The day I returned to Shio-ram after finishing my training at the Tower of Knowledge.
I will surely remember this day as happy.
I first met Elia after coming down from the floating island.
I hugged her tight, stroked her gently, and spent a blissful time.
Back at the Mansion, I met Baek Ahrin.
I was relieved that the crisis prediction showed no issues, but to my shock, Baek Ahrin was bedridden.
Thankfully, it wasn’t the worst situation, so we quickly melted the chill and hugged one another.
I tightly embraced Seo-yul, who returned to the Mansion, and shared a ton of affection with Hong Yeon-hwa.
Later in the evening, I had a heartfelt hug with my mentor and Professor Riana, receiving all the affection I missed during our time apart.
We all gathered at the table, enjoying dinner together.
It was just a simple dinner, but the warm and cozy feeling of that moment is still vivid in my mind.
So, if someone asked me if that day was happy, I would definitely say it was.
“Damn…”
Separating happiness from regrets is unavoidable.
I was zoning out for just a moment, and memories from yesterday floated up.
Amidst the happy and warm memories, I saw myself nodding in Hong Yeon-hwa’s arms, ready to participate in the cross-dressing competition…
I feel like my brain might just shatter from shock.
“Cross-dressing, cross-dressing…? Me…?”
My teeth clattered with cold fear.
I may be an adult, but honestly, I don’t feel that way at all.
I used to be like this, but I eventually let go of my self-indulgent behavior.
Lately, I’ve been showing my desires honestly, demanding hugs, strokes, and pats without hesitation.
Letting go has definitely made me feel easier. Happy…
But I haven’t let go of my gender identity.
I clearly identify as male.
I doubt that will ever change in the future.
But cross-dressing?
Even if I conceded completely, it’s not like I want to do it on a whim and end up feeling self-hate.
I have to dress up in front of everyone for an official event…?
“This is insane…”
I couldn’t hide my shock. The future terrifies me.
But even more shocking, appalling, and maddening is that I accepted it myself.
Though Hong Yeon-hwa pressured me, I ultimately couldn’t resist and accepted it.
At that moment, Hong Yeon-hwa’s loving touch mattered more than the future.
Before my sanity returned, my mentor and Professor Riana came in one after another, melting my reasoning away once more.
After finishing the cozy dinner, I even cuddled with Seo-yul before putting him to sleep.
After a night of such happiness, I woke up in the morning.
My melted sanity returned along with regrets.
“Ugh…!”
I twisted my body like I was about to have a seizure…
“Uuung… Dad…?”
I tried to say, but my body stiffened at the sensation of Seo-yul in my embrace.
Seo-yul snuggled closer, burying his face into my chest.
[If you’re sleepy, you can sleep more]
[It’s still early, so I’ll wake you later]
“Okay…”
I gently patted Seo-yul’s back.
Then, the squirming Seo-yul soon fell back asleep, breathing softly.
[Phew…]
I sighed in relief, almost committing the sin of waking a peacefully sleeping child.
– Ugh, hic, uh… Ah, I can’t…
“Gah—!”
And then the renewed pain and regret crashed down on me.
…
“Did you sleep well…?”
Seo-yul slept for another 30 minutes before waking up.
He could have just had a good sleep while being with me.
The upright child, Seo-yul, woke up quickly.
[Yes, thanks to Seo-yul, I slept well]
[Did Seo-yul have good dreams?]
“Hehe, I’m happy since I got to sleep with Dad!”
Seo-yul jumped in, rubbing his cheek against mine.
His appearance was reminiscent of a puppy, and I smiled in response as I offered him my cheek.
[Hey… Who told you to say such pretty things?]
“Hehe, Dad said so!”
[Ah, I must be the culprit then?]
“Gasp, Dad is the criminal!”
Seo-yul’s eyes widened in surprise.
It looked so theatrical that anyone would chuckle.
Seeing his cute reaction, I couldn’t help but give him a tight hug.
Time on the bed after waking was already 10 minutes.
Staying in bed forever wasn’t an option.
I scooped up Seo-yul and headed to the balcony attached to the room.
– Huuuu…
As I opened the door, the morning breeze brushed against me.
It feels like just yesterday I breathed in humid air, but now it’s refreshing autumn air.
Before we know it, winter will arrive, with snow falling heavily during the time of the birth festival.
[If you’re feeling cold, make sure to tell me right away, alright?]
“Okay!”
