[Match End]
[Winner, Ipchun Class Lee Ha-yul]
[Good job]
As the announcement echoed from above, I unwittingly stopped swinging the staff.
The noise of the drum that had been pounding faded away.
“Guhhh…”
Amidst the silence, a groan filled with pain echoed.
It was the groan of the student who had been beaten mercilessly with the staff throughout the match. His face was visibly swollen, and his arms hung limply—no surprise considering how battered his shoulders looked.
The student wobbled on his feet.
Just a moment ago, he had been propped up by a barrage of staff strikes, but now, he had no such support. The swaying student tilted dangerously.
Thud! He finally tumbled forward, face-planting onto the ground.
[Hmm]
That makes it three victories in three matches. The practical test went off without a hitch.
Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned my battered staff against the wall and exited the Sparring Arena.
[Thrilling?]
The moment the door shut, the confession necklace clicked on its own. I absentmindedly caressed the peculiar pendant.
‘Thrilling… Hmm… Indeed.’
After a moment’s hesitation, I found no reason to deny my emotions. My heart felt refreshed, as if I had gulped down carbonated drinks.
‘What was his name again? League… something. Not a name worth remembering, so I’ll just drop it.’
League something. Our only interaction was that shoulder bump during the freshman welcoming event. I hadn’t seen him since.
‘Honestly, I wasn’t really planning to get my revenge…but since we met like this, I might as well.’
I didn’t genuinely hold a grudge over that incident. I was bemused and a little annoyed back then, but it didn’t warrant chasing him down to beat him up.
Still, we ended up meeting as opponents in the Sparring Arena, purely by chance.
What could I do when the situation pushed me? Just a little payback wouldn’t hurt.
Thanks to that, my heart felt a tad lighter. I finally understood why some people take their stress out on the mats.
‘But still, I should refrain from using violence like this.’
There are plenty of wholesome methods to relieve stress; hitting someone isn’t exactly great.
Honestly, I’d much rather just snuggle up to someone nearby and get some comforting pats.
No need to resort to violent methods.
Clearing my thoughts, I quickened my pace.
The mid-evaluation practical was over. As a result, the Fighting Hall was packed with cadets finishing up their tests and heading outside.
I walked in the opposite direction, heading deeper into the building.
Though the practical had just ended, I still had some time, so I planned to practice a bit before heading back.
[Cadet Lee Ha-yul, verified]
[Renting Fighting Hall Room 2-32]
– Beep…
With the mechanical sound, the door opened. As I stepped inside, it closed automatically behind me.
Standing in the center of the room, I inspected my right arm.
My white arm was smooth and unblemished.
The ripped skin and swollen traces from a failed circuit manipulation had completely healed as I left the arena.
I aimed my wiggling fingers forward.
– Creak…
A sharp pain coursed through as the circuits twisted in disarray. I steeled my arm, manipulating the circuits.
The pattern I was working on was the spell for Magic Slash. Once the shape was settled, I released the magic I’d been holding back.
The circulating magic flowed according to the spell’s design and transformed into magic.
– Whoosh! Slash!
‘Ah.’
The magic manifested. A white slash cleaved through the air, scattering into a mist.
I could feel a tear welling up from the pain coursing through my arm.
I glanced down at the floor, where my right arm lay severed below the elbow.
‘Whoa, failure…That hurts.’
Changing my method slightly led to this result. Thankfully, it was just a severed limb, so I had to count my blessings.
This stubbornness in practicing Magic Slash was for good reason. If I had experimented with Magic Bolt and exploded my arm into dozens of pieces, recovering would have been a hassle.
I sighed deeply and used my prosthetic left arm to pick up my severed right arm and press the cut ends together.
‘Homogenization, Taesan.’
Then, I activated my extension ability. Some properties of my magic began to transform, and a massive power swirled through my body.
– Hiss…
As Taesan activated, the heightened natural healing kicked in, starting to fuse the severed arm. The touching cut ends began to meld together, steam rising from the junction.
