Chapter 49 – Things Always Happen at Drinking Parties (2)

If you don’t have sex, you die.

A quest so crude that I even doubt whether I am the husband of the World Tree. It was clear that the tree offspring here had a predilection for becoming excited about having their betrothed taken from them.

But of all things, it’s sex. Can’t they spare me from such a quest? Resentment surged within me.

‘Don’t these creatures have some peculiar inclinations?’

The sudden question was worth reconsidering. NTR. If that wasn’t their taste, then it was evident that the World Tree was deceiving me.

A fact I’d been trying to ignore: the World Tree loves me. Yet, if I fail the quest, it threatens to kill me?

No matter how one looks at it, where in the world is there such a contradiction? Because of this discrepancy, lately, I’ve been entertaining thoughts like: is everything, even their affection and attention, actually a lie? They’re all just tricking me, as if in a movie.

The justification was substantial. Half of the knowledge I possess in this world was forcefully instilled in me by the World Tree of Purity when I fell into this realm.

Indeed. From the very beginning, there was no way those withered tree hags could ever love me. It is a world devoid of beautiful love.

‘Damned curiosity. If only I hadn’t struck that tree back then.’

Returning to the start, it was evident that every World Tree belonged to an untrustworthy lineage. To think I must even doubt the knowledge I have—it’s laughable.

“Ha.”

【The ‘World Tree of Purity’ awakens from its slumber.】

My moving footsteps came to a halt. Lost in various thoughts, I soon found myself at the doorstep of a tavern. I placed my hand on the icy cold doorknob, and just before opening it, I asked the World Tree in a hushed tone:

“Are you on my side?”

【The ‘World Tree of Purity’ nods repeatedly.】

“Then why are the quests such fucking nonsense?”

【…….】

No answer came back.

Perhaps there was a valid reason, or they were attempting to deceive me. Regardless, with the shadow of death looming, I couldn’t view the situation positively.

*Sigh*. “Well, you won’t even be a real husband.”

– Squeak.

Upon opening the door, the pungent aroma of alcohol filled the air. The lively pub bustled with familiar faces of cadets who had come for a drink after class with their mentors.

“Ah, it’s Si-heon!”

Gu-seul, whose eyes met mine first, waved cheerfully.

“Siha~”
“Seulha.”
“Hehehe.”

I decided to play along with her good-natured teasing. Gu-seul laughed heartily, and I adjusted my mask. It was important to keep it on for the time being. My current charm level was seven, with the mask’s maximum potential raising it to eight.

Gradually, the prospect of escaping obesity came into view, but Si-heon’s appearance hadn’t yet reached its full potential. If the obesity were resolved as is, the once diminished attractiveness would return, so to achieve a complete charm score of 9, it was essential to continually benefit from the mask’s effects.

As Si-heon walked a little further and surveyed the tables, Si-woo, upon seeing him, beamed with a bright smile.

“Si-heon, you’re here? Come, sit here.”

The once boisterous atmosphere quieted down with Si-heon’s arrival.

Could it be that Si-heon wasn’t supposed to show up?

When Si-heon nervously joined the table, a subtle shift in the atmosphere arose among the group.

“…”

The looks weren’t filled with discomfort. Rather, they were glances of curiosity and suspicion. A total of nine people were seated at the table surrounded by three sofas.

Si-heon remembered their names but had never really conversed with any of them. Perhaps this was an opportunity to make some new friends.

If all went well, he might even find a girlfriend or have a one-night stand.

The academy had a similar atmosphere to a university, so there wasn’t much difference in the sexual culture compared to the world I lived in. To be blunt, it seemed that there were even occasional orgies during the MT in Jijab Academy.

‘If you think about it, everyone here is a student at a prestigious university, right?’

Gradually, the cadets, who had almost forgotten the unusual name of the academy, began to grow accustomed to it.

“Hey, you became a hero, right? Hehe.”

At that moment, Gu-seul shouted out in a bright voice.

“Share that story with the others. You all know what happened in this mentor class because you read the article, right?”

As the conversation started, the surrounding cadets, who had been chatting exclusively with their neighbors, slowly began to join in.

“How was it?”
“I heard that Do-won’s group is an elite minority. How many were there?”

At first, they had awkward conversations using honorifics, but gradually their speech became more casual and, after a few sips of alcohol, they started speaking informally, just like any other college students.

