Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We got the opportunity to increase the upload rate for this series if there is enough interest. 

Lesson 2. This is your roommate – 4

“It was impressive, wasn’t it? The congratulatory message from the Principal.”

“Principal?!”

Confused by the sudden appearance of the huge eyes, the entrance ceremony passed quickly. In front of the four members of the special sub-dimensions was Professor Yoo Mina, with her impressive red petals fluttering in front of their eyes. Why was she here? No, more than that, what did she just say?

“Really, those huge eyes…no, is it okay to call them by the friendly word Principal?”

“Did you see his eyes?”

At Ban Yu-won’s question, Yoo Mina was startled and asked back. What was this now? How could someone not see those huge eyes? Thinking like that, as he looked around, he saw that Light, Ruchel, and Dok Go-yeon were all staring at him.

“I couldn’t even look up.”

“I-I was scared.”

“That existence was completely obscured by special means. But…how?”

Light, Ruchel, and Dok Go-yeon spoke in turn. In particular, the way that Dok Go-yeon was staring at him through constricted cross-pupils was too frightening.

“Uh….”

‘Oh man, I saw something I shouldn’t have again.’

Ban Yu-won decided to gloss over it.

“It was just the way I felt. It felt like giant eyes were looking down at us….”

“Is that so? You have great…senses, and I’ve heard that people with the ability to create really great artifacts are born with delicate senses. You may also be expected to grow in combat ability.”

Prof. Yoo Mina nodded her head with admiration, seemingly convinced by Ban Yu-won’s excuse. But Dok Go-yeon was still staring at him like he was interesting…!

“Anyway, he is the Principal. Considering the nature of the academy, it is right to call him the President, but we aim for a friendlier expression.”

“Friendlier.”

“You probably won’t see him much in the future, though…that’s right. If you make notable achievements in the academy or do something really bad, you will meet him again.”

Having said that, the professor looked at Ban Yu-won with a mischievous smile and added:

“I think student Ban Yu-Won will one day be alone with the principal.”

“Isn’t that a curse, Professor?”

“Fufu, the achievements of the students I’m in charge of, are also my achievements. Please work hard.”

The four members, including Ban Yu-won, flinched.

“Hmm?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Are you the professor in charge of us?”

In response to Light’s question, Professor Yoo Mina nodded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“One of the only nine full professors in the academy? For us?”

“That’s right. Let me introduce myself to you right now. My name is Yoo Mina, and I’m in charge of combat magic; and I became the professor in charge of the class of the four of you for the next five years until your graduation.”

“Five years?!”

Fortunately, Ban Yu-won was well aware of what a full professor was because he took a guide of the academy and read it through when he was back home.

The professors of Union Academy, the best academy in all dimensions, weren’t ordinary beings. The nine full professors from Union Academy passed the Principal’s rigorous examination, and each possessed an absurd force capable of bringing entire dimensions to their knees. All academy matters were their responsibility, and the other faculty members, the associate professors, were merely assistants who managed the students.

Union Academy consisted of five grades, with about 300 students each, so even if you grouped a class with 30 students, 50 classes would come out. Of course, most of the classes were taught by associate professors, except for the special classes, which gathered only the best in each grade level. But Professor Yoo Mina said she was in charge of only four people who passed the special low-level screening?!

“Students, are you misunderstanding something? The lower-level special admission students in each grade are always subject to separate management. It is not intended to discriminate or give special treatment but rather to protect them from the malice of other students. We have no choice but to do so to ensure a proper education.”

“But the associate professors could….”

“That’s right. I am in charge of you because the students who passed the special selection this year are too special.”

Professor Yoo Mina blatantly stared at Ban Yu-won.

“It really makes you wonder how these people were chosen.”

It was lucky those here weren’t jealous, as Ban Yu-won himself was ashamed of her blatant interest and wanted to hide it. Then an unexpected movement occurred.

As if to protect him from Professor Yoo Mina’s gaze, Light snuck out to cover him. It hadn’t upset him but rather annoyed him.

“But, professor, if you show excessive interest, the general admissions students may come to check in on us….”

“I believe that you guys can overcome that on your own.”

Professor Yoo Mina responded sharply.

“I’ll block all external pressure. We also crack down on bullying that isn’t conducive to your academic studies and growth. But I can’t do anything about the internal competition protected by the rules.”

