A long arena centered around a giant outer wall.
Dozens of types of trees grew along the outer wall.
[Forester Selection Competition]
Various colors. So leaves were yellow, so were green.
The tender leaves of the trees replaced the roof of the arena.
It felt as if an arena had been built inside a huge ecological park.
-Wooong! Creak, creak.
Transparent cara artifacts floated in the air, capturing our faces one by one.
-Click! Click!
The sound of shutters soon followed.
Journalists gathered at the outer wall also ca to film the opening ceremony of the Forester Selection Competition.
They all had to return to their countries after a day.
This was because the filming and distribution rights for the Forester Selection Competition were under the World Tree Foundation.
“I didn’t realize how big it was until I got off the plane.”
“Ha.”
As I expressed my small impressions while standing in line, I heard a mocking voice from behind.
Lim Jonghyun.
A voice that seed to mock a country bumpkin coming to Seoul for the first ti.
I ignored Lim Jonghyun’s subtle provocation.
A guy ard with a superiority complex.
His attitude had been like this ever since cadets started comparing to Lim Jonghyun.
He wasn’t my superior.
Anyway, what I had to do now was to pick out the Flower among these hundreds of people.
‘Not to beco a forester.’
There was no need to reveal my power in the presence of the World Tree.
It was ambiguous to openly advertise that I had beco this strong.
I could make a na for myself here without having to reveal my status window, as per the promise with Cheondo.
‘As long as I don’t collide with those guys.’
A long line of Korean representatives.
I looked at the black-haired woman holding the Korean flag on the platform.
It’s hard to tell without comparison, but she’s not ordinary.
A body that seed to have been restructured with the spirit of breaking bones and smashing flesh from birth.
The aura emanating from her body was unusual.
National Tree, I had only heard the na, but to this extent?
Was there a reason for an academy cadet to participate in the Forester Selection Competition?
The difference between cadets and National Trees was so great that it was not strange to question this.
-Boooooo!
The sound of trumpets announcing the opening ceremony echoed throughout the arena.
A gigantic song that shook the flesh.
-Aaaah~!
Dozens of orchestras moved along with magnificent opera singing.
The grand march of music created solely to honor this day, this festival—the Song of the Forester.
I knew this from previous research.
-Song of the Forester: Untitled.
The na of this orchestral piece did not exist.
It was intentionally left unnad by the musicians.
The blessing of the World Tree and its glorious future.
Even though it was a grand song just by listening, there were ambiguous gaps between it.
A deliberately created elegant song with intentional blanks.
The best musicians in the world gradually transford the song while watching the selection competition.
It took months for this song to be completed.
The person who earned the honor of the Forester becos the protagonist of this song.
Their na would be forever engraved in the title of this song.
‘Given how much they indulge in the World Tree, it’s no wonder their faith rises.’
Even as soone with a bad opinion of the World Tree, this song felt extrely pleasant.
If the title of this song were to beco my na?
It might be worth trying with a bold face. It was a joke, but I had that thought.
-Wooong!
The sound of trumpets resounded again.
Dozens of dignitaries ascended the platform.
The current pope of the World Tree Order, representatives of the five major World Trees, and the saints.
Among the representatives, there was soone I had seen before.
The representative of the World Tree of Justice, Angelica.
The person who was wary and suspicious of was the principal of El Academy.
Since it was ambiguous to be hostile, we exchanged words only once, and there was no further interaction.
I repeated the nas of the people standing in front of in my mind.
‘Angelica, Elisa, Edward, Perpetua, Azelin.’
The representatives of the five major World Trees, each in charge of [Justice], [Sincerity], [Strength], [Sacrifice], and [Prosperity].
People I might have to confront soday.
I morized their faces in my head.
And lastly, the old man standing at the center of them.
‘Pope Benedict II.’
The pope. The head of the Order.
Behind him, hundreds of knights wearing shining armor and waving flags were standing.
-Flap!
The knights were inspired by the colors of the leaves.
