What’s more important, the body or the soul?
It’s easier to recognize, break, modify, and fix the body. Very few can fully grasp the soul, and it’s much harder to handle.
But when it comes to importance, you can’t pick a winner.
The body is just a vessel, and the soul is the content.
If the body crumbles, the soul crumbles too, and if the soul rots, so does the body.
According to this law, both the body and the soul are crucial components. If either is missing, the living being dies.
‘The soul was trying to rip its way out of the body.’
Although my mind was tormented by nightmares, I slowly came to realize what had happened after waking up.
Normally, it’s hard to perceive anything, but at that moment, I was acutely aware of my soul.
The body that had lost consciousness was bubbling. My magical energy was quiet. More fundamentally, the soul was surging inside, trying to break free from its vessel.
By normal laws, I would have just died.
‘Did I die…?’
I dismissed that thought. Did my body tear apart and die? Normally, I should have died, but I wasn’t sure.
After all, I’m just some ambiguous hybrid.
But that’s not the point.
‘……’
While the body and soul were separating, I felt an indescribable sensation.
A sensation of something very important falling away. Of course, it was natural to feel something like that with the separation of body and soul, but it felt different.
The unique things that make me… the unique abilities were parting ways.
I gently closed my eyes and reflected on the sensation. From what I gathered just now…
‘In this world, Lee Ha-yul is just a soulless shell, while in the original world, I was a soul without a body.’
According to Ariel’s explanation, there was a soulless body here, and I was the soul without a body from my original world.
Originally, they should have been one, but for some reason, they were separated.
The tower’s masters found my body and soul, and recently they invoked the soul and infused it into the body. That’s the full story of how I was brought to this world.
‘…The unique ability that was fading was Jack of All Trades.’
I had felt the sensation based on the soul.
In other words, Jack of All Trades was a unique ability that remained in the body. Naturally, affinity for magic would be the soul’s unique ability.
Thinking this way clears up a few things.
Why couldn’t the original me sense Jack of All Trades despite it being a unique ability?
Because it belonged to the body. It was only natural that I, with only a soul, didn’t have Jack of All Trades.
Why was the player able to acquire and handle all kinds of unique abilities, learn techniques, and become anything they wanted?
Because they observed based on a body with immense potential and Jack of All Trades.
…I’m not sure why a faint soul blossomed in an empty body.
‘…Hmm…’
“Ha-yul, are you okay?”
As I was lost in thought, a hand touched my forehead. It was Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand, radiating warm heat.
“Umm… I’m fine…”
I guess I looked dazed with my eyes closed, so she was worried.
I shook my head and buried my face in her palm. The intense headache that had struck me faded as her touch enveloped me.
“I’m not completely fine. I seem okay now, but the aftermath of something strange is still lingering. I’ll need to eat porridge for a while and monitor my condition.”
[Yes…]
I nodded at Professor Riana’s words from across the way.
She was right. I was feeling somewhat better now, but the aftereffects of my body and soul almost separating were still present. It seemed I would need to take it easy for a while and observe my condition.
“Will I be okay by the time of the Birth Festival…?”
‘Ah…’
Suddenly, I gasped internally as I recalled Hong Yeon-hwa’s worried muttering.
Speaking of which, the Birth Festival is coming up soon.
The biggest festival hosted annually in Shio-ram during winter.
They’d generously open the gates to outsiders, and students would also be released in abundance.
‘At the Tower, I need to show my skills properly…’
The Birth Festival also includes the entrance ceremony. Unlike a typical entrance event that spans five days, this one is a short affair lasting just a few hours.
However, uniquely, it’s also a schedule to broadcast the tower’s internal activities to the outside world.
During that schedule, I need to showcase my abilities. Of course, I don’t need to reveal all my trump cards, but I should at least make my current capabilities widely known.
On the flip side, to resolve the aftermath of recent events, cooperation from the association and others will be necessary.
