Saturday morning.
Most people would be feeling the drowsiness of an early morning, burying their faces back into their pillows.
For those who have to work even on weekends, it’s the moment they kick the blankets, cursing the world.
But I was having a rather unique Saturday morning.
– Ugh, bleh…!
From the looks of it, I was clutching the toilet as if I’d chugged way too much alcohol and couldn’t control my insides.
I had already evacuated everything. Now, only the worthless bile and water were splashing out.
Yet, my stomach continued to churn, pushing out whatever little remained.
– Bleeh…
At least it was a blessing that my sense of smell and taste had vanished, so I felt less nauseous. But honestly, there wasn’t much difference since I had nothing left inside.
After what felt like an eternity of retching, it gradually stopped. My tongue hung out like a droopy noodle.
Gathering my breath, I sat up.
Swoosh… Standing in front of the sink, I cautiously turned the faucet.
I checked to see if it was hot water, getting the right temperature with my fingertip before rinsing my mouth.
I meant to just wipe my face with the towel and head out, but I realized too late that my entire body was soaked in cold sweat.
My pajamas were so drenched that they clung to my skin, almost see-through.
With no choice, I showered and stepped out.
Outside the dormitory, the rising sun was driving the darkness away, illuminating the Shio-ram grounds.
Saturday morning.
Today was the day we promised to gather at Baek Ahrin’s dorm to study.
We’d been studying non-stop yesterday, the day before that, and even the day before!
“Damn…”
I hadn’t slept well yesterday either. To be precise, I dozed off for just a moment… and in that brief moment, I had a nightmare.
It was a dream where I was eaten alive by Aelus.
The spear I barely used went wide, and of course, the white night missed as well. In that state, my upper body got chewed off.
To make things worse, I had phantom pain from my missing arm… My mouth opened.
Thanks to the necklace, I forgot about the curse of silence that activated.
I buried my head on the desk and, like a seizure, rolled around on the floor.
What a ruckus it was that morning.
I wrinkled my brow, drying my hair with magic, tidying up the messy room.
I opened the wardrobe on one side of the room.
Not that I needed to rummage. I picked out a couple of casual clothes from my meager options.
I tried putting on the Sky’s feathers, but they were already floating behind me.
Usually, I drape it like a cloak for convenience or wear it as outerwear.
But if I didn’t pay attention to the shape, it would just float behind me as a long cloth.
Sometimes it would wrap around my arms on its own.
It was like that from the first time I got it. Even though it has a shape-shifting function, it seems that’s its default state.
The Sky’s feathers. To be honest, I accepted it without much thought. Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.
It went beyond expectations and saved my life multiple times. If it weren’t for it, I would’ve been torn to shreds long ago.
Especially when it really showed its worth at Siphnah.
It helped me deal with small monsters, preventing all the minor injuries I could have gotten in the process.
When I first took a hit from Aelus, I would have exploded if I didn’t have the Sky’s feathers.
During ongoing fierce battles, it saved my life again and again. In frenzied brawls, if it hadn’t wrapped around my arm, I would have lost it by now.
Due to its complicated requirements, based on the purity of magic, it wasn’t treated very well as an artifact, but somehow it matched me perfectly, offering extraordinary performance.
Unlike a certain necklace, it was easy to control. It could be freely used for both offense and defense, making it portable too.
“This was a good choice.”
It was one of the best decisions I made since coming to this world.
I briefly thought, “Since my magic purity is good, wouldn’t I have good compatibility?” but the results were too favorable.
I was quite pleased.
However, there was one choice that didn’t sit well with me.
That thing that’s now in my observation range.
I squinted my eyes as I flicked the huge egg, the size of my torso, sitting in the corner of the room. It stayed still, indifferent to any external signals.
“So when’s it going to hatch?”
As far as I remember, it usually hatches within a week after the after-party.
Even in the slowest 11th round, it hatched within two weeks.
But now, it had been almost a month with no news whatsoever.
A tiny suspicion flickered—was I scammed?
Though it was stationed inside the Tower of Growth, making that unlikely… I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.
Just how did I manage to get that thing?
…Well, thanks to the help around me, I didn’t struggle much, but I did set aside points to pay for it.
“Could it hatch right now?”
With a little wish, I poked the egg.
There was no reply.
– Should I fry it just a little and try it? What do you think, Ha-yul? Huh?
At that moment, Hong Yeon-hwa’s voice popped into my head.
– Exactly! Cooking this would probably taste really good, don’t you think?
I also remembered Elia’s interjection from the side.
‘……’
I sneaked a peek inside with my observational powers. Strange liquids and dense magic filled the interior.