The protectors of the World Tree Order and Foundation, Trigard. They were the knights.
I once fought soone among them before.
‘Yellow hair… I don’t rember who it was.’
The nature of the magic was so unique that I received a significant injury.
An attack that inflicted a wound that could not be healed.
It was the first ti I had ever been hit by an attack that took a long ti to recover, even with the power of the World Tree of Healing.
‘In a way….’
I ended up falling into the middle of the enemy camp.
Looking at the grandeur of the knights, I wondered if I could escape if I collided with them.
But they were not enemies yet.
Potential enemies. Just about that.
‘What’s important now is not that.’
One of the reasons I ca to the Forester Selection Competition, and what I was aiming for now.
I looked around broadly.
Cadets and National Trees standing in front of the national flags.
I looked at them and smirked.
Among them, there were a few Flowers.
─Wow, shit.
(French National Tree, Maronie waving a flag gif)
Shit.
-ㅇㅇ: ?
└Writer: She's freaking pretty.
└ㅇㅇ: Pedo.
└Writer: Oh no, call a tree lover.
-ㅇㅇ: Wow, I seriously want to squeeze the sap out of you.
└00: Is this even Korean?
─I'm looking forward to this Forester Selection Competition.
(Premium tree knot hole v23. Young paulownia plump edition. Photo.)
Looking forward to it ㅇㅇ
-Mokujin: Ah shit, you crazy bastard.
─But why isn't Jung Siwoo here?
Wouldn't Jung Siwoo be able to compete with the National Trees?
He's the pride of Korea, so why isn't he here when they talk about articles and stuff?
Quick retreat?
-ㅇㅇ: There was a post on Tristar saying he couldn't co due to personal reasons.
└ㅇㅇ: Really? That's a sha.
-SiwooOppaLover: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
─If Jung Siwoo had participated in the selection, how far would he have gone?
-ㅇㅇ: Predicting mid-rank.
└Writer: ? Jung Siwoo?? What nonsense is this?
└ㅇㅇ: Hunters I know said so. They said he still can't compete with the National Trees yet.
Real-ti posts about the Forester Selection Competition were being uploaded on the internet community site.
Regardless of political opinions, tastes, or likes and dislikes between communities, everyone was sharing their thoughts about the Forester Selection Competition.
It was like the Olympics of the world I lived in. More than that.
Moreover, the beauty of the National Trees shattered and surpassed n’s ideals, so there were naturally many comnts.
Of course, there were also posts mixed with such vulgar fantasies.
─This guy's here too.
(Photo of a masked man)
El Academy doesn't seem to have many talents?
-ㅇㅇ: Really, LOL.
-ㅇㅇ: ?? Why him. Still, didn't he appear in many articles?
└Writer: Just a water rocket, nothing more, nothing less. Even if not, I heard he's ranked around 150th or sothing. Why send him to the selection when he's still growing?
‘Shit.’
That hurt.
There were also many stories about the representatives of Korea.
Currently, the most talked-about topic was about and Guseul.
Guseul’s na wasn’t well-known, and I was being treated as a montarily famous figure, so people were talking.
But what could I do?
This was a conclusion reached through strict screening and etings.
-Crunch.
The sound of soone biting into a baguette ca from beside .
I put my phone in my pocket and picked up a piece of bread from the plate, putting it in my mouth.
A freshly made, fluffy baguette.
Even this had gone through the hands of top chefs.
Soft and rich in flavor. It’s sothing I could eat without getting tired of it.
-Crunch.
The sound of bread being chewed chanically ca from beside again.
Sansuyu was emotionlessly tearing into the bread.
“Isn’t it tasty?”
“…I want tteokbokki.”
Like a giraffe grazing on grass, she was chanically munching away.
Eating sothing this delicious as if it were tasteless must be a talent.
I tore off a piece of bread and put it in my mouth.
The crunchy exterior with the fluffy inside.
Oh, it made let out a sound of delight.
“It’s just the usual food.”
Sansuyu’s face looked sowhat sullen.
