Sunday morning arrived, marking the end of the first week’s schedule at The Tower of Growth.

As usual, I rose early in the day.

There was no luxury of lazing in bed, still drowsy from sleep.

For breakfast today, as well, I settled for a nutrition bar. I couldn’t taste anything, so I felt no appetite, but I still had to get nutrients somehow, so I regularly ingested nutrition bars and vitamins.

I considered doing some exercises after changing into my usual attire, but then felt the need to review my plans and stopped.

‘Is it already the start of the second week…’

I sat at my desk in my room, deep in thought.

I intended to summarize the results so far. It had only been a week, yet I had gained quite a bit.

I scribbled on the learning pad provided by The Tower of Growth with a pen.

‘Physical abilities.’

It had only been roughly five days, but my physical abilities had noticeably increased.

Just becoming a superhuman charged with potential, the multiplier from The Tower of Growth’s blessings, the additional multiplier for being a special admissions student, and Atra’s intense lectures.

All of these had spurred on my growth, and after merely five days, the development was evident.

‘Mana.’

Yesterday, Liana had helped me with the introduction to mana.

Thanks to her, I managed to successfully initiate into mana and now I truly ranked among superhumans.

Of course, I had only just begun basic operation.

I can’t properly use Qi, muscle strengthening, or basic magic yet, so there seems to be no difference, but just being able to control mana means a lot has changed. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that another acceleration in growth has been applied.

‘Unique abilities.’

Spatial Awareness, Jack-of-all-Trades, Mana Affinity.

I began to utilize all three unique abilities simultaneously.

Though I couldn’t deeply comprehend them yet, I had a feeling that something was improving in subtle ways. I planned to understand more about this during the sparring with Atra.

Of course, even this is merely standing at the starting line.

I haven’t even constructed the ‘own’ yet, not to mention properly grasping my capabilities…

Unique abilities are usually innate from birth.

Like how the Gop-hwa and Changhae clans inherit the unique abilities of their founders.

They can be passed down through family lines or in some cases, individuals awake entirely different unique abilities on their own.

Acquired postnatally? Not out of the question.

There are certainly superhumans without unique abilities who awaken them through arduous effort after they’ve already awakened mana.

I don’t fit into either category.

I didn’t inherit through prominent lineage nor was I born with overpowering talent.

Nor did I acquire them through a lifetime of effort.

None of it. I just luckily fiddled with game character settings and ended up with them.

Thinking about unique abilities and their restrictions… again, it makes me furious.

Unknowingly, I furrowed my brows. I spontaneously recalled that damn game that added another twist to my already twisted life.

In ‘Savior’, when you create a character, you usually choose one ability to carry over.

You can take any common ability scattered around the universe, or a special effect ability.

Alternatively, you could start with your bare hands, without taking any ability at all.

That’s why my first playthrough was a mess. Declining an ability and choosing to start wit my bare hands out of a desire to enjoy the vanilla game. As a result, I completely wrecked it.

Ironically, I survived the longest during my first playthrough…

Anyway, there is a screw loose in this settings section.

There is one ability you can initially choose.

Through the setting called ‘restriction’, one can add special modifiers to the player for each restriction they take on.

Commonly, if a player accepts one restriction, they combine it with the one they were initially meant to take, ending up with two abilities.

But not with this trash game.

You don’t get anything from the first restriction. If you accept one restriction, the total abilities gained is just one.

The initial restriction is practically just a ploy to get the second restriction and ability.

What kind of dog crap system is this? I emailed the developers but just got a formal reply saying, ‘That’s how they intended the setting.’

The first restriction you accept basically means you don’t get anything; it’s a loss-making deal.

I’d love to throw it away if I could, but to get the second and third abilities, I had to carry this baggage.

After aligning the ratio as Ability 3: Restriction 3, only then could the game begin.

‘Tch.’

The formal email from the developers. Even this is questionable. What is the identity of the company? Who are these people who made such a crappy game?

I don’t know. As much as I want to, I didn’t have the luxury of time to care about that matter due to the circumstances… So, I had to let it go. I’ll look into it gradually when I have time.

Next question.

The original world and the world within the game.

The realistic world where abilities called ‘super powers’ did not exist, and this side of the world, filled with fantasies such as mana, unique abilities, dungeons, and towers.

I am Lee Hayul from the ‘original world’. That’s what I’m currently confident about. There’s no other way for me to judge otherwise.

I am Lee Hayul, who remembers the crappy old home, who fled from the burning house to end up wandering until I was taken into an orphanage.

The orphanage burned down as well, and I eventually settled down somewhere after wandering aimlessly. That’s who Lee Hayul was.

Then what about this place? Who’s Lee Hayul in this world full of imaginary elements?

This has been a question from the beginning.

I believe that Lee Hayul from the original world has come over to here.

But there are doubts. Before I arrived here, an identity of mine already existed.

If this were a game, I could just pass it off as a setting. But since I’ve accepted this place as a real world, I can’t just let it slide.

So I took advantage of some free time to inquire about my identity today.

Since it still maintains the framework of South Korea, many of the websites I knew existed here as well.

Thanks to the internet, it didn’t take long to get the documents sorted out.

I thoroughly reviewed various documents displayed in hologram.

[Yeonseong Orphanage]
Records from 0 to 7 years old. Discovered as a newborn left at the gate and the entry procedure was followed. Listed as missing or dead due to a fire. Detailed records were lost to the fire.

[Ilbo Orphanage]
Records from 8 to 18 years old. Missing but found after a year and a half. I was discovered blind and with severe burns on my right arm at that time.

Then went through procedures to be admitted to the orphanage. But due to the physical disability and living like a lifeless doll, there were no particular records worth noting.

A fire occurred just before I left the orphanage. Reports state I did not sustain any special injuries during that fire.

