Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 14

Lesson 4. Rebellion - 2

"Come out, Ban. You're sparring with Erecto."

For a moment, he was confused about who was being called by the impressive summons, but Ban was his surname.

Instead of entering the ring that was forming in an instant, Ban Yu-won raised his hand and addressed the professor.

"I'm sorry, Professor. My combat abilities are still lacking, so I don't think there's anything to gain from sparring at this point..."

"Hmm? First, minus 3 points."

Don't tell me they're going to play some meaningless ranking game once a year with dormitory points or something, and give the last-place dormitory a hard time?

"Come out, Ban. That's not an excuse."

Even after deducting some unknown minus points, the professor still instructed Ban Yu-won to come out.

I sense a tremendous malice; perhaps this 'associate professor' is also a fan of Professor Yumina.

Ban Yu-won sighed as he looked at the guy called Erecto, who was threateningly clashing his two huge fists, and spoke up again.

"It's not an excuse, it's a fact. I was admitted through special admission not because of my combat abilities, but because of my unique personality. If you're curious about my skills as a special admission student, wouldn't it be better to find another method instead of making me fight ignorantly?"

"Are you trying to teach the professor now?"

"Whether professor or student, one should learn what they don't know. And aren't you an associate professor?"

"...! It seems you're the one who doesn't know. Minus 5 points."

The minus points keep accumulating.

At this rate, it looks like I might end up battling directly with the professor instead of a student.

And of course, there were gaps in Ban Yu-won's logic.

This Union Academy exists solely for the purpose of climbing the tower.

No matter how much Ban Yu-won was admitted for his unique abilities, in the end, he too is in a position where he must enter the tower directly.

Therefore.

"How about we use this week as a preparation period, and have the sparring match next week? I think I'll be roughly prepared after entering the tower once."

"Now you're ignoring the professor and setting the schedule on your own? Minus..."

Ban Yu-won had diligently prepared a compromise.

He hadn't anticipated that the professor would be so hard of hearing.

He deliberately sighed loudly and shrugged his shoulders.

It was right to appear unlikeable.

"Whatever punishment you want to give, let's do it after seeing the results next week. I'll say it again, I'm not prepared yet, and therefore, no matter what you say, I won't spar this week."

"...Fine, excellent."

The associate professor, having failed to draw out Ban Yu-won, gritted his teeth.

He probably didn't like how confident Ban Yu-won's attitude was despite refusing the professor's instructions.

But what can he do? Ban Yu-won really isn't prepared yet.

What good would come from sparring in this state other than getting beaten up?

He's not some hot-blooded protagonist, and he can't afford to get involved in something pointless and suffer losses without a plan.

"Next Tuesday, Ban and Erecto will spar. It would be good to make it a public event, while we're at it."

While seeming to accept Ban Yu-won's proposal, the professor subtly added a condition.

A public event, perhaps they even broadcast within the academy?

Given that they can handle machinery, it wouldn't be strange if such a thing actually existed.

"You said you wanted a week of preparation time yourself, so you'll have to show that much ability. If you can't..."

"Well, let's do that."

Ban Yu-won nodded casually.

Of course, it was still far from catching up to Light or Dokgo Yeon, but in reality, at his current growth rate, a week would be more than enough to catch up with the students from the upper dimension general selection.

The problem, however, was that those he was facing now were not just general selection students, but the special class composed of the best among them.

"Erecto, was it? We have an official sparring match next week, let's shake hands to commemorate it."

Ban Yu-won boldly stepped forward and extended his hand to Erecto, the student who had developed animosity towards him due to his excessive respect for Yumina, even as he was aware that all the hostility of the special class was focused on him.

As if he belonged to some giant race, his height easily exceeded 2 meters 50 centimeters, his arm joints were covered with abnormally hard calluses, and strangely enough, steam was rising from the ends of his fists.

Honestly, if he wasn't wearing a school uniform, it wouldn't be strange to mistake him for a monster.

"You lowlife."

"Oh my."

Erecto, apparently displeased with his cheeky attitude, violently swatted away the hand Ban Yu-won had extended.

It hurt unreasonably, but Ban Yu-won wasn't a fool to show such a reaction here.

Instead, he looked at the professor and asked.

"I get minus points just for making suggestions to the professor, but there are no minus points for swearing?"

"...Erecto, minus 1 point."

"1 point? Let's see, the minus points I've received..."

"Ban Yu-won, don't forget that you were the first to act rudely. An additional minus 3 points."

"Is requesting a handshake considered rude? I'm asking because I'm not familiar with the etiquette of this world."

"You...! Erecto, minus 3 points."

"Understood."

Both the associate professor and Erecto gritted their teeth.

