episode_0231

The first floor of the Tower of Knowledge was very spacious.

Even though I could only see a few soccer fields, the space was completely empty and felt strangely desolate.

In the center of the first floor, there is a chair and a table where Ariel usually sits.

Now one more chair has been added.

I sat with my buttocks pressed against that chair, facing the Tower of Knowledge, Ariel, and was receiving instruction.

The clothing is also different.

At first, I packed the cadet uniform I was wearing into the subspace and put on the pure white cloth clothes that Ariel had prepared for me separately.

I checked and it was similar to the clothes Ariel was wearing.

The length is long, so when you open the sleeves, they cover below the wrists.

The overall fit is loose and the clothes flap around whenever you move your body roughly.

Some people may find this uncomfortable, but it suits my taste perfectly and I am wearing it with satisfaction.

As we sat facing each other dressed like that, both Ariel and I felt like we were covered in pure white flour.

“Do you have any questions?”

After finishing one part of the explanation, Ariel asked.

[… Well, I don’t quite understand the part about changing the drinking method]

[Is it really necessary to connect the pure roots? I think the output is too low.]

There is a saying.

Learning what you don’t know and teaching what you’ve learned are two completely different things.

The former is to make myself understood, the latter is to make others understand.

It may vary from case to case, but learning well does not mean teaching well.

Especially, if others don’t understand something that I naturally understand and easily skip over, that’s where I’m bound to get caught.

Ariel Segnis Ternovsia, Lord of the Tower of Knowledge.

The true founder of the Magic Circle.

A hero who had a legendary reputation as the first magician even before that.

Although a long time has passed since his seclusion and his fame has sunk below the surface.

Even today, he is a legendary figure among magicians, and a great man who can be found frequently in history books.

No matter how great a sorceress she is, teaching is a different matter…

“That part is also a problem I have been concerned about in the past. I was dissatisfied with the fact that I had to make many compromises, even though it was for stability. At first, I added a side branch by adding a roundabout method… ”

…wasn’t the case.

As her magical skills were proportional to her abilities, her teaching skills were also surprisingly good.

He pointed to the part I had questioned with his finger and continued his explanation gently, saying that he had done the same thing.

From the introduction that starts the explanation to the end, it sticks in your head.

The parts that required depth were solid and perfect, from the beginning of the question to the clarification of the principle.

I wondered if the explanation had read my mind, as if it knew exactly what I was thinking.

“There was no magic in those days. There was no knowledge accumulated by ancestors, and there were few colleagues to share knowledge with. So I had to create it myself from start to finish.”

Ariel responded to my question as if it was nothing strange.

“There were countless attempts in the process… I personally tried to solve most of the questions and went through trial and error.”

‘ah…’

Unique abilities that are only revealed and magical powers that are realized and used.

Unlike them, magic is a technique that is arranged and manifested according to certain logic and rules.

Of course, at that time, when there was no information or anything, the technology called magic did not exist in the first place.

“The first magic was imitation, not creation.”

Ariel raised her arms with her palms facing the sky.

Fire that bloomed in nature.

Rain and thunder from the sky.

The wind that carves away the cliff.

The land that shakes the world and rises…

The sphere of attributes that had risen above the palm of his hand floated like a planet wandering through space.

“Natural magic… From magic that is now called attribute magic, to magic strikes and bullets, and weapon formation, basic manipulation magic that focused on the output, properties, and manipulation of magic power itself was all there was to magic at that time.”

In addition to the spheres of colorful attributes, several spheres of magical power also emerged.

Although their appearances were similar, the qualities felt by the senses were completely different.

Some spheres were solid, others scattered sharp auras.

“At that time, I also longed for intuitive and powerful magic that could easily and simply subdue monsters, rather than high-dimensional and complex magic. Yes, just like Lee Ha-yul now.”

After explaining up to that point, Ariel shook the sphere she had floating with her hand and poked her chest with her finger.

[ah]

“Magic Strike and Magic Bullet. It is the easiest to learn among the basic operations, and its power is intuitive. I also used it a lot. It is effective even if you scatter thousands of rounds, and since the original is simple, it is easy to improve.”

[yes that’s right]

[It was convenient because it had good power compared to its fuel efficiency and the technique was simple, so I could fire it in rapid succession.]

[It’s definitely easy to improve…]

“But.”

