I hadn’t slept properly for the past few days, but last night, I finally slept soundly for the first time in a while.

I had been knocked out by a direct hit from Katsuki Yusai thrown by Hong Yeon-hwa. After waking up, I fell asleep again under Hong Yeon-hwa’s gaze.

And then, one thing led to another, and I woke up the next day.

My mind felt clear for the first time in a long while, as if all impurities had been washed away. Feeling refreshed, I bought some daily necessities and returned to the dormitory.

I also spent some time experimenting with my spatial perception.

I comfortably settled down in the middle of the living room and spread my spatial perception as far as it could go. Effortlessly, it encompassed four or five floors above and below.

As I admired the expanse, the issue of privacy crossed my mind, and I quickly dismissed the information.

‘It’s improved quite a bit.’

There were two major changes to my spatial perception.

The first was the ability to extend the range to about 100 meters in diameter. It was around 30 meters during the welcome party. The range had increased more than threefold in just a few days.

It was a gratifying achievement. Without my eyes, this would now perhaps give me an edge over others.

The second and most significant change was, of course, the change in my vision.

Previously, it was akin to night vision goggles or a radar, a strange view where only the faint green outlines of objects were visible in a world of black.

It had been fine for detecting simple movements, but it was problematic to see people’s expressions or holograms.

However, my current spatial perception was almost like that of a normal person’s vision. Colors were visible, and I could clearly discern light and shadows.

While it wasn’t the god-like vision that pierced through everything I first experienced, this level was still something to be grateful for.

But with improved performance came increased costs.

If I switched to spatial perception (color), the headaches intensified. Clearly, this mode used more resources than spatial perception (radar).

I wasn’t particularly worried about this. I had gradually become accustomed to spatial perception (radar), so I figured I would get used to the color mode with continuous use.

‘Spatial perception.’

One of the three unique abilities I acquired, even with the… let’s say, three restrictions attached.

It’s an effect that reads the information of space directly, without using the sensory organs attached to the body.

Although I hadn’t yet engaged in proper combat or training, I could feel how powerful this ability was while watching the friendly duels.

There are no blind spots. The field of view doesn’t matter. It’s about reading space itself. The point of view is irrelevant. After all, everything is read.

But the problem is that this seems a bit… unrefined, isn’t it?

Jack-of-all-trades. It’s being put to good use. I can feel the difference in various movements in everyday life.

Magical affinity. No issues there. I can feel the magic moving within my spatial perception very clearly. I feel like I could do something about it if I set my mind to it, but for now, I’ve left it alone. I plan to try it when I receive proper guidance.

Spatial perception… I nearly died the day I received it.

‘So damn unfair.’

Even now, thinking back on that time, a sense of injustice welled up inside me.

After all, it was one of the abilities I received in exchange for my eyes, nose, mouth, lifespan, and speech. To nearly die from overload just after receiving it? That’s just ridiculous.

The reason for my arrival in this world? I don’t know. Who sent me here? I have no idea. What exactly is this world about? I have absolutely no clue.

Just trying to break the restrictions and survive here. I have no intention of digging into or uncovering any secrets of this world.

What’s certain is that the way my abilities were given to me seemed haphazard.

Otherwise, my near-death experience wouldn’t make sense.

While wallowing in self-pity and fine-tuning my spatial perception, memories of the past caught in my spatial perception fleetingly crossed my mind.

…Especially the incident in the infirmary sometimes made my face burn with shame. My actions at the time were so embarrassing.

First waking up from a nightmare, then struggling to breathe, and getting held tightly and comforted by Hong Yeon-hwa.

Even that would have been crazy enough, but at the time, I must have completely lost it because I hugged Hong Yeon-hwa tightly…

Furthermore, at the time I didn’t realize it, but reflecting on the memory, I also buried my face and rubbed against her, committing a very, very… atrocious act.

And then I had the audacity to ask Hong Yeon-hwa, who was apologizing to me, “Why are you apologizing?” or “With your social status, do you really need to apologize?”…

After being rebutted with the obvious truth, I had my cheeks touched and patted…

‘Ugh.’

Anyway, it was a day when I accrued a preposterous amount of embarrassing history.

Every time I handled spatial perception and recalled that memory, I felt like rolling on the floor. Now I had built up some resistance and could end it just by clenching my teeth.