“Ugh.”

“If I can give you a simple piece of advice, from now on, stay together. You are both special selection classmates, and simultaneously, you are members of a party that will climb the Tower together for five years until graduation.”

Party members? The Tower of Babel was a dungeon, so it was only natural.

“Hmph, that’s much better than climbing the tower with all those lousy delusional people….”

Instead of Light, exhausted as he took on Professor Yoo Mina’s pressure, Dok Go-yeon sarcastically muttered. Her disapproving gaze scanned Light and Ruchel. It was fortunate that this terrifying gaze didn’t reach Ban Yu-won.

“P-Professor.”

Ruchel said timidly, avoiding her gaze.

“E-Everyone is looking at us. Can’t we go…somewhere else?”

“You’re right.”

The eyes of other incoming students weren’t friendly. However, as Professor Yoo Mina, a full professor, talked to them, it was a mix of interest and hostility. Ban Yu-won sighed, not getting what the fuss about higher and lower dimensions was.

“Then let’s go right away to our classroom.”

When Professor Yoo Mina snapped her finger, their surroundings melted away, and walls appeared all around them, locking them up.

‘No, did we move to a closed space instead of being locked?’

There was a wall made of glass, similar to Professor Yoo Mina’s room. Beyond that, the various facilities of the academy, the surrounding forests, lakes, small spaceship docks, and towers could be seen. Interestingly, there was no door.

“All future training and announcements you receive from me will take place in this room. It’s a room you can’t get into by normal means. First, I will hand out student IDs.”

The student ID was a pendant with a jewel at the end of a thin silver chain. The jewel wasn’t too large nor too shiny, giving it a sophisticated look. A mysterious character string was swirling inside the exquisitely crafted jewel, and when he focused on it, it felt like his eyes might fall out.

[Instant conversion to Chinese characters is impossible because there are too many complex concept character strings. It’ll take a long time to fully recognize and accept the new language system.]

It was the first time he had failed to interpret with his language ability. However, it was surprising that it didn’t seem impossible to interpret them. Maybe this was an opportunity to get into Magic?

While Ban Yu-won confirmed this and smiled, Light asked another question on behalf of the party.

“Is there any other way to deal with it?”

“Sure. When the student ID accepts your Magic Power, registration will be completed. After that, you can simply infuse Magic Power to prove your identity, and with it, you can exercise most of the powers granted to you within the academy. Best of all, it’s possible to go directly to this room from anywhere within the academy.”

An artifact with the ability to teleport! No, it was possible to teleport by tearing a single piece of paper, so there was no need to be surprised.

“To teleport, you can put Magic Power in your student ID and issue a special keyword. Well, let’s say, ‘Professor Yoo Mina is beautiful.’ I decided that just now.”

“…”

“Oh, the same goes when you leave this room. If you inject Magic Power into your student ID and chant the same spell, you will return to where you were before entering this room. It’s nice, isn’t it?”

Unlike Ban Yu-won, who could bear this because she was a beautiful person, Light and Dok Go-yeon couldn’t control their expressions. He couldn’t tell if Light had manners or was rude. Fortunately, Professor Yoo Mina ignored her students’ agitation and continued.

“And this is the most important part: you can’t enter the Tower without your student ID. Dimensional pirates sometimes try to steal student IDs, so be very careful.”

Ruchel’s eyes widened.

“D-Dimensional pirates are invading even this highest dimension…?”

“If they can get into the tower, some people are willing to go to crazy lengths.”

Ban Yu-won felt a bit anxious. He didn’t know what dimensional pirates were, but they didn’t sound nice.

Russian playwright Anton Chekhov said if you start living with a roommate whose behavior is suspicious in the first act of the play, in the third act at the latest, the fact that the roommate is actually a woman disguised as a man should be revealed! Or something like that.

Unable to contain his worries, Ban Yu-won raised his hand carefully and asked:

“What happens if I lose my student ID?”

“That’s a good question. First, you will receive an academic warning for whatever reason you lost it, and you will have to pay a fine to the academy to have it reissued.”

“Gasp!”

It was overly harsh and realistic! Ruchel, terrified, crouched even further around her ID. Meanwhile, Dok Go-yeon grabbed the chain and swiveled it, her black eyes flashing.

“That means there may be people who come after us, huh?”

“The act of stealing or hiding someone’s student ID results in an immediate suspension.”

