The Eighth
The Eighth
Even after leaving the main building, my steps didn't wander.
- Whoom
For once, no one had come to greet me. I hurried over, pressed the magic tool beside the door, and waited. The door slid open smoothly to either side.
"Oh my?"
A solid, bulky frame filled my vision. A pleasant scent drifted toward me. When I raised my gaze, I met a pair of pale yellow eyes.
"Ha-yul, what brings you here? I thought you'd be resting at the mansion… Ah, did you just come from making the exchange today?"
"Yes, I'm on my way back from exchanging it right now."
"I see. Got it. Come in for now. You're here to see Professor Liana, right?"
Ellia smiled brightly, took my hand, and led me further inside.
The research lab was rather bustling. There were many spirits of varied colors, flipping through and organizing documents.
'This is a busy time for the faculty, I suppose.'
Since this was the period when all grades had to be finalized before the closing ceremony, the faculty had no choice but to be swamped.
Professor Liana, who was also the homeroom teacher for a class, was just as busy. She'd had to come in early this morning, too.
I answered the greetings of the spirits who were happy to see me, then turned back to Ellia.
"Ellia, isn't the work hard?"
"It's not exactly easy, but it's not so hard that it gives me a headache. It's just repetitive work with a lot of volume."
Ellia had come to help Professor Liana with exactly that.
When I asked if she was finding it difficult by any chance, Ellia smiled gently and stroked my hair.
"Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine. It's work that uses my head instead of my body, but it's way easier than doing farm work back at home."
"You did farm work back at home?"
"Of course. My parents are farmers, so I naturally got into it. The fields were so huge, you wouldn't believe how hard it was… You should come check it out with me later."
"Okay."
"Hehe, that's a promise that we'll go together later."
"Yeah, yeah. But didn't we already make that promise before?"
"Oh, did we? Hmm… well, what does it matter? Then we'll just go twice."
Ellia tilted her head, then smiled bashfully and walked deeper inside.
"Professor~, you have a guest."
"Huh? Who would be visiting at this hour… Ah."
At the somewhat cluttered rear of the lab, Professor Liana's eyes widened.
For once, she was sipping tea instead of alcohol.
Several documents and holograms floated side by side above her desk. It seemed I'd come right in the middle of her busiest time.
Professor Liana set down her teacup, blinked, and then her eyes immediately crinkled into wide crescents.
"It's not a guest, it's the young master~?"
[Embarrassment]
[Shyness]
"…Ahem. I exchanged the entry ticket, so I came by before I go in."
Acting as unbothered as I could, I showed her the scroll I'd taken out from my subspace. Professor Liana covered her mouth and giggled.
"That necklace really is working wonderfully. The way your innermost thoughts slip out sometimes is so cute."
"Right? I think I picked a great gift as well. It really suits him perfectly."
"I told you, I brought the entry ticket…"
.
.
.
Only after being subjected to some affectionate teasing for a while was I finally able to sit on the sofa.
Professor Liana, who had a high-ranking water spirit brew tea, sat down across from me.
"You've already gotten a Tower Entry Ticket."
[Yes, I had a lot of credits saved up since last year. I didn't spend much, so I still have some left even after getting this.]
Professor Liana looked at the scroll on the desk and nodded.
"True. I've heard that cadets who've held the Top Seat or Second Seat from admission onward sometimes go in once more around this time of year."
Ellia, seated beside me, tilted her head.
"But Yeon-hwa said she can't go in?"
"Cadet Hong Yeon-hwa secured Second Seat with her practical scores, but her written scores slipped a little… She was short on credits, so she couldn't buy it."
"Ah-ha."
At Professor Liana's response, delivered with an awkward smile, Ellia nodded, and I gave a wry smile as well.
Yesterday's memory unfurled in full detail.
- The Tower? Ah, you mean the entry ticket? …With Baek A-rin? Well, if you're going anyway, I'll go too.
- Putting aside my personal view that such petty checks are really narrow-minded… do you even have the credits to buy an entry ticket?
