episode_0417

Even after leaving the main office, my steps did not wander.

-Wow

Why wasn’t there a Roman attendant? I quickly approached the door, pressed the magic tool next to it, and waited. The door opened smoothly to the left and right.

“Oh my?”

A heavy lump of flesh filled my field of vision. A pleasant smell wafted over me. I raised my gaze and met its yellow eyes.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were resting at the mansion… Oh, did you exchange it today? ”

“Yes, I just exchanged it and am on my way back.”

“Aha. Okay. Come on in. You came to find Professor Riana, right? ”

Elia smiled and took my hand, leading me inside.

The lab was a bit noisy. There were a lot of spirits of various kinds looking through and collecting documents.

‘It’s a busy time for teachers right now.’

Since it is the period when grades are all finalized before the end of the semester, the faculty and staff are bound to be busy.

Professor Riana is also a professor in charge of a class, so she is very busy. She had to come to work early today as well.

I responded to the greetings of the spirits who were happy to see me and looked back at Elia.

“Elia, isn’t work hard?”

“It’s not easy, but it’s not so hard that it’ll give you a headache. It’s just a lot of repetitive work.”

Elia came to help Professor Riana.

When I asked if it was difficult, Elia smiled and stroked my head.

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s okay. It’s a job that requires using your head instead of your body, but it’s much easier than farming back home.”

“Did you farm in your hometown?”

“I see. Since my parents farmed, I naturally got into leisure activities. The farmland is huge, so I can imagine how hard it must have been… Let’s go together later and check.”

“Yes.“

“Hehehe, we promised to go together later.”

“Yes, yes. But didn’t you promise before?”

“Oh, is that so? Hmm…so what? Then I can go twice.”

Elia tilted her head, smiled faintly, and walked inside.

“Professor, you are a guest.”

“Huh? Why are there customers at this hour? Ah.”

Inside the somewhat messy lab. Professor Riana’s eyes widened.

Why were you drinking tea instead of alcohol?

There are also several holograms and streamers floating in the air. It looks like they came during a very busy time.

Professor Riana, who had put down her teacup, blinked, and then her eyes quickly widened.

“You’re not a guest, are you?”

[shame]

[pudency]

“… Hmm. I came here before exchanging my ticket and going in. ”

I pretended like nothing happened and showed her the scroll I took out from the subspace. Professor Riana covered her mouth and giggled.

“You really did a good job hanging that necklace. It’s so cute how your inner feelings sometimes come out.”

“Right? I think it’s a good gift. It’s really perfect. ”

“I told you I brought the ticket… ”

.

.

.

After a brief period of affectionate teasing, I was finally able to sit down on the sofa.

Professor Riana, who had been given a high-class water spirit tea, sat across from me.

“You’ve already bought the tower entrance ticket.”

[Yes, I had a lot of credits saved up since last year. I didn’t use many of them, so I have some left over after this.]

Professor Riana nodded as she saw the scroll on the desk.

“That’s right. I heard that students who have maintained the top spot since entering school sometimes go in again around this time.”

Elia, sitting next to me, tilted her head.

“But I heard Yeonhwa can’t go in?”

“Cadet Hong Yeon-hwa got second place in practical skills, but her written test score was a bit low… so she said she couldn’t buy it.”

“Aha.”

Professor Riana smiled awkwardly and Elijah nodded, and I also smiled bitterly.

Memories of yesterday came flooding back.

-Top? Oh, you mean the admission ticket?… With Baek A-rin? Then you want to go in anyway?

-Apart from my personal opinion that such petty restraint is narrow-minded, is there any merit to killing one’s right to stand?

-Then, even though I was the second highest student in my grade, there must be none… There must be none… Why is there a shortage?

As Professor Riana explained, I barely had enough credits to buy a ticket.

-Can I give you a little extra?

-… Phew, it’s okay. It’s not urgent, and I can go in if I just save up a little more…

I was thinking of adding a little more, but Yeonhwa hesitated for a moment and shook her head.

The dazed expression on Yeonhwa’s face was so cute that it was vividly remembered.

“Anyway, now is the perfect time to use the ticket. Since it’s the summer vacation, I don’t have much to do, and the lectures are almost over.”

It’s exactly as Professor Riana said.

Rather, it is difficult to write unless it is right before the end of the semester. Because I have to put aside my regular lectures and schedule to go to the top.

It’s the cleanest way to go in when you have no schedule and are just floating around.

“By the way, Observation… ”

“Why are you like that?”

Professor Riana was troubled by my explanation that I would go into observation. When Elijah asked a question, her green eyes stared at me intently.

“Last year, when the subject of the observatory was first introduced. When the baby first came out, wasn’t the condition strange?”

“Ah.”

Last year, when I met the second time, I was watching the show.

… At that time, the condition was a bit awkward.

