The circles gradually gathered into a single point—the center of the magic circle, the center of the rings.
As the light condensed, magic accumulated, and happiness flowed, it took the shape of a ring.
Yet, something was lacking.
The ring was slightly cracked and distorted.
Still, it held a breathtaking beauty, so dazzling it was almost blinding.
The ring settled gently atop Hari’s head.
She closed her eyes.
A deep hum resonated from the ring.
Waves of light burst forth, filling the chamber.
Within that light, the followers’ ring fragments responded, resonating together.
With each pulse, the cracks in the ring began to mend.
But at the same time, the followers’ fragments started to fade.
Their energy drained away in an instant.
A follower, who had been pouring out magical energy with all his might, collapsed in the midst of the flow.
The fragment above his head had completely lost its light, returning to its original state.
One by one, they fell to the ground.
As they did, the ring atop Hari’s head grew clearer.
I smiled in satisfaction.
The ring would soon be perfected within the magic formation.
And once complete, it would recognize Hari as its master.
The followers of Sky Ring had already worshiped her as their god.
“This was the fourth reason I had taken on this task.”
“To restore the tower, retrieve the treasure, earn points, and gain a new power.”
“Yes, she was my doll. Which meant that power was now mine.”
The ring drained every last trace of their minds.
In a way, this was also a purification.
It stripped away faith, a belief that should never have existed in the first place.
The light from the ring intensified.
More followers collapsed, one after another.
Nineteen had lost consciousness.
One remained standing, staggering yet refusing to fall.
Hao.
His ring fragment still held a faint glow, barely clinging to existence.
But he would not last much longer.
The distinct ring that had once gleamed in his eyes was gone.
Only a faint will remained, rapidly fading.
Hao looked at Hari.
Hari met his gaze.
She reached out toward him.
Hao trembled as he grasped her hand.
“Sky Ring… Are you happy?”
Hao smiled weakly as he asked.
Hari gazed at him and gave a small nod.
“That’s… a relief. Your happiness… is my happiness.”
With those words, Hao softly closed his eyes and collapsed into Hari’s arms.
The fragment of his ring lost its light and fell away.
Hari held him lightly.
It was good.
A complete success.
Just as she was about to rise—
The ring floating above Hari’s head suddenly radiated an intense burst of light.
A brilliance even stronger than before overflowed from it.
Even the mirror bugs couldn’t withstand it.
Soon, the screen darkened completely.
Something was wrong.
Realizing this, I quickly channeled my will into the shadow tree, intending to send another mirror bug.
And then—I had no choice but to feel it.
My face stiffened naturally.
My body as well.
Sensing my unease, Mira looked up at me, tilting her head.
“Is something wrong?”
Mira asked.
I stared at her in a daze, seeing the curiosity brimming in her eyes.
“The connection with Hari… has vanished.”
The star that represented Hari, once adorning the shadow tree, no longer existed.
It had disappeared as if it had never been there.
And yet, I felt no sense of loss or strangeness.
I turned my gaze to the Sky Ring.
‘Could it have done something? But that couldn’t be.’ I had thoroughly examined its structure.
—Ah, I don’t know anything about this!
The Sky Ring hastily denied it.
It was clearly flustered, its text trembling and flickering across the screen.
Mirror bugs around the chamber swiftly flew toward the scene.
The shadow dolls did the same.
Perhaps sensing the surge of magic, students began gathering near the room.
The shadow dolls quickly controlled the crowd, while the mirror bugs rushed inside.
The scene inside remained unchanged.
***
The magic circle had lost its power and hardened.
The believers lay unconscious on the floor.
Hao as well.
He was lying neatly on his back, his hands forming a circle over his chest.
But Hari was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking she might have left the room, I searched the first floor thoroughly—but it was the same.
The doll with violet eyes was nowhere to be found.
It was an inexplicable situation.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before stepping out of the workshop.
I needed to clean up the aftermath.
The fallen believers—no, the students—were transported to the infirmary.
