Chapter 149
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Lesson 30. Final Exams - 4
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"To our special admission team's epic comeback—cheers!"
The glasses clinked together in midair with a loud clang!, the sound produced by a pebble.
No one had responded to his toast, so he'd amped up the flair to suit the mood himself.
"If you want to toast, do it quietly so it doesn't make a racket, seriously."
Kshana shot back at the pebble, who kept desperately trying to draw attention from the underclassmen—especially the girls—without even hiding her irritation.
"And what's this 'special admission team'? We've got a club name: Union Wanderers. Is your head full of rocks or something?"
"Ugh... H-hey, but Rebellion was already doing great, and this victory was all thanks to us special admission students banding together... Right, Kshana? Congrats on hitting 7th in the comprehensive ranking battles! Jumping over 200 spots in one go—you're the hope of our team, no, our club—"
"I didn't get any help from you, so shut it, seriously. It was all thanks to Yu-won."
To be precise, she did benefit from the buffs of the pebble's talisman in everyday life, but since artifacts infused with others' magic weren't allowed in the ranking battles—unlike tower explorations—she technically hadn't gained anything from him.
From her perspective, this was a golden opportunity to build rapport and get closer to Ban Yu-won over drinks. The uninterested pebble clinging to her and being a nuisance had her snapping even more curtly.
"Who's 'our Yu-won'?"
"Gah—! Uh, ah, our leader! I meant our club president, my words just slipped!"
"Aha."
But at Lucelle's words, delivered with a sly smile as she sat to Ban Yu-won's right, Kshana backed off meekly.
Lucelle ranked 5th among freshmen, and while it was a bit funny that Kshana—who'd hit 7th among sophomores—feared her... considering how the top freshman rankings had gone awry this time, Lucelle was plenty strong enough to represent her year.
Ban Yu-won chuckled at the sight and calmed Lucelle down.
"You're being too hard on the senior, Lucelle."
"Yeah. Nom."
He picked up a veggie stick from the table and popped it into her mouth. The girl who'd been growling moments ago instantly turned docile and started munching away.
Kshana followed suit and quieted down too.
She was overwhelmed by their effortlessly natural flirting.
"How does that loser only pick the most pathetic moves in the book?"
Mira, who'd claimed the seat to Ban Yu-won's left—opposite Lucelle—muttered in pity. He shrugged and replied.
"That's par for the course with guys like him. Next thing you know, vacation rolls around, rumors spread about him stalking some underclassman or showing up at her house, and poof—no sign of him at club next semester."
The female members of this club should count their blessings that they lived on entirely different levels.
"...You say that like you've been through it. Who's the girl? I'll handle her."
"Wasn't me—it was my sister. So quit with the scary face."
What was the top reason clubs fell apart, anyway? Romantic entanglements between guys and girls.
Especially those types that popped up in every club: the ones saying 'Call me oppa casually' or 'I can treat you better than that guy.' Clueless to the mood, they'd cling and ruin the vibe, ultimately shattering the club to pieces.
He hadn't expected such idiots to show up even in Union Academy, the gathering place of the dimension's top prodigies... but on second thought, it probably wasn't a talent issue.
"That's why I figured it out!"
The pebble, having downed shot after shot alone since no one toasted with him, spoke in a voice already slurred from drink.
"Our exam scores turned out great, so maybe we don't need Ban Yu-won's help anymore!"
"Huh?"
That guy's really gonna vanish next semester.
"Look, our abilities have all leveled up, and we dodged disaster on the written exams too. So we don't need to grovel to that punk anymore!"
"Whoa... seriously."
Woo Hu-rin, ever wearing that faint smile, clapped at the pebble's words and said,
"What a truly garbage idea, Senior."
"Is that idiot really the same intellectual species as us?"
"Nah, that's definitely a monster."
The club members couldn't hide their shock.
In truth, Ban Yu-won thought they could just boot the pebble from the club without issue, but before he could cheerfully rip up the contract, the others started lynching him.
"Forgot you contracted with Yu-won already?"
"Senior, can't you just die?"
"Hitting people is a crime, but kicking a pebble? That's innocent, right?"
"Totally innocent."
"Let he who is without sin cast the first pebble..."
"Argh! Gyaaah! Eeeek! Kek! Snap out of it, you all! We won't become slaves!! Gaaaaah!"
The pebble getting mobbed by the members made for pretty decent drinking fodder.
Ban Yu-won toasted with the Rebellion crew plus Mira, enjoying the spectacle.
"Wait, let me in too—!"
"Oh, Misty? Reshu too."
"Hi!"
