Tower Entry
Tower Entry
Siyoram is located in the middle of the North Pacific. The entire artificial island, personally created by Headmaster Neriel, constitutes Siyoram's grounds.
Roughly half the grounds are taken up by dungeons maintained for cadet training, undeveloped empty land, and other secondary facilities.
The other half is occupied by the commercial district that inevitably forms where people gather, and the educational facilities for the cadets' instruction.
'Hoo...'
A deep sigh escaped me unbidden.
Barely clinging to the frayed tatters of my sanity after my weekend had flown away, I left the dormitory.
Not long after boarding the campus bus, I arrived at the central plaza.
In the center of Siyoram lies a plaza so vast that its sheer scale is hard to grasp once you actually stand there, even though its proportional footprint on the island isn't large.
It's so wide that even when I stretch my spatial perception to its current limit, I can't take in all of it. From here, the avenues branching off in all four directions demarcate the zones for the 1st through 4th years.
And in the center of that plaza stands a colossal ivory tower.
A tower of such breadth that several football pitches combined could not match it, so tall it seems to have pierced the heavens and been driven down from the firmament through the clouds.
'...Tower of Growth.'
The gate incident the other day was a phenomenon manifested by the Tower of Space.
Afraid that sensing the Tower of Growth might trigger something similar, I brushed over the tower with my radar spatial perception, a function I no longer actively use anymore.
Thankfully, nothing special happened. Or more accurately, I should say it was unreadable. The sensation felt like tapping your knuckles against a solid stone wall.
On one side of the broad plaza, a great number of cadets were gathering in clusters under the guidance of professors.
Was the total enrollment of first years over five hundred?
Feeling the bustle of presences around me, I headed toward where I sensed Professor Liana's presence.
I arrived at the place where familiar presences were clustered.
[▼Ipchun Class, this way▼]
Professor Liana was beneath an absolutely massive hologram. She had expanded the projection size from her smartwatch. She was dressed in a robe similar to her usual one. Many familiar presences surrounded her.
I walked slowly over. Maybe it was thanks to spending the weekend sprawled out as if unconscious, but my physical condition had almost completely recovered.
I could still feel something churning inside my body, though. It seems I haven't fully absorbed the spirit medicine yet.
"Good morning."
"Good morning~"
"Good morning."
[Good morning.]
I moved closer to the Ipchun Class group. A few cadets I had some acquaintance with greeted me.
They had greeted me plenty on the first day too, but this time there was a clear note of friendliness.
I guess attending lectures together and rubbing elbows really does create some camaraderie. Especially since my reputation had improved a little as word of the sparring and dungeon training from last time spread.
There were probably still plenty of people badmouthing me behind my back. But that's not something I can do anything about.
"Ah, here you are."
Among the already-gathered Ipchun Class cadets were Ellia, Attila, and Aiden.
Attila, who had been tapping at her smartwatch with an indifferent air, waved, and Aiden, next to her, looked at me and gave an awkward bow of his head.
"It's kind of funny to ask after only a week, but have you been well?"
[Yes, I've been well.]
I had been fine, aside from a few minor incidents.
There was just that time an old childhood trauma suddenly flared up and I fainted. And that time I gorged on spirit medicine, vomited blood, and fainted.
As a result, both situations were well resolved... one is fully resolved, the other is an ongoing, work-in-progress resolution.
[Have you been well, Attila?]
"Yeah. I've been fine."
Attila shot a sidelong glance. Aiden, catching the look, turned his head away sheepishly.
Why are they acting like that... Ah, right.
[May I ask how the sparring went the other day?]
"Ah, that's—"
"This punk got totally wrecked."
Keuk, Aiden made a choked noise and hunched his shoulders. So that was why he'd been looking so dejected for a while now.
"He held his ground okay at first, but he let a decisive blow land in the final stretch and lost. It followed a similar pattern to your match, Ha-yul... Idiot."
"Eek..."
"All that mouthing off about showing the supremacy of the sword or whatever, and the result is just... an idiot."
"Guek..."
Aiden's spirit crumpled under the sharp volley. Idiot, huh... That's a bit harsh... isn't it? I'm not sure. They're friends, so I guess this kind of insult-slinging is just their way of bantering.
Anyway.
"......"
[Good morning.]
Ellia's reaction was somewhat peculiar. After coming over to greet me, she'd been staring at my face intently, her head slightly tilted.
[Is there something on my face?]
"No, no. There's nothing on it."
I asked what was on it and checked with my spatial perception, and everything looked fine.
"It's just... mm... It's a bit hard to describe. It feels like something has changed..."
Ellia shook her head, indicating she wasn't quite sure herself.
'Is it because of the spirit medicine?'
If anything had changed, the spirit medicine was the only cause I could think of.
After briefly catching up with the three of them, I headed toward Professor Liana. I needed to at least check in for attendance now that I had arrived.
"Alright, gather over he—huh?"
Only when I got close did she seem to notice me, turning her head. But her reaction wasn't what I expected.
I'd thought she'd react with pleasant recognition, but she just blinked vacantly at my face. Her gaze slid downward, sweeping over my whole body, and then her head tilted.