- Well, I may not look it, but I was Second Seat for the entire grade, so there's no way I wouldn't have… wouldn't… wait, why am I short?
Just as Professor Liana had explained, she was just barely short on credits to buy the entry ticket.
- Um… shall I chip in a little?
- …Hoo, it's fine. It's not urgent, and I can go in if I save up a bit more, so…
I'd offered to help her out a little, but Yeon-hwa, after a moment of internal conflict, shook her head.
Her blank expression was so cute that I'd filed it away firmly in my memory.
"Anyway. Now is the perfect time to use the entry ticket. There aren't many schedules left before vacation, and the lectures are mostly over."
Professor Liana was right.
It would actually be difficult to use it any other time than right before the closing ceremony. Since you'd have to put solid lectures and schedules on hold to enter the Tower.
Going in during this up-in-the-air period with no set schedule was the cleanest.
"On another note, Contemplation…"
"Why do you ask?"
Professor Liana had sunk into thought at my explanation that I was entering under the theme of Contemplation. When Ellia voiced her question, Liana's green eyes fixed on me clearly.
"Last year, during the Contemplation-themed Tower Entry. When the kid first came out, wasn't his state a bit strange?"
"Ah."
Last year's Contemplation theme was when I met the 2nd Iteration.
…Back then, my condition was a little… off.
It was when I had spent nearly five whole days being sliced by the 2nd Iteration and my nerves had been honed razor-sharp.
Even after coming outside, I couldn't get a grip and remained in a combat stance for a while, until I [Observed] Master and Professor Liana and finally relaxed.
'It wasn't exactly a dangerous situation, but…'
I wasn't so out of my mind that I would cut down anyone who approached. But outwardly, it must have looked quite fierce, with me emanating that ferocious aura…
"Hmm…"
"Mm…"
The gazes fixed on me from the front and the side turned odd.
They'd become familiar by now—those gazes, laden with all kinds of worry, like looking at a child by the water's edge…
"At that time, I was just… concentrating. It probably won't be like last time… hopefully."
"Whether adding 'hopefully' instead of asserting it counts as honest or shameless, I'm not sure."
"C-Could you please see it as the honest side…?"
I shrank my shoulders and subtly averted my gaze. Professor Liana swallowed a sigh and shrugged.
"All right. If you say you're going in, what can we do about it? And in the Tower of Growth, what could possibly hap… pen…"
Professor Liana's words trailed off as she shook her head.
"…Didn't something happen last time?"
"…It did. A rather major one. You blew a hole through Space, fell all the way to the first-year floor… lost all four limbs, and were dripping blood instead of dissolving into particles, they said…"
[Eek]
As Ellia rattled off my mistake, my shoulders crumpled instinctively.
Strange looks stuck persistently to my face and the side of my head.
"This time, you'll come out without any incidents, for real, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll be very careful in how I act, really…"
The persistent gazes only began to fade a little after I bobbed my head up and down repeatedly like a puppet.
"Hoo… Fine. Even with the entry ticket, it's five days, right? You absolutely must come back safely."
"To think I have to feel this kind of worry even when sending you into Siyoram, into the Tower of Growth…"
[Silence]
"Eep…"
Watching the two of them swallow their sighs and fret, I had absolutely nothing I could dare to say.
In case it might be taken away, I stealthily gathered up the scroll and tested the waters.
Maybe my behavior looked pitiful again, because Ellia hugged me tight.
I, who had been gauging their reactions, also brightened up and snuggled into her embrace.
"…First, you'll need to eat your fill to build up your strength before you go."
"Huh?"
When I poked my face, which had been squirming, out from her arms, Ellia, who had been stroking my hair, beamed and placed a hand on her collar.
.
.
.
Central District of Siyoram.
In the plaza surrounding the Tower of Growth, Baek A-rin had arrived first and was waiting. I hurried over to her.
[Sorry I'm late.]
"You didn't go past the scheduled time, so what do you have to be sorry for? Anyway… Hmm…"
[?]
