In the center of Siyoram stood the towering Growth Tower. Its scale was such that even the tallest skyscrapers could hardly be compared to it.
However, no matter how massive the tower was, it had a single formal entrance, so the students headed toward the entrance in order.
“Daehan, entry!”
The order was in reverse. Starting from the last class of the 4th year, Daehan, and ending with the first class of the 1st year, Ipchun.
The students from the Daehan class, in a long line, entered the tower one by one.
It may seem like just standing in line and entering the tower, but visitors were watching it with great interest.
The students, exuding the distinctive energy of superhumans, wearing the magnificent student uniforms, aligned themselves and disappeared into the tower, making it quite the spectacle.
“…How did it go when you were in it?”
“Huh?”
Liana blinked in surprise, her attention on the students disappearing into the Growth Tower, as she heard an unexpected voice.
At her side, Atrara, arms crossed, spoke up.
“I an the Birth Festival. The entry into the tower, right? I’ve heard the rules were different back then.”
“Why are you suddenly so interested in soone else’s business… Ah, I see. It’s because of the kid, right?”
Liana nodded to herself in understanding, giving a soft exclamation.
Atrara’s gaze turned toward Iha-yul, who was silently waiting for his turn.
This foolish disciple wasn’t interested in Liana’s situation, but rather curious about the entry to the tower that Iha-yul would soon experience.
“Well, nothing special back then. Most of the students were thrown in and made to fight in teams… Or monsters were released in bulk, and they had to cooperate to fight them.”
Liana chuckled, and Atrara furrowed her brows.
“…Kid?”
“Huh? Are you calling out on that? You also call him ‘baby’ sotis.”
Liana shrugged and turned her gaze back to Iha-yul.
And once again, she couldn’t help but admire the truly impressive sight.
Among the colorful superhumans, the pure white color stood out the most.
His dreamy, pure aura combined with his green-winged outfit made him look like soone from a fairy tale.
Thanks to that, despite all the attention he was drawing, Iha-yul appeared completely nonchalant, as if he were already accustod to it.
“Heh-heh.”
Liana giggled.
His small fra standing proudly, a stark contrast to the once crumpled little ball of black fur, was sothing that reminded her of his past.
At the sa ti, she recalled how he had clung to her chest that first night of the Birth Festival, behaving like a spoiled child.
“Obsessing over your chest really does make you a baby, doesn’t it? Playing with your chest all night…”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You were shocked when I told you that when you have kids, you’ll need to share breast milk. Your eyes went wide in surprise… Heh-heh.”
Liana couldn’t help but laugh as she rembered that mont.
To anyone else, the subject would be incredibly embarrassing, but fortunately, the only one who heard it was Atrara.
“……”
Atrara heard it. The words about Iha-yul playing with Liana’s chest all night.
She tried to recall the mory. Indeed, Iha-yul had liked her chest and would often bury his face in it and act like a spoiled child.
‘But did he actually touch it?’
No, she couldn’t rember him doing that. Of course, there was that one ti when he grabbed her butt, but that was the last ti. There were no mories of him touching her chest.
But did he play with that chest?
Atrara’s gaze naturally turned to Liana’s chest.
It was monstrously large and heavy. The reason Iha-yul often referred to her as a "milk cow" was becoming all too clear.
“……”
Atrara’s mood soured. Her own chest was by no ans small. In fact, it was quite large.
But it was clearly lacking in comparison, and that was frustrating.
And she had never played with her chest?
“Hey, could you stop looking at like that? It’s not just uncomfortable, it feels like I’m in danger…”
Liana instinctively felt a sense of threat and covered her chest with her arms. For a mont, she imagined those two hands reaching for her chest and tearing at it…
Squeezed...
But the act only made her chest stand out more, and Atrara’s glare beca even fiercer.
“Master, Professor Liana.”
Before Atrara could act on her impulse, Iha-yul, who had been quietly waiting for his turn, approached the two of them.
He couldn’t go too far since he had to stay in line, but he could move close enough to where Liana and Atrara were.
Swoosh
“Bwee…?”
Iha-yul approached, and Atrara slapped his cheek. Iha-yul blinked, confused.
“Ugh…”
Iha-yul let out a soft sound and looked at Atrara, still holding his cheek.
“Why are you bullying the kid?”
“Hmph, I’m not bullying him. It’s just an expression of affection.”
Liana glared at Atrara before turning to Iha-yul with a kind smile.
“What’s going on, kid?”
“I ca to greet you before entering.”
“You’re going to be back in just a few hours, what’s the point?”
It was a little past morning. Even with the few events lined up, they’d be out by nightfall at the latest.
“Still, I wanted to greet you.”
“Heh, you’re such a good kid~”
Liana smiled warmly as she patted Iha-yul’s white hair. He grinned, his face full of joy.