“I don’t steal.”

When Professor Yoo Mina warned her, Dok Go-yeon responded with a tone like she had heard something unpleasant.

“I won’t hesitate to use force to protect what’s mine.”

Her remarks were a declaration of war that would lead to bloodshed in the future.

“All right, I just hope you act within the limits of the school rules.”

“Of course.”

Dok Go-yeon’s smile was truly sinister. Ban Yu-won restrained himself from looking into her eyes, which seemed to draw him, and touched his own student ID.

“What was left? …Yes, the timetables haven’t been distributed.”

Were they using the analog method of handing out papers? As soon as he thought about it, several holograms appeared on their student IDs, causing Ban Yu-won to close his mouth.

“Classes run from Monday to Thursday. Except during the examination period and during the week of special activities, unconditional exploration of the Tower must be carried out on Friday. It is possible to adjust this expedition schedule to three days and two nights by discussing it with your party members. So, you must adjust your schedule appropriately with the rest, right?”

“Tower….”

Ban Yu-won’s eyes twinkled. As an academy built solely for the Tower, the proportion of investment in exploring the Tower was enormous. The moment the Tower was mentioned, each of them looked determined.

“If you touch the subject on the timetable, you’ll find out where the classroom is and how to move there. Textbooks for each subject will be readied for you when you return to your dorms. So, do you have any questions?”

“Professor, if we ever enter the Tower alone-”

Unexpectedly, Light asked the question they had all been waiting for.

“You can’t.”

Professor Yoo Mina responded immediately with a smile.

“Exploration must be done on a party basis, and only on truly special occasions can a student’s solo expedition be allowed with permission from the Principal. Did I answer your question?”

“Uh…yes. Everyone, I’m sorry. I just wanted to test my individual strength, not because I don’t like being in the same party with you guys.”

“Haah.”

“Ugh….”

If that were the case, it would have been better to ask that later when he was alone with the professor.

Ban Yu-won created Light’s nickname in his mind at that moment: Zero Sense. There was the possibility that this guy was unaware of the very existence of the concept of wits!

But what could he do? At first, he thought things would go smoother than he worried about seeing the classmates who looked much better than him, but…

A terrifying and strong girl who he couldn’t read. A roommate who seemed to be nice but had a strangely self-centered personality and no wits. A timid puppy who seemed to want to compete with a pill bug to see who could curl into themselves more. And then there was him, who dreamed of becoming a diplomat but was dragged here. Wasn’t it a huge variety?!

“Now, there isn’t much left to discuss, so let’s all focus.”

Professor Yoo Mina clapped her hands, banishing the chilly atmosphere.

“From the moment you receive your student ID, you have access to most of the facilities inside the academy. Student cafeteria, library, canteen, cafes, and the training center. The most important thing is the training center. Do not neglect your self-discipline even when there are no classes. General admissions students may look down on you right now, but if you prove your worth with overwhelming grades, they will eventually be forced to recognize you.”

“I like that.”

Dok Go-yeon replied and hung the pendant around her neck.

“Then, are we disbanding like this today?”

“No, I prepared refreshments for you, so let’s get to know each other…oh, my.”

At that moment, Professor Yoo Mina’s pendant vibrated with a faint light. She looked perplexed as she examined it.

“Should I become a prophet?”

“Professor?”

“Ahem. I’m sorry, but the social gathering will be held another time. You can just go back. It would be nice if you looked around the academy’s facilities.”

Yoo Mina turned to Ban Yu-Won.

“Student Ban Yu-won, follow me.”

“Yes? What is that…uh.”

Now, he had adapted to the rapid change of space without even having the time to prepare. He was dragged into a quiet hallway where he couldn’t see his classmates. He stared at Yoo Mina, her jewel eyes glimmering.

“I told you earlier that you might be alone with the Principal someday, right?”

“Yes, you did…?”

“That prophecy has come true.”

“What?! No, why?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps….”

Yoo Mina smiled mischievously and pushed him. Ban Yu-won, unable to resist the unexpectedly strong force, was thrown into a secret room through a solid wall in the middle of the hallway.

Yoo Mina’s voice seemed to echo from far away.

“The Principal also felt your gaze.”

-That’s right.

The voice I heard at the entrance ceremony replied.

On his first day at the academy, Ban Yu-won received a personal interview with the President.