Chapter 136
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Lesson 28. Flower Viewing of Ruin - 3
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Riding along the dimensional wall in a spaceship was surprisingly fun and fascinating.
Out the window stretched a sparkling, deep blue Milky Way-like vista, and every now and then, you could spot other ships moving alongside them.
Ban Yu-won was staring at it all with his mouth agape, like a kid visiting a movie theater for the first time.
It was a sight that made you instantly understand why they'd bothered installing such a massive front window on a spaceship.
"That ship over there looks pretty close, right?"
Yumina, who had been turning the cup ramen Ban Yu-won pulled out to commemorate this special day around in her hands like a toy, finally managed to peel off the lid. With a refreshed expression, she spoke to him.
"In reality, there's a huge distance between them. It's best not to take the scenery inside the dimensional wall at face value. It's just the lingering traces of mana left by things that passed through, appearing like afterimages."
"...I swear I just saw a naked guy floating out there."
"There are powerhouses who wander the cosmos alone, enduring the density of the dimensional wall. But the distances aren't close at all—they could even be from different timelines. Maybe it's someone from the past."
That's basically a cosmic exhibitionist.
Flaunting himself fearlessly to an unknown future audience, drifting through the dimensional wall without a care.
Ban Yu-won felt his romantic notions about space sour just a tiny bit. He tore his gaze from the window and finally got to work preparing his own ramen.
"Two cups?"
"Yeah. Gonna mix 'em. Space Mix Ramen is a delicacy. Plus, two of the words overlap."
"What's that ridiculously strong-sounding name?"
Ban Yu-won had handed out just one cup to each party member, so when he pulled out two for himself, Dokgo Yeon asked with an intrigued look.
She wasn't as obsessed with sweets as some, but she did love spicy food—and one of the cups he'd brought out had that enticing red packaging that screamed heat.
"It's stir-fried jjambbong ramen mixed with black bean noodles, topped with tuna and canned ham."
"Is that some diet for bulking up fast for a special reason?"
"You're underestimating the power of a growing teen."
Of course, Ban Yu-won had no intention of eating it all alone.
Didn't they have four more mouths to feed right here?
As he opened the lids and poured in boiling water, he noticed not just Dokgo Yeon but everyone else eyeing him curiously. He flashed a grin.
"Let's all share."
"Sounds good. Bet you're filming this too."
"It's a great chance to show the whole world—and every dimension—that Korean mixed ramen recipes aren't just Chapaguri."
"What's Chapaguri?"
"Guess we gotta start from the basics. Sorry—I'll grab some from Earth next time and make it for you."
While the noodles cooked, he cracked open the tuna can and extracted the oil concept, leaving just the fish. He opened the ham too and sliced it up neatly.
As he worked, Ban Yu-won reminisced about the old days.
Back home, he'd make this and share it amicably with his older sister.
...Well, more like she'd hog most of it every time, leaving him trembling in rage, then tease him with a straight face: Why didn't you just boil an extra one?
That pig—no, that nemesis—no, his sister. Being away from her was making him miss her more and more. Distance really was a scary thing.
"Ah, noodles done?"
He pulled the water concept from the cups, leaving just the perfectly cooked noodles behind. Ban Yu-won marveled inwardly at how convenient his abilities were.
Dumping the water from cup ramen used to be such a hassle! Now it was as easy as a wave of his hand!
"Maybe my powers are perfect for cooking too?"
"You're calling that whole process 'cooking,' Ban?"
Ignoring Light's jab, Ban Yu-won dumped the noodles into a single plate, topped them with tuna and ham, poured in all the sauces, and mixed it up.
He ate well at Union Academy most days, but the nostalgic instant ramen scent rising with the seaweed hit him hard—his stomach growled instantly.
"Dig in, everyone."
"Mmm, spicy-sweet aroma rising up. Let's see..."
One bite delivered heat, followed by the signature sweet umami of black bean sauce.
After savoring the plump noodles, which could feel a bit monotonous, came the chewy tuna and ham ensemble.
It wasn't exactly harmonious—just greasy goodness. And that's why it worked.
"M-Me too."
"No need to steal Yu-won's share—share mine."
The spice had mellowed nicely from the mix, so even Light and Lucelle, who weren't big on heat, devoured it happily.
Meanwhile, Yumina—who'd held back to maintain some dignity—finally got a taste when Ban Yu-won fed her a bite with chopsticks. Her eyes went wide in shock.
"You all shared stuff this good every time you climbed the Tower?!"
She seemed utterly floored by Earth's instant foods.
Makes sense—Union had wildly diverse cuisine, but instant meals skewed heavily toward preserved combat rations with clear purposes.
Cookies and cakes were superior to Earth's, but long-shelf-life snacks? Not so much...
"Nah, portions are small, so we don't eat it much in the Tower anymore."
"When break hits and we head to Earth, bring back a ton, okay?"
Dokgo Yeon, savoring her bowl, made the request.
"Oh, and grab some spices to amp up the heat while you're at it."
"You have your own subspace now, Dokgo Yeon. Stock up from your homeland."
Ban Yu-won pointed to the pretty jeweled bracelet jingling on her left wrist.
It had short-range teleport and subspace functions—and Yumina had rigorously inspected it to block any interference from its fixed owner.
Dokgo Yeon huffed at his words.
"This subspace can barely hold one mountain giant."
"Mountain giant? Straightforward naming..."
By the time they'd polished off the ramen amid cheerful chatter, a faint vibration hummed through the ship.
"Ah, we've hit the exit coordinates."
Right after Yumina whispered it, the window filled with pulsing blue light.
The ship jolted, and the next instant, their view went pitch black.
They'd broken free of the dimensional wall into open space.
