"This incoming class is full of promise."
A wide beam projector displayed the faces of the confirmed enrollees.
The academy's high-ranking officials, seated around the table, began voicing their opinions with barely contained excitement.
"Shouldn't we run a separate Elite Class for this year's cadets?"
"No, we can't do that. Even if there are a lot of talented ones, cramming all the elites into one class would definitely draw complaints from the Wood Person Association about favoritism."
"But this group's skill gaps are especially wide. Those top cadets deserve proper training."
The teacher who had argued against an Elite Class furrowed his brow in displeasure.
"Still, an Elite Class is..."
"Are you planning to let our most promising cadets rot away?"
"That's not what I meant!"
The conference room's atmosphere grew increasingly heated.
This sort of debate shouldn't have happened at all. The Elite Class had been abolished ten years ago, and the matter was considered settled.
"In the old days, skill gaps between cadets were small, so we didn't need an Elite Class. But things are different now, aren't they? Just look at Jeong Si-woo and San Su-yu."
Jeong Si-woo and San Su-yu.
Amid this 'Green Generation' brimming with talent, these two stood out the most.
The teachers nodded vigorously at the mention of their names.
"Well, Jeong Si-woo is the one who's going to marry that World Tree, after all. Having him alone might quiet the complaints."
"Yeah... And San Su-yu's mother holds a pretty high position in the Wood Person Association."
As the discussion leaned positive, the initial opponent pressed his fingers to his brow in frustration.
That was when it happened.
"Sounds good to me."
A clear voice rang out from the center of the conference room.
"The man destined to be the husband of Her exalted World Tree can't very well receive the same education as the riffraff. Proceed as planned with the Korean branch."
At the very center, seated regally at the massive desk with her legs crossed, she delivered the meeting's verdict.
The principal, Angelica.
Messenger of the World Tree of Justice. No one but the supreme World Trees themselves could overrule her, leaving the teachers no choice but to bow their heads.
"I came to the Korean branch of El Academy because the future husband of a World Tree would be enrolling. I'm pleased to see so much talent here."
"Th-thank you, Principal."
"I'll be going now. Anything else?"
The chief administrator nodded, but one supervisor raised his hand.
"Um... There's one prospective cadet whose enrollment is on hold."
The teachers shot him bewildered looks.
'Don't you have any sense at all?!'
It was the kind of situation that left them thinking exactly that. Angelica grinned and approached him.
"Who?"
"...Lee Si-heon, the prospective cadet. He sparred with Jeong Si-woo."
"Oh, poor thing. But sparring with the top cadet of the year isn't a problem, is it?"
"No. Lee Si-heon managed to exchange a few blows with Jeong Si-woo without using mana."
Angelica rested her ample chest on her crossed arms and turned to the chief administrator.
"Is that impressive?"
"...No. Without mana, plenty of this incoming class could trade blows with Jeong Si-woo."
"Then why hold him back? Explain."
The supervisor straightened his suit lapels and spoke.
"From what I saw on-site, his grip, swing—everything looked like it was his first time holding a sword. He seems to have some special trait, so he warrants monitoring."
"First time swinging a sword? Then why apply to the academy?"
Angelica's perfectly reasonable question left the supervisor speechless.
To even qualify for academy enrollment, one needed years of swordsmanship and magic training from childhood.
That was why the academy was called a school for nobles.
And why so few humans enrolled.
"...Probably an Awakener. He's at the academy, after all. No other reason to apply."
The supervisor finally gave his answer.
An Awakener.
Those with high growth potential stats awaken unique traits later in life.
"An Awakener, huh."
Angelica mulled it over.
Awakened ones often became great figures throughout history.
"Can you vouch for that? If we let him in and he gets expelled disgracefully before midterms?"
"..."
Supervisor Man Se-jeok had no response.
He wasn't about to stake his career on a gamble.
But anyone who had witnessed that duel would understand Man Se-jeok's point.
Clumsy footwork like a total dunce, idiotic posture, awkward breathing.
Yet the prospective cadet Lee Si-heon had shown bizarrely fluid movements. His near-miraculous body control had even startled Jeong Si-woo.
"..."
"Answer me."
"P-Principal! Man Se-jeok is new to handling admissions, so please let this slide just this once..."
The chief administrator, unable to stand it any longer, clasped his hands and begged Angelica for mercy.
Man Se-jeok thought to himself.
'If what I saw is real, that ugly kid could become a fine hero.'
It had been ages since he'd spotted a cadet with such promise, so he'd spoken up.
He never dreamed those words would dig his own grave. He should have kept quiet.
"I'll take responsibility. He'll do fine. That student."
"Supervisor Man Se-jeok!"
"Hm?"
Normally, he would have held his tongue.
Who wouldn't, with the principal right there?
He had no loyalty to push for some unknown cadet whose face he didn't even know.
"Why?"
Even so, he'd spoken because—
"Because that's how I became an A-rank hero."
