episode_0044

The location where Siyoram is situated lies in the middle of the North Pacific. The entire artificial island created by Headmaster Neri is Siyoram’s territory.

Roughly half of the territory is occupied by dungeons maintained for the training of novices.

The remaining half consists of commercial areas naturally formed by the gathering of people, educational facilities for novices’ training, and other vacant lands.

*Sigh…*

A deep sigh escaped involuntarily.

Struggling to hold onto the frayed mental thread after a wasted weekend, I made my way out of the dormitory.

After boarding the school bus, it didn’t take long to arrive at the central square.

Although the proportion it occupies within the whole is small, once you arrive at Siyoram’s center, there exists a vast square that makes it hard to grasp its size.

Even with my spatial perception maximized, the area was so vast that I couldn’t fully encompass it. The zones for 1st to 4th graders were designated along the branching paths here.

In the center of that square stood a towering ivory-colored tower.

Tall as if several soccer fields combined, piercing through the clouds as if descended from the sky, the Tower of Growth.

*…Tower of Growth.*

The phenomenon manifested by the tower in space during the last gate incident.

Afraid of detecting the Tower of Growth and experiencing what happened then, I scanned the tower using my spatial perception radar, which I no longer used.

Fortunately, nothing special happened. Or rather, I should say I couldn’t read anything. It felt like pounding a solid stone wall with my fists.

On one side of the spacious square, numerous novices gathered under the guidance of instructors.

The total number of 1st-year students exceeded 500.

Sensing the bustling atmosphere, I headed towards where Professor Liana’s presence could be felt.

I arrived at a familiar spot.

*[▼Entrance Class, this way▼]*

Under the imposing hologram, Professor Liana stood. The hologram projected by her smartwatch had been enlarged.

She was dressed in a robe similar to before. There were many familiar gestures around her.

I moved slowly. Perhaps due to the weekend’s collapse-induced rest, my body was almost back to normal.

However, I still felt something bubbling inside me. It seemed like I hadn’t fully absorbed all the medicine yet.

“Good morning.”

“Hi~”

“Hello.”

*[Good morning.]*

Approaching the group near the Entrance Class, some novice students with slightly familiar faces greeted me.

Although greetings were exchanged on the first day, this time they seemed noticeably warmer.

It seemed that familiarity had grown from attending lectures together and interacting during training and dungeon exercises from the previous session.

There might still be those who look down on me from behind. But that’s not something I can control.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Among the gathered Entrance Class students were Elia, Attila, and Aidan.

Attila, who had been tapping his smartwatch absentmindedly, waved, while Aidan, standing beside him, awkwardly nodded when he saw me.

“It’s a bit funny to ask how you’ve been after just a week, but are you doing well?”

*[Yes, I’m doing well.]*

There were a few minor incidents, like suddenly dozing off due to childhood trauma or vomiting blood while taking medicine. In the end, both were resolved… one was resolved, and the other is currently being resolved.

*[How about you, Attila? Are you doing well too?]*

“Yes, I’m doing fine.”

Attila glanced sideways. Aidan, who caught his gaze, turned his head sheepishly.

Why is he acting like that… Oh, right.

*[Can I ask how the previous sparring went?]*

“Oh, that…”

“This idiot got his ass handed to him.”

Aidan grimaced, making a stifled sound as he shrugged his shoulders. That must have been the reason for his sulky demeanor since earlier.

“I did fairly well, but I allowed the deciding blow in the latter part and lost. It was a similar flow to when Hayul… idiot.”

“Ugh…”

“Talking about showing the superiority of the sword, and then ending up like this… idiot.”

“Ugh…”

A sharp jab, and Aidan’s confident demeanor crumbled. Calling someone an idiot… that’s a bit harsh… right? Well, maybe they’re just playing around since they’re close.

Anyway.

“……”

[Good morning.]

Elia’s reaction seems somewhat off. After approaching me and greeting me, she stares intently at my face, then tilts her head with a puzzled expression.

“Did you ask something?”

“Oh no, nothing was asked.”

Even after scanning me with spatial awareness, she seems unsure.

“Just… um… it’s hard to say, but it feels like something has changed…”

Elia herself seems uncertain as she shakes her head.

“Is it because of the potion?”

In reality, there’s no reason for anything to change other than the potion.

After exchanging a few words and catching up, I turned to Professor Liana. I should at least mark my attendance now that I’m here.

“Alright, let’s gather here… huh?”

As I approached, Professor Liana turned her head. However, her reaction wasn’t what I expected.

I thought she would greet me warmly, but she just blinked at my face blankly. Her gaze traveled down my body before tilting her head.

“…Huh?”

