Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lesson 2. This is your roommate – 3

From then on, for the entire day, Ban Yu-won moved with haste. The relics in the trunk were classified into ‘things to steal concepts from’ and ‘things to keep complete,’ In addition to items that could be encountered daily, he purchased vast quantities of items that could be extracted for concepts. In the process, he ran out of Code Core capacity, so he urgently searched for something with the concept of Nucleus, and the answer he found was very simple.

It was possible to extract about 0.05 Nucleus from the seeds of any kind of fruit. As a result, he bought so many fruits that he could be mistaken for a grocer and extracted a total of 155 Nucleus. Then, the concept that remained—the Fruit Flesh—was collected together. At first, he tried to see if it could be divided into fruit and meat, but it was impossible.

With that, Ban Yu-won realized that not all the concepts of Chinese characters could be divided and that it wasn’t easy for a lower concept (Flesh) to exceed the limit of a higher concept (Fruit). The point was that no matter how much language concepts could be divided, they couldn’t go against the rules.

“How about putting this concept into one watermelon? Wouldn’t it be delicious?”

“You’re not even going to eat it right now, so why not just can it?”

“Hey, sister, are you a genius?”

Ban Yu-mi, observing Ban Yu-won’s work, said something that made him open his eyes. He immediately took out a jar of strawberry jam from the belongings he packed (presumably, he would not be able to return to his hometown for a while, so he was planning to store a lot of canned food and ramen) and put the concept of Fruit in it.

“Why a jar and not a can?”

“Once you open a can, you have to eat it all, but this I can eat in small portions.”

“Weren’t you just trying to get rid of the leftovers?”

He added one at a time and looked at the progress, but there was no big change on the outside, so he daringly added five. After pushing it in like that, he realized that the 570 pieces of pulp obtained by extracting Nucleus 155 were all concentrated in one bottle!

“Shit, that wasn’t supposed to…!”

“Hey, it’s shining.”

Just as he was about to throw the bottle, thinking it might explode, the contents inside started to emit dazzling light. As the light dimmed, a notification window with the Babylonian Code appeared in front of Ban Yu-won.

[You have prepared Beginner’s Elixir 5. The vitality of the flesh was compressed to the limit and sealed. With just one bite, your vitality will be greatly boosted and hugely impact Life’s growth. However, now the seal is very loose, and the vitality can escape.]

As soon as he heard those words, Ban Yu-won took the concept of Seal separated from the chip bag and gave it to the bottle. The change was immediate.

[You have prepared Beginner’s Elixir 10. Due to the perfect sealing, the contents were stored perfectly, and its efficacy was amplified. It is also effective in healing wounds but can also induce the growth of the concept of existence through constant use.]

“Wow, I made an elixir.”

“What, what happened?”

Instead of replying, Ban Yu-won opened the sealed bottle, took a large spoonful of the contents, took one bite, and gave his sister the next. Her eyes were filled with stars.

“Ummm, this…is tasty! This is crazy, so good…!”

“No more.”

“Wow, wow!”

“If you’re not happy, you can make your own. Grandpa! Come here and take a bite of this jam!”

“Aww, Grandpa likes sweet bean jelly better….”

With this, he succeeded in disposing of both the Nucleus and Flesh. Even if it seemed like a simple concept, he also learned that he could transform concepts into something completely different by collecting and compressing them.

Now it was time to set off to the academy.

“Don’t be discouraged, son. And don’t register for the S. University for now. Come back anytime!”

“Yeah, I can see that dad doesn’t have any expectations of me.”

His mother hugged him tightly after he received his father’s discouraging goodbye.

“Take care, my son.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

“You’ll go even if you might die?”

“I won’t die, and I’ll be back.”

“Haah….”

“Won.”

Ban Ji-won approached Ban Yu-won after he had barely escaped from his mother’s arms. Surprisingly, he had been acting sane since he first heard about the Tower of Babel, and he was still standing in neat clothes, reminding him of the times he used to work. He was just like the grandfather Ban Yu-won had longed for and followed.

