Chapter 12
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Lesson 3. This Is Your Pet - 4
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Yumina had only asked him to find a city if there was a road near the dungeon, saying little else to him. But Ban Yu-won realized why the moment he stepped out of the dungeon.
"That Chancellor... he's probably something like the ruler of the human world, isn't he?"
"Shh, shush."
The dungeon exit he'd emerged from was a tiny burrow naturally formed at the base of the mountain, and looking around, he saw mountains of similar burrows.
He could easily guess that each one was a dungeon, and it was obvious their formation was entirely artificial.
Considering that Union Academy held its freshmen practical exams inside dungeons, it didn't take long to conclude that the Principal was behind this setup.
'They can't control dungeon creation itself, but they can dictate where they spawn.'
Gathering them in one spot would make it easy to clear or manage them in emergencies.
And naturally, just beyond that dungeon cluster was a road.
Of course—to make management easy, they'd cluster where human access was straightforward!
"It's right in front of us..."
Towering buildings visible beyond, the faint hum of civilization drifting over.
A thirty-minute walk would take him right into it.
Professor Yumina must have known this from the start. The temple was undoubtedly in that city.
"Shrrk."
"Hm? Oh..."
Eve gave Ban Yu-won's arm a slight squeeze.
Glancing over, he saw the creature's head tilted skyward. Following its gaze...
There, floating high above, was a massive island.
It was so high up that details were hazy, but he could make out a jagged tower rising from its center.
"No way... is that our school?"
"Shiiik."
Ever since Eve had taken on its yokai beast form, Ban Yu-won had somehow started understanding its intentions.
It seemed the creature had been searching for the Babel Tower piercing the skies from the ground.
In this vast plain with few mountains, if the academy was nearby, the tower should have been visible.
But it wasn't. Full of doubt, Eve had looked up—and spotted the floating island.
"We got totally fooled. I didn't notice from Professor Yumina's office..."
Either visibility was poor, or it was concealed by magic.
Everything in this environment screamed fantasy—it was exasperating.
Distracted by the floating island as he walked, the city was suddenly right in front of him.
Ban Yu-won was startled, thinking so much time had passed, but he'd forgotten to account for his improved physical abilities.
"Hold it right there! Haven't seen you around."
Before the voice even reached him, Eve turned invisible. Its senses were clearly sharper than his.
"Whoa."
"Prove your identity! You a monster in disguise?"
Ban Yu-won let out an admiring exclamation at the man blocking his path, who had burst from a large building at the border between civilization and wilderness.
The man wore a tight spandex suit reinforced with matte metal plates over vital areas like the chest and groin—a unique design.
"No, I'm human. Union..."
"Idiot! He's a Union Academy student!"
As Ban Yu-won started to reveal himself, another man in identical gear dashed out and smacked him on the head.
He squinted slightly at Ban Yu-won's uniform—the blue piping marked special admission—but then spotted the brooch on his chest and paled, snapping to a salute.
"Greetings! I'm Milton, commander of Outpost 3, guarding the western border of the academy city Ronica!"
"Uh, Dalton, outpost guard..."
From that reaction, even outsiders knew about Union Academy's special admission students—and looked down on them a bit. But the brooch Yumina had pinned on him shattered those prejudices.
He'd thought she wouldn't give him something so valuable just to buy booze, and sure enough, Professor Yumina had him marked.
Should he be thrilled... or brace himself?
Ban Yu-won swallowed a sigh and greeted them.
"Uh... hello? I'm Ban Yu-won, first-year at Union."
"How did you get here...? First-year means you just enrolled today? Did you get formal leave..."
"Idiot, how's a new academy student getting out without the Chancellor's approval?!"
Dalton's head probably wouldn't stay attached after Ban Yu-won left.
"Mr. Ban Yu-won, did you just clear a dungeon?"
"Mr.... Yeah, something like that. She said I could explore freely."
"Thank you. We can't even look the academy staff in the eye for preempting threats from these unpredictable dungeons."
"Is that why the outposts?"
"Exactly."
Milton's gaze warmed noticeably at the mention of clearing a dungeon. He chuckled and explained.
