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I got into school for nothing - Chapter 322

I got into school for nothing (322)

Lesson 63. Year 2 - 2

Ban Yuwon stared blankly at the back of the woman walking ahead of him, deep in thought.

"Didn't she just call me the Acting Commander?"

"My... posterior does have its charms, I admit."

The woman, sensing his gaze, said quietly without even turning around.

"Staring so intently makes me a little shy."

"No, I wasn't looking at your posterior."

"Then was it my tail?"

He had been looking at her, curious as to why she had uttered the words "Acting Commander," when his gaze was inadvertently drawn to the sight of her tail swaying from her rear.

As he hesitated, unsure how to respond, she let out a soft chuckle and continued.

"I know it's an unrefined appearance. You don't need to concern yourself."

"Huh? Oh, no. I actually find it charming. Rucell... one of my girlfriends, I mean, also has beast-kin characteristics."

"Ah."

Speechless for a moment, she closed her mouth and strode onward.

He heard her mutter, "So that's how he managed to charm our lady, who's as stiff as a board..." but he felt utterly wronged, as he genuinely had no intention of flattering or seducing her just then.

"So, the reason I was looking at you was..."

"It's Heukseol. I'd appreciate it if you'd speak to me informally."

"So, the reason I was looking at Heukseol's back was..."

"You're quite something."

Ban Yuwon thought Heukseol, who still hadn't turned around, was the more formidable one, but he quickly got to the point, as he didn't have the luxury of forming personal connections with her.

"I'm bothered by you calling me the Acting Commander."

"That's simple. The young lady was the Commander of the Myeolryongdan, the strongest armed force within Shin-gyo."

"I see."

"And Young Master, you've come here on behalf of our lady, haven't you?"

"Rather than on her behalf... I thought it was proper for me to personally meet her father and tell him what happened to Yeon."

"Wait."

Heukseol stopped and turned to face him.

She was clearly a cold and elegant beauty, yet now her mouth hung agape and her eyes were wide with shock, utterly ruining her dignified facade.

"Did you just say 'Yeon'? The young lady allowed you to address her by her given name?"

"Huh? Yes, I did. I call her Yeon, and Yeon calls me Won..."

"Ooh-ya..."

"Ooh-ya?"

Did this ice-cold beauty, who looked like she wouldn't even let out a whimper if stabbed with a knife, just utter the exclamation "Ooh-ya?"

As Ban Yuwon stared at her with an incredulous expression, Heukseol, belatedly regaining her composure, cleared her throat with a "hem" and turned back around.

"The Grandmaster is waiting."

"No, so what about me being the Acting Commander..."

"This way."

Dokgo Yeon never equivocated, but this woman, contrary to her appearance, was like a sly old serpent, unusually cunning.

It seemed she had no intention of giving him the answer he wanted, so Ban Yuwon just glared pointedly at her tail and ears as he followed.

It was even more annoying when she casually flicked her tail from side to side, as if she knew he was watching.

'If I react, I lose. Bear it. Bear it...!'

They soon entered a colossal hall, and the moment Ban Yuwon stepped into the corridor, he felt countless gazes descend upon him from unseen locations.

High-level stealth, difficult to pierce with just his Authority without the aid of his Giwon Sword, and an extremely refined killing intent.

As he admired the caliber of those guarding this hall, he simultaneously realized anew how his presence was being perceived by them, and a bitter smile touched his lips.

"Forgive them. Their cultivation is lacking."

"I suppose I should be the one begging them for forgiveness. Not that I intend to, however..."

"..."

What an irresponsible thing it was to beg for forgiveness.

Without even reflecting on one's own mistakes, wasn't it merely shedding responsibility and seeking personal comfort?

Ban Yuwon considered that an evasion.

He believed that only by bearing all the sorrow and regret of that day and overcoming it head-on, would he truly be worthy of facing her again.

"I have not been permitted entry. Please go in."

The door opened.

Ban Yuwon felt a heavy, oppressive aura bear down on him as he took a step forward.