“How was White Peach?”

I shuddered when a female student sitting beside me spoke with envious eyes.

“Wow, don’t even mention that person. Do you know how it was? They asked me if I preferred hard peaches or soft peaches.”

When I replied that I liked soft peaches, they glared at me as if they wanted to kill me and differentiated the training accordingly. As I vividly recounted the story, demonstrating my communication skills from the online community, the students burst into laughter.

“Are you making that up?”
“No, this is a true story.”

Still, their skills were impressive.

I elaborated further. As I described the scene of them shaking the massive tree as if catching a rat, the students opened their mouths wide and shuddered, seemingly imagining White Peach’s appearance.

A few of them revealed their feelings in a woman’s unique voice that seemed to be fawning over the situation.

“I’m so envious~”

White Peach being the epitome of a girl crush seemed only natural. No wonder stories like this came up.

But the Master isn’t really that kind of person; their mental age is like that of a child. Despite not wanting praise, I vigorously peeled the white peaches, which caused the other students to giggle as if they were desperate for amusement.

The female students, wiping tears from the corners of their eyes, approached me.

“Oh, but you’re funny. I thought you were too quiet to speak.”

“I have a bit of a loser streak in me.”

“Oh, just a bit. When I first saw you, I thought you were just a loser…Oops.”

“Damn it.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Would this be enough to help me fit in with the others in my class? The importance of a person’s reputation suddenly became clear to me. I looked at Si-woo, who was smiling warmly while listening to my story.

“But you’ve accomplished quite a bit, too, right?”

“Me? Nah, what’s the big deal about clearing a few dungeons?”

A series of exclamations erupted around him.

“That Jung Si-woo, such a deceiver.”

“Ah, his humility knows no bounds.”

“No, it’s not like that! You guys can do it in no time, too!”

In response to Siwoo’s retort, the woman beside me, was her name Kim Soo-young? She spoke tersely.

“Soon?”

Siwoo clamped his mouth shut.

“…3 years?”

They had all tried to sugarcoat the fact that they had a long way to go. Though the remark brought the differences in their talent into stark relief, the trainees merely stuck their tongues out, seemingly unfazed.

“Still, Siheon and Jonghyun should catch up to me soon, right?”

Following Siwoo’s words, the trainees alternately glanced between me and Lim Jong-hyun.

“True. Jonghyun is… from a prestigious family, after all.”

“Isn’t Siheon skilled enough to help Do-won as well?”

The atmosphere hinted at grudging acceptance. Jonghyun, who had been quietly sipping his drink earlier, smiled at Siwoo’s words as if he found them quite agreeable.

The air of a typical bad boy radiated from him. It was unclear whether he was a thug, but he certainly had the striking looks to pull off a blonde tan.

“Just wait, man. I’ll catch up to you soon.”

“Ooh, Lim Jong-hyun~”

“Are you mocking me?”

Jonghyun exchanged a few words with Jung Si-woo and laughed boisterously. Then, our eyes met.

“But aside from me, what about Si-heon? What was your entrance ranking?”

At first glance, it seemed like a simple question, but I could feel a condescending gaze directed at me. Was this guy also one of those who looked down on me? His words had the potential to ruin the atmosphere, but his appearance resembled a thug. Even so, some female students seemed attracted to his bold demeanor.

A woman named Shin Jung-ah appeared to be completely captivated by his charm.

“My ranking? Was it 152nd?”
“What?”
“Huh?”

When I answered honestly, people around me reacted with surprise. Upon further thought, it didn’t make sense that someone who had recently helped with a fraudulent case and had even been trained by White Peach would be ranked 152nd.

“You’re ranked 152nd? Then what’s the story with those knights?”

Jonghyun’s words were filled with blatant mockery. Then, he laughed as if he had discovered his own answer within his thoughts.

“Hehehe, isn’t it a bit much to call them a human cadet?”
“Hey, don’t disregard humans.”
“Jung Si-woo, you’re a candidate for the World Tree’s husband.”

I, too, am a candidate for husband. Although I’d like to respond sarcastically, I held back my words, as I didn’t want to sour the atmosphere, and tried to move on as cheerfully as possible.

“It’ll happen soon. How many months has it been since you awakened?”
“Heh. Anyone who saw Si-heon’s fight back then wouldn’t be able to say they lacked skill, right?”

As Si-woo responded to my statement, Soo-young eagerly raised her hand.

