I got into school for nothing - 5
I got into school for nothing (5)
Lesson 2. This is your roommate - 1
Professor Yumina was as kind as she was beautiful, patiently explaining the basic common knowledge of the Academy to Ban Yuwon, who knew nothing about it.
To put it simply, it wasn't the professors who drew Ban Yuwon to this place, but Union Academy's student selection system.
Union Academy's student selection system targets all dimensions, selecting students who meet the necessary criteria and automatically providing assessments tailored to each individual.
Thus, the professors had reportedly only just learned the name 'Earth' today, and seemed quite surprised that Ban Yuwon hailed from a lower-rank dimension where the very existence of Union Academy was unknown.
After seeing the Tower of Babel, any thoughts of revenge had already completely vanished from Ban Yuwon's mind, and he decided not to dwell on the matter. Unaware of this, Professor Yumina continued to chat with him about various other things to lift his spirits.
"Is that the artifact Student Ban Yuwon created? How marvelous, even if the power it contains is utterly abysmal... Still, an offensive artifact displaying perfectly autonomous movement! Oh, I can even detect a faint consciousness? Hehe, I truly anticipate Student Ban Yuwon's future development."
"You wish to visit your hometown before the entrance ceremony? Hmm, Student Ban Yuwon did mention he was unaware of Union Academy's existence... Very well. I shall grant special permission."
"Very well, Student Ban Yuwon, once you return to your room and finish tidying up, tear this piece of paper. You'll then be able to return to your hometown. I will send a summons request coinciding with the entrance ceremony, so please respond once all your preparations are complete."
When Ban Yuwon returned to his room after their interview, he found someone else had already entered.
"Who's there!"
The moment he sensed Ban Yuwon's presence, the handsome man drew a gleaming sword from thin air and pointed it at him.
Had it been just half a day prior, he would have been startled speechless and stumbled back, but after facing goblins and navigating the precipice between life and death, Ban Yuwon was no longer so easily rattled by a bladed weapon brandished before him.
In fact, even before that, the Dokkaebi Club had reacted, blocking the attack in mid-air.
"Can't you tell by my uniform? An incoming student. Your roommate."
"Oh? Ah, my apologies. I'd just finished a practical assessment, and my nerves were a little frayed..."
Understanding the situation from Ban Yuwon's calm explanation, the man realized his mistake, hastily sheathed his sword, and bowed his head to apologize.
He seemed a touch impetuous, but not without manners.
As his admission was now confirmed, his roommate's personality was a key concern, but this seemed manageable enough.
"I heard you're also a Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions student."
"Hmm? Ah, you... no, ahem... are you also from a lower-rank dimension?"
"Ban Yuwon. Feel free to call me by my name."
Initially, he'd planned to return home immediately... but decided it would be wise to speak with his future roommate for a bit first.
"What? By name? No, I couldn't possibly. Ban, it's a pleasure. I am As Light, no, As Light. You may call me Light... yes."
Given his startled reaction to being called by his given name, it appeared that doing so was considered quite disrespectful in Light's home world.
Ban Yuwon, once again keenly aware of the cultural differences, observed As Light, the companion with whom he would now share a room.
He was caked in dirt, likely from having just completed his practical assessment, yet despite the grime, he was infuriatingly, incredibly handsome.
'I always thought my looks weren't exactly lacking... but this guy, he just takes the wind right out of my sails.'
A slender, delicate face; sharp, deeply sparkling blue eyes; golden, wavy hair that shimmered over his shoulders.
A high, pointed nose, and even delicately gleaming lips—every conceivable attractive feature seemed to have been painstakingly assembled, resulting in a beauty so perfect it felt almost artificial.
Without the slightest exaggeration, he looked like a prince who had stepped straight out of a romance manga.
'Seriously? Do I really have to enumerate a man's good looks like this? This is genuinely irritating.'
So, he stopped.
Instead, he asked:
"You just finished your practical assessment? So, you also fought the Blind Goblins?"