I felt a tiny impulse, but there was no way I could actually fry and eat it.
With a deep sigh, I got up.
It was time to head out.
.
.
.
The meeting place for our study session wasn’t the library or a study room, but Baek Ahrin’s dorm… more precisely, the mansion granted as a top student.
Sure, library-like places are nice, but it’s far more comfortable to study in your own dorm.
The participants were me, Elia, and Baek Ahrin.
Baek Ahrin had also asked Hong Yeon-hwa, but she said she had plans and had to go out for the weekend.
‘……’
With thoughts of Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly permeating my mind, my cheeks involuntarily puffed up.
This past Monday, I was greatly shocked by Hong Yeon-hwa’s sudden avoidance of me.
She flushed red in the face and outright ignored me, even avoiding me entirely, which made the shock multiply.
Did I do something wrong? Did I upset her somehow? I racked my brain trying to recall if I had done something, but couldn’t think of anything, making it all the more unsettling.
What if something really caused her to lose interest in me?
I hadn’t dared to approach her, spending two whole days alone in the dorm, trying to find reasons.
Only to have Hong Yeon-hwa come up and apologize sincerely.
While I felt a bit relieved, she didn’t explain why, only mumbling around it.
I knew her apology was genuine, but…
I couldn’t shake off the slight irritation at her vague answer.
If I did something wrong, she should tell me so that I could fix it, right?
If something made her uncomfortable, I would try to change it if possible…
In any case, the purpose of our gathering was to prepare for the midterm evaluations by putting our heads together to study.
If anyone didn’t understand something, they could ask, and if we were all confused, we could brainstorm together…
They call that collective intelligence. Working together would surely be more efficient than working alone.
[Why is this answer coming out this way?]
“Ha-yul, for example 42 in the type test, you need to apply the dispersion formula instead of the alignment formula due to the magic concentration being above level 3 and its random wave pattern.”
[Oh.]
…
[Why is type 3 being judged as pending?]
“Oh, this part… If you look at the value of wave 2, it temporarily exceeds 10,000, right? From there, it’s correct to treat it as a level 2 dungeon and say the rights to conquer it hand over to the higher clans, but you also need to consider that it’s an exception clause and an emergency situation at the time…”
…
[What about this one—]
“Type test 42. Let’s assume the average wave value is 3500 in a level 3 dungeon called ‘The Turbulent Symphony of Tre’ while conquering it with the following personnel… You must consider from here…”
If we pooled our heads together, we could generate more diverse and accurate values.
However, the level of understanding had to be somewhat similar.
Baek Ahrin. The top student was perfect in theoretical subjects.
Elia. I hadn’t realized it, but she had entered with an astounding score in theory too and was one of the top students in Ipchun Class.
And me, Lee Ha-yul… I was at the level of just measuring from the back.
In essence, I didn’t have the qualification to join this group study.
The “Let’s study together” meeting turned into the “Lee Ha-yul Care Party” less than 30 minutes into studying.
In Baek Ahrin’s dorm, we began studying around the same table in a separate study room.
Initially, we kept a reasonable distance.
However, as I began to cautiously start asking questions, they moved beside me and began showering me with focused care.
Honestly, I had expected this, but seeing the countless tallies on the problem numbers made my already low confidence feel like it was being stuffed underground…
“Is it already two months since Ha-yul started studying?”
After hours of non-stop debating, we took a break.
While Baek Ahrin stepped out for a moment, Elia looked at me with a thoughtful expression.
[Yes.]
[Almost two months.]
In that time, I had spent almost three weeks in a state similar to physical and mental weakness, unable to study.
Elia’s eyes widened in surprise at my answer.
“Two months… and you’ve caught up this much in such a short time.”
[Really?]
Considering how many tally marks I had wrong on my problems, it seemed like a lot…
“When I was two months in, I couldn’t even memorize like Ha-yul does.”
As if she read my expression, Elia shook her head while glancing through my problems.
Unlike me, who focused on the tallies, she looked for the circles.
I had managed to get most of the memorization questions right, and a couple of the application problems too.
“You’ve been working hard.”
And below the circles, she noted the traces of my attempts to solve the questions before asking.
With that, Elia smiled gently and ruffled my hair.
The warmth of her hand conveyed kindness, and her tone acknowledged my effort.
From our first meeting, Elia had always been thoughtful and warm-hearted.
But after the incident in Siphnah where she saved her little brother, the sentiment toward me intensified manifold.
To the point where it felt like she would accept all of my whims, even my ridiculous fantasies.
I tried to rein in the corners of my lips threatening to curl up into a silly grin while sorting through my silly thoughts.
