Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Lesson 1. This Is Your Status Window - 4
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[From the Goblin Warrior, you steal 1 Demon, 2 Life, 1 Body, and 3 Swordsmanship.]
The boss of the Blind Goblin Cave, the Goblin Warrior, was like a tree that gave without reservation.
Not only the experience points equivalent to ten goblins, but also Swordsmanship—something Ban Yu-won had never possessed before—at a whopping 3!
Perhaps it was because Ban Yu-won had clashed directly with it, endured tremendous hardship, and internalized its abilities to the point where they could be defined in words. He speculated as much himself.
Ban Yu-won immediately separated the 1 Demon and infused 0.5 into the Dokkaebi Club (bringing its Ghost Tool to 5.2), then absorbed the rest into himself.
The strengthening of his body from the increases in Life, Body, and Magical Power was a given.
The moment he absorbed the 3 Swordsmanship, Ban Yu-won realized he could now move more keenly and cleverly.
Swordsmanship wasn't just the technique of wielding a blade; it was the ability to confront enemies with it.
From this moment, Ban Yu-won could anticipate enemies' presence and movements and respond accordingly.
'What to do with this.'
He looked down at the lump of metal rolling on the floor with a troubled expression.
Through his eyes, now able to pierce the conceptual words within objects, he saw a chaotic mess of sharpness, dullness, and tool clashing in disharmony inside it.
After pondering briefly, Ban Yu-won decided to take it along.
He hadn't planned to originally, but the academy had provided an Inventory.
The Inventory was exactly like the item window in games: summon a shimmering pocket dimension in the air, toss objects in, and later summon it anywhere to retrieve them.
Its capacity was substantial, so adding one lump of metal wouldn't be an issue.
"Next up, then."
Ban Yu-won picked up the other trophy rolling on the floor.
It was a small key, and without even examining it, he knew what it was for.
The small door behind the room, guarded by the Blind Goblin Warrior.
The key was meant to open it.
"Oh."
Opening the door revealed a truly tiny space inside.
In the center stood a stone altar, topped with a modest red orb—likely the Dungeon Core.
Destroying the Dungeon Core ends the Practical Exam.
Ban Yu-won picked it up, wondering if he could separate its concepts, but no luck.
The core was fused to the altar, and even if he could smash the altar, it didn't seem like something an individual could claim.
"Then I'll smash it."
He ordered the Dokkaebi Club—which had been orbiting him faithfully since its creation—to destroy the core.
It swung without hesitation, shattering the red orb into pieces, and as expected, golden strings of text flowed out from within.
[From the Dungeon Core, you steal 10 Magic Core. A Magic Core is a concept humans cannot inherently possess. Through the power of the Babylonia Code, it can be temporarily stored in your body, but you cannot wield this power yourself. It is recommended to separate it or bestow it upon another object or creature.]
He'd half-expected it, but the core's concepts couldn't be held by Ban Yu-won directly.
Thinking to split the demon from the nucleus...
'No way splitting off the demon completes a nuke, right?'
Probably not.
If a nucleus were that simple to make, it wouldn't be a nucleus.
Mocking his foolish thought, he split the Magic Core.
5 Demon emerged, and absorbing it fully raised his Magical Power to 16.25.
5 Nucleus remained...
Ban Yu-won pondered, then pulled out the metal lump from his Inventory and bestowed it there.
It wasn't because he thought it was junk.
[An object possessing multiple conceptual words acquires the concept of Nucleus, enabling it to function as a 'Code Core'—a vessel containing conceptual words. It can stably store an amount of conceptual words proportional to the Nucleus it holds.]
At that instant, another tiny miracle occurred.
The crudely crumpled metal lump compressed into a sleek steel orb, and the tangled concepts inside neatly separated and arranged themselves!
A vessel to store concepts he couldn't absorb himself but might use later had been created.
Not junk.
Absolutely not junk, since it was for collecting future concepts!
'Defining and transforming objects through words. Interesting.'
They say you feel different going into and coming out of the bathroom—and Ban Yu-won was exactly that now.
He'd been busy cursing Union Academy upon arriving in this strange world, but after surviving the exam and awakening his latent powers, it all felt like a "tough but worthwhile experience."
Of course, he still wanted revenge on those who'd thrown him into a death trap without warning...
Though judging by their tech, when that might happen was anyone's guess.
'Sigh. Revenge aside, going straight back to Earth would be best, but the situation doesn't look promising. I'll ask about it calmly when I meet the person in charge. Alright... time to move.'
He wanted a bit more time to mentally prepare here, but that wasn't possible.
Since smashing the Dungeon Core, the floor had been subtly shaking.
Any delay, and he'd be buried with the collapsing dungeon.
Steeling himself as he watched the Dokkaebi Club still drifting around him, Ban Yu-won murmured softly.
"I'm ready to move."
In that instant, light flooded his vision.
When Ban Yu-won came to, he was no longer in the cave but in a cozy room.
Much larger than his room back home, it included an attached bathroom and shower, with a separate bedroom.
Two separate beds suggested it wasn't a single room.
No signs of life, so he must have arrived first.
But that wasn't the point.
[Congratulations once again on passing the Practical Exam. Examinee Ban Yu-won will now reside in Union Academy Men's Dormitory D Wing, Room 1303, as a prospective student. Room 1303 is a double, and your roommate is currently in the enrollment preparation process.]
[The entrance ceremony is the day after tomorrow at 9 AM. Please thoroughly read the guidebook in the room containing basic academy common knowledge. If you wish a personal interview before the ceremony, fill out the provided form.]