“…You eat this regularly?”
“Yeah. Siheon, want so?”
She casually offered a piece of bread, and I took it with my hand and ate it.
The taste wasn’t different. It was just heavenly.
“I can’t understand how you can eat tough airplane bread but not this.”
“I don’t know either.”
“Look at those people, they’re eating well.”
I pointed to the table right next to us.
A couple were hastily devouring food as soon as they changed clothes and had their break and al ti.
They stuffed the huge steak into their mouths in an instant.
It’s the first ti I’ve seen soone eat so well.
-Eating is what’s left. Fill up quickly.
-…Agreed.
-Shit, it’s been a while since I had a hotel al. Sob sob.
A man with blond hair and tanned skin, and a woman with red hair and eyes.
Sansuyu watched the two of them, and as if she wanted to try eating like that, she stuffed her mouth full of bread.
A thick baguette, chomp.
-Omul omul.
“…No taste at all.”
So it seems.
Just then, the steak and side dishes arrived.
This ti, even I couldn’t help but get excited at the sight of delicious food.
Billions of won spent on the Forester Selection Competition. The food prepared by top chefs was on par with Tree Michelin.
Leaving Sansuyu, who was slicing the at bit by bit, I neatly cut a piece of at.
Just as I was about to bring the food to my mouth.
“Excuse .”
A clumsy Korean voice ca from right beside .
My hand froze, and I looked to my side with my mouth open.
A fox mask, like those seen at Japanese festivals.
As the shadowed mask approached, I almost dropped the at in surprise.
“…Can I sit here?”
A high-pitched voice ca from behind the fox mask.
Judging by the clothes and the looks from others, she wasn’t an ordinary Mokin.
Sansuyu, who was watching her, spoke.
“Saku?”
“Oh, Suyu-san! Nice to see you.”
Seeing Sansuyu behind , Saku approached happily and extended her hand.
They said high-ranking nobles sotis held social gatherings.
Sansuyu, with a blank expression, shook hands with the woman called Saku.
“Kya~ How long has it been?”
The two won waved their hands as if playing a hand ga.
The woman standing behind Saku spoke to .
“Sorry. Can we sit here?”
Long black hair. Distinctive features with a typical Korean beauty.
It was a face I had seen earlier.
“I’m Kim Suyeon.”
“Oh, yes, I’m Lee Shiheon.”
The national representative of Korea, Mugunghwa.
I didn’t expect a National Tree to approach so suddenly.
Then Saku next to her. So this person was Japan’s Cherry Blossom… a National Tree too.
Why did these two co to find ?
‘I’m not well-known enough to be watched.’
After the Forester Selection Competition’s opening ceremony, there was a three-day adaptation period.
During this ti, participants got to know each other and built camaraderie while staying in assigned accommodations or dining facilities.
Of course, scenes like this were broadcasted at scheduled tis.
With the two joining us, we filled up four seats.
After finishing a brief conversation with Sansuyu, Saku, who sat across from , stared at my face.
Rather, at my mask.
I was , but why did she wear a mask?
Her gaze was too blatant.
“Shiheon-san, right?”
Just before the at entered my mouth, Saku asked.
“Yes.”
Despite having an automatic translation artifact in her ear, Saku spoke in clumsy Korean rather than Japanese.
Kim Suyeon sighed as she watched Saku.
“Nice person! Let’s be friends!”
She extended her hand for a handshake.
“Nice person?”
“I saw your video. Ent!”
Ent… She must be talking about that incident with Cheondo and Sansuyu.
It beca an issue for a while and spread all over the internet.
People who were saved by appeared on broadcasts and shared their stories.
But a National Tree saw that?
‘Is she a Flower?’
I doubted. It’s not impossible to understand, but still.
It wouldn’t be bad to be cautious, even if a National Tree wasn’t involved with Flower.
I shook Saku’s outstretched hand.
“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!”*
Saku’s eyes, visible from behind the mask, were so pure that I felt embarrassed for doubting her.
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