After the end of the Tower of Growth, nothing special happened in Shio-ram in the fifth week.
The dungeon exploration still had time left, and the next tower entry wouldn’t come for at least a month or two.
The only event remaining in the first semester would be the mid-term evaluation at the end of the free semester.
After the mid-term evaluation, the free semester would end, and the normal semester would begin, focusing mainly on majors.
From that point on, students would finally be able to choose the lectures they wanted to take.
Overall, class hours would decrease. Think of it as reducing quantity and increasing intensity. The increased free time would include stress-relieving activities like clubs.
In short, things would get more relaxed than now. Of course, just goofing off would be crazy; students had to self-regulate and train individually.
Otherwise, they’d get left behind by the hardworking students and see their grades plummet.
In the original story, subplots flooded in from the regular semester.
Just joining one club could lead to numerous quests branching out, and during that process, students would interact with various characters, further increasing their quests.
If you built a good rapport with a main character, you might get involved with their faction.
In my first run, I spent most of my time chasing after these subplots. That’s why I failed.
“Everyone’s so dedicated.”
As always, I lay on the dry ground of the old training hall, lost in thought about the current atmosphere in the courtyard.
Was it enthusiasm? The fire of ambition blazed in students’ eyes as they pushed through training and academics.
It was a completely different vibe than before.
Of course, it wasn’t that students were lazy on normal days.
After lectures, there were always lots of students bustling around the training rooms or library.
But lately… Well, more precisely, starting this week, the energy was something else.
“The effect is quite impressive.”
There was only one reason.
Thanks to the amplification of blessings from the tower, I had truly tasted growth. I couldn’t help but feel that way.
The Lee Ha-yul before entering the tower and the current Lee Ha-yul were completely different beings. It might sound exaggerated, but it was true.
The performance of the growth blessing I experienced in the tower was extraordinary.
Not only did my specs increase, but I also showed significant progress in my skills. With Professor Atra backing me up, it had to be an objective fact.
If I compared intuitively, I could have overwhelmed Aiden in a single hit now.
Of course, Aiden likely didn’t stop growing either… but that’s what I meant.
The results I gained from the tower proved it.
The points earned by eliminating students, defeating internal monsters, and other things.
In the results posted after tallying all the points, I managed to get into the top 10.
Of course, there was a lot of luck involved.
There weren’t any main characters among the students chasing me on the 1st and 2nd days, I got healed by Elia just before being eliminated, and later, I received similar protection from the top students and didn’t suffer point losses.
…Yeah, I had quite a bit of luck, but still, that was my rank.
My total score was around 1,200 points, right?
The points I personally earned were just over 900, and the appropriate 300 points were distributed among party members, including Baek Ahrin.
I was also slowly getting ready to distribute the values of the Origin Egg… but it hadn’t hatched yet, which made things tricky.
I would need to wait until it hatches to divide the points.
“Should I just leave it as is for my points…?”
I mentally crunched the numbers. Just in case, I left the 300 points meant for sharing as a backup.
What could I do with the remaining 1,000 points?
I flipped through the catalog sent by Shio-ram.
Shio-ram grants points based on academic performance to boost student motivation, and these points can be exchanged for rewards set by Shio-ram.
“Hmmm…”
With 1,000 points, I could get a decent artifact and still have some change left. If I negotiated further, I could at least get a couple of proper weapons, if not artifacts.
Considering how challenging it had been to find a usable artifact through regular channels, this was quite an impressive achievement.
Most of the hidden pieces I’d find on my weekend outing would likely be artifacts.
Should I prepare an artifact or something before dropping by the dungeon…?
Going out.
“Ah.”
I didn’t want to go. That thought suddenly popped into my head with a sigh.
Honestly, just thinking about going out made me feel that way.
The Confession Necklace. An artifact that circumvents the Curse of Silence.
It was definitely an artifact I needed in my current situation. It was right for me to go get it. It certainly was, but…
“I’m scared.”
I couldn’t shake that thought away.
In the original story, the Confession Necklace was an artifact obtainable in the dungeon.
A dungeon. A place filled with threats.
My skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
I assessed my level. In the Tower of Growth, I could tussle with upper-tier students and even drive them back.
But so what?
This is a cradle. A nurturing institution prepared for unfledged sprouts to grow.
Everything I experienced here wasn’t real combat.