“I saw it! At the place where I was with Dalrae and Cornus.”
“Really? You did?”

Caught off guard by her completely unexpected response, the girl seated next to her grinned.

“Don’t you remember? You saved me back then. Actually, all the cadets there were essentially protected by you, Si-woo, and Cornus.”

I didn’t know. I was too preoccupied with fighting to worry about such things.
As I slashed and killed, it seemed I saved a few people along the way, but it didn’t feel real.
Initially, Lee Seong-Han, my opponent at the time, was overly persistent. Even now, the shoulder I slashed still throbs.

“Was that the case?”
“Wow, you don’t remember. I’m hurt.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? Hehe.”

For some reason, he had been making an effort to talk to me quite a bit. Thanks to that, it greatly helped me fit into the atmosphere.
As I gave a slight smile, Gu-seul raised her voice and pressed her two index fingers together.

“What’s going on between you two?”
“Ah, is Gu-seul teasing you again?”
“Hehehe. Hey, Si-heon’s best friend is me. We’ve been friends since the first day in the dorm.”
“Really?”

With wide-open eyes, Soo-young looked at me as if asking if it were true.
Jong-hyun’s question seemed to be put aside, and glancing at him, he was drinking with the others around him, showing no intent of digging any further.

‘But does he even consider me a friend?’

I hesitated for a moment before nodding my head, not wanting to explicitly reject the idea.
Upon seeing my response, Sooyoung extended her hand and smiled warmly.

“Then let’s become close friends.”

Uh… what? A green light?

Had I unintentionally saved a woman and gained her favor? Or had my lively conversation during the drinking party unintentionally increased her fondness for me? We awkwardly clasped hands and then redirected our focus to the drinks.

As we became progressively tipsy, our conversation wandered, covering a variety of topics and giving me the opportunity to naturally learn about the stories of my fellow students.

We discussed the adorable cat living on the first floor of the dormitory and the insistent need for a particularly strict professor evaluation. Though the conversation was filled with seemingly trivial matters, it was perfect for establishing camaraderie.

These were small, everyday stories. As I listened, I couldn’t help but wonder what had been binding me in this world up until now.

Well, of course—it was the World Tree twins.

It wasn’t that kind of sensation; instead, as we casually discussed how tasty everything was, I experienced a heartwarming, comforting feeling that stemmed from the simplicity of everyday life. Until now, I had been preoccupied with fantasies, hunters, and all sorts of unrealistic adventures.

‘I should lead a more relaxed life from now on.’

Of course, this feeling started after somehow bringing the three of them to a motel.

“Hey, let’s toast. Cheers.”

-Clank!

Not caring about the overflowing drinks, we shared the alcohol. Time must have passed while we enjoyed ourselves. Around the time when the moon tilted further, Si-woo stood up.

“Who’s up for a second round?”

“Me! Me! Si-heon’s going too.”

Gu-seul enthusiastically raised her hand first.

“Why me?”

“Just come!”

I didn’t really complain because I still wanted to enjoy the moment. Si-woo, who glanced at my face, seemed to understand my intention and nodded. After confirming my participation, Su-young stealthily raised her hand.

“I want to go too.”

The second party gathered included Sooyoung, Siwoo, Guseul, and me, along with a slightly chubby boy. His name was Oh Deok-ha, and he was quite a likeable fellow.

“Five? Hmm, I wish we had one more person.”

Siwoo immediately took out his phone and skillfully made a call.

“Hey, Azalea. How have you been? No, it’s nothing major. We’re just having a drink and about to head to another place. Do you want to come?”

Upon hearing the name Azalea, I could sense the slightly intoxicated men’s faces quiver with anticipation.

“Should I go too?”
“I feel like going for the second round as well…”

Azalea seems to be quite popular. As I looked at Siwoo, I heard a slightly grumbling voice.

– …I just got home. You’re a bad guy.
“Oh, really? It’s still a lot of fun here.”
– Ugh, I’m going to sleep.

Siwoo spoke with a somber tone.

“I even invited Siheon after such a long time. Ah, well…”
– …

“Alright, get some rest. I’ll hang up now.”
-Where are you?

I could only make out that much; the rest was too muffled to hear clearly.
Si-woo exchanged a few words before closing his phone and grinning.

“Let’s move on to the second round.”

He exuded the refreshing charm of a true insider.