The name of the Tree Monster is Mamok.
Also known as the Evil Tree.
A sinister energy that causes self-destruction or rampage when a living being is absorbed, Dark Mana.
When a tree retains it for a long time, it becomes an Evil Tree, and if it retains Dark Mana even longer and undergoes repeated growth, it evolves into a higher form.
A giant Spirit Tree comparable to the World Tree of the Elves.
The head of all Evil Trees!
Evil Trees cannot defy the will of the Spirit Tree.
If a small tree goes against the intentions of the large tree and intrudes on its territory, it wouldn’t even be permitted to survive.
It would die of hunger without a drop of water, a pinch of nutrients, or even a sliver of sunlight.
[Mana Control Technique]
[Imitation]
[Call of the Spirit Tree]
As I imitated the call of the Spirit Tree, the leaves ominously rustled with an eerie sound, startling the Evil Trees.
[You successfully deceived the Mamoks by mimicking the call of the Spirit Tree.]
[Imitation Experience Points +10]
[Psychological Prediction Experience Points +5]
[Having saved your comrades in crisis with your mysterious ability, doesn’t someone look at you with admiration?]
[Charisma Experience Points +10]
[Good Child Experience Points +2]
[The second-year students at the exam venue are bewildered by your strategy, loosening their encirclement.]
[Fear Induction Experience Points +15]
[Action Prediction Experience Points +5]
[Sensing the presence of first-year students trapped in between the encirclement of the second years, I started this endeavor to save Giselle and Isabel, but somehow everyone seems to have hopped on for free.]
“Little lady. Are you struggling because of us? You don’t have to cast such large-scale magic…”
“Huh? Not at all? This is easy for me. Anyone can do this if they know the trick!”
“Look me in the eyes and tell me. Is that really true?”
Who is worrying about whom?
There’s a lot of worry, indeed.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course, I don’t.”
“Was I so untrustworthy?!”
“Isn’t it enough that you’re lying in bed suffering from the curse of nightmares and stuffing your pocket with stones you shouldn’t eat? It’s hard not to worry.”
“Ugh. That’s all circumstances…”
“Circumstances you can’t talk to us about?”
“I’m sorry!”
“That’s fine. I didn’t mean to interrogate you and put you in a difficult position.”
Though it sounded blunt, there was a touch of consideration in the tone.
I saw someone overlap in Giselle’s figure.
“Giselle, you remind me of Uncle Son Ohchun!”
“…Me? Like that muscle-brained guy?”
“Ugh, your hair is all messy!”
“Bad kids who tease adults need to be scolded.”
I realized this only after becoming a woman.
What’s the point of messing up my carefully styled hair? It really annoys me, and I want to kick their shins.
If it were someone else, they might’ve acted out long ago, but for some reason, I didn’t mind being scolded today.
Was it because the one scolding is Giselle?
That doesn’t seem to be the only reason.
It feels like I’m reminded of someone.
Yep.
It feels similar to when Jonnas scolded me.
A weird feeling that makes my heart flutter!
“Ehehe.”
“Don’t laugh. You’ll get attached.”
“I’ve already heard it!”
“I can’t help it. Even when trying to set the mood, you smile cutely like that.”
“Um, this harmonious atmosphere is nice, but shouldn’t we hurry up? The second years and first years are creeping in this way.”
With Isabel’s urging, we climbed to the Air Stairs located in the center of the Mamok Forest.
From the high vantage point, I could clearly see the scene of over a thousand second years bustling in the woods.
Not only that.
Choo choo
Boom!
Flash━
A massive glacier shooting up from one side of the forest.
A colossal lightning storm striking everywhere.
A white flash overwhelming the Mamoks and trees indiscriminately.
The presence of top-tier Competent Persons from the Upper Class for First-Year was different from the accompanying sounds alone.
“This is terrifying.”
“We were truly lucky. If it weren’t for Oknodie, we would’ve been swept away down there like debris.”
Isabel and Giselle’s expressions turned a bit grim.
Perhaps they felt despair at the thought of meeting an enemy.
Indeed, the two lag indeed in combat power.
But does the chef or the merchant need combat power?
I really don’t think so.
As seen in the Entrance Exam, combat power is something that people with dull minds fuss over.
With me to think for everyone, there’s no need for the two of them to have exceptional combat power, right?
“If you’re that worried, just go ahead!”
“What about Oknodie?”
“I’ll keep my position until you both safely pass.”
“Let’s go together.”
“If we do that, the Mamoks won’t have enough time.”
As I insisted on not moving an inch until the two left, Isabel and Giselle sighed with a look that said they weren’t keen on it.
The two, who were looking into each other’s eyes, suddenly squeezed each other’s hands tightly.
In her left hand was Isabel’s sturdy hand as a chef, and in her right was Giselle’s soft hand.
“When this is over, let’s play together just like this again.”
