The intense scuffle with the second iteration had finally ended.
What a grueling ordeal.
My entire body still tingled with the aftermath. I’d been slashed, stabbed, battered, exploded, and torn apart—it was an exhausting experience.
Things beca even harder when my ntal strength was depleted, causing my Authority to shut down.
When the Authority of Space failed, retrieving weapons from the subspace beca impossible, and I couldn’t use gravitational or repulsive forces.
Moreover, I couldn’t seal off the second iteration’s inventory, allowing it to pull out an endless arsenal of weapons to tornt .
Though I carried a considerable number of weapons myself, the second iteration’s inventory seed limitless.
At one point, it wielded two curved swords of differing lengths, toying with from a distance and slicing apart. At another, it swung sothing resembling a teor hamr, pumling relentlessly from all directions.
There were claws, karambits, saber-like blades, a spear bristling with countless sharp edges, a spiked mace...
I had trained with my ntor and handled many weapons, but the sheer variety wielded by the second iteration was in a league of its own.
Even raiding an enormous armory or a weapon museum wouldn’t yield as many items as it had.
Eventually, my Authority of Observation also failed, limiting my ability to gather information.
From that point on, responding to the second iteration’s movents beca exponentially more difficult.
I tried to make up for it using Echo Positioning, which I had diligently trained for such situations.
While not as effective as observation, it allowed to keep up with the battle to so degree.
But it still fell short, and I ended up getting completely wrecked.
[Please comfort more...]
In short, I was ntally drained.
And so, I craved emotional comfort. That simple logic led to cling desperately to my ntor, seeking affection in real-ti.
"Goodness... Not a single day passes without so kind of trouble."
[Ehehe...]
"That wasn’t a complint..."
My ntor muttered with a tone of exasperation.
It was an unfair remark.
It wasn’t as though I deliberately sought out trouble—others just kept dragging into their sses.
Shaking my head in frustration, I rubbed my face against the soft comfort of her embrace. The steady rhythm of her heartbeat gradually eased my tension.
After flailing for a bit, I eventually cald down and relaxed completely.
"Hmph..."
Though my ntor let out a sigh and a wry smile, she couldn’t help but gently stroke my head.
[This is nice...]
Grinning lazily, I clung to her even tighter.
Before I knew it, I was back at my ntor’s residence, lying side by side on the bed as we rested.
When I first erged from the Tower of Growth, my mind was in chaos, but I vaguely caught snippets of conversation.
Apparently, today was the fourth day of the Tower Entry schedule. Everyone was bewildered by my early exit.
Concerned about my poor condition, my ntor had left midway to bring back to her ho.
I wanted to see Seo Yul right away, but my current state made that impossible.
As her guardian, I wanted to show her a dependable side of .
...Though, admittedly, that ship had sailed.
I’d already shown Seo Yul plenty of pitiful monts.
Even though I was supposed to be her protector, I couldn’t help but worry that my image had sunk to rock bottom.
Of course, kindhearted Seo Yul still followed my words obediently...
...In any case, for now, I was recovering my ntal strength, lying beside my ntor on the bed.
"I’ll take care of Hayul. You stay here."
"Huh? Why ? I want to go too..."
"You’re the Spring Division head. Plenty of cadets haven’t exited the Tower yet. What happens if the supervising professor leaves in the middle of it?"
"...Why do you only make sense at tis like this..."
My ntor was in charge of special admissions. She had only been at the first-year eting because I was a first-year cadet.
Once I exited the Tower, there was no reason for her to stay.
Riana, on the other hand, was the Spring Division head and couldn’t abandon her remaining cadets just because I had erged early.
And so, Riana stayed behind, her reluctance evident.
"Was I forcibly ejected?"
The Tower of Growth had basic safety chanisms in place.
For instance, it would eject cadets if it deed them in danger. Additionally, it minimized pain to protect their ntal well-being...
"Yeah, right. That didn’t apply to at all."
I grimaced at the thought.
I could still vividly recall the shock of having my throat slashed for the first ti.
"Why is the second iteration here? Why is a ga character alive and moving? Oh, my neck’s cut... Why does it hurt? It hurts so damn much..."