Despite the half-semester bond, Misty and Reshu showed up late to the afterparty.
The pebble perked up at the arrival of two beauties amid his beating, but was soon buried under the pile again.
"By the way... where's Aire?"
"She went solo exploring."
"Ah. Exams just ended—why's she so busy?"
Misty visibly deflated in disappointment.
Ban Yu-won gave a wry smile and seated her.
"Aire's not here, but stick around. Just watch you don't step on that pebble."
"Well, I did wanna hang with you guys at least once, so... not bad..."
"How'd you reserve this place? Group off-campus permits are one thing for a club, but party rooms are insanely competitive this season."
Reshu, the mage girl who'd come with Misty, looked around and asked.
Ban Yu-won silently pointed to Mira beside him.
"Power."
"Power that beats a special class full of higher-dimensional students...?"
"Also means our club's risen that much in status short-term."
"Cool."
"Picking this club? Aire really has vision."
"You just wanna praise Aire no matter what."
They'd originally joined chasing Aire, but seeing them blend in like this now, they'd really meshed with the club vibe.
"Take care of me second semester too."
"Don't say it—we've got nowhere else to go anyway."
"Ugh, going home for break kinda worries me..."
Vacation, huh.
Two weeks of exploration and two of special activities awaited, but after that, they could finally head back to Earth.
No, but before that, I've got something to wrap up. Club bonding's good enough now...
Ban Yu-won checked the time and stood.
Lucelle and Mira, half-leaning on him, wobbled and shot him slightly resentful looks, while only Dokgo Yeon—mid drinking contest with Light, teaching him the way of booze—gave a soft hm and smile.
"Heading to the tower?"
"Yeah. Wanna tie things up before our exploration starts Monday."
"Smart move. ...If you'd lost to that worm and spent all day boozing between girls, I'd have flipped the table myself."
Lucelle snapped at Dokgo Yeon in Ban Yu-won's stead, since he hadn't been around.
"Dokgo Yeon, you're too harsh. Yu-won's only been seriously growing for half a year."
"The talented aren't judged by the standards of the ordinary."
Dokgo Yeon scoffed, casually downplaying Union Academy—the nexus of the dimension's greatest talents—as "ordinary," then urged Ban Yu-won on.
"Ban Yu-won, if you're going to the tower, hurry. Like you said, finish before Monday's dungeon dive."
"Yeah, hold down the fort here."
"I'll only babysit this idiot."
"Wha—? Ban, you leaving? Hehe, take me wi... Gurk!"
Watching Light, flushed and slurring whines, it really felt like a college club outing.
"I'll call Professor Yumina. She's been chanting she'll come right after work..."
"Professor Yumina's coming?! I can drink with her... This is the best! Ban Yu-won, you're the best!"
"Ah—Senior Woo Hu-rin? Keep that pebble pinned, please."
"Leave it to me."
Only after handing off the pebble's cleanup to Woo Hu-rin—the most reliable guy there—could Ban Yu-won finally leave the party worry-free.
For some reason, the pebble's absurd declaration from earlier nagged at him.
Drunk joke? No way. He knows about the contract, so that was dead serious.
Looking back as he exited, he saw Woo Hu-rin gripping the pebble, flashing a menacing smile while talking.
The pebble dodged with an awkward expression. Kartro El Fascis.
As the two drew close, fluid concepts faintly shimmered around them.
They thought they'd hidden it, but unfortunately, Ban Yu-won possessed the ability to pierce essences clearer than anyone.
As expected—no talisman needed for the buff. At max potency too.
No doubt about it—they were comrades.
Deeper allies than any team climbing the tower together.
Otherwise, Woo Hu-rin couldn't have enjoyed max buff effects even before Kartro's talisman.
Their bond was highly suspicious, which was why Ban Yu-won kept tabs on them.
To the eye, just a fool and a nice guy—but that's precisely why he stayed vigilant.
That line from Kartro earlier—Woo Hu-rin shut it down quick, so unwanted slip. Maybe they're at odds?
They were already leashed by contract.
Whether they thought they could break it or had no choice but to risk it.
Either way, didn't matter.
Lines weren't crystal clear yet... but if they saw his contract as some lowly curse or restraint, they'd regret it big time.
Don't know when they'll show their true colors, but I'd prefer they stay put.
Cutting down folks he'd grown fond of wasn't pleasant.
Ban Yu-won sighed softly and headed to the tower.
For the record, that night's party dragged on till 3 a.m. thanks to the rampage of their advisor, Professor Yumina—and sure enough, it ended with the pebble, who'd tried his moves on her, bound by vines sprouting from the floor and put on display in the city square.