“I’ll bring snacks.”
“What about Uncle Son Ohchun?”
“Let him do as he pleases. He ran off solo all excited.”
“Hehe. That’s right. Let’s say Uncle Ohchun should bring a lunch, right?!”
Chatting cheerfully like this while basking in the sunlight felt like being a child on a picnic holding Mom and Dad’s hands.
They aren’t my real parents, and this isn’t a peaceful picnic lane.
But with these two, I wouldn’t feel any resistance even holding hands in place of Reap and Jonnas.
[Designated Shooting – Non-Lethal Area]
[Automatic Defense Bracelet]
As arrows flew aimed at Giselle’s forearm, an automatic shield surfaced above her body.
Second years began to show up, firing long-range shots, effectively dodging the Mamoks.
“Please leave now.”
“You need to follow quickly.”
“Don’t keep us waiting too long.”
“I’ll be right behind you!”
The two were leaving.
Waving my hands as a farewell.
The two moved away across the bridge.
I realized I had already neutralized dozens of arrows soaring in behind me.
Just when I thought the two had completely moved away, I turned around.
“So… what guts do the fools who shot arrows at Giselle and Isabel, despite failing, have to not run away yet?”
You can’t look down on people just because they’re laughing like idiots next to those two.
“Be prepared. It’s midterm exam season. They’re second years. You don’t have to go easy on them like first years, right?”
You’d better be prepared.
I’m really angry for the first time in a while.
I’ll make sure to show them some painful sight!
“A monster of a kid.”
I sensed the gap in strength unconsciously.
Something absurdly powerful lies within that tiny frame—a power beyond mere physical might exists in that kid.
“Pipsqueak.”
The term used for someone diminutive holds the desire to overlook the fearsome presence even just a little.
But this…
When that kid gets serious, can they truly exhibit this kind of fundamentally different strength?
The traps of the Mamok Forest.
After getting firmly caught in the initial traps.
Son Ohchun approached near the Central Stairs, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the grand migration of the Mamoks.
He felt fear while observing the second years being swept away in real time and the Mamok legion of Oknodie slaughtering them like peasants.
An aura that wasn’t human but of a monstrosity.
It emanated through the body of a human rather than a monster.
The wicked secrets played out through Dark Mana.
Monster taming that commands evil beings through powerful charisma.
This forbidden technique is strictly prohibited outside the Academy; if caught, you’ll face the pursuit of the Twelve Benevolent Deities and be marked as a public enemy in the Empire, leading to immediate bounties on your head.
During midterms, he dared to perform such a taboo technique while over a thousand students, instructors, and professors watched.
No one could be reckless enough to engage in such acts without the confidence that whatever you see, whatever you think, anyone you tell, or whatever you do would simply not matter.
Do you look down on even the Twelve Benevolent Deities?
Are you not afraid of the Empire either?
While the once-cute boy occasionally had some unsettling aspects, it was shocking to see him appear so unfamiliar from a distance.
“Ah, Uncle Son Ohchun!”
“Are you okay?”
Honestly, I couldn’t help but ask.
Just a moment ago, he looked like a demon with pitch-black eyes and a totally deranged expression.
It was miraculous that he could return to his normal state in an instant.
“I’m fine!”
“What about Giselle and Isabel?”
“I sent them ahead!”
“It would’ve been helpful to have them with you.”
“I didn’t want them to see. I always worry them.”
Surrounding Oknodie was still an evil aura that was unbelievable for human beings, connected to the Mamoks.
“Promise to keep secret that I used this power, okay?”
Although it sounded like a request, it wasn’t a request.
It strongly implied that if you don’t, you’d wish you hadn’t.
Dark Princess.
The true face of a good child.
The reality of the Foundation’s Chief Scholarship Student.
Could it be that the Oknodie he had known was only a façade shown before those two?
And perhaps this is the real Oknodie?
“You little pest, what nonsense are you saying? A child who worries their guardian deserves to be scolded. I’ll tell on you!”
Undeterred by such anxiety, he put up a firm counter.
Through those staring eyes, I felt a presence that was almost suffocating.
The pressure that had been staring blankly at me suddenly lifted with a smile like a lie.
“How mean~. Just let it slide this once, and I’ll let you use this road.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Geez, fine. I’ll just pass through.”
“Really?”
“There’s no way I’d bother Uncle Son Ohchun. It’s obvious Giselle and Isabel would be sad.”
But doesn’t that mean you won’t be sad either?
Son Ohchun swallowed that question, caught in his throat.
“Oh, thanks. Then I’ll owe you one.”
While running up the Air Stairs, I felt the presence behind me quickly blending into the darkness.
I didn’t want to look back.
I didn’t want to feel it on my skin any longer.
I only felt pity for those challenging this road behind me.
Those who have no friendship with Oknodie could only vaguely imagine what hell they would have to go through to pass this staircase.
