I got into school for nothing - 12
I got into school for nothing (12)
Lesson 3. This is your pet - 4
Yumina had only asked him to find a city if there was a road near the dungeon, saying nothing more, but Ban Yuwon understood why as soon as he emerged from the dungeon.
“Could the Chancellor be something like a ruler of the human world?”
“Shhhik, shh-shh-it.”
The dungeon exit he had emerged from was a tiny, natural-looking cave formed at the base of a mountain, and looking around, he saw piles of such caves.
It was easy to guess that each one of them was a dungeon, and it was also roughly predictable that the formation of these dungeons was extremely artificial.
Considering that Union Academy conducted practical evaluations for its incoming students in dungeons, it didn't take long to conclude that the Chancellor must have been the one to arrange such measures.
‘Even if he can’t control the creation of dungeons, perhaps he can designate where they appear.’
And naturally, as soon as one left such a densely packed dungeon area, there was a road.
After all, for easy management, it would be best to form a cluster in a place easily accessible to people!
“It’s even right in front of my nose...”
Tall buildings visible beyond, the faint hum of civilization.
Even walking, it would take no more than 30 minutes.
Professor Yumina must have known this from the start, so the Spring Shrine would naturally be in that city.
“Shhh-rurr-ut.”
“Huh? Oh...”
Eve gently squeezed Ban Yuwon’s arm.
He glanced over and saw the creature tilting its head skyward. Following its gaze, he looked up and....
There, a colossal floating island hovered.
It was too high up to see clearly, but even so, he could make out the shape of a tower jutting up from its center.
“No way, that’s our academy, isn’t it?”
“Shhh-eak.”
Ever since Eve gained its yokai-like form, Ban Yuwon had somehow been able to understand its intentions.
It seemed the creature had been looking for the Tower of Babel, which was supposed to rise from the ground.
Since it was a continuous plain with few mountains, if the academy were nearby, the Tower of Babel should naturally be visible.
But it wasn't visible, and filled with doubt, he had looked up, only to discover that floating island.
“I was completely fooled. I didn’t realize it when I saw it from Professor Yumina’s room...”
It was highly probable that either his line of sight wasn't sufficient, or it was being concealed by magic or some similar means.
In any case, there was nothing in his current environment that wasn't fantastical, which was truly absurd.
Lost in thought over the floating island, he walked until, before he knew it, the city was just ahead.
Ban Yuwon was surprised, wondering if much time had already passed, but he hadn't fully considered his improved physical abilities.
“Hold it right there! You’re an unfamiliar face.”
A person burst out from a large building situated in the border zone between civilization and nature, blocking Ban Yuwon’s path.
Even before he heard the person’s voice, Eve had already turned transparent, seemingly possessing superior senses to Ban Yuwon. RANo;BES
“Oh.”
“Prove your identity! Are you a monster disguised as a human?!”
Ban Yuwon let out a gasp of admiration upon seeing the person blocking his way.
The person was wearing a unique suit: form-fitting spandex covered by matte metallic parts protecting critical areas like the chest and groin.
“No, I’m human. Union...”
“No, you idiot! He’s a Union Academy student!”
Just as Ban Yuwon was about to reveal his identity, another person, wearing the same uniform, rushed out of the building and delivered a sharp smack to the first person's head.
Immediately afterward, he scrutinized Ban Yuwon’s attire. He frowned slightly upon seeing the blue-striped decoration on his uniform (which instantly revealed him as a Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions student), but then, spotting the brooch pinned to his chest, he blanched and snapped to attention, saluting sharply.
“Greetings! I am Milton, head of the 3rd outpost responsible for guarding the western border of the academy city, Ronica!”
“Hah, I’m Dallon, outpost sentry...!”
Judging by Milton’s reaction, it seemed that even external humans were well aware of what a Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions student from Union Academy was, and even looked down on them somewhat. However, the brooch personally pinned on him by Yumina seemed to have instantly shattered those prejudices.
He had thought that there was no way she would give him such a precious-looking brooch just to buy alcohol, but it seemed Professor Yumina had truly taken a liking to him.
Should he be happy about this, or should he brace himself?
Ban Yuwon suppressed a sigh trying to escape and greeted them.
“Um... hello? I’m Ban Yuwon, a first-year student at Union.”
“How did you... get here? A first-year, meaning you just enrolled today? Do you perhaps have official leave permission...?”
“Idiot! How could a new academy student get outside without the Chancellor’s approval?!”
He didn't know for sure, but he had a feeling Dallon’s head wouldn't remain intact after Ban Yuwon left.
