Reaction
Reaction
[121st Siyoram 'Birth Festival' Sparks Global Frenzy - Viewing Highlights in Focus]
The Birth Festival, held annually by Siyoram.
It's not like the cycle is especially short, but public interest hasn't waned one bit.
[The Gate Terminal Is About to Burst][72]
(Photo: New York Gate Terminal interior packed with people)
(Photo: Hologram display showing the current waiting count)
Are those waiting numbers actually real? How many zeroes are on that?
[Comments]
-Whoa, how many people is that lololololololol
-Terminal staff doomsday is on
-How the hell do you get permission to enter Siyoram?
└(OP) You some kind of criminal scumbag?
└Criminal apprehended in the Gray Zone
It was only natural that the community overflowed with talk of Siyoram and the Birth Festival.
So much so that even a post about Siyoram entry procedures at the crack of dawn would pile on comments by the dozen.
[Siyoram, Entry]
[Got an autograph from a patrolling superhuman, how's this?]
[Anyone got restaurant recommendations?]
[Gate terminal is way too crowded]
[The people who got in streaming is so annoying, fuck]
By the time people were actually entering Siyoram, the posts flooded in even faster.
Silyoram did grant entry to a fair number of people, but the screening was tough, and compared to the global population, it wasn't a huge number of people getting in.
[Campus broadcast drones are up]
So the overwhelming majority, feeling envy and jealousy over the firsthand accounts, had to watch the Birth Festival through the drone feeds.
[Compilation of broadcast Siyoram scenery]
[Two hours before the opening ceremony, a gif of the marching cadet procession]
[Watching the Birth Festival at home with family from early morning... how's this?]
Viewers were leisurely watching the feeds.
This was before the opening ceremony had even started. They were idly watching the broadcast footage, their mindset less about enjoying major spectacles.
- It's a broadcast drone
That was why.
A majestic mansion, worthy of being called a castle, captured by broadcast drone #32.
People assumed it was just a scenery shot—nobody expected the mansion's door to open and a group to step out.
A moment that was completely unanticipated.
[......]
They definitely didn't expect the camera to fill up with Lee Ha-yul's face, someone who hadn't shown himself for a while.
[?]
[Whoa]
[Whoa]
[Whoa]
Feed 32 lagged for a moment.
.
.
.
[Who was that just now]
[To whoever was watching feed 32]
[Who is that what's the name hurry urgently please]
[Why is everyone suddenly having a seizure]
[Whoa]
[My head is spinning]
The community erupted into flames.
Those who had been watching feed 32, freed from their abnormal state, fanned the blaze hard, while people in other streams were baffled and latched onto the buzz.
[Why is everyone suddenly having a seizure][41]
What, a street brawl broke out between superhumans??? What's with the post speed
[Comments]
- (link)
└(OP) what the hell is making everyone go nuts like this
└(OP) Whoa
└Fuck lololol
[Special Admission Cadet's Grandeur Compilation][5,351]
(Photo: Lee Ha-yul's face straight on)
(Gif: Lee Ha-yul sheepishly scratching his cheek)
Whoa
[Comments]
-??????
-Whoa
-Whoa
-Fuck, I can't even find words
The hot topic was the Special Admission Cadet.
Everyone had it buried for the moment, but it was a subject ready to blaze up at any second.
It was natural for the spotlight to be on cadets during the Birth Festival, but this year's festival was bound to focus particularly on the Special Admission Cadet.
The buzz that seemed ready to explode during the opening ceremony ignited that much earlier because the drone spotted Lee Ha-yul ahead of time.
[The Great One's Transformation Comparison][3,261]
(Photo: Lee Ha-yul entering the tournament arena during the first semester)
(Photo: Lee Ha-yul emerging from the mansion with an awkward expression)
Hair color changed, yep. And his eyes are open.
More than anything, his looks have undergone a supreme, ultimate evolution.
[Comments]
-Whoa, his eyes are crazy pretty
-From black hair to white
└Feels like he molted or something
└When you put it like that it's cute as fuck lololol
-He was a beauty before too, but now this is just fucking absurd?
└What the hell even happened to him in the meantime...
