Chapter 49: There's Always A Problem At The Drinking Party (2)
If I didn’t have sex, I would die.
It was such a vulgar quest that I doubted whether I was the spouse of the World Tree.
Clearly, these tree folks enjoyed the thrill of having their fiancés stolen.
But of all things, it was about sex.
Couldn’t this quest be filtered out? A feeling of injustice surged within me.
‘Do these bastards have some weird fetish?’
The sudden question was worth reconsidering. NTR. If it wasn’t for this preference, the World Tree was definitely deceiving me.
It was a fact I was trying to ignore. The World Tree supposedly loved me.
But it wanted to kill me if I failed the quest?
No matter what, where in the world would there be such a contradiction?
Lately, because of this discrepancy, I have been thinking that maybe all the feelings and attractions were fake? As if everything was deceiving me, like a movie.
The evidence was substantial. Half of my knowledge of this world was forcibly injected by the World Tree of Purity when I arrived here.
Right. Those old trees never loved me from the start. It was a world without true love.
‘Damn curiosity. If I had just not touched that tree back then.’
Looking back, it was clear that the World Trees were a race that couldn’t be trusted.
I even had to doubt the knowledge I possessed. It was laughable.
“Sigh.”
[The 'World Tree of Purity' opens its eyes in response.]
I stopped walking.
Lost in thoughts, I realized I had reached the bar.
I placed my hand on the cold doorknob. Just before opening it, I asked the World Tree in a whisper,
“Are you on my side?”
[The 'World Tree of Purity' nods continuously.]
“Then why the hell is the quest like this?”
[.......]
No answer came.
Either there’s a reason, or it was trying to deceive me.
From my perspective, facing imminent death, I couldn’t take it positively.
“Sigh. I’m not even a real husband.”
-Creak-
Opening the door, a strong scent of alcohol wafted out.
The noisy pub. Familiar faces of students who came for a drink after classes with mentors.
“Hey, it’s Shiheon!”
Guseul, whom I recognized first, waved with a bright smile.
“Hello~”
“Hi.”
“Hahaha.”
When I responded, Guseul laughed heartily.
I adjusted my mask. I couldn’t take it off for a while.
My current charm level was around 7. The maximum charm I could achieve with the mask was 8.
Although my physique was getting better, my appearance hadn’t reached its peak. Once my physique improved, the decreased charm level would return. To maintain a full charm level of 9, I needed to continually benefit from the mask.
Walking a bit further, I noticed Siwoo smiling brightly at me.
“Shiheon is here? Sit here.”
The atmosphere changed with my arrival.
Did they wish I hadn’t come?
Anxious, I joined the table, and a peculiar tension arose.
“.......”
It wasn’t a hostile stare. Rather, it was a look of curiosity and intrigue.
There were nine people sitting around a table surrounded by three sofas.
Names I remembered, but individuals I hadn’t conversed with.
Maybe I could make some new friends here.
If things went well, I might even find a girlfriend or have a one-night stand.
Despite being an academy, its atmosphere wasn’t different from colleges in my world. Bluntly speaking, even group sex occasionally occurred during MTs (Membership Training) at this academy.
‘Technically, aren’t all the people here from prestigious schools?’The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.
As the students became more familiar, the unique term ‘academy’ faded.
“Hey, you became a hero, didn’t you? Haha.”
At that moment, Guseul shouted in a cheerful voice.
“Tell that story to them. You all saw the articles about what happened in this mentoring session, right?”
Once the conversation started, the students around us began to perk up their ears.
Siwoo responded to my words when Sooyoung suddenly raised her hand.
“I saw it! It was where you were with Dallae and Sansuyu.”
“Really?”
Sooyoung, the girl next to me, giggled at my unexpected reply.
“Don’t you remember? You saved me, then. Actually, you, Siwoo, and Sansuyu saved almost all the students there.”
I didn’t remember. I was too busy fighting. I might’ve saved a few people, but it didn’t feel real. I was mainly preoccupied with Lee Seonghan, who was particularly persistent then. My shoulder, which was injured at that time, still throbbed now.
“I did?”
“You really don’t remember. I’m hurt.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? Hehe.”
She seemed eager to talk to me from the beginning. Thanks to her, I could easily fit into the group. I smiled slightly, and in response, she animatedly made a peace sign with her fingers.
“What are you two doing?”
“Ah, Guseul, you’re clingy again?”
“Hehehe. Shiheon is my best friend. We’ve been friends since the first day at the dormitory.”
“Really?”
Sooyoung looked at me with wide eyes, seeming genuinely curious. Jonghyun seemed to have forgotten his earlier question, busily drinking with others.
‘I don’t think she sees me as a friend, though.’
Rather than denying it, I just nodded. In response, Sooyoung offered her hand with a bright smile.
“Then, let’s be best friends too.”
Wait... what? Was this a green light?
Maybe I had unintentionally saved a girl and gained her favor. Or maybe I had naturally increased my popularity during the drinking session. Anyway, I shook her hand and then focused on my drink.
Conversations flowed as everyone got a bit tipsy. I was also able to naturally hear about the lives of other students.
The cute cat that was on the first floor of the dormitory. How a particular professor should get a poor evaluation. Simple, mundane topics, but they were great for bonding.
Listening to these everyday stories, I wondered what had bound me since I came to this world.
Of course, I had been bound by the World Tree’s twisted whims.
But now, discussing such mundane topics brought warmth and comfort, as I had previously been caught up in fantasy and surreal adventures.
‘I should live a bit more leisurely from now on.’
Of course, that would start after figuring out how to get the three individuals into a motel room.
“Hey, let’s toast. Cheers.”
Cheers!
Without worrying about spilling alcohol, we all drank. Time seemed to fly, and by the time the moon had moved significantly across the sky, Siwoo stood up.
“Who’s up for round two?”
“Me! Me! Shiheon’s coming too.”
Guseul was the first to energetically raise her hand.
“Why am I?”
“Just come!”
I still wanted to enjoy the night, so I didn’t complain. Siwoo, reading my face, nodded in understanding. Once Sooyoung saw that I’d attend, she quietly raised her hand.
“I want to go too.”
Our second round of drinks consisted of Sooyoung, Siwoo, myself, Guseul, and a slightly chubby boy. Was his name Oh Deokha? He gave off a slightly familiar vibe.
“Five people? Hmm. It’d be nice if we had one more.”
Siwoo swiftly pulled out his phone and skillfully made a call.
“Hey, Dallae. How have you been? No, nothing much. We’re about to move to the second round of drinks. Do you want to join?”
Jin Dallae.
Upon hearing that name, the slightly intoxicated guys seemed to perk up.
“Should I, should I come too?”
“I’m kind of in the mood for a second round...”
Dallae seems quite popular, huh?
Looking towards Siwoo, I could hear a somewhat playful voice coming from the other end.
-... I just got home. You’re so mean.
“Really? But it’s so fun here.”
-Uh, I kind of want to rest.
Siwoo replied with a disheartened tone.
“I invited Shiheon, especially for this. Ahh...”
-...
“You rest up then. Should I hang up?”
-Where are you?
I only caught bits and pieces of the rest as it became muffled. After a brief exchange, Siwoo closed his phone and grinned.
“Let’s move to the second round.”
He truly had the refreshing demeanor of a sociable person.
