Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Lesson 21. They Say It's a Special Admission - 4
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Wednesday, second period.
The advanced major course on Aura Combat Studies was unusually held in the forest beyond the academy's spaceship landing area, but you had to pass through a barrier that only those with the lecture access code could enter.
The reason became clear the moment they crossed the barrier. Inside wasn't a forest at all, but a vast grassland, and the entire expansive space was covered with a shock-absorbing barrier.
"Space expansion combined with shock blocking. A place where we can go wild without worry. And..."
"You have an eye for magic."
Ban Yu-won paused.
Before he knew it, Ryu Cheol-myeong, the professor in charge of this course, had approached them.
He had distinctly East Asian features by Earth's standards, but his physique was impossibly massive for any Earthling.
Earth did have some large East Asians, but even among them, Ban Yu-won would instantly spot Ryu Cheol-myeong's alien body structure and pick him out.
"Space expansion is obvious at a glance, but sensing the shock-blocking barrier without experiencing it firsthand would be tough. I heard you're taking Magic Combat Studies, and it makes sense now."
His hair was cropped short like that one PE teacher in every middle or high school who carried a golf club around, and his eyes gleamed with serpentine ferocity.
The most distinctive part was his outfit... a plain Eastern-style training uniform.
Yeah, the exact kind you'd see in a wuxia novel.
"But you wielded a sword in the comprehensive sparring match. Your body looks frail, so why not focus on magic? It's not too late."
"Thank you for the advice, Professor. I'll think about it seriously."
Of course he'd pull this right away. Now sides were clearly drawn—how convenient!
As Ban Yu-won smiled brightly inwardly applauding, Ryu Cheol-myeong turned away with a bored expression, clearly disappointed by the unexpected response.
He stared piercingly at Lucelle's chest in a way that felt almost vulgar (she recoiled in disgust and hid behind Ban Yu-won immediately), snorted at As Light with his spear strapped to his back.
Finally, his gaze settled on Dokgo Yeon.
"From the martial world, they say."
"That's right."
"I see. I'm from the martial world too. A different one from yours, though—"
He smirked as he said it, then added as if it just occurred to him.
"By the way... does your martial world have Transcendents?"
"...Not anymore, as far as I know."
"Thought so. It'll be hard for your martial world to survive as one."
Was this really how a professor at the top academy in the dimension for centuries-plus talked?
Ban Yu-won gaped in disbelief, glancing at Dokgo Yeon in case she exploded, but.
"Worried about another dimension's martial world? Truly, a Transcendent has character to spare."
Dokgo Yeon replied calmly with a smile much like Ban Yu-won's earlier one.
Ryu Cheol-myeong furrowed his brows, glared briefly at Ban Yu-won for no reason, then turned silently as other students entered the barrier.
"Ban Yu-won."
"Yeah?"
Dokgo Yeon spoke while staring at Ryu Cheol-myeong's back with emotionless eyes.
"I inherently despise growth in internal energy without enlightenment, and I never rush my martial arts achievements unless I'm certain I can handle them."
"If you're that strong without rushing, what the hell was my life up to now?"
"I think I need to smack that fake Transcendent—who struts around deluded into thinking he's touched the heavens—just once to vent."
Ignoring Ban Yu-won's absurd whining, Dokgo Yeon continued.
"So take me as high up the tower as possible, as fast as possible."
The higher you climb the tower, the stronger you become.
Even Dokgo Yeon, already far beyond Ban Yu-won, felt it dramatically.
The tower strengthens its climbers.
—And she'd chosen Ban Yu-won as the companion to scale it fastest and surest.
Probably from the moment they first met.
"I'd do that even without you asking."
"Good. Goal: crush that fake before graduation."
Dokgo Yeon casually discussed pulverizing Ryu Cheol-myeong—one of the academy's representative Transcendents, a top martial artist rivaling Yumina—in a mere five years.
But Ban Yu-won was convinced she could do it.
"All students, gather here."
As lecture time began, Ryu Cheol-myeong assembled the students.
Excluding Ban Yu-won's group of four, there were six more—faces that looked familiar.
All from Class 1.
"Lucein Lounfalmer Equinas Ortima! I've been looking forward to teaching you. Nothing beats instructing someone destined to be a Transcendent."
"Please take care of me, Professor Ryu Cheol-myeong."
Leading them was, of course, Lucein Ortima. His arm was gone, and he seemed changed, merely glancing at Dokgo Yeon without picking a fight.
But with him in the class, who knew what he'd said to Ryu Cheol-myeong beforehand.
"Let's begin the lecture."
Ban Yu-won fiddled with the jeweled flower brooch on his chest, mentally preparing to use his cheat key anytime.
Ryu Cheol-myeong spoke.
"What do you think aura is? Aura is the soul itself. Through unwavering self-belief and relentless pursuit, a martial artist wields the soul's power, and its manifestation is aura."
Ban Yu-won had initially hoped seriously that this lecture might aid his martial growth, regardless of Ryu Cheol-myeong's intentions.
Basic martial techniques were hit-or-miss, but time with an advanced martial artist—hostile or not—could yield insights through engagement.
Plus, he was curious what aura really was.
'Dokgo Yeon brushed it off saying it wasn't time yet.'
And that seemed unchanged.
Look at her now.
As Ryu Cheol-myeong spouted his personal aura philosophy, she glanced at Ban Yu-won and slowly shook her head.
A sign: no point listening.
'Or is it just that the guy's wrong?'
Ban Yu-won had sensed it before: Dokgo Yeon had ironclad pride in martial arts and zero compromise.
She even told him to prioritize her words in learning martial arts.
As if him learning from others would spell disaster.
'Not like she's placing that much faith in me.'
Just pride in her own abilities.
