A Lush Tree, A Barren Tree

Xian was in a hurry.

Not only because he knew most of the examinations anyways, but also because there's a lot of benefits for clearing it all first. There's also the skill windows he haven't checked and the letter from the duke.

Curiosity and impatience filled his head despite encountering a heroine he didn't like.

He could wait for Carmillia and carry her through the exams, but last time he checked, she still didn't trust him. Since her safety is guaranteed by the instructors, leaving her alone is for the best.

It was fine though. Carmillia wasn't the only heroine he knew who had trust issues. There were about two or three with the same problems and he knew how to deal with them. In time, their trust would inevitably lean towards him.

For now, to garner attention as much as possible, he planned to do his best on getting first place. From the second examination onwards things will be a little more difficult than just finding a way out.

'Should I just check it now?'

Xian thought that utilizing his skills now might be a good idea. His level should be higher than most starting character but his skills…

He deliberated for a moment, facing the door towards the next examination. The academy always followed a certain criteria when making an exam. The grid maze just now is the hardest for the entrants to complete, but for some… they have the means to quickly figure it out and break through.

It was actually the easiest and most favorable exam for all players, since it didn't require their investment in any stats and could just break through if they remembered the pattern.

'Alright, let's do that.'

From this point, only three types of examination appeared. One is a duel with a dummy to test the entrants combat qualification and the other, a literal exam on paper that asks questions.

Lastly, is a true maze. The grid maze is a pre-requisite that needs to be met for it to appear.

Xian hoped to fight a dummy for the fastest result. The maximum level of the dummy was set to 4, 5 and 6 respectively, which most starting characters could manage to take down. While he, as a level 14 could probably obliterate it.

If the protagonist focused on strength and agility, he will win with ease. Same with strength, but with a little bit more of damage.

He pushed the towering door into the examination grounds. As he breathed in, blue mist came out and hit his body gently. Xian recognized it as a concentration of mana that almost dissipates upon touch.

He knew what that entailed.

'It's the maze. Of course, otherwise things won't be as interesting.' Xian wondered if those beings were watching, intentionally making things difficult for him. But then, he thought of the grid maze, one of the best start possible, In the end, he found it fair that the next exam turned out this way.

Xian knowing what lies ahead, decided to wait in the vicinity of the entrance, while hiding himself. With Ruminaria's nature to run head on to things, he doubted that she will even sense him.

'Then we wait.'

In the meantime, he decided to finally look at his [Skill Window] and willed it to appear. Tackling the maze required teammates. Or rather sacrifices. Taking Carmillia and some other randoms with him would be ideal.

'But it won't be bad to team up with a familiar heroine too.' Xian licked his lips inadvertently, something he usually didn't do. Maybe it was because of the thrill he felt and anticipation.

He recalled the scenes of the heroine's in the game that he watched with intensity and vigor. On a regular game day, he would spend all of his character's energy just to do the deed again and again just for fun and satisfaction.

Xian knew that it would be quite wretched if he does that in this world too. Still, he didn't feel guilty in his heart. He was going to revel in this punishment until he was bored to death.

Thinking about those moments made him realize that ever since coming to this world, that lecherous part of him had become rather suppressed, to the point that he forgot it. He didn't even find a time to do it alone, although Miri did stir him up.

'Quite a disciplined body.' Xian was pleased nevertheless and he planned to keep it that way. Until, the moment to do it with a heroine came.

While looking at the skill window, he found something strange.

"What… is this?"

It wasn't the skill window interface he was used to. Instead, a lush tree was reflected in the interface, carrying fruits that seemed to act as nodes.

On the other side, was an empty barren tree that doesn't have any leaves nor fruits, but harbored the same branch as the other lush tree. On the places where fruit's are supposed to hang, was instead an empty stalk, as if it was plucked.

'The trees? They're familiar…' Xian wasn't a well-read when it comes to mysticism, but he recognized both trees as part of ideas regarding life and death. The two halves, glowed ominously in a dark blue hue and dark red hue, which only he can, see.