"...Hmm?"
Her reaction was clearly one of bewilderment.
Then Professor Liana, who'd been staring at me blankly, reached out and firmly grabbed both my cheeks. Once again, my lips puffed out, making me look like a carp.
She suddenly shoved her face toward mine.
"Sniff sniff..."
'?'
She started sniffing me. Specifically around the nape of my neck. The breeze against my skin made me flinch inward.
I froze up, having no clue what was going on, and a moment later Professor Liana raised her head. Her face was still brimming with confusion.
The cadets around us were murmuring and staring this way too.
The Ipchun Class wasn't the only one here right now.
The other five classes were present too: Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, and Grain Rain. We were attracting gazes even from some of their members.
"Hnn...?"
[What is the matter?]
"Uh... ah... I'm sorry. I wasn't quite myself for a moment."
Her behavior was incomprehensible. I couldn't even begin to guess why she'd done that. When I asked with my hologram, Professor Liana shook her head, looking confused.
After a moment passed, Professor Liana apologized, saying she was sorry. I nodded dazedly, still completely clueless.
"......"
"......"
After checking my attendance with Professor Liana, I returned to my spot. Ellia had stepped away for a moment, and Attila and Aiden were looking at me with glazed eyes.
The two of them rolled their eyes around awkwardly before resuming their conversation with stiff attitudes.
I stayed quiet too, without offering any commentary.
.
.
.
"Matters concerning the tower entry will be delivered by myself, Professor Albert Caniazel, who is in charge of the Gogu Class."
A thick-set middle-aged man stepped onto the makeshift podium. Despite his age, his swept-back blond hair seemed full of vitality, and the scars marking his face spoke of a past that had not been gentle.
While the instructions continued in his vigorous voice, I turned my head slightly with an awkward expression.
Right next to me stood Hong Yeon-hwa, her sullen mood radiating clearly. Even just seeing her look up at the podium with her arms crossed and a frosty look in her eyes didn't feel like a good sign.
'Ahh...'
It was only the moment I sensed Hong Yeon-hwa entering the radius of my slightly unfurled spatial perception, after being sniffed by Professor Liana, that I remembered the events of the weekend.
As soon as I came to my senses on Saturday, I had definitely checked my messages, but I'd thought 'I'll just get up for a second and reply,' and then I completely blew her off.
On top of that, I'd rushed out in a panic thinking I might be late just now, so there hadn't even been time to reply.
That was all just my side of the story. From Hong Yeon-hwa's perspective, I'd been handed that precious spirit medicine and then utterly ignored her. Her feelings must be wounded, deeply wounded.
The thought that Hong Yeon-hwa might hate me made my mind go blank. Just moments ago my head had been full of thoughts about the tower entry, but now every last one of them had vanished.
[I'm sorry I couldn't reply. It's nothing but an excuse, but after taking the spirit medicine, I slept through the entire weekend.]
But I couldn't just keep my mouth shut forever. I reduced the size of the hologram and cautiously showed it to Hong Yeon-hwa.
[I'm sorry.]
Hong Yeon-hwa glanced at the hologram. The corner of her lips twitched.
"...Hoo."
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been staring at the hologram for a moment, let out a heavy sigh and reached out to knead one side of my cheek.
My expression brightened instantly at that positive signal.
"Heh."
Letting out a hollow laugh, Hong Yeon-hwa kept kneading and squishing my cheek.
Seeing as I had sins to atone for, and more than anything because I was relieved, I obediently offered up my cheek.
After fiddling with my cheek to her heart's content for a bit, Hong Yeon-hwa asked me.
"Ha-yul, what was that about with the professor just now?"
'Just now?'
Wondering what she meant for a second, I realized she must be referring to Professor Liana's eccentric behavior earlier.
[I'm not sure either.]
"...Really?"
Hong Yeon-hwa made a curious expression, then lowered her head and brought her nose close to the nape of my neck. The faint brush of her breath tickled my skin, making my shoulders hunch slightly.
"I only smell a good scent, though."
"Hey, you. Might I suggest refraining from public displays of affection?"
Ignoring Baek A-rin, who was whispering beside her with an exasperated face, Hong Yeon-hwa lifted her head.
'I guess I don't smell like blood.'
Since I'd been lying in a pool of blood for nearly a full day, I'd worried the stench of blood might have soaked into me, so I'd indiscriminately blasted myself with cleaning and purification magic before coming out.
First Professor Liana, and now Hong Yeon-hwa—I'd been worried I might smell, but luckily the magic seems to have worked.
"Did you take the spirit medicine? How do you feel?"
[Right after I took it I was exhausted, but I'm fine now.]
"Good to hear. They said the stabilization from processing was perfect, but still, it's a relief to hear it from you."
...Hm. So it really was a safe spirit medicine after all... Then what was wrong with me? No, my body has been a bizarre specimen ever since the previous worlds.
As we chatted like that, the professor on the podium finished his opening remarks and the explanation began in earnest.
Pausing briefly to draw the cadets' attention, he continued.
