The Tower of Growth stood tall in the center of Shio-ram, its scale incomparable to any skyscraper.
Despite its massive size, the entrance was a single formal doorway, leading the students to orderly head towards it.
“Daehan Class, enter!”
The order was reversed: starting from the fourth-year class Daehan, all the way down to the first-year class Ipchun.
In a circular formation around the tower, the Daehan students lined up to enter one by one.
It might seem simple, just entering one after another, yet onlookers found it quite fascinating to watch.
The students exuded a distinctive aura as superhumans, clad in magnificent uniforms, disappearing one by one into the tower.
“…How did it go for you back in your day?”
“Huh?”
Riana blinked in surprise at the unexpected question while gazing at the students vanishing into the Tower of Growth.
At her side, Atra, arms crossed, continued, “During the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, I mean. The entrance is somehow the same now. I’ve heard the rules were different back then, though?”
“Why are you so curious about someone else’s business… Oh, it’s because of the kid, isn’t it?”
Riana exclaimed in realization, casting a glance toward Lee Ha-yul, who was quietly waiting in line.
It seemed this foolish disciple was less interested in Riana’s circumstances and more curious about the entrance he would soon be entering.
“Well, back then, it was nothing special. We mostly just tossed the students around for team fights or sent a horde of monsters to fight together…”
As Riana chuckled, Atra narrowed her eyes.
“…Kid?”
“Huh? Is that where you draw the line? You occasionally call him a baby too.”
Riana shrugged, then turned her gaze back to Lee Ha-yul.
Once more, she couldn’t help but admire the striking impression he left.
Among the colorful superhumans, his pure white color was particularly eye-catching, blending beautifully with his dreamy and innocent aura along with his blue wing attire. He looked straight out of a fairy tale.
Despite all the attention now shifted towards him, Lee Ha-yul appeared calm as if he were used to it.
“Hehehe.”
Riana chuckled at the sight of this small figure standing tall, reminding her of a black fur ball that once shrank in on itself.
Simultaneously, memories of the first night of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, when he sulked in her arms, flooded back.
“The way he was obsessed with the chest honestly fits the baby description perfectly. Spending the entire night just playing around…”
“What? Playing with what?”
“When you have kids, you’ll have to share milk, and his eyes went wide in shock… Hehehe.”
Recalling that night, Riana couldn’t hold back her laughter.
For anyone else, it would have been terribly embarrassing, but fortunately, Atra was the only one who heard.
“…”
Atra froze. She just heard that Lee Ha-yul played with Riana’s chest all night.
She dug through her memories. Indeed, he did love chests, often burying his face in hers and acting spoiled.
‘But did he ever touch…?’
Nope. Sure, he grabbed her behind once, but that was it. She had no memories of him daring to touch her chest.
Yet, apparently, he played with this chest?
Atra’s gaze instinctively shifted towards Riana’s chest.
Magnificently large and substantial. It was clear why Lee Ha-yul often commented about it.
“…”
Atra felt slightly uneasy. While her own chest was hardly small, comparatively, it felt lacking.
And not to mention she’d never even touched his?
“Hey, can you stop looking at me like that? It’s not just uncomfortable; it feels threatening…”
Riana instinctively felt a sense of danger and covered her chest with both arms. Images of those two hands grabbing her so close flashed through her mind…
– Squish…
Yet, that action only accentuated her chest, making Atra’s expression even more menacing.
“Master, Professor Riana.”
Before Atra’s impulses turned into actions, Lee Ha-yul approached the two of them, patiently waiting for his turn.
Though unable to move too far due to the need to keep the line, he managed to step close enough to them.
– Stretch
“Bweee…?”
Coming over, Lee Ha-yul stretched Atra’s face. He blinked, not understanding at all.
“Why are you bothering the kid?”
“Hmph, I’m not bothering him; it’s affection.”
With an eye roll towards Atra, Riana smiled gently at Lee Ha-yul.
“What’s up, kid?”
“I wanted to greet you before entering.”
“You’ll be in there for just a few hours, what’s the big deal?”
It was just past morning now. Even with some events, they’d definitely be out before nightfall.
“Still, I wanted to say hello.”
“Heh, how sweet of you~”
Riana smiled brightly, patting Lee Ha-yul’s white hair as he grinned bashfully.
Soon, he quietly lifted his head, gazing earnestly into Riana’s eyes.
A silent exchange, but the meaning was clear.
Riana glanced around.
Thanks to Lee Ha-yul approaching, all eyes were on them. Even drones in the air were focused on this spot.
In the midst of this…
‘…Is there really a reason to hesitate?’
Thinking it through, there was no need to be held back by the gaze of others. After all, she wasn’t going to hand over her chest to him right now.
