I dislike alcohol and cigarettes.

Alcohol has the ability to reduce a person, minus their intellect, to no more than an animal. It’s a noxious drug that easily overcomes even the minimal lines of decency one might have.

Cigarettes rendered people useless. They already damaged my sensitive nose and throat. It never made sense to me why someone would buy and smoke such trash.

After my childhood had passed, I had to work to survive.

Those were tough times, but not unbearably so.

For me, without much of an education, the only work available was either physical labor or part-time jobs.

But with my frail body, I was turned down from every labor job and just managed to snag a convenience store role.

The most popular items at the convenience store were always alcohol and cigarettes.

I dislike alcohol and cigarettes—seeing them, smelling them, tasting them. I just hate their existence.

But that’s just my opinion, based on my own experience.

Others can feel differently. There have always been many who indulge in alcohol and end up causing trouble. And those who puff cigarettes until their dying day.

And beyond that, there were people who drank but remained fine, others who smoked but lived well.

I disliked consuming and even smelling these things and didn’t want to see them.

Nevertheless, I didn’t impose my thoughts on others. Frankly, unless they were pushing their habits on me, it was none of my concern.

Even if Professor Atra drank and smoked to her heart’s content, it wasn’t my business to judge.

Of course, I might distance myself from her if the smell irked me, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to advise her against her habits.

Even getting a whiff of the smell wouldn’t cause me to faint. Although I’ve had an attack in the past, by now I’ve only been bothered to the point of feeling uncomfortable.

So, what was that just now?

Tucked away within the blankets, I folded back my spatial perception and thought things through.

As soon as I woke up, I nearly panicked, but once I withdrew my spatial perception and the world darkened, wrapped in the warm, soft blanket, I slowly settled down.

Memories before fainting rushed into my consciousness. After parting with my dungeon party, I encountered Professor Atra on the way to the library.

And… that utterly repugnant memory.

‘Ugh…’

My stomach churned, and a familiar ache afflicted my gut, an added unpleasantness. The fortunate thing was that I had nothing left to vomit; it was all emptied out in the middle of the street earlier.

My breath trembled. My body, out of control, shivered on its own.

I curled up, shrunk my frame as much as possible, and pulled the blanket tight to create a comfortable space without gaps.

‘Adaptation.’

Being hit hurt. So, I adapted. The next time, it hurt less.

Hearing insults pained my heart, but gradually I adapted and it became bearable.

I could adapt to blurry vision, to my aching arm, to the painful throat that made it difficult to speak.

Even when I was temporarily crippled by a hit-and-run drunk driver, I gradually became accustomed to it over time.

Adaptation.

Life always adapts to its environment. As the environment changes every moment, so must life.

I am no different. Complaining about my situation won’t change anything. I need to accept and adapt.

And I need to keep doing so.

“Hu, huh…”

I inhaled. Consciously filled my lungs with air, then slowly exhaled. I repeated this process.

‘It’s okay.’

The current pain, the stabbing headache, the roiling stomach, the sense of revulsion…

I can adapt to all of them. They’re just part of countless adaptations I’ve already made. Failing to adapt means just that—falling behind. To survive, I must get over this.

As I continued deep breaths, the nauseous sensation subsided. Steeling my resolve, I unraveled the blankets.

“Student Lee Hayul…?”

‘Ugh…’

Through the now unraveled cocoon of blankets, Professor Liana’s voice reached me.

Despite folding back my spatial perception, my body instinctively recoiled from the lingering past sensations.

‘It’s okay…’

These things I had already overcome in the past, and although they’ve inexplicably recurred, couldn’t I overcome them again?

Carefully, I expanded my spatial perception again, making sure not to extend it beyond the confines of the infirmary.

First, I saw Professor Liana standing a bit away from the bed, looking at me with a somewhat mysterious expression.

“Are you alright? You seemed unwell just now.”

Her voice was laced with concern. Internally sighing with relief, I slowly poked my head out from under the blanket.

I had instinctively recoiled earlier but regretted it. It was rude to show such behavior towards someone expressing concern.

[I’m fine now. I’m sorry about earlier.]

“You don’t have to apologize. If you’re okay now, that’s what matters.”

Professor Liana scanned me cautiously, then asked with a delicate tone,

“May I ask what happened just now?”

The question was expected. I tapped thoughtfully on my smartwatch before responding.

[Before that, may I ask you one thing?]

“Of course, anything.”

[Did you drink alcohol yesterday?]

Liana’s movement halted abruptly. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head, looking baffled.

“…Drinking? Yes, I did have a drink yesterday… How did you know?”

I paused my typing.

How did I know indeed… What should I answer?

Could I smell it? No, the curse has blocked out my sense of smell.

[I just could.]

“Huh…? Just like that?”

But I did know. My body had reacted, faster than my spatial perception and magic affinity.

Faced with my answer, Liana’s face hardened. Then, subtly, she brought her wrist to her nose.

“…Could you smell the alcohol?”

[I didn’t smell anything.]

As my nose couldn’t perform its function, I hadn’t lied. Liana, still looking unconvinced, inspected her surroundings with a stiff expression.

“I took a shower right after getting here…? I, I used a massive amount of cleansing magic…”

[I didn’t smell anything.]

A wave of magic swirled around Liana as the cleansing spell was activated. It was a purification magic spell, cast dozens of times, that enveloped her.

I blankly felt it with my spatial perception, then turned my head away. I deliberately avoided the direction I had been trying not to acknowledge.

Straight in front of the bed. There was Professor Atra, leaning against the wall. An indifferent expression, subtly different from usual. I could detect even minor changes because of my spatial perception.