Suddenly, Ariel’s tone became firm.

The necklace that had been clicking excitedly suddenly froze.

Ariel, who had been wiggling her fingers for a moment, stared at me intently.

“… I have never actually used such an extreme and dangerous modification as Lee Ha-yul. To be exact, after several experiments, I decided that this would be useless if I made a mistake even once, ruining the user. ”

[…yes]

“Yes, of course, the risk varies depending on the user’s ability. Since your qualifications are incomparable to mine, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle such dangerous magic.”

After saying that, Ariel closed her mouth for a moment.

“… But, the magic you’ve been practicing lately… No, it’s embarrassing to even call it magic… That violent and bizarre magic manipulation technique is just hard to understand. ”

Violent and bizarre…

Although it was an abstract reference, I could immediately tell what it was referring to.

A technique that imitates the 5th round.

Implementation of magical formulas through circuits.

“… It’s crazy and dangerous to arbitrarily twist a circuit, but using it as a spell? It’s fortunate that the bones and flesh explode and fly away, but the reversed magical power can permanently damage the circuits and core of the entire body, which is a dangerous act. ”

[That’s…]

“In the fifth observation log, Lee Ha-yul’s body… was a strange behavior that was barely able to manifest by meticulously manipulating the circuits of the entire body with artifacts in advance. Even that ultimately failed and resulted in self-destruction.”

[yes…]

Just barely, barely.

Among the soft, almost teasing tones, he bowed his head deeply to the words spoken with emphasis on intonation.

In fact, I’ve been hearing these criticisms since day one, but today they were especially strong.

I was the one who provided the reason.

I lowered my head and gently touched my right arm, which had just half burst yesterday.

Ariel’s gaze was fixed on my forehead.

My head lowered even further at the worried gaze, as if I was looking at a mischievous child.

“… You may find my remarks unpleasant. Even if you consider them as an unfair point, I have no right to object… ”

[No, I don’t think so.]

I shook my head.

Although the tower owners still had mixed feelings about it, they didn’t think their worries were just fabrications.

It’s been about ten days since I entered the Tower of Knowledge and began receiving instruction from Ariel.

During that time, I heard stories that I hadn’t heard on the first day, and I also received solid training in magic.

Although it is only a very short period of time compared to the whole of life.

During the time I was with Ariel, I never saw any sign that she was using me maliciously.

…if possible, I hope other tower owners do the same.

“Yes, thank you for your concern.”

Suddenly, an outstretched hand gently grabbed her cheek and lifted her bowed head.

“By the way, did you get any sleep last night?”

Suddenly, Ariel asked me that question.

As if touching a piece of handicraft, slender fingers touched my eyelids.

I tilted my head.

[no]

“Have you ever slept since the day before yesterday… no, since you entered the tower?”

[no…?]

The voice that had been responding without much thought became smaller.

Ariel’s gaze changed once again to one as if she was looking at a troublemaker.

I rolled my eyes shut with both cheeks held.

.

.

.

The interior of the tower is governed by separate laws from the exterior.

A representative concept is space.

The tower is a huge structure that defies common sense even when measured from the outside.

The interior, which was directly observed by entering, was so vast that it could not be included in the category of ‘building’ measured from the outside.

The same goes for the Tower of Knowledge.

‘Today is the tenth day… Time seems to pass quickly, but also slowly…’

I’ve been walking around the Tower of Knowledge quite a bit over the past ten days.

I went over everything through observation and also moved my feet to check it out with my senses.

As a result, we could see that the Tower of Knowledge was wider in a different way than the Tower of Growth.

The Tower of Growth is divided into several levels and walls.

There is also a huge space where monsters live in a dense forest reminiscent of the dinosaur era, just like the first entrance.

There are also relatively small spaces, like the desolate wasteland where the second round and the third round were fought.

All of these spaces were separated, so when examined with the power of space and observation, they were all accepted as ‘individual spaces’.

The Tower of Knowledge was not like that.

This place is one large space with no divisions.

The first floor is empty.

There is nothing there except for the table and chair in the center where Ariel usually reads.

The only thing that exists is a long, narrow hallway that leads to each of the eight rooms on the first floor.

There are identical doors on either side of the hallway.

There are two main types of such rooms.

One is a living room and the other is a storage room.

There is no study or reading room.

Because everything from the second floor of the tower and above is a library and reading room.

