My Roleplay System-Chapter 227: A Branch?

The first-year exam ended with a massive twist, and the internet, as expected, lost its collective mind.

The initial wave of comments was pure, unadulterated shock.

[Holy shit, I did NOT see that coming!]

[It’s like a season finale cliffhanger! What happens next?!]

[Wait, did the academy just use a fairy as a hostage? Are they trying to start a war?]

[This is a diplomatic nightmare waiting to happen.]

[Our alliance with the fairy clans is still new. This is reckless.]

The sheer audacity of the plot point sparked a brief, serious debate. But just as the political analysts were getting warmed up, the conversation was hijacked by a much more potent force: shipping. A perfectly edited clip of Sylph staring at Bradford, her eyes lighting up as if hope had been re-sparked within her, began to circulate.

[Forget the politics, look at this! Is this an exam or a dating show?]

[The way she looks at him... my heart can’t take it!]

[Our stoic Lightning God and the gentle fairy healer... it’s perfect!]

[Are we witnessing the first human-fairy couple? This is historic!]

[Everyone, calm down. You’re reading too much into a single glance.]

[If she looked at YOU like that, you wouldn’t be saying that! Be real!]

[Damn, you make a good point... they might actually be a thing.]

A few voices of reason tried to intervene, but they were swiftly drowned out. The shippers had taken matters in to their own hands, completely lost in their fantasy.

However, just as the "Sylph × Bradford" ship was gaining unstoppable momentum, the narrative shifted again.

A new clip went viral, this one a raw, chaotic montage of the final stand against the goatman. It showed Kate, battered and bleeding, meeting the creature’s charge with a roar of her own, intercut with Bradford moving like a living thunderstorm, his lightning scoring direct hits that made the monster shriek in pain.

The comment section exploded into a new kind of frenzy.

[FORGET THE ROMANCE! LOOK AT THIS BATTLE! This is PEAK combat!]

[Kate is an absolute beast! She tanked a Rank Three head-on!]

[Are you kidding me? Bradford was the one keeping it off balance! Did you see that lightning explosion?]

[They were a duo! Kate the unbreakable shield, Bradford the unstoppable spear!]

[That final clash where they coordinated without a word... chills. Actual chills.]

[He’s not just a pretty face with lightning, he’s a tactical fighter. The way he baited the goatman for Kate’s strike...]

[She was the anchor, he was the striker. Perfect synergy.]

[Kate supremacy! Bradford dominance! Why choose when we can have both?]

This single comment was a spark in a powder keg. The battle junkies’ admiration for their combat synergy was instantly misinterpreted and co-opted by a new, aggressive wing of shippers.

[OMG you’re right! Did you see the way he watched her back during the fight? That’s not just teamwork, that’s PROTECTIVENESS!]

[Kate and Bradford, the ultimate power couple! The Stoic Lightning God and the Unyielding Astral Queen! It’s perfect!]

[Forget the fairy, look at the real chemistry! They fight like they can read each other’s minds!]

This immediately triggered a furious backlash from the original "Sylph × Bradford" camp.

[ABSOLUTELY NOT! How dare you! Bradford belongs with Sylph!]

[Did you all go blind? He saved Kate because it’s his job! He looked at SYLPH with a different look! A SOFTER look!]

[Kate is too scary for him anyway! He needs a gentle soul like Sylph!]

[Back off, you battle-crazed heathens! Sylford is the one true pairing!]

The contrast between the topics was stark, and the online space became a chaotic battlefield of its own. The shippers fractured into warring camps, now fighting a three-front war against each other and the pure battle junkies who just wanted to analyze the fight techniques.

The initial concerns about diplomacy and the Demon King’s challenge were, for the moment, completely buried under the weight of fandom, fervor, and a shared awe for the two powerhouses who had stood against a monster far beyond their level.

Little did these netizens know however, was that their passionate online skirmishes were already obsolete. While they fought over fledgling ships, a veritable warship had already set sail, its course charted exclusively within the academy’s own, private network. The real story wasn’t happening on the public forums; it was unfolding in the campus group chats, where a single, dominant pairing was being cemented with a flood of video evidence far more compelling than any edited clip the outside world had seen.

****

Blissfully unaware of the growing chaos online, Lake arrived at Sylph’s dorm room without any trouble. With his Master Assassin skills, it wasn’t difficult to sneak in, even while carrying a sleeping Sylph.

