“First, congratulations to everyone who has entered the Cradle. Let me deliver a short speech.”
An unexpected expansion of spatial perception. It was a sudden situation. There had been times in the past ten days when my spatial perception had expanded, though only by a few centimeters at most; never to this extent.
Before I could ponder the ramifications, the vice principal acted first.
Turning my head, I observed the vice principal take the stage, scanning the surroundings. Those who met her gaze stiffened with anxiety.
“About 200 years ago, it was an age of chaos. Dungeons and towers sprang up all around, and abandoned monsters roamed in packs, wreaking havoc.”
Despite the absence of a microphone, her cool voice echoed throughout the building.
I paused my thoughts and listened intently to the vice principal’s speech.
“During that time, death was a trivial matter. It was common to see someone next to me turn into a cold corpse just for failing to secure a piece of bread, or a couple whispering sweet nothings last night become fodder for monsters; such things were ordinary occurrences.”
200 years ago. Monsters that had previously only existed in legends had torn through fiction and appeared in reality, and the physical power of an ordinary human straddled the line of common sense.
Even a hundred years later, chaos had not subsided.
Monsters, dungeons, towers. Unique abilities, mana, awakening.
It was as if humanity had been handed the power of mana and unique abilities to respond to the myriad threats springing up worldwide, yet bringing about peace was a far-fetched dream.
In a world filled with confusion and despair, heroes were needed to quell it and usher in peace.
“Cradle.”
The vice principal whispered the word almost as if in a spell, but for some reason, it lodged itself deep in my ears.
“Lady Neriel, who conquered the Tower of Growth and earned the authority of the tower lord, established an educational institution on an artificial island centered around the tower.”
Tower of Space. Tower of Harmony. Tower of Observation. Tower of Growth.
The four towering structures that soared high into the sky.
Unlike other towers that unleashed monsters, these noble towers merely stood guard, accepting challengers.
Neriel was the first person to conquer one of the four towers that maintains the world today.
Even before conquering the tower, she had traveled the world, rescuing countless people.
And even the rights she earned by conquering the tower were poured into nurturing heroes.
In hopes that heroes would be born even here, in that era of chaos and despair, she did not use her power for herself but dedicated it to raising heroes; that is why the current principal is called a great person.
As a reward for her efforts in saving people across the world and bestowing the power of the tower, those who gathered from around the world began to emerge as heroes, standing against the threats everywhere.
“Shio-ram. May the legendary trajectory drawn by heroes begin here; for that purpose, this place is Shio-ram.”
About 40 years ago, when Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin’s grandparents were active…
Through the exploits of heroes pouring out from Shio-ram, the last remaining special dungeon was cleared, declaring an end to the world’s chaos.
In short, a world-building explanation.
“……”
Glancing around with my spatial perception, I noticed many students emotionally charged, as if overwhelmed.
Some were trembling, barely holding back tears…
While most around were engrossed and moved, I couldn’t quite relate.
After all, I had only been in this world for about ten days, and much of what was said felt familiar, like lines from a game.
Moreover, given my quirky status as a special admission student, I felt out of place.
Most had strived hard to be here, and here I was, just stumbling in.
“So, I wish all of you who have entered Shio-ram the best of luck in becoming the heroes who will illuminate the future, and we shall provide infinite support for that.”
After finishing her speech, the vice principal surveyed the excited reactions of the students and smiled wistfully.
“I might have been too serious for a welcome party. Let’s cut it short here. The proper academic schedule will begin two days from now, so for now, enjoy yourselves and ease your fatigue, and prepare for the training ahead.”
The vice principal casually glanced around.
Suddenly, her gaze stopped at one spot.
Even with her eyes closed, I could tell she was looking this way.
“…Then, I’ll take my leave.”
As the vice principal clasped her hands together, she vanished in the blink of an eye.
“Was that spatial movement? No clue how it works,” one student murmured.
“There was no mana fluctuation. How does she even cast it…” another chimed in.
“Who cares? You can’t even dabble with spatial stuff unless you have some unique ability related to it,” another student chimed in.
Spatial abilities were notoriously difficult to use, bringing about much renown for their complexity.
The chandelier that had dimmed was now lit, revealing the interior. The waiting band began to play.
Soft music flowed through the banquet hall.
Only then did the students, having just sighed with relief, chatter animatedly about the earlier incident.
The topic of conversation was primarily the remarkable way the vice principal had appeared and disappeared.
“Spatial movement.”
I knew it from my gaming knowledge. The vice principal’s signature technique.
It involved calculating the coordinates of the starting and destination points, connecting the space, and relocating the subject.
It’s different from a gate terminal. A gate merely unleashes the power from the Tower of Space, while the vice principal’s spatial movement is an individual ability.
Moreover, while a gate fixes the starting and ending points and incurs high maintenance costs…
The vice principal’s spatial movement could change both starting and ending points freely and could be cast at any time.
In fact, in the original work, there was no one else who could use spatial movement to such an extent as the vice principal.
‘Hmm…’
Before long, I heard the melody of the welcoming orchestra. The true welcome party was about to commence.
But my mind drifted elsewhere.
When the vice principal first appeared, the range of my spatial perception had expanded chaotically, rippling like stones thrown into a pond.