It’s clearly a bewildered response.

At that moment, as Professor Liana stared blankly at me, she reached out and firmly grabbed my cheeks. Her lips puckered, forming a fish-like shape.

Then suddenly, she leaned in towards me.

“Sniff…”

‘?’

Suddenly, I caught a whiff of something. Specifically around my neck. The sensation of her breath tickling my skin made me shrink back.

Puzzled by her actions, I stood frozen, and after a moment, Professor Liana lifted her head. Her face still bore a look of confusion.

Onlookers also glanced over in silence.

There are not only members from the Spring Equinox here.

There are also representatives from the Vernal Equinox, Gyeongchip, Chunbun, Cheongmyeong, and Gogu. Some of them even seem intrigued.

“Hmm…?”

[Why are you acting like that?]

“Uh… oh… I’m sorry. I wasn’t myself for a moment.”

It’s an inexplicable behavior. I couldn’t even guess why she did that suddenly. When I questioned her hologram, Professor Liana shook her head in confusion.

After a brief moment, Professor Liana apologized for her behavior. I nodded absentmindedly, still puzzled.

“……”

“……”

After marking my attendance with Professor Liana, I returned to my spot. Elia had briefly left her seat, and Attila and Aidan were looking at me with vacant expressions.

The two exchanged awkward glances and continued their conversation.

I chose to stay quiet without further explanation.

.

.

.

“Regarding the matter of the Inseop, Professor Albert Caniazel, who is in charge of the Gogu faction, will provide the details.”

A middle-aged man with a thick build stepped onto the makeshift podium.

Despite appearing older, his swept-back blonde hair exuded strength, and the scars scattered across his face indicated a rough past.

As the powerful voice of the sermon continued, I glanced around with a puzzled expression.

Next to me stood Hong Yeonhwa, whose chubby appearance hinted at a strong presence. Just by observing her arms crossed and her gaze fixed on the podium, it didn’t seem like a good sign.

‘Oh no…’

After catching sight of Hong Yeonhwa, who had entered my slightly narrowed range of spatial awareness after Professor Liana’s scent incident, memories of the weekend came flooding back.

I distinctly remember checking my messages as soon as I woke up on Saturday, but I completely forgot to reply after getting up briefly. Moreover, I had rushed out without even having time to respond due to the fear of being late.

That was my situation. From Hong Yeon-hwa’s perspective, even after offering her precious potion, she felt completely ignored, leaving her not just upset but deeply hurt.

Feeling like she was being resented by Hong Yeon-hwa made me lose my focus. Just moments ago, my mind was filled with thoughts about the tower, but now they’ve all vanished.

[Sorry for not replying. It’s just an excuse, but I took the potion and ended up sleeping through the weekend.]

But I couldn’t just stay silent. I shrunk the hologram size and cautiously showed it to Hong Yeon-hwa.

[Sorry.]

Hong Yeon-hwa glanced at the hologram briefly. The corners of her mouth drooped.

“…Sigh.”

After staring at the hologram for a moment, Hong Yeon-hwa let out a deep sigh, then reached out and pinched one of my cheeks.

Her complexion brightened instantly at this positive signal.

“Ah.”

With a disappointed smile, Hong Yeon-hwa continued to pinch my cheek repeatedly.

Feeling somewhat guilty and mostly pleased, I quietly endured the cheek-pinching.

As Hong Yeon-hwa playfully pinched my cheek, she asked, “Hayul, why did the professor act that way just now?”

‘Just now?’

Thinking about what she meant, I realized she was referring to Professor Liana’s recent actions.

[I’m not sure either.]

“…Really?”

Making a strange expression, Hong Yeon-hwa lowered her head towards my neck, her light breath tickling my skin and making my shoulders tense.

“It only smells nice.”

“I see. How about refraining from showing affection in public?”

Ignoring Baek Arin’s whispered words and her annoyed expression beside her, Hong Yeon-hwa raised her face.

‘It seems like there’s no scent of blood.’

Having been immersed in a pool of blood for almost a day, I worried about any lingering smell of blood, so I cast cleansing and purification spells before coming out.

I was concerned about the scent lingering on Professor Liana earlier and now on Hong Yeon-hwa, but thankfully, it seemed to have worked.

“Did you take the potion? How are you feeling?”

[I felt tired right after taking it, but now I’m fine.]

“That’s a relief. Although the stabilization through processing is perfect, hearing it directly puts my mind at ease.”

…Hmm. So the safe potion was the right choice… Then what was I? No, my body has always been peculiar since my previous world.

While chatting, Professor Dan sang the end of his sermon, and the explanations began in earnest.

Pausing for a moment and capturing the students’ attention, the professor continued.