Both Seo-yul and I were in thin pajamas. Magic was cast on the balcony, but just in case.
With that warning, I covered Seo-yul with a blanket and sat on a chair set up on one side of the balcony.
The view from the balcony in the early morning…
Sounds quite romantic just from the description.
Of course, I’m observing it rather than seeing it.
I was about to head back in if Seo-yul showed signs of boredom or dislike, but I sighed in relief when I saw him enjoying the breeze with only his head poking out from the blanket.
After a brief enjoyment of the wind, I spread a tablecloth onto the table.
“Wow! Sandwiches! Did Dad make these?”
[Yes]
[I made plenty, so you can eat as much as you want]
“Yay! I’ll eat a lot!”
[But don’t force yourself to eat]
I poured milk to drink with the sandwiches, and Seo-yul’s eyes sparkled.
Having woken up early and probably hungry.
Seo-yul squirmed in my arms. Soon, his hands burst out from the blanket…
“…Ah, it won’t come out.”
[Huh?]
…It didn’t pop out.
Just before coming out, Seo-yul flinched and slowly pulled his arms back.
Then he tilted his head back to look up at me.
“……”
An unspoken look.
But I could easily read the demands hidden within.
[Oh dear, looks like Seo-yul’s arms won’t come out?]
[What should we do… Should someone else feed him??]
– Nod, nod!
Seo-yul desperately nodded his head as if I got it right.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter and picked up a sandwich.
[Okay, say ah…]
“Ah.”
Seo-yul opened his small mouth and took a bite of the sandwich.
As he chewed, his eyes sparkled.
“It’s delicious!”
[Thank you]
As someone who cooked, how could I feel anything less than happy when the person eating it, smiles and says it’s delicious.
[Now, another bite… and some milk as well]
“Ah…”
I couldn’t help but smile while preparing more food.
‘…So, what should I do next…’
As I pondered my schedule while working on my food.
I got what I needed from the Tower of Knowledge.
My magic skills had already improved. I acquired several pieces of information that could only be gotten there.
I found clues about Haeju’s treasure and gathered plenty of precious items that Ariel had sent my way.
More than anything, I learned to use Ariel’s unique magic as well.
I may still be lacking, but having grasped at least the basics is a victory.
I have the spells and interpretations of Ariel’s unique magic saved in my head and my pocket space.
I could follow the path Ariel opened up.
And I could mix in my own uniqueness to carve my separate path.
Moreover, I even brought back the purification artifact that Ariel once used.
If I count everything, I’ve gotten far more than I planned.
‘What should I do next?’
Having gained and learned a lot, I obviously couldn’t just stop here.
Despite it being a major achievement, there’s still so little I can accomplish with my skills.
So I have to continue planning for growth.
‘Something that comes to mind right now… maybe spirits?’
I’ve got a good number of spirits now, numbering in the hundreds.
Some people might never see this number even if they lived their whole lives wandering.
Yet, I’ve just taken in those who naturally follow me.
The only downside is they’re all small and still at a lower level?
But that little regret will soon come to an end.
‘Soon, they’ll all level up. Should I ask Professor Riana for help?’
I handed a sandwich and milk to Seo-yul and summoned a spirit.
– Huuuu…
A wind spirit glowing in green hue.
This one is one of the early elders I captured on my first adventure.
I gave it a poke with my fingertip, and it landed on my palm, sprinkling a bit of light.
It started off the size of my fingertip, but now it’s bigger than my head.
As I synchronized with it for a moment, a peculiar thought echoed in my mind.
Simply put… I’m not small… it was similar to that idea.
‘What does that even mean, I’m not small?’
It seems the majority of spirits are now self-aware.
As the spirit bumps into me insisting to retract that statement, I shrugged.
That means the conditions for leveling up have already been met.
If I leave things as they are, they’ll level up one by one, but since there are differences among the spirits, it would be better to level them up all at once.
Other plans also came to mind.
Various words floated and sank in my head.
By combining them appropriately, I formulated an efficient plan.
‘Hmm.’
Plan completed.
I’ve outlined a rough plan of action.
With so many things to do, it would be best to handle as much as I can in one go.
With that thought, I tapped on my smartwatch.
*
– Creak… Creak…
“What’s that?”
“…Did they lower the weights?”
“I checked, and it’s real.”
“That’s even more chilling. Just tell me it’s fake.”
This training room is located on the second-year premises.
