily outmatched, but I could disable mediocre ones before they even cast a spell.

With high potential, I could encompass a broad range of studies.

Recalling the lessons from Cheonma and Cheondo, I began exploring the forest.

‘Magic detection won’t work here.’

First, I assessed the surrounding air and confirmed it.

This place was a dungeon, saturated with magic.

The nature of this place disrupted the flow of magic, limiting detection to about 50 meters.

This was a terrible environment for those specializing in magic manifestation.

-Click!

After walking a bit more, I heard the sound of a monster.

“Grrrr.”

A growling wolf.

Or rather, when I expanded my detection, there seemed to be seven of them.

They drooled, surrounding me with unfocused eyes.

“…It’s my first time fighting with just magic.”

Golden eyes, hidden in the trees and bushes, eagerly watching for a chance to tear at my throat.

I raised my palm and then lowered it.

-Boom!

At that moment, the surrounding trees shook.

Countless leaves fell to the ground, and the wolves, unable to withstand the pressure, collapsed.

‘…Modified Forest Ruler.’

An improved version of what Baekdo had shown.

Of course, this time it was done purely with magic.

The magic I was most confident in now was undoubtedly wind magic.

Chewing and eating acorns, repeatedly.

Eating acorn jelly, drenched in soy sauce. Making it into a jelly soup.

The effects diminish with repeated consumption of Mokin’s fruit, but eating hundreds or thousands changes the story.

“Wind Cutter.”

A basic spell.

Dozens of blades shot out from behind me, shredding the wolves.

“Grk-”

The wolves collapsed without even being able to scream.

Without looking back at the corpses, I stepped forward.

‘By the river would be good.’

I had to survive for a week.

Water was important, and food was necessary.

If I built a house, ate well, and lived well, the envious ones would come to me.

If a Flower was among those students, it would be beneficial.

‘Should I just eliminate Guseul during this opportunity?’

She seemed to have an agenda.

But that’s something for after passing this trial.

In retrospect, eliminating those who stood out might be better for my situation.

Easier to gain recognition and prevent the Flower’s advancement.

-Growl.

Was there hunger-inducing magic in this dungeon?

Despite having breakfast, I was already hungry.

No one had yet found a way to secure food.

Eating monster meat would be nice, but that’s impossible.

It’s notorious for tasting awful.

‘No signs of tree fruits.’

I kept checking the surroundings, but there were no fruits.

No cassavas or anything like that.

As expected.

This was the Forester Selection Competition, after all. They wouldn’t make it easy.

-Growl.

This time, a bear.

I extended my staff towards it, channeling my magic.

The stored magic within my body was still intact.

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