Giving Out Gifts (1)

[‘The Song of the Tree’ begins.]

Mistilteinn’s voice continued.

[Identifying its true nature.]

[Spirit – ‘King of the Great Forest’]

Spirit?

Lee Dojin had never seen a spirit before. This was because spirit users were an extremely rare Awakened class to begin with.

There were even several class years without a single spirit magic Awakened.

‘It seems to have responded to my touch thanks to Mistilteinn.’

If it’s a spirit, wouldn’t I be able to make a contract with it?

Lee Dojin carefully picked up the old flowerpot with both hands. Then he approached Kim Yeoryeong, the owner of the Black Market.

“Would I be able to buy this?”

“Oh, is Student Lee Dojin interested in gardening?”

Lee Dojin thought of an appropriate response while looking at Kim Yeoryeong’s shining eyes.

“Well, looking at it made me feel calm.”

“I see.”

Kim Yeoryeong pondered for just a moment, then slowly nodded her head.

“I’ll give it to you. Not as a sale, but just as a gift!”

No matter how many times she appraised it, nothing came up. Even if it wasn’t an ordinary tree, it didn’t seem like she’d be able to figure it out anytime soon.

So it seemed she concluded it was fine to just give it away.

Lee Dojin bowed.

“Thank you.”

“No, if it turns out there’s something special about that tree later, please let me know then.”

“I will.”

Kim Yeoryeong called someone over and had them put the flowerpot in a suitable case. It was a consideration so he could carry it comfortably.

Kim Yeoryeong, the Sword Empress, and the Spear King talked for 10 more minutes, then stood up as if their conversation was over.

“Shall we go now?”

At the Sword Empress’s words, Choi Bit-na and Baek Hwayeon, who had been admiring the artifacts with shining eyes, quickly moved their feet.

The group that came out of the Black Market dispersed right away.

The Sword Empress said she was heading straight to her villa.

The Spear King and Choi Bit-na got in a car and left for the academy.

And Lee Dojin got into the passenger seat of Baek Hwayeon’s SUV.

Baek Hwayeon opened her eyes wide looking at the case Lee Dojin had placed on his lap.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Lee Dojin opened the top part of the case to show its contents.

“A small tree.”

“Oh, it’s cute. Was it on the 30th floor earlier?”

“Yeah. When I said I wanted it, they just gave it to me.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem particularly special.”

Lee Dojin, knowing the tree’s true nature, couldn’t help but be certain it was special.

“Ugh!”

Baek Hwayeon, who had skillfully made a left turn while turning the steering wheel, suddenly let out a groan.

“Just thinking about the written exam on Friday is already making me feel sick.”

The written exam before the final exam of the first semester. The written exams would be held for a week starting from this Friday.

“I know.”

Lee Dojin, who casually skimmed through theoretical books for about an hour a day as a review, didn’t have much deep thought about his theoretical grades.

His goal was just to avoid failing grades.

“Want to study together?”

“Sure.”

But would it be meaningful for just the two of them?

It didn’t seem like either of them had particularly good study skills. Lee Dojin pondered who else to include.

‘Bit-na is, well…’

Choi Bit-na seemed like she’d be at a similar level to the friend currently driving hard.

Jia?

For some reason, it seemed like Ryu Jia would have studied hard.

Lee Dojin kept that in mind for now and recalled more of his connections.

‘Senior Simun probably doesn’t have something like first-year lecture notes.’

Lee Dojin suddenly realized that the network he had built over the past two and a half months was narrower than he thought.

‘Park Seonggu is out.’

With that build and that personality, if he was good at studying too, it would be a scary gap.

As Lee Dojin was recalling a few more people, he was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a voice from beside him.

“You, you were thinking about other women, weren’t you?”

Baek Hwayeon’s blue eyes stared directly at Lee Dojin.

The vehicle had already arrived at the parking lot next to the school.

He had thought about other women.

He had thought about male students too, but.

‘She went through the trouble of driving.’

It wouldn’t be polite to say it honestly.

Lee Dojin thought this as he quickly organized his answer.

Then he shook his head.

“No, I didn’t.”

And then he fumbled to take something out of his spatial pocket.

‘It’ll be tough to give everything out in one day.’

It seemed like a good choice to give a gift first to Baek Hwayeon, whom he could give to now.

“Here.”

Lee Dojin, still sitting in the passenger seat, held out a 14k diamond necklace to Baek Hwayeon.

Baek Hwayeon slowly accepted the necklace with a blank face. For some reason, the fingertips of her right hand were trembling and trembling.

“It’s a gift. It’s not an artifact. Just a necklace, but…”

Baek Hwayeon, with a face flushed red, held out the chain of the necklace to Lee Dojin.

“P-put it on me.”

“Huh?”

“You put it on my neck.”

“Oh, okay.”

I see.

