Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Lesson 24. Where's a Freshman Like You? - 7
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Surprisingly, Aire dragged Light straight out to Ronica.
Light was utterly shocked, but thinking about it, it made perfect sense.
"I do special activities solo, too."
"Solo... wait. Without a professor?"
"They only assign a supervisor for the first quest. And mine's already done."
Light knew that special activities were sometimes called quests, but her words still made his head spin.
"When the hell? Aren't special activities on a fixed schedule?"
"Solo team, so it's easy to move. I finished mine in a day last time."
"A day...? Are there others like you? Groups who started special activities without us knowing?"
"Just me. The first-years will probably do theirs next week."
You say that like you're not a first-year.
Light bit back the words.
She'd gained solo exploration rights from the moment of enrollment—an elite among elites. What was the point of lumping her in with the rest of the "first-years"?
It was just frustrating.
He probably would've been in the same boat as her originally—no, that was wishful thinking.
"...So, what's this about?"
"Eat this first."
Aire pointed to a fritter stand tucked in a street corner.
Light recalled Ban Yu-won once calling these "croquettes."
"What...? You're buying?"
"Yeah."
Light hesitated a good while before picking shrimp. Aire went for shrimp and pork.
The vendor stared at them—maybe puzzled by Union Academy students wandering on a weekday afternoon, or smitten by Aire's beauty—then suddenly bowed deeply, as if terrified.
"Did you just scare the vendor...? No, you're eating two of these greasy things?!"
"I'm greedy."
"Stuff yourself now, and you won't have room for dinner."
Light sounded like a mother scolding her son for opening snack bags at 4 p.m., but Aire gazed happily at the two croquettes in her hand and replied instantly.
"It's fine."
She opened her mouth wide, bit into the pork croquette, and her silver eyes sparkled.
Faintly, vertical pupils appeared then vanished.
"Dragons are greedy. I can devour it all."
"You idiot! Don't say it so boldly...!"
"Only Light can hear. I put up a barrier."
When the hell did you do that? How did I miss it?
Light felt that same foolish sensation he sometimes got around Ban Yu-won, now from Aire too, and let out a soft sigh.
He thought he knew she was on another level, but getting surprised every time still pissed him off.
"But it's weird. Why can't Light understand dragon tongue?"
"The barrier was chanted in dragon tongue."
"In the time it took to bite."
Ah.
That glimpse of draconic eyes—it was her casting dragon tongue right then.
Light nodded, convinced, then froze as the meaning sank in, chills racing down his spine.
He forced a casual glance her way.
"There's no way I could understand dragon tongue."
"Why not?"
Her face was pure, genuine confusion as she tossed the half-eaten croquette into her mouth.
Crunch crunch, munch munch, gulp.
She polished it off in seconds and fixed her clear eyes on him.
"Light, you're dragonkin, right?"
Light realized this was exactly why she'd dragged him out here.
"...Am I a dragon?"
"Yeah."
"What kind of joke is...?"
He chuckled weakly, but couldn't stop his hands from trembling.
Keeping his voice steady without yelling was thanks to remembering his promise with Ban Yu-won and Dokgo Yeon.
To him, his heritage wasn't a secret to hide—it was a trauma he preferred to forget.
"How did you know?"
"Fellow kin."
Aire said it casually, nibbling her last croquette.
She glanced around, spotted a bench, tugged him over, and mumbled indistinctly around the food.
"At first, I only knew you were hiding your gender with high-level disguise magic."
"And then?"
Dumbly, Light missed how she'd just admitted being female.
Then again, after confessing something bigger, gender seemed minor.
"In the dungeon, when you unleashed dragonkin power, I heard your dragon heart resonating deep inside—from mine."
"Haaa..."
Light sighed deeply.
Aire sat him on the street bench and reinforced the barrier.
"I kept wondering why you hid your power. Figured you had reasons, so I watched... but it didn't add up."
"So you grabbed a chance for a private chat?"
"Yeah."
Light didn't know, but Ban Yu-won had always seen Aire as unusually friendly toward him.
He'd even thought she had a crush—which missed the mark on motive, but nailed her affectionate kinship.
Since the Dimensional Gelas special activity, when she'd confirmed him as kin, Aire treated him closer than anyone at the academy.
"Hey, Aire."
"Yeah."
"The dragon blood in me... it's inferior."
Aire nodded for him to go on.
"I inherited the ancestral dragon power—that's good, but it's too weak. That's why I can't hear dragon tongue."
"Diluted blood. Generational skip?"
"Probably. Embarrassing to even call myself dragonkin. No hidden powers, obviously. ...At least it let me wield the holy sword from my ancestor."
"Holy sword. Ah, that."
Aire nodded, recalling Light's early-semester rampage with the holy sword.
He bit into his croquette, hung his head, and sighed.
"Ban said talent let me wield it... but I know. It just recognized the bit of dragon blood. Still, he believes in me, cheers me on... I don't know what to do."
Should he tell Ban the truth?
