episode_0067

The sense of unease that I couldn’t properly put into words flowed through my mind.

I absentmindedly twisted my fingers at the meaningless thoughts that were passing by.

Thud- a subtle pleasure spread from my fingertips with a sound. It felt good.

At the same time, my senses returned. The rationality that was sinking into a daze was startled by the stimulation and I sat up straight.

My legs, shuffling towards the dormitory, suddenly stopped.

‘Ah.’

Reality hit me. The harsh reality that I had been avoiding came rushing in.

With a dizzying sensation, I sighed and buried my face in my hands. Waves of self-disgust washed over me.

‘Why did I… why did I do that?’

I had visited Hong Yeonhwa to check on her condition around lunchtime today.

I thought it would be inconvenient to visit in the morning or evening, so I waited until after lunchtime to visit.

I had planned to ask about her well-being briefly, hand her a scarf, and then leave. It was out of consideration that it wasn’t polite to linger around a patient for too long.

As I was discussing such etiquette, I unexpectedly fell asleep in the patient’s arms.

I observed my surroundings spatially. It was starting to get dark, with the sunset fading away.

In other words, it was already evening.

I fell asleep in the patient’s embrace until evening, and on top of that, I even stayed for dinner.

‘Ugh…’

An immeasurable mental blow struck my head. My mind became dizzy.

After handing her the scarf, Hong Yeonhwa suddenly gasped for breath and had a seizure.

At that moment, I didn’t have time to think. I instinctively pulled her into a tight embrace.

Just like Hong Yeonhwa did for me at the freshman welcome party in the infirmary.

Fortunately, the outcome was good. She returned to normal. I remembered exhaling a sigh of relief.

But there was regret. I thought it would have been better to call for Erielle before hugging her. If only there wasn’t a curse, I would have shouted for her immediately.

As I continued to experience this daily life, I repeatedly felt the discomfort of not having a voice.

Despite the abundance of holograms, speaking directly was still the most comfortable.

The reasons to quickly retrieve the confession necklace increased.

Anyway.

It was understandable to hug Hong Yeonhwa to calm her down. Although it was a sudden hug, there was the excuse of it being an emergency situation.

However, after hearing about the secret (speculation) of the bloodline, why did I suddenly hug her in her condition? And why did I fall asleep like that?

It didn’t make sense. I began to question if I was going crazy.

It wasn’t a behavior I would normally do. Something was off.

The reason for this could be…

“Geophwa.”

I cautiously touched my right arm.

The incident where geophwa was emitted inside the tower. I had a record of losing control of my emotions and acting out towards Hong Yeonhwa.

It was the same this time. My emotions heightened. My thoughts became short, and I acted impulsively.

Being provoked by emotions and showing impulsive tendencies.

Typical characteristics of geophwa.

Could it be that I possess geophwa? I recalled Hong Yeonhwa’s words with a sense of unease.

The mention of me possibly being a part of the geophwa lineage… Honestly, I still don’t know.

Lee Hayul from the original world that I consider myself to be.

The records clearly state the existence of this world’s Lee Hayul with a burn on his right arm, and the use of geophwa…

“What on earth is this?”

Lost in thought, I soon arrived at the dormitory.

I opened the door and entered. The unchanged interior of the dormitory… or rather, there was one difference from before.

A pile of unlucky fabrics that were not born as works of art was stacked in a corner of the living room.

“I should clean that up too.”

The fingers were idly fidgeting with each other. Although it didn’t show on the surface, upon closer observation, there were subtle signs of recent minor injuries.

Knitting was something learned early on after entering Siyolam.

To train as a versatile individual, one must challenge themselves in various aspects.

Therefore, I was exposed to simple handcraft skills in my spare time.

The main ones being knitting and woodworking.

Of course, woodworking was limited to making simple wooden sculptures.

It may seem trivial, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to be skilled in activities like knitting or woodworking.

Thanks to my versatility, I easily delved into knitting. I was able to make decent socks on my first try, and later on, I could even make scarves.

So, I thought I should make Hong Yeonhwa’s get-well gift myself…

– “This isn’t right.”

