“First, I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone entering the cradle, followed by a brief speech.”

The expansion of my spatial perception was sudden. During the ten days I had struggled with this ability, there had been times when the range expanded, but only by centimeters at a time, never as substantially as it did now.

Before I could ponder over this, the vice-principal made her move.

She stepped onto the stage and slowly scanned the audience. Those who met her gaze stiffened with tension.

“Two hundred years ago was a time of chaos. Dungeons and towers sprung up everywhere, and neglected monsters formed groups and ravaged the surroundings.”

Despite the lack of a microphone, her cool voice spread to every corner of the building.

I paused my thoughts and listened to the vice-principal’s speech.

“It was a time when the death of people was taken lightly. The person next to me could turn into a cold corpse just for failing to find a piece of bread, and the lover whispering sweet nothings the night before could become food for a monster. It was a common sight in those days.”

Two hundred years ago.

Monsters from legends tore through fiction to appear, and the powerlessness of an individual human crossed the line of common sense.

Even after about a hundred years, the chaos had not been subdued.

Monsters, dungeons, towers.
Unique abilities, magic, awakening.

Humanity was granted the powers of magic and unique abilities, as if to counter the threats sprouting worldwide, yet achieving peace was still a tall order.

A world filled with chaos and despair needed heroes to quell it and open the doors to peace.

“The Cradle.”

Despite the vice-principal slightly murmuring the word, for some reason, it deeply penetrated my ears.

“Neriel, who had conquered The Tower of Growth and obtained the authority of the tower’s master, established an educational institution on a man-made island centered around the tower.”

The Tower of Space.
The Tower of Harmony.
The Tower of Observation.
The Tower of Growth.

The four iconic towers that soared high into the sky.

Unlike other towers that spewed out monsters, these proud towers simply stood their ground, accepting challengers.

Neriel was the first to conquer one of the four towers that are said to sustain the current world.

Even before conquering the tower, she traveled the world and saved many lives.

The rights she gained by conquering the tower were used to nurture heroes.

In times of vague chaos and despair, she hoped that heroes would emerge from this place.

She poured that power not into herself but into the cultivation of heroes, and that’s why our current principal is called a great person.

In return for her efforts to save people around the world and bestow the power of the towers, the talents who flocked from around the globe began to stand as heroes against threats in various places.

“Shio-ram. The traces of legends that the heroes will draw start here, and with that sentiment, this place is Shio-ram.”

About forty years ago, around the time Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin’s grandparents were active, heroes emerging from Shio-ram finally cleared the last special-grade dungeon, and the world declared the end of chaos.

In short, it was an explanation of the world setting.

“……”

Glancing around with my spatial perception, I could see a lot of cadets who seemed emotionally charged as if they had been struck by a drum.

Some were trembling so much that they struggled to hold back tears…

While most around me were immersed and moved by the speech, I didn’t quite get it.

It’s partly because I’ve only been in this world for about ten days as a person from another world, and also because I’ve heard these lines to my heart’s content in the game.

Additionally, my conspicuous position as a special admission makes me self-conscious.

Most here have worked hard and shed blood and sweat to get in, but I just got in by eating for free.

“…therefore, we hope that you, who have entered Shio-ram, will be born as heroes illuminating the future, and we want you to know that we will spare no support in that endeavor.”

The vice-principal finished her speech and smiled wryly at the enthusiastic reaction of the cadets.

“It seems I’ve been too serious for a welcoming party. Let’s cut the talk here along with the announcements. The official academic schedule will start in two days, so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest today, and prepare for the training ahead.”

After saying that, the vice-principal looked around briefly.

Then, her gaze stopped at a certain place.

Even though my eyes were closed, I could tell that the gaze was directed at me.

“…That will be all.”

As the vice-principal clapped her hands together, she vanished in the blink of an eye.

“Was that spatial teleportation? I can stare all I want, but I can’t tell.”
“There was no fluctuation of magic, either. How does she cast it…”
“Well, you can’t even begin to mess with spatial stuff without the related unique ability.”

Spatial-related abilities are notoriously difficult to use, and their reputation is well-known.

The chandeliers that had gone out lit up again, illuminating the interior. The orchestra that had been waiting started to play.

Gentle music flowed throughout the banquet hall.

Only then did the cadets let out a deep sigh and began to chatter about what had just happened.

The subject that dominated the conversation was the vice-principal’s method of arrival and departure, being shown twice.

‘Spatial teleportation.’

I know about it through the knowledge in the game. It’s the vice-principal’s signature technique, spatial teleportation.

A technique that calculates the coordinates of the departure point and the destination, connects the spaces, and transports the subject.

It’s different from the gate terminals. The gates are merely a power exerted through The Tower of Space, but the vice-principal’s spatial teleportation is a personal ability.