That he had no talent—just lucky inherited dragon blood.
Its only use was the holy sword, which he now had to avoid.
Nothing left for him—
No way he could say that.
He couldn't betray that faith.
"You like him?"
"Precious friend. That's what it feels like."
Light cleared his throat awkwardly and spilled how they'd become friends.
About hot chocolate on tough days, teasing daily but perfect encouragement when it mattered—boldly, shamelessly.
"Ahem, get it? Even without knowing I'm a girl. That guy's so annoyingly kind, it's just..."
"Yeah. I like him too."
"What?! You too...!"
Light jolted up, guarded.
Panicking from exposure, had he overshared?
But thankfully, her "like" meant something else.
"Hard for a non-dragonkin to have that magic intelligence and power. He'll surpass racial limits—a grand sorcerer. ...I don't wanna lose."
Aire harbored fierce rivalry toward Ban Yu-won.
A proud dragonkin rivaling a human!
But his versatility and essence-piercing ability made it understandable.
As Light secretly relaxed—unaware why he felt relief—Aire circled back.
"So, you wanna live up to his expectations. Right?"
"Yeah... I guess? Why bring it up?"
"Contingency."
What?
As Light narrowed his eyes, Aire continued.
She'd even snatched and devoured his remaining croquette.
"I considered you might not fully awaken your dragonkin power."
"What?"
"Makes sense now. Generational dilution, plus no one knows about dragons except you."
She held out her palm.
A silver translucent magic orb floated up.
A vertical slit formed, morphing into a draconic pupil. Light stared blankly.
"I'll help. You can get strong without the holy sword."
"What...? As dragonkin?"
"Of course."
Aire smiled faintly.
"No such thing as inferior dragonkin."
Light met her beautiful smile but questioned with utter disbelief.
"Why help so much?"
"Rare kin, too."
But Light sensed more.
Aire grinned mischievously.
"Wanna join Rebellion."
"You're something else."
Her frank confession made Light laugh too.
His necklace glowed faintly, headache intensifying—but he ignored it forcibly.
After showing off aura endlessly to the seniors, Ban Yu-won kicked off club regular activities—special training.
"...No way. Out of fifteen wielding melee weapons, only five including Woo Hye-rin senior handle aura?"
Meaning only five had sword talent.
Ban Yu-won rolled aside the rock senior babbling he'd awaken aura instantly with a good artifact, then inspected each as usual.
"Kshana senior, how's the training space?"
"Perfect. First time unleashing my power freely...!"
Fastest grower: sound manipulator Kshana.
The second-year girl could mimic, amplify any sound—but belittled her ability, never trained it properly.
Ban Yu-won knew sound control equaled vibration control. With his own 50-depth Vibration, he focused on her first among special admits.
"How do you make artifacts like this? Sucking in and storing my sounds—now I can scream freely..."
Just a simple talisman using 'Gather Sound' and 'Store'.
"No big deal. You can release stored sounds anytime, so practice that too."
First goal: attack foes with her power.
Second: distinguish friend from foe.
Third: mimic monster voices infusing sounds with power.
Finally: convert sound to mana (reverse of mana to sound).
"Master three, and you could top your year."
"M-Me? Honestly, attacking with sound still confuses me..."
"Definitely possible, don't worry. Hit the first goal, I'll make you a custom weapon."
"Really?"
"What?!"
Aimed to motivate Kshana, but rock senior reacted big from afar.
"Make me one too!"
"Your power's unrelated to weapons."
"You never know! I'll brainstorm weapons fitting my power starting now!"
With that passion for swordplay, he'd wield grandaura by now.
Ban Yu-won shook his head in disbelief—
Then sensed a concept from rock senior attaching to him.
'Hm?'
No, it'd been incoming earlier.
Faint, subtle—unnoticeable without Babylonia Code.
It absorbed naturally into him, swelling his concepts.
Eyes wide, he identified it: 'Amplification'.
Tiny, but boosting his abilities... 1%? 2%?
Longer contact, bigger effect likely.
'Well, now.'
He scanned the training room.
All had Amplification active.
Thought it was party-only like game buffs; actually, everyone he bonded with.
'Not just subordinates, then. Or controllable.'
Incredible.
Special admits were full of surprises.
"Rock senior."
"Yeah? Thought of my weapon?"
"Dunno about that, but I know your new job."
"What? Hey, my swordsmanship..."
Sensing doom, rock senior fled—but Ban Yu-won grabbed his collar, pulled talismans.
His own pure energy stored—purer than mana, convertible to mana for others.
"Max mana output, run laps in here. Curious how your power manifests."
"My power? It only works on subordinates..."
"I know it's not. Relax."
Ban Yu-won grinned, slapped a talisman on his back.
"Run."
"Yes, sir!"
No hierarchy here.
Just mad scientist and victims.
"Where's a freshman like you!"
"Thanks. Faster."
Thanks to Ban Yu-won's essence-piercing power.
Today too, special admits grew stronger.