Entering the room, the first thing he noticed was the abundance of plants and flowers growing in pots, with vines clinging to the walls. Despite the limited sunlight filtering through the window, the plants thrived with surprising vitality in the cramped space.

It felt as if he had entered a miniature garden or a hidden grotto.

The entire room just screamed "fairy’s abode."

Walking to the bed, he saw that it actually rested atop a giant flower.

’Where did they even get this?’

His eyes twitched slightly, but he didn’t actually seem to mind the strange decor. Instead, he felt strangely relaxed, almost as if he were at home.

In that instant, everything became clear to him. He could feel the slightest shift in the air, the subtle movements of the plants, the pleasant fragrance that filled the room.

In such a hypersensitive state, he naturally relaxed as he gently laid Sylph down on the bed. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, he unconsciously smiled before moving to get up.

"Hm?"

Unfortunately, as he shifted, he realized Sylph had tightly grasped his shirt. He chuckled softly before gently prying her fingers loose and laying her hand carefully at her side.

As he finally got off the bed, he took another deep breath of the wonderful fragrance that filled the room, a slight shiver running through him from how pleasurable the experience was.

His advanced senses easily picked out the different scents emanating from each flower and how they fused together into a fragrance he simply couldn’t get enough of.

Originally, he had only planned to drop Sylph off and leave, but upon seeing the indoor garden she had created, he couldn’t resist the urge to look around.

Normally, he wouldn’t have such intense feelings or desires, but the new role he had acquired a few weeks ago had fundamentally changed his appreciation for a natural setup like this one.

[Role: Gardener (Low Tier)]

[Skills:]

[Horticultural Theory lv. 1 – The foundational knowledge of a gardener, the mental map of all growing things. This skill allows you to identify any plant, diagnose its ailments, and understand its secret needs—from the precise soil pH it craves to the specific companion that will make it thrive. At this level, you can reliably identify most common flora and their basic needs, and diagnose obvious ailments like blight or pest infestation. 500 RP required to upgrade.]

[Horticultural Practice lv. 1 – The active art of a gardener, the learned grace of your hands and the wisdom in your timing. This skill enables you to nurture life, from coaxing a seedling from stubborn earth to the surgical precision of a graft that creates a new cultivar. It is the physical manifestation of your knowledge, turning theory into a living, breathing, and flourishing reality. At this level, you can perform reliable grafting, expertly prune for health and yield, and maintain a thriving, productive garden with consistent success. 500 RP required to upgrade.]

Only after almost ten minutes of appreciating the different exotic flora scattered throughout her room did Lake finally have his fill and prepare to leave. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"..?"

As he was about to open the door, he suddenly froze, a subtle frown appearing on his face. Turning around, he stared back into her room, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

It was an instinctual pull, something almost primal calling out to him.

Unable to resist, he naturally followed it back into the room.

Sylph was still sleeping peacefully on the bed; the plants had not moved an inch, and no other change in the room was detectable to his senses.

Yet the instinctual pull remained. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus entirely on the sensation. Cutting off his other senses, he let the pull guide him closer to its source.

The closer he got, the stronger it became.

Eventually, he arrived beside Sylph’s bedside table. Looking down, his instincts told him that whatever was calling to him was hidden inside that drawer.

Lake did not hesitate to open it, despite knowing it was improper to look through a lady’s belongings.

Luckily, there wasn’t anything too personal inside—just a notebook, a pen, and a strange, ornate box.

’Hmm? What’s this?’

Ignoring the notebook, he picked up the ornate box and casually observed its craftsmanship. It was exquisitely designed, with intricate patterns scrolled across its surface. The texture was surprisingly cool and smooth to the touch. A faint fragrance reminiscent of oak emanated from it, but Lake could instantly tell it was made of no known material on Earth.

After observing the box a moment longer, he carefully undid the clasp, revealing the contents hidden inside.

"A... branch?"

Before his eyes lay a small branch that seemed to have been broken off a tree—though calling it a branch was generous, as it was no bigger than a pencil.

Carefully picking it up, he examined it curiously, trying to determine what species of tree it came from using his horticultural knowledge, but he was simply unable to identify it.

No matter how much he looked, the branch appeared to be an ordinary twig.

’Is the skill level too low?’

Lake was tempted to upgrade the skill upon realizing he couldn’t identify the strange branch.

However, he restrained himself, knowing it wasn’t the appropriate time or place. With a sigh, he carefully placed the branch back into the box, returning it exactly where he had found it.

Since it was in Sylph’s room, he could just ask her about it once she woke up.

With that thought, he finally turned and left the room.