Night by the tranquil lakeside.

A young woman slipped through the darkness to the water’s edge. She crouched carefully, dipping her fingers into the lake.

The lake wasn’t large, but it wasn’t safe either. Lifting her head, she could even make out the blurred silhouettes of wild creatures moving on the opposite shore.

Still, she felt no fear. She knew exactly what dangers she could handle.

Over ten days ago, while observing here, the earth had suddenly trembled beneath her feet.

An earthquake—but not a severe one. At most, it had rattled a few roof tiles loose.

After the tremors settled, the lake water surged violently, spitting out a naked boy.

*Sea. Tsunami.*

What had that truly been?

Yet except for that moment, the lake always faced her with the same unchanging facade.

She’d found nothing.

At this rate, the boy himself was the only clue she had.

As she pondered this, soft footsteps rustled behind her.

A figure dressed in an outfit matching her own strode over the lakeside grass.

If hers was casual wear, theirs resembled a formal counterpart—no, something even more refined than evening attire.

Like a cleric’s robes.

Every physical detail—height, features—was hidden beneath the hooded garment.

**Poppy:** …What brings you here?

**??:** Relax. No one can track me.

**??:** Poppy, did you pick up a stray puppy?

**Poppy:** So what? It’s not rabid. Doesn’t bite.

**??:** Really? How’s living with a puppy for the first time?

**Poppy:** …………

**Poppy:** It’s… *wonderful*.

**??:** You… that line sounds more natural with a lewd grin on your face.

**Poppy:** Can’t help it. My looks and charm are inherited.

**??:** What a troublesome inheritance.

**Poppy:** Tell me—you didn’t come all this way just to chat?

**??:** Of course not. I’m here to warn you.

**Poppy:** Warn me?

**??:** Yes. The **Divine Temple** is sending investigators this way.

**Poppy:** …………

**Poppy:** They know my location?

**??:** No. The quake ten days ago triggered the dispatch.

**??:** But if you stay here much longer, they’ll likely spot you anyway.

**Poppy:** When will they arrive?

**??:** They depart tomorrow. At the latest, within ten days.

**Poppy:** Understood…

The visitor’s words marked the end of her quiet life here.

**??:** Taking the puppy with you when you relocate would be unwise.

**Poppy:** I know. But he’s important. I need to arrange things properly for him.

**??:** What makes this stray special?

**Poppy:** …………

**Poppy:** I suspect he carries an enormous amount of **Wish Points**.

**??:** Enormous? Thousands? Like a hero?

**Poppy:** My intuition says… even more wouldn’t surprise me.

**??:** …………

The figure fell silent, weighing whether she was joking.

**??:** Where exactly did you find this mad dog?

**Poppy:** Right here.

She turned toward the still, unrippled lake.

**??:** …………

**??:** No wonder the Temple’s sending investigators this way.

**??:** What they seek… might be right before our eyes.

…………

…………

The fifth day after waking.

My strength was returning steadily—a comforting feeling. Following Miss Poppy’s recovery plan, I’d be allowed outside after lunch today.

For days, Poppy had personally taught me this world’s fundamentals.

First, astronomy.

The sky held a star system also called the “Sun”—the largest celestial body.

But only half of it glowed with heat; the other half lay frozen in darkness.

As the Sun rotated, the world below shifted from dark to light, light to dark.

People prayed it would one day banish darkness forever, granting eternal daylight—hence the name *Sun*.

Brightest at noon, darkest at midnight—though both lasted mere instants.

A day spanned twenty-four hours. To align with sunlight, most rested from 7–8 PM until 4–5 AM.

Compared to my old world, the schedule was manageable. I’d already adjusted to early bedtimes.

Yet the Sun didn’t follow perfect rhythms. Days lengthened and shortened in cycles, repeating every 400 days.

Meaning this world’s year had 400 days—100 per season. Months and weeks didn’t exist.

*Wait… Poppy’s “26 years” would be nearly 29 back home…*

*Absolutely cannot let her hear that thought!*

When the Sun spun, fragments broke off. These became the stars glittering at night. Occasionally, they fell to earth as useful stones.

*So the Sun itself is a stone?* Astronomy here differed vastly from my world.

Next, geography.

This world’s land was believed flat and immobile—contradicting everything I knew.

Humanity had expanded across tens of thousands of kilometers, confirming the land’s flatness. Elevation differences spanned mere thousands of meters.

Land dominated here; known waters covered less than thirty percent of the surface.

*No wonder Poppy looked puzzled when I mentioned “sea.”* This world only knew lakes.

