I got an unexpected slap on the back of my head from the Necklace of Confession. Who knew it could yank out my inner thoughts like that?
With some creepy words mixed in, I was worried I might have made Elia upset.
…I cautiously glanced around, but luckily aside from Elia ordering me warm milk, nothing unusual happened.
I had to sip it without spitting out that it tasted awful.
After practicing with Elia’s help, I managed to gain some control over it.
But honestly, all I could do now was switch it on and off.
For some strange reason, filtering my true feelings was still difficult.
Elia’s grandpa handled the necklace without any issues in one go, so I was left pondering what my problem was…
‘Power…’
[It’s hard]
As I grumbled internally, the Necklace of Confession activated. I furrowed my brows at its gender-neutral, blunt voice.
It went something like this.
I felt unnecessarily displeased. I gripped the necklace and shook it angrily.
To be honest, it wasn’t all bad.
With my voice sealed by a curse of silence, the Necklace of Confession let me bypass one curse entirely.
It wasn’t like I had to resort to some outrageous methods like obtaining a coveted item from a sacred treasure or the wish-granting rights of the Tower, but rather just a mid-tier artifact managing to sidestep a curse.
Definitely a win, but given my current lack of control, it felt like a mixed bag.
[Student Lee Ha-yul, authenticated.]
As the usual mechanical voice chimed, the dormitory door opened.
Under normal circumstances, I would have authenticated with my smartwatch, but now I was using a hologram projector instead.
The hologram projector was a tool I was quite familiar with.
It’s basically a smartphone with a hologram feature.
In this day and age, who doesn’t have a smartwatch, right? But apparently, they’re selling these for the few who can’t use one.
I took off my shoes at the entrance and trudged towards the living room.
I scanned the dormitory with the power of observation.
The entrance I passed through.
The living room and kitchen. Three rooms, a bathroom, a storage room, and a balcony.
Nothing seemed to have changed from what I recalled.
No piles of yarn that couldn’t become a scarf in the corner of the living room, and no signs of extraordinary messiness anywhere.
There weren’t even many signs of use on the products available.
In fact, there was no reason for any signs to remain.
I had hardly spent any time in the dormitory before.
In the mornings, I attended shared lectures and then got beaten up during major subjects in the afternoon while training.
After that, I either rolled around or was too busy reviewing and preparing in the library.
Time passed quickly, whether I liked it or not.
Even when I returned to the dorm, it was usually in the early morning, where I would collapse right away, and most of the time, I spent in the library watching the dawn.
So I didn’t really recall using the dorm facilities much.
When I had just arrived, I thought I’d have to live here for a few years… but looking at the condition now, it seemed unlikely that I’d have much use for it in the remaining time.
[Sigh]
[Disappointing]
[Hungry]
[Don’t feel like eating]
[Lonely]
‘Ugh…’
[Geez]
As my thoughts wandered off, the necklace went haywire again. I silenced the jabbering necklace, plopped down on the sofa.
The plush sensation wrapping my backside still felt fantastic.
‘Hmm…’
Quite a bit of time had passed. Most of what I pledged and planned when I first entered the dorm had been accomplished.
I managed to handle even the minor schedules like dungeon practice without a hitch.
I studied hard, too. Although the progress I missed while stuck in the healing room had piled up like a mountain, I’d just have to endure and fix it…
I trained well too. It might be a bit of self-praise, but I thought I was at least in the middle range for a freshman now.
The real test would come during the midterms, though.
I had acquired a lot of what I sought.
I achieved my personal growth at the Tower of Growth.
I also obtained the most important Wish Egg. I even got myself the artifact, Wings of the Sky Feather, which would carry me through to the mid-game.
‘When will that hatch?’
The Wish Egg peacefully rested beside me on the sofa, taking up quite a bit of space with its size.
The Wish Egg was a hidden piece with a heavy element of randomness, yet it turned out to be a worthwhile investment.
Not to mention, it consistently produced usable items across all previous Wish Eggs.
To say the least, they were precious finds that were hard to come by even in later rounds.
‘Especially the 11th round.’
The 11th round with the “Golden Warrior.”
Without a doubt, it was the most physically superior round.
It invaded Shio-ram, almost collapsing it, breaking through the defenses of the floating island housing the Tower of Knowledge.
It looted the three major families and other factions while wrecking the association’s main base—quite a big list of achievements for the 11th round.
It was also a round where a direct confrontation with the tower lord was possible.
I had good luck. Everything at the beginning went smoothly, yielding maximum growth.
I made wise choices too, abandoning passivity and purely focusing on increasing my own powers at the cost of sacrifice.
