Eat The World Tree

For the first time, a girl came into my single room.

“Here, the list you asked for. Is it settled now? If you say now that there’s no Tree Circle Pill and complain, know that I will be furious.”

She spoke as if she could easily kill me.

“Relax your gaze, teacher. I want to give it to you, but with that look, my willingness entirely vanishes.”

“Is it appropriate to deal with a rapist?”

“It’s disgusting that you keep saying that.”

We sat across a desk, glaring at each other.

The subtle scent of cheap floral tea grazed my nose.

“Sigh.”

Lee Seyeong, with a displeased expression, seemed to give in, heaving deep sighs.

“Fine. Let’s not bring up the past anymore. After this deal, let’s act like we’re strangers. Okay?”

“I don’t like that.”

“What?”

“You will have to do many things with me in the future. We’ve mingled bodies, after all.”

“Crazy.”

At her frowning face, I rolled three Tree Circle Pills across the desk.

Her face lit up with a bright smile at the same time. Her greedy demeanor made me spit out my true feelings.

“Materialistic woman.”

“What the hell?”

While exchanging curses with me, she quickly stowed away the three Tree Circle Pills into her luxury handbag.

“So what are you thinking exactly?”

“Why?”

“You suddenly ask for a list and order strange things. And what did you do to me last time?”

“What did I do? We had sex.”

“Don’t play dumb. I still remember what you did to me last time. Do you have some unique trait?”

Trait?

I had one, but I didn’t know why she was curious about it.

“Yes, I do.”

“I knew it. Something like magic nullification?”

“Why are you prying suddenly?”

I didn’t have such ability.

Thinking about it, she couldn’t activate any attack magic on our first encounter.

Did it have something to do with the Protection of Colors?

Seyeong’s confident smile caught my eye as if she knew everything.

“I know everything, pervert. Speak properly. Then, I will forgive what happened last time.”

“I have it.”

“Really?”

As soon as the conversation ended, Seyeong handed me a business card from inside her suit.

“Then take this. Once you graduate from the academy, consider joining our company.”

“Huh?”

“Why that face?”

“It’s strange to be kind to a rapist. Did you like it at that time? Of course you did. There’s none like me.”

“…Shut up.”

Recently, the stature of the Orc family has been showing signs of decline.

Apparently, there was some scandal.

So, they needed someone to boost their reputation.

Even so, it was not normal to offer a deal to someone who assaulted you, was it?

“Alright, I’ll consider it. Just answer one thing.”

“What?”

“What do you want?”

“Don’t act like a child. I’m not giving you the card because I want something. It’s just a formality.”

She was suddenly making sense, which was unusual.

I couldn’t understand the way this woman thinks.

Whether like this or that, Seyeong and I were ill-fated. She tried to take what was mine, and in the end, she took my virginity, a strange relationship.

“I got what I needed, so I’ll go. And let’s pretend we don’t know each other from now on.”

“Ah, okay.”

“And what is that behind your back?”

Just before leaving, Seyeong, seemingly curious all of a sudden, pointed at the potted plant behind me and asked.

“Oh, this? Some person I know dumped it on me. They asked me to raise it.”

“Do you need so much fertilizer to raise one plant?”

“Is there a problem?”

“… You’re such an idiot. I’m leaving.”

What harsh words.

Without seeing her off, I hugged the plant pot.

Thanks to the mineral water and fertilizer I used, there was already a bud the size of a grain of rice.

The seed.

It had sprouted.

In short, Shiba. From today, its name is Shiba Saki.

“Shiba, you must not grow up like mom. You don’t need to listen to a parent who abandons her child.”

Slurp, slurp.

Whether the seedling heard my words or not, its two leaves swayed side to side.

Was this… prenatal education?

Feeling its subtle movements soothed me somewhat.

---

The academy, boasting the slogan ‘The city of education where the talents of the future reside,’ was located on an island near the Pacific.

My first impression of the academy’s island was that it was like a mix between a high school and a university.

The difference was that the dormitories were coed, and the rooms were quite spacious.

“We have arrived. The entrance ceremony is tomorrow; have a good night.”

I arrived in the evening after taking a morning flight.

My first impression of the dormitory was greener than I imagined. Even the wallpaper was green to satisfy those obsessed with the World Tree.

I unpacked my bags and casually placed the potted plant next to the bed on the table.

The room was a two-room.

If you had a roommate, it was not a room in the World Tree class.

And from now on, meals had to be taken here.

There was a kitchen for midnight snacks, and the first floor had a salad bar for breakfast and dinner at all times.