Just escaping the light made everything feel eerily serene.
Though outside sounds never reached them anyway.
"See that faintly twinkling star? That's Uraha."
Yumina added that mana civilizations rated stars by observed brightness from afar.
"It's super dim."
"Means this special activity will be a breeze! Even if that world thinks a nation is collapsing, a team of academy freshmen can handle it."
"Fair point. At that level, their strongest monster's probably... an ogre?"
Ogres were hulking humanoid beasts over three meters tall, packed with brute muscle—just like in Earth's fantasy novels and games.
Ban Yu-won had glimpsed one during Gellas's monster wave...
Too far to measure its life, though.
Back then, he'd been dead certain it'd kill him one-on-one. But after the Tower? He could face it head-on now without backing down.
"Doubt even ogres show up... Anyway, let's head in. Our destination's Papitar, Uraha's flagship nation."
As the star swelled in view, the ship accelerated for real.
Ban Yu-won muttered inwardly, What the—no Earth resemblance, and suddenly they pierced the atmosphere, soaring over Papitar's skies.
The ground was still distant, but his eyes caught something: over a vast green expanse, swarms of dark brown shapes moved like ant hordes.
"We'd better hurry. More monsters than expected."
"All monsters?"
Too far to count precisely, but definitely hundreds of thousands.
Sheer numbers alone made it impossible for freshmen—grade didn't matter.
Yumina met Ban Yu-won's questioning gaze with wide-eyed alarm.
"Even the professor's surprised... Special activity approvals take time, sure."
Her hands flew over the controls in panic.
The screens zoomed in: an army of monsters beyond comprehension steamrolled the land.
But unlike Gellas's wave, one big difference...
"Just orcs?"
The horde was pure orcs—pig-headed, muscled warrior kin.
Even Rebellion's recent 39-room wave had armored insects as mains but mixed mobs—including zombie-human hybrids later.
Not this. Orcs everywhere.
Call it an orc wave instead.
"Th-this is bad."
Yumina paled, spotting something the others missed.
"Let's get to Papitar fast. Mess this up, and it won't be a national crisis—a dimensional one."
"Professor, honestly? We saw that coming."
"Yeah... the second 'flower viewing' came up."
"You guys are too much!"
Trouble followed their party everywhere—normalcy would be weirder now.
They half-expected dimensional rifts and pirates any second.
"Our team's beyond freshman level. No need for you to step in."
Dokgo Yeon eyed the screens, gauged the threat, and poised her hand lightly on her sword hilt with regal poise—psyching herself up, probably.
If only she'd wiped the spicy sauce from her lips, she'd look even more majestic. But this was cute too, so he let it slide.
Pointing it out would just get him in trouble.
...Meant she loved the Space Mix Ramen that much!
"Hey, Dokgo Yeon? Something on your lip."
"...?!"
And as always, Light drew the short straw.
Ban Yu-won kept a straight face, as if he'd never seen Dokgo Yeon disheveled, eyes fixed on the screens.
There: at the horde's vanguard, a massive orc.
It bore an unnaturally huge, crude greatsword on its shoulder, bellowing as it led the charge. Even through the screen, its aura screamed power.
"...? That greatsword feels off."
The other orcs' weapons looked vicious too, but this one's stood out—alien somehow.
He'd love to inspect it directly; screens blocked even his language pierce.
Yumina gave a wry smile at his reaction.
"Knew you'd notice, Ban Yu-won. That's probably the culprit behind this nasty wave... Where'd it even get that."
"One greatsword? What's the big deal."
"Later. Almost there."
The ship overtook the sprinting orc horde at high speed, descended like a plane, and touched down on a massive X marked on the ground.
"Alright, let's go."
"What about the ship? Oh—never mind."
As the group disembarked, the ship shrank to palm-size and vanished into Yumina's inventory.
Five minutes ago, they'd flown over orc-ravaged land; here, blooming meadows stretched out, putting Ban Yu-won in a weird mood.
Yumina had said it: Like a flower-viewing trip.
He might've agreed if not for that horde.
"Are you from Union Academy?"
A middle-aged woman approached with soldiers—clearly waiting.
Flashy dress, tiny crown artifact gleaming atop her head.
But her power level...
Her, the presumed royal, and her guards—they were so weak Ban Yu-won gauged their life values at a glance.
Not via his authority—just their mana and presence.
"I am Laira, Queen of Papitar. Thank you so much for accepting our request... Gasp, Rebellion!"
But as she approached and introduced herself, she spotted Ban Yu-won's face and cried out.
"Never dreamed Rebellion would come to our nation! The whole royal family are fans! Could you sign something?"
"We know us?"
"Of course—His Majesty has Union Net access! We all watch via the magic water mirror."
He checked the mirror: Rebellion channel subs over 500 million, despite no standout vids lately.
And one sub was right here.
Ban Yu-won glanced back at his stunned party—Yumina alone thumbs-upped.
Not the time.
"Do you know the truth behind Papitar's monster wave?"
"The orcs? We got reports two days ago..."
Yumina finally clocked the crisis and pressed the queen, who brushed it off casually.
"No time to nod along! How'd an orc get a relic?!"
Relic? Artifact?
As Ban Yu-won tilted his head, the queen—still clueless—replied blankly.
"Reports came in, but no clue where it came from. Dimensional flotsam, maybe...? Ah, but Rebellion can sweep ten thousand orcs easy, right?"
"At least a million."
The queen, utterly relaxed post-Rebellion spotting, went wide-eyed.
"What?"
"A million."
"Hah."
Yumina reiterated, and the queen fainted standing up.
Ban Yu-won wanted to join her... but the monster—no, orc wave was closing in too fast!