“Ban Yuwon-nim, are you returning after clearing a dungeon?”
“-nim... Yes, well, something like that. They said I could explore freely.”
“We are truly grateful. We can’t even lift our heads to the academy personnel who preemptively block the unpredictable threat of the dungeons.”
“Is that why there’s an outpost too?”
“Precisely.”
Milton, whose gaze had visibly softened upon hearing that Ban Yuwon had cleared a dungeon, chuckled and explained.
“Although we somehow control dungeon creation with the Chancellor’s Authority, we never know when the overflowing dimensional energy might create another irregular dungeon. That’s why we have many outposts on the city’s outskirts to keep watch. And it’s hard to use machines when dungeons are entangled. Haha.”
Hard to use machines when dungeons are entangled?
Were there even machines in this world to begin with?
Ban Yuwon, about to ask such a foolish question, immediately clamped his mouth shut.
This was a world that treated Earth as a lower-ranked dimension.
Even if they weren't the kind of machines Ban Yuwon knew, it wouldn't be strange at all for this world to have developed its own unique machines.
“Come now, don’t stand out here. Let’s go inside. Do you need any guidance...?”
“Then, could you tell me the way to the Spring Shrine?”
Putting his questions aside for now, Ban Yuwon decided to accept their guidance.
Milton had clearly mentioned Ronica earlier, so he should be able to find the Spring Shrine within the city.
At the mention of the Spring Shrine, Milton, for some reason, glanced once more at the brooch on Ban Yuwon’s chest, then nodded and spoke.
“I will escort you myself. Dallon, don’t fall asleep on guard duty.”
“Commander?!”
“Come, let’s go.”
If someone treated him with such respect, there was no reason to refuse.
Furthermore, thinking that someone of an outpost commander’s standing would make a suitable bodyguard, Ban Yuwon readily accepted his offer of accompaniment.
Past the outpost, the road immediately expanded.
Buildings seemed to appear sporadically at first, but after just five more minutes of walking, a city rivaling modern-day Seoul in grandeur spread out before them.
Surprisingly, sleek, streamlined vehicles, apparently designed for urban transit, were speeding along — every single one of them floating in the air.
Not only that, but these vehicles were moving on flashing, holographic roads constructed in the sky!
“I want to buy one of those.”
“You mean a hovercar.”
He already knew about them, but hearing the word "hovercar," familiar yet foreign, gave him a fresh and undeniable sci-fi sensation.
“Haha, you won’t be able to ride it on the floating island anyway.”
“What if I keep it in my inventory normally and only ride it when I come down here?”
“...You’ve already received an inventory? And today’s your enrollment day?”
Oh, right, he remembered now that inventories were only given to students who achieved special accomplishments at the academy!
Ban Yuwon began to feel a little burdened by Milton's increasingly reverent attitude, as if he were looking at a rope of advancement sent from the heavens.
“So... how much would it cost?”
“For a cheap, mass-produced model, I think you could buy one for around 200,000 Ronias, including the safety training fee.”
Ban Yuwon was learning about this world's currency system for the first time.
“Excuse me, but I’m not from this world. How much would that be in gold? I brought quite a bit, but I don’t know the prices here...”
“Gold?!”
Could there possibly be a problem with gold? Was it treated as a cheap mineral in such a high-ranking dimension? Or was there a negative aspect of gold undiscovered on Earth...
Just as Ban Yuwon’s thoughts were wildly spiraling due to Milton’s over-the-top reaction, Milton cautiously asked, trembling slightly.
“If you brought ‘quite a bit,’ then how much might that be, perhaps...?”
“Uh, could we go to the bank first?”
Ban Yuwon, sensing something from his tone, made a suggestion instead of answering, and Milton nodded firmly, as if agreeing that it was a better idea.
* * *
To put it bluntly.
In this world, or at least within Ronica, gold held more than ten times the value it did on Earth.
While gold was certainly a precious metal on Earth, its value increased exponentially when brought to a higher-ranking dimension that dealt with mana.
Gold was precisely the most favored material for all kinds of magical tools, a catalyst for high-level magic, an ingredient for magic circles, and, among other things, the most efficient material for anything related to mana or magical power!
“Your account creation is complete. Please check your balance.”
Having gone this far, Ban Yuwon also completed the opening of a personal account at Ronica’s bank (remarkably, the registration was done using his magical power, a possibility because every being’s magical power is unique). He accepted the small crystal politely offered by the bank teller.
