Shio-ram varies its curriculum slightly with each year level.

The first year is focused on enhancing inherent abilities.

For cadets who may not know the basics or haven’t found their aptitude yet, they cram a variety of foundational knowledge during a few months of a free semester.

Only after completing the entrance to the tower and the basic exams are cadets officially given the right to choose their classes. This is essentially the real free semester.

Over the course of a year, they stuff knowledge in and restrict outside activities, nurturing their innate basic abilities within a safe cradle.

In just one year.

The cadets of Shio-ram make a growth possible that is different from the outside world.

There are various reasons, of course, but at the root of it all is the existence of The Tower of Growth.

The Blessing of Growth.

The authority of the tower, bestowed by the owner of The Tower of Growth, Neriel Claidya.

‘I think the base multiplier was five times?’

With just the base multiplier, it’s five times.

What others struggle to achieve in five years outside, one can complete in a year here.

Add to that periodic entry into The Tower of Growth and the world’s highest level of  education.

It’s literally a space for growth.

Day 5 in the tower.

From the fourth day, other than getting wrapped up in battles that seemed intended to mark the end, nothing special had occurred.

Before my skills excelled, it was difficult to run into danger with the second- and first-ranked teaming up and covering my back.

To put it directly, I was on the receiving end of a bus ride.

I faced a trial similar to an ordeal on the first and second days, and after overcoming the risk of elimination through various connections, now I’m comfortably reaping the benefits of practice.

On top of that, I even got the Origin Egg I had given up on.

It’s so sweet I feel like my teeth might rot. In the end, I’m doing this through networking… but what can I do? Shio-ram itself encourages the formation of connections.

With the spare time that remained, I trained.

When I was frantically being chased, I was too distracted to notice, but now as I calmly observe my body, I can feel the changes happening in real time.

It was ridiculous. I could feel my body growing as I moved, and my core and circuits growing as I used mana.

“Aargh…”

At that moment, a groaning sound came from nearby.

The source was Hong Yeon-hwa. She was sitting on a stump, groaning. Startled by the untimely death throes, Baek Ahrin asked with curiosity.

“Why have you been like that since earlier?”

“My body’s not in good shape. Must be because of all the Qi abuse. Maybe I overdid it…”

Muttering her complaints, I paused my training and focused on my mana.

I took a closer look at the massive amount of mana harbored by Hong Yeon-hwa.

Soon, I felt a difference.

The mana, which seemed capable of burning anything, was tangled somewhere insecurely.

“Ah… I did increase the output too much during the boss fight, didn’t I? I told you not to use your expansion ability.”

“I had no choice but to use Qi to kill in one blow. What did you think would happen if it got away?”

“Oh boy, so? Will you help?”

Baek Ahrin raised one hand. A cool energy rippled from her palm. It was the manifestation of Changhae.

Most users of Gop-hwa suffer from chronic problems with their output.

It’s not a lack of output; it’s the burden. Gop-hwa, which boasts the highest output among unique abilities, often harms its user.

One of the ways to reduce the burden of Gop-hwa is to receive the help of Changhae.

Changhae, with its healing properties of Water Qi and characteristic Cold Qi, is a panacea for reducing the burden of Gop-hwa.

To Baek Ahrin’s question, Hong Yeon-hwa groaned in contemplation and then soon shook her head.

“It’s okay. I’ll handle it myself. Besides, we’re inside the tower, and I’ve been told it’s better to accustom oneself to deal with this alone.”

“That’s true. It’s best to adjust yourself if possible…”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s output has always been exceptionally high in the history of the Gop-hwa clan.

She must have been suppressing it with her innate control ability until now, but this time, after letting loose, the burden is coming.

‘Will it happen this time, too?’

If it follows the original story, then it must be growing pains.

The Qi released during the boss fight and the multiplier from the Blessing of Growth stimulated Hong Yeon-hwa’s Gop-hwa to transform.

It was always like this in the original work.

In every loop, Hong Yeon-hwa’s Gop-hwa changed after her first entry into the tower.

Gop-hwa is a very special unique ability, and it’s said that when it changes, the user undergoes an internal trial. The same goes for a few other top-tier unique abilities, including Changhae and Taesan.

According to the original work’s Hong Yeon-hwa, her trial involved overcoming and burning away the guilt she accumulated throughout her life to use as fuel.

Anyway, Hong Yeon-hwa will easily overcome the trial and evolve her unique ability once.

‘…Gop-hwa.’

As I thought about it, the keyword ‘Gop-hwa’ caught my attention. I casually touched my right arm. Despite being wrapped in an arm cover, I felt a foreign sensation.

On the day of the freshman welcoming party, I distinguished Hong Yeon-hwa not by her voice but because I felt her mana first.

I couldn’t help but think of the term ‘Gop-hwa’ from the flame that seemed to burn the world even while lying dormant inside her.

That’s how I was able to distinguish her. Because users of Gop-hwa harbor fiery Qi. I couldn’t help but notice it even if I wanted to look away.

My right arm? My mana was just like clear mineral water. There was no fiery Qi to be found.

Yet I used Gop-hwa. It’s strange.

These days, I’m often experiencing things that make no sense.

Will I also undergo the trial of Gop-hwa?

With that concern, I rummaged through the memories of the original work. At best, there was only one reference case.

‘The third loop.’

The character ‘Triple Threat’ from the third loop.

If the second loop was about a warrior character grown in a standard way utilizing previous loop knowledge, the third was a large-scale warfare character that actively used various shortcuts.