"The Chancellor does control dungeon generation with his authority, but excess dimensional energy could spawn irregulars anytime. We man outposts around the city outskirts. Once dungeons interfere, machines don't work well. Ha ha."
Dungeons mess with machines?
Did this world even have machines to begin with?
Ban Yu-won nearly asked a dumb question but clamped his mouth shut.
This was a world that treated Earth as a lower dimension.
Even if their machines weren't like Earth's, it was no surprise they'd developed their own.
"Come on in, don't just stand there. Need an escort...?"
"Could you point me to the Temple of the Spring God?"
Shelving his questions, Ban Yu-won accepted their guidance.
Milton had mentioned Ronica earlier, so the temple should be inside.
At "Temple of the Spring God," Milton glanced at the brooch again, nodded, and said,
"I'll escort you personally. Dalton, stay awake and hold the fort."
"Commander?!"
"This way."
No reason to refuse courtesy. Plus, an outpost commander made a fine bodyguard. Ban Yu-won quickly agreed.
Beyond the outpost, the road widened dramatically.
Sparse buildings soon gave way to a full-fledged city rivaling modern Seoul after just five more minutes.
Sleek cars zipped through the air, designed for intracity travel—all hovering.
And not just that—cars raced along blinking holographic roads in the sky!
"I want one of those."
"Hover cars, sir."
He'd known the term, but hearing it casually made the sci-fi vibe hit hard.
"Ha ha, you can't use them on the floating island anyway."
"What if I store it in my inventory and only take it out down here?"
"...You already got your inventory? On enrollment day?"
Right—inventories were for students with special achievements.
Ban Yu-won felt burdened by Milton's gaze, now seeing him as heaven-sent success incarnate.
"So... how much?"
"Entry-level models with safety training run about 200,000 Ronia."
Ban Yu-won learned the currency value for the first time.
"Sorry, I'm not from this world. How much in gold? I brought plenty, but I don't know prices..."
"Gold?!"
Was gold worthless here? Too lower-dimension? Or some undiscovered flaw?
As Ban Yu-won's imagination spiraled from Milton's shock, the man tremblingly asked,
"'Plenty' means... how much?"
"Could we hit the bank first?"
Reading the subtext, Ban Yu-won suggested, and Milton nodded firmly.
Long story short:
In this world—at least in Ronica—gold was worth over ten times its Earth value.
Precious on Earth, it gained extra value in a higher dimension that handled mana.
Gold was the preferred material for magic tools, high magic catalysts, magic circles—anything mana-related demanded its superior efficiency!
"Account setup complete. Check your balance."
While at it, Ban Yu-won opened a personal account at Ronica's bank (registered via his unique magic power, as all beings' mana signatures were distinct). He took the small crystal the banker offered—a combo account and payment card, theft-proof since mismatched mana blocked use.
Mr. Ban Yu-won's Account Balance: 7.53 million Ronia
Ban Yu-won had handed over a single 1kg gold bar.
After fees for account setup and such, pure profit: 7.53 million Ronia.
From prices along the way, 1 Ronia ≈ 100 won, so one bar netted 750 million won.
With 99 more in his inventory.
Dimensional differences jacked the price tenfold—trade made sense!
"Spot on."
"Thank you for using Central Bank. Have a great day."
Grandpa was right—gold's universal anywhere. Ban Yu-won nodded and left the bank.
"Now, off we go. To the premium hover car dealership!"
"No, sorry for dragging you around. You have duties..."
"No trouble. But a snack would be appreciated."
Lower or higher dimension, soldiers went hungry alike.
Enlightened—and curious about local snacks—Ban Yu-won followed Milton through the shopping district.
Minus sky-racing hover cars, monster-like passersby, and holographic hawkers replacing street vendors, it was an ordinary city.
"Mm, even the street cart chicken skewers taste familiar."
Minor detail: the cart floated, seeking customers.
"Not chicken—Meruda monster thigh meat. Ah, there it is!"
Monster thigh?!
Shocked, Ban Yu-won dropped his skewer. Milton, more excited, dragged him to a massive building.
Floors 1-3 sold mana-powered magic tools—Ban Yu-won thought of Yongsan electronics markets.
Seeing his wandering eyes, Milton grinned.
