Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Lesson 25. When Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder - 4
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Yesterday, the day they filmed the student council promotional video.
Ban Yu-won's harsh commands, the student council president's uneasy gaze, and Mira watching it all...
During a break in the midst of what felt like a warzone shoot, talk somehow turned to the professors—their common enemy.
"Ryu Cheol-myeong is the absolute worst. His stare is so slimy, you know? Thank God I never took his Aura Combat Studies class."
"He's always been infamous for his womanizing. Plenty of other students hate that leering look too."
The president shuddered as she spoke, and the accounting director, Beegan Dela Walker, adjusted his monocle and nodded in agreement.
Sitting on the desk beside them, the external activities minister Rica tilted her head. "Really? I've been in that old guy's classes since my second year, and I've never felt anything like that."
"That's because you're..."
"Me? What? ...What?"
"W-well, has he ever caused any incidents?"
Ban Yu-won jumped in with a question to redirect the tense atmosphere brewing between the president and Rica.
Graham nodded gravely in response.
"The chancellor strictly forbids relationships between professors and students. He doesn't interfere in student-student matters, but he won't tolerate professors using their position at Union Academy to harm or exploit students. So at least on the surface, Ryu Cheol-myeong has never had an improper relationship with a student."
"On the surface..."
Sensing a nasty follow-up coming, Ban Yu-won tensed up, bracing for the shock.
Beegan gave a wry smile.
"It's just conspiracy theories floating around among students, nothing to worry about. Stuff like missing students from special activities actually being... you know, taken by a professor."
"That's seriously disgusting..."
"Even with the chancellor's immense authority, it's impossible to monitor every single student on special activities. An associate professor, maybe, but if a full professor sets their mind to it... you get the picture."
"The fact that these rumors even exist tells me Ryu Cheol-myeong isn't a decent human being."
Ban Yu-won grimaced, recalling the way that creep had eyed Lucelle. It wasn't innocent, not by a long shot.
Of course, she probably wasn't the only target, but the problem was her affiliation with Rebellion.
The shady harassment by full professors happening inside the academy right now.
If that extended to external special activities—
"Kantone's no better if you listen to the rumors."
"Why even say it? He's our main enemy."
The president scowled, needlessly fluttering the bat-like wings on her back.
"The worst. Pureblood supremacist, obsessed with dimensional origins... Not from an upper dimension, and with my evil vibe, he had it out for me especially."
"How'd you become student council president then?"
"Because I'm pretty and strong. Kyahaha! The president just needs to look good to students and the chancellor, not professors!"
Who knew she'd admit it herself?
Ban Yu-won stared in disbelief, but Rica nodded along with a reluctant expression.
"It's true, though. She met the chancellor right after enrollment and got solo exploration privileges. Heard the ice princess in your grade did the same."
"Did she?"
"It's not common. Once every 50 years, or 100 if you're unlucky."
"They said the academy's golden generation started with me—"
The president laughed cheerfully, casually gilding her own lily.
Then she gave Ban Yu-won a meaningful look.
"And your generation feels like it's about to explode spectacularly."
"...I get how you became president. So, about Kantone?"
Unhappy that Ban Yu-won brushed off her comment, the president still got back on track.
"Just call her Shati casually. Kantone's a pureblood supremacist, like I said. She doesn't treat non-Special Class students as real students. She's especially harsh on special admission kids—thinks they're useless to the academy and waits for any chance to boot them."
Does that bastard think the academy is his personal playground?
I recall the chancellor doesn't even select special admissions; Babel Tower sets the criteria.
"Sounds like a total psycho."
"He's the one who shaped the student council's direction. He gathered the Special Class into a power bloc—that's his doing."
"What do you mean?"
"Clubs."
Mira added coldly.
"I formed Rebellion for Special Class students because of him. He beat me to it, creating 'Noblesse' first."
"What a joke."
"He has a few small clubs under him, but lump them together and it's Noblesse. No one but Special Class can join."
"I heard it's a big deal if a Special Class kid doesn't join their assigned Noblesse club?"
Ban Yu-won naturally thought of the music club with Aire, Misty, and Le Shu.
Pulling those guys out might have major repercussions later...
"Anyway, now you know who we're up against."
Wrapping up a bit forcefully, the president—no, Shati—grinned and clapped Ban Yu-won on the shoulder.
Mira's face hardened as she slapped Shati's hand away.
"Shati, don't touch my man so casually."
"Scary, Mira... I was just saying let's get along."
"Ahem! Once this video goes up, our alliance with Rebellion will be official."
Beegan stepped in to change the subject.
"Depending on the external reaction, even the academy will have to listen to us. That's when the real fight starts."
"Exactly, exactly! Things will blow up. One side has to kneel. ...Be careful, I said it half-jokingly earlier, but they might really pull something on special activities."
"First one's fine—Yumina's coming along."
Shati perked up her ears at Mira's words.
"Next week?"
"Sounds fun. That's when it's the most fun. I pick super easy ones, feels like I'm invincible."
"Then you take a long vacation quest over summer break, roll around without a supervisor, and your mentality shatters."
"But this guy's gonna breeze through it. You saw him clear the tower."
"True that."
Once special activities came up, the professor-bashers started sharing war stories: "Back in my day," "You'll have it rough," like proud seniors, chattering loudly.
This feels like actual college vibes, Ban Yu-won thought, chuckling—
"Oh, yeah, there was that rumor."
Rica, legs crossed on the desk, scratched her thigh idly and tossed it out like a joke.
"Kantone harasses students he doesn't like inside the tower. Everyone laughed it off—professors interfering in the tower? Ridiculous."
"Come on, seriously?"
Ban Yu-won groaned the moment he heard it.
