Unsettled thoughts trickled through my mind.

My fingers idly twitched as meaningless thoughts flowed past.

With a pop, a subtle pleasure spread from the joints of my fingers. It was a pleasant feeling.

At the same time, my senses returned. My once dull consciousness startled awake with the stimulation.

My legs, which had been trudging back to the dormitory, came to an abrupt halt.

“Ah.”

Reality came crashing in. The cruel reality I’d been trying to forget loomed closer.

A wave of self-loathing washed over me as I exhaled sharply and buried my face in my hands.

‘Why, why did I do that?’

I had visited Hong Yeon-hwa around lunchtime today.

Thinking it might be inconvenient to visit in the morning or evening, I chose a time after lunch.

It was supposed to be a brief visit to ask how she was and hand over the scarf, then return. Lingering too long with a patient wasn’t proper etiquette.

Despite my intentions of proper conduct, I ended up cozily asleep in the patient’s embrace.

I surveyed the surroundings with my spatial perception. The evening was turning dark; even the sunset was fading.

Which meant dinner time had passed.

I had fallen asleep in Hong Yeon-hwa’s arms until evening, and to add insult to injury, I had even dined with her.

“Yaaack…”

Mental damage immeasurable pounded my head, leaving me dizzy.

After handing over the scarf, Hong Yeon-hwa abruptly started gasping for breath, convulsing.

At that moment, I had no time to think. Reflexively, I had pulled her into an embrace.

Just like on the day of the freshman welcome when Hong Yeon-hwa had done the same for me in the infirmary.

Thankfully, the result was favorable. She returned to normal, and I remembered sighing with relief.

Yet, there was regret. Perhaps it would have been better to make some noise to call Ariel before embracing her.

If it weren’t for the curse, I would have screamed for help right away.

The more days I lived like this, the more I acutely felt the inconvenience of not having a voice.

While the hologram was a luxury, nothing could replace speaking directly.

Another reason to hurry and get the Confession Necklace.

Regardless.

Embracing Hong Yeon-hwa to calm her down was within the realm of understanding. There was an emergency, after all.

But what about after hearing about the bloodline secret (conjecture)? Why did I hold her and fall asleep like that?

It didn’t make sense. I wondered if I was going crazy.

It was totally unlike me. Something was off.

If I had to guess why…

‘Gop-hwa.’

I cautiously fiddled with my right arm.

The time in the tower when I wielded Gop-hwa. Just after, I felt a surge of emotion and behaved disgracefully towards Hong Yeon-hwa.

This time was the same. My emotions intensified. Thoughts became short-circuited, actions impulsive.

Being swayed by emotions and showing a tendency for impulsiveness.

A typical characteristic of Gop-hwa.

Could I truly possess Gop-hwa? Reluctantly, I recalled what Hong Yeon-hwa had said.

That I might be a part of the Gop-hwa family… I still wasn’t sure.

Lee Hayul from my original world.

Clearly existing Lee Hayul from this world.

The records of this world’s Lee Hayul with burn scars identical to the original world and the use of Gop-hwa…

‘What in the world.’

Pondering as I walked, I soon arrived at the dormitory.

I opened the door and stepped inside. The interior of the dormitory was the same… except for one difference.

An unfortunate pile of yarn, destined never to become a masterpiece, was heaped in a corner of the living room like a mountain.

‘I’ll have to clean that up too.’

I rubbed my fingers together. Though not visible on the surface, close observation would reveal recent healings of minor biotic activities.

I learned knitting as a freshman at Shio-ram.

To train in versatility, it was best to try various skills.

That’s why I’d been dabbling in handcrafts during spare moments.

Knitting and woodworking were prime examples.

Of course, with woodworking, I only went as far as simple wooden sculptures.

It might seem trivial, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to learn activities like knitting and woodworking that involved creation.

Thanks to being versatile, I easily picked up knitting. My first attempt produced a decent pair of socks, and later I could even make a scarf.

That’s why I decided to make a scarf as a gift for Hong Yeon-hwa’s sick visit…

– ‘This isn’t right.’
– ‘I made it too poorly…’
– ‘It’s ugly.’

