Chapter 5
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Lesson 2. This Is Your Roommate - 1
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Professor Yumina was as kind as she was beautiful, patiently explaining the academy's basic common knowledge to Ban Yu-won, who knew absolutely nothing about it.
To sum it up, it wasn't the professors who had dragged him here—it was Union Academy's student selection system.
Union Academy's student selection system targeted all dimensions, selecting students who met the necessary conditions and automatically providing evaluations tailored to each one.
As a result, the professors had only learned the name of the planet "Earth" today, and they were quite shocked to hear that Ban Yu-won came from a lower dimension where even the existence of Union Academy was unknown.
Ban Yu-won, whose vengeful feelings had already flown out the window after seeing Babel Tower, decided not to dwell on it anymore. But Professor Yumina, unaware of this, tried to cheer him up with various other stories.
"Is that the artifact you made, Ban Yu-won? Impressive. The power it holds is pretty weak... but an offensive artifact that moves completely autonomously? Oh my, I can even feel a faint sense of self in it? Hehe, your future potential is truly something to look forward to."
"You want to go back home before the entrance ceremony? Hmm, since you said you didn't even know about Union Academy... Alright, I'll make a special exception."
"Oh, just now, the other lower dimension special admission examinees passed their evaluations. Including you, Ban Yu-won, there are four in total. You'll be rooming with one of them."
"Then, Ban Yu-won, once you're done settling into your room, tear this paper. It'll take you back home. We'll send a summons on the day of the entrance ceremony, so just respond once you're ready."
When Ban Yu-won returned to his room after the meeting with her, someone else was already there.
"Who are you!"
The moment he sensed Ban Yu-won's presence, a handsome man drew a glowing sword from thin air and pointed it at him.
If it had been just half a day ago, he might have jumped in fright and collapsed. But after facing goblins and dancing on the edge of life and death, Ban Yu-won no longer flinched at a blade held right in front of his face.
In fact, before that, the Dokkaebi Club had already reacted, blocking it in midair.
"Can't you tell from my clothes? New student here. Your roommate."
"Oh? Ah, a-ah. Sorry about that. I was just finishing my practical exam, so my nerves were on edge..."
Upon grasping the situation from Ban Yu-won's calm explanation, the man realized his mistake, hurriedly sheathed his sword, and bowed his head in apology.
He seemed a bit hot-tempered, but not someone who lacked manners.
Now that enrollment was confirmed, his roommate's personality mattered. This didn't seem like much cause for concern.
"I heard you're lower dimension special admission too."
"Hm? Ah, you, no, you... Ahem. You're from a lower dimension as well?"
"Ban Yu-won. Call me casually, by name."
He'd originally planned to head straight home, but he figured it was wise to chat a bit with his future roommate first.
"What? By name? No, I couldn't. Ban, nice to meet you. I'm As Light—no, As Light. Call me Light... Yeah."
From his startled reaction to being asked to use his first name, it seemed like in Light's world, addressing someone by their given name was a grave discourtesy.
Ban Yu-won noted the cultural difference anew as he observed his new roommate, As Light, with whom he'd be sharing a room.
He'd just come from his practical exam, so his body was covered in grime, yet he was still strikingly handsome, the kind that made your blood boil with envy.
'I thought I was decent-looking myself... but this guy is on another level. Unreal.'
A slender, small face; sharp, deeply sparkling blue eyes; wavy golden hair swaying at his shoulders.
A high, pointed nose and delicately glistening lips—every attractive feature crammed in, making his beauty feel almost artificial.
He looked exactly like a prince straight out of a shojo manga, no exaggeration.
'Why am I describing this guy's looks in such detail? This is annoying as hell.'
So he stopped.
Instead, he asked,
"You just finished your practical exam? So you fought the blind goblins too?"
"What? Blind goblins?"
But the response was unexpected.
"No way. Low-level monsters like that can be hunted by even the basic-trained soldiers back home. I faced trolls and ogres. I spent hours trudging through the swamp because of it. Exhausted."
...Trolls and ogres?
He couldn't judge solely by game knowledge, but no matter how he thought about it, they seemed way tougher than goblins...!
Ban Yu-won could only gape wordlessly at the answer.
Then he noticed something: the Dokkaebi Club that had blocked Light's sword earlier.
It lay limply over his shoulder, apparently having exhausted all its energy—no, ghostly power—to block the strike.
And this was the artifact that had split a goblin warrior's head in one blow!
