episode_0049

While the first-year students were undergoing trials inside the tower, the professors in charge were not just idly playing around.

They had already gathered in one place, watching the students’ trials through holograms and preparing for any unexpected situations.

Of course, since it was inside the tower, there was no real possibility of anything happening, but it was a matter of formality.

Furthermore, they needed to receive data later on, but for now, they were evaluating the students’ trials in real-time and assigning preliminary scores.

Among the many holograms displayed in the center, a significant number were focused on a particular student.

A special admission student with exceptional looks and distinctive eyes always on guard. Also, a student with a massive score of 1,000 hanging around their neck.

In other words, the target of everyone’s attention was this student.

The environment had made it so. The intentions of the chancellor were unknown, but it was at the chancellor’s behest that the special admission student had a massive score hanging around their neck.

The professors in charge of the first year did not have high expectations for Lee Hayul.

In a situation where most students were targeting him, they did not think he would achieve anything.

It was a common-sense thought.

“Oh…”

Lee Sooyeon, who had initially questioned the disadvantage of the special admission student, exclaimed with her mouth agape.

“He’s really flying around.”

The other professors nearby had different expressions, but they were feeling similar emotions.

In the massive hologram, as Lee Hayul waved his hand, the air rippled, and a blue arrow appeared out of thin air.

The blue arrow traced a path and shot out. The projectiles aimed at Lee Hayul were successively shot down by the blue arrow.

“Magic arrow… The difficulty may be easy, but the casting speed is ridiculously fast. And at that speed with an invisible bow.”

“The manipulation is excellent as well. All the projectiles are moving as intended.”

The textbook of magic involves self-suggestion through visualization. The process may be cumbersome, but one can directly manipulate magic power for casting, although the output is lower than through visualization.

However, on the screen, Lee Hayul was using an invisible bow, displaying an output beyond the textbook method, even at an incredibly fast speed.

“It’s not just magic.”

Albert, the professor in charge of wind magic, muttered.

Approaching Lee Hayul, who had deflected the projectiles, were two students. Each of them was a combat major student wielding a spear and a sword.

One against two. Naturally, being outnumbered was a disadvantage.

“…Magic is impressive, but martial arts are even more astonishing.”

Three new students got entangled. Legs and armaments scraping the ground. At the end of a brief skirmish, one of the new students emerged roughly.

It was the student holding the spear. The spear that had been in his hand until a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

Lee Hayul tightly gripped the spear and moved his legs. Following the lower body, the upper body moved as well, and then the spear drew countless paths.

The student with the sword was forced back helplessly. Blood-red flashes appeared everywhere.

Just as the spear was about to pierce the neck, the student’s attack was interrupted by another student’s sudden intervention, and they distanced themselves.

“He’s skilled. He’s already quite accustomed to combat.”

No one had expected Lee Hayul to make any significant contributions. The idea of him making a contribution was absurd.

Day 2 of the Inner Tower.

Lee Hayul, who had been pursued since the middle of Day 1, had yet to be eliminated.

On the contrary.

“Basic combat major three, skilled three, advanced two. Basic support major one, skilled two. Skilled in crafting major one, skilled in magic major one? Wow.”

A total score of approximately 600 points.

Instead of being eliminated, he displayed a remarkable feat of eliminating over ten students.

More than just a mere fisherman’s luck, he was facing off against a multitude of opponents.

“Isn’t he already way beyond what he set out to achieve? Wow, with 600 points, he must have already obtained a decent artifact.”

Kim Soo-yeon, who checked her accumulated score, whistled.

600 points. A score that is hard to earn even after four days of hard work. At this level, the score is more than generous, it’s overflowing.

“Magic and martial arts. Both are outstanding, aren’t they?”

“Just in one month to reach this level… The headmaster was right.”

“Is the high scoring meant to induce trials? Should we say that it shows deep trust…?”

The conversations around were all about Yi Hayul. It was a natural topic. Everyone had witnessed such a spectacle.

Just now, even with the combined efforts of several students, they managed to break through the encirclement and escape.

Moreover, as they repeated battles, they couldn’t help but admire the rapid growth in skills.

Everyone held awe and admiration for Yi Hayul, as well as expectations for the future.

‘Huh?’

In the midst of all this.

‘Why is he so good at fighting?’

Liana Velus blinked her eyes, swallowing her doubts.