“I’ll entrust you with our family’s secret.”

“Before I graduate, I’ll call you to the Tower.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

This strong longing and desire for the Tower only grandpa and grandchild could share. They hugged, and Ban Yu-won said goodbye to his older sister, who was staring at him.

“Sister, don’t get caught for doping when you compete.”

“You moron, why would I compete if I wanted to cheat?”

Her attitude didn’t change even when her brother went to a different, unknown world. It was reassuring, though.

“Yeah, do well. Then, I’ll be going.”

Ban Yu-won smiled and took a last look at his family, then responded to the message that appeared before his eyes a moment ago.

[The entrance ceremony for Union Academy will begin soon. Summoning student Ban Yu-won.]

* * *

When he closed his eyes and opened them again, he was already in a huge auditorium. Surprised by his sudden appearance, the people on either side of him flinched away, but when they saw the school uniform he was wearing, they frowned.

“What, are you from the bottom? Why are you here?”

“Go away, go to that side.”

“Yeah, thank you.”

They were such kind friends that they told him where to go. Ban Yu-won waved to the freshmen, who informed them of where his seat was, and then headed to the area where the students who passed the special low-level screening were. He didn’t think they would discriminate even with the seating, but, according to Light, it seemed that the coming days would be a bit tough.

‘Besides, the aura from all directions…are they all really freshmen?’

Although still a beginner, Ban Yu-won learned how to pass through a dungeon, gained insight into the concept of Magical Power, and learned how to read a foe’s power while battling with Ban Yu-mi all night long. However, even the weakest of those around him now seemed ten times stronger.

If he could touch them, he could try to interpret their concept of language, but there was no way he could ask those guys emanating such hostile energy, ‘Can I hold your hand?’ For now, he had no choice but to pretend to be bold, walk with his shoulders straight, and find his seat as quickly as possible.

‘If grandpa hadn’t supported me, it would have been really difficult. Fortunately, thanks to that, I have faithfully collected the treasury’s means.’

There were only four chairs in the assigned place, and it felt like he had been exiled from the other incoming students.

“Ban!”

“Light, hello. So, these are our seats. The special seats are lit, huh?”

“L-Lit? Haha….”

There were two other girls besides Light, who smiled bitterly at Ban Yu-won’s comment.

“Oh, hello.”

“Yeah, hi.”

One was a girl with unusual bright pink eyes and hair like bubblegum, with only the tips of her bangs highlighted in black. Ban Yu-won tried to prevent his gaze from leaving her flashy and glamorous hair to her chest. Her basic posture was to curl up as much as she could as if she knew how eye-catching the size of her chest was, and even though it was sad, Ban Yu-won focused on suppressing his instincts.

“Um, hello to you too.”

“…Hmm.”

The other one was also flashy. Her long hair was strangely shiny, and her eyes were all black except for a silver cross in the center of her pupils. Here, she slightly deviated from the concept of humanity that Ban Yu-won knew. He got a bit scared, wondering if that was a magic eye like those in comics.

‘I mean, but are they really the special low-level type? All three seem like they could easily win over the regulars….’

He wondered if the eerie atmosphere emitted by the black-and-white woman (because she had white hair and dark eyes), as well as Ace Light, could surpass even the professor he had met before. Even this girl trembling like a lamb was far stronger than Ban Yu-won!

The fortunate thing was that, worthy of its reputation as the best academy in all dimensions, all kinds of bizarre-looking races were admitted, but at least they appeared to be mostly human. They all looked attractive!

‘This one doesn’t look human, but…still, if you look at her, there’s some creepy charm to her appearance. Yes, creepy charm works perfectly.’

As someone with the ability to speak languages, Ban Yu-won was satisfied to have found the perfect word to describe them. Then he suddenly realized that her cross pupils were pointing straight at him and flinched.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“That thing…floating around you. It’s interesting.”

“Huh? Oh, are you talking about the Goblin Club?”

