The weekend has passed.
And it was the first Monday since the midterms.
In the classroom, Hyeji was, as always, waiting in the seat next to me.
Her previously cold expression seemed to have vanished, and she looked completely fine now.
That was a relief.
At the same time, as soon as I entered the classroom, I could hear a quiet buzz.
I wouldn’t have been able to catch it before, but maybe because my physical specs had gone up, I could hear it distinctly as if they were speaking right next to me.
“She’s definitely Ada’s God. Crushing a gold-ranked high elf.”
“My money… sapiens must die.”
“Don’t get your worlds confused, idiot. We just happen to be in the same serialization.”
“With this, Ada has proven her superiority over Hudaboda.”
“Please don’t put Ada on a pedestal. You’re just a face without form, hence you’re Ada. You’ve been weeded out.”
“Stop shoving the truth down my throat, fucker.”
Unlike before, there were quite a few fewer insults directed at me.
Rather, they seemed to be clawing at each other.
Of course, a student who had questions about my last performance remained.
“But wasn’t that guy a bit faster at the end? It felt weird.”
“Right? That wasn’t the speed a useless person should have.”
“Those idiots lost their money and their eyes are blind too. Look at how they’re trying to frame Shinwoo.”
“This guy. He used to hate ability discrimination and useless people the most, but now that he’s made some cash, he’s flip-flopping. Are you Udyr?”
“You’ve made us money, so he’s not your Shinwoo but our Shinwoo.”
Some students who had taken bets on me were defending me.
[Everyone’s disgusting.]
‘This is financial therapy, right?’
Then, I suddenly noticed someone sitting next to Hyeji.
That seat, which was usually empty and at most only Kyoukyou would sit in, now had someone.
It was.
“No way, why is that dumbass here in class? Did she come to study?”
“The class material isn’t much different, so I got permission from the professor to come.”
It was Jeong Ahyeon.
Crossing her arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she nodded her head.
Before I could ask, she started explaining the reason.
“I’m here to learn directly from Hyeji.”
“Ugh, Hyeji, a stalker has latched onto you. Congratulations.”
“This idiot is giving me a headache. She even tries to come into the bathroom at the same time.”
Hyeji clutched her head as though she felt burdened by Ahyeon’s presence.
A woman obsessing over another woman.
That’s a major plot point.
“Hyeji, how about adding ‘obsession’, ‘yuri’, and ‘view beams’ to the tags of the work?”
“Shut the hell up!!! I’m heterosexual!!!”
Hyeji responded passionately to my words.
Then, Ahyeon lightly patted Hyeji’s shoulder and said calmly,
“Hyeji, don’t be like that. You’ll get used to it soon.”
“Shut up, fucker.”
Hyeji looked a bit haggard.
It was surely because of Ahyeon, who had no intention of leaving.
“Hyeji.”
“What?”
“How about adding ‘despair’ as well?”
“You fucking bastard!!!!!!!!”
Hyeji tried to strangle my neck fiercely.
At that moment, the classroom door swung open violently.
Two gleaming bald heads appeared.
Lucian and Professor Pilyong.
Lucian was fuming with rage, and Professor Pilyong had a troubled expression.
They fixed their gaze on me and started approaching my desk.
[So bright that it’s blinding.]
‘Why is a sporty guy getting all worked up in class?’
Then, something very familiar was slammed down onto my desk.
None other than Professor Pilyong’s ability detector.
With a bang, the detector was roughly placed on my desk, but Lucian’s loud voice was even louder than that sound.
“Damn Short-lived race! How dare you deceive me!”
“Shinwoo, I’m really sorry.”
Lucian showed open animosity towards me, while Professor Pilyong sincerely apologized.
Honestly, I could tolerate Lucian’s behavior, but I couldn’t believe Professor Pilyong’s demeanor at all.
How could he not shout at me but rather apologize?
I felt compelled to check if he was a fake and felt his bald head.
“…What are you doing?”
“I can confirm this is really Professor Pilyong.”
“You bastard!!!”