"What? Blind Goblins?"
But an unexpected response came back.
"No, that's impossible. Low-level monsters like those can be easily hunted even by basic-trained soldiers in my country. I faced trolls and ogres. Thanks to that, I'm utterly exhausted from several hours of slogging through swamps. *Whew*."
...Trolls and ogres?
He couldn't simply apply his knowledge from games, but no matter how he thought about it, they seemed far stronger than goblins...?!
Ban Yuwon merely gaped, unable to utter a single word in response to the other's answer.
Only then did something else catch his eye: the Dokkaebi Club that had, moments ago, blocked Light's sword.
It hung limply over Ban Yuwon's shoulder, seemingly having expended all its energy—or rather, its *demonic power*—to block Light's sword.
And this was the very artifact that had instantly cleaved the Goblin Warrior's head in two!
"Is that so. Then, Ban, you must be a special ability type. That would explain it. The artifact that just blocked my sword was indeed no ordinary item."
Observing Ban Yuwon's perplexed expression, Light nodded as if he'd gleaned some understanding.
"While I fall short on other conditions, including my dimension of origin, I'm quite confident in my combat abilities. Thus, my admission requirement was to pass a practical assessment of a higher standard than the general admissions."
"Is that so..."
He had assumed the Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions were exclusively for students with less martial prowess than those in the general admissions, but it appeared there were other considerations.
He couldn't help but feel pathetic, having felt even a sliver of kinship with this man of inhuman beauty, simply because he was also a Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions student!
"H-hey, Ban! Don't look so down. We all enrolled in this Academy to receive proper education and grow, didn't we?"
"Yes, that's right."
Noticing Ban Yuwon's dejection, Light spoke to him considerately.
And he even had a good personality, to boot!
The only advantage he had was his language ability.
He couldn't very well boast about how amazing his ability was, nor did he want to make a ridiculous display of himself.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ban Yuwon swiftly decided to retreat.
"You said you were exhausted from the swamp. Go wash up and rest. Actually, I decided to visit my hometown for a bit before the entrance ceremony. I'll see you there."
"What? They granted you permission to visit your hometown during the pre-admission period? The Academy did that?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"Unbelievable."
Ban Yuwon had thought it was nothing remarkable, but Light was now wearing the most astonished expression since they'd met.
"Ban, you must truly possess an extraordinary ability. For those arrogant Academy professors to grant such a convenience to a student admitted through the Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions..."
"...Is that really so amazing?"
"Haha, you don't even realize how incredible that is? How much those from higher-rank dimensions look down upon and dismiss lower-rank dimensions, as if they were gods... Have you truly never experienced such territorialism through interdimensional exchange?"
Light's expression was bitter as he spoke.
Ban Yuwon replied, feeling a bit awkward.
"Sorry, but I actually only learned about 'lower-rank dimensions' and 'higher-rank dimensions' today. I don't even know what's so impressive about higher-rank dimensions."
"Well, the resources, knowledge, and even magical power one can possess from birth are vastly different... What? You just learned that today?!"
"Ah, so those were the differences? Well, let's discuss the details later. I was dragged into the practical assessment without even telling my parents, so I really should head back first."
"R-right. I underst...and."
"Then."
Ban Yuwon pulled out the paper the professor had given him earlier and tore it.
Without the slightest delay, the Authority of Spatial Movement activated, transporting him back to his original world, Earth.
Leaving behind only the handsome man, frozen with a bewildered expression.
* * *
"Oh, you startled me! Ban Yuwon, where did you go after just showing the acceptance screen, and why are you back now? I thought you were so overjoyed you just ran outside..."
What greeted him, now that he had finally returned to his familiar room, was his older sister, Ban Yumi.
Sprawled on his bed, engrossed in a manga, dressed in a stretched-out sleeveless T-shirt and hot pants, she was the very picture of an utterly relaxed homebody.
"Why are you lounging around in my room?"
"I can't very well spill snack crumbs all over my own bed, can I?"
"Get out. Scram."