While gates have fixed starting and ending points and consume high maintenance fees, the principal’s spatial teleportation can freely change the departure and arrival points and can be cast at any time.

In the original work, the vice-principal was the only person who could use spatial teleportation so freely.

‘Hmm…’

Not long after, music played by the guest band began to fill the air. The official welcome party was starting.

However, my mind was elsewhere.

When the vice-principal first appeared, my spatial perception expanded on its own, rippling like the surface of water when a stone is thrown in.

When the vice-principal disappeared.

My spatial perception fluctuated greatly. If the previous ripple was like a pebble being dropped, this time it was like a huge rock had been removed.

Spatial teleportation and its observation through spatial perception.

The expansion of the range. A peculiar sensation.

A corner of my mind itched. It was an infuriating feeling, as if I was on the verge of realizing something but couldn’t quite grasp it.

Just a little more… a few more observations and I might gain something─

“Hello? You are Lee Ha-Yul, right? If you don’t have a group, would you like to join us?”

“?”

My train of thought was interrupted. The voice that reached me made me lift my head. In the brief moment I was lost in thought, a few cadets had gathered around, drawing my attention.

‘Ah.’

The freshmen welcome party.

A culture that has continued so that before the proper training begins, it serves as a final time to relax some tension and fatigue and to share friendships among cadets.

In other words, being a hot topic these days, I am someone who receives both positive and negative attention.

The loner and outcast in me was sweating bullets.

At the same time, Hong Yeon-hwa’s offer came to mind. She asked if I wanted her to stay by my side. If Hong Yeon-hwa had been there, maybe they wouldn’t have approached me.

‘…Should I have accepted?’

As usual, regret came too late.

* * *

The freshmen welcome party proceeded in the usual way. The vice-principal took the stage and announced the start, wishing everyone a blessed year and hoping for the birth of new heroes.

Then just an ordinary party followed.

Cadets in formal or casual attire gathered with acquaintances and chatted.

There were also those who lingered to form friendships between the sexes.

Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin belonged to the former group. They gathered with a few familiar faces, chatting away, occasionally engaging in serious talk, and sipping drinks…

“So, how did you get involved with Lee Ha-Yul?”

The conversation started with a remark from Shin Seo-yul.

Shin Seo-yul with her bobbing brown hair was playing the role of mood maker alongside Baek Ahrin in this small gathering.

“…Just. We met in the middle, that’s all.”

“For something so casual, your reaction was strange? You treated him like he was a fragile craftwork. Not even our house steward touches artwork with that much care.”

“Maybe it was love at first sight? He really is quite handsome.”

“Crazy b*tch.”

The prelude regarding the special admission student, Lee Ha-Yul, ignited a sparkle in the eyes of the friends around.

“Frankly, rather than handsome, I’d say he’s cute. Like a doll. After seeing all those bulky muscleheads, seeing someone like him is a breath of fresh air.”

“I agree. The moment I saw him, I felt like I had to protect him.”

The girls who said that turned their gaze towards me.

Like lion cubs starved for days, all sorts of malicious gossip tore into me, and Hong Yeon-hwa defended each one beside her. Baek Ahrin, who had been sipping her drink in silence, now tilted her head with a strange smile.

“So what trouble did you cause?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I just saw some dust on Lee Ha-Yul’s clothes.”

“Ugh…!”

“Yeah, I saw it too. If you look closely, there was a bit on him.”

Hong Yeon-hwa recoiled.

That damn girl has good eyes to have noticed that. I even used magic to clean it off.

‘Snake-like b*tch.’

It’s such a hassle again.

The girl who probably has hundreds of snakes in her belly is once again getting involved just because it interests her.

If it hadn’t been interesting, she would have just let it go.

Hong Yeon-hwa narrowed her eyes at Baek Ahrin.

“…We bumped into each other on the way here. What, you got a problem with that?”

“A problem? Why are you speaking so harshly? I was just worried you might have done something rude~”

“Hmph…”

Damn right, I did something extremely rude. Not only did I knock over someone who is visually impaired, but I also picked a fight asking if he couldn’t see…

“Our Hong Yeon-hwa may be rough in her speech and actions, but she isn’t a bad person, right? I was just asking in case~”

“Does it sound like that to you? Are you having a good time now? Huh?”

“Oh, why would you say that? I’m just worried about a friend.”

Baek Ahrin deftly brushed off the accusation with a smile while her friends giggled quietly.

Hong Yeon-hwa ground her teeth internally.

“So? What kind of person was he?”

“…What do you mean what kind of person. How could I know that from just a brief meeting?”

What kind of person, indeed. It’s obvious who she’s referring to.

Lee Ha-Yul. The hot topic, the first special admission student.

Hong Yeon-hwa recalled the memory.