Despite being only half-baked, this character managed to possess three unique abilities: Gop-hwa, Changhae, and Taesan, due to a combination of various Hidden Pieces and unexpected luck discovered in the first and second loops.

Just as Changhae reduces the burden of Gop-hwa, I wondered if the synergy of the three unique abilities could reduce each other’s burden.

It did flow similarly in reality. They compensated for each other’s weaknesses, resulting in an increase in output.

The third loop was generally clumsy in the early stages, but the output was comparable to that of the later loops.

The problem was that it ended in self-destruction due to the inability to handle such output.

From the creation of the character, the unique ability ‘Vessel’ was chosen to increase the limit, but the actual body was too weak and miserably failed.

There was no event called the trial of Gop-hwa in the third loop.

Of course, it was only half-baked and a minor reference, so who knows what reality will bring.

This matter was first brought to my attention by Hong Yeon-hwa.

She suggested we go to the main house together for a check-up, just in case.

Since I didn’t understand the situation, I had agreed.

In fact, I felt uneasy. From the Gop-hwa clan’s perspective, it’s concerning for an outsider to suddenly possess their unique ability.

When I expressed my anxiety, Hong Yeon-hwa reassured me it was safe, that there would definitely be no problem, so I nodded.

Come to think of it, didn’t the original work mention the professors watching over the tower’s trials? Did they catch me using Gop-hwa…

‘I guess they did…’

The first and second-ranked wouldn’t miss a scene where the boss was being taken down.

Still, considering this sensitive issue, I silently prayed it would be kept confidential.

The professors wouldn’t have gone mad and spread rumors around the neighborhood about me using Gop-hwa.

I set aside my worries and resumed training.

That’s how I killed some time.

Hong Yeon-hwa managed her Gop-hwa, and Elia and Baek Ahrin were also doing their respective personal training.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed.

How much time had passed?

– Crackle

Suddenly, the sound of something breaking reached my ears. I tried to turn my head in the direction of the sound.

Time slowed down. My perception of time decelerated. My actions were frustratingly slow.

I realized instinctively. Now it’s time for the exit.

‘I’m leaving now.’

At the same time, my consciousness became distant. It felt like my consciousness was being forcibly pulled in.

It was simultaneously long and short. Both my time inside the tower and this moment I’m feeling right now.

It was a contradictory sentiment.

– Ding!

My consciousness was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

– Ding!

[You have passed the Trial of Growth (1st Floor).]

[The number of cadets you have eliminated is 18.]

[The score you have earned is 750 points.]

[You have survived until Day 5, and the full score is reflected.]

[The player(?) is exiting The Tower of Growth.]

[The ‘Blessing of Growth (Entry)’ is being retrieved.]

* * *

– Whoosh

The wind brushed against my cheeks. My hair fluttered slightly. It was different from the wind I felt just a moment ago.

The air touching my skin was different. Unlike the humidity before, the weather was relatively dry.

My sluggish consciousness returned. My legs standing on the ground transmitted countless vibrations.

‘……’

I breathed out dumbly and clenched one fist.

– Creak…

The force in my grasp felt awkward. Compared to before entry, it was several times lighter.

As I was ejected from the tower, all negative aspects, injuries, and fatigue disappeared, leaving only positive changes.

While checking my strange physical condition, I heard the bustling commotion of the ejected cadets.

“Ah, I’m out.”

“Damn, getting killed on the first day because I showed off is really hell.”

“Hong Yeon-hwa, you bitch! Why did you kill me too─!”

Despair, satisfaction, anger, and more. A variety of emotions swirled around the plaza.

Those who were eliminated early and spent time in the training room were gloomy, while those who survived until the end seemed relatively cheerful.

I had exited the tower.

The moment I became aware of that, the spatial perception that had been suppressed within me unfurled.

The oppressive feeling that was pressing down disappeared and the area excitedly expanded.

The unstable mental map regained its proper color. It was just spatial information, but now I could properly see shapes and colors.

‘……’

But given all the hardships I endured inside the tower, the sensation was bittersweet and dissatisfying.

When it first emerged, it almost killed me, and when it mattered most, it was useless…

The radius expanded to 100m, 200m, 300m… it was slowly unfurling.

400m, 500m, 600m… In the process, the size increased. Perhaps it had been growing steadily all along despite being suppressed.

700m… 800m…

‘Huh.’

It kept widening. Like a spring that had been compressed to its limit being released, the amount of information increased exponentially.

It passed 1km. It didn’t stop.

And that wasn’t all.

The range didn’t just widen.

The density of information increased. The quality of the observed information improved.

The Tower of Growth was swallowed up in the range. The observations crowded into my mind.

The axes of space, walls, repulsion, the principles of restraint and silence, the internal expansion rate, and external protective walls…

The spells inscribed in every nook and cranny of the ground. Modified spells, manifested spells, the total amount of mana supplied, and its circulation…

Humans, outer clothing, skin, muscles, skeleton, blood, nerves, circuits, core, heart, mana, internal organs…

Space is observed.

– Fizzz…

My head felt heavy. My mind momentarily flared up. Unable to handle the volume of information, my thought processes gradually slowed down.

It was a familiar sensation. Faint but definitely intense memory.

It was similar to the sensation that almost killed me on the first day.

My blood turned cold.

‘Ah.’

What the hell is wrong with this bastard?

I clenched my teeth and adjusted my spatial perception.