– “I made it poorly…”

– “It looks ugly.”

After making it, I realized it wasn’t up to par. I would use it myself, but thinking of giving it as a gift, there were too many flaws to overlook.

Failed attempts piled up one after another… and time melted away like ice cream.

– “Oh.”

After a few hours passed, I finally managed to produce a decent scarf, and after some finishing touches, the gift was complete.

During the finishing process, there were moments of pricking and cutting with thin lace needles or scissors.

If it were just a simple patch, tough skin would endure, but delicately wrapping a weak muscle around it caused such mishaps.

There were also a few mistakes made in folding in the temperature control and durability adjustment techniques.

Thus, the finished product was a scarf (Mado-gu) with added temperature control and durability adjustment techniques.

It was a legitimate crafting activity. It was definitely not a waste of time. It would surely come in handy when I delved into alchemy or enchanting later on.

Clearing away the furballs, I rationalized it like that.

And so, the weekend came to an end.

Through the Tower of Growth, I confirmed my own growth.

The residents of Siyolam, gathering world-class talents. I survived alone for two days within their combined efforts, even with spatial perception disrupted.

Of course, it was fortunate that I didn’t encounter any major figures, but it was evidence of my improving skills.

It was an achievement I couldn’t have dared to expect.

Honestly, I felt like jumping for joy. To rapidly grow stronger in a world where power is everything was a great blessing, increasing the chances of breaking the curse.

– Hooong!

The main contributor to this achievement reached out with a fist.

The sound of wind splitting lingered in my ears.

Even before that, spatial perception read the trajectory of the fist.

The belated wind brushed against my skin, signaling another attack.

A golden aura fluttered as it flew straight.

Generally, linear attacks are simple and easily countered.

Reading the trajectory and preparing a response is straightforward.

But it had been almost a month since I had been sparring with Professor Atra.

I knew how unpredictable that seemingly simple fist could be.

If I clumsily attempted to dodge, the trajectory would immediately change, hitting me in the jaw, and after a few exchanges, the fist would strike.

I had experienced it countless times. I had always pondered, but there was no solution to that.

A simplicity close to the basics. But that was Professor Atra’s teaching, that simplicity could contain various changes.

I just had to fight well on my end. That was the only answer.

I chose to face it head-on. The mana from the core wrapped around my arms. Swiftly manifested aura wrapped around my fist.

I extended one fist. The fists collided.

– Kwaang!

After the collision, I tightly clenched my fist, feeling it tremble. It was as if the vibration traveled all the way to my head.

The strength surrounding my fist. The activated muscles. My physical abilities soaring day by day.

Even though I tried to handle it, the impact was overwhelming. Gritting my teeth, I swung my fist.

It wasn’t just about swinging my fist. My legs moved incessantly, changing my stance. If there was a gap, I would deliver a swift kick.

Our physical levels were similar. Professor Atra was using his body considering my level.

Our skills were also quite similar. He didn’t use any advanced techniques that I couldn’t respond to in the beginning.

Yet, he broke through.

I could see through his moves, but I couldn’t respond in time. The accumulated attacks created opportunities that I couldn’t block even though I knew they were coming.

A knee kick flying towards my side. I quickly lowered my hand to defend.

– Thud!

“Ugh.”

The sensation of the knee hitting my arm was dizzying.

My body was pushed back by the impact. I didn’t resist. Instead, I kicked the ground as if in response.

My body floated in the air. Feeling the unfamiliar sensation of levitation, I drew out the mana within me.

Releasing the mana into the surroundings, I constructed a spell using the drawn mana.

The swift process unfolded. I manifested various spells while pushing away his arm.

The ground under Professor Atra’s feet trembled, and blade-shaped earth shot up.

The wind gathered around me turned into blades and shot towards him.

This was the first phase. Utilizing mana once again, I built up the spell. My floating body touched the ground, and I adjusted my stance.

– Kwaang!

I had expected this.

Before I could act, Professor Atra’s leg stomped on the ground.

The ground shook, and the rising spikes wavered.