"I see. So, Ban, you're the special ability type, huh? Makes sense. That artifact that blocked my sword wasn't ordinary."
Seeing Ban Yu-won's flustered look, Light nodded as if piecing it together.
"My birth dimension and other qualifications fell short, but I'm confident in my combat prowess. Passing the higher-level practical exam than the regular track was my enrollment condition."
"I see..."
He'd thought lower dimension special admission was for students lacking in martial power compared to the regular track, but apparently, there were exceptions.
He felt pathetic for feeling even a sliver of camaraderie toward this inhumanly handsome guy just because they shared the special admission label!
"H-Hey, Ban! Don't look so down. We're all here to get proper training and grow, right?"
"Yeah, true."
Light, noticing Ban Yu-won's deflated mood, tried to encourage him.
And the guy had a good personality too!
The only thing he had going for him was language skills.
But he couldn't brag about his abilities like some show-off, nor did he want to look pathetic doing so.
Unable to take it anymore, Ban Yu-won decided on a quick retreat.
"You said you're tired from the swamp. Go wash up and rest. I'm actually heading home briefly before the entrance ceremony. See you then."
"What? They let you go home during the pre-enrollment wait? The academy did?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"Unbelievable."
He thought it was no big deal, but Light wore the most shocked expression since they met.
"Ban, you must have some incredible ability. For those haughty academy professors to grant such a convenience to a lower dimension special admission student..."
"...Is that such a big deal?"
"Haha, you don't even know how big? Upper dimension beings look down on and ignore lower dimensions like they're gods... You've never experienced that kind of arrogance in inter-dimensional exchanges?"
Light's face turned bitter as he spoke.
Ban Yu-won replied awkwardly.
"Sorry, I actually just learned about lower and upper dimensions today. I don't even get what's so great about upper dimensions."
"Well, the resources, knowledge, and even magical power you have from birth are different... What? Today?!"
"Oh, so that's the difference? Anyway, let's talk details later. I got pulled into the practical exam without even telling my parents, so I need to head back first."
"R-Right. Got it..."
"See ya."
Ban Yu-won pulled out the paper the professor had given him and tore it.
The spatial transfer authority activated without delay, sending him back to his original world—Earth.
Leaving behind only the handsome man frozen in shock.
"Whoa! Ban Yu-won, you just left the acceptance screen up and vanished—where were you? I thought you were so excited you ran outside..."
Finally back in his familiar room, there stood his older sister, Ban Yu-mi.
Lounging on his bed in a loose tank top and hot pants, flipping through comics—she was the picture of grace.
"Why are you lounging in my room like this?"
"Can't spill snack crumbs on my own bed."
"Get out. Scram."
Sure enough, empty snack bags littered the floor.
The crumbs must be scattered like petals on the bed, crunching away.
Ban Yu-won sighed and tried to shove his sister off, but she rolled away nimbly beforehand.
Of course, he'd moved aggressively knowing she'd dodge.
After all, she was a student at Korea's most prestigious H National University of Physical Education.
A national team fencer prepping for the Olympics, no less.
And that active fencer suddenly sprang up and said to him,
"Hey, Ban Yu-won."
"Don't use that weird tone."
"No, seriously. Did you change all of a sudden?"
Ban Yu-mi's eyes sharpened keenly.
Ban Yu-won shot back, glaring pitifully at her as if to say "now you notice."
"Can't you see? These fancy clothes wrapping me up? Your big bro evolved from growth spurt to full maturity. You can't handle me anymore."
"Can't handle my ass...!"
Ban Yu-mi raised her hand like a sword and lunged.
In that instant, Ban Yu-won sidestepped half a pace, lightly dodging her attack while thrusting his own hand blade at her.
But she twisted away quickly, so he missed. Instead, he sensed her sharp stab from the right and swung his hand to parry it.
"What... the hell? Seriously, what?"
All her attacks blocked, and though she dodged, sharp counters came back.
Stunned by her little brother's retaliation, Ban Yu-mi flopped onto the bed. Ban Yu-won calmly said,
"Listen up."
"Spill it."
"Truth is, I've always thought you weren't really blood-related to our family."
"I'm gonna kill you."
Ban Yu-won caught her flying hand blade and continued.
"But turns out, I had similar talent sleeping inside me too."
"No way this is just 'talent'! How many years have I swung a sword?!"
Ban Yu-mi didn't fit the Ban family mold, full of brainiacs. She was born with a steel-trap mind and a monster body.