The way Baek A-rin was looking at me was strange. Having stopped mid-sentence, her narrowly slit eyes were scanning me intently.
[What's wrong?]
As a question mark popped up over my head, Baek A-rin stopped sniffing the air and tilted her head.
“Did you eat a lot before coming here?”
[...Silence]
My shoulders flinched at her casual question.
How did she know? I made sure to clean up every trace with magic...
“Haa... You always just pick at your food at the table too... Are you seriously eating nothing but that for all three meals?”
[Th-The scrolls, I definitely brought them.]
I hurriedly retrieved the scrolls from my Subspace and showed them to her. Baek A-rin looked slightly disgruntled for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and pulled out her own scrolls.
“Fine. I’ll let it slide this time.”
[Hehe... I’ve already said everything I need to, so I just have to enter.]
“I passed along my message too. Besides, your timing in bringing it up was perfect, so I didn’t have much to prepare anyway.”
Baek A-rin walked toward the tower entrance. I quickly followed after her.
“You’re doing the Contemplation theme, right, Ha-yul?”
[Yes.]
“Hmm... I’m still debating. Whether I should just hunt monsters in a snowfield environment, or try Contemplation...”
Baek A-rin placed a finger on her lips and hummed. By then, we had arrived in front of the entrance.
The entrance was as pitch-black as a starless night sky. Baek A-rin ran a hand over her scroll and nodded.
“...I’ll go with the snowfield. Contemplation is good, but I experienced it last year, so I want to try something new.”
[Aha. Okay. I’ll go in through Contemplation.]
“Tsk, but going to the snowfield together would’ve been nice.”
[Huh?]
“I’m joking. It’s better for you to choose your own opportunity at times like this.”
Pretending to glare at me, Baek A-rin giggled and then suddenly stepped closer.
- *Smack.*
A cool, moist sensation briefly touched my cheek. Baek A-rin quickly stepped backward, waving her hands.
“I’m heading in first! See you in five days~”
With that, Baek A-rin plopped herself into the entrance.
I blinked and gently touched my cheek. Warmth quickly filled the cool spot she left behind. I felt a little warmer than usual.
[Hmm hmm.]
After rubbing my cheek a few times, I, too, dunked myself into the entrance.
* * *
My hazy consciousness suddenly snapped into focus.
Observation kicked in reflexively, capturing our surroundings.
‘This place is...’
The floor beneath my feet was gray rock. Jagged rocks jutted out here and there, and a hazy fog filled the area.
‘Not fog, but... clouds?’
I dismissed the thought and waved my hand. The air was damp and humid. It was thick with Water Energy and overflowing with vitality.
‘A mountaintop... or a plateau?’
A steep downhill slope was observed some distance away.
It was different from the wasteland where I met the 2nd Iteration. Did that mean the iteration I’d meet here would also be different? Keeping the thought running, I drew Purification.
- *Tap.*
A location some distance away.
A presence suddenly appeared in the sky, parting the clouds before landing on a rock.
The movement was extremely light.
The presence was as faint as a falling feather. But its speed was incredibly fast, unfittingly so.
‘Hmm.’
The observed information entered my mind.
The owner of the presence was a man.
A sturdy build. His body was packed with muscle but not overly bulky. His hair and eyes were black.
He wore thin armor, and a certain hide was draped over his back like a cloak. As one might expect, it wasn’t ordinary leather.
‘It was made from the whole hide of a 2nd Rank monster.’
Other pieces of equipment... each one was a high-grade artifact.
The most eye-catching item was the great bow gripped in his hand.
It was even larger than the man himself when stood upright. Its overall color was a deep blue, occasionally marbled with cloud-like pure white streaks.
‘That’s a top-grade artifact too.’
I knew the name and grade of the bow from the original work.
Of course, its aura in real-time was more than enough to confirm it easily surpassed top-grade.
- *Crackle!*
My skin stung.
My Qi Sense, more delicate than anyone else's, picked up the terrifying volume and output of the Lightning Energy within him.
‘The 8th Iteration.’
