episode_0094

I was caught off guard by the Necklace of Confession. I never expected it to dig so deep into my inner thoughts.

With some eerie words mixed in, I was afraid that Eliya might have developed some resentment towards me.

…I cautiously observed her reactions, but thankfully, aside from Eliya ordering me a warm glass of milk, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

I had to make an effort not to grimace or express my distaste for the taste.

After practicing with Eliya’s help, I was able to gain some control over it.

But all I could manage for now was a simple on/off switch.

Strangely, it was difficult to filter out my true feelings.

Eliya’s grandfather managed to control it effortlessly in one go, so what was my problem…

‘Power…’

[It’s hard.]

As I muttered inwardly, the Necklace of Confession activated. The neutral yet gruff voice left an impression on me.

It went something like this.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. I grabbed the necklace and shook it vigorously.

Honestly, it wasn’t a bad thing.

With my voice sealed by the curse of silence, the Necklace of Confession allowed me to bypass that curse entirely.

It wasn’t some daunting method like a wish-granting artifact or a prison of wishes; it was just a simple low-grade artifact that helped me bypass the curse.

It was definitely beneficial, but in my current state of not being able to handle it properly, it felt somewhat lacking.

[Saindo Lee, verified.]

Along with the same mechanical voice as always, the dormitory door opened.

Normally, I would have authenticated with my smartwatch, but now I was using a holographic projector for verification instead.

The holographic projector was a tool I was familiar with.

It was essentially a smartphone with holographic capabilities.

In this day and age, who wouldn’t be using a smartwatch, but there were products available for the rare cases where someone couldn’t.

I took off my shoes at the entrance and headed to the cozy living room.

Using my observational abilities, I scanned the dormitory.

The entrance I just passed through.

The living room and kitchen. Three rooms, a bathroom, a storage room, and a balcony.

The last image I remembered remained unchanged.

There were no scattered piles of scarves that failed to become scarves, nor any signs of anything being specifically messed up.

There were hardly any traces left on the household items.

In fact, there was no reason for any traces to be left.

I hadn’t spent much time in the dormitory before.

In the morning, I attended general lectures, and in the afternoon, I trained rigorously in my major classes.

After that, I either continued to train or spent my time studying in the library, keeping myself busy.

Before I knew it, time would fly by.

Returning to the dormitory meant coming back in the early hours of the morning, collapsing immediately, and spending most of my time in the library.

So, I didn’t have many memories of using the dormitory facilities.

Even though I had initially thought I would be living here for a few years… upon closer inspection, it seemed like there wouldn’t be much use for the remaining time.

[Sigh]

[Disappointed]

[Hungry]

[Don’t feel like eating]

[Lonely]

‘Ugh…’

[Hey]

My attention briefly shifted elsewhere, causing the necklace to act up again. After silencing the necklace’s outburst, I sat down on the sofa.

The soft cushion still felt comforting against my buttocks.

‘Hmm…’

A considerable amount of time had passed. Most of what I had promised and planned for when I first entered the dormitory had been accomplished.

I had smoothly gone through minor tasks, including dungeon training.

I had studied diligently, although the backlog of material I hadn’t covered due to being stuck in the healing room was piling up like a mountain, something I would have to tackle through suffering…

I had also trained well. It might sound like boasting, but I felt like I might be in the upper-middle ranks among the first-year students now.

I obtained a lot of what I wanted.

I achieved my original growth at the Tower of Growth.

I also obtained the most important Origin Egg. And by the mid-point, I had also acquired the Artifact called the “Sky’s Wingtip.”

“I wonder when that will awaken.”

The Origin Egg was carefully placed on one side of the sofa. Its size was quite large, taking up a fair amount of space.

The Origin Egg is a Hidden Piece with a lot of randomness, but it is still a valuable item that more than pays for itself.

Not just any ordinary item, all the past Origin Eggs have produced something useful.

Especially in the later chapters, rare and valuable items were the focus.

“In particular, Chapter 11.”

Chapter 11, “Golden Warrior.”

Undoubtedly the most outstanding chapter in terms of sheer power.

Invading the Siyolam, partially destroying it, penetrating the defenses of the Floating Island where the Tower of Knowledge is located.

Plundering the three major families and other factions, and laying waste to the headquarters of the Association, Chapter 11 left behind significant achievements.

It was also a chapter where direct confrontation with the Tower Lord was possible.

Luck was on my side. Everything in the early stages went smoothly, maximizing my growth potential.

I made good choices. I discarded the past and focused solely on raising my power through sacrifice.

One of the smooth gears in this process was the Origin Egg of Chapter 11.