The empty first floor has no ceiling.

From the second floor up, which stretches endlessly, there are only bookshelves and books.

‘hmm…’

Inside the Tower of Growth, the protection of growth is amplified.

I don’t know if that’s the original function or if it’s a function added separately by the Tower of Growth.

It was similar to how dungeons add vitality to allies and oppression to enemies.

There was no such protection in the Tower of Knowledge.

Instead, inside there are books in infinite numbers.

With a strange expression, he put the book back in his hand and tapped the cover with his finger for a moment.

Usually… most people read books with their eyes.

Those with visual impairments may interpret the text using Braille or have a voice read the book’s contents.

I perceived the entire book with the power of observation.

It is a method that is overwhelmingly faster and more efficient than seeing with your eyes or recognizing with Braille or voice.

Of course, awareness and understanding are completely different things.

So, rather than trying to understand it, I just shove the information into my brain and then slowly review it later to understand it.

The books on the Tower of Knowledge were difficult to recognize.

I quickly picked up the book right next to me with a strange expression.

『Deep Attribute Magic – Flower World』

The cover is plain.

It has a modern rather than old-fashioned appearance, and there are no traces of wear and tear.

It’s not that it’s been freshly printed, but it feels like a new book that hasn’t been touched by human hands.

The feel is also fine. Rubbing the smooth surface and the sound of the book opening are the same. Touching the pages inside the book is also normal.

But it’s different.

If you carefully adjust your observations, you can feel a structure that is slightly different from that of an ordinary book.

‘Is this all done with power…?’

This book is a book embodied in the power of knowledge.

If we have to be specific, we should say that it is a lump of information and magical power.

Not only the book you are holding in your hand right now, but all the books spread around you right now are books that embody the power of knowledge.

‘And it’s still increasing…’

When you first entered the Tower of Knowledge, you said it seemed like it had all the books in the world.

That was somewhat true.

The number of books stored in the Tower of Knowledge is still increasing.

Whether it is the power and function of the tower, a significant number of new books created from outside enter the tower of knowledge.

‘like this…’

He placed his palm on the roughly spread out piece of paper and slowly poured his magical power into the paper.

– Supporting… Tiiing…

Immediately afterwards, I furrowed my brows slightly at the strange sensation that seemed to tear at my brain.

Memories and landscapes that were not mine, foreign to me, came to mind.

For most people, it would be a strange and alien sensation that would trigger a match.

The reception of information through observation has already been bloody and painful.

I can get over this as if I was breathing.

‘Write…’

After a while the wave of information stopped.

I tapped the book with a strange expression.

Injection of information.

Although I still don’t understand the exact method.

Whatever it is, the power of conveying information is overwhelmingly superior to just skimming it.

‘It’s difficult…’

But it’s difficult.

I scratched my head and furrowed my brow.

It’s not that I’m stupid, it’s that magic is difficult.

Magic is a science.

Although its history is short compared to other disciplines, the depth and depth of knowledge accumulated in it are by no means shallow.

The study of magic built on blood, flesh, and sacrifice is by no means a mediocre study.

Rather, it is remarkably difficult when you consider the level of difficulty.

This tendency becomes stronger as the level of magic increases, and when you delve into it properly, you find yourself encountering things that are simply difficult to understand.

‘Tsk… ‘

Of course, since you have magical affinity and an all-rounder, it is possible if you keep holding on.

It may sound like I’m boasting, but apart from my intelligence, I was a really outstanding guy in terms of these talents.

However, it was a task that required time to understand, acquire, and skillfully handle such a vast amount of content in an instant.

Books embodied in the power of knowledge have reduced that time considerably, but I still have to put in the effort.

After hearing the whole story at the Tower of Knowledge.

The burden has been greatly reduced.

I pretended it wasn’t like that before, but I felt like my body and mind were going to break under the pressure.

In fact, it went away a lot when I realized that the top owners were doing their best to help me.

‘I have to try harder.’

So, I sharpened my resolve even more so that I wouldn’t loosen up.

It’s too late to make an effort until the worst happens.

You have to do it from now on.

You have to do it when you have some breathing room.

The Tower of Knowledge is a place with limited admission.

I can’t allow myself to just play around here.

Sleep goes outside the tower of knowledge.

One month? Two months? No need.