Come to think of it, an empty snack bag was rolling across the floor.
Crumbs, no doubt, were scattered like flower petals across his bed, rustling softly.
Ban Yuwon sighed and tried to kick his sister, but she swiftly rolled her body, evading him.
Of course, Ban Yuwon had moved aggressively precisely because he knew she would easily dodge.
And why wouldn't he? After all, she was a student at Korea's most prestigious sports university, H University.
What's more, she was a national fencing representative, actively training for the Olympics.
Yet, that very fencer suddenly rose to her feet and spoke to him.
"Hey, Yuwon-ie."
"Don't use that weird tone with me."
"No, seriously. You've suddenly changed, haven't you?"
Ban Yumi's eyes glinted sharply.
Ban Yuwon, as if scoffing at her belated realization, gave her a pathetic glare and retorted.
"Can't you see these splendid clothes enveloping me? Your big brother here has undergone a transformation, evolving from a mere growth spurt into full maturity. You won't be able to keep up with me now."
"Can't keep up, my foot!"
Ban Yumi, her hand-edge raised like a sword, lunged.
At that instant, Ban Yuwon shifted half a step sideways, lightly evading her attack, and then thrust his own hand-edge at her.
But she reacted swiftly, twisting her body to avoid the strike. Instead, he recognized a sharp hand-edge thrust coming from the right the next instant, and swung his own hand to deflect it.
"No... what is this? What's actually happening?"
All her attacks were blocked, and even though she'd dodged, a sharp counterattack had come in.
Ban Yumi, dumbfounded by her younger brother's counterattack, plopped down onto the bed, and Ban Yuwon calmly spoke.
"Listen."
"Tell me."
"Actually, I always thought you, big sis, weren't truly from our family's bloodline, you know?"
"You are seriously dead."
Ban Yuwon caught his sister's rapidly incoming hand-edge and continued.
"But it turns out, I also had a similar talent slumbering within me."
"No, how can this be explained by mere talent?! I've been swinging a sword for years!"
Ban Yumi was a unique case: born with an empty head and a monstrous physique, quite unsuited for the Ban family, which had an unusually high number of members who made their living by their intellect.
Since childhood, she had excelled at anything physical, but with a barbaric inclination for "beating people with weapons," she'd debated between Kendo and fencing. Ultimately, in her third year of middle school, she decided on fencing, as it offered a path to the Olympics.
However, she had consistently continued Kendo alongside it, and despite that, she was a monster who had returned from the last Olympics with three gold medals and one silver, combining both team and individual events.
For this reason, Ban Yuwon had, since childhood, always thought upon seeing her that she couldn't possibly be of their family's bloodline. But now, after entering the dungeon, he discovered that he, too, possessed a similar slumbering talent for combat.
It simply hadn't awakened unless faced with a massive stimulus, such as a life-threatening crisis, which was why he'd remained unaware until now.
'And now, Swordsmanship Level 3 has been added to that.'
But as he himself knew, this level still couldn't surpass that of an Olympic athlete.
To surpass monsters like Light, and to confidently claim ownership of the Tower of Babel, he still had a very long way to go.
"Ban Yuwon! So what happened?!"
"Quiet! More importantly, let's have a family meeting."
Pushing away his sister, who was squawking as if she might devour him, Ban Yuwon declared.
"Ha, just because you blocked one hand-edge strike, you think you're going to get one up on me, huh?"
"Hurry."
"Hmph, if this isn't important, you are seriously dead."
Though dumbfounded by Ban Yuwon's unilateral declaration, Ban Yumi obediently left his room, pulling out her phone.
It seemed her younger brother really had experienced something significant in the past half-day, and intended to divulge it during a family meeting.
Ban Yuwon shouted at his sister's departing back.
"Sis, call Grandfather too."
"What, you crazy bastard?"
"Just call him."
"Ugh, I don't know, I'll call him, so you handle it. Honestly, the men of the Ban family are so damn exhausting..."