Because of that, 99% of users are second-year students, so it is generally perceived as a second-year exclusive training room.
– Creak…
Everyone using this public training room wore similar expressions.
Shock, surprise, bewilderment…
A pretty common mix of emotions.
And they all directed their eyes towards the same spot.
“Phew…”
– Creak…
The person who captured everyone’s attention, Choi Ji-yeon, didn’t seem to care.
She used her whole body to lift the dumbbell clenched tightly in one hand.
– Creak…
The weights in the training room were all different.
Some were light enough to be found in a gym for normal people, while some would be heavy enough that a superhuman dedicated to physical training would struggle with it.
But nothing was heavier than the weight Ji-yeon was lifting.
In a simple workout outfit, she had come to the training room.
A massive piece of metal bigger than a human torso hung from a thin iron bar.
Even if it were a considerable plate, it would still be quite heavy for the average student.
Ji-yeon was lifting it like a barbell as if it was a piece of metal from a single block.
“…Ji-yeon, isn’t that heavy?”
Seeing that outrageous sight, a friend who followed Ji-yeon asked with both awe and concern.
In her hand was a tiny dumbbell.
Despite being rather heavy compared to its appearance, witnessing such a spectacle was something that made one feel overwhelmed.
To be blunt, if Ji-yeon swung that thing around, I would be crushed beneath my defensive magic…
“Yeah, it’s fine. No problem.”
Noticing her friend’s concerned gaze, Ji-yeon nodded nonchalantly.
Drops of sweat gathered at her chin, spilling down to her chest.
Ji-yeon took a deep breath and carefully lowered the weight she was holding.
– Thud!
She undoubtedly lowered it slowly and carefully, but the ground shook with its impact, leaving those nearby astonished and trembling.
Had it not been for the multiple spells that activated before it hit the ground, it would have probably caused a crater…
“Phew…”
Ji-yeon closed her eyes again, calming her breath as she looked down at her hands.
Gritting her fists, she could faintly sense the strength within them.
What’s certain is that her strength has significantly increased compared to last time.
Of course, she had always been one of the top students representing Shio-ram.
The Taesan Clan’s eldest daughter—she possessed excellent inherited potential and by no means was she negligent in her efforts.
Now, with the favor of growth added on, it’s only natural for her to improve.
…Even considering that, her pace of growth has been exceedingly swift.
Her growth curve is noticeably sharper now compared to the beginning of her first year.
“……”
This rapid growth has only happened recently.
About a month ago…
– Ding!
‘…An alert?’
The smartwatch rang at that time.
Despite putting most notifications on silent for focus, the alarm went off.
That meant it was an important alert.
Ji-yeon downed a bottle of water and tapped on her smartwatch.
A hologram floated into her view.
[Contact: Lee Ha-yul]
‘Ah.’
Just a junior.
Suddenly, her demeanor brightened positively, regardless of her friends whispering nearby.
Ji-yeon stretched out her finger and tapped the hologram.
The hologram changed.
Soon, the message history with Lee Ha-yul appeared.
▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes (a long time ago)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Understood (a long time ago)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes (a long time ago)
…
▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes (6 weeks ago)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Thank you for your concern (6 weeks ago)
▶Lee Ha-yul: You have a good weekend too (6 weeks ago)
…
▶Lee Ha-yul: Just got back! (yesterday)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Sorry for delaying the mentoring schedule because of me! (yesterday)
▶Lee Ha-yul: (Acrylic color fruit candy exchange voucher) (yesterday)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Hehe… I’ll treat you to a meal next time! (yesterday)
All of this was in the past.
As her demeanor softened and became more pleasant, she soon felt a swell of pride.
Ji-yeon hurriedly scrolled down to see the most recent messages.
▶Lee Ha-yul: Peeking (a little ago)
▶Lee Ha-yul: (A dog peeking around a corner emoticon) (a little ago)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Senior, do you want to solve the mentoring progress in the dungeon together? (now)
“Dungeon?”
Ji-yeon tilted her head in confusion.
An expression mixed with curiosity.
Right after her thought, another message quickly followed.
▶Lee Ha-yul: I’ve picked the dungeon (now)
▶Lee Ha-yul: It’s a two-day schedule (now)
▶Lee Ha-yul: Ah, just the two of us (now)
“……”
There’s no real need for such an explanation…
But somehow, it’s… um… hard to describe.
Ji-yeon gazed at the hologram with a peculiar expression.
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