Thanks to the Korean-exclusive area in the educational city, there was no need to struggle with foreign languages.

“This is a properly established school.”

The university I attended seemed insignificant in comparison.

“And I also have plenty of money now.”

The first entrants received 100% tuition support and a living support fund of 3 million won every month.

This money, which was suspiciously overfunded, could only have come from the World Tree Foundation.

The World Tree of Justice insisted on sparing no expense for talent development.

No one defied the words of a god.

“Shall I eat and then spin a gacha?”

Lying on the bed, I zoned out in meditation.

I was almost at my peak, thanks to the continuous exercise before the entrance ceremony.

I was on the verge of transforming from a charm level of 0 to 1.

“Status Window.”

---

[Name]

Lee Shiheon (Prospective Husband of the World Tree)

[Age/Height/Weight]

20 / 174cm / 76.18kg

[Stats]

-Strength 4.8

-Endurance 3.2

-Agility 2.9

-Stamina 3.5

-Mana 0.0

-Charm 0

-Intelligence 5

-Potential 20

-Luck 10

Unique Traits (2)

[Tree Eating Sense(S)][Combat Type Body(S)]

Skills Owned (0)

Attributes (5)

[Late Bloomer(EX)] [Protection of Colors(S)][Swordsmanship Aptitude(E)][Magic Aptitude(D)][Obesity(E)][Lewd Demon(F)][Exhibitionist(F)][Ugly Appearance(F)]

---

The stats that were rapidly growing at first began to slow down as they approached the realm of the superhuman.

Nevertheless, it was a considerable growth compared to other students.

Now, the important ones were charm and mana.

The two hardest stats to increase.

If lucky, the gacha might give me an attribute related to mana, but there was no guarantee.

The Combat Type Body ability was only gained after about 60 gacha rolls.

-Grumble.

I suddenly became hungry while worrying about the future.

I quickly stood up, carelessly opened the PET bottle on the table, watered the potted plant, and went out to the living room.

Shall I go to the salad bar?

After slipping into some indoor slippers and donning a mask, I headed to the first floor.

Once in the corridor, I became the center of attention for the other students.

-Who is he?

-No idea.

Their eyes scrutinized me as if observing a spectacle.

However, wearing this mask, I received better treatment and reaction compared to not wearing one.

Since it allowed for eating, I planned to always wear it except on days when personal verification was needed for exams.

It was not about mystique; I would face profanities without the mask.

“Please insert your student ID here and remove it after use.”

“Yes, understood.”

The salad bar had a variety of foods, from Western-style, like spaghetti to Korean dishes.

Having finished eating alone, I had nothing else to do.

I removed the card I had inserted at the entrance and trudged back to my room, where I noticed a figure in front of my door.

“Is he not in…?”

A petite woman clutching something was peeking inside.

Even from afar, her red overalls and tight shorts were recognizable.

“Can I help you? This is my room.”

“Oh!”

Approaching her, she greeted me with a radiant smile and a bow.

“Hi! I’m your neighbor. I brought some flower tea as a welcome to the dorm.”

“Thank you. I wish I had something to give in return… I don’t have anything.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to give it to you. Just be friends with me. What’s your name?”

“I’m Lee Siheon.”

“What a pretty name! I’m Guseul.”

Guseul? It’s quite a unique name.

At that moment, something appeared behind her.

A form of a long tree reminiscent of when I first met Seyoung.

My mind automatically identified the tree.

[Dangdangi Tree]

…Was there really such a tree?

Guseul seemed curious about my silence.

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking. What’s your surname?”

“I don’t have one. Just Guseul. We’re friends now, so we can speak informally, right?”

Her cheerful face made me accept her odd name. Her face was innocent, resembling a puppy’s.

I was happily observing her face when she asked me.

“Why do you always wear a mask?”

“Yes.”

“Really? I want to see your face. Show me.”

I gently grabbed her approaching hand and put it down.

Guseul instantly looked disappointed and pouted.

“I have my reasons.”

“That’s too bad. Oh! I have to feed Jjong. He’s my plant companion. See you later!”

The conversation naturally concluded.

I awkwardly waved back at Guseul, who waved at me before entering her room.

I always thought that since coming to this world, I had seen various types of humans.

From Jin Dallae to Guseul, I wondered if all Tree People were like them, but thinking of Seyeong, maybe not.

Anyway, what conditions allowed me to see the form of that tree?

I pondered this briefly in the corridor but eventually gave up and prepared to go to bed.

The day before the entrance ceremony,

My first time lying in the dorm bed, I felt extremely comfortable.