"Compliments can make anything dance.
Proper compliments are said to inspire motivation and significantly elevate one's sense of accomplishment."
"You're excellent."
This principle applied to me as well.
Ariel's cold yet calm voice echoed as she scanned the problem I had just solved.
At the positive response, my complexion brightened instantly.
I had to stop my body, which was naturally trying to bounce with excitement, from moving.
Instead, the wings of the sky, which I had left carelessly, swayed.
Such patience was immediately rewarded.
"The construction and reverse calculation are perfect. I particularly want to commend your efforts in the anti-countermeasure strategies."
[Hehe...]
Ariel nodded calmly, a faint smile gracing her lips as she reached out her hand.
The gentle touch that brushed through my hair made my body melt into warmth.
Just a few words and a gesture.
Even with that, I felt as though my existence was being acknowledged, and my mind floated in the air.
Normally, these feelings of validation would have been satisfied by receiving praise from my master or Professor Liana.
But ever since I entered the Knowledge Tower, I hadn’t felt it for a while.
Now, after ten days, feeling that sense of fulfillment was unbelievably sweet.
A few days ago, Ariel’s behavior had changed.
Before, when I was stubborn, she would just worry.
She hesitated, refraining from intervening, and would only watch from a distance, as if she didn’t deserve to act.
Now, it was different.
If I seemed to be doing something strange, she immediately rushed over to stop me.
If I was struggling with a book, she would quietly approach and ask if I needed help.
She even intentionally found things to compliment me on, though somewhat awkwardly.
Additionally, she insisted that I should rest, offering her embrace every night.
"Nice..."
It became clear to me—there was no way I could live alone now.
It hadn’t been an issue in the past.
I used to stay cooped up in my room, eating, playing, drinking, and... not pooping.
I occasionally took care of plants or watched videos while gaming, and that was enough.
...In truth, though, I had sometimes thought about going outside but was too afraid to do so.
But now, I was forcibly dragged out of my room and experienced the warmth of important people around me.
I could never return to the way I was before.
Living alone in a room, like I did back then, is no longer happiness.
If I were to live like that, I'd rather just hang myself.
It sounds extreme, but it's not a joke.
That's how much affection and warmth from others have become absolutely vital to my life.
In the few days since Ariel's behavior changed, I felt my progress accelerating.
"Especially your analysis of the countermeasures was amazing. The multi-step countermeasures technique hasn’t been taught yet, but I didn’t expect you to apply it through self-study."
[Hehehe...]
Every time I was praised, motivation surged inside me.
I felt fulfillment filling my heart as I basked in Ariel’s touch.
What used to be a problem I’d struggle with for days, I now solved with a flash of insight.
As I learned more about magic, I began to understand so much more.
As a result, I was able to complete in just three days what Ariel had scheduled for a month.
"This is a very good variable. With this, we can focus more on unique magic and other areas."
On the day I completed the schedule, Ariel glanced at the books piled around her and spoke.
Her face clearly showed a mix of surprise and amazement.
[Yes.]
[I’ll keep working hard!]
I nodded obediently as I had expected her to say this.
The Knowledge Tower isn’t a place where you just finish your quota and go home.
When you can learn, you should learn as much as you can and take it with you.
In fact, such words are something I would gladly welcome.
[Unique magic...]
On top of that, I could now learn unique magic.
Magic and sorcery.
The words are similar, but sorcery is magic that has progressed enough to be recognized as unique.
Just completing one magic that qualifies as unique magic can earn the title of "Mage" from the Sorcery Council, granting honor and glory.
Whether or not unique magic is truly useful or powerful is secondary.
The fact that it’s recognized as unique means it can be used as a reference example.
Moreover, the unique magic I will learn is Ariel's—head of the Sorcery Council and the owner of the Knowledge Tower.
My eyes naturally gleamed with excitement as I felt a sense of anticipation.
I clenched my fist tightly and steeled myself.
[What is this?]
Then, I encountered a foreign manuscript.
"It’s a book that contains a copy of my unique magic rituals. There are three volumes in total, and this is the first, which details the foundational rituals."
As I raised a multitude of questions, Ariel responded calmly, as if it were no big deal.
I stared blankly, flipping through the pages.
The strange symbols in curvy, worm-like text, the sharp, rigid characters, half-mixed symbols, writings that were hard to tell apart from pictures, and bizarre symbols with no clear form...
Complicated polyhedral circuits connecting these symbols, forming an independent linguistic system, each character containing individual meanings, interwoven to create effectiveness...
[Hieek...?]
My ability to observe faltered.