When Ban Yu-won called it over his palm, she leaned her head out and looked carefully, without blinking. Then, she laughed. He could feel her intimidating presence greatly diminish at that moment.

“My name is Dok Go-yeon, the daughter of a martial arts society. What is your name?”

“Uh, you just said your….”

“Only now I’ve learned your name…even though we’re in the same room. We’ve been there for a few days together.”

Given the pink-haired girl’s reaction, it seemed that this was the first time she had introduced herself. But Ban Yu-won had more to worry about than that.

“I’m Ban Yu-won. But you said Martial Arts Society? Do you use something like martial arts? With the flying?”

“Pfff.”

The girl named Dok Go-yeon burst into laughter. Ban Yu-won’s face went ashen, thinking he had said something rude, but then Light and the pink girl, listening next to them, burst into laughter as well.

“Your perception is so…pfff, you’re not wrong, though.”

“Really? After all, there is this world, so things such as Martial Arts Society must exist too.”

“Among the countless dimensions, Martial Arts Society…in other words, it is known that the number of dimensions in which Mana training methods and martial arts with religion, philosophy, and other ideas are systematically established exceeds ten thousand, Ban.”

Light, looking for a chance to socialize with the same special type as himself, explained.

“Ten thousand?!”

“…Hmph.”

Ban Yu-won was genuinely astonished, but Dok Go-yeon gave Light a slightly stern look. Depending on who heard him, it might sound like he was undermining the dimension of her origin. Light backed away, sensing he had made a mistake.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to look down on your birth dimension. I just wanted to tell him that fact….”

“…!”

“Light, you better just stay quiet.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Fortunately, the angry Dok Go-yeon didn’t see fit to demonstrate her martial arts then and there. Instead, she turned away, ignoring Light, and held out a hand to Ban Yu-won.

“Ban Yu-won, please take good care of me…I feel a connection with you.”

“Yeah, well, take good care of me too. If you have anything to gain from me, don’t forget to give me something too.”

“Huhu.”

She didn’t seem as scary as he first thought. After making that judgment, Ban Yu-won shook her hand, and the crosses in her eyes rotated. He didn’t know if that was something positive, but he grew terrified again after it went so well!

“Excuse me!”

As the two of them were having a rather friendly conversation, the pink-haired girl intervened.

“Take good care of me too…! Ruchel, I don’t have the last name, so just call me Ruchel.”

“A-Ahem. I am Ace Light. Just call me Light. Take good care of me too, Ruchel, Dokgo.”

“Dokgo?”

Dok Go-yeon’s good mood faded. She frowned and said:

“Just call me Dok Go-yeon.”

“Ah, hahaha…it looks like the ceremony is about to begin.”

Light, rebuked, pointed to the front with a bitter smile that Ban Yu-won was getting used to.

Nine professors were coming up on the podium at the auditorium’s center. Ban Yu-won, noticing Professor Yoo Mina with her green skin and red hair petals, felt happy for no reason. And the professor, as if she noticed, flashed a small smile in his direction.

“The interview?”

“Yes. It was with that professor.”

When he was talking to Light…suddenly, there was the sound of fireworks exploding in the air. As everyone reflexively raised their heads, they could see the auditorium’s ceiling had opened, and two huge pupils waited beyond it.

―I see everyone has gathered.

An unrecognizable existence manifested above them. Because it was too high, just by looking directly at its existence, fragile life would fade away. Ban Yu-won was terribly shocked when he managed to recognize those eyes.

[Your understanding of the concept of Sight has deepened. The depth of the Complete Sight has been increased to 105. You will be able to see more and more clearly.]

[The depth of the Soul has been increased to 320. Your spirit became stronger, and your resistance to evil became greater.]

At that moment, Ban Yu-won re-opened his eyes. It could be his imagination, but the huge eyes seemed to look at Ban Yu-won.

But maybe it was an illusion.

―Then, we will begin the 2,557th entrance ceremony of Union Academy.

It should be impossible for such a great being to individually recognize the existence of the tiny Ban Yu-won.