‘Hmm…’

I raised an eyebrow. A shiver ran down my spine as I rubbed my arm.

Yeonseong Orphanage. I have no idea what kind of place it is. I’ve never heard of it before. Does anyone even remember the name of their orphanage?

But…

‘Ilbo Orphanage.’

The name was familiar to my ears. How could I forget? It was the name of the orphanage I stayed at.

It’s profoundly unsettling. Or more accurately, should I say horrific? Even when the name was exactly like Lee Hayul’s, I had my doubts, but now there are too many similarities that it gives me the creeps.

The only different part is the initial part about Yeonseong Orphanage.

In the original world, that was the time I should have been at my parents’ house. The common element is the fire.

My parents’ house was destroyed by a fire, and the orphanage in this world was destroyed by a fire, too.

And then there’s the common point of wandering around for almost a year.

At the time, I truly thought I would die. It seemed like a given as I lost consciousness with my right arm ablaze.

But I opened my eyes. Somehow, only my right arm was left with horrific burns.

Before even figuring out why, I spent my days wandering from place to place, clutching my starving belly.

Then I ended up being admitted to another orphanage, which was Ilbo Orphanage.

At that time, I was an unregistered ‘ghost child’. It was only after arriving at Ilbo Orphanage that I heard my birth was registered and established with family records.

*Sigh…*

I felt exasperated to no end. I leaned back in my chair and let out a deep sigh.

My head was in chaos. Just dealing with the situation here was head-splitting enough. When I checked, I even had debts registered in my name.

It seemed that I had dabbled with financial institutions for living expenses. The amount was tens of millions of won. It’s questionable how a loan was granted with little credit back then.

Fortunately, thanks to The Tower of Growth providing regular funds for maintenance of dignity, I could avoid being squeezed for money immediately.

But considering the interest, it would be best to pay it off as soon as possible. Once I surpass the lowest rank of heroes and hunters, I should be able to settle tens of millions of won quite quickly.

‘My head hurts…’

There was so much to think about that it was giving me a headache.

I slept soundly next to Liana yesterday, so it was less pronounced, but starting today, the hours of sleep will be reduced again, and my head will start to ache.

Did she mention a sleep course? It was harder than I thought. I didn’t expect to wake up just 1 hour after lightly dozing off.

Who would have guessed I would sleep for hours straight? I was astonished at the fact that I fell asleep soundly while being covered with Liana’s coat.

At first, Liana laughed and said that everybody goes through it, but to be honest, it’s not without a sense of embarrassment.

‘Was it the third week?’

The memory suddenly sprang to mind as I pressed down on the desk in shame and then tapped on my smartwatch. I brought up the academic schedule file I had downloaded last time.

Today is the weekend of the first week.

On the Monday and Tuesday of the third week, there’s a mandatory dungeon exploration schedule for first-year students.

A schedule that groups 4-5 students from each class and sends them into a Grade 4 dungeon to perform tasks.

It’s planned as an overnight, two-day trip.

Dungeon exploration and monster subjugation are essential parts of a hero.

That’s why the academic schedule regularly includes dungeon raids and monster elimination.

Following the dungeon raid, in the fourth week at The Tower of Growth, there’s the entry into The Tower of Growth.

The Tower of Growth, which is synonymous with the existence of The Tower of Growth itself.

The benefits are twofold. One is the blessing of growth granted to the students of The Tower of Growth, and the other is the entrance ticket to The Tower of Growth.

Within The Tower of Growth, the already enhanced growth rate is amplified further, and one can experience special trials provided by the tower.

Furthermore, even if the body suffers injury or loss of life during the trials, it all remains illusory.

In other words, no matter the method, everything is expelled to the outside at the end of the trials.

All negative traces, like injuries, disappear completely, and all positive aspects, like growth, are included in what’s expelled.

The dangers of real combat cannot be overstated, but inside the tower, one can experience combat without the risks to life and limb.

And this with an enhanced blessing of growth than usual.

As one of the most critical events for rapid growth at The Tower of Growth, students enter The Tower of Growth for a long five-day term.

I pondered deeply.

The dungeon raid is in two weeks, and entry into The Tower of Growth is in three weeks.

Nearly a month. Since it will be after entering The Tower of Growth, that should be enough time to have grown considerably.

Given this rate of growth, perhaps after about a month, I can start using my knowledge from the original work to wander dungeons.

I already had the first dungeon I intended to conquer in mind.

A dungeon near a small town in England. The reward obtainable there is my goal.

The Necklace of Confession.

An artifact that vocalizes the murmurs spoken inwardly by the wearer.

It could even be used as a confession drug, but the conditions make it ill-suited for general use. However, my current situation is quite different.

It’s one of the methods to bypass the Curse of Silence.

With just that, this damned Curse of Silence is essentially nullified.

‘Good.’

I’ve set a near-term goal. Now that I have a realistic target, I feel even more motivated.

With that firm resolve, I stood up from my seat. The goal alignment was complete, and now I was ready to get moving.

. . .

And just like that, the second week at The Tower of Growth began. It was an uneventful week of steady growth.

I used my head during general lectures, and during major lectures, I rolled both my head and body.

I rolled, but always forward, and I could distinctly feel myself progressing, little by little.

These were fulfilling days.

“A Cadet Lee Hayul, I request sparring with you.”

The unexpected event occurred on Wednesday.

During the general lecture “Fundamentals of Practical Swordsmanship”.

A fellow student, looking over in my direction, spoke up.

He was a male student with a sharp impression. Despite masking his expression with impassivity, there was a distinct sense of discontent radiating from him towards me.

“……”

…It’s not like I was attacked by monsters, nor was it a life-threatening situation.

I guess this might just be part of an ordinary day.