While the first-year cadets undergo trials inside the tower, the overseeing professors aren’t just goofing off.
They have gathered in one place, watching the cadets’ trials through holograms, preparing for any unexpected situations.
Of course, since they’re inside the tower, there’s a low chance anything will happen, but it’s more about formality.
Moreover, while they will receive data later, they also assess cadets in real-time to assign preliminary scores.
Among the numerous holograms projected in the center, many displayed fairly similar locations.
A special admission cadet known for her striking appearance and always-closed eyes, with a staggering 1,000 points hanging around her neck.
In other words, she has become the target for everyone.
The environment has forced that upon her. While the intentions of the headmaster are unclear, it is evident that the special admission cadet’s neck is adorned with a hefty score as per the headmaster’s wishes.
The professors in charge of the first years honestly didn’t expect much from Lee Ha-yul.
In a situation where most cadets are targeting him, they didn’t think he’d accomplish anything.
This was a common-sense assumption.
“Oh…”
Lee Su-yeon, who had first raised questions about the disadvantaged situation of the special admission cadet, rounded her mouth in awe.
“She’s flying, isn’t she?”
Other nearby professors felt a similar sentiment, though their expressions differed.
In the gigantic hologram, as Lee Ha-yul waved his hand, the air shimmered, and several blue arrows appeared out of nowhere.
The blue arrows traced their paths as they shot forward, swiftly shooting down projectiles aimed at Lee Ha-yul one after another.
“Magic arrows… the difficulty is low, but the casting speed is ridiculous. And that’s using the non-verbal casting technique.”
“His control is excellent as well. Every projectile is moving exactly as intended.”
The standard for magic is self-suggestion through incantation. While one could operate mana directly to cast spells, its output is invariably weaker than that of incantation.
But in the screen, Lee Ha-yul was using non-verbal casting, showcasing output beyond the norm despite the astonishing speed.
“It’s not just magic.”
Albert, the professor responsible for the combat class, muttered.
Two cadets approached Lee Ha-yul, who had just neutralized the projectiles. Each armed with a spear and sword, they were combat majors.
One vs. two. Naturally, the one being ganged up on is at a disadvantage.
“…Although the magic is impressive, his martial arts skills are even more surprising.”
The three students engaged in a fierce exchange. Limbs and weapons scraped against the ground. After a brief clash, one of the cadets was sent flying back violently.
The cadet with the spear had one arm dangling uselessly, and the spear he held moments ago was nowhere to be found.
Lee Ha-yul tightened his grip on his spear and moved his legs. His upper body followed his lower body, tracing countless pathways with the spear.
The cadet wielding the sword was pushed back helplessly. Blood splattered everywhere.
Just then, when the spear’s tip was about to pierce a neck, an interceptor’s attack from somewhere disrupted the finish, forcing Lee Ha-yul to create distance.
“Skilled. He’s already quite accustomed to combat.”
Everyone thought Lee Ha-yul wouldn’t accomplish anything noteworthy. The term ‘noteworthy’ was definitely strange.
He was still a young superhuman just beginning to grow, and expecting substantial achievements from him was a greedy thought.
Day 2 of the tower entrance.
Having been chased since the midpoint of Day 1, remarkably, Lee Ha-yul had yet to be eliminated.
On the contrary.
“Basic combat major one, skilled combat major three, advanced combat major two. Basic support major one, skilled support major two. Mastery in crafting one, magic major one? Wow.”
Cumulatively, he had about 600 points.
Rather than being eliminated, he had excelled, sending at least ten cadets packing.
It was more than mere luck; he was holding his own against a multitude targeting him.
“Didn’t he already earn more than he invested? Wow~ 600 points means he’s already got himself a pretty decent artifact.”
When Kim Su-yeon checked the accumulated scores, she whistled.
600 points. It’s a score that’s hard to earn even after five days of relentless effort. That amount is more than enough.
“Both magic and martial arts. He’s doing fantastic at both, isn’t he?”
“For only a month’s worth of training, that’s impressive… The headmaster was right.”
“Is the high scoring meant to encourage challenges? Can we say this is a strong vote of confidence…?”
The topic of conversation around them was wholly centered on Lee Ha-yul. Naturally. Everyone witnessed such a spectacle.
Just then, they had seen him break through a group of cadets attempting to corner him.
Moreover, seeing him grow rapidly in skill with each battle left them in awe.
Everyone was filled with shock and admiration for Lee Ha-yul, harboring hope for his future.
‘Huh?’
In the midst of this,
‘Why does he fight so well?’
