Hong Yeon-hwa stared intently at the hologram floating before her eyes.

The string of text unfolded on the hologram. Her gaze was so intense it seemed it could bore through the display, but the hologram remained unchanged.

“Staring at it won’t make the replies come any faster, Miss.”

“I know that.”

It was Saturday afternoon. In preparation for the upcoming ascent to The Tower of Growth next week, Hong Yeon-hwa was refraining from any physically taxing activities.

After a bit of light stretching, she avoided all other forms of physical training. She rested even her mind with the goal of entering the tower in peak condition.

This is why she could afford to lie sprawled on her bed, staring blankly at the hologram. Sometimes she would roll around, settle into a meditation stance, and occasionally glance back at the text history.

For Ariel, who was busy with simple household chores, the sight was enough to evoke an involuntary sigh.

Knowing why such an attitude was manifesting, especially since Hong Yeon-hwa was her charge and she took care of various errands and guard duties, Ariel understood all too well.

With a swallowed sigh, Ariel addressed Hong Yeon-hwa, who was still locked in a staring contest with the hologram.

“…If you’re so curious, why not go check on him in person?”

At Ariel’s suggestion, Hong Yeon-hwa’s shoulders twitched—a reflexive response. Her voice quivered as she retorted.

“That’s… not really appropriate, is it? To go check if he’s taken what I gave him… Besides, he might be sleeping and can’t respond…”

“I fail to understand why the lady would engage in a futile battle of gazes with a hologram,” Ariel remarked.

“When have I ever done that?”

“Ever since you returned to the dormitory last evening, Miss.”

Hong Yeon-hwa wriggled her brows and then turned her head to bury her face in the pillow. The gesture declared her refusal to engage in further conversation, which prompted Ariel to leave the room without suppressing another sigh.

Ariel’s footsteps faded. Left alone, Hong Yeon-hwa sighed pointlessly, feeling Ariel’s presence disappear as she went to busy herself with other tasks.

A languid sunlight shone through the room. A gentle breeze also played inside, possibly because Hong Yeon-hwa had opened the window for ventilation.

The atmosphere was peaceful enough to induce an unintended drowsiness. Hong Yeon-hwa considered taking a nap as the thought crossed her mind, straightened her pillow, and laid down her head.

…The truth was, she couldn’t sleep.

Hong Yeon-hwa scrunched her face with frustration and turned over. Her cheek squished against the pillow. Annoyed, she squirmed and stealthily glanced at her smartwatch.

There were no new messages. Specifically, no texts had come from the contact she had set an alarm for.

‘Did he use it properly?’

The elixir she had given to Lee Hayul was indeed precious despite being plentiful in the clan’s storeroom, and she had mentioned it was a form of investment.

Individuals who have awakened to mana are termed superhumans.

Based on this ability, those who contribute to societal good by hunting monsters and dealing with villains are called ‘heroes.’

There is also the term ‘hunter.’ These are also superhumans, but instead of focusing on battling monsters and villains, they concentrate on exploring dungeons and other ruins.

Heroes and hunters. While many superhumans follow these two paths, not everyone does.

There are those who dislike the bloody battles, and others whose talents blossom in fields other than combat.

Alchemists are among them.

They develop and produce medicines intended for superhuman consumption, specializing in alchemy and pharmacology, a path not many superhumans choose.

Moreover, the number of individuals who excel in this field is exceedingly small.

The Gop-hwa clan has always been in a position to receive elixirs from these rare talents.

The elixir handed to Lee Hayul was one of those precious concoctions, supplied once a year for the clan’s heir to consume.

An elixir centered around the root of the Fairy Tree.

The Fairy Tree is a rare species so elusive that even if one were to accumulate virtue for three generations, finding even a branch could be considered a stroke of celestial luck.

Thanks to the deep ties with the Taesan clan from the founder’s time, the Gop-hwa clan could procure materials relatively easily, allowing them to obtain an elixir or two annually.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s unprecedent output of Gop-hwa’s power meant she didn’t need to consume all the supplied elixirs, leaving a surplus.

The efficacy was certain. Hong Yeon-hwa herself had consumed it several times and could attest to its effects.

That’s why she passed it on. Considering that Lee Hayul was just beginning his growth phase, she deemed it an important period for him.

She was confident that the potent elixir would have a positive impact on his swift growth.

‘…Will he appreciate it?’

As she dwelled on her cheerless inbox, a speculative future brought a faint smile to her face.

She looked forward to Lee Hayul’s reaction the next time they met. What would it be? Would he be astonished by the incredible efficacy? Would he be extremely grateful to her?

“Hehe…”

Or perhaps, he would show her the same smile as before.

Filled with anticipation, Hong Yeon-hwa buried her face in the pillow and let out a chuckle.

* * *

“Ah, damn it.”

My expression soured instinctively.

Feeling the foreign substance, I spat, “Ptui,” and as expected, black blood splattered on the floor.

Spitting on the floor of one’s home is rude and filthy, but at the moment, I couldn’t care less.

