I got into school for nothing - Chapter 357
I got into school for nothing (357)
Lesson 70. No Intention of Giving an Opening - 3
Starting from the following Monday, the fact that it was midterm season, during which Tower exploration and special activities were prohibited, put a halt to Ban Yuwon’s plans of dragging everyone along.
Of course, given his current grades, skipping one midterm wouldn’t cause any particular issues. Moreover, he didn’t place much value on graduating from Union Academy in the first place. Nevertheless, rules were rules.
Ultimately, what the Chancellor allowed was special activities for Ban Yuwon and one companion.
Citing the concern that it wouldn’t look good for both the student council president and vice-president to be continuously absent, Aire decided to remain at the Academy this time.
“I don’t like this at all.”
“I’ll make sure to protect Yuwon well!”
The one chosen instead was—perhaps it could be considered obvious? It was Asha, the Dragonoid, who, much like Aire, shared a deep connection with True Dragons and possessed powerful abilities to assist Ban Yuwon.
“I’ll protect the Academy.”
“I’m not worried since the Chancellor is here, but please look after the people from Fridwen.”
“Understood.”
“Leave it to me, Master. They’ll all become reliable allies for you.”
Rucell added, her eyes sparkling.
Indeed, Fridwen was one of the Ten Great Families that had agreed to forge an even deeper alliance with Ban Yuwon.
It was unimaginable that a dimension ruled by one of the Ten Great Families would be destroyed overnight, but given the precedent of Juventa, they had no choice but to accept it.
Although they had fled from a dying world, they had succeeded in preserving as much of their family’s elite forces as possible.
The reason they had headed directly to Union, of all places, was not because they relied on the Chancellor, but because they relied on Ban Yuwon.
As long as their intentions aligned with his, they would henceforth fight as a more steadfast shield for his allies than anyone else.
“Yawn... I’m not late.”
As Rucell stepped back, Mira was next.
Dressed in a white lab coat, as if she had been experimenting late into the night, her impressive figure hurried over, a crowbar clutched in one hand.
She, too, realized it belatedly, tucking the crowbar into her inventory as she approached, then embracing Ban Yuwon.
“Things have really gone crazy. You have to come back safely, darling. And don’t mind what anyone else says.”
“Of course, Mira. And Professor Campanella?”
“He burned himself out completely and then collapsed into a deep sleep.”
Mira, who said this with a chuckle, pulled something from within her lab coat and pressed it into Ban Yuwon’s hand.
“It’s extremely unstable. Think of it as a prototype and be prepared to discard it if things go wrong. It should hold up at least once.”
“Alright, I’ll make sure to collect proper experimental data. You really worked hard, Mira. Thank you.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to make it without you anyway. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”
Mira, who had showered him with flamboyant kisses, stepped back with a satisfied expression, admiring Ban Yuwon, who was now covered in kiss marks.
“With this, no strange things will cling to you on Earth, right?”
“You just wanted to kiss him; what an endless string of excuses.”
In response to Asha’s pointed glare and words, Mira snorted and retorted.
“If I did everything I wanted to right now, Yuwon wouldn’t be able to go to Earth.”
“I guess I should go and come back quickly.”
If their departure was delayed any further, it was clear that others would also cling to him, inevitably extending their farewell.
Looking up at the sky where dawn was just breaking, Ban Yuwon idly wondered whose sun that was for a moment, then summoned Lilyth and had her transform into a spaceship.
Ever since absorbing the Dragon Bone Battleship, Lilyth had preferred a huge and magnificent sailing ship form, but in reality, it was all for show, with practicality in space being close to zero. Thus, after being scolded by Eve, she had reverted to her original spaceship form.
Of course, the entire spaceship was thinly coated with True Dragon bones, so in a way, it could be said to be an evolved form.
[Ready for departure!]
“Shhh.”
“You still haven’t given up on your lingering attachments, have you...?”
Just as he was about to board the spaceship, sighing at Lilyth’s booming voice, Rucell’s voice flew in from behind.
Turning back to Rucell, who silently watched him until the very end, wishing for his safe return, Ban Yuwon quietly said,
“I might end up calling for you all.”
“We’re preparing. That’s also why you left Aire here, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“And me too.”
Stella, who was not officially a member of Union, suddenly materialized from thin air and landed next to Aire.
Aire glared at Stella with a displeased expression, but Stella merely snorted.