└Looks like he evolved two or three times
└If he solo-killed the Twin-headed Poison Dragon, the experience would definitely fill up that much
The Special Admission Cadet buzz was bound to surge as a main topic anyway.
The reason it ignited far more intensely than expected was that Lee Ha-yul's change in appearance went beyond anything imagined.
Lee Ha-yul had already drawn admiration for his looks before.
But having revealed himself now, he was something that far exceeded that.
[Breaking News) Special Admission Cadet heading to opening ceremony venue]
[But didn't a lot of people come out of the mansion?]
[They're all women;; fuck lolololol]
[Calamity Flame and Changhae heirs came out together]
[Whoa]
Burning all the trivial buzz to brilliant ash, the Lee Ha-yul topic set the community ablaze.
[Two People Suddenly Getting Touchy on the Street...][1,354]
(Photo: Baek A-rin with her hand on Lee Ha-yul's cheek)
(Photo: Lee Ha-yul holding Baek A-rin's hand and summoning Calamity Flame)
What the hell are they doing all of a sudden in the middle of the street???
[Comments]
-Ah, suddenly I feel like shit
-What's their relationship? Seems weirdly close
└Fuck, let go of that hologram hand right now!
└You're flipping out like it's some urban legend about being dragged away lololol
└The next day, the poster received an invitation letter from the xx family...
-Touching a cheek and you're trying to burn them to death right away? That's brutal
└Looks warm though?
└Yeah, her expression softens for real, she seems happy
└Is that really Calamity Flame? It looks totally different
└Lee Ha-yul's Calamity Flame is notoriously peculiar, yep
[Two People Suddenly in a Chase on the Street...][1,261]
(Gif: Hong Yeon-hwa fiercely chasing after a fleeing Baek A-rin)
Yeah
[Comments]
-Gasp
-Gasp
-Whoa, so fast lololol
-Now that's Calamity Flame lolol
The topic of Lee Ha-yul showed absolutely no sign of cooling down, so the spotlight stayed on him even after the opening ceremony began.
[The World's Happiest Woman]
(Photo: Lee Ha-yul wearing Calamity Flame Family traditional attire)
(Photo: Hong Yeon-hwa standing in formation at the opening ceremony)
(Photo: Hong Yeon-hwa stroking Lee Ha-yul's hair during the opening ceremony)
This one, yeah
[Comments]
-Fucking hell, the lucky one was the other way around?
└The Calamity Flame heir's foresight... I salute you
└Even back then he was ridiculously pretty...
└This is 'godliness' of buying at the bottom
-The Taesan heir is also sneaking glances at 'that person' from afar, what is this???
└How could you not look?
└Two close younger siblings fighting over one guy? I'm getting popcorn right away lolol
└For real lol
-If your spouse looked like that, you'd never leave the house lolol
[Birth Festival Opening Ceremony, Representative Cadets' Oath][5,167]
(Gif: Lee Ha-yul awkwardly touching his necklace)
Seems like he still can't speak
His necklace is outputting voice instead, yep
[Comments]
-He's closing his eyes again, are his eyes still not recovered?
└Just a moment ago they were open though?
-Looking at it, he only opens his eyes when looking at Hong Yeon-hwa, yeah
└Oh
└Oh
└Somehow romantic
└He opens his eyes when looking at other people too though? Like that tall blonde woman who came with them just now
└Huh
[Opening Ceremony Highlight, Mana Ray Compilation]
(Video: Mana surging up from the outer edge of the cadet formation)
(Video: A colossal white pillar of light rising from the center of the grand hall)
Whoa, the mana is fucking insane
[Comments]
-The color is Gosh so pretty
-Fuck, why is it so big
└Somehow it feels lewd...
└?
-Look at the difference from the other cadets, it's thicker than a building lolololololol
└That's sheer dominance level
-By the way, when does that end?
└Yeah, it's not stopping?
└Just how much mana does that thing have?
└At least several hundred times the other cadets, yeah
└This is absurd lolol
The buzz wouldn't die even after the opening ceremony ended.
Though it lost some momentum once the real spectacles started, the image captured by the drone was so shocking the fire, like Calamity Flame, refused to go out easily.
-Not seeing Lee Ha-yul anymore
└Seems like the attention gets to him so he's going around using perception obstruction, yep
└That's a shame
└With looks like that, the attention really would be overwhelming
But a fire without kindling eventually goes out.