Touching his completely smooth scalp confirmed he was indeed Professor Pilyong.
He retracted his anger and began to explain the current situation.
“I’ve said it several times, but Lucian didn’t seem to believe me.”
“I don’t believe it unless I verify it with my own eyes!”
Professor Pilyong’s face showed strong dissatisfaction.
Lucian, who openly denied the research achievements, surely wouldn’t be looked upon kindly.
Of course, regardless, Lucian continued to rage.
“You trash! How dare you trick me by labeling me a useless person?”
“This is not a trick, you pathetic loser whining over it.”
“Anyway, the duel is nullified!!! I said nullified!!!”
“If you’re nullifying things, how about nullifying the World Tree statement too, idiot?”
At that, Lucian began to go wild.
He looked like a rabid dog drooling everywhere.
“That’s because you threatened me!!!”
“Threats? If you made an oath, you should keep it.”
Lucian ground his teeth and glared at me.
His pathetic demeanor prompted me to add more fuel to the fire.
“With no hair, I see you have no conscience either. Is it a bald trait?”
“….Shinwoo, follow me to the research building after this.”
“Ah, fuck.”
Another jab hit home, but Lucian was now yelling at the top of his lungs.
“Shut up and hurry up and put your hands on this!!!”
“Shinwoo, I’m sorry, but please just this once.”
Talking more would just waste my energy.
I just wanted to get it over with, so I casually placed my hand on the detector like usual.
The detector flickered its LED lights as usual.
Before long, the reading ended and the voice came out.
However, that voice was.
[Reading complete]
[Ability cannot be identified.]
[Considered as a useless person.]
It was slightly different from usual.
An unexpectedly changed voice.
And right after that, various reactions emerged.
Lucian, wearing a smug face as if he had won. Professor Pilyong looking like he had found new experimental material.
A shocked Hyeji. A confused Jeong Ahyeon.
Finally, the buzzing of students.
“What? Why is the result different from before?”
“Isn’t this the first time the students from Professor Pilyong’s lab have actually worked?”
“Even so, they’ve rolled in here every day and released an improved version.”
Definitely, it cannot be said that Professor Pilyong’s students are lazy.
I can confidently state that, having seen them update the detector in real-time even while asleep.
“My words were right. That guy seems to have an ability!”
“No, it’s supposed to manifest only until the age of 20. Why the heck is it appearing now?”
“Could it be because he’s Ada’s God and received protection from a unicorn?”
“If you’re a virgin until 30, you become a wizard, until 20, you become an awakening. Sounds plausible?”
Of course, the most shocked person was me.
I stood there blankly with my mouth hanging open.
The events happening before my eyes were simply too surreal.
At that moment, a voice rang out in my head.
[Are you surprised?]
‘Why is this happening? Is it a coding error?’
[It can’t be helped that the result is different.]
‘Did swapping Siri for Bixby cause this?’
At that, the voice in my head laughed and continued.
[It’s because of the magical power that has grown in your body since you awakened your ability.]
‘Magical power…’
Then I thought I understood the principle behind the detector.
It’s probably detecting the magical power residing within the ability user’s body and determining abilities based on that.
Thus, the obvious question followed.
‘But why can’t it accurately detect my ability?’
[Of course. You are fundamentally a being that has only slightly stepped into this world.]
‘What does that even mean?’
[In this world, your ability cannot be defined.]
Now I finally started to understand a bit.
Why this phenomenon was occurring.
‘So, because I have magical power, I do have an ability, but no one knows what it is?’
[That’s correct. I’m genuinely moved that you’re finally using your head.]
‘Lemme see Grandma later, you prick.’
[I’m sorry! Please let me see her just once! I don’t want to see her again!]
Ignoring the frantic plea of the voice in my head, Lucian shouted at just the right moment.
“Hah! This is where the deception of labeling me a useless person ends!”
“Shut up, you annoying twit. I don’t know right now either.”
Not wanting to engage further, I deflected Lucian.
As I shoved him aside, Professor Pilyong approached this time.
