In the world I once knew, I was in a traffic accident. It wasn’t catastrophic, but I did put my own head in the way, so to speak.

It was an avoidable accident, and as a result of my recklessness, I became a post-traumatic cripple, confined to a corner of my room with a hefty insurance settlement.

Having lost my part-time job due to my disability, the substantial amount of money I received was more than enough to get by.

Consequently, I moved out of my goshiwon room into a decent one-bedroom apartment.

Life was incredibly comfortable compared to before.

Even the thought of going out briefly meant dealing with the hassle of a wheelchair or crutches, which was far from convenient.

Originally, staying at home suited my personality.

Lolling about in bed was comfortable, but being the ungrateful sort that I am, as soon as comfort set in, I began to crave entertainment.

In my search for amusement, I stumbled upon a game called ‘Savior’.

It was the first computer game I’d gotten into after only casually playing puzzle games on my phone.

At that time, I felt like a wild man encountering civilization for the first time—it was incredibly fun, and I got deeply engrossed.

This is why I didn’t look up any guides on the internet. It seemed that the fun would disappear if I followed someone else’s gameplay.

It might have been the most carefree and happy moment of my life.

“The boss appeared around here. This should be somewhere near the center.”

Baek Ahrin, leading the group, remarked. We had been traveling for a while after leaving the temporary base.

We encountered a few cadets along the way. Given our group’s strength, we could easily eliminate them without any trouble.

Thinking back, even though I was being pursued, I fortunately didn’t encounter any of the main characters.

If I had been chased by a protagonist on the first or second day, I probably would have been eliminated. It dawned on me that my luck had been exceptionally good.

“It seems all the important things are gathered in the center.”

“Definitely, it’s easier to manage if everything is concentrated in one place.”

The center of the first floor. Even here, the ‘land value’ of the center seemed high as both the boss appeared here, and the Hidden Piece existed.

Swallowed by the excitement that I might be able to attain the Hidden Piece, I subdued the thrill with a pat and followed Elia’s lead to this location.

We had returned to the area from which we had fled after battling the boss.

Of course, I didn’t come back here for nothing. It wasn’t a tantrum without reason; I had explained my rationale.

There was something special at the place Elia had discovered. If they helped me, I would share the reward appropriately.

The question came back to me.

How do you know that?

“Is the Principal’s  educational method ‘Tamryeokdeukju’?”

Baek Ahrin mumbled thoughtfully.

Tamryeokdeukju, meaning ‘seeking the black dragon to obtain the pearl’, is an idiom about taking great risks for great rewards.

“In exchange for focusing everyone’s attention with a score equivalent to the boss, he gives the location of a special reward… If you can hold out, it sounds like a good deal to get through the trial and receive the reward.”

In essence, the higher the stakes, the greater the payoff upon success.

“Drawing aggro and trying to hold out, what’s that all about?”

Hong Yeon-hwa, who was keeping watch at the rear, replied gruffly to Baek Ahrin’s muttering.

Walking closely behind Elia, I inwardly shook my head. Despite my good fortune, I had nearly been eliminated on the second day.

Persuading the group wasn’t difficult because I had an invincible reason.

An unprecedented special admission student. A cadet chosen by the Principal.

That status served as an excellent excuse. I was the only special admission student. There was no other announcement or instruction from the professors directed at me.

Did the Principal really tell me where the Origin Egg was? No. I don’t even know what the Principal looks like.

Even in recorded history, while the existence of the Principal can be confirmed through heroic deeds, for some reason, the Principal’s physical appearance is absent from past records.

That ambiguity actually helped. In the original story, the owner of The Tower of Growth never revealed themselves in any situation.

I’m not sure how it will be this time… but so far, the fact that the Principal has left their special admission student to their own devices seems to suggest a similar attitude to the original story.

No one here can discern my falsehood. The only ones who could question the truth are me and the silent Principal.

The only difficulty in convincing them was that I couldn’t speak and had to write letters on the ground.

Sign language was too awkward after such a long time.

“Here it is.”

Elia, who had been scouring the surroundings, announced. The group moved through the forest to reach the location.

Immediately, my senses also picked up on the odd place. The underbrush tickling my thighs receded, revealing an open space as a breeze suddenly blew through.

“It’s definitely different from the structure I saw.”

Baek Ahrin, surveying the surrounding, commented.

A spacious clearing emerged as we pushed through the undergrowth.

In the midst of it lay a stone altar imbued with a strange magic, enveloped by eight pillars.

With my spatial perception damaged, I couldn’t discern the exact appearance. The knowledge I had was only from what I saw in the original work.

But I could feel it.

Three black pillars encircle the stone altar in a triangle.

I felt them as black. The inherent dark and threatening magic influenced that sensation.

Five white pillars encased the stone altar in a pentagon.