It might be difficult to put on by herself.

“Turn around to the back.”

“O-okay.”

Baek Hwayeon lifted her long light pink hair above her shoulder line.

A fragrant scent flowed along her neckline. Lee Dojin put the necklace on Baek Hwayeon in a form of wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“It’s done.”

Lee Dojin carefully withdrew his arms.

Baek Hwayeon stared at the necklace, her mouth twitching subtly.

Centered on the round diamond. Small jewels spread out as if depicting a fully bloomed shape.

It was beautiful.

And immersed in that beauty in her mind, she couldn’t immediately look at Lee Dojin and stared straight ahead.

The sunset wavering behind the academy could be seen through the car’s windshield.

After taking a deep breath, Baek Hwayeon looked at Lee Dojin again.

“Sh-shall we go now?”

“Yeah, let’s go in.”

Lee Dojin and Baek Hwayeon stepped through the gates of Iroaz Academy.

---

I entered my dormitory room.

And immediately placed the flowerpot next to the window.

I stroked the tree named ‘King of the Great Forest’ once again.

Delicately with my fingers.

Tremble-

The small tree shivered slightly.

If it’s a spirit, would something like a contract be possible?

“You, can you understand what I’m saying?”

The tree slightly lifted a small branch.

“Then let’s try to have a conversation from now on. Okay, right branch for yes, left branch for no.”

Twitch! Twitch!

It shook its branches simultaneously as if it understood.

“Are you really a spirit?”

The right branch wriggled.

“Then can we make some kind of contract now?”

The left branch rose slightly upward.

Not possible.

“Then later?”

The right branch lifted as if to indicate it was possible.

“Then what do I need to do? Will the contract happen just by time passing?”

Then it lifted both branches to point at itself.

No way.

“You want me to touch you?”

I stroked the tree delicately once again.

The dried soil in the flowerpot suddenly seemed to become more fertile.

A faint green light started to rise subtly from the soil.

Twi…tch

The tree trembled.

The voice of Mistilteinn in Advice Ego state was heard.

[Received intention from ‘King of the Great Forest’. Beginning interpretation.]

[It says you need to touch it like this for 30 minutes each day to be able to make a contract in the near future.]

[Hnng…hng. It says.]

…This little one, it is a spirit, right?

---

Lee Dojin eventually decided to spend the 30 minutes he used to meditate every night with the small tree.

After feeling its twitching for about 30 minutes, Lee Dojin lay down on the bed.

There was a need to directly ask Mistilteinn in Mistilteinn’s world, not in the Advice Ego state, about the King of the Great Forest.

As soon as he closed his eyes, Mistilteinn’s world unfolded.

A verdant forest came into view. Though the sky was dark as the sun had set, stars were embroidering it.

Lee Dojin sprang to his feet.

“Welcome, Master.”

Mistilteinn stood up from where she was sitting.

King Wang Hwangbo Seryeong was eating something again this time.

It was dong po rou.

Hwangbo Seryeong picked up the dong po rou with chopsticks.

She swallowed the pork that was glistening appetizingly due to the seasoning.

It soon melted away in her mouth.

Gulp!

And she drank from a liquor bottle.

Hwangbo Seryeong wiped her mouth with her arm and stared at Lee Dojin.

“Ah, I’ve almost finished writing the martial arts manual. It should be complete in a week.”

“That’s good news.”

“Yes, so if you have time, clashing in martial arts once more will help with the final completion.”

“I understand.”

While Mistilteinn in Advice Ego state and Mistilteinn in front of him share information, they don’t share vision.

So Lee Dojin explained about the King of the Great Forest. Mistilteinn’s two green eyes turned to Lee Dojin.

“It is likely a spirit. It seems to be a unique spirit that has derived from dungeons containing countless histories and stories, different from the general spirits I know.”

“Will it be helpful to me or you?”

Mistilteinn nodded her head.

“Its rank seemed quite high. If a contract is made, it should be helpful.”

So in the end, I have to stroke it for 30 minutes every day.

Lee Dojin clicked his tongue inwardly.

And then he focused on Mistilteinn in front of him again.

“Ah, I bought some gifts to give to friends today. But I couldn’t give you anything. You were the first one I thought of though.”

At Lee Dojin’s words, Mistilteinn smiled broadly.

“Is that so?”

While Hwangbo Seryeong could summon food or objects she imagined, Mistilteinn’s abilities couldn’t interact with Lee Dojin.

“It’s okay. Someday when I can go outside. Give it to me directly then.”

Lee Dojin was genuinely surprised at Mistilteinn’s words.

“You can come out to reality?”

“Well…”

Mistilteinn smiled.

“Someday?”

As if she couldn’t be certain herself, she tilted her head. Lee Dojin lightly hugged Mistilteinn.

He hoped that someday he would be able to feel this sensation outside.