Weekend Morning

Most people, feeling the drowsiness of the early morning, would probably bury their faces in their pillows once more. Those who still have to work over the weekend would grumble about the world as they reluctantly throw off their blankets.

I, on the other hand, found myself facing a rather unique weekend morning.

“Ugh, blech…!”

Like someone who had a bit too much to drink, I was holding onto the toilet and throwing up from the crack of dawn.

My stomach had already been emptied, yet I continued to retch, expelling nothing but bile and water. My insides seemed to insist on purging themselves, despite having nothing left to give.

“Blech…”

The one consolation, perhaps, was that my senses of taste and smell were somewhat dulled, making the ordeal slightly less revolting. Then again, with nothing left in my stomach, I suppose it hardly mattered.

Eventually, the dry heaving subsided, and a long string of saliva hung from my tongue as I panted, trying to catch my breath. I stood up, staggering slightly, and turned on the faucet to wash my face. After splashing my face with water, I wiped it with a towel and made my way back out, only to realize that I was drenched in cold sweat.

My pajamas were soaked through, to the point where they clung to me, almost translucent. With no other choice, I took a quick shower.

Outside the dormitory, the rising sun began to chase away the darkness over the Shio-ram Academy grounds. It was a Saturday morning.

Today was the day I had agreed to gather at Baek Ahrin’s dorm to study. Even though we had been studying non-stop until yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.

“Damn it…”

I hadn’t slept last night either. Well, maybe just a little—I had dozed off for a moment, just now. And in that short moment, I had a nightmare.

I dreamt that I was being eaten alive by Aerus.

In the dream, I had barely managed to activate my spell, but it missed, as did my next attack. Then I was bitten in half, and the pain in my phantom left arm flared up… I had opened my mouth involuntarily.

The Curse of Silence, which the necklace had been helping to suppress, took hold.

I ended up sprawled on the floor, writhing around. It was a rather noisy morning, to say the least.

With a scowl, I dried my hair with a quick magic spell and cleaned up the room.

I opened my closet, not needing to rummage around much. I only had a few outfits, so I quickly threw on some casual clothes.

I was about to put on the Wings of the Sky when I noticed it was already floating behind me.

Usually, I let it drape like a cloak for convenience, but when I didn't pay attention to its shape, it often hovered around me as a long piece of cloth. Sometimes, it even wrapped itself around my arm.

It had come like that when I first received it, and although it could change forms, this seemed to be the default state.

The Wings of the Sky. I had accepted it without much thought, not expecting too much from it. To my surprise, it saved my life multiple times. I would’ve been torn apart long ago without it, especially during that battle in Shipnaha.

Not only did it help fend off smaller monsters, but it also protected me from the injuries that came from dealing with them. If not for the Wings of the Sky, the first blow from Aerus would have obliterated my torso.

Even in the heat of that brutal battle, it saved me multiple times. In a relentless melee, if it hadn’t wrapped around my arm, I would’ve lost it several times over. Despite its complex requirement for high mana purity, making it not the most favored artifact, it had proven extremely compatible with me, delivering outstanding performance.

Unlike some other necklaces, it was easy to control, adaptable in both offense and defense, and convenient to wear.

“This was a good pick.”

It was one of the best decisions I’d made since coming to this world. My mana purity must have matched well with it, as I had guessed, but the results had been better than expected.

I was quite pleased.

But there was one decision I wasn’t as happy with.

The thing that just entered my perception range.

I grimaced as I reached out to tap the egg of hope sitting on the corner of the sofa. It was enormous, almost as big as my torso, and remained unresponsive to any external signals.

“So, when is this going to hatch?”

If I remembered correctly, it should have hatched within a week after the after-party at most. Even during the eleventh cycle, which took the longest, it opened up within two weeks.

Yet now, almost a month had passed, and there was still no sign.

A tiny suspicion crept in that I might have been scammed. While that was practically impossible since it had been placed inside the Tower of Growth, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

It had cost me a lot to acquire it.