Just now, when the vice principal disappeared, my spatial perception quivered immensely. If the previous ripple was the sound of one stone dropping, this felt like the fallout of a giant rock.
Spatial movement and the observation of that via spatial perception.
An expansion of range. An odd sensation.
A tickle in the back of my mind. An insight that seemed just within reach, teasing me like an itch that wouldn’t go away.
Just a bit more… If I observe a few more times, I should grasp something—
“Hey! You’re Lee Ha-yul, right? If you don’t have a party, want to hang out with us?”
“?”
My reverie was shattered. I looked up at the voice. A few students had gathered around me.
‘Ah.’
The freshman welcome event.
Before the real training commenced, it was the time for relaxation and building camaraderie among the students.
So, considering I was the hot topic recently, I was getting both positive and negative attention.
The part of me that was a socially awkward nerd began to sweat profusely.
At the same time, Hong Yeon-hwa’s proposal came to mind. If only she were here, would they have approached me?
‘…Should I have accepted?’
As always, regret came too late.
*
The freshman welcome party proceeded in a conventional manner. The vice principal took to the stage with blessings for a fruitful year and hopes for the birth of heroes.
Afterwards, a regular party unfolded.
Students, clad in varied attire, gathered to chat about conquering Shio-ram or whatever else they could think of.
Some were trying to forge bonds across genders.
Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin belonged to the former group, chatting with a small circle of familiar faces, interspersing serious discussions with laughter and drinks…
“So, how did you end up with Lee Ha-yul?”
An unremarkable remark was triggered by Shin Seo-yul’s question.
With his chestnut bobbed hair, Shin Seo-yul was acting as the mood maker in this small assembly alongside Baek Ahrin.
“…It’s just that. We met in the middle of things.”
“Seems pretty cozy for just that meeting. You handled him almost like a prized artwork. Our CEO doesn’t even touch art with that much care.”
“Or maybe you fell for him at first sight? Can’t deny he’s incredibly handsome,” another girl chimed in.
“Crazy girl.”
The topic turned to the special admission student, Lee Ha-yul, drawing the sparkly gazes of those around.
“Honestly, rather than handsome, he’s just cute. Like a doll. After seeing all those jacked muscle heads, he’s a breath of fresh air.”
“I can handle that. He certainly has that aura of protection.”
The girls’ chatter shifted towards me, their eyes sparkling with mischief.
The “hungry lion cubs” were circling around, trying to pounce on whatever dirt they could find.
Watching Hong Yeon-hwa fend them off with a frown, Baek Ahrin quietly sipped her drink with a mysterious smile.
“So, what did he do to get so much attention?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” I retorted.
“Oh, I saw dirt on his clothes just now.”
“Ugh…!”
“I caught that too. Upon closer inspection, it was pretty much there.”
Hong Yeon-hwa shrank back.
Of course, she had keen eyes and had noticed. I’d used mana to remove it, but—
‘That snake of a girl.’
It’s that insanity again.
As if drawing attention to my little flaws was her primary goal, she clung to her point like a leech.
Had she not been interested, she would have let it slide instead.
Hong Yeon-hwa narrowed her eyes at Baek Ahrin.
“…I just bumped into him. What’s the deal?”
“What’s the deal? I just wondered if you might have done something rude~”
“Uh-huh…”
Yeah, I did something incredibly rude. I not only knocked over a visually impaired person, but I also chided them for their poor visibility…
“Our Yeon-hwa might be rough around the edges, but she’s not a bad egg, right? Just checking for possible misconduct~”
“From your words, one would think you’re enjoying this.”
“Would I? I’m just worried about my friend.”
With a smile, Baek Ahrin deflected the critique, eliciting giggles from nearby friends.
Hong Yeon-hwa gritted her teeth, clearly upset.
“So? What kind of person was he?”
“…How would I know just from a quick meeting?”
We all knew who we were talking about; it was obvious.
Lee Ha-yul. The hot topic, the first special admission student.
Hong Yeon-hwa replayed in her mind the incident that had just happened upon entering.
He had certainly acted without hesitation, lowering his head to apologize, despite her being the one at fault.
The instance when he had grabbed her sleeve, pulling her along.
The way he had followed her commands just after she had hurled hurtful words at him.
That submissive posture.
He had flinched when her hand approached him.
“……”
Hong Yeon-hwa narrowed her eyes.
While it wouldn’t be reasonable for the one snapped at to have any rebuttal, it didn’t look like a normal reaction.
After all, she had witnessed such behavior during external activities associated with her family in the secondary academy.
Although generations continued to enjoy the peace declared after the end of chaos decades ago, that didn’t mean peace was universal.
Wherever there’s light, darkness lurks. Where there’s calm, chaos can be found.
Even in broader levels, like Africa turned into a monster haven by demon realms, there remained many who lingered in the shadows, even here in society.
Those exposed to the dark were often powerless or weak.
Just like a child.
“…I messed up, so I just did my part.”
Her heart felt heavy. If only she had calmed down a bit, things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control.
Watching Lee Ha-yul’s behavior, she thought, if he appeared okay on the surface yet was tormented within, what could she do?
She hadn’t realized that her worry was now overshadowing her thoughts about his talent or potential.
Baek Ahrin quietly observed her with an odd expression.
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