I got into school for nothing - 146
I got into school for nothing (146)
Lesson 30. Final Exams - 1
Wednesday afternoon, after all classes had ended.
Ban Yuwon was having dinner with Yumina, for the first time in a while.
His Rebellion members wouldn't be too pleased if they knew, but there were things only the two of them could discuss, so it couldn't be helped.
"So you were just guarding the Tower all evening?"
"Until dawn, to be precise. I certainly didn't expect it to drag on for so long. At least I managed to escape after one wave finally ended. It's a real blessing that the flow of time inside the Tower pauses once you leave it, truly."
Ban Yuwon yawned, as if to show that the toll of staying up all night still lingered.
Yumina, finding Ban Yuwon's appearance endearing, smiled broadly, but then her expression suddenly hardened.
"Rather than simply keeping it hidden, I thought it would be better to open up and hear what you have to say."
"I appreciate you thinking that way, but..."
Yumina tilted her wine glass, offering a bitter smile.
"It would be best not to discuss it much with others. As it is, the Rebellion team's explorations already draw a lot of attention, don't they? This is a place where only 'unique' and 'special' individuals from across all dimensions gather, so everyone is quite sensitive about such matters."
"I understand what you mean. It's like a student who routinely aced their entire high school class gets into an elite university, only to find it's full of others who not only topped their classes but also swept national competitions, making them feel a sense of relative deprivation."
"Uh, yeah... something like that, perhaps?"
Though Ban Yuwon's analogy was a bit hard to grasp, Yumina, hearing about what he had experienced, felt a renewed certainty.
Indeed, her decision to choose him had not been wrong.
He was truly destined to be the key person of Union Academy—no, of the Tower of Babel itself.
"Promise me, then. From now on, you won't speak to anyone about the specifics of your solo exploration."
"Uh..."
"...You've already told someone, haven't you?"
When Ban Yuwon explained the conversation he had shared with Aire, Yumina made a mischievous expression, reaching out a hand to pinch his cheek.
"Was it because you wanted to get close to student Aire? Hmm?"
"It's a common truth that sharing secrets strengthens bonds, isn't it? I thought it was a good opportunity, if only to emphasize that I trust Aire."
At Ban Yuwon's confident demeanor, Yumina sighed.
She knew that ever since he expanded the Union Journey Club, Ban Yuwon had been deliberately moving to form a 'faction' within the Academy.
If his actions weren't merely for the sake of impressing a girl, but rather a calculated move after thoroughly assessing Aire as an individual, aimed at drawing her to his side, then she had no grounds to object.
"Truly... while I do believe she's a trustworthy person, she is, for now, a student under Professor Cantone. It would be best to somehow block any potential route for information to leak."
"I'll restrain myself in the future. ...Hmm, but there's something I'm curious about."
"Yes?"
Yumina was more wary of Cantone than Aire, a sentiment Ban Yuwon fully shared.
Hadn't Cantone been involved in most of the incidents he'd encountered at the Academy so far?
However, what was gradually bothering him at this point was why individuals like Cantone and Lyu Cheolmyeong were so wary of him and so desperate to undermine him.
Whether it was that damned pure-blood ideology or something else, wasn't it the students who ultimately climbed the Tower?
There should be no element of competition interfering with the relationship between professors and students.
From their actions, it seemed that those professors, rather than the students, considered Ban Yuwon even more of a thorn in their side.
"Well, it's not openly declared, but... strictly speaking, professors and students are indeed in a competitive relationship."
Yumina uttered something unexpected.
The moment he heard those words, a flash of lightning ignited in Ban Yuwon's mind.
"Do professors enter the Tower too, by any chance? When exactly... during vacation?"
"That's right. Two months in total, one month twice during each vacation period. For adjunct professors, it's mostly different, but at least one to two weeks."
"I see... So, while you can no longer enter the Tower once you graduate from the Academy, becoming a professor there grants you the continued opportunity to climb it. Naturally, everyone would want to become a professor then."
Only now did Ban Yuwon fully understand the operational structure of Union Academy.
"Do you understand? Not only students who are competing at your level, but even more so, professors who have stayed at the Academy for a much longer time, desperately striving to climb the Tower, are incredibly sensitive to 'new things.' They simply hold back because they'll get scolded by the Headmaster if they openly check or suppress students. But those who couldn't stand it and ultimately crossed the line..."