"Cadets, you will shortly enter the Tower of Growth. The objective of this tower entry is to survive within the tower's internal environment against threats from hostile monsters and fellow cadets."
The Tower of Growth.
The vast ivory tower standing in Siyoram's center, and the very reason for Siyoram's founding.
There is the blessing the Tower of Growth provides, but an equally compelling reason is the benefits you receive from entering it.
Both in the original story and here, it's often shortened and simply called the Tower Entry.
The Tower Entry is an event that greatly influences the power growth of any given iteration.
In the 1st iteration, I didn't know anything, so nearly everything was a problem, but it's no exaggeration to say my growth curve was ruined precisely because the Tower Entry event went completely to pieces.
The first Tower Entry in particular is a critical event. I need to gain a lot here to get the snowball rolling.
But in the 1st iteration, I couldn't manage it.
"The tower entry will proceed over five days, during which competition, including direct combat between cadets, is permitted. Should an injury be judged as life-threatening, the cadet in question will be eliminated and moved to a separate training facility for the remainder of the period."
That competition is what ruined me.
A Special Admission Cadet. A status that draws attention whether you like it or not. Inside the tower, you can compete with the Special Admission Cadet on equal footing, no matter what?
There are plenty of people who'll charge right in, just like Aiden did. No, now that the other classes are all mixed in as well, there'll be even more.
And then...
"Your score for this tower entry will be determined by the points you accrue from defeating monsters and cadets."
With those words, the professor tapped his smartwatch, and a large hologram rose above his head in all four directions, visible to everyone.
▶Point Assessment◀
[8th-Rank Monster: 1 Point]
[7th-Rank Monster: 10 Points]
...
[Basic Support Major Cadet: 20 Points]
...
[Advanced Combat Major Cadet: 100 Points]
...
[Overall Second Top Seat: 450 Points]
[Overall Top Seat: 500 Points]
...
A table of points broken down to match monster ranks and cadet majors and grades. Seeing it all meticulously categorized like that, I got the impression of a butcher shop menu board.
Feeling that peculiar sentiment, I checked the very end of the hologram.
The very last line.
[Special Admission: 1,000 Points]
...Mm.
I deliberated for a moment before nodding to myself. With a point value like that, they'll obviously aim for it. There was ample reason to target it, both emotionally and pragmatically.
I sighed inwardly and carefully removed the smartwatch strapped to my left wrist.
Smartwatches cannot be brought inside the tower. The same goes for other external equipment. You're only permitted to take one main weapon with you.
In other words, unable to use the smartwatch's hologram function, I'd been reborn from a pathetic deaf-mute into a temporarily mute person.
It was a tragic state of affairs. I felt a deep melancholy at the thought of parting, however briefly, with my smartwatch, which was practically a part of my body.
When I asked Professor Liana, I was thankfully allowed to bring my arm sleeves. It's a relief I won't have to expose those unsightly marks in a crowded place like this.
"We will begin entry with the Gogu Class."
Now the Tower Entry was truly right before my eyes.
"Grain Rain (穀雨), enter!"
I swallowed dryly and rubbed my bare wrist awkwardly.
* * *
"Clear and Bright (淸明), enter!"
The ivory tower, vast enough to only be described as magnificent. At its base was an arched entrance, colored pitch-black like a starless night sky.
"Spring Equinox (春分), enter!"
The entry was done from the later classes first, starting with the Gogu Class, at five-minute intervals. The lined-up cadets were entering the tower at the signal.
"Awakening of Insects (驚蟄), enter!"
Though their entry times outside differed, within the tower's time, there would be at most a few seconds' difference. Meaning there was no advantage divided by entry order.
"Rain Water (雨水), enter!"
The moment you enter the tower and open your eyes, the test begins. From that instant, five days of survival begin.
"Beginning of Spring (立春), enter!"
Soon, the Ipchun Class's turn arrived. The cadets of the Ipchun Class walked forward in order.
Nearly the very last even within her class, Hong Yeon-hwa watched the procession for a moment before turning her head.
"What are you going to do?"
Beside her was Baek A-rin. Baek A-rin, who had been twirling her hair with a practiced smile, glanced over.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Mm..."
Letting out a curious hum, Baek A-rin fell into thought. The hand coiling her hair loosened. Locks of water-blue hair settled onto her shoulders.
"I... do have something in mind."
"What is it?"
"Ahh, it is a competition of sorts, so I can't exactly tell you."
"Tsk."
Hong Yeon-hwa clicked her tongue and turned her head away. Snickering, Baek A-rin gazed at the tower entrance, where the procession was in full swing.
Just then, the cadet entering was the Special Admission Cadet, Lee Ha-yul. Looking tense, he flung himself toward the entrance.
"...I have a plan."
Whether it will work or not, I don't know.
Baek A-rin let out a soft chuckle.
* * *
Things in life rarely go as planned. That's just how the world is. If the world worked so that everything went according to plan, there wouldn't be any unhappy people.
It's a fact I know all too well.
I smiled brightly and took a deep breath of the air, which I assumed was rich with the scent of nature.
But.
'Why, why the hell can't I see again?'
Spatial Perception, where the hell did you go?