From the Origin Egg of Chapter 11 came the “Growth Elixir.”

Its effects were simple.

Expansion of stat potential and increased growth speed.

Simple, but at the time, it was the best result.

For the Golden Warrior who had grasped the path as an extreme martial artist, Chapter 11, which had just reached its peak growth curve, was more than suitable.

“I hope it’s something similar for me…”

I had high expectations. I gently stroked the Origin Egg without hiding those expectations.

The Growth Elixir? Even now, as someone who assumes the role of a jack-of-all-trades, it wasn’t bad.

I wouldn’t mind getting a weapon or artifact that I could use until the end like in Chapter 8, or an artifact like in Chapter 3 that was just a trinket but added a unique ability.

Anything would be fine. Thinking about the original work, it would somehow be helpful.

“Hmm…”

What I had planned. I obtained the Origin Egg, and I successfully completed all other tasks.

…Although I stumbled and veered off course several times while trying to obtain the Confession Necklace, I hadn’t deviated significantly.

I had completed all the early plans.

Now it was time to plan again.

The beginning and the goal were similar.

I would break the curse. I would unlock the Sensory Seal if I had the leisure. The Silence Curse… I probably couldn’t unlock it.

I also added the thought of saving others if I could reach them in the process.

The goal had been slightly expanded.

In the end, power was important. Regardless, the initial focus of the plan should be on the growth of my power.

I recalled the memories of the original work.

Having occasionally had time to think in the Healing Room, I had roughly laid out a plan.

“The Lake of Illusions.”

The Hidden Piece I found in Chapter 8… It was actually quite mysterious to call it a Hidden Piece. It was simply the location of a hidden dungeon.

But the existence of that dungeon alone greatly increased the player’s power stat.

It was a lake, as the name suggests. A small dungeon containing a beautiful lake that seemed to come straight out of a grand dream.

The notable thing was that it was generally disgustingly difficult to find, boasting an incredible purity and density of magic inside.

Just sitting there and absorbing magic would greatly inflate your magic stat.

Thanks to this, from Chapter 8 onwards, I had less worry about magic and possessed the ability to continuously unleash attacks without rest.

I was also considering one more thing, but I was hesitating a bit.

“The Artifact, Proof of Protection.”

Discovered in the 9th episode while riding the chaotic route, the hidden piece that was almost top-tier, bordering on high-grade artifact.

The reason it came to mind first is that the Proof of Protection artifact is a gauntlet.

Not just any gauntlet, but a high-grade artifact imbued with a unique ability that boasts incredible defensive performance.

…The status window had informed me of that. I had never used it myself.

Because the Proof of Protection is a picky artifact that chooses its owner.

Back then, riding the worst malicious route in history, the 9th episode only discovered it but didn’t have a proper interaction with it.

So I hesitated. Even if I managed to obtain it, would I be able to use it? It seemed like it might reject me since it follows the user’s tendencies.

Also, if I were to discover it after recovering my arm, I would have to cut off a perfectly fine arm just to use it.

A cowardly person like me… No, at the very least, a person with normal thinking wouldn’t consider cutting off their own arm…

There are a few other candidates, but I haven’t properly planned it out yet.

[Sigh]

A sigh escaped involuntarily. I had been annoyed since earlier by the necklace that occasionally inserted remarks or seemed to read my thoughts and spew them out.

I’ll have to spend some time controlling this for a while.

Avoiding the curse of silence was good, but freely exposing my inner thoughts was just another kind of curse.

– Ring!

The alarm rang at that moment.

I furrowed my brows.

Thinking it might be an auditory hallucination, I checked the hologram projector.

Fortunately? Unfortunately? It was a normal email alert. Still emphasized in the midst of the overwhelming well-being messages was the chat room.

[Class 121 Spring Equinox Chatroom (103)]

▶Liana Velus: [Notice!] Next week’s public lecture will be on “Understanding Spirits”! No preparation needed! Everyone gather at the Second Nature Park without being late! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و (Today 15:03)

The sender of the message was Professor Liana.

I heard that she visited me a few times when I was in a coma, but I had never seen her when I regained consciousness.

I thought about visiting her today, but I didn’t want to bother her on the weekend, so I didn’t go.

Moreover, judging from the message, it seems like we’ll be meeting regularly next week.

The next week’s public lecture was fully booked with Professor Liana’s classes.

* * *

[Player Adjustment System: Affection]

Lee Hayul → Liana Velus

●●●●●●○○○○(65/100)

“Affection” “Gratitude” “Kind Adult”

[Did not meet the condition to lift the “Curse of Silence”]

[Did not meet the condition to lift the “Curse of Solitude”]