Getting scolded by the Headmaster, as if they were children.
Though he almost burst out laughing at her manner of speaking, Ban Yuwon barely managed to follow her words.
"...They've been replaced, then."
"Of course, the replacement of a full professor isn't a frequent occurrence. But adjunct professors, lacking experience, often make childish mistakes, and replacements happen every few years or so."
Just this year alone, an adjunct professor had been expelled.
Ban Yuwon shrugged, recalling the stooge of Exodus whose name he couldn't even remember anymore.
"This vacation, one full professor will also be cut off."
"Are you certain?"
"Aren't you too?"
"That's..."
Yumina couldn't deny it.
At the same time, she bit her lip, feeling helpless that, even now, with Lyu Cheolmyeong's true intentions laid bare, she couldn't step forward to deal with him herself.
"The truth is, I spoke to the Headmaster about the relic obtained during this special activity. I did, but..."
"It didn't go well, I suppose."
Most of the members were already certain that Lyu Cheolmyeong would try some trickery during the long-term special activity scheduled for this vacation.
Even though Lyu Cheolmyeong's greatsword had been discovered during the last special activity, it was never enough to serve as direct evidence to sanction him.
"Of course, my request to accompany you was also denied. Instead, he said he would turn a blind eye to us providing you each with a Study Talisman like last time... Perhaps he even wants you to confront Professor Lyu Cheolmyeong."
"So he wants to use us to get rid of Lyu Cheolmyeong? What on earth does he take students for?"
"He values your potential very highly. While it might be presumptuous of me to speculate on his thoughts, it seems he believes that a confrontation with Professor Lyu Cheolmyeong will be beneficial for your growth."
"That's truly an enormous nuisance..."
He'd thought as much from the beginning; the man truly never took the initiative to do anything proactively.
To think he'd even neglect the situation, knowing Lyu Cheolmyeong would attack Ban Yuwon!
Ban Yuwon sighed at the Chancellor's cold-hearted actions.
He didn't seem to be an enemy, but that entity was certainly no ally of Ban Yuwon's.
"Lyu Cheolmyeong is by no means a pushover. I know everyone is preparing in various ways, but truly powerful strength can forcibly smash through all traps."
"Even so, it's a situation where we have no choice but to confront him. ...We'll have to try."
Most of Lyu Cheolmyeong's combat patterns could be perfectly replicated by Livi, who wielded the relic, and Ban Yuwon and the other members were preparing for their confrontation with Lyu Cheolmyeong through ceaseless sparring with Livi.
Of course, as a relic from the past, it would differ from Lyu Cheolmyeong's current methods, but if they could perfectly interpret even a part of what constituted Lyu Cheolmyeong, it would undoubtedly work to their advantage when they faced him later.
Despite that, the gap with their opponent was still enormous...
"I need to somehow grow before we leave for the special activity."
His solo exploration, where he had only overcome a single wave and had no idea when he would clear it.
And his recent team explorations, which seemed to be progressing smoothly, but for that very reason, offered no hope of dramatic growth.
With little to gain from the Tower right now, Ban Yuwon was suffering from an acute impatience, feeling he had to somehow perfect his martial arts.
Even though he knew that impatience wouldn't solve the problem, he couldn't control his feelings, making him wonder if this was truly a sign of his immaturity.
"It's okay."
At that moment, Yumina reached across the table and gently pulled Ban Yuwon's head into a light hug.
Her unique floral scent enveloped him, swiftly calming his agitated heart.
Is this what it would feel like to have an older sister...? Ah, well, he did have one by family registration, but let's exclude that person for a moment.
"These words might sound irresponsible, but if push comes to shove, you can just run away. I'll make sure to prepare countermeasures so you can escape safely in any situation."
"But then we'd fail the special activity, wouldn't we?"
"You are the most important."
Yumina's unwavering voice steadied Ban Yuwon.
"Even if you fail, that's all it is. If you just manage to survive, you can prove Professor Lyu Cheolmyeong's misdeeds. In that scenario, whether you succeeded or failed the special activity will be utterly meaningless."
"...But, escape."
"Just think of it as a last resort, that's all."
Yumina patted his shoulder and whispered, as if to reassure him.
"The Headmaster is a rather strict person, but he doesn't demand anything unreasonable. I believe your abilities will certainly allow you to navigate any situation well."
"...Thank you."
Ban Yuwon finally nodded his head.