“Without me, it will be difficult to reach Yuwon quickly.”
“What immense humiliation. An unbearable disgrace for a True Dragon.”
“Anyway, I’ll rely on both of you if anything happens.”
“Leave it to me!”
“I, more than anyone... definitely call for me.”
Aire’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit and fury.
“If the family head truly comes—I want to be the one to greet him.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The True Dragon’s fury caused the surrounding mana to tremble and surge.
Ban Yuwon gave a wry smile and replied, then boarded the spaceship.
As always, Lilyth’s launch was swift, and it quickly exited Union and entered the dimension wall.
“How long will it take?”
“It won’t take that long. Though I’m still not sure which corner of this universe Earth is tucked away in.”
At first, he used to think it was the outermost edge of the universe, a place mana couldn’t even reach, but such a hypothesis couldn’t properly explain Earth’s situation, which had experienced explosive growth since mana appeared.
Most importantly, Earth hadn’t merely made contact with the Union Net for the first time; it was said to have been ‘reconnected.’
Perhaps Earth—no, almost certainly—
The distance from Union was not that far.
[Looks like we’ll arrive soon!]
“Huh, already?!”
Asha, who had been hoping to share some affectionate moments with Ban Yuwon during their spaceship journey, looked flustered and pouted.
Even though they were together every day once they returned to their dorm room, seeing her act so possessively confirmed his belief that Asha was indeed of True Dragon blood.
He chuckled, then focused on the sight of the dimension wall visible on the monitor.
Just as he was idly wondering if there would be no naked man today, A chilling hallucination appeared before his eyes: a terrifyingly torn lizard’s eye that seemed to engulf the entire dimension wall.
“...”
“Yuwon? What’s wrong?”
“...No, it’s nothing. Right, so there was a hidden move after all.”
If Ban Yuwon hadn’t delved into the depths of the Tower last time and thoroughly scanned the concepts of the True Dragons, he wouldn’t have even perceived that phenomenon just now.
Even so, isn’t it incredible?
Just how many long years had they been hiding their fangs, waiting for their moment?
[Breaking through! We’ll be on Earth soon!]
Lilyth broke through the dimension wall.
Since a certain incident a few months over two years ago, Earth had been protected by a strict barrier, making it impossible for aliens other than Earthlings to even approach. However, if Ban Yuwon took action, he could enter without any problem.
Of course, Asha had been able to enter since long ago...
“For now... is it calm, I wonder?”
Ban Yuwon, his expression grave as he looked back at the dimension wall, attached several Won-gi Talismans he had stored in his inventory to the small box he had received from Mira earlier, then teleported it outside the spaceship.
The box, exuding an aura like some ancient, deeply storied occult OOPArt, floated away, lingering near the dimension wall and beginning to draw in the surrounding energy.
“With this, I’ve taken initial measures.”
“So what exactly is that, Yuwon?”
“An Authority Amplification Device.”
“Aha. ...Aha?”
When he patted Asha’s head, who was gaping foolishly and tilting her head, she let out a silly giggle, then suddenly realized she was being treated like a fool.
But because she felt good, she simply decided to keep offering her head for his touch.
[Ah, they’re paying attention after all――! This overwhelming sense of superiority I feel every time I enter Earth is truly unbearable!]
“Shhh.”
Lilyth, feeling the gazes of the Earthlings looking up at them, spouted extremely arrogant remarks even as she stably entered the atmosphere.
Combining several short-range spatial transfers, Lilyth quickly descended to the altitude where airplanes flew without any significant friction. She rapidly set her direction, dashed forward, and performed another spatial transfer.
The destination was, of course, Korea.
Those he was meant to meet would surely be gathered there, waiting for him.
—Is this the land where you grew up?
As the altitude gradually lowered, the scenery of Seoul, Korea’s capital, was revealed.
Unfortunately, since the cataclysm, most high-rise buildings constructed with conventional building materials had been destroyed. The buildings built with the latest materials, designed to somehow withstand gate outbreaks or giant monster rampages, were generally a bit shorter in size.
Nevertheless, compared to other dimensions, the height of the buildings was quite substantial, so much so that even Dokgo Yeon, who lived in a place not easily outmatched in height, would have been quite surprised.
But the one who was actually even more surprised was Ban Yuwon.
“This is indeed the land where I grew up... but the changes are too fast.”