‘Homogenization, Healing Melody.’
While it would heal quickly as is, there was a risk of the curse gnawing at my life force while forcefully healing, so I reinforced it with Elia’s unique abilities as well. The light focused on the severed area, accelerating the regeneration.
‘Done.’
Carefully aligning my arm to avoid misalignment, it didn’t take long for it to perfectly join without a scar.
I waved my attached arm for a moment, confirming it was alright, and let out a heavy sigh.
‘Attempt five’s technique… It really is tough to master on my own, huh?’
I grimaced at my twitching fingers.
Attempt five was about artificially altering the internal circuits—it’s a pretty wacky wizard concept.
While I tried to replicate this with magic affinity, it’s hard to do when I’ve never witnessed the original technique in action.
The magic I used against Katsuki Yusei just now was the most effective way to manifest magic with the least amount of injury until now.
Even with Ariel’s scolding, it felt rewarding to have practiced a bit. I was gradually getting the hang of it. Seeing progress made it hard to just throw it away.
Yet, there were still many failures, so using it in a real battle would be risky.
Of course, it’s absurd even to be mimicking it without any artifacts, just through simple magic manipulation…
‘…It would be great if I could observe the original technique.’
I eventually arrived at this conclusion.
One of my strengths is my overwhelming ability to gather information through observation and sensitivity, and my mimicry through extension abilities.
As long as I can have the original as a learning tool, my proficiency could skyrocket in no time.
Usually, this kind of weak wish wouldn’t cross my mind, but having experienced that massive growth at the Tower of Growth, it’s understandably frustrating.
At the Tower of Growth, I encountered the second attempt.
Even if my soul isn’t contained within it, is it because the body is one I recognize? The techniques of the second attempt could be imitated much more easily.
During that process, I was surely killed dozens of times and cursed, but according to Ariel’s explanation, that wasn’t intentional on her part.
Under normal circumstances, I should have felt extreme pain, but my senses were too sharp, making it impossible to dull them enough to feel typical pain.
In the end, it circled back to being my problem.
Though Ariel took it as being their fault, honestly, how could anyone predict and respond to such things?
…Honestly, I still hold a grudge against the Tower of Growth owner, but I have yet to hear her side of the story, so I’m keeping my mouth shut.
In any case, if this logic holds for other attempts, and if I could call forth different attempts at the Tower of Growth…
As I fought against that attempt, I would dramatically become stronger.
‘The owner of the Tower of Growth probably summoned the second attempt for similar reasons. So, later on, there’s a good chance I’ll meet other attempts.’
If that’s the case, I’d welcome it.
Sure, I would experience pain along the way, but I wouldn’t make the foolish choice of whining about not wanting to suffer and tossing away the chance to grow.
‘…But if I meet some late-game attempts, I might not be able to resist and get sliced up…’
How much I hurt and struggled doesn’t really matter all that much.
.
.
.
After moving my body a little, I left.
Thanks to that, I raised my proficiency in Taesan and Healing Melody significantly.
[Hello, Senior Choi Ji-yeon]
“Younger student? Nice to see you. How did the practical go… for me?”
As I rubbed my sore right arm while stepping out of the Fighting Hall, I ran into Choi Ji-yeon.
I had already sensed her location, but our paths crossed unavoidably.
Ji-yeon, who had been chatting with friends, turned around with a smile at my greeting but stiffened slightly upon seeing me.
[?]
Her change in expression made my body tense. Did she sense Taesan’s presence? I quickly checked, but it was still completely hidden.
Since the encounter with Baek Ahrin, I’ve been thoroughly erasing my presence.
…So, what was it?
“Lee Ha-yul junior.”
[Yes, yes]
Her firm voice made me freeze up. As Ji-yeon stepped closer, I instinctively pulled my legs back.
Thunk—but I was immediately met with the wall behind me. There was nowhere to escape.