Humans had dug deep underground—but beyond dozens of kilometers, the cold became unbearable. Tools froze solid.

Legends claimed the earth could be tunneled through to a world of eternal night: the realm of the dead.

But no proof existed since civilization began. Likely just a fairy tale.

Surface terrain and ecology resembled my old world, yet held unfamiliar creatures.

But these weren’t classic fantasy beasts. No goblins. No dragons. Slime-like organisms existed, but with entirely different behaviors.

The biology lessons overwhelmed me. Only my exam-cramming skills helped me force the details into memory.

*I consoled myself: At least it’s not Cthulhu-style horror…*

Finally, humanities.

Human history mirrored my world’s uncannily—so much so that rehashing it felt redundant.

But development had diverged slightly.

Some regions matched late-20th-century tech levels; others lagged behind 17th-century standards.

Nations varied wildly in culture and technology.

With **Wish Points** and collective will shaping reality, such imbalances made sense.

Ancient systems like slavery persisted in modified forms where people consented. Meanwhile, democratic elections coexisted naturally.

Science was widespread. Systematic magic didn’t exist—but there was the artificial **Wish Power**.

*Even wishes like “grant me magic powers” could be fulfilled, despite breaking the world’s rules.*

The catch? Few wished for such things. **Wish Power** lacked historical roots.

Most wishes aligned with technological progress, civilization’s needs, or personal greed.

With my old world’s history as reference, I—a bookish polymath—would digest this eventually.

Today’s final lesson covered current geopolitics.

Eager to step outside after this last segment, I focused intently.

**Poppy:** Human nations spread in rings around a central point.

**Poppy:** That center is a stateless religious realm—the holy land for all believers of **Divine Sivi**.

**Poppy:** Called the **Divine Temple**, it’s where Sivi was born. It’s the only known place to gain **Wish Points** after birth.

**Seventh Ju:** So **Wish Points** can be acquired later?

**Poppy:** Not that easily. It depends on the god’s will.

**Poppy:** Citizens may pilgrimage once yearly, staying three to ten days.

**Poppy:** Only those with harmless hearts and sincere faith might receive **Wish Points**.

**Poppy:** The Temple has three rings. The outer ring requires only Temple approval for entry.

**Poppy:** Generally, if they deem your character sound and you offer tribute, you gain pilgrimage rights.

**Seventh Ju:** So ordinary people *can* gain **Wish Points**?

**Poppy:** Laborers might not afford the tribute yearly. And insincere hearts earn no points.

**Poppy:** The outer ring’s highest recorded gain is 3 points. Most feel blessed to receive even 1.

*Gaining points post-birth was harsher than I thought.*

*As someone who’d never believed in any religion, cultivating “sincere faith” would be tough.*

*This made allocating my innate points crucial.*

*But… had I really seen countless points that day? Or was it a hallucination?*

*I’d need to count them properly once I decided on a wish.*

**Poppy:** As for the middle and inner rings—commoners rarely learn of them. I’ll skip details.

**Poppy:** The Temple’s center marks the world’s origin point. Most measurements and coordinates start there.

**Poppy:** No rival faith exists. Even non-humans worship **Xiv** and make pilgrimages.

**Poppy:** A devout believer travels easily anywhere.

**Poppy:** We’re now on the edge of the **Sincere Kingdom**—a nation faithful to **Divine Sivi**.

**Poppy:** This village was built ten years ago during **Sincere Kingdom**’s expansion. Settlers were recruited to live here.

**Poppy:** A few kilometers ahead lies unexplored wilderness. Behind us, the nearest proper city is dozens of kilometers away.

**Poppy:** What you’ll see today isn’t typical human civilization.

**Seventh Ju:** Wow… Can I go out now?

**Poppy:** Of course. I’ve finished spouting nonsense.

Miss Poppy took my hand, gently helping me off the bed.

I stood. My body felt stronger than when I first woke—and stronger than during my old world’s final days.

*Perhaps I can survive here too.*

But my feet remained rooted to the floor. I couldn’t take a single step forward.

Poppy: What? Scared?

Seventh Ju: No...

Seventh Ju: Wearing your women's underwear feels so awkward.

Poppy: ...

Poppy: ...

Poppy: How could I possibly find men's underwear for you to wear?!

Poppy: Seriously! You're dragging out this underwear joke for the third time! Are you that bored?!

Seventh Ju: The culprit who made me dress like this has the nerve to say that?!

Poppy: That's because you arrived in this world completely naked!!