This crystal served as both an account and a payment card, and apparently, one could rest assured that even if it were stolen, it couldn't be used if the magical power structure of the user was different.
[Ban Yuwon-nim’s Account Balance: 7,530,000 Ronias]
Ban Yuwon had handed over one 1-kilogram gold bar to the bank.
After various fees for account issuance and other services, the net amount he received was 7,530,000 Ronias.
Having confirmed that 1 Ronia was roughly equivalent to 100 Won, it meant he had earned 750 million Won by selling just one gold bar.
He still had 99 more identical ones in his inventory.
The price increased tenfold just by changing dimensions—so this is why everyone engages in trade!
“That’s right.”
“Thank you for using our Central Bank. Have a good day.”
"My grandfather’s words that gold works everywhere in the world weren’t wrong at all," Ban Yuwon thought, nodding as he exited the bank.
“Now, then, shall we go? I will escort you to the highest-class hovercar dealership!”
“No, I’m sorry to keep you accompanying me for so long. You must have other duties...”
“It’s fine. However, if you would perhaps buy me a small snack, I would gratefully accept.”
Whether it was a lower-ranked dimension or a higher-ranked dimension, soldiers were hungry all the same, he realized.
Having gained a valuable insight, and also being curious about the snacks in this world, Ban Yuwon followed his guide and strolled through the city’s commercial district.
It was just an ordinary city, except for the hovercars darting through the sky, people who looked more like monsters than any humans he knew walking by, and holograms popping up everywhere, enticing customers instead of real people.
“Hmm, even the chicken skewers from the street stall taste similar.”
There was, however, the minor difference that the street stall itself floated through the sky, seeking out customers.
“It’s not chicken, but made from the leg meat of a Meruda, a monster. Ah, there it is!”
I just ate monster leg meat?
Milton, who seemed even more excited than Ban Yuwon, pulled the shocked Ban Yuwon, who had dropped his skewer, towards a colossal building.
On the first, second, and third floors, all sorts of magical tools powered by magical energy were being sold, and Ban Yuwon couldn't help but be reminded of Yongsan Electronics Market.
Milton, seeing Ban Yuwon looking around, smiled and said.
“Haha, many interesting things are released. I heard that even on the floating island where the academy is located, machines work properly inside the buildings protected by the Chancellor’s barrier, so you might want to buy a few.”
And it was then that he finally understood: all devices powered by magical energy were referred to as "machines" in this world!
‘Ah, so that’s it. Well, a machine is generally a device that operates with power. I’m used to electronic devices, but this world’s primary power source is mana. Magical power machines—that was obvious.’
It was truly an absurd realization.
Following Milton's recommendation, he picked out a few "machines" that caught his interest and paid for them. The total came to a whopping 300,000 Ronias.
“That’s expensive.”
“Hahaha, this is the highest-class store, after all...”
The fourth floor was finally the hovercar dealership, but at the mention of state-of-the-art off-road hoverbikes being displayed on the fifth floor, Ban Yuwon’s steps were drawn there as if enchanted.
“Surely the bike offers a better sense of speed, right?”
“Oh, but it might be more challenging to ride. Plus, an off-road bike sounds exciting for speeding outside the city, but if you accidentally enter a dungeon area, it’s effectively abandoned...”
“Our Reford’s state-of-the-art off-road bikes are designed to withstand dungeon mana fluctuations for long periods, as long as they don’t directly enter a dungeon!”
Perhaps the news that Ban Yuwon had readily paid 300,000 Ronias for magical tools on the lower floor had spread?
A hovercar dealership employee approached them, saw the brooch pinned to Ban Yuwon’s chest, and continued explaining with a bright smile.
“What’s more, it’s designed with a replaceable core, so if it sustains excessive damage, you can swap it out right away. We’re currently running a campaign. If you purchase during this period, you can exchange the mana core at production cost up to twice within three years!”
“No, even so, it means you have to be prepared for damage after all!”
“No, no, it’s merely insurance for unforeseen circumstances. The new model, ‘Onyx,’ just released this month, is already scheduled for ten deliveries to the Dimensional Border Guard. It’s clear proof that our Reford’s development capabilities surpass even the military’s! How about it, customer? Would you like to take a look?”
Although he didn't know what the Dimensional Border Guard did, the fact that Milton, who had been quite heated until now, had fallen silent, suggested they were quite reputable.
Ban Yuwon followed the employee upstairs, and captivated by the Onyx’s sleek, streamlined body and its sharply protruding front fender—a design without a single flaw in his eyes—he found himself paying for it as if possessed.