‘…….’

Cold sweat trickled down. Recollections of the moments right before I fainted stormed back.

I had met Professor Atra… and retched right in her face. Involuntarily showing repulsion, I backed away and fainted while a concerned bystander watched.

How foul must the professor have felt? The thought alone was dizzying. What an utter impoliteness. It was behavior sure to sap anyone’s affections…

[I’m truly sorry.]

I stopped typing. What more could I possibly say to apologize? For vomiting right in front of someone?

“That apology is unnecessary.”

While I mulled over my thoughts, her voice reached me. I unwittingly flinched. Was she saying that an apology was not even needed? Truthfully, it was a fair response.

As I peeked to gauge the situation, Professor Atra, who had been closely examining my face, turned away and asked,

“…Are you feeling okay?”

[Yes, I’m fine.]

“Then that’s all that matters. Let me know immediately if anything’s amiss.”

[Yes.]

An unexpected exchange ensued. Puzzled, I took a closer look at Professor Atra. Her expression was abnormal, but there was no sign of displeasure.

‘What’s going on?’

“It’s good that you’re awake. I’ll be going now, but if you need to talk, just contact me.”

Professor Atra turned to leave. She asked a few things about my condition and then left the health room without fuss, not even asking for the reason behind my earlier behavior.

…What now?

…

…

After casting cleansing magic more than a hundred times, somewhat regaining her composure, Liana explained the situation to me, albeit a bit simplistically.

There were bad memories associated with alcohol and cigarettes, and for some reason, the reaction was more severe this time, although the precise reason was unclear.

“Hmm… Could it be a mental issue then? Do you have the results of a psychological evaluation? Most things would have shown up.”

[What’s that?]

“What?”

[What?]

In the course of our conversation, I learned a few facts. Normally, during the entrance exams, candidates would also undergo a psychological evaluation, which I apparently hadn’t done.

It’s a process designed to identify potential mental issues, but I somehow skipped it and was admitted.

“…Hmm?”

Liana tilted her head in confusion.

“Didn’t I say you had special admission? But even so… to skip such a basic procedure…? I don’t know anymore.”

Looking uncharacteristically flustered, Liana ruffled her hair and sighed deeply. It was a sigh filled with complexity.

“Let’s do an examination together sometime. It won’t hurt to check.”

With those words, Liana suddenly checked her smartwatch for the time.

Lunch hour was already passing by.

“What will you do now? You can leave if you want, but would you like to rest a bit?”

[I’ll rest for a little before heading back.]

“Okay. I’ll go ahead then. If anything comes up, you must contact me immediately, okay?”

After repeating her wishes a few times for me to contact her if anything were to happen, Liana too left the health room.

“……”

Finally alone, I relaxed the tight grip I had on my tension. My body fell backward, the softness embracing me all over.

“Uh, ah…”

I barely contained it. Though I tried not to show it outwardly, inwardly I felt emotions strong enough to make me want to flee right then.

Atra’s presence. It still struck me as particularly frightening and loathsome. Liana… while not as much as Atra, I still felt aversion.

‘I’m tired…’

It hadn’t even been a few hours since I emerged from the dungeon, and here I was in this state. Sighs came easily to me. Curling up, I pulled a pillow close and clutched it tightly.

Covering myself with the blanket was an added bonus.

In this way, I managed to calm down for a while. Perhaps because both Atra and Liana were out of the vicinity, I slowly started to feel better.

‘…What to do.’

My initial plan had been to head straight to the library, but now I was in this state. I was mentally exhausted. Walking to the library seemed too much; I felt like I could faint on the way.

But I couldn’t afford to just waste time.

The dungeon practice had just finished, but right next week, an even more important event was scheduled.

The Tower of Growth entrance.

In the original work, this was when the Event of Snowblow truly began to unfold. How well I capitalized on this event would shape the trajectory of my growth curve.

I had planned to check on the magic anomaly and dive right into preparations… but now, my schedule had gone awry.

Today was Tuesday, and entrance to the Tower of Growth was next Monday.

At most, six days left. Time was tight.

Likely, other students felt the same, preparing for next week with a mix of worry and anticipation.

But I needed to prepare even more than them because of the tag ‘special admission student’.

This time, every freshman would enter the tower.

The issue wasn’t everyone’s participation.

Competition among students inside the tower would be allowed. Since the tower would essentially render pain minimal and injuries illusionary, they were encouraged to compete thoroughly.

Here, the ‘special admission’ tag became problematic.

Basically, it was a continuation of Aidan’s previous attitude.

When he apologized, he offered a motive saying he was curious.

A special admission student? What’s so great about you? Who are you, to have entered on special conditions? I don’t really know…

Let’s check it now.

A swarm of students with such thoughts would flood over me.

That’s how it was in the original.

In the first part of the main story, the early game events involved characters with low regards for the player, instigating the sabotage…

If I come out on top here, the growth graph charts upwards. And if I fail… there would be a delay.

And this crucial event is less than a week away.

I heaved sigh after sigh.

I couldn’t do nothing, so I brought up the magic books I had previously downloaded on my smartwatch, in hologram form.

…

…

– Knock knock… Click.

“Hayul, are you okay…?”

‘Ah.’

It wasn’t much after Liana had left when Hong Yeon-hwa came to visit me.

After a cautious knock, her upper body peeked through the slightly opened door.

In her hand, she carried a bag full of magic-infused nutritional supplements.

No feelings of discomfort or aversion arose at the sight of her.

In her twinkling red eyes, an overflow of concern and a warm, cozy aura were palpable.

It was an indescribable, fluffy feeling.