He then slowly lifted his head and stared into Liana’s eyes.
A silent gaze. But the ssage was clear and direct.
Liana glanced around.
Thanks to Iha-yul approaching, all eyes were drawn to them. Even the drones in the air were focused on this spot.
In the midst of this…
‘...Is it really nothing?’
Thinking it over, there was no reason to hesitate or care about the attention. After all, she wasn’t about to let Iha-yul grab her chest.
Liana opened her arms, and Iha-yul smiled brightly as he hugged her tightly.
“Work hard and co back?”
“Ngh.”
Iha-yul murmured as he buried himself in her arms. Liana chuckled and stroked his back before releasing him from her embrace.
“Co back safely.”
“Yeah, don’t overdo it. Work hard.”
Atrara, too, smiled softly and gave Iha-yul a reassuring pat on the back.
Ding!
[Entering the Growth Tower]
[The effect of “Growth’s Blessing (Entry)” has been applied]
…
…
[%@% blinks]
[Is that the original? Why is it so small? Did you starve them, damn it?]
[The master of the Growth Tower seems troubled]
[Negative]
After the slight dizziness, Iha-yul's feet touched the ground.
At the sa ti, his blurred mind cleared up. The mont he regained his senses, he assessed his basic condition.
The state of his body—no obvious issues.
The activation of his powers—functioning normally. Any basic pressure could be easily shaken off.
He then activated his observation powers, gathering information about the surroundings.
‘Mountain?’
The environnt shown on the map was a mountain. A raised area on a flat terrain.
But there were almost no trees. The few mounds of dirt with trees were scarce.
Rock Mountain.
He had been summoned to the peak of a mountain made mostly of rocks.
Ding!
At that mont, a now-familiar alarm sound echoed in his eardrums.
[All students have entered.]
The difference now was that the sound ca from the sky, and all the students could hear it.
‘Tuning power?’
He tilted his head slightly at the strange feeling. Still, the explanation continued.
[Before the ga starts, let’s go over the rules again.]
[Basic rule: Each student will belong to one of three randomly assigned groups: Red, Blue, or Green.]
[However, being in the sa group does not nullify attacks.]
The entry for this opening ceremony was a team competition. Most opening ceremony entries had been team competitions, it seed.
The purpose was to showcase the students’ abilities, but wasn’t it also to demonstrate the reliable future of superhumans to civilians?
Everyone would scatter, fighting and betraying one another. It wouldn’t be good to openly broadcast that, so they at least divided into basic teams.
[One, Occupation Rules]
[Teams must cooperate to recapture, occupy, and maintain designated occupation zones.]
[There are score differences depending on the type of occupied area.]
[Two, Flag Rules]
[Search for, obtain, and possess flags located in various areas.]
[Different types of flags yield different scores.]
This entry ceremony had two major rules.
‘Occupation and flags…’
Unlike the 1st-sester entry, this wasn’t just about fighting—it seed like there were additional rules.
For the purpose of offering a spectacle, and later for practice in tactics such as occupation and defense, and perhaps even escort missions.
The emotionless voice that had been heard from the sky stopped abruptly.
Whoo!
At the sa ti, pillars of light shot up from all around the observation area. Each pillar was a different color and thickness, reaching into the sky.
‘Nice, no eye pain.’
Pillars of light rose around him. Specifically, one of the occupation zones—at the peak of the mountain—had a pillar of light rise.
The column that soared as if to show off gradually lost its power. Soon, it beca a thin line that could be seen from afar.
The pillars of light rose from a structure nearby.
‘Hmm.’
There were two.
One from the structure, and one from him.
He patted the flag hanging on his back from the start.
A white flag. The fluttering cloth bore the number ‘1000’ on it.
[Three, Special Rules]
[A randomly selected student will be assigned to the ‘White’ group.]
[Students in the White group will start with a special flag worth 1,000 points.]
[This special flag will be used as the starting point for the event at the end of the ga.]
‘As expected.’
He recalled the explanation he had received in the square earlier.
He shrugged his shoulders and patted the flag.
[Explanation complete]
[Thus, the ga will begin.]
[Please do your best.]
With those words, no further voice ca from the sky.
Instead, voices rose from below.
“Summoned right next to the occupation zone. Lucky.”
“Let’s occupy this area first... Oh.”
A strong light column rose, as if advertising this spot.
Seeing it, people inevitably began to gather.
The students quickly climbing the mountain saw him at the peak and their eyes went wide.
He had been observing them since they were summoned. The three of them were tied together from the start.
‘Green.’
A green light rope, hanging around their shoulders like an armband. All three of them had it. It seed like the symbol of their group.
“…Lucky, huh?”
“Don’t know?”
The male students, chatting casually, naturally drew their weapons.