That's like 100% true!
"It's not too late, seniors. If you've heard any such 'jokes,' spill now."
"Huh? Nothing comes to mind. I'll tell you if I remember later."
"Yeah, sure..."
"So everyone laughed it off back then, but now it looks super suspicious no matter how you slice it. Dropping a spatial teleport item as a reward to send us somewhere they don't even know us, and all those guys using telekinesis... yeah."
"I see. But more importantly... the student council has a lot of female officers. I'll mark my territory."
After hearing Ban Yu-won out, Lucelle turned serious and clung to him, rubbing her scent all over.
She's a genius who could outshine Light a hundredfold if she just used her brain—why does she choose to be a beast?
"I swear Ban just insulted me!"
"Hallucination. Dokgo Yeon, what do you think?"
Neatly giving up on input from Lucelle (and Light), Ban Yu-won turned to Dokgo Yeon.
His eyes were still fixed on the portkey... no, teleport gem bracelet.
Thankfully, unlike the previous treasure chest, the seal concept manifested via language magic was slowly depleting while safely halting the bracelet's function.
"Well, suspecting them just because they share the same power source—telekinesis—might be premature..."
Dokgo Yeon eyed the bracelet suspiciously too, but soon lit up with realization and reached into her bosom.
"Let's check the letter. If there's real external interference, it'll show just from reading this."
"Oh, right."
Admiring her own cleverness, Dokgo Yeon undid the seal, unfolded the letter, smirked, and folded it back.
"Well?"
"Can't read it."
She handed the letter to Ban Yu-won.
He desperately wanted to point out her flushed ears, but seeing her trembling hand gripping her dagger hilt, he silently took it.
"Can you read it?"
"Of course. This is my specialty."
Truth be told, he couldn't read it instantly either.
A phenomenon absent on Earth: higher-dimensional languages (like magic script) sometimes needed initial parsing time.
But as his authority grew, so did parsing speed—this text took just a second's glance to fully comprehend.
"According to this, a sudden beast uprising risks a monster wave. Seems the original owner—a soldier—wanted to alert the neighboring city for reinforcements. We were meant to find the letter on his corpse and deliver it ourselves."
"Not treasure."
This letter was neither treasure nor secret technique.
The telekinesis trackers had framed them unjustly... and likely weren't even the 34th room's originals.
Light tilted his head.
"So what was it originally?"
"Hmm..."
He considered no-tracker, just flee monsters, but then the trick room condition wouldn't be "don't lose the letter."
A human with clear intent... narrowing it that way—
"Maybe someone schemed to doom that city?"
"Plausible. Remember 23rd room? Chain rooms aren't just monster fights—they drag you into human conflicts."
"Anyway, safe to say external meddling. Analyze our tendencies, send trackers, slyly yank us off the 'tower route' to their intended spot... shady."
Dokgo Yeon's eyes narrowed, her cross pupils flashing white.
She drew her dagger to slice the bracelet, but Ban Yu-won stopped her.
"Mind if I analyze it first?"
"Won't it activate?"
"That's why I learned magic."
He added a 'Stasis' concept to the bounded area, immobilizing the artifact.
Then he touched it.
What he aimed to do: dissect the 'spatial teleport' concept within—not the teleport itself, but its details. Where this damn portkey meant to send them.
I already mastered reading spatial coordinates from the student ID ages ago.
Block activation, and analysis is easy.
Occasionally refreshing stasis, he probed the bracelet—and ended with a strange expression.
"Figured out why we got stigmata from those guys earlier. If we'd teleported as-is, we might've faced a constellation."
"Like the Previous Manan Observer?"
"Exactly. This constellation might be watching us right now."
Makes sense—swapping trackers in the chain room would've been tough without constellation help.
Overdid it, apparently; can't interfere now...
Ban Yu-won snorted and picked up the bracelet.
He slapped a talisman from his inventory on it, expending all its energy to 'Seal' it.
—Constellation [Clock of the Toy Legion] rages about someone daring to touch their contractor.
—Constellation [Breath of Life] admires you for analyzing and sealing a constellation's power, while proposing punishment for Constellation @#$^!# to the Tower.
Only piping up after the danger's passed to claim credit.
Ban Yu-won snorted again, stowing the bracelet in his inventory, then picked up the letter.
"Alright, now that we've crushed Kantone's scheme and can proceed normally, I have a proposal for you all."
"Hold on, let me guess—don't say it."
Dokgo Yeon pondered.
Lucelle, still enjoying her hug with Ban Yu-won, casually dropped:
"Come to think of it, no trick about not destroying the letter."
"Aaaah! You're always like this, stealing the moment I could pretend to figure it out!"
"Kyaaang!"
"What? We've been protecting it—why destroy it now?"
As furious Dokgo Yeon tussled with Lucelle, Light—the only one not getting Ban Yu-won's proposal—tilted his head and stared blankly.
You adorable idiot...
"Think, Light. This letter requests external aid, right? Delivering it through 34th room means next scene's probably that outer city."
"Yeah, deal with annoying people there? Ultimate goal: unite to stop the monster wave."
"Exactly. So if we destroy the letter? Note: trick was 'don't let it get taken,' so destroying isn't breaking it. No retire, proceeds normally."
"Can't go to the outer city...? No letter to deliver?"
"And?"
And.
Party without letter—where to?
Chain room to general room? Nah, even simple Light knew better.
"Uh... go back to report failed delivery?"
"Bingo."
Ban Yu-won sparked a flame on his fingertip with elemental magic, ready to ignite the letter, grinning.
"And that city gets hit by the monster wave."
Gamers call this:
Skip the (annoying) side quest, straight to boss.