There, I performed a simple cleansing ritual on them.
Through the ritual, they quickly regained their original state.
I discreetly used a mirror bug to check their scores.
Their mental scores had returned to what they were before they joined the Sky Ring Cult.
Hao was the same.
Ninety points—his original score.
There were no traces of the Sky Ring within him.
I let out a sigh of relief.
The magic itself hadn’t failed.
Their faith had been erased from their minds.
I gazed at Hao.
There was something I needed to ask him.
He was the last person to see Hari.
The infirmary’s magic gently nudged him awake.
The others also began stirring, clutching their heads.
Hao’s eyebrows twitched before he slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at me with a dazed expression.
I waved a hand in front of his face with a smile.
“Hao, are you alright?”
“…Where… is this? Ugh, my head…”
Hao tried to sit up but clutched his head in pain.
The strain on his mind was severe.
The infirmary’s magic wrapped around him once more, easing his discomfort.
“This is the infirmary. Do you remember using the fang necklace last time? It’s similar to that. This time, you overused your power, leading to contamination. We treated you and the others. Do you remember anything?”
I studied his face.
Hao looked as if he was trying to recall something, his expression dazed.
It was the face of the Hao before he fell into religious fanaticism.
He furrowed his brows and rubbed his forehead before shaking his head slightly.
“I vaguely remember… forming some kind of religion. But after that, I can’t remember anything.”
I gave a small nod and patted his shoulder.
“That’s the aftereffect of the contamination. You all performed a large-scale spell together. Do you remember that?”
Hao frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something. But soon, he shook his head.
“No… I can’t remember anything.”
“…Then, the name ‘Sky Ring’—does that mean anything to you? Or a doll with violet eyes and violet hair?”
I asked quietly.
Hao flinched at my words.
He shook his head again, but tears trickled down his cheeks.
He wiped them away, staring at his wet fingers.
“Why… am I crying? It feels like I’ve forgotten something important…”
He murmured.
I clicked my tongue softly.
So, even Hao didn’t know where Hari was.
No reason to stay here any longer.
I nodded slightly to him.
“You’re just feeling a bit of confusion while returning to your original state. Get some rest. I’ll be going now—I need to prepare for tomorrow’s lecture.”
With that, I left the infirmary.
***
I scattered shadow dolls throughout the tower to investigate every space, even outside its walls.
And so, the third lecture began.
A week passed, but I couldn’t find Hari anywhere.
‘Had she been unable to withstand the ring’s power and been destroyed?’
Just as I was about to give up—
A strange post appeared on the student bulletin board.
The author was Hao.
He wrote that while passing through the first floor, a small girl with a ring on her head would sometimes approach him.
She asked if he wanted to join.
Hao described her as having violet eyes and violet hair.
He nodded once.
And then, in the next moment, his memory would be gone.
His mental score had dropped significantly.
More students started reporting the same experience.
Looking at those posts, I smirked bitterly.
Perhaps we really had created a new god.
A god that grew by devouring human minds.
And that god still wandered our tower.
I could feel it too.
Sometimes, from where Hari’s presence had once been in the shadow tree, I could sense a faint ripple.
She still existed.
And so, the second rule of the tower was established.
***
[Evron: A Guide to Safely Using the Tower]
[Hello, students. Are you all enjoying Professor Irien’s tower?
To prevent any unfortunate incidents while using the treasure’s power, I’m leaving this notice.
Please read it carefully and follow the guidelines.
You are responsible for any accidents caused by your own negligence.
There are many statues on the first floor of our tower.
If you ever find them cute, beautiful, or charming—please come see me.
The infirmary will conduct a simple consultation and ‘cleansing’ for you.
Sometimes, a girl with violet eyes and hair appears on the first floor, spreading her faith.
But the ‘Sky Ring Cult’ does not exist in this tower.
Do not answer her.
Do not follow her.
If you are affected, please come see me immediately.
The infirmary will conduct a simple consultation and ‘cleansing’ for you.]