Following the maid’s guidance, I changed my clothes.
They were light and airy, a blend of white and green.
Wearing a storage bow that symbolizes elves, I hurriedly moved and boarded the carriage.
– “We are departing!”
Vroom…
The carriage made a brief rolling sound before slightly rising off the ground.
Instead of wheels, it moves using the Mana of Life.
It felt as if it was moving without any sensation, much like a car.
Outside the carriage window…
“It’s beautiful.”
A stunning green landscape unfolded.
[What the hell ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Did I suddenly get reincarnated ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[This is a scenario dungeon]
[Oh, new dungeon]
[Elf Lily]
[Are we supposed to kill everything now?]
[What the heck is this dungeon out of nowhere?]
[Looks like a scenario]
[I’m excited]
“Is it a scenario dungeon?”
I cast a soundproofing spell so the maid sitting next to me couldn’t hear and said.
Most of my abilities are sealed, but magic is part of my knowledge.
Using it relies on the talents and mana of ‘Ria Elposis’.
The soundproofing magic I’m currently using was not blue but a green color, the hue of the Mana of Life.
[It means you intervene in a specific story to change the narrative. Think of it as similar to the Crab dungeon from last time.]
[Episode format dungeon]
[Episo is fun, right?]
[Similar to a choice-based dungeon, but a bit different]
[Oh, magic]
[Sounds entertaining]
Can’t we just kill everything and let Lily be the Child of the World Tree?
Nodding, I checked my physical condition as we headed towards a place called ‘Eloni Academy’.
Surely, most of my abilities are sealed, but a few things seem like they could be released.
This soundproofing magic I’m using is an ability that the original ‘Ria’ wouldn’t even know.
Of course, since it’s sealed, I might have some abilities and talents that I didn’t originally possess.
‘This much should be enough.’
Even without forcibly unsealing things, magic and my existing talents seem sufficient.
It is literally a dungeon, so there’s no need to stress about it.
“First of all, it’s 304 years ago, so soon the Child of the World Tree will be Asuka Elposis.”
Asuka Elposis.
She was appointed as the Child of the World Tree 304 years ago and went missing three years after that.
There’s a one-year gap.
This current time means it’s one year before Asuka Elposis becomes the Child of the World Tree.
“…Please tell me I’m not supposed to do something for an entire year?”
That would be a bit too much.
[No, no, no, no]
[No]
[That can’t be right ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Lily, are you a newbie?]
[In a scenario dungeon, time automatically passes once certain conditions are met in an episodic format.]
[Episodic format, so it’s fine]
[The top-ranked player is a newbie…]
“Then… it’s better to make a decisive choice before time runs out.”
If I choose poorly or waste time on something weird, the dungeon will end before I have a chance to react.
“Feels a bit like a dating sim.”
“Let’s make Asuka the love interest.”
“Lily’s thrilling dating sim, haha!”
“LOL.”
“I’m so jealous.”
The safest choice is Asuka.
Asuka will naturally become the Child of the World Tree even without my input.
Clearly, she’ll easily surpass her competitors like Merini or other races.
But therein lies the problem.
“I’m not going to choose Asuka.”
“Because of contribution degree?”
“Yes.”
No matter how much I help Asuka, I won’t easily gain contribution points.
Asuka is practically a sure thing, and even if I teach and assist her, there won’t be any dramatic changes.
In fact, while she may change, the ‘choice’ remains the same.
Moreover…
“That’s too easy, right? The rewards won’t be that great either.”
I finally entered an event dungeon, and I’m expected to go for an ‘easy win’?
If that’s the case, I’d rather break all the limits and choose the path of becoming the Child of the World Tree myself.
“…That might be fun too.”
“Huh?”
“Lily has a bit of a hipster vibe, lol.”
“I can’t resist an underdog.”
“What’s important is to stay undeterred…”
“Anyway, for that reason, I’m thinking of observing a bit. There must be quite a few people with talent who don’t get the spotlight.”
Those who have potential but lack the environment to let it bloom.
While it’ll be tough to beat Asuka, things change a bit if I get involved.
-Arrived!
“We’ve arrived.”
At a glance, the dazzling white building stands out.
We’ve reached Eloni Academy.
■
Eloni Academy is a massive institution located in the elven kingdom of Elposis.
Primarily founded and taught by elves, and situated on elven land, yet it’s not just elves who attend.
Anyone who passes the high-level entrance exam can enroll, regardless of their race, and they all attend classes with the same status.
“On the surface…”
An esteemed high elf and an unnamed kobold from some no-name village taking the same class—does that truly seem ‘equal’?
No.
In reality, there’s a bit of racial and class discrimination here too.
Because of this, the same races tend to stick together, and if there are no members of the same race, they either hang out with weaker races or follow around the higher-ranked races like subordinates.
In the end, this place isn’t much different from the past.