“3,500,000 Ronias... no, with the campaign discount applied, that would be 3,200,000 Ronias. Oh my goodness, in one lump sum! Thank you!”
Converted to Korean Won, that was 320 million Won. It was the biggest splurge of Ban Yuwon’s life.
But why did they keep looking at the brooch on his chest while talking about campaign discounts?
Ban Yuwon vowed to ask Professor Yumina about the brooch once he returned to the academy.
“If it flies in the sky, there won’t be any mud splashing, so why does it have fenders?”
“You’ve misunderstood, customer. This sharp part isn’t a front fender, but a reinforced component. It’s designed to inject magical power to break through obstacles blocking the path or, conversely, to block attacks.”
“Why on earth does a hoverbike need a function to attack enemies?”
Ban Yuwon was the one who bought the bike, but Milton was still grumbling.
The employee’s professionalism, in patiently answering his questions to the very end, was truly remarkable.
“As I mentioned before, it’s a premium product made in preparation for combat situations. Why else would the Dimensional Border Guard be so eager for them? Look, here’s the number engraved! Only 50 units of this product were ever manufactured, and this is the 7th one produced.”
“The device explanation can probably be checked later in the manual.”
Fearing that the Q&A would go on endlessly if left unchecked, Ban Yuwon interjected and asked the employee.
“Can I get driving lessons, perhaps?”
“I was just about to mention it. Our company can handle the license issuance for you. You can take the test right away or receive training.”
“Then I’ll take the test tomorrow.”
“Understood!”
Among the relics he brought from Earth, there was one that he could put to good use here.
Moreover, if things went well, he might even be able to operate this bike in ways the developers themselves couldn’t imagine.
‘It really was a good idea to stop by the city after all.’
Having finished his satisfying shopping, Ban Yuwon could finally head to his original destination, the Spring Shrine.
However, the special treatment he had received elsewhere in the city was mere child's play compared to this place.
The moment Ban Yuwon stepped inside the Spring Shrine, a temple composed of white stone pathways centered around a magnificent, cathedral-like building, the priests who spotted him reacted as if struck by lightning!
“Someone wearing Yumina-nim’s brooch has arrived!”
“What? Escort him further inside the temple!”
“Don’t just stand there, come this way!”
“Come, come, please sit down!”
The priests paid absolutely no attention to his school uniform.
They fussed over him, bringing various things, telling him to drink, to eat, asking if his seat was uncomfortable, so much so that it took a full five minutes before he could even introduce himself and bring up the main topic.
“I am Ban Yuwon, a student of the academy. Today, I came to visit on behalf of Professor Yumina. She would like to purchase two bottles of the fruit wine produced here, the Honey Moon...”
“They are already prepared.”
“What?”
“Because there is only one reason for her to visit our temple.”
It was the moment Yumina’s image definitively shifted in Ban Yuwon’s mind.
“We will also present a bottle to Ban Yuwon-nim as a gift, so please do try it.”
“What? No, I’m still a minor...”
Ban Yuwon, about to say he was a minor, then paused to consider and realized he was now twenty years old.
Wasn't that an age where it was fine to drink alcohol?
“One cannot enter the academy before turning 17, can they? In Union, if you’re over 17, you are considered an adult.”
“I am eighteen years old, by international age, but...”
“There are no problems at all then.”
Moreover, with the priest confirming it, Ban Yuwon, who secretly thought it was a good opportunity, decided to initiate his drinking experience with Honey Moon.
“Thank you for visiting us today. Please also extend our regards to Yumina-nim.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Of course, he could roughly guess why they were so utterly devoted to Yumina, and to him, who wore Yumina’s brooch, simply by observing their appearance.
Blue or pale skin, hair made of leaves. Occasionally, flower buds blossoming on their crowns.
They were probably of the same race as Yumina.
Indeed, he should have realized it from the moment they called it the temple of the Spring God.
“Well then, I’ll be going...”
Unable to endure the priests' overwhelming fervor, which made it seem like they'd feed him dinner and even put him to sleep if he stayed still, Ban Yuwon immediately rose from his seat as soon as he received the drink.
And sure enough, saying they couldn't let him go just like that, the priests pressed a box full of handmade treats from the shrine into his arms.
"You'll be back soon, won't you? Tell us which snacks you liked, and we'll prepare even more for you next time."
"But..."
Just what was Yumina to all of them, anyway?
Though those words rose to his throat, Ban Yuwon instinctively realized that getting needlessly entangled with this would only make things more bothersome, so he swallowed them whole.
No, but what was that?
That he'd be back again soon?
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