I felt them as white. The inherent firm and solid magic influenced that sensation.

“Is this the place, Hayul?”

Before entering the clearing, Baek Ahrin checked the surroundings with magic and turned to ask. I paused from sensing the magic of the pillars and nodded.

“Then let’s enter.”

Following that, the group moved forward. I swallowed hard and followed closely.

‘What will happen?’

Though I persuaded them confidently to come here, I wasn’t actually certain.

The first discovery of the Origin Egg was in the third cycle.

After a rough experience in the first cycle and having no leisure time in the second cycle due to grapples with other cadets, the third cycle allowed me the freedom to explore The Tower of Growth and finally discovered the Origin Egg at the center of the map.

It was a story from the game.

Now that the game’s world has become reality, I know not to outright reject its information. But still, it’s just a game, isn’t it?

Would it be the same in reality? Will the reward just appear? There was some doubt in the back of my mind.

What if there was no reaction even after I approached? I would have had to use the Principal’s name in vain again.

– Woong!

My worries were unfounded.

The moment I stepped into the clearing, the five white pillars began to vibrate. The tremor of the ground was unmistakably felt through my legs.

The group halted. Their eyes, filled with the question of whether to continue approaching me.

I nodded and moved forward again. Walking over the flat earthen ground, I made my way toward the altar.

Even as I approached, the pillars continued to emit vibrations. It wasn’t a sensation of impending danger, oddly, it felt like a welcome.

Finally, I stood before the altar.

I paused to listen. The vibrating white pillars. There were no such effects in the original. What was different?

…In reality, there was no need to ponder too deeply. After all, this was The Tower of Growth; the worst that could happen was being eliminated and expelled outside.

I settled my mind a bit and reached out toward the altar.

A cool sensation filled my palm. It also captured the roughness of an unmaintained structure’s surface.

“……”

Nothing happened. Was it a misfire? It was time to consider that possibility, but just then, a refreshing magic blossomed from the altar.

Magic, like smoke, seeped from the crevices of the stone altar. It was not as potent as my mana but was of high purity.

The leaking magic slowly colored the surroundings. Gradually, the changing scope of magic encompassed the three black pillars and enveloped the five white ones.

– Creak, clack

A sound like an unoiled machine groaning echoed near my ear. It originated from inside the altar.

The altar jolted. Then the vibration intensified.

I stepped back reflexively as the altar shook like a quaking aspen.

Before I could retreat many steps, the jostling of the altar stopped.

After a brief pause, the altar crumbled from one side, collapsing.

A dull noise accompanied by a cloud of dust rushed over. I covered my nose and mouth with my hand.

More importantly, my senses fixated elsewhere. Inside the now-collapsed altar, there was an object emanating a curious magic.

I hadn’t noticed it until the altar fell apart. Even with my knowledge from the original work, I hadn’t been aware.

An elongated, egg-shaped object larger than a human head. The nature of the magic was hard to describe.

‘The Origin Egg.’

There it was. Real, just like in the game. There was a Hidden Piece in reality, too.

It was as if my closed eyes were twinkling in realization.

In a rush, I stepped over the fallen stone debris and picked up the Origin Egg.

Given its size, it felt weighty. It must be quite heavy in reality, but given my current physical prowess, it was insignificant.

I fondled the egg’s surface in my arms. A smooth warmth passed through my palm.

“Oho.”

As I inspected the Origin Egg, Baek Ahrin approached from a distance and tapped the egg with her finger.

I stifled the reflex to flinch from the sudden coolness and, with a curious expression, showed the egg to the group.

“Is this egg the reward?”

– Nod

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had also approached, asked. As I nodded, she continued with a puzzled tone.

“Hard to tell from the outside. What exactly is this egg used for?”

“Could it be an ingredient for an elixir?”

“Is that so? I’ve heard monster eggs are quite utilized…”

As they speculated about its use, I waited and then picked up a fallen stick to write letters on the ground.

“Huh?”

I felt Hong Yeon-hwa blink in surprise. Baek Ahrin and Elia also appeared similarly bewildered.

Elia read the letters I had written on the ground, questioning if her reading was correct.

“Lottery?”

To her question, I circled the word ‘lottery’ I had written with the stick, affirming it.

The Origin Egg.

A Hidden Piece with a basic option of reading the user’s wish and so on.

Using it grants a random item of a specific grade or higher.

It can yield anything from a mundane set of elixirs to high-tier artifacts that are hard to come by in the game’s later stages.

Essentially, it’s a high-end random gacha.

“Hmm…”

After hearing the explanation, the group all seemed to exude a peculiar air.

After a moment of contemplation and swallowing, Hong Yeon-hwa blurted out.

“Should we take a bite?”

“…!”

I panicked and hid the Origin Egg behind me.