It wasn’t much different from the other.
[Wow, there’s a lot]
[Wow, a beastman with fox ears]
[Holy cow]
[Oh, there are elves over there]
[Lily, where are you going?]
[Let’s just wipe them all out and have Lily become the World Tree’s Child, let’s go!]
[Can’t we just let Lily become the World Tree’s Child? Hahaha]
Seah.
I guess it’s an abbreviation for Child of the World Tree.
“If I do it, it’s going to be boring. They wouldn’t have set it up that easily.”
You have to reach the World Tree’s midpoint to enter this dungeon.
If any user can get through the World Tree’s leaves and countless mazes, they’ll surely be a top-notch ranker.
But did they set it up so that the person possessing the body can become the Child of the World Tree?
‘Absolutely not.’
At least for ‘Ria Elposis,’ the chances of becoming the Child of the World Tree are close to zero.
“…Hmm.”
Most of those passing through the main gate of Eloni Academy were, of course, elves.
Next were nymphs and dwarves, and among them, there were a few noticeable beastmen.
There were also rock golems and races I had never seen in my life.
They seemed to be races that came into existence after the war…
“It’s the princess!”
“Princess!”
“Where?!”
“Come out already!”
“Over there!!”
While I was busy viewing, a large crowd began to converge on one spot.
In the center of the crowd, a slightly shorter elf was walking with grandeur.
Short platinum blonde hair and neatly arranged features.
Despite her small stature, her figure was not to be underestimated, and it looked quite decent without being lewd at all.
It looked exactly like the picture I had seen.
[That’s Asuka]
Asuka Elposis.
A genius who overwhelmed high elves who had lived for over a thousand years at the mere age of nineteen and would become the Child of the World Tree a year later.
And behind her, walking with a slightly dark expression…
“Sis! Hurry up!”
“…I’m coming. Walk a bit slower.”
“Hehe, got it.”
Merini Elposis.
Asuka’s sister and the unfortunate elf who was robbed of her position.
Ding!
[Ep.1 Current semester in progress!]
[During the episode, you can interact with ‘talents’ to build Contribution Degree, and when you exceed a certain level of progress, you’ll move on to the next episode.]
[Contribution Degree – Asuka Elposis 0%
Merini Elposis 0%]
[You currently have not affected anything.]
[Player – 1 person.]
If I want to make them the Child of the World Tree, I need to make contact now.
I have to build up as much Contribution Degree as possible to receive good rewards, and above all, I need to find Asuka.
Not the Asuka inside this dungeon, but the ‘future’ Asuka.
“First, let’s go to the classroom.”
But for now, I’ll let it be.
Right now, dungeon exploration takes priority.
[Okay]
[Let’s go to the classroom]
“Seriously, lololol”
“Don’t you have something to say to them?”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill them?”
“Let’s kill them!”
“Hahahahaha”
“If we kill them all, won’t the World Tree have no choice but to choose Lily while crying like a child?”
“Fr, lol”
“…Why do you like killing so much?”
“What strange people.”
[?]
“That’s not something Lily should say… Mmm mm!”
“Hahahahaha”
I made an effort to ignore the strange people and headed towards the classroom.
…
“…?”
The spot where Lily had just vanished.
Asuka, who was still the center of the noisy place, turned her head.
Somewhere in the emptiness of the street.
But Asuka clearly remembered.
That someone had been there.
‘Who could it be?’
It felt like seeing an old elder.
They were definitely weak, but not easy to defeat…
‘I need to remember that.’
Asuka tucked the memory of the someone who had just been there into her mind.
■
“Why did it go up?”
When I entered the classroom, I tilted my head at the message saying my Contribution Degree had gone up by 0.3%.
No, why did my Contribution Degree go up when we didn’t even talk?
[?]
[?]
“Auto clear?”
[OMG]
“Indeed, just Lily being here fills the favorability meter, hahaha”
“Lily the Great”
“If it’s Lily, just being next to her should raise favorability, right?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“…?”
But why didn’t Merini’s go up?
“Anyway, it’s starting soon.”
I was sitting in the Temporarily Assigned Class C.
Ria Elposis’s entrance score was just average.
Class A was for the upper tier.
Classes B and C are middle tier.
The last class, D, was for the lower tier.
Normally, with her talent, it wouldn’t be strange to be in Class B, but for some reason, Ria Elposis was in Class C, and all the way at the back.
Asuka and Merini would obviously be in Class A.
All the talented students would be there.
It’s said that classes can change later through exams, so for now, let’s aim to be promoted to Class A.
Class C doesn’t seem to have any particularly talented students…
Creeeak!!
“I’m late. Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, oppa! It’s because of me that we’re late!”
“You know well.”
The noisy Beastman Duo came in.
Moreover, one of them looked very familiar, like I had seen them recently.
Why are they here?
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