Strictly speaking, Liana had not been involved much in Yi Hayul’s education.

She helped with the initiation of magic, assisted in adapting to magic, and also helped with the initiation of spells, teaching a little more.

That was all. Even if she helped with the initiation, it was all about laying the foundation a bit faster and safer.

She did not teach him to build up skills to the extent of flying around like that.

There was someone else who taught him.

Liana turned her head. A figure who was not the first-year professor here.

Atra Clyde. She was as usual, arms crossed, staring intently at the hologram.

“What did you teach him?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t teach him anything in particular.”

“Even after seeing that?”

Liana pointed to the hologram with a puzzled expression. Atra glanced at the hologram and shook her head.

“I really didn’t teach him much. He just learned on his own.”

There was no lie. Atra had tried hard to teach, but it depended on the aptitude and will of the student to acquire and embody it.

This was the second time she had tried teaching. She had already confirmed that she had no particular talent for teaching.

The growth that came from her teaching was due to the student being exceptional.

Yi Hayul had exceptional aptitude and was a diligent child who improved his attitude towards classes over time.

That’s why he grew like that, and he is still growing.

The initial behavior he showed was a bit strange.

Realizing that there was a problem with his detection ability, there was a sense of regret.

And although there were more stumbling movements than before, there was a slight sense of pride in the fact that he seemed to have solved the problem.

Atra’s verbose words came to an end. Liana thought for a moment and blurted out.

“So, your student is talented, right?”

“…Why the abbreviation?”

Atra’s mouth twitched.

“Do you know that your mouth twitches every time your student is praised? You seem to like it openly.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I never did that.”

“Nonsense, your mouth twitches every time you get praised, right?”

Atra turned her head as if she no longer felt the need to answer.

I won’t show any affection… Not showing it at all.

Last time, when Yi Hayul vomited and lost his mind, and seeing that twitching mouth, it seems like I’ve already shown enough affection.

Liana looked puzzled, shook her head, and looked back at the hologram.

On the third day, a boss entity appears. From then on, the interest in Yi Hayul will be dispersed.

Right now, even though he succeeded in escaping, his injuries were severe. If left untreated, he might be eliminated soon…

‘Can he endure it…’

* * *

‘This should be considered a good performance.’

She thought leaning against the wall of the cave.

The protagonist desperately broke through the encirclement of the newcomers and managed to escape. After shaking off the pursuit somehow, they were able to hide in a suitable cave.

The first floor of the tower, the space allocated to the first-year students, is disgustingly vast. There are easily hundreds of caves like this one.

“Sigh…”

A chill ran down their spine from the coldness seeping from the walls. Their body shuddered at the coldness piercing through their skin.

Although their senses were abnormally heightened and they gained something from it, there were also side effects of feeling even the unpleasant parts more acutely.

They wanted to immediately get rid of the sensation, but more than that, they wanted to give their body a rest.

“It’s strange.”

It was strange. And awkward.

The information coming through their ears felt that way. The sensations felt through their senses felt that way. Reading the flow of the wind, reading movements felt that way.

The map drawn by sensing mana felt that way. It was a strange sensation that couldn’t be felt visually.

Of course, it was just awkward. And they were getting used to it quickly.

Part of it was due to the overlapping growth, but still, there were familiar aspects to it.

“Spatial perception.”

Strictly speaking, what they had done was an imitation of spatial perception. Currently, their spatial perception was closed. Therefore, the information coming through it had disappeared.

The map was blank. It was like closing their eyes. They gathered information through hearing, touch, and mana to draw the map.

It was unstable. There were many empty spaces and imprecise parts. But it was somewhat similar to spatial perception.

In fact, spatial perception provided them with a lot of unnecessary information. Even if they filtered it out, there was still a lot of useless information.

It was observing the entire space to perceive information. Even if they filtered it, there would still be a lot of information.

All the information they were receiving now was helpful. In fact, in the field of ‘combat,’ they had reached a level close to mastery.

Of course, spatial perception was still more convenient and superior.

“Hmm…”

They moved their hand. Their shoulders were stiff, and commands were being rejected from various parts of their body. Their whole body was like that. With wounds all over, being alive was actually a strange state.

If they fully accepted this pain… they didn’t have confidence in keeping their sanity.

They still didn’t want to fight, and they didn’t want to get hurt.

Even now, the pain was only a sharp sting, but they still didn’t like it.