Soon a black shadow loomed over me. Ji-yeon stood before me, her expression tense as she reached out her hand.
“Just a moment of your time.”
[Huh? Um… okay]
Upon hearing my response, Ji-yeon turned her body, glancing at her friends with a look of surprise.
But it was only for a moment; her expression firmed up again, and she spoke.
“…I have to take care of something, so I’ll skip this round. You all wait for me.”
“Oh, okay… take care of it…?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Ji-yeon nodded and, leaving her bewildered friends behind, strode off with determination. I was left in her grip, following behind.
…The wings of the sky subtly enveloped Ji-yeon’s waist.
.
.
.
Ji-yeon led me to a mansion.
Among them, we headed to a park filled with a variety of vibrant flowers.
In between, she got me a warm glass of milk from a café and chatted for a bit before quickly dragging me to this place.
Since I had also intended to end up here from the start, I simply followed along.
Upon reaching the park.
After scanning the surroundings, Ji-yeon sat down on a bench and seated me on her thigh.
The plump sensation supporting my bottom made me blink in surprise.
[Senior?]
“Just a moment.”
Not understanding what was happening, I obediently tilted my head, and Ji-yeon suddenly reached into my shirt, placing her palm on my abdomen.
– Hah…
Withher palm gently rubbing my belly, a surge of life force filled my body, making me tremble.
It wasn’t just warm; it was a vitality that felt abundant, filling my body gradually.
– Ue, Ueek…
Still getting used to this feeling, my body shivered momentarily, but then the sensation of being filled settled in, making me feel lethargic.
It was as if I was filled to the brim and placed in a warm bed, my energy flowing away.
Without flinching, Ji-yeon didn’t hesitate to scoop me up, cradling me in her arms.
I was just as familiar with it. Previously, we had done this in dungeons, where I also received life energy.
‘If you were going to give me life energy, you could have just said so…’
I had a slight complaint but kept it to myself.
Now that I think about it, I’m unsure why she’s even injecting life energy into me.
However, unlike self-absorption, receiving life energy from Ji-yeon brought about a strange sensation of fullness and elation, making me quietly accept the infusion.
The life energy infusion came to a sudden stop. Her hand that had been rubbing my belly pulled away. I curiously felt my stomach was oddly plump.
Maybe it was because I’d just exerted so much energy while rolling around before, but that fullness felt all the more pronounced.
“Phew…”
Ji-yeon let out a sigh. She adjusted me in her arms and gently tapped my back.
With a steady rhythm, her hand patted me—accompanying the heartbeat resonating within me, something heavy rose from my stomach.
– Cough…
Ultimately, a small burp escaped my lips, burning my face with embarrassment while a strange satisfaction squirmed through me, melting away my already dwindling reason.
“Do you have any promises scheduled?”
[No… none…]
“Then take a little nap.”
Realizing my demeanor, Ji-yeon pulled my head into her chest, speaking softly.
“I mentioned that after getting injured and receiving life energy, sleepiness tends to come, right? So, it’s nothing to worry about. You can sleep.”
[I’m not hurt…!]
“Ugh, let’s just call it that for now. But you can sleep when you feel drowsy. I’ll be here to keep watch. So just rest easy.”
As her hand continued caressing my back, it slipped down.
Her hand, which had briefly checked my bottom, was now rhythmically patting me just as it did in the dungeon.
Being wrapped tenderly in her care lulled my senses even further.
Everything else faded away, leaving only the sound of her heart echoing within me.
‘I’m good…’
[Happy]
The pain and stress from my training melted away like honey.
As expected, being held like this was far more blissful than breaking and smashing things…
“…How did you get hurt again… Seriously, I can’t take my eyes off you…”
With the last of those words faintly heard, my consciousness drifted away.
*
[Player Buff System: Affection Levels]
Lee Ha-yul → Choi Ji-yeon
●●●●●●●○○○(74▷76/100)
“Affection” “Rock” “Reliability” “Sense of Security”
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