For a while, Xian looked as if he was just staring at the air. These weren't the skill tree he recognized. In the game, it was much more basic, skills that are martial related were placed in another window, called technique's, separated with the one for magic skills, namely spells.

Spell's and Technique's. As simple as that. The following learned spell or technique's are listed under their respective passive requirement, rather than being separated entirely.

Sometimes, passives obtained through events and story playthrough are not tied to any skill that exists, hence there's a question that players often ask, 'Should it be a passive or a trait?'. The line between the two are almost a blur.

His [Defiance] is under the trait category, but a passive out there exists with the very same function. Mostly from characters on the verge of 'completion'.

Anyways, he still recognized some of the skills listed in this 'new' interface. Two node's were opened up. Respectively, it read [Wisdom] and [Severity]. Then his skill's were the following…

[Basic Dagger Wielding]

[Basic Weapon Throw]

[Basic Sword Wielding]

That was all, quite simple and self explanatory. He still haven't learned a 'school of technique' hence there's no flashy martial technique name's yet, just like the protagonist. With the low level, that's why player's had a hard time in the grid maze.

As for the visage of tree's in the interface… He's gonna have to do some research about it later on. It must be one of the changes that welcomed this world upon becoming reality.

Xian was staring seriously at the opened nodes, but to other's, he seemed like staring into thin air.

But, that wasn't the other person in the room thought.

An invisible girl stood rooted on her spot, intimidated with Xian's gaze upon meeting his eyes when she looked around. She had arrived there and was about to look for a relatively hidden spot to rest.

The mana was quite thick upon entering, probably due to massive expense of magic due to a large scale exam and she felt relaxed so she decided to lie down a bit… It won't hurt to be placed in around the middle ranks, since passing is the only thing that mattered.

Then, she saw Xian there. Sitting menacingly with a red glint in his eyes. Often, she's a reserved and calm girl that wasn't easily intimidated. Xian's face must truly be villainous to even affect her.

He was staring at her so hard that she started casting a spell.

Just then, she sighed and dispelled the invisibility around her. Since the other party can obviously see her through some means, disguise are useless.

Xian was just minding his business when the space in front blurred and revealed a figure. Luckily, he didn't flinch or made an expression of shock.

"So, what do you want?" The girl asked.

That was his 3rd heroine encounter of the day. This time, she was a heroine he knew very well and one of his favorites. A smile naturally crept up to his face as the girl in question frowned.

"?" She raised her staff as a magic circle popped up in warning. Her eyes glowed, a sign of preparing to fight amongst mages.

"No, calm down. I was just smiling because I'm happy." He made an excuse right away. At the start of the game, magicians were… busted. Even the protagonist would be.

Unlike martial classes that learned the novice and basic technique's, magician can already put out so much more firepower than them. It wasn't to the point of imbalance, but the gap exists.

Furthermore, Xian would daresay, that the girl before him had a tremendous fanbase for being a 'best girl' among the Rozenfall's community.

'Gumin Esolian.' A female mage who's only interested with learning magic that there is to learn. As if to prove it, she had one special endings where she sought immortality, and placed her soul in changeable puppet vessel.

In the end credits, it was said that she kept existing until there was no more for her to learn and became a world changing figure that walked the world of magic.

Sage Esolian, the Arcmage of Akashic record, someone who personified the legend of a book that recorded all magic.

And one of the heroine's that he hoped to conquer. That ending of hers, led her to glory and life's purpose without any distraction.

But Xian, wouldn't let that happen.

'It's time to start testing the waters.'

In the game, there was no scene pertaining to Gumin at all in the entrance examination. She avoided players and npc's like a plague, only appearing as necessary when the classes start.

Xian wanted to test his wits and tactics on her. Even if the place and circumstances were different, things that stirred people's heart do not change. It was the same for him, and hopefully, for Gumin too.

Gumin is one of the most stone hearted heroine's in the game, with hardly rising affection through gifts like flowers and sweets. She preferred books of magic, but anything that would've been available in the store was already read or bought by her deep pockets, as if mocking the player.

However, as stone hearted as she is, human hearts are made of flesh and they have inevitable emotions. Now, what would be the best way to pique her curiosity?