“This won’t do.”

They cautiously rubbed their body with their hands. A faint healing magic seeped in.

It had little effect. They hadn’t properly learned healing magic. Healing magic showed good efficiency when used in conjunction with the innate abilities of the healing category.

There were many wounds. The pain was just a sharp sting, but their consciousness was gradually fading. It was probably due to bleeding. They had lost too much blood.

“I held up well.”

Today was the second day. Judging by the information they had gathered, it was estimated to be the evening of the second day.

Having been chased from the first day, they had endured and escaped from the pursuit of the newcomers for almost a full day.

To be honest, I want to shower myself with endless praise.

Of course, everything I achieved was not solely due to my abilities. As the pursuit continued, the newcomers who noticed my presence gathered in large numbers, but they couldn’t all target me with one heart.

They restrained each other, so I showed many openings.

If they hadn’t restrained each other and just rushed at me individually, I might not have been able to escape.

Considering that, they did exceptionally well.

They eliminated roughly a dozen or so. It’s admirable, but honestly, it’s a bit regrettable.

Imitating spatial perception through senses and mana. There were many shortcomings, and they missed out on many newcomers they could have caught.

If their spatial perception had been intact, they could have done more.

“I’m quite greedy.”

Suddenly, such a thought crossed my mind, and a smile crept across my face. I had become more ambitious than expected, and my performance had been quite satisfactory.

Although I couldn’t even eat the Hidden Pheas, and I didn’t pick a single herb, I still earned points. Moreover, my skills had improved significantly in many ways.

“If I knew it would be like this, I should have pushed through to the end instead of running away.”

I had fled due to my survival instinct, but now I realized that I might have gained more by facing it head-on and potentially failing.

There was no point in regretting what had already passed. I shook off my regrets and checked my plans.

Let’s try to adapt in the personal training room inside the Tower. Will my spatial perception return there?

If it does, I will adjust along with my heightened senses, and if it doesn’t, I will try to get more accustomed to it.

After leaving the Tower… I should start preparing for outings. It’s time to truly go find the Hidden Pheas.

If I endure a little longer, I will return from being a mute puppet to normal. Even now, there were no major issues with the hologram, but speaking verbally was still more comfortable.

– Jebuk

Then, I heard footsteps.

It was the approach of someone coming into the cave. Judging by the simple stride, it seemed like a woman, and the rhythmic tapping felt like a staff or a spear.

The amount of magic power was immense. Is she a mage?

“Unbelievable.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

How did she find me? I ran so far. It’s absurd that she easily found me after I had made such an effort to escape.

Even if it was a coincidence, it was equally unbelievable. Among all those caves, the fact that someone would come into this narrow, dilapidated cave was absurd.

Luck truly has no sense of direction.

She entered the entrance. The air in the cave changed. I tried to measure her physique through it.

She’s about the same height as me. Petite frame. Seems like a woman.

Her heart was beating roughly. She was tense. Was it not a coincidence but a pursuit?

Confusing information. Amidst sensing her approaching presence, a sudden question popped into my mind.

What would happen to my score if I voluntarily withdrew now? Naturally, the score wouldn’t be credited to me.

So, would it go to those who pushed me in like this? Would the score be divided among them? Or would it go to the one who delivered the final blow?

It would probably go to the last one. Thinking about it made me chuckle.

If that woman accidentally finds me and eliminates me, wouldn’t those who pushed me in have wasted their efforts?

It’s a mess.

Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with the rules, and logically, there’s nothing wrong either, but…

I just played a little trick after going through some hardships. My head felt muddled, and all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

I got up. My movements were still sluggish, but I had to resist a little, right?

I raised my trembling arms as if to prepare for battle. Now, even with dwindling magic, I readied myself for combat by tapping into what little magic I had left.

Her presence entered the range. With little magic left to use, I approached her first… Magic? It had a familiar quality to it?

“Hayul?”

A familiar voice. Unconsciously, the tension in my fists loosened.

Just like that time, it was a meeting where I couldn’t see clearly.

Elia Slayde. She entered the narrow cave without realizing the danger and confidently approached me, then gently touched my cheek.

I didn’t think much of her actions. Being touched on the cheek had become a familiar gesture by now. The only thought in my mind was, is it safe in this situation?

What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming sensation of being touched in a situation where my senses were heightened.

‘Ugh…!’

Internally, a grotesque scream erupted.