Mana extended from his leg to the ground. With a thud, the earth spikes shattered like cookies.

Avoiding the flying debris, Professor Atra reached out his foot.

In one step, the distance closed, and the wind blades approached my face. Professor Atra casually moved his body.

The fourteen wind blades shot towards me.

I dodged nine of them. With my fist imbued with strength, I deflected the remaining two. The deflected wind blades twisted the trajectory of the remaining three.

The wind blades exploded, and a gust of wind swept through. Professor Atra’s hair fluttered. Amidst this, his cold eyes were fixed on me.

Those eyes were suddenly right in front of me. Professor Atra extended his fist with indifferent eyes.

In an unstable position and in the midst of casting a spell, I desperately unraveled the spell.

The surging mana made my head spin.

Without giving up, I extended my fist.

– Thwack!

It hurt.

.

.

.

“Mixing magic during close combat is good, but you need to consider the possibility of magic failure. Keep that in mind.”

– Nod…

I nodded sullenly.

After rolling on the training ground, I listened to feedback while catching my breath.

It was a brief rest period where I internalized the shortcomings from the previous sparring session.

I lay on the ground, panting heavily.

“…It’s the same as before.”

I felt a rapid growth compared to other novices, but the pattern of sparring remained the same.

At the beginning, I would struggle with opponents of similar physical levels and skills.

Professor Atra would analyze my level with emotionless eyes and then gradually increase his skills.

Slowly falling behind, I would ultimately be overwhelmed in the end.

As I nodded while listening to feedback, I felt a dizzying sensation at the tip of my nose.

Drip, drip.

A red line was drawn with a tingling sensation.

“Oh. Nosebleed.”

It wasn’t from a hit. Professor Atra didn’t leave any visible wounds, just a slight bruise, but no bleeding wound.

Of course, sometimes it does happen, but that’s not Professor Atra’s fault, it’s my mistake.

This nosebleed was caused by me.

More precisely, it was not due to a physical impact, but rather a backlash of magic.

It happened because I forcefully interrupted the casting of a spell.

When a magic spell is interrupted midway, the magic power that was being used flows back and harms the caster.

Most of the injuries that a mage suffers are due to this backlash of magic power.

It may sound boastful, but I handle magic power well enough that the nosebleed stops after a bit.

“It’s itchy.”

As the nosebleed trickled down my chin, my nose twitched.

Just as I was about to move to wipe it away, a handkerchief suddenly approached.

“?”

The owner of the handkerchief was Professor Atra. She took out the handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away the nosebleed.

“Bow your head.”

Professor Atra pressed firmly on my forehead with her other hand. As I bowed my head, the nosebleed flowed again.

She wrapped the handkerchief around my nose and pressed firmly. It didn’t hurt. In fact, the subtle pressure felt comforting.

The right amount of pressure continued, and before long, the nosebleed stopped.

Professor Atra removed the handkerchief and said, “Always be cautious of magic power backlash. It’s a phenomenon that occurs not only when using magic, but also in the process of using simple spells and techniques.”

– …nod

Nodding my head, I thought to myself about Professor Atra.

The training continued as usual. I was handed various weapons to spar with. Sometimes we even sparred barehanded.

She taught me how to use magic power, spells, and techniques in between.

The routine was the same.

But…

“Take this.”

[Thank you]

“Something…”

Professor Atra handed me a water bottle. As I accepted it, the cool water refreshed my grip.

I tilted my head at Professor Atra, who handed me the water bottle and then flicked the handkerchief.

Was her attitude slightly softer?

Maybe it’s just my mood.

* * *

[Player Adjustment System: Crafting]

Would you like to craft a scarf (magic tool)?

…

Would you like to craft a scarf (magic tool)?

…

Would you like to craft a scarf (magic tool)?

…

[Player Adjustment System: Affection]

Yi Hayul → Atra Clyde

●●●●●●○○○○(65/100)

“Affection” “Fear” “Expectation” “Worry”

[You have not met the conditions to lift the “Curse of Silence”]

[You have not met the conditions to lift the “Curse of Solitude”]