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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The potion had no effect.
I closed my eyes, focusing on my mana, searching for any change, however subtle. A strange sensation. The potion had stimulated my body, a tingling sensation spreading from head to toe, but… nothing.
The supplementary potion, meant to enhance rapid growth, had been consumed, yet… no change.
My hands trembled.
So close… yet so far… The familiar wave of disappointment, of emptiness, washed over me.
“Again…?”
Disappointment turned to anger.
This… had been a rare opportunity, however accidental.
“Uh… this is strange… why isn’t there any reaction…?”
Professor Praha was flustered.
She had expected it to work.
She fidgeted, glancing at me nervously, then offered a hesitant explanation.
“Perhaps… your family history…? Genetic limitations…?”
“Are you trying to make me angry? My parents are tall. My sister is taller than me. Don’t blame my genes!”
It was a sore subject.
The cruelest irony. I couldn’t even hide behind the “bad genes” excuse.
My family, both maternal and paternal, had no history of short stature. It was entirely my fault.
“Then… it might be a fundamentally different issue…”
Professor Praha, flustered, launched into a hurried explanation.
“Growth disorders… are usually caused by environmental or social factors… or medical conditions… like malnutrition… or hormonal imbalances…”
“I know that.”
“But this potion… provides all the necessary nutrients… and stimulates growth… It should bypass those medical limitations…”
“…How old is this potion?”
“Uh… I haven’t counted… let me check the label… about eight… years?”
“Eight years? Are you sure it’s still potent?”
A desperate hope.
“It’s preserved with magic. It should be fine.”
“Should be?”
“Preservation magic is a marvel. It prevents degradation for at least a decade.”
If the preservation magic was working, the potion wasn’t the problem. Then what was?
“Then what’s the problem? And don’t say it’s my mindset. I was perfectly happy when my growth stopped.”
“A curse…?”
“I considered that. I even consulted a Saintess. Nothing.”
I had explored every possibility, even the most outlandish, like a targeted curse by someone who hated the Titan family. Expensive, but thorough.
Professor Praha looked bewildered.
“Then… I don’t know… We might need a more thorough examination… I’ll contact the hospital… This is unprecedented… I’ll need more data… I’ll… I’ll find a solution…!”
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That night, I had a nightmare.
Not ghosts or monsters. Those held no fear for me. I had faced them, defeated them.
My nightmares were… different.
They were memories, of the Titan mansion, of the bonds I couldn’t sever, of my parents, of my escape to the Knights.
“What a horrible dream.”
I woke up drenched in sweat.
The potion… or perhaps the stress… had unearthed long-buried memories.
My sister… alone, leading the Titan family…
No news was good news, but… she must be facing difficulties.
The Titan mansion… filled with unpleasant memories… but… I had to visit, during the break.
Her problems… were easily solved… by me.
I showered and headed to the training grounds.
I was the first to arrive.
…Alone.
The nightmare… had disoriented me.
They were still in the hospital… who was I waiting for…?
I drew a dagger, leaning against a tree.
I marked my height, aligning the blade with the top of my head.
“…Huh?”
It felt… different.
The blade hadn’t aligned with the previous mark.
I tried again.
Same result.
“…Did I… shrink…?”
A new mark, above or below the previous one…
It was common knowledge that height decreased with age, as the spaces between vertebrae compressed.
But I had trained specifically to prevent that, strengthening the muscles supporting my spine.
I avoided heavy lifting to protect those precious millimeters.
My heart pounded as I turned to look at the tree.
“What?”
I stared at the marks, dumbfounded.
I lost track of time.
Someone approached.
Who…?
They weren’t supposed to be here…
“Atlas… I heard you were training alone… Can I join you…?”
Lucia.
She hesitated, then peered at my face, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Atlas… are you crying…? Was it… that much of a bother…? I’m sorry…”
Tears streamed down my face.
She thought I was crying… because of her…
“No.”
My voice, despite the tears, was calm.
No… it was filled with… awe.
I was witnessing… a historical event.
“It… went up…”
“…Went up?”
Lucia, confused, tilted her head.
She didn’t understand.
The three lines on the tree…
Had she ever cared about such things…?
“The mark… is higher…”
A new mark, between 150 and 149.5, two lines so close they almost touched.
149.6.
A mere 0.1 centimeters.
Insignificant to some, but… monumental to me.
My height, stuck at 149.5 for almost a decade… had increased.
Even breaking through to Master… hadn’t changed it.
“Ten years…! Ten years… and I finally grew taller… damn it…!”
0.1 centimeters… but… I was ecstatic.
I punched the air, then hugged Lucia, lifting her off the ground, spinning her around.
She was taller, but I was stronger.
Her face, usually buried in my shoulder, was now above mine.
Her soft… ample bosom… pressed against my head.
Her waist, however, felt firm and toned.
But I didn’t care.
I was too happy.
“Are you… happy…?”
“Words can’t describe it!”
This… was more satisfying than becoming a Master.
The potion… it had worked, after all.
Not rapid growth, but… growth nonetheless.
I was elated.
Amy had been right.
Nico Praha… was a genius.
I had to increase her funding.
Even if it meant using my personal funds.
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Nico Praha was in a difficult situation.
‘What do I do…?!’
The surprise inspection from the Titan family, her research sponsors, had been terrifying.
The Titans, one of the Empire’s most prestigious families, the Giants of the Blade Mountains… why were they funding this research?
They had been content with progress reports, providing funding without direct involvement.
Atlas… he resembled his sister… but he was… intimidating.
‘What do I do…? I have nothing to show…!’
The initial height-increasing potion had been a promising start, but she had hit a wall.
She had to present the same old data, admitting her lack of progress for years.
Panicked, she had hidden, but that only made things worse.
Atlas, determined to test the potion himself, had consumed it… with no effect.
Another wave of panic.
No progress, and now a failed demonstration?
She expected to be fired, forced to repay the funds.
She was grateful for the second chance.
And then, the next day…
“Professor, I knew I could trust you! I grew taller!”
Atlas, beaming, had barged into her lab early in the morning, pumping her hand enthusiastically.
“The potion… it worked! Can you refine it? I want to reach 180! Contact me if you need anything! I believe in you!”
He had even offered to increase her budget.
She was grateful… but also terrified.
‘How…?’
It was… impossible.
She couldn’t explain what had happened.
Why hadn’t the potion worked immediately…?
Why had he grown only 0.1 centimeters, when others had grown ten times that…?
Had the potion even been responsible…?
Perhaps he had simply… grown naturally…?
It was all… baffling.
‘Replicate it…? Improve it…? How…?’
And she had no choice.
Her funding depended on it.
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