Beyond the curtain drawn in the center of the spacious room, a figure became visible.

He knew instantly that it wasn't a mere clone.

The true body of Mumyeong.

The Grandmaster of Shin-gyo, the one whom individuals from higher dimensions revered as Cheonma, was seated there.

"So, we meet at last."

Creak— As soon as the door closed, Cheonma opened his mouth and spoke.

Ban Yuwon first offered him a deep bow, then straightened up and bowed his head once more as he spoke.

"I wish to speak about what happened to Yeon and me."

"There's no need; I already know. Have you forgotten who I am?"

Of course he knew. Wasn't he "No. 2," the Platinum member of Rebellion's fan club, Level Force?

Though the battle with Zenon couldn't be captured by Tikke, what had transpired was explained to some extent by the videos uploaded to the channel.

He had thought that a father who had lost his daughter would need a far more detailed account than that, but...

"I don't wish to exchange pleasantries. Tell me only why you came to find me directly."

"I need help."

In the end, Ban Yuwon had no choice but to speak his true feelings directly.

He thought he should choose his words more carefully, but he had no desire to engage in formalities before an absolute powerhouse.

"You're not bowing your head, begging to be killed."

"I don't want to turn any action Yeon took for me into a mistake or a fault."

"Of course, my daughter has never done anything wrong. If there is any fault, it lies with you."

As if the aura he had previously unleashed upon him was merely a jest, a terrible pressure, enough to tear him apart with its mere presence, bore down on him from all directions.

Ban Yuwon stood ramrod straight and endured it.

He neither stepped back, bent his waist, nor trembled his legs.

"Tsk..."

How long did he unleash such an intimidating aura?

Cheonma, witnessing Ban Yuwon endure it all, accepting the pressure even though he could have deflected it, withdrew his aura as quickly as he had unleashed it.

"Your eyes have changed somewhat. Yes, I accept your resolve."

The curtain was drawn back.

Seated there was a handsome middle-aged man, identical to Dokgo Yeon in every way except for his eyes.

However, he was missing an arm, and Ban Yuwon paused, reading a familiar aura from the severed limb's cross-section.

Cheonma let out a wry chuckle.

"What you've seen is correct. I ended up like this defending the Tower. Due to dimensional severance or some other unfathomable reason, I couldn't find a way to recover."

"Fortunately, I think I can help you with that."

As Ban Yuwon said this and stepped forward, Cheonma let out a hollow laugh.

"This is a wound that no one dared to touch for hundreds of years. And you think you can?"

As Ban Yuwon extended his hand, Cheonma considered whether he should exert a bit more discipline, but reminding himself once again that his daughter had sacrificed her life to save him, he suppressed the sharp impulse that surged forth.

However, the moment Ban Yuwon's hand touched the severed surface, he immediately sensed something abnormal.

"Ha."

It was a short exclamation, yet the astonishment he felt was fully conveyed.

The concepts of 'severance' and 'dimension,' which had resided in his wound for ages, tormenting him relentlessly, were now flowing out through Ban Yuwon's hand as if by magic.

He and Ban Yuwon were deeply connected through the existence of Dokgo Yeon, and merely that connection was sufficient to peel away the concepts clinging to the afflicted area.

"You... yes. You were the core after all."

Soon, all the energies that had suppressed Cheonma gathered into Ban Yuwon's hand.

Cheonma, who watched Ban Yuwon even store it elsewhere, let out a wry smile and nodded his head.

"In the end, that child was right. She truly is my daughter..."

"You should be fine now. There's something called a Candy of Life; if you consume that and circulate your internal energy, your arm might even regenerate."

"There's no need for that."

As Cheonma concentrated, stretching his shoulder into the air, an arm flew from somewhere and slapped right onto it.

The arm and shoulder, instantly reattached, were soon perfectly joined, so much so that not a single seam could be found, settling as if it had been that way from the very beginning.

Cheonma, bending his fingers as if checking the sensation of his recovered arm, nodded and spoke.

"It is a grateful deed. However, I will reward you separately for this, and I have no intention of forgiving your mistake in letting my daughter die."