Though my results weren’t satisfactory, just being praised by Elia felt special in some way.
The tips of the Sky feathers draped like a cloak fluttered slightly.
[Happy.]
[More head pats please!]
I managed my necklace to keep any embarrassing words from slipping out and avoided saying something that would make me blush.
– Clunk
“Ta-da! Attention! I’ve brought snacks just for you!”
A moment later, Baek Ahrin entered the study room and set a tray down on the table, her hand occupied.
The tray was filled with an assortment of snacks neatly displayed.
Elia clapped her hands but wore a somewhat strange expression.
“I’ve thought for a while now, Ahrin, you have pretty solid tastes, don’t you?”
Elia picked up one of the snacks, a golden-brown treat reflecting light tantalizingly.
There were many traditional snacks on the tray, with those taking up a considerable part of the mix.
“Hey, what’s wrong with that? Ahrin likes herbal candy too, right?”
“Yeah, but what’s wrong with herbal candy?”
Baek Ahrin rolled her eyes playfully as Elia teased her. They both knew it was just banter between friends.
Although Baek Ahrin tended to lean toward the old-school snacks. This was information I had picked up from the original work.
“Ah, wait a sec.”
While observing the snacks, Elia checked her smartwatch and got up to leave the study room.
That wasn’t good news for me.
Clunk, the door shut.
In this sealed-off space, it was just me and Baek Ahrin left behind.
“Ugh…”
As I cautiously swallowed my nervousness, Baek Ahrin stretched out her arms above her head.
With a crack, the sound of bones cracking echoed as a satisfied murmur escaped her lips.
And as she leaned back, her chest naturally emphasized.
What was already generous in size seemed to swell even more as she inhaled.
That thing had been distracting me for a while. Both Baek Ahrin and Elia were roughly the same size, and avoiding them when they were right next to me was a hassle.
“……”
I’d already turned off the love necklace.
Having made a mistake once, leaving it on wouldn’t repeat the same thing, but better safe than sorry.
I casually scanned the observable information, trying to keep my mind off it by reaching for the crowded tray of snacks.
‘Oh.’
I couldn’t reach. My hand flailed sadly in the empty air.
…This wasn’t my fault. The tray was just placed way too close to the edge.
Getting up felt bothersome. Just as I was about to use the Sky’s feathers to bring the snack over, a pale hand plucked the treat I was aiming for.
“Here, this must be what you wanted, right?”
[Thank you!]
Baek Ahrin, who had finished stretching, smiled as she held out the treat.
As I reached out to express my gratitude, the treat pulled away.
[?]
When I raised an eyebrow in confusion, Baek Ahrin shook her head, lightly tapping her own lips.
And she offered the treat again.
“……”
I understood her gesture. But I really didn’t want to take the bait.
However, if I kept my lips sealed, the already awkward atmosphere would only get weirder.
While I knew she wouldn’t tease me about it… well…
After a moment’s hesitation, I carefully parted my lips.
The delightful treat, looking especially appetizing, landed on my tongue.
There was no taste.
‘…Big.’
And it was much bigger than I had anticipated.
It was a decent size that filled my mouth. I probably should have divided it into smaller bites.
But now that I had it in my mouth, there was no way I could spit it out.
I was left with no alternative but to chew.
*
‘He’s really going to eat that in one bite.’
Lee Ha-yul’s cheeks were puffed like a squirrel with its cheeks stuffed full of acorns.
Baek Ahrin watched his tiny mouth struggle to masticate the giant treat.
She hadn’t expected him to put that entire thing in his mouth.
Though she gave it to him, it would have been easier to take a bite and hang onto the rest.
Lee Ha-yul, realizing that a bit too late, turned a shade of red, avoiding Baek Ahrin’s gaze.
‘He’s not avoiding contact like he used to?’
Except for when he was drunkenly tipsy, he was usually all stiff and guarded.
His guard had clearly slackened.
Considering that, Baek Ahrin wore a curious smile.
*
[Player Adjustment System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Elia Slade
●●●●●●●○○○(71▷73/100)
“Affection” “Gratitude” “Chick”
…
Lee Ha-yul → Baek Ahrin
●●●●●○○○○○(53▷55/100)
“Affection” “Question” “Confusion”
…
Lee Ha-yul → Hong Yeon-hwa
●●●●●●●●○○(84/100)
“? ” “Guilt” “Gratitude” “Pouting”
…
[Conditions for the “Curse of Silence” to be broken have not been satisfied.]
[Conditions for the “Curse of Loneliness” to be broken have not been satisfied.]
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