From childhood, she excelled at anything physical, but her barbaric taste for wielding weapons against people led her to choose between kendo and fencing in middle school. She picked Olympic-eligible fencing.
She still trained kendo steadily alongside it, and last Olympics, she brought home three golds and a silver in team and individual events combined.
So Ban Yu-won had always thought she wasn't real family blood. But entering the dungeon revealed he had similar combat talent dormant within.
It just needed a massive stimulus like life-or-death crisis to awaken, which was why he'd been clueless until now.
'Plus, now I have Swordsmanship 3 on top.'
But as he knew himself, this level still couldn't surpass Olympic athletes.
To surpass monsters like Light, to rightfully claim Babel Tower's ownership—his road was still long.
"Ban Yu-won! So what happened?!"
"Quiet! More importantly, family meeting time."
He pushed away his sister, who was practically foaming at the mouth, and declared.
"Ha, blocking one hand blade and you think you can climb over your big sis."
"Hurry."
"Tch, if it's nothing, you're dead."
Flabbergasted by his one-sided command but sensing he'd truly been through something in half a day, Ban Yu-mi obediently left his room and pulled out her phone.
Ban Yu-won yelled at her retreating back.
"Sis, call Grandpa too."
"What the hell?!"
"Call him."
"Whatever, I'll call. You deal with it. Ban family guys are such a pain..."
She shook her head and went to spread the word for the family meeting.
Ban Yu-won stretched his legs, eyeing his sister's smooth back as she walked away, thinking as always that she'd be popular if she fixed her temper, and sighed.
Then, absentmindedly, he picked up a snack bag from the floor.
[Steal the concept of Language and Bag (封紙) from the empty snack bag?]
"...Well, look at that."
A smile crept onto his lips.
Seemed like he'd need to secure some budget at the family meeting.
Left alone after Ban Yu-won left, As Light remained stunned for a while longer before realizing his body was filthy with muck. He sighed lightly and headed to the shower.
Tossing aside clothes stained with swamp filth, troll blood, ogre fluids, etc., a cross necklace revealed itself over his toned nude form.
"I could take it off now... No, no. Gotta get used to it."
After brief hesitation, Light showered with the necklace on.
Naturally, his thoughts drifted to his future roommate, Ban Yu-won.
"Should've gotten a single room after all. Sigh, what to do..."
Fortunately, he didn't seem like a bad guy.
Plus, sorry to say, his combat ability seemed far below his own, so he could overpower him easily if needed.
But that invisible artifact was impressive.
He hadn't put much force into the reflexive swing, but blocking his holy sword?
As owner of a great artifact himself, he could tell.
That wasn't ordinary.
'Artifacts like that aren't just about obtaining them. Handling them requires insane talent. And that connection form—maybe he made it himself... The faculty must have spotted his gift. True talent, not half-baked like mine.'
Already awakened, with brilliant growth ahead.
He glimpsed a fragment of such talent in Ban Yu-won.
Different from his own.
"No... No!"
He gritted his teeth, denying the thought.
His small fist pounded the shower wall hard.
'Weaken your mind, and you're swallowed. I can't crumble. I made it into the academy somehow. I will...'
Climb the tower.
Gain the power to protect his world.
As Light resolved fiercely and scrubbed his body.
Then he realized something.
'When we talked earlier, it was so natural I didn't notice... but that guy was speaking Union directly.'
All who entered Union Academy had their languages unified to "Union language."
Professors, students, even all academy books.
This was an authority beyond personal skills, spanning vast domains.
Strictly, it was simultaneous interpretation.
Speak your native tongue, it translates seamlessly to Union. Hear Union, perceive it as native.
Same for reading.
Thus, everyone communicated in Union.
But it had one unavoidable flaw.
Lip shapes and pronunciation didn't match.
You think you're speaking native, but Union comes out—naturally.
For sharp senses like Light's, it could be distracting.
So why did that guy's lips and sounds match perfectly...?
If he knew Union beforehand, but he learned of dimensions today—that nagged.
'His native tongue resembles Union...?'
That was the most convincing conclusion Light could reach.
No way he mastered Union instantly upon exposure.
Compared to his artifact, it was trivial anyway.
As Light shrugged, toweled off, and gripped his sword.
Two days until enrollment.
To earn overwhelming recognition in an academy teeming with upper dimension folk, he couldn't waste even that short time.