"I have no intention of asking for forgiveness. As I said earlier, what happened between Yeon and me cannot be resolved by involving anyone else. It's something I must resolve myself."

"You certainly have a way with words."

Cheonma snapped his fingers, and a chair flew from somewhere, tapping Ban Yuwon behind the knees and making him sit on it.

Cheonma sat on his dais, looking down at him as he spoke quietly.

"You said you wanted help. Tell me what you desire."

"Please teach me. Anything would be fine, but it would be even better if it's something that would help me get closer to Yeon."

"There is nothing within the Shin-gyo Grandmaster's martial arts that is not precious. Our principle is 'Do not transmit to the unworthy,' meaning even one of my own blood would not be taught if their character were flawed."

"Then I would at least like to gain sparring experience."

"...Hmph, that was a joke."

Cheonma, who snorted at his uninteresting reaction, then said something that made Ban Yuwon nearly fall over in surprise.

"You are already a member of Shin-gyo and a candidate for the next Grandmaster. Your character still needs to be observed, but in recognition of your merit in healing the Grandmaster's long-standing wound, I will reduce the conditions. If so, there is no reason you cannot learn my martial arts."

"Wait, Grandmaster?"

"You shall call me Father."

"You're joking, right?"

"The Shin-gyo Grandmaster does not joke."

But you just said it was a joke!

However, it was obvious that if he argued back, he would only get a response like, "Son-in-law... talking back?!"

Ban Yuwon could only gape, unable to utter a word.

How had it come to this?

Thinking back, something had felt amiss ever since he learned Hyunsingong from Dokgo Yeon.

No matter how he looked at it, it strongly felt like a secret art passed down directly to the Grandmaster's successor.

He had thought there wouldn't be any problems as long as he didn't go to Murim, but come to think of it, hadn't he just walked right into it himself?

No, wait a minute, could it be that Heukseol calling him the Acting Commander earlier was a foreshadowing of this?

"Do you not wish to become Grandmaster?"

"No, it's something I hadn't even conceived of, so..."

"Then bring my daughter here as soon as possible."

He closed his mouth again at the sharp voice.

Soon, realizing it was Cheonma's unique way of encouragement, he nodded.

"I will do so, as quickly as possible."

"Good. The transmission of martial arts will begin tomorrow at dawn, so return here then. Until then, Heukseol will attend to you."

"Understood."

As he emerged after finishing his audience with his father-in-law, Heukseol, who had been waiting for him, bowed deeply and said.

"Congratulations, Commander."

"Your demeanor and title seem to have changed a little."

"Well, of course, I couldn't serve someone who might die as my superior."

It was foreshadowing after all.

Now that even the word 'acting' was gone, he was undeniably a core figure of Shin-gyo!

No, wait a minute.

"So, Heukseol, you thought I might go in there and die?"

"Honestly, I'm still puzzled. If I had the power, I would have broken at least one of your arms."

"She's quite different from my first impression in many ways," Ban Yuwon chuckled.

"Please show me where to sleep. He said the lessons start tomorrow."

"Lessons? Surely the Grandmaster isn't personally transmitting martial arts, is he?"

To Heukseol, who was staring at him with disbelieving eyes, Ban Yuwon, whose heart was considerably lighter than before meeting Cheonma, said with a touch of humor.

"Are you jealous?"

"I pity you."

"Huh?"

"Even the young lady cried her eyes out... I wonder how long you'll be able to endure."

As Ban Yuwon's expression turned serious watching Heukseol shake her head, she added one more thing.

"And you can't sleep today. As the Myeolryongdan Commander, there are many urgent matters you must attend to. Follow me, it's overtime."

"You're actually an Earthling, aren't you?"

"That's a novel approach, but I wouldn't dare lay a hand on the young lady's man, so please behave yourself."

Ban Yuwon found Shin-gyo increasingly unfathomable.

Adding to that, Cheonma's martial arts transmission, which began without a moment's rest after the all-night overtime he was made to work, truly made him cry his eyes out.