Thanks to her comfort, his impatience vanished, but the question of why Yumina treated him with such exceptional kindness still lingered.
...Perhaps he would find out soon enough.
He carefully considered that it might even be related to Yumina's reasons for becoming a full professor and climbing the Tower.
* * *
From then on, whenever Ban Yuwon had free time, he would enter the Tower alone and participate in the Tower construction site defense.
After overcoming a single wave, several hours would have passed, and since both he and his familiars would inevitably be exhausted, he had to quickly exit the Tower.
Not only had all of Ban Yuwon's concepts slowly but surely grown, but the immense amount of concepts obtained from solo explorations was particularly helpful in advancing his familiars.
Having worked hard until Thursday night, he entered the Tower with his party on Friday morning.
The team exploration was exceptionally smooth.
Judging by the standards of Eden, the reward space that appeared every 10 rooms, treasure chests didn't appear, but should one say it was a difficulty level where the 'Blood Wine' and 'Life Fruit' flowing in Eden invariably manifested?
In the Tower's diverse environments, Ban Yuwon wielded the varied powers of concepts, slowly perfecting his martial arts. Dokgo Yeon, as always, ended all foes with a single sword stroke, while Rucell grew increasingly adept at handling weapons, now exuding the aura of a veritable master of lightning.
And as for Light:
"Ugh...!"
Proportionate to his ever-increasing level and spear techniques, the periods of his suffering were becoming shorter and more frequent.
"Light, are you really okay?"
"I... said I'm fine...! I'm fine, I've gotten used to handling this power now...!"
"Light..."
It was to such an extent that even Dokgo Yeon, who usually pushed Light relentlessly, sent him a worried glance.
However, as if his special training with Aire was truly paying off, his raw power itself was growing steeply.
He had grown strong enough to put up a fairly close fight even if you brought back the Light from the beginning of the semester, who had gone on a rampage with his holy sword.
"The increasingly rapid cycle of pain means my power is growing smoothly. ...I'm no longer swayed by the holy sword."
"That line just now was incredibly protagonist-like. Though I'm worried it means a 'darkening' development might be waiting for you later."
"I'm in agonizing pain, don't say weird things, Ban...!"
The team exploration of the 12th week, undertaken by each member with their own firm intentions, yielded the splendid achievement of reaching Room 80 over the course of three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Though they had numerically cleared 15 rooms last week, considering that the difficulty increased the deeper they went into the Tower, this could be literally called a rapid advance.
Light, who had been grunting and struggling throughout the clearing of Room 79, only regained his normal condition after eating one Life Fruit and drinking Blood Wine from Room 80.
"Hmm, so now all that's left is the two-week long-term exploration granted before the special activity, is that right?"
Dokgo Yeon, having checked the time in Room 80 and confirmed it was time to leave, sparingly ate the apple-shaped Life Fruit that was her share, muttering to herself.
"When I first became part of this team with you all, I thought it would be fortunate if we even reached Room 100 within a semester, but it seems we'll easily achieve at least that much."
"Dokgo Yeon was scarier back then..."
Ban Yuwon said something unnecessary and got hit by Dokgo Yeon.
However, if it had been their relationship at the start of the semester, he wouldn't have even imagined joking and bickering like this, so the emotions Ban Yuwon truly felt were extraordinary.
This was a good team.
He wanted to stay with them until the very end, if possible.
"Ah, speaking of which, next week marks the start of a two-week exam period."
"Strangely, time seems to have flown by incredibly fast."
"Because there hasn't been much stimulus. For that very reason, look forward to this vacation. It'll feel incredibly long."
"Such bravado."
Dokgo Yeon scoffed at Ban Yuwon's bravado, laughing at him.
"Before that, you should focus on doing well on the exams."
"I've already had Light and Rucell study in preparation for the final exams, so you can rest assured about that part."
The simulated constellation battle, which could have been a major variable, saw all four of them performing surprisingly well, so there would be no major issues in receiving their evaluations.
"More than that, the key point of this exam is... them."
"Now that you mention it."
At Ban Yuwon's words, Dokgo Yeon also nodded seriously.
Them.
The reason the special admissions seniors, who belonged to the Union Journey Club, first joined the club.
Wasn't it precisely to raise the exam scores of those who occupied the bottom ranks of each grade?
The time had finally come for their efforts over the past few months to be fairly evaluated.
Rebellion. The beginning of the uprising.
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