"You were happy?" Gumin asked, tilting her head. Whatever made this man before her smile, she had a feeling that its not anything good.

"Yes, I am." Xian stated as a matter of fact.

"… I see."

"Do you want to know why?"

"No. I'm going now." At that curt rejection, Xian wasn't perturbed but kept talking.

"But I think, you'd want to know." He knew how this particular Heroine's mind worked.

"What makes you think that?" She halted a step she was about to take as he piqued her interest.

"… You seem like a talented mage. If so, then you must've noticed." Xian stood up from where he sat as Gumin took four steps back.

"This place is massive. Unlike the previous exam. Don't you think so too?" Xian couldn't really tell, but he was speaking from experience, so it was the truth.

"… That's right. But why are you saying this?"

"Earlier, I was thinking how easier things would be if a mage was with me, you see." He pointed towards Gumin, and outlined her outfit as if to tell her how he recognized her as a mage. "And would you look at that, a mage came just in time." Xian said so happily, without realizing that Gumin was finding him even more suspicious.

"That's why I'm happy. Let's team up together, me as your front and you as the back line." He spoke without hiding that he already knew the exam would need a structure of a party.

"Aside from its vast size, I can feel several presence of formidable monster's there… If I take them all alone, I would be tired by the third stage. What do you think?" However, what he said made sense and it touched on the efficient way Gumin did things.

After a silent thought, Gumin went along. "… Alright. But you are suspicious, so walk four steps ahead." Without delay, she cast a barrier around Xian's body. He could see faint blue outline that traced him.

Usually, barrier's form would be a large film like glass that faced one direction. It was one of Gumin's special skill, it treated magic barrier like an Aura Coat, outlined across the body to protect even the hidden spots.

But beside's that, she also made another barrier that seperates the two of them, making Xian chuckle. "Pfft, alright. Should we go now or wait for another member?"

"… No, were enough. Let's hurry." Although Gumin initially wanted to take a rest, the man before her had douse her sleepiness and set her on high alert. Xian was the first one that made her think of an enemy upon first meeting, even though they had no enmity at all.

'His face is a natural.' A natural at being misunderstood as the villain that is.

While Xian was being judged by Gumin, he was also doing a similar thing. 

As of now, in order to get her attention, there was no way but to take her through necessary circumstances like this. Despite her usual laziness, Gumin liked to be absolutely efficient. Convincing her with efficiency and sincerity is the best approach to rope her in, especially if her goals aligns with the task.

In the game, her route made it so that being a mage was a requirement. That's why he really wanted to be a mage oriented character back then. Now, with his mana and talent lacking, he'd struggle to even keep up with her. He already experienced that once, as time passes between her and the player, Gumin would abandon the protagonist for the sake of pursuing magic.

'Then, what should I do to make her look at me?'

Xian could just replace what makes her happy. But if magic was all that mattered to her, what else can he do to sway her?

'Of course, I have to take her happiness away first.' Through a [Ruin End] that caused Gumin to kill herself. She lost magic and all talents for it, rendering her to a normal human once again. Something she wanted, but also something that destroyed her. If the player was with her, she's going to lead a life doing only what pleases her.

She turns into alcohol, food, drugs and even men. That's how the future Arcmage falls upon losing magic.

But, with the game and its predetermined outcome out of the picture, Xian can prevent and even change those events to his liking.

Gradually, he just needs to spend more time with her together and build affection.

He would literally be fixing her the way he wanted to.

As he felt pleased with himself, a practiced smile crept up Xian's face. He was mindful of scaring Gumin away.

Just then, quick steps echoed around the room. Another person had arrived and now the entrance of the examination grounds contained three entrants.

She too, was someone that Xian recognized and liked.

"Who even beat me to first place? Damn it all!"

The Future Sword Saintess, descended from the Sword Saint's bloodline himself.

She stopped stomping as Xian and the mage came into her view. "Hm? Oh! Hello there everyone! Hehe… Did you guys hear that?"

And a heroine obsessed with first place and perfect persona.

Fahna Ela Dalind.