"Ha ha, lots of fun new gadgets. Even on the academy's floating island, protected by the Chancellor's barrier, machines work in buildings. Grab a few."
Thus, he learned mana-powered devices were this world's "machines"!
'Ah, makes sense. Machines are powered tools broadly. I'm used to electronics, but here mana is the base power. Mana machines—obvious now.'
Mind-blowing realization.
At Milton's urging, he bought intriguing "machines" for 300,000 Ronia.
"Pricey."
"Ha ha ha, top-tier store..."
Floor 4: hover cars. Hearing floor 5 had cutting-edge off-road hoverbikes, Ban Yu-won's feet drifted upward.
"Bikes feel faster, right?"
"Er, but trickier to ride. Off-road sounds fun outside, but enter a dungeon zone and it's disposable..."
"Our Ripord's latest off-road hoverbike withstands dungeon mana waves without entering—specially designed!"
Word of his 300k magic tool splurge spread?
A salesperson approached, smiled at his brooch, and continued.
"Swappable cores too—replace if damaged. Campaign now: buy during, get up to 2 mana core swaps at cost within 3 years!"
"Still, it assumes damage!"
"No no, just insurance. Our new 'Onyx' model this month? Ten already shipping to dimensional border forces. Proof our dev beats the military! Interested, sir?"
Whatever border forces were, even hyped Milton shut up—credible.
Ban Yu-won followed upstairs. The sleek, aerodynamic body and sharp front fender of 'Onyx' mesmerized him into buying.
"3.5 million Ronia... campaign discount: 3.2 million. Cash! Thank you!"
320 million won. His biggest splurge ever.
But why glance at the brooch for "campaign"?
He'd ask Professor Yumina about it later.
"If it flies, no dirt splash—why the fender?"
"Misunderstanding, sir. That's not a fender—reinforced part. Inject mana to smash obstacles or block attacks."
"Why attack functions on a hoverbike?"
Ban Yu-won bought it, but Milton grumbled.
The salesperson's professionalism matching him was impressive.
"For combat prep, as I said. Border forces covet them! Here's the serial—50 units total, this is #7."
"Manual later for specs."
Cutting endless Q&A, Ban Yu-won asked,
"Driving lessons?"
"Was about to mention. We handle licensing—test now or lessons."
"Test tomorrow."
"Got it!"
One Earth relic would work perfectly here.
Done right, he might operate it beyond even the developers' imagination.
'Good call stopping in the city.'
Post-shopping high, Ban Yu-won finally headed to the Temple of the Spring God.
But the special treatment elsewhere was tame compared here.
The moment he entered the temple—white stone paths around cathedral-like splendor—priests spotted him and reacted like lightning-struck!
"Someone wearing Lady Yumina's brooch!"
"Escort to inner temple!"
"Not there—here!"
"Sit, please!"
They ignored his uniform.
Fussing with food, drinks, comfort checks, it took five minutes to introduce himself and get to the point.
"Union first-year Ban Yu-won. Here on Professor Yumina's request. She wants two bottles of Honeymoon fruit wine from here..."
"Already prepared."
"Pardon?"
"Only one reason she'd visit."
Ban Yu-won's image of Yumina solidified.
"One bottle gifted to you too, sir."
"Eh? No, I'm not yet lega—"
Trailing off, he realized he was twenty now.
Legal drinking age?
"Academy entry at 17 minimum. Over 17 at Union? Adult."
"I'm eighteen by Korean age..."
"No issue."
Priest approved, and seeing opportunity, Ban Yu-won decided to debut with Honeymoon.
"Thanks for coming. Greetings to Lady Yumina, please."
"Yes."
Why so devoted to Yumina—and her brooch-wearer? Their looks gave it away.
Greenish-pale skin, leafy hair. Occasional flower buds on scalps.
Same race as Yumina.
Should've guessed from "Spring God temple."
"Well, I'll be..."
Unable to bear their hospitality—dinner and bed incoming—he stood with the wine.
Predictably, "Can't send you empty-handed!" They stuffed him with boxed temple sweets.
"You'll return soon? Name your favorites—we'll pack more."
"No..."
What are you to Yumina?
The words rose, but sensing deeper entanglement meant trouble, he swallowed them.
Wait—what?
Return soon?