“Shinwoo, you must come to the research building later. Thanks to you, I can write a new thesis.”
“Why is the result different? Did you change the operating system?”
“This is the same detector as last time. What on earth happened?”
Honestly, I wanted to tell him, but he was currently talking to me so nicely.
He was a person capable of selling me out for his own profit and would strike without hesitation.
I shouldn’t trust him.
“……I don’t know.”
“That’s odd.”
Professor Pilyong tilted his head.
At that moment, another question arose.
The follow-up actions that would happen when others recognized that I had awakened.
“What happens if it’s an ability awakening? Would I get expelled even though I didn’t deceive anyone?”
“……We’ll decide that in an internal meeting.”
Professor Pilyong answered my question seriously.
It was clear that it could get quite complicated.
Only Lucian was grinning as he continued to babble on.
“Anyway, the duel is cancelled! Officially clarify that what you said about the World Tree was a threat!”
“Please go away. Stalkers don’t work as characters in Nopia.”
But contrary to my words, Lucian even started grabbing my collar.
He seemed quite desperate.
“Hurry up and clarify!!! Because of you, I’m on the verge of being disqualified from the candidate!!!”
“Nothing is going to change anymore, just accept it.”
“It will change!!! If you clarify, I will become the World Tree’s welcoming representative again!!!”
“That won’t happen, Lucianer.”
At that moment, a clear voice echoed throughout the classroom.
The source of the sound was the classroom front door, which had been left ajar.
An elf stood there.
The golden hair braided over the leather tunic stood out as the elf clicked her way forward.
She wasn’t armed, but everyone kept silent and tense.
That was because a sense of pressure was subtly emanating from the elf.
The elf only stopped walking when she reached Lucian.
Her graceful yet precise movements resembled glances at a beautifully crafted sword.
Everyone fell silent, but Lucian was the only one exposing his fangs.
“What do you mean by that!”
“I mean it literally. You will never have the chance to become the World Tree’s welcoming representative.”
“Who dares to speak such nonsense!”
Lucian, unable to restrain his anger, was met with the elf woman’s calm retort.
“It’s the council’s decision.”
“You owe it to the old men who didn’t die!”
“Your father is among them as well.”
As Lucian let out a sigh, the elf woman continued speaking.
“Still, you should be grateful. If it weren’t for your father, your head would have been cut off long ago.”
“Isn’t it too much to cut off heads?!”
“Too much? What’s too much?!!!”
The elf woman exploded.
With a sudden loud shout, her pressure expanded in an instant.
Seeing Lucian take a step back in surprise, the elf woman took another step forward as if she wouldn’t let this chance pass.
With a look of total disgust.
“Do you wish to insult the World Tree and live?!!!”
“That’s the problem; this human deceived everyone into thinking he was useless!”
“Is your pitiful excuse for a defeat merely that?!!!!”
Grr!
“Fighting just to bring home a woman of a short-lived race! Is that head for decoration?!!!”
Now, the elf woman’s eyes were filled with fury.
Her gaze alone felt sharp enough to pierce through someone.
Overwhelmed by that gaze, Lucian fell silent and could no longer protest.
The elf woman took a few deep breaths before speaking calmly again.
However, her words were shockingly severe.
“I’ll cut to the chase. You have been stripped of your high elf status and expelled from the tribe.”
“I-I don’t believe you!”
“Thus, you are eliminated as a candidate for the World Tree’s welcoming representative. Voting will proceed with a single candidate.”
“That can’t…be…”
A shocked disbelief spread across Lucian’s face as he trembled.
The elf woman delivered the final blow.
“Survive on your own. No more than an elf without a tribe. Lucianer.”
Lucian collapsed in place.
Simultaneously, he smiled in utter shock.
“Ha… this is nonsense… hahaha… I’m the World Tree’s welcoming representative… hahaha.”
Of course, Hyeji and I felt no pity.
In fact, we found it strange that he was laughing instead of crying.
“Hyeji, this guy is laughing!”
“Leave him be. He must be having a nice dream.”