There was an excuse that I had been out of my mind due to an extraordinary amount of stress over the past few days… but that didn’t change the fact that it was a shameful history.

Regardless. The changes to spatial perception were a blessing that I should welcome with open arms.

When spatial perception first broke down on the first day, I thought it was the end of the world, but it was great that it recovered faster than expected.

Before, I had to rely on the ‘read-aloud’ feature to hear with my voice, but now, thanks to the spatial perception that allowed for normal vision, I could also see holograms.

▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Did you get home okay? (Yesterday 10:28)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: The class assignments and academic schedule will be posted at 12, so check it out (Yesterday 10:29)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: You don’t have any plans today, so rest up (Yesterday 10:29)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Remember what I told you yesterday? If you ever run into trouble, contact me anytime (Yesterday 10:33)

‘So, kind…’

Looking at the messages Hong Yeon-hwa sent me since yesterday, I felt a mix of emotions, mostly confusion.

The disposition of the original Hong Yeon-hwa, which would remain unknown no matter how many times I forced it.

Fiery personality. A mad dog that doesn’t look back once unleashed. More action-oriented than expected, with limbs moving before thought.

Also, after being seriously burned once in the 11th playthrough, my perception of Hong Yeon-hwa was stuck in that state.

Which is why I was even more on guard. To me, Hong Yeon-hwa was an adversary that would draw blood if provoked.

But the Hong Yeon-hwa in the messages… the real-life Hong Yeon-hwa was different.

Although she initially pushed me down and made comments like ‘Can’t you see?’ or knocked out Katsuki Yusai and threw him at me…

She later offered a sincere apology and said she would definitely compensate me on several occasions.

When I had trouble breathing, she physically threw herself to embrace and comfort me.

It didn’t feel empty. The apologies dripped with genuine regret, and she kept asking if I needed anything.

By now, I had to admit that my perception of Hong Yeon-hwa was just a stupid prejudice.

I had thought of people as NPCs since I entered this world inside a game.

Despite knowing it was real life, I still moved around as if it wasn’t.

I felt guilty for treating a perfectly normal person as a character with a flawed personality.

It was no different from those who hear rumors about someone and judge them, gossipping away.

I need to change my thinking. Being mindful of the original settings is fine, but blind faith would lead to mistakes like this one.

With that resolution made, I stood in front of a mirror, even though I couldn’t see. I still wanted to look presentable.

I was dressed as neatly as possible in the Shio-ram uniform. It resembled the kind of uniform you’d see online.

Its simplicity, without any excessive adornments, was a defining feature.

The fit was comfortable. I thought it might be inconvenient, but it had various convenience spells woven into it, making it incredibly comfortable.

As I ran my fingers over it, it felt as soft as a blanket with great elasticity, stretching easily.

Time passed, and today was the day the first lecture would start.

‘Phew…’

The first day of the lecture.

If someone was extroverted, they might be excited about making new friends. If introverted, the thought of meeting strangers would have their heart racing.

I fell into the latter category. My heart was pounding in real-time, proof of that.

Just in case, I checked my outfit one more time before heading out.

I took the elevator down to the first-floor lobby. It was 6:30 AM. Lectures started at 8 AM, and the lobby was almost empty since I had come out early.

At most, there were a few cadets who had come down for an early breakfast.

I settled for a few nutrition bars for breakfast.

Leaving the dormitory, I boarded the bus. It was still odd to see no one in the driver’s seat.

The colorful array of colors in my spatial perception passing by lifted my spirits.

Regaining color. It was a sign that I had finally made some progress in this world.

The dormitory was close to the learning district, so it didn’t take long to arrive.

I found myself in front of the lecture room door.

[ Ipchun Room (立春室) ]

Shio-ram divided classes and grades based on the 24 solar terms.

For the first year, there were six spring-related classes:
Ipchun, Usu, Gyeongchip, Chunbun, Cheongmyeong, Gogu.

The same goes for higher grades, which are divided into summer, autumn, and winter.

With an average of 400 to 500 new students each year, there were about 80 people per class.

Ipchun could be thought of as the equivalent of class 1 for the first year.

It was a familiar class. It housed significant characters and was the scene of numerous minor incidents and accidents.

The beginning of spring, the first of the four seasons. Considering that it’s where the stories of the main characters start, it’s an apt yet curious name.

