Within the grounds of Shio-ram, there are many buildings colloquially referred to as ‘banquet halls.’
As the name ‘banquet hall’ suggests, it is a facility built for the purpose of eating, drinking, and having fun; thus, its goal is purely about enjoyment.
Arriving at the Third Banquet Hall.
It had an old-fashioned yet mansion-like appearance, almost as if it were abandoned in the mountains.
The overgrown bushes covering the fence gave it a more distinguished look rather than a messy one.
Inside the fence, a lush green garden spread out, with a colorful fountain spraying water, brightening the darkening surroundings.
‘Nice facility…’
I adjusted my spatial perception. With a suitable range set, the appearance of the banquet hall came into view. I gasped at its gigantic size.
It was generally smaller than the First Banquet Hall, where the freshman welcome ceremony had previously been held.
The First Banquet Hall was used for major events, which is why it was built with special care.
The freshman welcome ceremony was one such event, and later, gatherings often brought many outside guests to the First Banquet Hall as well.
Other banquet halls were opened upon review after cadets applied separately.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the facilities weren’t impressive. From my perspective, both were ridiculously luxurious.
I hadn’t seen the exterior of the First Banquet Hall correctly since I checked it when my spatial perception was like a radar, but I imagined it might have a similar vibe.
I stepped through the main gate, which stood wide open, crossing the garden.
Inside was completely open.
On one wall, a spacious stage had several cadets bustling around, and tables loaded with food and drinks were scattered everywhere.
I had overheard in the chatroom about how the after-party would go.
It’s nothing special. Just eat delicious food and drink while having fun.
Friends sat at each table, enjoying food and drinks.
People wanting to get closer sat together to eat and drink…
Occasionally, events would take place as people would go on stage and showcase various talents while they feasted and drank…
Just imagining it was already exhausting.
‘There are quite a lot of them.’
Even though I arrived early, the atmosphere inside was pretty lively.
Many had already arrived early and were chatting with people around them. The dress code seemed to be as free as previously notified.
Few were in cadet uniforms like me; most wore casual clothing.
While scanning the surroundings with my spatial perception, I caught snippets of animated conversations. However, I didn’t hear any unnecessary background noise.
I fiddled with my ear, assessing my condition.
‘Do I still need more tuning?’
Even after restoring my spatial perception, I had not given up my senses.
If I wanted, I could shut off my hearing and touch. I could lower it to a level similar to that of an ordinary person without going to extremes.
But I didn’t.
After taking a hard hit when entering the Tower, my back remained sore.
Had I not prepared a solution in time, it might’ve ended poorly for me.
I could’ve lamented that since this was within the Tower, this trial was frustrating, but in reality, it could have been a catastrophic disaster that could strip my life away.
To prevent that, I needed to analyze the reason for my spatial perception going awry and learn to resist it.
Additionally, even if it were to malfunction again, I felt the need to have some security so that I wouldn’t become powerless.
Though my spatial perception had been restored in just one day, I had consistently tuned my senses during that time.
Thanks to my heightened hearing and touch, I could now selectively receive quite a bit of information.
The necessary information was amplified, while the unnecessary was filtered out entirely.
This was the result of applying the skills I had learned through spatial perception.
I was no longer the same Lee Ha-yul, who would flinch at a whisper in my ear or jump like a fish at the slightest touch.
If I were to find myself in a similar situation again… umm… I’d probably hold my ground.
“Hey, when’s the next Tower entry?”
“This kid is properly buzzed. Wake up, it won’t be for at least two or three months.”
“I broke through the mid-level strength requirements yesterday.”
“Whoa, crazy gorilla, did you really break through that already? But you got wrecked in the Tower, right?”
“Fuck…”
Listening to those conversations, most of the topics revolved around the Tower entry.
After all, this gathering was an after-party for the Tower, so the conversation topics were as set as can be.
There were quite a few people chatting in a surprisingly friendly manner compared to the freshman welcome ceremony.
Among them, two male cadets near the entrance were especially friendly.
One looked like he had solid muscle, while the other was more lean and athletic.
“No way, if I hadn’t bombed on the first day…”
“That’s your fault. Who dares to mess with a special entry student on the first day?”
Did he, uh, just say that?
The words from the cadet who had been bashfully agreeing faded off, and his gaze suddenly fixed on me. His face went pale.
The special entry student… the cadet who had tried to take me on turned his head too, flinching at the sight of me.
An awkward silence enveloped us.
I intended to just pass by, but here we were facing each other.
After a brief silence, they cautiously opened their mouths.
“…Hello?”