As Riana spread her arms, Lee Ha-yul beamed and hugged her tightly.
“Do your best, okay?”
“Yup.”
Burying himself in her embrace, Lee Ha-yul mumbled. Riana chuckled, gently patting his back and releasing him from her grip.
“I’ll be back.”
“Right, don’t overdo it. Work hard!”
Even Atra, in the end, wore a soft smile, offering Lee Ha-yul a comforting embrace.
*
– Ding!
[Entering the Tower of Growth]
[“Blessing of Growth (Entrance)” is now applied]
…
…
[%@% blinks its eyes]
[Is this the original? Why is it so tiny? Did they starve the kid? Damn!]
[The Tower of Growth Master is quite embarrassed]
[Negative]
*
After a slight nausea, my feet landed on solid ground.
At the same time, the hazy mental state came into focus. Immediately, I assessed my basic condition.
State of my body: no noticeable injuries.
Whether powers were manifesting: functioning normally. The initial pressure was easily shaken off.
Finally, I activated my observational powers, gathering information about the surrounding area.
‘Mountain?’
The mapped surroundings showed a mountain—a raised section of the ground.
However, there were hardly any trees. Moreover, there were scarcity of mounds of earth where trees could grow.
Rock Mountain.
I was summoned to the top of a mountain primarily composed of rocks.
– Ding!
At that moment, the familiar alert sound rang in my ears.
[All students have successfully entered.]
The only significant difference was that the voice echoed from the sky and all students could hear it.
‘Power of Harmony?’
I nodded at the peculiar sensation. Meanwhile, the explanation continued.
[Before we start the match, I’ll explain the rules once again.]
[Basic Rule: Each student belongs to one of the three factions of red, blue, or green assigned at random.]
[However, being in the same faction does not mean attacks are nullified.]
Today’s entrance ceremony was team-based. Most entrance ceremonies were team-oriented, after all.
The intention was to showcase the prowess of students, but ultimately to present a trustworthy appearance of superhumans to civilians.
It wouldn’t do to broadcast a wild scene of discord and betrayal blatantly.
[One, Occupation Rules]
[Work with your team to retrieve, occupy, and maintain designated occupation points.]
[The difference in points exists depending on the type of occupation points.]
[Two, Flag Battle Rules]
[Explore, obtain, and possess flags located throughout the area.]
[The difference in points exists depending on the type of flags.]
In total, the rules for today’s entrance ceremony had boiled down to these two.
‘Occupation and flags, huh…’
Unlike the first-semester entrance ceremony that was all-out fighting, it seems additional rules were introduced here.
In part to provide some entertainment, and ultimately for practice on occupations, sieges, and safeguarding missions.
The voice echoing from the sky abruptly ended.
– Whoooosh!
At the same moment, pillars of light erupted in various spots throughout the observational range, each differing in color and thickness ascending beyond the sky.
‘Good thing it doesn’t hurt my eyes.’
Pillars of light rose around me. Specifically, from atop the Rock Mountain, which was one of the “occupation points.”
The pillar rose triumphantly. Gradually, it began to lose its strength, eventually appearing to be a thin line from a distance.
Yet, there were two pillars, not just one.
One was from the structure. The other from me.
I knocked on the white flag tied to my back.
A pure white flag. The fluttering fabric had ‘1000’ inscribed on it.
[Three, Special Rules]
[An individually selected student is incorporated into the ‘White’ faction.]
[The student of the white faction begins with a special flag worth ‘1,000’ points at the starting point.]
[That special flag is used as the starting point for the event at the end of the match.]
‘Just as expected.’
That was the content explained to me back at the plaza.
I shrugged and gave the flag a light stroke.
[…End of explanation]
[Thus, we shall begin the match from this moment.]
[Please do your best.]
With those final words, the voice from the sky fell silent.
Instead, multiple voices erupted from below.
“I got summoned right next to the occupation point. I’m lucky.”
“Let’s occupy this first and… Oh.”
The formidable pillars of light that arose as if beckoning were set to attract people towards them.
Students climbing up the Rock Mountain spotted me at the top with wide eyes.
I had been observing them since the moment they were summoned; the three of them were already tied together.
‘Green.’
A green cord hung around each of their shoulders like a badge. All three bore this marking.
“…Lucky, right?”
“Dunno?”
Men, chatting casually, naturally equipped their weapons.
One wielded a spear, another donned a full-body shield with a one-handed hammer.
The one remaining woman, who hadn’t chimed in, stepped back and drew up a metal staff.
I examined my own shoulder.
None other than my own arm, around my right shoulder was wrapped a bright white band.