At the ti, I’d been too preoccupied to dwell on it, but now that I reflected on it calmly, it was absurd.
"I need answers."
If the principal was unavailable, I’d track down the vice principal and demand an explanation.
Most of all, I needed answers about the second iteration.
The character I had nicknad The Dual Ghost.
Its official system title was the grandiose Asura of Conflict.
There was no doubt that I had fought the second iteration.
The artifacts it wore, the techniques it used, and above all, its expansion abilities like Path of Asura and One Face, Six Arms left no room for argunt.
"What the hell is going on?"
This wasn’t just encountering a character from a ga.
It was facing a character I had created, moving and attacking .
The elegance of its movents, its mastery of weapons and combat techniques, and its unparalleled tactical prowess overwheld even my Authority of Observation.
Its seamless transitions between aura manifestation and dispelling, its control over body acceleration and deceleration, and its versatile use of aura went far beyond re pre-programd skills.
It was infused with experience—sothing profound and beyond comprehension.
For a character I had simply designed and played, it was unimaginable.
Above all...
"Sorry for tornting you. You did well."
Just before exiting the Tower, as I lay defeated, that tallic, haunting voice had whispered in my ear.
Despite its eerie, scraping tone, the voice was laden with complex emotions, and I could still hear it vividly.
‘.......’
My head throbbed. A sharp pain rang through my skull.
"What’s bothering you so much now, that you’re scowling like that?"
Noticing my expression, my ntor pressed her fingers against my furrowed brow, smoothing it out.
"You’ll ruin your pretty face if you keep frowning like that. Stop making such grimaces."
[Eeehh...]
[It feels good.]
[Relief.]
[Massage, please.]
My furrowed brow relaxed on its own. My ntor chuckled softly and began kneading various parts of my face, loosening my tense muscles.
As I wiggled in satisfaction, my necklace clicked and let out a faint sound.
‘Did the sound just change...? Never mind, it’s functioning normally.’
I noted the oddity but shelved it alongside my thoughts about the second iteration.
[I worked really hard.]
[Deserve a reward.]
[Requesting more pats.]
"I don’t need a reason to pat you, darling. But more importantly, I’d like to hear how my disciple endured all that hardship. Could you tell ?"
After so ti had passed, my ntor’s gentle voice broke the silence, signaling that she thought I had recovered enough to recount my experience.
‘...What happened in the Tower?’
I paused for a mont, lost in thought.
Naturally, I couldn’t explain it.
How could I, when I didn’t understand this phenonon myself? I knew next to nothing about it.
Or maybe that was just an excuse.
The truth was, I was afraid. Afraid of saying too much and facing rejection or criticism.
‘Hmm...’
I subtly checked my condition.
My ntal strength had recovered significantly. Normally, I would have spent several days blind, unable to use my Authority of Observation, but thanks to the Tower of Growth, I was now able to use it again.
[I’ll show you directly.]
After so deliberation, I decided to show my ntor the results of this Tower Entry.
Atra stood across from in the training field, watching with a complicated expression.
‘Show directly... What could he have gained?’
When I first suggested it, she had been hesitant, worried I might collapse after spitting up blood.
But despite her protests, I insisted I was fine now and convinced her to co to the training field.
Initially, she was against it. The idea of , who had been barely able to stand not long ago, proposing a sparring session was far from reassuring.
But my earnest persuasion—and insistence that I was fully recovered—eventually won her over.
Physically, I was fine—there wasn’t a scratch on . And ntally... Had that recovered too? Normally, I’d still be clinging to her and whining all day.
Perhaps the Tower had accelerated my ntal recovery as well.
Atra felt both relieved and oddly disappointed by the thought.
[Then, I’ll begin.]
"Alright."
I signaled the start.
‘Whatever it is, I need to see it for myself.’
Atra cleared her thoughts and sharpened her focus.
She didn’t take it lightly.
She was well aware of my explosive growth, demonstrated ti and ti again.
At this point, I could easily overwhelm a high-level hero.
Even with just basic aura manipulation and reinforcent, I was formidable.
Add magic, spirit arts, and my absurd unique ability of mimicry, and my arsenal was virtually limitless.