The mana palpable in the atmosphere right now.
Couldn’t this already be called an S-rank dimension without much issue?
Moreover, the sheer number and level of the ability users roaming the streets, and the artifacts they wore...
It all looked like a scene one would only expect to see in an S-rank dimension.
How was this possible? Even the Constellations’ access should have been blocked.
This was no longer the Earth he knew.
Even the very concept of Earth’s surface was different.
[Ah, I see them out there. Let’s descend!]
Lilyth landed stably and opened the entrance.
Both of the two women who had come out to the meeting place in advance and were waiting were people Ban Yuwon knew well.
“Young Master! It’s been ages!”
“Welcome, Yuwon! ...Eek.”
At the sight of Kiira Esra Prominence and Kang Miyeon competing to get closer to him and greet him, Ban Yuwon gave a wry smile and waved his hand.
“It’s been a while for both of you. Kiira, isn’t it time to renew your permit yet?”
“As for that matter, let’s talk about it thoroughly tonight――.”
“Yuwon, you must be tired from your long journey, aren’t you? Get some rest first. Come on, quickly.”
Guided by the two of them, Ban Yuwon headed to the newly built high-rise in Seoul—the headquarters of the Oculus Ruber Guild. After he and Asha quickly freshened up and drank tea with the two women, he began to seriously listen to the stories about what had transpired on Earth.
What followed was nothing short of utter chaos.
“What... the frequency of high-grade dungeon occurrences is increasing? The very terrain is changing? Kiira...”
“Wait, wait a minute, Young Master. It’s not my fault!”
Two years ago, Kiira had participated in the battle to reclaim the Prominence family with Ban Yumi, and was now back on Earth.
It was Ban Yumi’s birthplace and also where Ban Juseok, the siblings’ father and Kang Eunyoung’s husband, resided.
A place even the Prominence dimension couldn’t help but pay attention to.
Since Ban Yumi and Kang Eunyoung occasionally visited, there had always been a need to station a Prominence member there for management.
And of course, the one chosen for that role was Kiira, who had a history of staying and operating on Earth for over ten years.
For her, rather than pointlessly living under the orders of her superiors in the family, it was better to stay on the free Earth with many things to do. And to top it off, it increased her chances of meeting Ban Yuwon. Thus, she accepted the mission without hesitation and established a new residence in Korea.
However, it seemed she had simply been playing around all this time.
“You, if changes like this are happening, shouldn’t you be reporting them immediately? Does my sister know about this?”
“Calm down and listen, Young Master. It hasn’t been long since these changes started happening so rapidly!”
Ban Yuwon narrowed his eyes at Kiira’s excuses.
Beside him, Kang Miyeon nodded, though with a displeased expression.
“She’s not wrong, Yuwon. Of course, Earth’s changes were already quite rapid, but... the changes accelerated about two months ago.”
“Two months?”
His feeling that it perfectly coincided with the start of the Union Academy’s semester was probably not Ban Yuwon’s imagination.
“Yes. So, until now, we—Kiira and I—were cooperating, trying to figure out the cause ourselves somehow...”
“And that’s when I arrived.”
“Exactly.”
Kiira nodded, smiling brightly.
Ban Yuwon snorted.
“I still won’t let you off. Kiira, truly be prepared for tonight.”
“Tonight? That’s perfectly welcome!”
“Whatever it is, I’ll never do what you’re imagining.”
Ban Yuwon retorted curtly, then sighed, ‘Hoo,’ and added.
“For now, both of you, come to my place today, so we can at least eat together. And also discuss exactly where and what we need to do.”
“Ah—speaking of that matter.”
Kang Miyeon, a beauty with impressive long, black straight hair, said, awkwardly touching the bridge of her nose.
“Grandfather Ban isn’t home right now.”
“Since when did you start calling him Grandfather?”
“Wait, the old man? Where is he?”
Ban Yuwon, who stopped Kiira from interjecting like a ghost, asked Kang Miyeon.
Then Kang Miyeon cleared her throat with a ‘hmm,’ and said in a small voice,
“Iraq...”
“Ah, okay. I understand.”
This old man truly wouldn’t change, even if he died.
Ban Yuwon shook his head, then immediately stood up, saying,
“Let’s go too, to Iraq. No, wait.”
A place in the distant past, so long ago that New York couldn’t even compare, a place once called the capital of the world.
“To Babylon.”
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