I wasn’t satisfied with the finished product. I would wear it myself, but giving it as a gift seemed to reveal too many flaws.

One or two failures began to pile up… and time melted away like ice cream.

– ‘Oh.’

After a few hours, a passable scarf was finally finished, and after some finishing touches, the gift was complete.

There were accidents during the process, like being pricked by a thin lace needle or scissors.

Simple blades would have been withstood by toughened skin, but I wrapped delicate Qi around them, trying to be precise.

There were also some mishaps while incorporating temperature control spells into the process.

What resulted was a scarf (magical tool) with temperature control and durability-enhancing spells.

It was a genuine act of creation. Not a waste of time. It would help later when I delved into alchemy or metallurgy.

I rationalized as I cleaned up the clumps of yarn.

And so, the weekend ended.

.

.

.

Through The Tower of Growth, I confirmed my own development.

Cadets of Shio-ram, gathered from all over the world. I survived alone for two whole days amidst their combined attacks. Even with my spatial perception on strike.

Of course, it was partly thanks to the luck of not encountering any leading figures, but it was evidence of my rapid improvement.

It was progress I hadn’t dared to hope for.

Honestly, I wanted to jump for joy. Getting stronger in this power-driven world was a great blessing. It meant more chances to break the curse.

– Whooosh!

The main contributor to this achievement swung a fist at me.

The sound of the air being sliced reached my ears.

My spatial perception read the trajectory of the fist before the wind did.

The belated wind brushed my skin, signaling yet another attack.

Golden Qi swirled in a straight line towards me.

Typically, straightforward attacks are simple, making them easy to counter.

It’s easier to read the trajectory and prepare a defense.

But I’ve been sparring with Professor Atra for almost a month now.

I know how varied that simple-looking punch can be.

A clumsy dodge would immediately result in the fist changing course and smashing into my jaw, and countering with Qi would end up with punches landing after several exchanges.

I’ve experienced it countless times. Despite all the pondering, there was no real counter to it.

It was simplicity close to the basics. But that simplicity allowed for a variety of changes, a lesson from Professor Atra.

I just had to fight back just as well. That was the only answer.

My choice was to fight fire with fire. The magic power rising from my core wrapped around both arms. I quickly manifested Qi around my fist.

Then I threw a punch. Fist met fist.

– Crunch!

The moment after the impact, I clenched my trembling fist. The vibration seemed to travel through the bones to my head.

Qi around the fist. Physique energized by Qi. My physical abilities soaring day by day.

Even with my response, the impact was significant. I gritted my teeth and flung my fist.

It wasn’t just punches. My legs moved tirelessly, changing my stance. Whenever an opening appeared, I didn’t hesitate to throw in a kick.

We were on par physically. Professor Atra adjusted her body to suit my level.

Our skills were also similar. At first, she didn’t use any high-level techniques that I couldn’t handle.

Still, I was overwhelmed.

I had clearly seen the trajectory, yet I failed to respond. Previous attacks accumulated, creating opportunities I knew but couldn’t prevent.

A knee kick flew towards my side. I quickly brought my hand down to defend.

– Thump!

“Ugh.”

A jarring sensation transmitted from the arm struck by the knee.

My body was pushed back. I didn’t resist. Instead, I kicked off the ground, widening the distance in response.

My body floated in the air. I felt an unfamiliar sensation of weightlessness and drew out the magic within me.

I released the magic into the surroundings. Utilizing the extracted magic, I constructed spells.

The process was swift. I shook off my arms and instantly manifested the spells.

The ground beneath Professor Atra’s feet writhed, and blades of earth shot up.

Winds gathered all around me formed spears and were launched simultaneously.

This was the first phase. Again, I manipulated the magic and piled up another layer of spells. My floating body touched the ground and I regained my stance.

– BOOM!

That was the plan.

Before I could act, Professor Atra’s foot slammed into the ground.

The earth trembled. The sprouting spikes hesitated.