Liana Velus blinked in confusion.
Strictly speaking, Liana hadn’t been heavily involved in Lee Ha-yul’s training.
She helped him get accustomed to mana and assisted him in adapting to it. Simultaneously, she introduced him to magic and provided some further teaching.
That was all. Though she helped him get a base laid out faster and more safely, she certainly hadn’t taught him to fly like that.
Someone else had taught him.
Liana shifted her gaze.
In this place, despite not being a first-year professor, Atra Clyde was present.
As always, she stood there with arms crossed, keenly focused on the hologram.
“What did you teach him?”
“What do you mean? I didn’t really teach him anything.”
“Really?” Liana pointed incredulously at the hologram. Atra glanced at it briefly and shook her head.
“I honestly didn’t teach him much. He learned it all by himself.”
There was no lie in her words. Atra had put in her effort in teaching, but the acquisition and embodiment of knowledge depend on the cadet’s talent and will.
This was only Atra’s second time trying to educate someone, and it was already clear she had no talent for teaching.
That Lee Ha-yul had thrived under her guidance was solely due to his exceptional talents and the diligent attitude he had developed over time.
That’s why he grew like that and continued to grow now.
What initially seemed odd was merely a minor detail.
When she realized his sensing ability had faltered, a pang of regret welled up.
Though his movements had stumbled relative to before, he seemed to have resolved the issues to a certain degree, leaving her with a hint of pride.
Atra’s long-winded explanation came to a close. Liana paused for a moment then shot back.
“So, you’re saying your Ha-yul is talented?”
“…Why does your summary sound like that?”
Atra’s lips twisted.
“Do you know your lips twitch every time he gets complimented? You seem a bit too pleased.”
“Shut it! I never did that!”
“Bull! Your lips were practically lifting off every time he got praised.”
Atra feigned disinterest, turning her head as if she felt no need to respond further.
I won’t give him any affection… Oh please.
Last time, after Ha-yul threw up and passed out, and seeing her own state… it felt like she had already given a fair amount.
Liana shook her head in disbelief and turned her attention back to the hologram.
On Day 3, a boss entity would appear. From that point on, interest in Lee Ha-yul would probably dissipate a little.
Right now, despite successfully escaping, he sustained severe injuries. If left untreated, elimination was just around the corner…
‘Can he hold on…?’
*
‘Isn’t this a decent performance?’
Leaning against the cave wall, that thought crossed his mind.
He had desperately cut through the encircling cadets to escape and had managed to hide in a suitable cave.
On the first floor of the tower, the area assigned to first-year students is ridiculously vast. There are easily hundreds of caves like this one.
‘Phew…’
The chill emanating from the walls seeped through his skin, causing him to shudder.
While his heightened senses had benefits, it also had the side effect of intensifying the more unpleasant sensations.
Ideally, he wanted to detach himself from his body immediately, but even more than that, he longed to rest.
‘This is strange.’
It felt strange and awkward.
The information entering through his ears felt that way. So did the sensations felt through heightened touch. The act of reading the grain of the wind and movement felt off as well.
The map drawn by sensing mana felt that way too. All of it felt like an unfamiliar sensation not sensed through vision.
Of course, it was just an awkward feeling. Also, he was quickly growing accustomed to it.
Thanks to the overlapping growth boon, he wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with it.
‘Spatial perception.’
In strict technical terms, what I was doing was mimicking spatial perception. Now, however, it had been shut off. Thus, the information coming through via that perception had disappeared.
The map was pitch black. It was like closing my eyes. So I drew the map using information gathered through hearing, touch, and mana.
It was incomplete. There were many empty spaces, and most parts were imprecise. Nevertheless, it was still somewhat similar to spatial perception.
In fact, spatial perception had a lot of superfluous information for him. Even when filtered through, a lot of it was ultimately useless.
Spatial perception allowed one to observe an area in totality and recognize information. No matter how one filtered it, too much information would remain.
The information I gathered now was all useful information. In truth, in terms of “combat”, I had reached a similar level.
Yet, it still remained true that spatial perception was more convenient and superior.
‘Hmm…’
I moved my hands. My shoulder was stiff, and various parts of my body refused to obey commands. My whole body felt this way. With injuries scattered all over, it was miraculous that I was still alive.
If I fully embraced that pain…I doubt I could keep my head in the game.
Fighting still doesn’t appeal to me, nor does getting hurt.
Even now, the pain only felt like tiny pinpricks, yet I detested even that.
‘This isn’t good.’