Anyway, not one to defy Dokgo Yeon's "don't listen" with bold curiosity, Ban Yu-won watched Ryu Cheol-myeong with wide eyes while deploying his "hear with one ear, let out the other" skill to avoid retaining a word.
"—Thus, the best way to awaken aura is close exposure and observation of others' aura to familiarize yourself. Stimulating the soul with the soul's power."
With that, Ryu Cheol-myeong lifted his greatsword from the grassland.
And—with a sharp kiai!—he conjured several meters of blazing aura atop it.
"Ooooh!"
"Amazing, Professor!"
"So this is a full professor's aura...!"
Aura.
When he'd asked Dokgo Yeon before, she'd eyed him like "what use now?" and reluctantly called it "the essence of internal energy."
But this deep crimson aura before him felt merely overwhelming and immense.
Like during the special activity at Gellath, with sky-covering weight.
If pressed to describe it, Ban Yu-won would say two words: sky and weight.
'Yet strangely, All-Reading Eyes shows neither. Just magic power—overwhelming magic power.'
Continued observation might reveal the magic structure composing his aura.
Ignoring words was fine if observing aura was okay.
He glanced at Dokgo Yeon to confirm, but before that.
"Student Ban Yu-won, front and center."
Ryu Cheol-myeong called him first.
"Today, we'll demonstrate to let each feel aura intimately. Ban Yu-won, come forward."
So it starts like this.
Ban Yu-won stepped forward without looking back.
Lucelle grabbed his hand in surprise, but he patted her hand reassuringly and let go.
"Should I draw my weapon?"
"No need. This is just a demonstration to feel aura—no need to fear."
"So I can take it you won't actually attack me."
"Of course. Just helping you feel it up close."
"Got it. No chance of me getting hurt, then."
Mistaking it for repetition, Ryu Cheol-myeong frowned slightly and nodded.
But it was Ban Yu-won's way of giving fair warning.
And taking precautions simultaneously.
—No idiot unaware of the barrier's creator would notice.
'Yeah, just activate the ritual like this. Wish I could watch from the side... You got this? Just like that?'
Why was Yumina treating him more like a kid brother lately?
Ban Yu-won recalled yesterday's talk with her and sighed softly.
"Pretty relaxed. Facing aura head-on."
"You said you wouldn't hurt me, Professor. Aren't you the academy's top aura expert?"
"Scared now? Come closer."
Why did these bastards always ignore answers and spout nonsense?
Ban Yu-won smiled and took another step forward.
At that instant, Ryu Cheol-myeong's greatsword cleaved the world in two, descending on Ban Yu-won's head.
"Feel it?"
Ryu Cheol-myeong drawled.
The deep crimson aura-clad blade halted above Ban Yu-won's crown.
No lie in being an aura and martial master—the blade was truly 0.01 cm from his scalp.
A bit more force, and his head would've split.
"Not quite yet."
Fearless or clueless?
Ban Yu-won tilted his head calmly in reply.
"Could you do a bit more?"
"As much as you want."
Dismissing it as bluff.
Next instant, the greatsword swept past his chest.
Brushed his nose tip vertically, halted before his shoes.
Despite no real combat, feints mixed in, striking from utterly unpredictable paths.
All stopping a half-step from touching him, tensing the watching students instead.
"Grrrr... Yu-won, my Yu-won...!"
Especially Lucelle, furious, her hair half-turning black.
"Calm down, beast. Ban Yu-won isn't yours."
"Grrrrr!"
Dokgo Yeon held her back to prevent a charge, but even she was inwardly stunned by Ryu Cheol-myeong.
'All that buildup for this farce.'
Terror of a massive aura greatsword aimed at your life.
Ryu Cheol-myeong even infused genuine killing intent, fooling even Dokgo Yeon with overwhelming pressure.
If she were there, could she stand as calmly as Ban Yu-won?
Probably. Her experience dancing with death matched anyone's; she trusted her discernment.
But she'd be tensed for counterattack.
'Picked the wrong opponent, you worm.'
Ban Yu-won, meanwhile?
"Natural state" fit best.
No combat readiness, utterly relaxed as if nothing happened.
Dokgo Yeon knew he truly wasn't tense.
His "eyes" were the most precise in the academy.
"Truly fearless...!"
Clueless that one student mocked him inwardly.
Ryu Cheol-myeong ground his teeth.
Ban Yu-won's attitude exceeded his imagination wildly.
Firmly believing few in the dimension surpassed him, seeing Ban Yu-won unflinchingly watch his killing strikes irked him immensely.
—Shhh.
He unconsciously gripped harder.
Just a tad, enough to fail heat control in the aura, singeing the student's hair slightly.
But the overpowered strike, the enveloping aura, harmed Ban Yu-won not.
—Ting!
Like shattering glass.
Not a hair damaged, Ban Yu-won tilted his head again at the dazed glaring Ryu Cheol-myeong.
"Hm, did you slip on power control just now?"
"You... magic just now?"
"Pardon? What magic did I use...? Was there any moment in your demo where I needed magic?"
Ryu Cheol-myeong wasn't stupid.
He'd seen the magic activate; no missing a high-level defensive spell.
But he couldn't call it out.
Questioning the magic meant admitting his own control failure first.
Now he got Ban Yu-won's earlier warning.
He couldn't contain rage: a lower-dimensional trash pierced his intent and manipulated his words and actions.
"You, you..."
"Something wrong? Feel free to show more."
Ban Yu-won remained utterly calm, greatsword hovering above.
Deliberately thrusting his chest forward... highlighting the sparkling jeweled flower brooch.
"Continue?"
Ban Yu-won asked Ryu Cheol-myeong.
Ryu Cheol-myeong ground his teeth, sheathed the greatsword, and ordered Ban Yu-won back.
As expected, the bastard was a moron.