Though the authority I transferred before should be sufficient, demonstrating my abilities now will lend more weight to my claims later on.
I briefly assessed my physical condition and shook my head.
“I can recover by then.”
“…Don’t push yourself. If it’s too hard, you don’t have to participate in the dressing competition.”
As I pondered this, suddenly, Hong Yeon-hwa looked down at me with a worried expression.
“Wait, are you participating in the dressing competition, Ha-yul?”
“Yeah, I was thinking of signing up since I mentioned it the other day, but with my body like this…”
Elia’s eyes widened as she asked, while Hong Yeon-hwa tenderly brushed my hair behind my ear.
“You don’t have to feel bad since I asked as a joke to begin with, okay?”
As she gently caressed my cheek, I rubbed my face against her hand.
“It’s fine… I’ll go…”
“Are you really okay? You were super shy last time. Thinking back, I feel like I was too pushy then…”
“Umm…”
I nodded internally at Hong Yeon-hwa’s late apologies.
It’s definitely embarrassing. Should I call it shame? It was the same back then and even now.
But it’s fine.
“Because Yeon-hwa wants to see me… I want to show myself to you…”
“……”
Because Hong Yeon-hwa wants to see me, I can endure the embarrassment.
As I replied, her expression changed. Her tightly closed lips quivered.
Whoosh… I felt the sensation of Gop-hwa igniting. Hong Yeon-hwa’s warm skin felt nice. It was warm and comforting.
“Phew…”
Sighing deeply, Hong Yeon-hwa grasped the back of my head firmly.
“…Ha-yul, shall we kiss?”
“Sure… Mmm, peck…”
Nodding, her careful hands tilted my head back. Opposite that, her face suddenly filled my vision.
“Chirp, peck…”
It was so blissful that my eyes felt like they were melting away in ecstasy.
*
A little later.
Hong Yeon-hwa, cradling the dazed Lee Ha-yul, listened attentively to Riana and Elia’s explanations.
Of course, being unfamiliar with elemental magic, Hong Yeon-hwa couldn’t understand everything.
What she had learned wasn’t about elemental magic but rather how to hunt down elemental magic users.
However, because it was related to Lee Ha-yul, Hong Yeon-hwa focused intently.
– Tap, tap
“Huh?”
Just as she was deeply listening, a sound other than conversation crept into her ear. It also came with a strange sensation felt around her chest.
“Uh, uh…”
Riana and Elia, sitting opposite her, blinked blankly.
Hong Yeon-hwa, equally blinking, discreetly lowered her gaze.
Lee Ha-yul, who had been resting his face against her chest, had lifted his head and was now moving his hands in a daze.
– Tap, tap
With busy hands, the buttons of his shirt were coming undone.
The two hands that had undone a few buttons maneuvered to grasp her bosom, pulling it apart to either side, displaying her ample figure wrapped in her underwear.
Among those around Hong Yeon-hwa, none stood out as particularly busty, though she was considerably endowed by typical standards.
Lee Ha-yul, rubbing his eyes, wrapped his arms around her slim waist, lowering his head to bury his face deep in her cleavage.
Without a second thought, he seemed to clear away any obstructions, positioning himself to maximize the warmth, sweet scent, and soft touch, along with the sound of her heartbeat echoing in his ears.
“……”
It was a very familiar and unabashed action.
If one merely described it, it would be a vulgar act bordering on harassment.
“Ha-yul, do you like it?”
“Yes… It’s warm… I like it…”
“Uh-huh, just relax.”
Hong Yeon-hwa gazed down at Lee Ha-yul’s actions, gently stroking his hair without a hint of distress on her face.
In fact, she felt more than content.
Lee Ha-yul, who relied on her and sought comfort from her, was utterly endearing.
Moreover, she wanted him to express even deeper affection. She wished for him to come to her without hesitation.
“Sniff, sniff…”
“Ah, wait a moment…”
But this time, she felt a little shy.
Lee Ha-yul’s face snuggled against her chest, inhaling her scent.