I gently rubbed my body here and there with my hands. Weakly manifested healing magic seeped in.
It had little effect. I hadn’t learned healing magic properly. Healing magic ideally works alongside its inherent abilities.
I had many wounds. The pain was just a sting, but my consciousness was fading. That was likely due to bleeding. I had lost too much blood (light mana).
‘I held out pretty well.’
Today is Day 2. Based on the information I gathered, I presumed it was the evening of Day 2.
Having evaded their pursuit since the first day, I had spent nearly a full day fleeing from cadets.
Honestly, I wanted to shower myself in endless compliments for that.
Of course, not everything was my doing. As the pursuit continued, the number of cadets who noticed my presence grew, and not all of them could converge on me with a single mind.
As they restrained each other, they inadvertently exposed their vulnerabilities to me.
Had they focused solely on their attack rather than mutual restraint, I might have had no chance to escape.
Even factoring that in, I had performed far better than anticipated.
I managed to knock out around ten cadets. While marvelous, I still felt a hint of regret.
My mimicry of spatial perception through senses and mana had its faults, and I missed opportunities to capture several cadets.
Had my spatial perception been intact, I would’ve achieved even more.
‘Greedy thought.’
That sudden thought made me chuckle inwardly. It’s hilarious how, when I exceeded expectations, I became greedy for more when I had initially just wanted to perform decently.
Regardless, I had achieved a relatively decent outcome.
Though I didn’t manage to score hidden pieces or gather herbs, I did accrue points. Plus, I experienced significant growth in my abilities.
‘If that’s the case, maybe I shouldn’t have run and should’ve fought till the end.’
Driven by survival instinct, I fled, but looking back, I felt that charging in might have yielded greater rewards.
Regrets are futile once the moment has passed. I brushed them off and checked my plans.
The remaining task is to adapt inside the tower’s private training room. If I could reactivate my spatial perception there, would I?
If it returns, I’d calibrate it against my currently heightened senses; if not, I’d just need to become comfortable.
Once I exit the tower… it’ll be time to prepare for some outings. It’s about time to go search for some hidden pieces.
Just a bit longer, and I will be back to being a normal human after all this time as a mute. Though holograms aren’t too bad right now, speaking verbally is just more convenient.
– Thud
At that moment, I heard footsteps.
A presence approached the cave. Judging by the stride, it seemed female; she was pounding the ground rhythmically, as though wielding a spear or staff.
Her mana presence was substantial. A magician?
‘Outrageous.’
An absurd smirk escaped me.
Wait, she found me? After all the effort I put into running away? It’s downright ridiculous that she tracked me down so easily.
Even if it’s by coincidence, it still feels absurd. Out of all the caves, she chose to enter one that hardly qualifies as a cave!
On one end, luck couldn’t be worse.
She stepped into the entrance. The shift in the wind’s current through the cave allowed me to gauge her physique somewhat.
Her height was about the same as mine, with a small stature. She was definitely a woman.
My heart raced. I felt nervous. Was this a chase rather than coincidence?
Amidst the swirling confusion, an odd question arose.
What happens to my score if I voluntarily eliminate myself? Wouldn’t that mean the points don’t come to me, obviously?
So, do those who pushed me into this position receive my points? Do they get split? Or would it all go to the final blow’s deliverer?
Most likely, it would go to that one person. Finding it amusing.
If that cadet were to accidentally find and eliminate me, wouldn’t the others who nicely herded me in be the ones who toiled?
Karma’s a funny thing.
In truth, while the rules weren’t flawed, and there was no moral dilemma…
I was just feeling a little bit of spite for having struggled. Maybe it was because my mind was foggy, but bizarre thoughts were creeping in.
I pulled myself up. Though I couldn’t move well, it’s worth putting up at least a little resistance, right?
With both arms feeling like they’d fall off, I raised them to assume a defensive stance, preparing to channel my waning mana for combat.
The presence stepped within range. With what little mana remained, I hesitated to use it. Instead, I should get closer and… mana? There’s something familiar about it.
“Ha-yul?”
A familiar voice.
Without realizing, my fists relaxed.
It was a meeting that resembled the first time when I couldn’t see straight.
Elia Slade. Walking in unafraid into the narrow cave, she approached me briskly and gently caressed my cheek.
There was nothing strange in that action. I was used to having my cheek touched by now. In circumstances like this, isn’t that a tad risky?
What caught me off guard was
that in a moment with my heightened sense of touch, the action felt overwhelming.
‘Hhik…!’
A bizarre scream erupted internally.
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