“The students will enter the Tower of Growth shortly. This entry tower aims for survival within the hostile environment and threats of monsters inside the tower.”

The Tower of Growth.

Located at the center of Siyolam, a vast ivory-colored tower and the reason for Siyolam’s establishment.

The Tower of Growth provides protection, but the benefits gained upon entering are equally significant.

Whether in the original or here, it’s often referred to as ‘entry tower’ for short.

The entry tower event significantly impacts the power-up of that round.

In the first round, everything was a problem due to lack of knowledge, especially because the entry tower event caused chaos, leading to a disrupted growth curve.

Particularly, the first entry tower is a crucial event. To roll Snowball, you need to gain a lot here.

However, we couldn’t do that in the first round.

“The entry tower will last for 5 days, allowing direct combat and competition among students. If deemed a life-threatening injury, the student will be eliminated and moved to a separate training room for the remaining period.”

We failed because of that competition.

A special admission student. A status that stirs controversy. Inside the tower, can special admission students compete on equal footing?

There are many people like Aidan who push their way in. No, now that different classes are mixed together, there will be even more.

And…

“With this entrance exam, the scores will be determined based on the points obtained by defeating monsters and trainees.”

With those words, as the professor tapped his smartwatch, a large hologram appeared above his head in all directions for everyone to see.

▶ Score Calculation ◀

[Grade 8 Monster: 1 point]

[Grade 7 Monster: 10 points]

…

[Basic Trainee in Minor Field: 20 points]

…

[Advanced Combat Trainee: 100 points]

…

[Total Third Place: 450 points]

[Total First Place: 500 points]

…

A score table emerged based on the grades of monsters and trainees. It felt like looking at a detailed butcher’s menu.

Feeling a strange sensation, I checked the end of the hologram.

The very last.

[Special Admission: 1,000 points]

…Hmm.

After some contemplation, I nodded. With such points, it was natural to aim high. Emotionally and practically, there were enough reasons to aim for the top.

I sighed inwardly and carefully removed the smartwatch attached to my left wrist.

No external equipment, including the smartwatch, could be brought into the tower. Only one’s own gear could be taken.

Thus, unable to use the hologram function of the smartwatch, I transformed from a mute spectator into a temporary mute within the tower.

It was unfortunate. The thought of parting ways, even temporarily, with my smartwatch, which had become like a part of me, filled me with deep melancholy.

Upon inquiring with Professor Liana, fortunately, I could bring my wristband. It was a relief not to show any suspicious traces in such a bustling place.

“I will enter from the Grain Rain phase.”

Now, the entrance to the tower was right before me.

“Grain Rain, enter!”

Swallowing nervously, I awkwardly fastened the wristband.

* * *

“Pure Brightness, enter!”

A tower of magnificent proportions fitting the description. At the base, there was an arched entrance, as dark as a starless night sky.

“Vernal Equinox, enter!”

Entrances started from the latter half, the Grain Rain phase, with a five-minute interval. Aligned trainees were entering the tower according to the schedule.

“Waking of Insects, enter!”

Although there was a difference in entry times, the difference in tower time was negligible. Therefore, there was no advantage based on the order of entry.

“Rain Water, enter!”

Upon entering the tower, the test began the moment one opened their eyes. From that moment on, survival for five days commenced.

“Start of Spring, enter!”

Soon, it was the turn of the Start of Spring phase. Trainees from the Start of Spring phase began to step forward one by one.

Even among the Start of Spring entrants, Hong Yeonhwa, almost at the very end, glanced briefly before turning her head.

“What are you going to do?”

Beside her was Baek Arin. With a slight smile, she turned her head to look at Hong Yeonhwa, who was contemplating.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Well…”

Lost in thought, Baek Arin let out a peculiar sound. Her hand, which had been twirling her hair, fell loose. Her watery hair cascaded down her shoulders.

“I have… something in mind.”

“What is it?”

“Well, even though it’s a competition, I can’t tell you my plans.”

“Tsk.”

Turning her head with a click of her tongue, Hong Yeonhwa. Baek Arin chuckled softly, gazing at the entrance of the bustling tower where the entries were in full swing.

Among the entrants was Lee Hayul, a special admission student. He seemed tense as he threw himself into the entrance.

“…I have a plan.”

It may or may not go well.

Baek Arin let out a chuckle.

* * *

Few things go as planned in life. That’s just how the world works. There’s hardly anyone in this world who has everything go exactly as they envisioned.

It’s a fact I know very well.

I grinned and took in a lungful of air that seemed filled with the scent of nature.

But.

“Why, why the hell can’t I see anything again?”

Where the heck did my spatial awareness go?