The other members of the special class were all glaring at Ban Yu-won with cold eyes.

The moment Ban Yu-won firmly established himself as the target of many.

'What are you going to do by giving me minus points? It's not like an associate professor like you can kick me out of the academy.'

But Ban Yu-won, who had no intention of getting along with them from the start, paid no attention to their gazes or minus points.

He just clenched his teeth, recalling and checking the strings of characters that had faintly appeared and disappeared the moment he made contact with Erecto.

[Life 250, Body 300, Magic Power 120]

This was the extent of the concepts he could barely read.

It's indeed unreasonable. No wonder they're called the special class.

'Developing my abilities to this level in just a week... it might be difficult.'

Honestly, he was stronger than expected.

But asking for two weeks in that situation earlier would likely not have been accepted, and since it was a situation he would have to face sooner or later anyway, there was no mistake in Ban Yu-won's plan.

'Then there's no choice but to...'

From the beginning, he never intended to defeat the opponent head-on.

As he directly told the professor, his abilities are not specialized for combat.

In a week, he should be able to find enough methods.

"Shiiik."

"Yes, yes."

Eve, understanding his intentions, made a crying sound as if to say not to worry, she's got this.

As he was petting her, he looked around in panic, thinking it would be troublesome if this one attracted attention already.

Surprisingly, he realized that no one was paying any attention.

"What's wrong? Is no one here?"

The reason was simple.

While everyone's hostility was focused on Ban Yu-won, Dokgo Yeon suddenly stepped forward.

Her strange cross-shaped pupils swept over the special class, emitting an eerie light.

"Weren't you curious about the abilities of the special admission students? Unlike you, I specialize in combat. I'll gladly accept a sparring match."

"Dokgo Yeon..."

Interesting.

Despite Ban Yu-won not having made any requests yet, Dokgo Yeon is now standing there to look after the positions of all four of them.

As Ban Yu-won suspected from her strong desire for talent, perhaps she was in a position to manage a group in her original martial arts world.

"If you're not confident, shall I choose? You there, Erecto was it? I doubt you have a delicate personality that picks your opponents. Come out. ...I'll crush you."

"Kuk?!"

There's something called the aura of a strong person.

Even Ban Yu-won, who has just awakened his magic power, knows there's a vast difference between himself and Dokgo Yeon. Surely Erecto can read Dokgo Yeon's aura?

Probably, Dokgo Yeon specifically pointed out Erecto for Ban Yu-won's sake.

If Ban Yu-won's guess is correct, she... intends to inflict injuries on Erecto that can't be properly recovered from in about a week.

"Dokgo Yeon, I'm sorry, but Erecto is scheduled to spar with me in a week, so if you want to spar with him, please ask after that."

"Hmm...?"

But that shouldn't happen.

Ban Yu-won needs to prove his worth with his own abilities after all.

So he dared to interrupt and oppose Dokgo Yeon, and she turned to look at him with a slightly surprised expression.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Of course."

"...Ho, I thought you were just cunning, but you're a bit manly after all."

Dokgo Yeon, with a satisfied smile, snorted at Erecto who was visibly tense, realizing his life had just been hanging in the balance.

"Barking with all your might, but when a strong one appears, you bury your head in the ground. How pathetic. Get lost."

"Who's the one barking here?"

Pushing aside the deflated Erecto, someone else stepped forward.

It looked like they were wearing a crown on their head, but upon closer inspection, it was actually horn-like protrusions resembling a crown, with shimmering golden hair cascading up and down.

"Could it be... Ortima, the ruler of the Ketius dimension...!"

Light kindly revealed the identity of the opponent from the side.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"Y-you don't know? There are ten dimensions ranked as the highest in hierarchy, excluding the Union. Ortima is from the family that rules Ketius, one of those! That crown-like horn is their symbol."

"So in other words, this is a scion from one of the top ten families among all these dimensions?"

"That's right."

For someone from a lower dimension, he's surprisingly knowledgeable about these things.

On the contrary, it might be Ban Yu-won who is excessively ignorant about dimensional news.

"The foolish and weak always flock together. It's amusing to see one come out growling, trying to protect its pack."

"Did you come out here just to wag your tongue? Or are you staging a protest because your tongue is too long and you want it cut?"

Meanwhile, Ortima and Dokgo Yeon were already engaged in an intense battle of wills.

Ban Yu-won was impressed that Ortima's aura wasn't overwhelmed by Dokgo Yeon's, but Light had the opposite reaction.

"Dokgo Yeon, what on earth? She's clearly from the lower dimension special admission, but how can she be on par with Ortima...!"

"Now you can feel the difference in power?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mock me too."

Light was sulking.