…Well, not that I struggled much thanks to the help of those around me, but I’d still saved up points for this.

“Can’t it hatch now?”

I tapped the egg of hope gently, imbuing it with a small wish.

No answer came.

“Should I try frying it up and eating it instead? What do you think, Hayul? Hm?”

Hong Yeonhwa’s words came to mind.

“Yes! I bet it’d be delicious if we cooked it!”

Elia’s teasing voice from beside her echoed as well.

“...”

I took a peek inside the egg using my power. It was filled with a strange liquid and dense mana.

I was tempted for a moment, but cooking it was out of the question.

With a deep sigh, I stood up. It was time to go.

 

Our study session wasn’t at the library or a study room; it was at Baek Ahrin’s dorm. More precisely, it was at the mansion she received as a top student. A place like the library was fine, but she preferred studying in the comfort of her own dorm.

The group consisted of me, Elia, and Baek Ahrin.

Baek Ahrin had also invited Hong Yeonhwa, but she had plans to go out for the weekend.

“...”

Thinking about Hong Yeonhwa, I felt my cheeks puff up a little.

On Monday, she suddenly started avoiding me, and it hit me hard. I was even more shocked when she began blushing and outright avoiding me. I couldn’t remember doing anything wrong that might have upset her, but that only made me more anxious.

Was she really that upset?

I agonized over it for two days, on the verge of tears, until she finally approached me and apologized. While I was relieved, she wouldn’t tell me why she acted that way and only gave vague answers.

I knew she genuinely felt sorry, but… not knowing the reason still bothered me.

If I had done something wrong, I wanted to know so I could fix it. If something about me made her uncomfortable, I’d work to change it…

Either way, the purpose of today’s gathering was to prepare for the upcoming midterm theory exams.

We could ask each other questions if we were stuck, and if none of us knew the answer, we’d work through it together. Collective intelligence, they call it. Studying together would be more effective than struggling alone.

“Why does this answer turn out this way?”

“Hayul, question 42 in Section B requires the application of the dispersion formula instead of the alignment formula since the mana concentration is above level three.”

“Ah.”

...

“Why is question 3 in Section D marked as pending?”

“Oh, that part… If you look at the second wave value, it briefly exceeds 10,000, so it’s classified as a level 2 dungeon. That means the clearance rights pass to the upper clans. However, this section considers not only exceptions but also emergency conditions…”

...

“On question 42 of Section D, it says to assume an average wave value of 3500 for the level 3 dungeon ‘Treyul’s Ravine’ with the listed team members… You need to consider from here…”

Working together allowed us to arrive at more varied and accurate conclusions.

But the people working together needed to be on a similar level.

Baek Ahrin was a top student with perfect scores across all theoretical subjects.

Elia, I hadn’t known, but she had also scored incredibly high in theory, being one of the top students in the Spring Quarter class.

As for me, Lee Hayul… I was near the bottom in terms of rankings.

So, I didn’t really have the qualifications to be part of the study group.

In less than thirty minutes, our ‘study group’ turned into the ‘Lee Hayul Support Party.’

We started at the study table in Baek Ahrin’s mansion, sitting across from each other. But once I began cautiously asking questions, they quickly closed in, giving me their full attention from both sides.

Honestly, I saw this coming, but seeing all those markings on my paper made my already-low confidence sink even further…

“How long has it been since you started studying, Hayul? Two months now?”

After hours of non-stop studying, we took a break, and while Baek Ahrin stepped out for a moment, Elia seemed to remember something and asked.

[Yes] [Almost two months]

I hadn’t really been able to study for about three weeks due to being in a near-breakdown state, but…

Elia’s eyes widened in surprise at my answer.

“Two months… You’ve come this far in such a short time.”

[Have I?]

There seemed to be too many marks on my paper for that to be true…

“I could barely memorize anything two months in, let alone keep up with you, Hayul.”

Noticing my expression, Elia shook her head. Her gaze moved across my paper, ignoring the marks and focusing on the few circles I had managed to get right.

