#14 #MagicalGirl #Military

I shifted my gaze away from observing Kim Woo-jin for a moment and began browsing the constellation system.

First up: Apostle Management.

Seeing their names listed in two slots really drove home that I'd been promoted to Low Grade.

Jin So-yul was currently sleeping. As she said, she'd start farming the 5th floor repeatedly from tomorrow morning. Kim Woo-jin was resting too. His wounds were healing, so he should be mobile by tomorrow.

The issue was the connection between them. I needed to inform Jin So-yul that the contract with Kim Woo-jin had been successfully established. The #MagicalGirl part... I'd explain that later, for now.

Emphasis messages were once per day, and I'd already used today's quota. I'd save tomorrow's for her.

I had 740 CP in reserve—a three-digit number. Considering the initial grant was 1,000 CP, this was actually the lowest I'd held so far.

But emotion expression messages were unlimited, and I'd unlocked emphasis messages. No need to spend CP for a while; I could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just save up steadily.

Temporary #Tag assignment cost 50,000 CP, so that was for later. It was pricey, suggesting top-tier performance... but assigning a tag to Jin So-yul came first.

So the most important thing was how to operate going forward. Two apostles, but only one tablet. Touching the observation screen revealed a new apostle switch button. One tap to swap between Jin So-yul and Kim Woo-jin's viewpoints.

Couldn't view both simultaneously, but I could manage them by switching quickly.

"Should I buy another tablet...?"

"...On hold."

If I bought it and it only applied to one device, it'd be a waste—not to mention I didn't have the points.

"Observe Kim Woo-jin while Jin So-yul's in the Tower, switch back when Kim Woo-jin enters... Overlap would be trouble."

Overlaps wouldn't happen right away, but once Kim Woo-jin seriously entered the Tower, things would change. If both were inside simultaneously, I'd need to prioritize observation.

Jin So-yul was the experienced regressor. Kim Woo-jin was a newbie who'd just cleared the 1st floor. By risk level, I'd focus more on Kim Woo-jin.

"Or maybe not...?"

Kim Woo-jin's #MagicalGirl. It said combat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠power surges dramatically upon transformation. Plus #Military aptitude for ranged combat.

His immediate combat potential could be far stronger. Sure, there was that sinister transformation line caveat, but if triggered, he might rival Jin So-yul's tagless S-rank potential.

Ah, whatever. I'd think about it tomorrow.

Today's exercise: thirty push-ups. I dropped to the bunker floor—one, two.

Free observation, contracts, promotion, unlocks. No day without something, but today felt especially packed.

My arms trembled, but I finished and collapsed onto the mattress.

Both Jin So-yul and Kim Woo-jin were resting for tomorrow... so I should sleep too. Even with eyes closed, twisted thoughts lingered.

"Magical Girl... Military..."

A magical girl, but military. Combat power surges on transformation, specialized in ranged firearms.

Realistically imagining the combo: a magical girl firing a gun post-transformation. But a guy in frills.

...Completely insane. I gave up thinking and fell asleep.

Early morning. The alarm let me wake without oversleeping. Checking the tablet, Kim Woo-jin was already up and home.

Tapping the apostle switch moved the observation to Jin So-yul. She was awake, inspecting her one-handed sword.

After her routine, she set the sword aside and boiled ramen in a small pot. Triangle kimbap swapped out today.

Bubbling away—I watched as I checked the shop.

The spicy ramen aroma teased my senses, making my mouth water. She blew on a bite with the included wooden chopsticks and glanced at the ceiling.

『...Constellation? Are you there?』

"Too busy eating to reply."

『Hmm, guess not yet.』

The silence stretched until she finished eating and cleaned up.

『Ah, Constellation!』

Jin So-yul smiled brightly and added,

『Starting today, I'll be gathering mana stones.』

Time to ask. Why she was pushing the Tower so fast. I could relay the Kim Woo-jin contract via emotion message, but this question required emphasis to even transmit.

"Miss this chance, who knows when I'll ask."

Once per day—today's emphasis message for this. Blue text soon floated in her vision.

Jin So-yul froze. Her eyes widened as she muttered softly.

『...A full sentence?』

Of course... Up till now, all communication had been like "Observer of the 0th Dimension affirms" or "expresses curiosity."

『...You're always so enigmatic. There must be something to it, right?』

"... ."

『Got it, Constellation. I'll explain.』

She sat, closed her eyes briefly, then continued.

『Two reasons I'm rushing the Tower. First... boss difficulty.』

『I told you boss floors appear every 10 levels? 10th, 20th, 30th... But their strength isn't fixed.』

『Normal floors—like 1-9, 11-19... The time to clear those sections scales the next boss's difficulty. Specs, really.』

A hidden rule I'd missed took concrete shape from her words.

『Simply put... dragging on normal floors makes bosses stronger. Faster clears mean weaker bosses; slower turns them into monsters.』

『In the past, we didn't grasp this until the 60s.』

Her expression darkened.

『By then, most countries had bloated their bosses too much. No turning back.』

『Haha, it's fine. Water under the bridge. Anyway, some early nation falls were due to this. Couldn't overcome low-floor bosses after dragging too long.』

I'd thought national collapses were just from failing the top floor in 100 days, but traps like this lay beneath.

『Second: the 100-day respite.』

『Clear a boss floor, get 100 days grace. Everything pauses.』

She folded fingers one by one, listing details.

『Boss scaling stops, overflow stops, 100-day timer stops. Total halt.』