There were plenty of people roaming between streams on the first and second days, but they couldn't find Lee Ha-yul.
As the kindling dried up, the flames naturally started to subside.
They still had plenty of powerful heat left, but the force was nothing compared to the opening ceremony.
[Breaking News) Tower of Growth broadcast in 10 minutes]
New kindling arrived with the third day's schedule: the Tower Entry.
The Tower of Growth, Siyoram's absolute symbol. What could be more entertaining than watching cadets compete after entering it?
In fact, the day with the highest viewership was the Tower Entry on the third day.
Another huge pillar of interest was what kind of results and performance Lee Ha-yul—still a hot topic—would show.
[The Reason the Special Admission Seat Was Vacant Until Now?][8,162]
(Photo: Barrier wall spread across the rocky mountain)
(Gif: Cadets vaporized by the magic pouring from the barrier)
(Gif: Barrier walls multiplying in real time)
Because there was no talent like this in the last 100 years lolololololol
[Comments]
-What's that, wasn't it done by the Taesan heir?
└Nope, that's the mountain range side. That's a mage's workshop lolololol
└Isn't that a defensive installation rather than a workshop?
└Yep
└???
-Whoa, so did he start by installing defensive structures beforehand? The scale is insane
└Nope, he went inside and laid it down right away
└???
The Tower Entry competition began broadcasting.
Unlike before, when talk centered around his looks, the direction of topics pivoted to Lee Ha-yul's combat prowess after the Tower Entry began.
It was thanks to the show of force Lee Ha-yul deliberately put on display.
[The Majesty of the 'Demon King's Castle' Rising on the Rocky Mountain]
(Photo: Citadel rising atop the rocky mountain)
(Gif: Barrier walls appearing one after another along the mountain ridges)
[Comments]
-Demon King's Castle lmaooo
└But if you glance at it, it's pretty similar
[Appearance of the Demon King's Castle 'Legions']
(Gif: Golems and undead pouring from the barrier clashing with cadets)
(Gif: Cadets being engulfed by spirits' elemental bursts)
[Comments]
-He set up a workshop, is spamming magic, using undead, Golems, and spirits—where the hell is the mana coming from?
└Didn't you see the opening ceremony? His mana capacity is in a different league to begin with, yep
-The spirits are so fucking cute
└Uh
└Didn't something just burst from that headbutt?
[Appearance of the Demon King's Castle 'Legion Commander']
(Gif: Golem being imbued with a fire spirit)
(Gif: Golem erupting Calamity Flame)
Calamity Flame Legion Commander Golem
[Comments]
-What the hell is that
-Whoa, so badass
-It's insanely brutal;; I'm about to piss myself
-Wouldn't the Golem melt in Calamity Flame? How is it being fused?
└Oh, for real
Lee Ha-yul's skill was already widely known. It was practically proven the moment he subjugated the undead Twin-headed Poison Dragon.
Because of that, everyone had high expectations for his combat level, but the actual power revealed easily transcended anything imagined.
[Wasn't the Special Admission Cadet all about being crazy strong in martial arts?]
[I counted the undead, Golems, and spirits]
[Are all those spirits mid-rank spirits?]
[??? How are the Golems moving without any core]
[The golems are infinitely multiplying, fuck lolol]
[? A cadet just got abducted]
Everyone was astonished—not by his already well-known personal strength, but by his anti-army warfare capability, dominating the battlefield alone.
Superhumans themselves are rare, but among them, those with anti-army combat ability, capable of waging war alone, are even rarer.
[? A cadet just got abducted]
A cadet is being snatched and kidnapped by a spirit
[Comments]
-Isn't that the cadet who came out of the same mansion as Lee Ha-yul in the morning?
└Gasp
└Gasp
└Fuck seriously let go
[Special Report) Hero Party begins infiltration of the Demon King's Castle]
(Photo: The frozen first barrier collapsing)
Allied coalition's full-scale assault begins
[Comments]
-This is exciting as hell lolol
└The Three Great Families party sortie
[Breaking) Hero Party begins combat with the 'Demon King']
[The Demon King is way too white]
[Whoa, not getting pushed back 1v3]
[? Why is the kidnapped cadet helping Lee Ha-yul?]