There was no room for doubt.
The one before me was the 8th Iteration.
[Hello?]
Worried he might fire a sneak attack like the 2nd Iteration, I kept my grip on Purification and watched his every move, but I decided to greet him first.
The 8th Iteration looked down at me softly from atop the rock. His gaze felt like it was boring into me, sharp as an arrowhead. I swallowed hard and activated the Confession Necklace.
[N-Nice to meet you. I am...]
“...You’re a good-looking brat, aren’t you.”
[Huh?]
The 8th Iteration’s tightly closed lips finally parted. My face went blank at the wholly unexpected first words.
“I said, you’re so handsome.”
[...?]
“Tsk, tsk. You’ve got the face of a guy who’s gonna toy with a lot of women.”
[?]
A series of question marks popped up over my head at the continuous stream of... insults. I never expected such criticism to fly at me instead of arrows.
“Well, I know who you are without you having to say it. I wouldn’t mind chatting since we’re here, but... ugh.”
The 8th Iteration scratched his head, then abruptly threw his head back.
“That bitch, and that bitch. Just how broken do they think I am?”
[Huh?]
The 8th Iteration’s face, which was looking up at the sky, hardened coldly.
A blue gleam shone in his black eyes, and the Innate Talent within them swelled massively.
Reading that foreshadowing, I readied my stance.
‘Expansion Ability.’
The 8th Iteration had quite a few Expansion Abilities. Among them, I knew which one produced this kind of effect.
Heavenly Thunder Expansion Ability
Heavenly Eye
The 8th Iteration’s eyes grew distant. While they perceived me, they also seemed to be peering into countless things far away.
‘...What is he...’
Countless things far away. Perhaps even beyond the range of my Observation.
No, it was definitely beyond it.
Considering the 8th Iteration’s sniping range in the original story, it was further than that.
‘What is he looking at?’
It was a sense of incongruity... no, to be precise, it was a chilling sensation. The 8th Iteration was looking at something, and it felt like I shouldn’t let him keep it in his sights.
“Found you.”
The cold gleam in his eyes dimmed drastically. The 8th Iteration’s face twisted.
In place of the gleam, killing intent spread. The clouds that filled the surrounding area were pushed back as if fleeing from him.
- *Screeeech!*
A bolt of lightning was nocked onto the tautly drawn bowstring. *Rumble...!* A low thunderclap spread, pushing the clouds back even further.
He wasn’t aiming the bow at me.
It was aimed at the innocent sky.
A preparatory action for linking Expansion Abilities...
‘No.’
He wasn’t targeting me in the first place. The moment I made that judgment, I kicked off the ground.
- *BOOM!*
‘Ugh!’
The bolt of lightning that shot toward the sky was deflected. I struck the lightning with Purification, cutting it off, and part of it was absorbed into my Crystal Orb.
The remaining energy crashed into the innocent ground below, following the ridge of a steep slope.
*KABOOM!* The world flashed. Trees and rocks even slightly caught in the Lightning Energy were annihilated, and a huge chunk of the ground simply caved in.
“...What are you doing?”
[That’s what I should be asking...]
The 8th Iteration spoke as he lowered his bow. I bit my lip at his flat tone. I landed on the ground and unclenched my stinging hand.
[What... were you trying to hit?]
“...There’s something out there.”
The 8th Iteration gave a slight nod.
“A bitch who stabbed her comrade in the back to save her own skin. I’m gonna chew her up and kill her.”
* * *
[Authority “Growth” manifests.]
[The Trial of Growth commences.]
[Authority “Knowledge” manifests.]
[Authority “Observation” manifests.]
[Accessing Tower of Knowledge Internal Observation Record “8th”.]
[Authority “Harmonization” manifests.]
[Linking Tower of Knowledge and Tower of Growth.]
[Authority “Space” manifests.]
[Connected to Tower of Knowledge Internal Observation Record “8th”.]
...
[Manifesting recorded existence.]
[Incomplete Manifestation]
[8th Iteration]
[Heavenly Thunder]