Through her leg, magic power extended into the ground. Crack! The earthy spikes crumbled like cookies and scattered.

I dodged the flying debris as Professor Atra launched forward.

One step closed the distance, and the wind spears approached my face. Professor Atra moved indifferently.

There were fourteen wind spears.

She dodged nine. Two were deflected by her Qi-filled hands. The deflected wind spears disrupted the trajectory of the remaining three.

The spears exploded, creating a gust. Professor Atra’s hair fluttered, but her cool eyes remained fixed on me.

Those eyes suddenly drew close. Professor Atra extended her fist unemotionally.

I couldn’t stabilize my stance in time while casting the spell. I hastily unraveled the spells.

The backflow of magic made my head spin.

But I didn’t give up and threw a punch.

– Thud!

It hurt.

.

.

.

“Mixing magic into close combat is good, but you lack contingency plans for when the magic fails. Keep this in mind.”

– Nod…

I nodded sullenly.

After rolling around the training ground, it was time for feedback while catching my breath.

A brief respite where I hammered into my head what I lacked during the previous sparring session.

I lay face down on the ground, panting.

‘…It’s the same.’

I felt a rapid sense of growth compared to other cadets, but the sparring sessions were more or less unchanged.

At first, Professor Atra indulged me with a similar level of physical ability and skill.

She would analyze my level with emotionless eyes, and once the analysis was complete, she would increase her skill level.

Gradually being pushed back, I would ultimately be subdued in the end.

Then it happened. As I was nodding to the feedback, I felt a dizzying sensation at the tip of my nose.

Then, a red line trickled down.

“Ah. Nosebleed.”

It wasn’t from an injury. Although Professor Atra hit hard enough to leave bruises, she miraculously never inflicted a bleeding wound.

Of course, it occasionally happened, but it wasn’t her fault. It was mine for making mistakes.

This nosebleed was my doing.

More precisely, it wasn’t from impact but from the backflow of magic.

The magic I cut off mid-cast caused it.

Usually, when a spell is obstructed midway, the used magic backflows, harming the caster.

Most of the internal injuries magicians suffer are due to this backflow of magic.

It might sound self-conceited, but I handled magic well enough that the worst backflow resulted in just a little nosebleed.

‘It’s ticklish.’

As the blood trickled down my philtrum, my nose twitched.

Just as I was about to wipe it away, a handkerchief suddenly approached.

‘?’

The owner of the handkerchief was Professor Atra. She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe my nose.

“Bend your head.”

Professor Atra pressed down on the crown of my head with her other hand. As my head tilted down, the nosebleed flowed again.

The handkerchief enveloped my nose and pressed down firmly. It didn’t hurt. The slight pressure was rather comforting.

The proper level of pressure continued. It didn’t take long for the nosebleed to stop.

Professor Atra removed the handkerchief and said,

“Always be wary of magic backflow. Not just when casting spells, even the simple use of Qi and physical hardening can cause it.”

– …Nod

I nodded, contemplating Professor Atra’s advice internally.

The sparring continued as usual. She would hand me various weapons for our sessions. Some days, we’d spar with bare hands.

She intermittently taught me how to manipulate magic, Qi, and physical hardening.

The routine was the same.

But…

“Here.”

[Thank you.]

‘Something…’

Professor Atra offered me a water bottle. I accepted it, and the cold liquid cooled my grip.

As Professor Atra shook out the handkerchief after handing me the water bottle, I cocked my head.

Hadn’t her attitude softened somewhat?

Was it just my imagination?

* * *

[Player Correction System: Creation]
Would you like to create a Scarf (Magical Tool)?
…
Would you like to create a Scarf (Magical Tool)?
…
Would you like to create a Scarf (Magical Tool)?
…

[Player Correction System: Favorability]
Lee Hayul→Atra Clyde
●●●●●●○○○○(65/100)
｢Affection｣ ｢Fear｣ ｢Expectation｣ ｢Concern｣

[The condition to resolve the ‘Curse of Silence’ has not been met.]
[The condition to resolve the ‘Curse of Solitude’ has not been met.]