Usually, it wouldn’t have mattered, but he had just run wildly a moment ago. Hong Yeon-hwa’s cheeks flushed at the thought of him catching her sweat scent.
Of course, compared to what they would be doing on the last day of the Birth Festival, this was nothing, but…
“Do I… smell bad…?”
“Smells good…”
[Milk scent good]
“…Phew, that’s a relief.”
Clearing her throat, Hong Yeon-hwa pecked Lee Ha-yul on the crown of his head.
With her other hand, she grabbed a blanket nearby and draped it over the boy, who was nuzzling against her chest.
“Hmm…?”
Watching this unfold firsthand, Riana’s eyes trembled. Her mouth opened as if about to say something but quickly closed.
Despite feeling something was off, Lee Ha-yul’s actions looked completely natural and confident. Similarly, Hong Yeon-hwa displayed no signs of discomfort.
It was as if Riana, who felt something strange, was the one being considered abnormal…
“…Hmph.”
Noticing Riana’s gaze, Hong Yeon-hwa’s lips twitched upwards.
A peculiar sense of superiority filled her chest.
…However, that feeling was obstructed by the artifact still wrapped around the two.
Although she had quite a bit of it on her too, she couldn’t understand why it was still bound to those two.
Hong Yeon-hwa gently patted Lee Ha-yul’s bottom, whispering.
“Ha-yul, shall we remove that artifact? They seem to be feeling frustrated.”
“Umm… No, it’s mine…”
“My… dear, right? How about we do this instead?”
“Ah, no. It’s okay; it doesn’t really bother me.”
“That’s true. It feels warmer, actually.”
‘Tsk.’
Her persuasion flopped. Lee Ha-yul rare actually whined about her words, refusing to release the confines.
Sighing internally at the thought that he could hear, Hong Yeon-hwa helplessly inquired.
“Ha-yul, if you’re sleepy, you can just sleep like this, okay?”
“Yes… Can I sleep together today?”
“Uh-huh, let’s go to bed early since you’re not feeling well. Don’t worry about Seo-yul.”
As I patted Lee Ha-yul’s rear, a muffled reply emerged from the blanket. Maybe he was intoxicated by her scent, but his voice was even more hazy.
With a satisfied nod, Hong Yeon-hwa looked up.
“Please continue with the explanation.”
“Ah, yes…”
Riana, with a reluctant face, resumed her explanation.
.
.
.
While there were many parts she couldn’t comprehend, she could gather the general circumstances from the explanations.
Like always, Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t grasp the entirety. Yet, she still needed to save it in her memory.
“After that, the tired little one… no, Lee Ha-yul took an elixir.”
“An elixir? What kind of elixir?”
“Yes, it was an elixir from the Taesan Clan. It was made mainly from the root of the fairy tree, and it seems they expected some racial synergy from it.”
“Oh, Taesan Clan. Their elixirs have good effects…”
It seems to be a long story…
As she was about to continue her sentence, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly blinked.
An elixir made by the Taesan Clan, primarily using the roots of the fairy tree…
But she had eaten plenty of elixirs made as gifts from that prominent clan.
Moreover, it was also an elixir she had gifted to someone.
“Hong Yeon-hwa?”
“…Uh, could it be that it has a name or was… made by…?”
“Yes, that’s right. Even if the numbers are different, they are the same type.”
Riana nodded casually.
That prompted Hong Yeon-hwa to rewind her memory.
The elixir she had gifted to Lee Ha-yul… When was that?
It was before the first entrance ceremony.
She distinctly remembered giving it on a Friday. She had not heard from him over the weekend. That prompted her memory of their radio silence because of that.
– [Sorry for not replying. It’s just an excuse, but I ended up sleeping all weekend after taking the elixir.]
‘……’
Eating a processed elixir with little burden on the body and sleeping through the weekend?
Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyelids fluttered.
Suddenly, a foreboding thought crossed her mind.
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