Already looking delicate, with his cheeks now puffed out, it was hard to believe he was really a man.

Not that I believed it in the first place.

"Don't worry too much. We've just reached the starting line. There's plenty of room to surpass them in the future."

"Do you... really think so?"

"Of course. Though I'm sure Dokgo Yeon won't be sitting idle either."

"Could you either comfort me or mock me? Not both at once?"

"Alright, I'll stick to one."

So while Ban Yu-won was teasing Light, the professor finally gave permission for Ortima and Dokgo Yeon to have their match.

Before the match began, something shimmering appeared in mid-air. Ban Yu-won recognized it as something close to a drone with an attached lens.

In fact, it was one of the items he had seen in the store yesterday.

"Full disclosure. In other words, they're recording video with that thing."

"Video... you mean they're recording what's happening now? And it's shared on this academy's intranet... I still don't really understand what an intranet is."

"Oh, they have internet here too. Come to think of it, that makes sense."

Among the items bought in the city yesterday was a communication device that enables real-time communication with designated parties using the magical communication network built across the area – in other words, a mobile phone.

Here, they call it a telepathy mirror, or 'mirror' for short.

It even has all sorts of functions attached to it, from video viewing to calculations, calendar, alarms, and so on. It's basically just a smartphone.

By the way, while drinking with Professor Yumina yesterday, they exchanged unique codes – in other words, phone numbers.

"Ban, do you know what an intranet is?"

"Simply put, it's a communication network built for internal information exchange in organizations like companies or schools. Let's see, the school intranet... found it."

Light looked at Ban Yu-won with a strange expression as he skillfully operated the 'mirror' he took out from his chest.

"How can you be so proficient when you're from a lower dimension that didn't even know about the Union's existence...?"

"We primarily developed in this direction."

The academy's intranet was structured so that access and registration were only possible with student ID authentication.

Originally, intranet access itself was possible with just a student ID, even without a mirror.

However, in that case, complex services like video viewing wouldn't be available.

As Ban Yu-won accessed the intranet with his mirror, not only Light but also Luciel, who had been quietly listening until now, subtly leaned in.

"There's a live broadcast channel here. For the class we're attending..."

"Good eyes, Luciel."

"Th-thank you."

No, it was even a live broadcast.

It seemed that the professor was determined to make the special admission quartet suffer.

But Ban Yu-won doubted it would go according to the professor's wishes.

"Come at me."

"I'll give the first move to the novice."

"Novice? Let's see how far that arrogant attitude of yours goes. Kneel!"

The match began.

The moment Ortima shouted "kneel" in anger at Dokgo Yeon's provocation, Ban Yu-won clearly saw a mysterious force emanating from him, pressing down on Dokgo Yeon.

It wasn't ordinary magic power, and of course, it wasn't the power of language that Ban Yu-won wielded.

It seemed as if the natural order, like water flowing from top to bottom, was forcing Dokgo Yeon to kneel before Ortima as a matter of course.

[Successfully observed the distortion of providence. The depth of the All-Reading Eye increases by 1.]

"Distortion of providence."

"You... you saw that...?!"

"Ah, ahhh."

Light was shocked by the words Ban Yu-won had muttered unconsciously, and Luciel also trembled, seemingly feeling it too.

"Hmph."

However, while Ban Yu-won would have been forced to his knees or even crumpled under such pressure, Dokgo Yeon calmly drew upon her own energy.

That was all it took, and the force oppressing Dokgo Yeon...

"What...!"

Death.

There was no other way to describe it.

Within that, Ban Yu-won could faintly sense a new concept.

Death, expressed in Chinese characters as 死.

Could there be another concept as simple and chilling as that?

Ban Yu-won felt fear at the glimpse of power Dokgo Yeon had truly revealed.

"Ah, ahhhhhhh..."

"Shik, shiiik."

Luciel was even worse, suddenly gripping Ban Yu-won's arm so tightly it seemed she might twist it off, trembling uncontrollably.

Eve, worried that Luciel might hurt her master, slapped Luciel's cheeks repeatedly, but she still couldn't shake off her fear.

"Oh? So you've got some skill after all."

"And your ability is as ridiculous as those horns. If this is all, I'm disappointed."

"That can't be."

As Ortima took a step forward, a pressure similar to before, but more intense, engulfed Dokgo Yeon.

The result was the same, however.

"Does it get stronger as you get closer? If you thought I'd run away because of that..."

Dokgo Yeon's feet lightly rolled on the ground.

The next moment, Dokgo Yeon rushed straight at Ortima and delivered a kick as sharp as a razor blade.

Ortima seemed unprepared, but just before Dokgo Yeon's foot could pierce his abdomen, a golden shield appeared and blocked it.