“Oh, hi there.”
The awkward greeting was cringeworthy, and I hid my discomfort by bowing my head.
I closely examined them using spatial perception. They were unfamiliar faces. Both were cadets from a different class.
‘Those guys?’
But it wasn’t that I hadn’t met them before.
I hesitated for a moment, but after a brief deliberation, memories surfaced.
If my memories were accurate, I met these two while I was being chased around in the Tower of Growth.
I met the heavyset one on the first day.
He charged at me with a huge shield and blunt weapon, so I secretly activated my mana slash to trip him and took away his weapon, smashing his head in.
The agile cadet was the next day.
Dealing with him while he had a spear was quite troublesome.
So I just purposefully got close and elbowed him in the sternum to cave it in. Unfortunately, I couldn’t knock him out.
…Yeah, this is awkward.
Their befuddled demeanor made sense. No matter the trials faced in the Tower, it wouldn’t be easy to greet someone with a smile after such an experience.
After exchanging brief hellos, I started to move along. Those two seemed a bit uncomfortable too and politely stepped aside for me.
As I walked, memories from the Tower began flooding back.
The memory of blindly unleashing mana blades upon his face as I suppressed him.
The memory of gouging his eyes out and tearing at his throat with my bare hands since I couldn’t recover my weapons.
And so many other memories…
At the time, I hadn’t paid much mind due to being overwhelmed, but reflecting on it now, it was something indeed.
Was it too violent? Of course, I don’t regret using every means at my disposal to survive…
I subtly glanced around, feeling many eyes drawn toward me.
Since I entered through the front, a few had started to cluster around, and now I sensed a considerable amount of attention being directed toward me.
The intensity of the gazes was familiar, but the emotions concealed within felt different this time…
I sensed it yet managed to maintain a poker face.
On the day of the freshman welcome ceremony, I would’ve instinctively shrunk away, but not now. That was remarkable progress.
Of course, my desire to escape was the same, but still, to have come this far was something.
Just as I was about to head to a tucked-away table, a chilling gaze swept over my face.
It felt as if ice were being rubbed against my skin. I flinched, my body shaking.
“Uh? Ha-yul?”
It was a gaze I had grown accustomed to lately. Almost like a familiar presence brushed my ear.
The source of this presence was Baek Ahrin.
She was busy preparing something on the stage but froze, her eyes widening when she spotted me. Her expression seemed to question why I was here.
She relayed something to the nearby cadets and quickly approached me.
“Are you okay? I hope you rested well over the weekend…”
Her blue eyes blinked, betraying a hint of worry as they scanned my body.
Perhaps Baek Ahrin sensed my injuries from the Tower after I emerged. She was the first to pour healing magic on me along with Elia.
As I touched my smartwatch, a hologram appeared. Seeing it light up in the air put my mind at ease.
Once I received the confession necklace, I’d be even more relieved.
[I’m fine. I feel great after getting some sleep.]
The professor who examined me just said it was a minor bleeding issue.
I only felt a little dizzy for a moment; I also quickly recovered from the strain of spatial perception.
“That’s a relief, but if anything feels off, you must let me know, okay?”
[I’ll be careful. I’ll just hang back quietly.]
Judging by the alcohol stacked around, I could spontaneously imagine the cadets partying hard until late.
Drinking until dawn… just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.
I’m not crazy enough to want to partake in their debauchery, so I plan to briefly mingle at the start and then slip out naturally.
While I was entertaining those thoughts, Baek Ahrin wore a strange expression.
“Quiet…? Um…”
“?”
“Ah, never mind.”
What’s with her reaction?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Baek Ahrin fumbled over her words and just wore a peculiar expression.
With spatial perception, I could feel her lips twitching.
“Oh no, it’s already time… I need to go finish my preparations. I’ll see you in a bit?”
Before I could ask her again, Baek Ahrin turned away. Her hair tied in a sky-blue ponytail swayed as she walked away.
‘What was that?’
What was with her expression earlier?
Something seems off.
.
.
.
I would soon figure out the reason for Baek Ahrin’s earlier expression.
“Hey, what’s with your skin… If it’s not too forward, may I ask what brand of cosmetics your professor uses?”
‘?’
“If you like board games, why don’t you come hang out at our table? A few of the Ipchun Class students are gathering…”
‘?’
“We’re recruiting participants for a live drinking game! If you like drinking, come on over. We’re short on people, so it’s always a welcome!”
‘Fuck, I don’t want that.’
For some reason, I was receiving an overwhelming amount of positive attention.
With all the attention pouring in, my head began to spin.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