His own distant past came to mind.
"..."
"..."
Silence blanketed the conference room.
The supervisor and teachers exchanged worried glances with their neighbors.
The one who broke the long hush was none other than—
"He looks fine to me. Let him in. But expel him if his grades slip."
Lee Se-young.
Sweat beading on her brow, she timidly raised her hand.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[You passed. Hand over the Tree Pill.]
"How'd she get my phone number this time?"
[You think it's hard to look up incoming cadets' numbers?]
The sudden call from Baekju Avenue turned out to be a nag from Lee Se-young, the one I'd met before.
"Teacher, you're too impatient."
[Don't call me teacher. I'm a second-year instructor.]
"Anyway, I can give you the Tree Pill, but tell me a few things first. Pull the enrollee list, pick out the promising talents, and bring it over."
[What? Are you messing with me?!]
"Come on, that's an easy favor. Do you know how much this is worth? You know my address. Oh, and grab some pizza on the way. Sweet potato shrimp."
[...You bastard. Fine.]
Surprisingly agreeable, Se-young hung up.
'What's gotten into her? Last time, she looked ready to devour me.'
Who knows. Probably had her reasons.
I flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Enrolled, got my reward."
The moldy ceiling resembled my old studio apartment.
The only changes were me and the world.
"And now I have a goal."
Seduce Wood Persons, fill the encyclopedia. And give that World Tree a piece of my mind.
Seeing no reaction from the World Tree or status window when I thought it meant they didn't know my plans.
'Or maybe they're pretending... Nah, that'd be too depressing.'
For now, I'd focus on gathering info and building strength.
I knew next to nothing right now.
Internet searches had limits; I needed someone to feed me specialized intel.
"World Tree, can you tell me about this world?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙The World Tree of Purity shakes her head.
"Useless thing."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙The World Tree of Purity makes a tearful face.
Our relationship with the World Tree was always like this—she came running when called but couldn't actually help.
"So when does the World Tree's Love show up?"
The reward from the enrollment quest: the World Tree's Love.
She'd only vaguely said "someday" and vanished.
Still, the quest hadn't been pointless.
Reading books at a library near El Academy's Korean branch had yielded some knowledge.
'World Trees'
On N-1 Earth, five Great World Trees formed the planet's roots.
[Justice]. [Diligence]. [Resilience]. [Sacrifice]. [Prosperity].
These World Trees governing each concept were revered like gods, with dozens more beneath them.
In short, even among trees, there was a hierarchy.
[Five Great World Trees] > [World Trees] > [Spirits and Saints] > [Elders] > [Ancient Trees] > [Sacred Trees] > [Saplings]
Something like that.
This hierarchy only recognized trees infused with World Tree energy. Regular trees got no respect.
The difference between Wood Persons and trees? Simple evolution. Half-tree, half-human Wood Persons were nobility in human society.
Heaven-sent bloodlines, you might say. Legend had it the first Wood Person was born from a woman who slept with a World Tree.
'Classic divine right of kings.'
Entrenched powers wearing the hat of "God's representatives."
Whatever they did with their power wasn't my concern. My focus was solely on returning to my original world.
The only thing that piqued my interest was this World Tree of Purity.
She/it wasn't among the Five Great World Trees.
Second-in-command of the world. In caste terms, not a Brahman but a Kshatriya.
'Problem is, nobody knows about the World Tree of Purity.'
I'd casually asked a librarian, and she looked at me like I'd spouted nonsense.
Definitely some no-name tree.
One that knew how to mess with her husband's head.
'Even scheming how to gain honor is pointless if the world doesn't know her. No payoff.'
Showing up yelling "I'm the hidden World Tree's husband!" would just get me beaten.
Probably branded a cultist. This world was sensitive about that stuff.
Looks like I'd have to lay low for a while.
Ding-dong!
Right on cue, the doorbell.
Se-young already? I opened the door to find a man holding a delivery box.
"Lee Si-heon?"
"Yes."
"Item from Tree Corporation addressed to you. Sign here."
He tipped his cap, spoke in a flat tone, handed over the box, and left.
Thud!
I shut the door, returned to the room, and tore open the box. Inside lay a light green seed.
What the hell?
I picked it up and held it to my face. The hologram reacted first.
📦 ITEM INFO 📦
▶ World Tree's Love (?)
Classification: Other
A seed nurtured by the World Tree of Purity.
Reading the info, I could only blurt out a dumbfounded noise.
"What?"
I collected myself and reread it calmly.
A seed nurtured by a World Tree.
"Nurtured?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Conceiving a child. Pregnancy. Impregnation. In pure speech: 'pregnancy'.
"No, fuck, that's not what I'm asking right now."
After agonizing over it, I finally gave up thinking.
Let me explain my current situation.
"She dumped a kid on me. That crazy World Tree bitch."
A deep rage welled up inside me.