“Hello, junior! Nice to meet you for the first time.”
The senior with the spear greeted me with a warm smile, evidently a friendly personality.
‘Third year, huh?’
The current students were wearing their uniforms, neckties symbolizing autumn’s yellow hue.
Nodding back, I tried to engage too.
Bypassing the external defenses they had on, I infused my will into them via my magic.
– Hello
The spear-wielding senior tensed at my greeting.
“Whoa, felt totally overpowered… Hey, you, magic wrap. Aren’t you casting magic defense?”
“…What? Did something just fly through the air?”
“Is this amateur serious?”
There was some light banter, but they remained on guard, readying their weapons towards me.
Simultaneously, the woman gathering mana for a spell struck the ground with her staff.
– Tap!
The two in front jumped at the sound. The one with the shield bravely stood before the two.
Behind him, the one with the spear tilted sideways, ready for action.
This was amazing; I can tell they weren’t just average students, but veterans.
It was clear they had fought outside before, not just unskilled students.
As a third-year, they must have gained a good amount of experience by now.
Possibly even having participated in the magic battlelines.
‘Hmmm.’
At that thought, I slowly noticed the sensing students drawing closer.
– Whoooosh!
As expected, the drive from the mountaintop sent chills racing through the air. Feeling the breeze brush against my hand, I raised my hand.
With their actions still tense, the one leading the charge strengthened his defenses over his shield.
I nodded at them.
– Creak!
The spell twisted. Seizing control, I adjusted it to fit my will.
“Hey?”
The female student, building up her mana, gasped at my actions while her spell’s essence was pilfered away.
Keeping the essence while simply redirecting the spell’s direction.
– Whoooooosh!
The spell erupted forth! A light fireball meant for simple pressure erupted, crashing into the back of the spear-wielding student!
– Boom!
“Ugh?!”
The leading student was taken aback, his eyes wide with surprise as he was hurled into the air. Sure enough, the attack was weak, yet he had fortified with his mighty barrier making him take very little damage.
However, the momentum lifted him from the ground, sending the giant tumbling toward my side.
While he struggled to regain balance, before he could settle down, I triggered another spell from my grasp.
Boom! The swirling wind kicked up, crashing against the propelled senior before he hit the ground.
“Ugh!!”
With a short scream, the senior soared downwards, cascading off the Rock Mountain.
“What the hell?!”
The spear-wielding student looked aghast at his comrade’s sudden elimination.
The last woman, without joining the banter, dropped back a little, holding her staff with intention.
I drew the flag tied to my back.
As it slipped free, whispers danced in the wind, and I launched it toward the remaining spear-wielder.
“Uh?”
That action happened far too seamlessly. The student reeled back as I snatched the spear close.
– Snatch!
I unleashed magic from my fingertips. The spear-wielder widened his eyes in shock as he dropped his weapon and leapt backward.
Casting forth a bolt of lightning, I hurled it towards him. The young man braced himself, gathering his mana to fend off the strike.
Lightning magic is exceptionally swift, dodging it would be impossible. Still, he aimed to minimize damage instead.
A smart move, to be sure.
– Crackle!
The lightning divided, bursting into five streams, each darting past and aimed at the woman behind.
“AHHH!”
The female student shrieked, barely able to react as the five strands of lightning pierced through her barrier.
Boom! The explosion rumbled like low thunder, sending a shockwave of light cascading around.
“…What’s going on?”
As the power dynamics shifted with the swift fall of his team, the spear-wielding student blinked, facing me as despair painted his features into a smile.
“Er… there’s a significant gap, huh?”
– Exactly.
“While the other guy’s been sent away for a bit…”
– That guy’s already out.
“Eh?”
With his still-flabbergasted expression, I guided his gaze towards the sporadic stone formations bursting from the ground, each one signaling another student’s exit from the match.
“WOW! They really got beat badly, huh…”
– Thank you for your hard work.
Schink! The student, cleanly cut in half from his head to his groin, glowed and changed form to light.
With the emergence of a new shape, I nodded at the sight, satisfied.
‘Just like Ariel taught me.’
Having learned the overall combat from my mentor yet diving deep for my magic lessons from Ms. Ariel, I’d vowed to showcase my work in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Was there any way I would allow myself to be mercilessly overwhelmed?
There’s no way that could happen to me. It’s myself that can change, not someone else.
So, I reaffirm this moment further; I’ll show the true power of what Ariel has taught me during this ceremony!
Resolute, I swayed my flag regally, emboldened.
Though not for the fight, it was strong enough for me. Just the right height to use it momentarily like a staff or a spear.
Leaning against the structure, I infused more magic into it.
– Whooooosh!
A pillar of white light erupted from the structure.
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