The floor was already a mess with blood. Even if I spat out dozens of times, the hardened blood had taken over the floor to the extent that it would hardly make a difference.

For once, I was somewhat grateful for my lack of smell. At least I didn’t have to endure the stench of filthy blood.

“Ugh…”

What in the world was this situation?

I slumped against the wall, lost in thought.

I had taken the elixir, and blood had poured from my mouth. The amount increased steadily until I finally lost consciousness, only to regain it nearly a day later.

Why? For what reason? I didn’t understand…

I exhaled what would have been a sigh if it weren’t for the crust of dried blood I removed from inside my mouth with a finger. It had hardened and was getting in the way of my breathing.

Even the slightest movement of my finger felt exhausting.

When I first tried to get up, I nearly fell back down. The floor wasn’t as slippery as I had thought—the blood had hardened.

The problem was with my body. When I propped myself up with my arms, I was doubtful, but the moment I tried to stand, my legs nearly gave out.

My body felt heavy, as if it was saturated with water. My reactions were slow as if I had just woken up, and strength failed to surge as needed.

Just leaning against the wall was about all I could manage with such a heavy body. On the flip side, my mana was bubbling vigorously.

The capacity of mana stored in the core. Comparing the current volume to what it had been before was impossible—it had increased too greatly.

If before it was a droplet, now it was a cup full of water.

The circuits had drastically changed, too. The existing ones had doubled in thickness and breadth. Even the movement of mana, which used to be so subtle, now felt unfamiliar.

New circuits had also formed. They interwove between the existing ones, allowing for even more dense movement of mana.

Though it only felt heavy now, my body had changed.

It seemed to have been positively influenced by the process of receiving mana from the elixir.

I could only guess that this state was a backlash from the sudden growth.

The transformation was staggering. I couldn’t stop marveling at the change brought on by just one elixir.

What had it been like in the original work? To be honest, I didn’t know because I hadn’t stopped after just one. Whether I could even compare those stats to here…

For now, I couldn’t use magic. The vastly increased volume and quality of mana, the altered core and circuits.

Using mana carelessly seemed inadvisable. The recommendation to take one to two days for tuning must have meant this.

For now, I just soothed myself, letting the elixir’s energy settle well within my body.

‘…What was that again?’

While organizing my thoughts against the wall, I recalled the dream just before waking.

It was hard to say it “came to mind,” really. Dreams are like that, but I couldn’t recall the details after waking.

Only a hazy memory of a dreamlike forest and motes of light flitting about. Anything beyond that stubbornly eluded me.

‘I don’t understand.’

I didn’t understand any of this. Is this what always happens when you take an elixir? It didn’t seem likely…

I couldn’t hide my bewildered feeling as I felt the information about the room through spatial perception.

A carpet of black blood had coagulated and claimed half of the floor…

“Ugh.”

A sigh naturally escaped me. I wanted to just close my eyes and forget about it, but I couldn’t continue to ignore the situation.

Fortunately, I could clean up this disaster easily. I had forgotten, but the dormitory was equipped with various convenience spells.

Using the embedded purification and cleanliness spells, the bloodstains adhering to the room vanished cleanly. Three cheers for magic.

Staggering, I made it to the shower and cleaned myself off. I almost dozed off under the warm water, so I quickly rinsed off the blood and got out.

I threw on a white robe I’d never worn before. The fabric was soft and cozy, especially against my bare skin.

The room, now free of the bloodstains, had the window left open for fresh air. I couldn’t smell due to my sealed sense but still felt a mild discomfort.

Ever since the moment with Professor Atra, I wondered how I could feel such discomfort.

Both Professor Atra and Liana had been drinking the night before, but they had cleaned up and used spells like the bleach spell to erase any scent.

How my body knew and reacted to it was a mystery.

‘I’ll think about it later.’

Thinking too hard made my head hurt. I was also starting to feel warm. I dragged my legs to the living room sofa.

I didn’t want to sleep in a room that, while odorless to me, still felt unpleasant.

After grabbing a suitable blanket, I collapsed onto the sofa. Covered by the blanket, it turned into a decent makeshift bed.

‘Let’s just sleep a bit…’

I had been out for a day, but the fatigue lingered. Sleep is the best medicine when you’re ill, they say. I’ll just sleep a bit and then think more on this…

…

– Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Just as my consciousness was about to break, an alarm went off. It was a persistent alarm.

“Ah.”

I scowled and tapped on my smartwatch. I was about to fall asleep, and now this incessant alarm…

The hologram floated up.

[Monday AM 6:40]

A strange message was displayed. I scratched my head and checked my spatial perception. After making sure there were no issues, I interpreted the hologram again.

Monday, morning, 6:40 AM.

Monday… the day of the climb to The Tower of Growth.

‘Uh…’

Was I experiencing hallucinations through spatial perception? Or was I still dreaming? Was my smartwatch broken?

I fell into deep contemplation.

The alarm, oblivious to the mood, continued unabated. The reality of the situation was quickly setting in.

Without proper preparation over the weekend…

The day of the ascent to The Tower of Growth had dawned.