The Tower Entry is loaded with spectacle. Countless highlight moments emerge from the cadets' light-bursting battles.
But this Tower Entry was on another level.
With dopamine-popping highlights continuously being broadcast, the already high viewership climbed sharply.
[Breaking) Match ends... but an 'Event Boss' summoned right after][9,800]
(Photo: Boss entity wearing a helmet)
(Gif: Cadet formations getting blown up by barrages of high-grade magic)
The Tower Master brought out another weird thing
Spamming high-grade magic (presumed), cadets retiring one after another
(Gif: Lee Ha-yul blasting the helmeted man away with magic)
(Gif: Lee Ha-yul and the boss closing in and brawling)
(Gif: Magic canceling from every direction)
(Gif: Lee Ha-yul uppercutting the boss's jaw and sending him flying)
(Gif: Lee Ha-yul finishing the boss with a flaming blade)
And the Special Admission Cadet pummeling it
[Comments]
-??? Is that guy even human?
└Might be a monster in human form.
└Or maybe the mage the Headmaster saw back in the day
└Oh
-What's this about spamming high-grade magic?
└Each attack could wipe out a city block, fuck lolol
└And the special admission student just cut right through it
└This is unreal
-Why is that person still in school?
└Still growing, yep
└This is a bit terrifying lolololololol
└Yeah, and he's still a freshman
On top of that, after the official match ended, the flames roared even higher from the sight of Lee Ha-yul finishing off the boss entity in a brutal brawl.
[The Tower of Growth's Lord < There's a reason he's the Tower Master]
Didn't he find that kid before he even opened his eyes and go all-in? That's an act impossible without absolute confidence.
He was clearly certain that he'd break his limits and skyrocket.
(Photo: Past posts doubting the Special Admission Cadet's qualifications)
(Photo: The majestic Tower of Growth)
The pillar sustaining the world... my respect
[Comments]
-But how the hell did he find him and bring him? Didn't they say he's from an orphanage?
└They say he was just an ordinary civilian. And from what I hear, they met even before awakening.
-You think the Tower Master sees him as Jaws or something?
└(I worship you... emoticon)
└(I worship you... emoticon)
└(My respect... emoticon)
[These Fuckers Can't Get Their Focus Right][1,523]
Everyone's going on about how the Special Admission Cadet is still a freshman or whatever,
but the real point is this.
He's not just a 'freshman'—it's been only 'one year' since he awakened.
While other kids, before they could even start walking, were getting awakened, receiving expensive elixirs, training mana, and laying their foundations,
Lee Ha-yul was just eating baby food, taking naps, and sucking on a pacifier. Yeah.
He was just staying still through all those early years, then started running from year one.
And then this insane shit happens.
While others spend over a decade fully preparing before starting to run, Lee Ha-yul started running casually and immediately overtook them, no, pulled ahead by this much of a gap.
The support he might've gotten from the Headmaster after coming to Siyoram? Even considering that, it's still absurd. Yeah.
Special Admission Cadet < The reason the seat was vacant for 100 years?
Lee Ha-yul < That seat isn't given to anyone without this level of talent.
And 120 years after Siyoram was founded, that talent finally appeared.
[Comments]
-'Only one year since awakening' < reading that made my head go blank
└His awakening was really late though. If he'd awakened younger, this really would've been even crazier.
└There's a rumor that his talent was too great so he awakened late
And so, right from the start of the Tower Entry, and continuing long after the schedule was over.
With the buzz still burning fiercely well into the morning of the fourth day, the topic's subject, Lee Ha-yul's next schedule, was finally revealed.
[Birth Festival Day 4 Schedule][12,229]
(Photo: Day 4 general schedule)
(Photo: Day 4 street performance schedule)
(Photo: Day 4 official event schedule)
...
(Photo: Cross-dressing Contest information guide)
(Photo: Cross-dressing Contest participant list)
▼
51...
52...
53—1st Year Ipchun Class, Lee Ha-yul
54...
55...
(Photo: Zoom-in on 'Lee Ha-yul' written in the Cross-dressing Contest participant list)
?
[Comments]
-?
-Oh
* * *