It was around the time when I was being teased by the second person for almost five days and my nerves were on extreme edge.

Even after coming out, I was still in a fighting stance, but after observing the teacher and Professor Riana, I released myself.

‘It wasn’t a particularly dangerous situation, but…’

It wasn’t to the extent of cutting down people who approached him like crazy. But on the outside, it must have looked fierce and full of energy…

“Hmm… ”

“Um… ”

The gazes from the front and the side became strange.

It was a gaze filled with arrogant concern, like looking at a child at the water’s edge, which had become familiar by now…

“At that time, I was just concentrating a little. Like last time… Probably not.”

“I wonder if it’s honest to say ‘maybe’ when you’re not sure…or shameless.”

“Cha, can you please look at it from a more serious perspective… ”

As I narrowed my shoulders and averted my gaze, Professor Riana sighed and shrugged.

“Yes. What can we do if the baby wants to go in? And what is happening at the Tower of Growth… ”

Professor Riana shook her head and her words became quiet.

“… Wasn’t it there last time?”

“… There was. A huge hole. It tore a hole in space, and fell all the way to the first floor… and his limbs disappeared, and he was bleeding, not just in particles… ”

[Hic]

Elia’s shoulders crumpled as she answered the questions one after another.

A strange gaze was fixed firmly on my face and the side of my head.

“This time, you’ll really get out without any accidents, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes. I will definitely be careful… ”

The earnest gaze gradually faded only after he nodded his head repeatedly like a doll.

“Huh… Okay. The admission ticket is good for five days, right? You have to come back safely.”

“I have to feel these worries while sending them to the cradle of growth… ”

[silence]

“Wow… ”

I had no words to say as I watched the two people swallowing their sighs and worrying.

I slowly took the scroll and watched closely to see if it might be stolen.

Elia must have felt sorry for me because she hugged me tightly.

I, who had been observing her expression, smiled happily and hugged her.

“… First, you need to eat your fill to feel stronger.”

“Huh?”

When I lifted my face from my arms, Elia, who had been stroking my head, smiled brightly and placed her hand on my collar.

.

.

.

Siyoram Central District.

Baek A-rin arrived first at the square surrounding the Tower of Growth and was waiting. She quickly walked over to it.

[Sorry I’m late]

“I’m sorry, it’s not like I’m late for the appointment. Anyway… Hmm… ”

[?]

Baek A-rin’s gaze as she looked at me was strange. Her eyes, which were slightly open, stared at me intently without saying a word.

[Why are you like that?]

As a question mark floated above her head, Baek A-rin sniffled and tilted her head.

“Did you eat your fill?”

[…silence]

My shoulders trembled at the words that were said so casually.

How did you know? I used magic to completely erase all traces…

“Sigh, you always fidget at the dinner table… Is that really all you eat for three meals?”

[Two, I definitely brought the scrolls]

I hastily took out a scroll from the space and showed it to him. Baek A-rin made a displeased expression for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and took out her own scroll.

“Okay, I’ll let you go for now.”

[Hehehe… I already said that, so just come in.]

“I took on the challenge. Since Ha-Yul mentioned it at the right time, I didn’t have much to prepare. ”

Baek A-rin walked towards the entrance of the tower. I often followed behind her.

“Ha Yul said he would do it as a topic of observation, right?”

[yes]

“Hmm… I’m still thinking about it. Should I just hunt monsters in the snowy environment or go into observation… “

Baek A-rin put her finger on her lips and let out a nasal sound. In the meantime, she arrived at the entrance.

The entrance was as dark as a starless night sky. Baek A-rin nodded while caressing the scroll.

“… I guess I should do it in a legendary environment. Observation is good, but since I experienced it last year, I want to try something new. ”

[Aha. Okay. I’ll go into observation.]

“Eight, in times like this, it would be better to go into the snowfield together.”

[huh]

“It’s a joke. It’s better to choose this opportunity yourself.”

Baek A-rin, who pretended to glare at me, suddenly came over to me, making a noise.

-side

A warm, moist sensation briefly touched her cheek. Baek A-rin quickly took a step back and shook her hand.

“Will you go in first? See you in five days~”

Baek A-rin goes straight into the entrance.

I blinked and lightly touched her cheek. The cold spot was quickly filled with warmth. It was slightly warmer than before.

[Ahem]

I rubbed my cheek and plunged my body into the entrance.

***

My mind, which had been hazy, became clearer.

A more reflective observation captured the surrounding environment.

‘Here…’

The ground we are standing on is gray rock. Occasionally, there are bumpy rocks, and a hazy fog fills all directions.

‘It’s not fog, it’s clouds?’

He waved his hand, denying the thought. The air was damp and humid. It was full of moisture and full of life.

‘The top of the mountain… Is it like a plateau?’