After all, I was the hero who had slain the Two-Headed Venom Dragon, a downgraded fourth-rank entity.
Fourth rank.
An alpha-grade entity in a Tier-2 dungeon, a level that typically required a top-tier hero for solo subjugation—if they were lucky enough to survive the nurous variables involved.
While the Venom Dragon had been downgraded due to various circumstances, it was still originally a third-rank entity.
Even considering that this was just a spar, where I wouldn’t use all my abilities, my capabilities were daunting.
Atra adjusted her stance accordingly.
- Snap!
Before she could react, I appeared like a ghost beside her and grabbed her wrist.
‘......!?’
Atra’s eyes widened in shock.
My form blurred as if shrouded in mist, and I suddenly appeared at her side.
She reacted instinctively.
Pulling back her body reflexively, she extended her hand with force, her Aura Reinforcent activating unconsciously to enhance her movent.
But her outstretched hand was effortlessly caught.
It was as if a thick fog enveloped her, obscuring her perception, before my hand darted out like lightning to seize her wrist.
‘What is this...!?’
My movents defied physical laws, exhibiting extraordinary techniques.
Even just observing them conveyed a vivid ntal image of their intent.
‘An expansion ability...!’
It was a skill-based expansion ability.
Not just clumsily executed—it was masterfully handled, to the point of deceiving even Atra’s finely-honed senses.
The true strength of skill-based abilities lies in their expansion capabilities.
Particularly in one-on-one combat, such abilities are incredibly troubleso to deal with.
Even Atra, who possessed her own skill-based unique ability and had achieved so mastery over her expansions, found herself at a disadvantage.
‘Too late—’
She hesitated.
She wasn’t confident enough to use her uncoordinated expansion abilities in this situation. That mont of hesitation cost her.
Her body spun, her vision rapidly shifting.
- Slam!
The horizon turned to dusk-streaked skies as her back hit the ground.
“......”
Dust briefly rose and settled around them.
Her accelerated thoughts gradually returned to normal as her mind caught up with the events.
Though it felt like an eternity of astonishnt and contemplation, only a mont had passed.
[How was that?]
The chanical voice from my necklace broke the silence.
Atra’s lips moved as if to respond, but no sound ca out.
Instead of the horizon, her vision was filled with my face.
I had thrown her to the ground and was now straddling her.
A satisfied smile graced my lips, my cheeks flushed with a sense of achievent.
Even the usually cold, emotionless tone of the necklace seed to carry a hint of pride.
She wasn’t hurt. For soone like Atra, this level of impact was nothing.
"Uh... Uh..."
But ntally, she was stunned.
More precisely, she was utterly confused and overwheld.
‘Just now... No, even now.’
The sparring session had barely begun, and she’d already been thrown down.
That was it.
[I’ve grown a lot, haven’t I?]
"Uh... Uh...?"
The necklace’s voice pulled Atra out of her daze.
Blinking, she quickly assessed her situation.
Both of her wrists were pinned above her head, firmly held in my grip.
Straddling her, I pressed her down with an innocent grin.
[See? Even though you were caught off guard, I won!]
Unable to contain my excitent, I swayed slightly forward and back, my body radiating enthusiasm.
"Hik...!"
Atra flinched as she felt a subtle, awkward sensation against her chest.
To restrain her hands, I had positioned myself higher up, causing my hip bones to press against an inappropriate spot.
The position was, in many ways, incredibly embarrassing.
A sensation she had never experienced before elicited a strange, involuntary sound from her lips.
Realizing what she had just done, Atra’s eyes widened, her hands instinctively moving to cover her mouth—
- Squeeze.
But she couldn’t.
Her hands were still firmly pinned by mine.
"Uh, uh, wait, no, hold on—"
Atra’s face flushed a deep crimson, standing out even against the sunset’s glow.
Her pupils quivered as if an earthquake were shaking them.
[Player Assistance System: Status Log]
▶ Emotional State
"Satisfaction": Pleased with achieving results.
"Anticipation": Eager for praise.
"Excitent": Overco with emotion.
...
"? Uncertainty": Unknown fluctuations detected.
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