The dungeon practice had safety measures set in place by the vice-president, and even then, I was on high alert throughout the dungeon exploration.
I felt only a slight pain in the tower. It was more like a virtual reality where you couldn’t really die.
……
There was an immense difference between my former self and the current me.
Honestly, one thwack from me now could probably burst my old self’s head open.
Yet, I was still me.
Others looked at me like I was something special, but deep down, that cowardly nature never went anywhere.
My physical abilities may have changed, but my rotten mentality remained intact.
My body had changed, but my mind stayed the same.
Thinking about the main story… what would become of the world?
Would the world perish? In my first run, while no one was exterminated, situations reminiscent of a dark age arose.
“Haa…”
I couldn’t think of a single countermeasure.
Lying in the center of the old training hall, I waited for Professor Atra to arrive.
I somewhat understood the feeling of a puppy waiting for its owner.
…
Superhumans possess magic energy through something called a core.
They absorb natural magic from the outside and guide it through circuits to store it in the core.
In that process, unavoidable impurities get mixed in.
Though it’s generally referred to as natural magic, if we get into specifics, its properties can be divided infinitely.
They take in and temporarily adopt countless magical properties. It’s unavoidable for miscellaneous elements to intertwine.
– Vrrrr…
The magic within my body moves. It travels through the circuits contained in my core and circulates throughout my body.
From my fingertips to my toes, the magic’s movement visited every part of my body without hesitation.
Atra, sensing the flow of magic with her hand on Lee Ha-yul’s back, felt that movement keenly.
It was the process of mastering magic after sparring.
Collecting the chaotic momentum of magic that was disturbed during battle and filling in the empty spaces to train one’s magical abilities.
Simultaneously, Atra controlled her own magic. She channelled her dormant magic, letting it circulate through her body.
A move made for Lee Ha-yul, who could easily read the flow of magic through his sensing abilities.
The flow of magic circulating within Lee Ha-yul gently shifted.
Seeing Atra’s magical flow, he instinctively improved his own method on the spot.
“There’s nothing here to criticize.”
Watching the flow of magic flow like water was admirable. There was no little hesitation in controlling her magic.
It operated as though it was natural movement of her limbs. No one teaches you how to move your hands and feet. You just know how to do it.
Lee Ha-yul’s magic operation was at that level.
Even while teaching, Atra continuously sensed that Lee Ha-yul possessed innate talent for magic that was beyond a certain threshold.
But more noticeable than that was the purity of his magic.
Given the accumulation process of magic, superhuman magic inevitably contains impurities.
Lee Ha-yul’s magic was beyond that common sense.
It was clean and pure. That was just how his magical properties were.
Even while accumulating magic, that purity never faded.
Thus, despite the output itself being lower, the strength of his magical power and spells were off the charts.
Time passed silently as I counted in my mind. Atra removed her hand from Lee Ha-yul’s back.
“That’s enough.”
Puffing out a big breath, Lee Ha-yul twisted his body. It was breath filled with a refreshing feeling.
After adjusting his magic one last time, Lee Ha-yul tilted his head.
In Atra’s view, Lee Ha-yul’s round face came into view.
Atra’s gaze swept over Lee Ha-yul’s face. The small marks left from the spar earlier were healing in real time.
‘…He adjusts quickly.’
Atra’s recommended recovery training.
Without the blessing of growth or any means to speed up that process, it might not have been efficient training.
Though Atra herself practiced it without the growth blessing, most superhumans could hardly tolerate it.
Throughout the entirety of Shio-ram’s entrance, her plan was to gradually engrain it into her body and elevate her natural recovery power, but Lee Ha-yul’s body had already surpassed that recovery threshold.
It was abnormal.
So did his control over magic. The purity of his magic was even more noteworthy, but the source of this recovery ability was perplexing to Atra.
It wasn’t a unique ability related to recovery… No, in Atra’s judgment, this was simply an inherent capability of his body.
[Professor]
His eyes were shut tight. Yet Atra was convinced that Lee Ha-yul was observing her.
“Right.”
Time was running late.
Suddenly, the sun was sinking below the horizon, casting an orange glow.
As the hologram rose, Professor Atra responded while rising her body.
[I plan to visit an external dungeon this weekend.]
– I’m going to the dungeon this weekend~
For a moment, my body froze.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