A steep downhill slope was observed from a fairly distant location.

The wasteland I encountered the second time is different. Then, will the next time I encounter it be different? I continued to think about it and picked up the purification.

-widely

A remote place.

A sudden sound appeared in the sky, cutting through the clouds and landing on the rock.

The movement was very light.

The movement was faint, as if feathers were falling. However, the speed was incredibly fast, which was not commensurate with the movement.

‘hmm.’

The observed information entered my head.

The owner of the sound of falling was a man.

A sturdy build. Not bulky, but muscular.

The hair and eyes are black.

He was wearing thin armor, and had some kind of leather wrapped around his back like a cloak. As expected, it wasn’t ordinary leather.

‘Was it made by cutting the second-tier leather into one piece?’

In addition, there are many pieces of equipment… all of which are equipped with high-grade artifacts.

The most striking thing is the longbow held in the man’s hand.

When standing upright, it is about the size of a large, sturdy man. It is overall blue in color, with some white spots like clouds.

‘That’s also a top-tier artifact.’

The name and grade of the bow are known from the original work.

Of course, you could tell that it was more than the best just by looking at the momentum in real time.

-Tsk tsk!

My skin felt itchy.

I felt the man’s brain power with more precision and output than anyone else’s.

‘The 8th time.’

There is no doubt.

The 8th time was coming up now.

[hello?]

I was worried that he might strike first like the second time, so I held onto the purification and watched his reaction, then I greeted him first.

The 8th time, he looked down at me from the rock. His gaze seemed to cut straight through me like an arrowhead. I swallowed hard and activated the necklace.

[Hey, this is our first time meeting. I…]

“… What a handsome kid.”

[yes?]

The lips of the 8th person who had been tightly shut opened. My face turned blank at the first words I could never have imagined.

“You’re so cool.”

[…?]

“Tsk tsk, even if you look closely, he looks like he’s going to be a lot of women.”

[?]

Rain after rain? Question marks kept coming to my mind. I never thought that instead of arrows, such criticism would come flying at me.

“Well, I know who you are even if you don’t say anything. Since we’ve already met, I’d like to talk… Ugh.”

The 8th round, which had been scratching its head, suddenly tilted its head back.

“This b*tch and that b*tch. How can you possibly think of me as a retard?”

[yes?]

The face of the 8th person who looked up at the sky became cold and hard.

A sharp light shone through his black eyes, and uniqueness swelled greatly within them.

I, too, read the omen and took a stance.

‘Expansion capability.’

There are quite a few expansion abilities in the 8th round. Among them, I know of an expansion ability that can be used with such an effect.

Thunderbolt expansion ability

Clairvoyance

The eyes of the 8th time became dizzy. While recognizing the day, they also looked at countless things far away.

‘…what.’

It’s infinitely far away. It might be beyond my observation range.

No, it’s more than that.

If you think about the sniping distance of the 8th round in the original, it’s higher than that.

‘Where are you looking?’

A sense of discomfort… More precisely, it’s a feeling of creepiness. I feel like I can’t just leave the 8th episode as it is.

“Found.”

The cool gaze faded away. The face of the 8th person became distorted.

A murderous intent spread instead of the light. The clouds that filled the surroundings were pushed away like a hammer, avoiding the 8th round.

-Kiririk!

Lightning struck the taut bowstring. Kkurung…! A low rumble of thunder spread and the clouds were pushed away once more.

It wasn’t me who was aiming the bow.

What a pitiful sky.

Preemptive action to link expansion capabilities…

‘no.’

It wasn’t me who was aiming for it. I kicked the ground at the same time as making that judgment.

-bang!

‘Ugh… ‘

The lightning that was shooting up to the sky was broken. The lightning that struck with purification was broken, and some of it was absorbed into the crystal binding.

The rest were thrown down the steep ridge to the poor land below.

Kwarrurung! The world flashed. Any trees or rocks that had been slightly affected by the thunderbolt disappeared, and the entire ground caved in.

“… What are you doing?”

[I have something to say…]

The 8th round of bowing spoke. I bit my lips at the flat tone of voice. I landed on the floor and released my trembling hands.

[What… are you trying to match?]

“… There is something.”

The 8th round nodded.

“You’re a bitch who stabbed and killed your colleagues to death.”

* * *

[The power “Growth” is revealed]

[The ordeal of growth is in motion]

[The power “knowledge” is revealed]

[The power “Observation” is activated]

[Viewing the Tower of Knowledge’s Internal Observation Record “No. 8”]

[The power “Tuning” is manifested]

[Connecting the Tower of Knowledge and the Tower of Growth]

[The power “Space” is manifested]

[Tower of Knowledge Internal Observation Record “8th” Access]

…

[Implementing recorded existence]

[Incomplete implementation]

[Eighth round]

[Thunder]