One had a spear, one a shield and one-handed hamr covering their body.
The woman who hadn’t joined the banter stepped back and raised a tal staff.
He observed his own shoulder.
It wasn’t his prosthetic arm, but his natural right shoulder. A white light armband was wrapped around it.
“Hello, senior? Nice to et you.”
The male student with the spear greeted him in a friendly tone. His smile was easygoing, suggesting a friendly personality.
‘3rd year?’
The students were all wearing their student uniforms. The tie color was yellow, representing autumn.
He nodded and sent his voice through a magic channel.
Bypassing the light defensive barrier around them, he focused his magic and delivered his ssage.
Hello
While speaking, the senior male student flinched slightly.
“Oh, I got hit hard... Hey, magic shield. Aren’t you going to use your magic defense?”
“…What? What was that?”
“Is this so kind of fake mage?”
The two continued to bicker. However, their weapons were now drawn and they were focused on him, full of caution.
At the sa ti, the female student, who had been gathering her magic, tapped her staff on the ground.
Tap!
The two male students in front imdiately planted their feet, one raising his shield to block the front.
The other followed at a slanted angle, tightly gripping his spear.
If need be, they could quickly retreat behind the shield and strike with their spear if the opportunity arose.
‘Experienced.’
Not just skill, but experience gained in real battles. From the 3rd year, students could engage in external activities, so it was likely they had accumulated a lot of experience.
Perhaps so had even participated in the magical warfare frontlines.
‘Hmm.’
As these thoughts passed through his mind, the students grew closer, their actions slower than before.
Whooo!
The wind at the mountain’s peak was harsh. He raised his hand, feeling the wind against his palm.
The lead student, who had thickened his barrier against the wind, raised his shield to block it.
He flicked his wrist.
Creak!
The spell twisted. He seized control of it, manipulating it as he pleased.
“Hmm?”
From behind, the female student who had been building her magic gasped in shock.
She had been about to cast a spell with her staff, but he had snatched it away.
She left the spell intact, but changed its direction.
Boom!
The magic exploded. A small fireball, ant for deterrence, soared and slamd into the back of the student charging at him with a shield.
Crash!
“Guh?!”
The lead student’s eyes widened from the blast behind him. Of course, the fireball itself was weak, and he had thickened his shield with magical protection, so there was no real damage.
But the force lifted him into the air. The large student soared toward him.
He quickly responded, unleashing his spell at the floating student’s abdon.
Crack!
The wind, churned up in an instant, slamd into the student’s abdon, sending him flying toward the bottom of the mountain.
“Is this crazy mage?!”
“Not …!”
The male student holding the spear reacted imdiately to the front, shocked by the treatnt of his comrade.
The front line was now rolling far away. At this point, there was no ti to retreat.
He pulled the flag from his back and aid it directly at the spear-wielding student.
Whoosh!
The flag swirled through the air, wrapping tightly around the spear.
“Eh?”
The movent was so fluid, it left the male student speechless as he tried to pull the spear back, aiming it at the approaching student.
Crackle!
Lightning sparked at his fingertips. The male student’s eyes widened, and he dropped his spear, retreating rapidly.
A lightning bolt shot out, the spear’s path intercepted by the magic.
The lightning was fast. It was too late to dodge, so he attempted to block it.
A wise decision.
Crackle!
The lightning split.
Five forks of lightning surged past the male student and struck the female student behind him.
“Ah!”
The female student scread as the lightning shot through her multi-layered magical shield and exploded in her vitals.
Crackling! The lightning and light scattered everywhere.
“…What is this.”
The male student stared in disbelief at the fate of his comrades. He laughed, exhausted, before finally turning to face the hand holding the flag.
“That… the difference is huge, huh?”
Indeed
“Didn’t the first one take too long to arrive?”
He’s already disqualified.
“Huh?”
The male student blinked as he responded, and his eyes flickered several tis.
At the end of his magically enhanced sight, he could see a student who had turned into a light streak, transforming into a light form at the base of the mountain.
“…Wow, he was thoroughly crushed.”
Thank you for your hard work
Crunch! The student, split from the top of his head to his groin, crumpled into two halves.
He nodded as he observed the glowing figure below.
‘Just like Master Ariel taught .’
The overall battle was taught by his teacher, but the detailed magic had been passed down by Ariel.
Could he really be overwheld by magic like this?
That was an insult to Ariel, the one who taught him magic.
It must never happen. He may lose, but Ariel’s teachings should never be tainted.
Thus, in this Birth Festival, he would show Ariel’s magic properly.
With a firm nod, he waved the flag in the air.
Although not designed for combat, it was solid enough. It would serve well as a staff or spear for a short while.
He placed his hand on the structure and channeled his magic.
Whooo!
From the structure, a white column of light shot up.
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