The incident that happened on the way here. A clear mistake on her part, yet she apologized without hesitation.

He had grabbed her sleeve and led her here.

Up until a moment ago, he had obediently followed every harsh word she had spat out, hurting her feelings.

His submissive entrance.

His body flinching when she reached out to him.

“……”

She narrowed her eyes.

It wasn’t exactly a normal reaction, although she wasn’t one to talk, being the instigator of the quarrel.

She had seen such behavior when she was at the middle academy and went on activities with her clan.

Although this generation enjoys peace after the declaration of the end of chaos decades ago, it’s not all peace.

Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is peace, there is chaos.

Chaotic places. Africa, devoured by magical disturbances, had become a monster’s paradise.

Even if not on such a large scale, there were many exposed to darkness within the local societies.

And those most vulnerable to being exposed to darkness are the weak and powerless.

Like a young child.

“…I was the one at fault, so I’m just being nice.”

She was uneasy. If she had controlled her impulsive temperament, none of this would have happened.

If Lee Ha-Yul’s behavior was an indication that he was actually hurt inside despite seeming okay, she wondered what to do.

Her face revealed a complex emotion, and Baek Ahrin also wiped the smile from her face and nodded pensively.

“Indeed. There are still many harsh gazes.”

“That’s right. Even if they’re keeping quiet, most of them are talking about that topic.”

“And there are those who pretend not to but look at you with strange eyes.”

The harsh gazes. Even now, Lee Ha-Yul, sitting in a corner passing time, had people lurking around him.

Some approached out of simple curiosity and interest, but there were also those who sneered with dark thoughts like jealousy.

That’s why she suggested they stick together. For some reason, though, he had firmly declined.

“Actually, I’m a bit curious too.”

“About what?”

“Whoa, look at her reaction. You’d think he was her boyfriend.”

When she turned her head sharply to glare, Baek Ahrin held up her hands and stepped back.

“That’s because it’s a first, a true first. A special admission student personally selected by the owner of the cradle. This kind of thing has never happened before, right?”

As Baek Ahrin said, the word ‘first’ kept being emphasized.

“I shouldn’t really say this, but we’re also regarded as having top-notch potential, right? And before us, there were plenty of talented people too.”

The current batch, the 121st, including Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin, is called the golden generation, teeming with talents that are acclaimed as one of the best ever.

The current third-year students, the 119th batch, also have a successor from the Taesan clan.

Aside from one, five heroes who quelled the chaos and ushered in an era of peace were also from the cradle.

And how many of the active superhumans are graduates of Shio-ram?

“Did we really go almost 100 years without a single talented cadet? No, there were a tremendous number.”

With an average of 400 to 500 freshmen.

With Shio-ram being in existence for over a hundred years, there are almost tens of thousands of alumni.

All of them are superhumans who pride themselves on being geniuses.

She was the first to catch the eye of the cradle’s owner, who had otherwise turned a blind eye to so many others.

“Everyone is curious. Just how talented must he be to have caught the principal’s attention? But when you actually see him… we still don’t know~ right?”

“It hasn’t even started yet, what are you talking about.”

“Ahaha. That’s true. Judging by his current appearance and making assumptions is idiotic. But, I thought I would be struck with a realization upon first sight.”

“Struck with a realization, my ass.”

Baek Ahrin’s sentiment was something Hong Yeon-hwa inwardly agreed with. She was curious about just how exceptional one had to be to be given special admission.

‘…But this is a bit much.’

Hong Yeon-hwa looked at Lee Ha-Yul with mixed feelings. She had been ready to rebuke any cadets who were still hassling him, but by now, everyone had disappeared.

Lee Ha-Yul sat in a corner, nodding off, struggling to fight back sleep.

Seeing him like that, she felt a strange sense of pity.

Hong Yeon-hwa also received reports from the clan. As the next successor, she wasn’t short of information.

Among it was information about Lee Ha-Yul.

An orphanage background. His house and parents were lost to a fire, and since his transfer to the orphanage, he had a visual impairment and was very frail, according to the director of the orphanage.

His physical condition wasn’t good, but the orphanage couldn’t afford to provide treatment, and even attending basic educational institutions was difficult.

Moreover, it hasn’t even been a month since he awakened his unique ability.

When Hong Yeon-hwa was one month into her awakening, she was too busy trying to control her unique ability to think about magic tuning.

‘Is it right to leave him unattended after bringing him here?’

A kid who had been living a tough life, blind and mute, is suddenly snatched up just because he has awakened?

And then, despite all that, no apparent measures taken?

Just thrown aside, left to grow on his own?

‘I don’t like this.’

Unbeknownst to her, Hong Yeon-hwa’s thoughts had shifted from concern about talent and potential to worry.

And Baek Ahrin watched this with a peculiar expression.