To think they'd grant his wish so readily.
Ban Yu-won searched the room and soon found a survey-like form on the desk.
Simply note desired time and reason.
Time: "As soon as possible." Reason...
"...I'll be honest."
He didn't know Union Academy.
He'd never applied.
Suddenly passing document screening and thrown into the Practical Exam had been bewildering. He'd scraped through, but he lacked confidence in a school demanding such skills, so please send him back to his original world.
After writing that, he hesitated briefly but added one more line.
'Request for travel expenses reimbursement.'
Upon completion, the form dissolved into the air.
For reference, he'd written in the language from the academy notifications.
The response came quickly.
[Interview request accepted. Professor Yumina of Magical Combat Studies will conduct the interview with the prospective student. Time: 1 hour from now. Prepared students will be automatically summoned to the professor's ready room. In the meantime, please compose yourself and prepare.]
Yumina? Korean, maybe?
The thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head.
Union Academy accepted students from many dimensions; professors were no exception.
'More importantly.'
The instruction to compose himself made him finally notice how filthy he was.
Blood, sweat, unspeakable secretions, dust—everything was a mess.
His clean uniform upon entering the dungeon was long since rags.
Pondering clothes to change into, he stripped and headed to the shower.
This world's shower wasn't much different from Earth's.
The difference: temperature and pressure controlled via magic tools, but intuitively designed, so easy enough.
"Huuuuh..."
Hot water soaking him drew out a sigh.
Injuries from battle and strained joints screamed in unison.
Advances in Life and Body had healed much, and since awakening Magical Power, a mystical self-healing worked within him, slowly mending.
'If I went back to Earth now, I could probably do well in UFC.'
Absorbing the Blind Goblin Warrior's concepts had elevated his physical abilities to another level.
Superior base stats plus Swordsmanship for fundamental body control.
Activate Magical Power, and he might even compete in the Olympics.
...Conversely, even this growth only reached top Earth athlete level.
'But if I keep collecting conceptual words like this...?'
The Blind Goblin Cave was the weakest den imaginable.
Defeating stronger foes would yield greater growth, naturally.
Keep growing, and he'd stand tall before the irresponsible academy staff who dragged him here...
Snapping out of it, he slapped his cheek with one hand.
"Have I gone mad?"
Lower Dimension Special Admission, dropped in the weakest den, barely survived that ordeal—and now chase stronger ones?
Risk death for power?
He must be thoroughly insane.
He'd never suspected such savage instincts lurked within him.
'Just go home.'
He needed no more power.
Back to Earth: top university, enjoy youth.
Succeed Grandfather and Father as a diplomat, uphold family honor.
Boring but peaceful, serene life. Yes, dreadfully dull and tedious...
'I really must be losing it.'
Smacking his head repeatedly, he finished showering, dried off, and spotted new underwear and navy uniform-like outerwear in the basket by the bathroom.
Undoubtedly prepared for him.
Donning them in order, they fit perfectly—eerie.
"The clothes... are nice."
Probably the uniform.
High school graduation felt recent, yet another uniform—grumbling as he dressed, but complaints vanished once on.
No constriction or stuffiness at all.
As comfortable as bare skin, even refreshing.
With basic recognition of Demon from the dungeon, he sensed it infused in the uniform.
[Is the interview preparation complete?]
"Yes."
Not enrolling, but could they gift this uniform?
If not, how to sneak just the conceptual words out?
Pondering that, he responded anyway.
A blink, and he was in a large room unlike the dorm.
Impressive: the wall behind the central desk was entirely glass, offering a clear view outside.
"Welcome, Student Ban Yu-won."
A young, beautiful woman seated regally at the desk greeted him warmly.
He'd wondered if Yumina was Korean from the name, but she was neither Korean nor human.
Proving it: green skin, lush petals instead of hair, ruby gems instead of eyes sparkling as they fixed on him.
Yet despite the alien features, she was stunningly beautiful—truly astonishing.
"You know you've captured every professor's interest during the exam pro—cess, right? My goodness, special or general admission, creating a new artifact mid-evaluation is a first in my five hundred years... Student Ban Yu-won? What are you looking at?"
But.
Even with this alien beauty before him.
Even here to demand return to Earth.
Ban Yu-won's gaze stuck to the window.
Noticing, Professor Yumina curved her purple lips in a smile.
"First time taking in the academy with your own eyes? Hehe, I'm glad you seem to like it. How is it? Want to attend Union Academy now?"
"Y-Yes...?"
"Sudden Practical Exam must have been shocking. Earth, was it? How low must a dimension's rank be to not know Union Academy, the pinnacle across all dimensions... Ahem! I can answer all your questions. About the entrance exam process, the specialized education ahead to awaken your aptitudes, and more..."
"Professor."
Ban Yu-won asked, gaze mesmerized beyond the window.
Precisely: past the academy buildings, atop a hill stood a colossal tower.
Piercing the heavens, too tall to even glimpse the top.
"What's that tower called?"
"You really don't know Union Academy. Not knowing Babel Tower."
Babel Tower.
Ban Yu-won let out a hollow laugh as the professor tilted her head but kindly continued.
"The origin of all mysteries and dangers in the world, the dungeon of dungeons. That Babel Tower is why Union Academy exists. To nurture dimension-top talents and help them reach its pinnacle. That is our academy's purpose, the last hope shared across all dimensions... Student Ban Yu-won? Why the laugh?"
"No. Just... my mind's changed a bit."
So our building's here.
Ban Yu-won decided then and there to enroll in Union Academy.