My head ached as I tried to process it all.
Since awakening my ability to resonate with magic and observing,
I knew I would face many challenges, and it would be difficult.
Yet above all, I had that kind of certainty—that eventually, I would be able to handle it.
It’s hard now, but I will eventually get it.
Though it’s tough now because of time constraints, with enough effort, I will be able to do it.
Before questioning my confidence, I instinctively calculated and arrived at this conclusion, and I actually achieved it.
[???]
Now, however, that certainty was gone.
Could I really do it? I couldn’t be sure.
The wings of the sky darkened, as if soaked in rain, drooping.
...
Despite Ariel's change in behavior accelerating my growth, my past achievements were by no means slow.
From an objective perspective, it was astonishingly rapid and clear progress.
With my affinity for magic and the advantages of being a "jack-of-all-trades," coupled with the vast amount of information I gathered through observation, growth was inevitable.
"Also, I was told that the curse I have includes growth adjustments."
The three tower lords who invaded.
They recognized my existence.
They knew when I appeared and might have imposed a curse on me with the intention of controlling me.
However, the curse couldn’t be completely negated.
Instead, I reduced the malice of the curse and suppressed it with my own power in specific spaces, making adjustments and using the curse to enhance my growth.
Under these arrangements, I entered this world.
The curses I was given were twofold.
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‘...’
I had expected each of the three lords to place a curse, but aside from the curse I was born with, there were actually only two new ones.
That means one lord didn’t place a curse on me.
Why? I don’t know.
Perhaps they lacked the ability, or maybe they were planning something.
I couldn’t figure it out yet, no matter how much I thought.
Later that night, after completing my lessons and independent study.
The interior of the tower was dark, as if reflecting the night.
There, as I lay in Ariel’s embrace, I drifted into thought.
"Is the sleeping arrangement uncomfortable?"
A voice whispered from above, filling my ear.
Beneath the bluntness, concern resonated, and a hand brushed through my hair.
[No, it’s incredibly comfortable.]
[I just need a moment to think.]
I shook my head and buried my face back into Ariel's embrace.
As I buried my face in her large, soft chest, my complicated thoughts seemed to settle.
Taking a deep breath, a warm, sweet scent filled my senses, and sleepiness quickly overcame me.
...Even then, various complex thoughts resurfaced.
Unique magic rituals are hard to grasp.
‘As befits the name "unique," from that level onward, the rituals don’t follow the same rules.’
Is it a kind of language?
If ordinary magic is the universal language used by all nations in the world,
unique magic is a language created and used by the individual alone.
I knew this, so I never expected to learn it easily.
However, when I actually faced Ariel's unique magic, it was so much harder than I imagined that I began to doubt if I could learn it.
The overwhelming feeling made my head stop.
"...It is not unusual for people to face difficulty."
At that moment.
Ariel, who had been looking down at me as I lay in her embrace, suddenly spoke.
"No one lives without difficulty, and I believe you have felt that too, Ha-Yul. But your agitation right now... I think it is because we imposed pressure on you, and you are feeling lost."
Her words seemed to know exactly what I was troubled about.
Her eyes, like white pearls, pierced through my thoughts, making me shiver.
"Despite that, please don’t worry about unique magic."
As if to reassure me, Ariel patted my back and continued.
"I created that unique magic, and I understand it best. I will teach you, so even though it may seem overwhelming now, I am confident that you, with your sharp mind, will surely master it."
So, sleep peacefully tonight.
After her words, Ariel said nothing more, simply continuing to pat my back as I fell asleep in her warm, comforting embrace.
Whether it was true or not, hearing those words from the one who created the unique magic gave me some peace of mind.
Thanks to that, I was able to sleep soundly that night in Ariel’s soft and trustworthy arms.
The next day.
As if to prove Ariel's reassurance, the uncertainty from yesterday seemed like a mirage as I made significant progress.
I was even praised by Ariel
Clink!
The glass dropped to the floor and shattered.
Though it was a glass made of crystal, it had a basic durability enhancement spell cast on it, yet it shattered so easily.
Cold air emanated from the glass shards scattered across the floor.
In an instant, a chill covered the floor, and the contents of the glass froze before it could even spill out.
Soon, the temperature in the room dropped noticeably.
"..."
Baek Arin stared at her hand.
Her hand, suddenly frozen with a layer of frost.
Though it was covered in cold, there was no trembling from the chill.
The hand, swollen as if it had been frozen solid, made her feel as if she no longer had ownership of her own body.
‘...Illusion?’
Chhchhchhch...
As the cold slowly faded, Baek Arin questioned herself.