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously opened the door.

Inside was a tiered lecture hall, common in universities. Given the time, there were few people.

Those few were too busy with their own affairs to pay attention to me.

I took a moment to survey the surroundings with spatial perception and planted myself in a corner seat at the very back.

It was a prime spot farthest from the door, with a window right beside it.

As they say, the early bird catches the worm, and if you want a prime spot, you need to arrive early.

There was also a small anxiety about what if I was late.

There was still time before the lecture started. I turned on the internet lectures I had been watching yesterday on my smartwatch.

As time passed, more and more cadets filled the lecture hall. The buzzing noise was proof of that.

-Press

“?”

Amidst the bustle, I tried to ignore the glances flying my way and was intently listening to the online lecture when a woman crept up behind me and tapped my shoulder.

Turning my head toward her, she pressed her finger against my cheek.

“It’s been a while, Hayul.”

The woman pressing my cheek was a female cadet wearing a Shio-ram uniform. She had long, straight hair that reminded me of chick down, and the smile on her soft features felt natural.

‘Who?’

Her familiarity suggested a close relationship. But I had no memory of forming such a relationship in this world.

I tilted my head in confusion.

The woman covered her mouth in shock as if I had forgotten her.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me…? It’s only been a few days!”

‘A few days?’

I had been in the dormitory for the past few days, hadn’t I?

As I was about to tilt my head the other way, I sensed the woman and felt an odd sense of dissonance.

Something about her voice was familiar.

And I couldn’t quite place her ‘color,’ but her figure seemed familiar from somewhere…

‘Hello? Do you need help?’

Ah.

[Elia?]

I quickly projected a hologram with the memory that came to mind.

I had never seen the full color of Elia, so it took me a moment to recognize her.

But not remembering immediately and appearing confused must have been a shock to her as she looked somewhat sulky.

“Yes. I’m Elia, who helped Hayul but was almost forgotten in just a few days.”

[I’m sorry. It took me a while to realize who you were.]

“Hehe, of course, I was just joking. I was just playing around a bit. Did you get home okay that day?”

[Thanks to you, I got home fine.]

Fortunately, she waved off her prank with a playful expression.

“But I couldn’t help playing the joke. Hayul’s reaction was just too amusing.”

[My reaction?]

“Yes, your reaction. The look of utter embarrassment and not knowing what to do was… hehe.”

She giggled behind her hand as if it was the funniest thing.

I was indeed at a loss for what to say, but it wasn’t quite to that extent.

Regardless of what I thought,

Chattering away as if fitted with a motor, Elia suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh, it’s already time.”

Checking the time, I saw that the lecture was about to start. Elia, who had also checked the time, waved her hand.

“Let’s get along, we’re in the same class!”

With that, she hummed a little tune and headed to the front seats, where cadets who appeared to be her friends had saved her a spot.

It didn’t take long for them to start giggling and playing pranks, apparently having become close in that short time.

I had anticipated it from her talkative and considerate nature, but she indeed seemed to have good social skills.

– Slide

The time to start the lecture approached, and I turned off the internet class. Around that time, the back door opened.

The person who entered the lecture hall was Hong Yeon-hwa, wearing a red jumper instead of the coat that came with the Shio-ram uniform, almost like a trademark.

‘Hong Yeon-hwa is also in the Ipchun class.’

Ipchun, Ip-ha, Ip-chu, Ip-dong.

These are the classes considered to be the first for grades 1 through 4, respectively, and classes with ‘Ip (立)’ in their name tend to include main characters.

Baek Ahrin and Katsuki Yusai, who played the role of a baseball during the welcome party, are also from the Ipchun class.

Baek Ahrin had briefly greeted me before taking a seat in the front. Hong Yeon-hwa would probably take a seat next to Baek Ahrin.

Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin were childhood friends, inseparable and usually mentioned together.

As I expected, Hong Yeon-hwa headed for the seat Baek Ahrin had taken… but she didn’t.

After giving Baek Ahrin a quick glance, she trudged toward me.

– Thud

She dropped the bag she carried on her shoulder onto the desk and looked my way.

I noticed her swallow quietly, her nervousness clearly caught by my spatial perception.

“Hello…? Did you rest well yesterday?”

“?”

A question mark floated over my head.