Crack!

With an unpleasant bursting sound, the shield shattered into fragments of light and scattered in the air.

Beyond it, Ortima was revealed, his arms crossed to block Dokgo Yeon.

"So you've finally forced me to use my hands."

"This is why they say if you're stupid, your body suffers. Or maybe you just lack discernment."

"How dare you!"

Bang!

Ortima's outstretched fist carried the same pressure and quality of force that had tried to make Dokgo Yeon kneel earlier, but now concentrated at least tenfold.

But Dokgo Yeon easily dodged it, opening her palm to push away his forearm.

Simultaneously, her rising foot finally connected with Ortima's chin.

Clang!

Ban Yu-won couldn't believe his ears.

Is that really the sound of a human foot meeting a chin?

"You bitch...!"

"As expected, your movements are incredibly awkward. Don't tell me someone even feeds you?"

Who's the one who came out here bragging about their long tongue?

Dokgo Yeon continued to insult her opponent while fiercely moving her arms and legs to press the attack.

Violent collision sounds rang out repeatedly.

Dokgo Yeon stretched her limbs freely to strike her opponent, while Ortima threw heavy and powerful blows but couldn't land a hit.

'Originally, that guy was probably used to suppressing and hitting opponents with that providence distortion or whatever, but since it doesn't work on Dokgo Yeon, this is the result.'

As Dokgo Yeon had said, it was clear even to Ban Yu-won that while Ortima's physical abilities were transcendent, he lacked experience in directly moving his body. He was being unilaterally beaten by Dokgo Yeon and retreating step by step.

However, despite Dokgo Yeon landing hits one-sidedly, each time there was a metallic sound that made Ban Yu-won wonder if it was coming from a human body or an iron wall.

"...Kuk, I won't forgive your insolence any longer. I'll kill you as you wish!"

"Death isn't a concept that a greenhorn like you should casually mention."

Kwaaaang!

A terrible energy exploded from Ortima's body, and even Dokgo Yeon had to retreat.

However, both the retreating Dokgo Yeon and the battered Ortima seemed fine, just as Ban Yu-won had thought.

Ortima and Dokgo Yeon exchanged glances and began to emit an even more ferocious aura.

At that moment.

"Alright, that's enough."

"...!"

Suddenly, Professor Yumina appeared between the two sparring individuals and declared.

Both Ortima and Dokgo Yeon seemed unable to accept it and drew up even more energy, but the moment Professor Yumina smiled gently and lightly released her power, both were 'disarmed'.

"Kuk?!"

"Hoo, hoooo."

The scent of flowers spread in all directions.

It quelled the boiling fighting spirit and calmed the agitated hearts.

Forcibly suppressing all energy and calming them down, they couldn't fight even if they wanted to.

Ban Yu-won sensed the concepts of flower (花) and harmony (和) simultaneously within it and unconsciously smiled.

Even Yumina, the possessor of this ability, probably wouldn't understand why Ban Yu-won smiled.

"Our academy doesn't particularly like students fighting each other to the death. I hope you'll only risk your lives in the tower. Do you both understand?"

"......"

"You're strong."

Ortima silently glared at Yumina before returning to his place, while Dokgo Yeon, seemingly impressed anew, stared intently at Yumina before nodding and returning to her group.

"Eek."

"Hoo."

As Dokgo Yeon returned, the terrified Luciel flinched and clung even more tightly to Ban Yu-won.

Dokgo Yeon, seemingly displeased with Luciel's behavior, glared at her before turning to Ban Yu-won with a smile.

"How was it?"

"It was quite helpful."

"Oh?"

Genuinely surprised by Ban Yu-won's sincere response, Dokgo Yeon's eyes widened before she broke into an even deeper smile.

Ban Yu-won then realized he had answered incorrectly.

He should have said he couldn't understand anything.

He's attracting more and more attention from this psycho!

"Associate Professor Parel, you're subject to disciplinary action. Both filling the first class with a sparring match and allowing it to continue without knowing the limits are major mistakes. Be prepared."

"Ah, understood!"

"Then, I'll be going. ...Ah."

Meanwhile, after severely reprimanding the now-named Associate Professor Parel, Yumina turned and noticed Ban Yu-won. She walked over gracefully and fixed his crumpled collar.

"A class president should have dignity. Have a good day."

This kid better not cause trouble, because I'm the one who appointed him as class president, and if he gets caught, he's dead.

Expressing something to that effect in what she would consider a dignified manner, Yumina disappeared from the spot without any warning, just as she had appeared.

However, Ban Yu-won, recognizing that Parel and the members of the special class were glaring at him with murderous intent, could only sigh again at how spectacularly Yumina's intentions had backfired.