Even though I was unhappy with my results, Elia’s praise somehow made me feel a bit better. The Wings of the Sky, draped over my shoulders like a cloak, swayed slightly.

[Happy] [More pats please]

I quickly caught myself. Thankfully, I hadn’t let out anything too embarrassing this time.

“Ta-da! Look! I brought snacks myself!”

Soon, Baek Ahrin returned to the study room, placing a tray of various snacks on the table.

Elia clapped her hands, but with a curious expression on her face.

“I’ve noticed before, Ahrin, you have a very specific taste.”

She picked up a yakgwa, which gleamed a delicious brown under the light. The tray was filled with old-fashioned snacks, though there were other treats as well.

“Why, what? Are you making fun of yakgwa?”

“Ahrin, it’s not just yakgwa. You like ginseng candy, too.”

“What’s wrong with ginseng candy? People eat according to their tastes.”

It was light-hearted teasing, both of them knowing they were just playing around.

Baek Ahrin did have a fondness for old-fashioned snacks. I knew that from the original storyline.

“Hold on a second.”

Elia glanced at her smartwatch and stepped out of the room.

It wasn’t good news for me.

The door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the enclosed room with Baek Ahrin.

“Ugh…”

While I nervously swallowed, Baek Ahrin stretched, raising her arms high above her head. Her bones cracked back into place, and a satisfied sigh escaped her lips as her back straightened, drawing attention to her chest.

Her already ample chest swelled further as she inhaled deeply. I’d been trying not to notice, but both Elia and Baek Ahrin were right next to me, making it hard to ignore.

“...”

I had already turned off the Confession Necklace. Though there wouldn’t be a repeat of the last time, just in case, I didn’t want to take any risks.

I reached for the tray of snacks, hoping to distract myself with some food.

“Oh.”

My hand fell short. The tray was placed just a bit too far away for me to reach comfortably.

I was too lazy to get up, so I was about to use the Wings of the Sky to bring it over when a pale hand picked up the yakgwa I had been eyeing.

“This is what you were reaching for, right?”

[Thank you]

I reached out to accept it, but Baek Ahrin held it away from me, then tapped her lips with a teasing gesture.

“...”

I understood the gesture, though I was reluctant to comply. Yet if I closed my lips now, the already awkward atmosphere would only become more uncomfortable.

She wouldn’t tease me about it, I knew, but… hmm…

After a moment’s hesitation, I opened my mouth slightly.

The piece of yakgwa was placed on my tongue.

I couldn’t taste anything.

“...It’s big.”

It was larger than I had anticipated, filling my mouth. I should have taken a smaller bite, but now that it was already in my mouth, I couldn’t spit it out.

I had no choice but to chew.

 

“She ate that in one bite.”

Lee Hayul’s cheeks puffed up, looking like a squirrel with a mouthful of nuts.

Baek Ahrin propped her chin on her hand, watching him chew slowly, his small mouth somehow managing the whole piece of yakgwa at once.

She hadn’t expected him to eat it all in one bite.

Baek Ahrin had fed it to him, but he could have just bitten off a piece and held the rest in his hand.

Realizing this belatedly, Lee Hayul turned his head slightly, his face tinged with a blush.

“He doesn’t shy away from this kind of contact anymore, huh?”

Before, he would have kept his distance, wary of any touch unless he was drunk.

But now, that wariness seemed to have faded.

Assessing the change, Baek Ahrin smiled to herself.

 

[Player Adjustment System: Favorability]

Lee Hayul → Elia Sreide ●●●●●●●○○○ (71▷73/100) "Affection" "Gratitude" "Chick"

...

Lee Hayul → Baek Ahrin ●●●●●○○○○○ (53▷55/100) "Affection" "Curiosity" "Confusion"

...

Lee Hayul → Hong Yeonhwa ●●●●●●●●○○ (84/100) "?" "Debt" "Gratitude" "Pouting"

...

[The condition for releasing the "Curse of Silence" has not been met.]
[The condition for releasing the "Curse of Loneliness" has not been met.]