One of the smoothly rotating gears was the Wish Egg.
The Wish Egg of the 11th round yielded the “Growth Leap.”
Its effect was simple.
Expansion of stat potential and an increase in growth speed.
Simple, yet it was the best outcome at that time.
Especially for the Golden Warrior, who pursued the extreme martial arts path and had just started to ascend the growth curve, nothing could have been more suitable.
‘If only I could get something similar…’
I had high expectations. I gently caressed the Wish Egg, not hiding my hopes.
Growth Leap? Even as a Jack of All Trades mastering various fields, it wouldn’t be bad at all.
It would be great to get an equipment or artifact I could use all the way like in the 8th round, or welcome an artifact that simply grants an additional unique ability like in the 3rd round.
Anything would be fine. Thinking back to cases from the original work, something helpful would surely come out.
‘Hmm…’
I accomplished my planned tasks. I got the Wish Egg and fulfilled all other schedules.
…I did stumble several times during the process of acquiring the Necklace of Confession, but so far I hadn’t completely twisted up.
I had completed all the initial plans.
Now it was time to draft a new plan.
The initial and goal were similar.
I would lift the curse. First, I would resolve the short lifespan curse, and if I had time, I’d lift the sensory seal as well. The curse of silence… I probably can’t lift that one.
In the process, if I could help others along the way, I’d add that thought.
My goals had slightly increased.
In the end, power is what matters. No matter what, the foundation of the initial plan should focus on the growth of my powers.
I rummaged through my memories of the original work.
Since I occasionally had time to think while in the healing room, I had laid down a rough plan.
‘The Lake of Dreaming Illusions.’
A hidden piece I found in the 8th round… yet it felt odd to call it a hidden piece. It was simply the location of a hidden dungeon.
But the existence of that dungeon significantly raised the player’s power levels.
It’s literally a lake. A small dungeon showcasing a beautifully surreal lake you’d expect to see in some extravagant dream.
What made it special was how astronomically hard it is to find and the internal mana boasts immense purity and density.
Just sitting there and absorbing mana literally inflated the mana stat tremendously.
Thanks to that, starting in the 8th round, I no longer had to worry about mana and could unleash attacks without pause.
I had another idea cooking up, but I was a bit hesitant.
‘Artifact: Proof of Guardian.’
A hidden piece I found on the fourth-to-last route, it’s a first-rate artifact approaching the ultimate level.
The reason this came to mind first was that Proof of Guardian is an artificial arm.
And not just any ordinary prosthetic but a first-rate artifact boasting impressive defensive capabilities and an innate unique ability.
…At least that’s what my status window revealed. I had never used it myself.
Because Proof of Guardian is a picky artifact that chooses its owner selectively.
During the worst malicious route of the history, the 9th round, I found it but couldn’t even touch it.
So, it made me hesitate. Even if I managed to obtain it with great difficulty, would I even be able to use it? It’s said to consider the user’s tendencies, and I felt like it might reject me.
Also, if I discovered it after recovering my arm, I’d have to chop off my decent arm to use it.
Coward’s mentality filled my thoughts… No, at least any human with normal reasoning would never think about cutting off their arm…
There are several other candidates, but I haven’t properly planned them yet.
[Ugh]
A sigh slipped from my lips. I was quite annoyed by the necklace, which has been intermittently reading my mind and chiming in.
For a while, it seemed I’d need to dedicate time to controlling this thing.
While it was good to bypass the curse of silence, having my true inner thoughts splattered everywhere felt like a curse of another kind.
– Ding!
That’s when the alarm went off.
I frowned.
I wondered if it was just an auditory hallucination, so I checked the hologram projector.
Fortunately? Unfortunately? It was a regular email alert. Amidst a flood of welfare texts, one chat room stood out.
[Class 121 Ipchun Class Chat Room (103)]
▶Liana Velus: [Notice!] Next week’s public lecture has been scheduled for “Understanding Spirits”! No materials needed! Everyone, please gather at the Second Nature Park on time! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و (Today at 15:03)
The sender of the message was Professor Liana.
I had heard she visited a few times while I was in a state of inquiry, but I had yet to meet her since gaining consciousness.
I thought about visiting today, but I didn’t want to bother her on the weekend, so I decided against it.
Also, based on the message, it looked like we were going to be meeting regularly next week.
Next week’s public lectures were fully packed with those taught by Professor Liana.
*
[Player Correction System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Liana Velus
●●●●●●○○○○(65/100)
‘Affection’ ‘Gratitude’ ‘Kind Elder’
[The conditions to lift the “Curse of Silence” have not been met]
[The conditions to lift the “Curse of Loneliness” have not been met]
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