Shaking her head, Ban Yumi left to disseminate the news of the family meeting.
Ban Yuwon watched his sister's smooth back recede as she stretched her legs, sighing with the familiar thought: 'If only she'd fix her temper, she'd be so popular.'
Then, without thinking, he picked up the snack bag lying discarded on the floor.
["Will you plunder the language concept, 'pouch' (封紙), from the empty snack bag?"]
"...Well, look at this."
A smile played on his lips.
It seemed a need had arisen to secure a budget from the family meeting.
* * *
After Ban Yuwon's departure, As Light, left alone, remained in a state of shock for some time. Realizing his body was covered in grime, he let out a faint sigh and headed towards the shower room.
As he shed all his clothes, stained with various foul substances from the swamp, and the blood and bodily fluids of trolls and ogres, a single cross-shaped necklace was revealed upon his dignified naked form.
"I can take it off now... No, no. I need to get accustomed to it."
After a brief moment of deliberation, Light ultimately showered with the necklace still around his neck.
While showering, the face of Ban Yuwon, the roommate with whom he would soon be sharing a room, naturally came to mind.
"I really should have secured a single room. *Sigh*, what am I going to do..."
Fortunately, he didn't appear to be a person of ill temperament.
Moreover, though it pained him to admit, his combat ability seemed significantly lower than his own, so he was confident he could quickly subdue him no matter the circumstances.
However, that invisible artifact was quite astonishing.
Even though it had been swung reflexively and thus lacked significant power, it still managed to block his holy sword.
As the owner of a formidable artifact himself, he knew.
That artifact was no ordinary item.
'Acquiring such an artifact isn't everything. Wielding it typically requires preposterous talent. And the way it connected, perhaps directly to him... It must be a talent the faculty is watching closely. A complete talent, not a half-baked one like mine.'
A talent that had already bloomed, and would brilliantly develop further.
He could glimpse fragments of such talent in Ban Yuwon.
Unlike himself.
"No... no!"
He gritted his teeth, as if to deny the thought that had surfaced.
His small fist hammered hard against the shower room wall.
'If I allow my resolve to waver, I'll be devoured in an instant. I cannot collapse. I managed to get into the Academy somehow. I must, absolutely...'
He must climb the Tower.
And acquire the strength to protect his world.
As Light resolved firmly, scrubbing his body vigorously.
As he did so, a sudden realization struck him.
'When I spoke with him earlier, it was so natural that I didn't even notice... but that man, he seemed to be speaking Union Language directly.'
The language of everyone who sets foot in Union Academy is unified into 'Union Language', a single tongue.
Professors, students, and, naturally, the language of every book within the Academy are all unified.
This was an Authority that transcended a skill an individual could simply wield, instead applying across a vast and comprehensive domain.
However, strictly speaking, this could be considered simultaneous interpretation.
Even if one spoke in their native tongue, it would be naturally translated into Union Language, and conversely, hearing Union Language would be perceived in one's native language.
The same applied to reading.
Therefore, everyone communicated in Union Language.
However, there was an unavoidable, slight drawback.
That was, the mouth movements and pronunciation wouldn't align.
Naturally, one would be speaking their native tongue, only for it to emerge as Union Language, so this was an expected outcome.
For individuals with heightened senses, like As Light, it could be a little jarring.
But why did that man's mouth movements and pronunciation perfectly align...?
The fact that he claimed to have only just learned the concepts of lower-rank and higher-rank dimensions today bothered him, making it unlikely he already knew Union Language.
'Was his native language similar to Union Language...?'
That was the most convincing conclusion Light could reach.
Surely, he couldn't have instantly mastered Union Language the moment he encountered it today, could he?
More importantly, this was hardly significant compared to the artifact he possessed.
As Light shrugged, dried his body with a towel, emerged, and gripped his sword.
Only two days remained until the entrance ceremony.
To be recognized for overwhelming skill in an Academy teeming with residents from higher-rank dimensions, he couldn't afford to waste even that short period of time.
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