I’ve long since realized that my body is a heterogeneous entity, and I’ve also realized that sleep isn’t essential.

As long as your consciousness holds out, you can stay awake forever.

In the cradle, whenever other people hugged me, I would fall asleep on my own.

There is no one like that here.

‘…I want to see Yeonhwa.’

The moment I was wandering around looking for the next book.

Suddenly, the bright red book cover popped into my mind.

I bit my lip at the image of someone that color reminded me of.

‘… I want to see Seo-yul too. I want to see the teacher too… I want to see Elia too, I want to see everyone.’

Just ten days.

Even though only a short amount of time has passed that can be counted on two hands.

For some reason, there was a heavy, lingering longing in a corner of my heart.

I’ve been away for much longer periods of time, which is strange.

I bit my lip and opened the book.

* * *

‘When are you going to sleep…’

Ariel, the Tower of Knowledge, could not look upon such low-level behavior with a completely positive eye.

It’s been almost ten days since I entered the tower.

The momentum reflected in Ariel’s eyes was very heterogeneous.

Even though she is bound by restrictions after becoming the top lord, she was a hero who was called a pioneer even before becoming the top lord.

Even after becoming a top player, I never neglected my training.

The original skills and rank of ‘Ariel Segnis Ternovcia’, not ‘Tower of Knowledge’, are high.

I got several impressions from Lee Ha-yool, whom I first caught sight of in her eyes.

The crystal of purity.

A lump that can be transformed into nature at any time.

A being with a curse attached to its body.

An imbalance where the spirit and flesh do not match.

Even though he has become a great power, his unprecedented potential still seethes with endless energy.

and.

A puppy-like child who, while showing great wariness, desperately hoped that this person would be a good person…

The atmosphere is quite different now.

It seems like everything is fine, but then suddenly it becomes gloomy.

Even if you are still and think about something, a dark current of air gathers around you like fog.

Suddenly, he looks gloomy, slumps his shoulders, and pouts his lips as if missing something.

At times, when he has bad thoughts, he suddenly releases a murderous aura that seems ready to explode in all directions.

It looks like he’s mentally unstable and is overdoing it.

Although she asked out loud, Ariel has actually been aware of his every move since he entered the tower.

We all know what he’s been doing for the past ten days like a stubborn child.

‘… … ‘

Ariel suddenly lowered her gaze to the corner.

And after Lee Ha-yul entered the tower, he looked through the status window that became available for viewing.

[Player Compensation System: Measurement]

▶Mental state

“Loneliness”

“desolation”

“Anxiety”

“agony”

“doubt”

“Earnestness”

“Motivation”

“Longing for love”

“Separation anxiety”

“Sleep Bath”

“The Curse of Loneliness(?)”

‘this.’

Ariel, who had been calmly examining the state of mind column, narrowed her eyebrows when she saw the last paragraph.

The curse of loneliness.

One of the two curses they put on Lee Ha-yul is at work.

The curse that would have originally been limited to limiting the senses is now shaking Lee Ha-yool, whose mind is disturbed after hearing the whole story.

‘Tsk…’

Potential is untapped power.

When a creature becomes desperate, it draws out its potential and demonstrates abilities beyond its usual capabilities.

The interest rate was also the same.

He is desperate and, at extreme moments, he explodes with unprecedented potential and blossoms rapidly.

‘but…’

Below, we need a different kind of earnestness than that kind of earnestness.

He lives a human life, not a monster.

You should be happy rather than lonely.

You shouldn’t pass over pain as something you’re used to.

You shouldn’t suppress and repress your emotions using the situation as an excuse.

It is not only the hope of the tower owners, including Ariel.

It has to be that way, for efficiency and practicality.

He is not an avenger or a murderer.

Must become a savior and a protector.

…If someone asks you what you have to say, I’m not really qualified to say anything, but…

From the beginning, it was fate that Lee Ha-yul would have to join the fight, whether it was sooner or later, but in the end, it was they who pushed Lee Ha-yul into the fight at this moment.

‘I guess I’ll have to give it to you again.’

Still, it wasn’t good to leave it like this.

Ariel nodded with determination.

And then she blushed faintly as if she was embarrassed.

Ariel, who had been thinking for a moment and waving her hands, let out a deep sigh and slowly opened her front door.

– Ugh…

The clothes, which were originally designed to be easily opened, came undone without any strength with a light gesture.