Chapter 6

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 6

Chapter Title: Lesson 2. This Is Your Roommate - 2

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"Yu-won, I don't know why you're making such a fuss, but you know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dad's a busy man, right? I've got a business trip coming up soon... Ow!"

"Ugh, you idiot. Today is Yu-won's college announcement day. You can't even make time for dinner together on a day like this?"

The moment they sat down at the dinner table, Mom smacked Dad on the back as he tried to set a serious ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tone.

Meanwhile, Grandfather, seated at the head of the table, was spouting nonsense.

"Babel Tower? You're talking about Babel Tower, aren't you?"

Dad and Mom were exchanging their usual banter while subtly glancing at Grandfather, their faces screaming, Who the hell dragged this old man out here?

"Alright, everyone's here, so spill it."

Ban Yu-mi sat calmly with her wooden sword within arm's reach.

If the agenda wasn't anything major, she looked ready to grab it and crack Ban Yu-won's skull at any moment.

"Then I'll get straight to the point."

As Ban Yu-won set a bag of snacks on the table, Ban Yu-mi's expression turned icy.

She was clearly thinking something ridiculous like, Is this punk seriously calling a family meeting over something this trivial?

"Everyone, keep your eyes peeled."

"A snack bag?"

"Isn't this about Babel Tower?"

As Ban Yu-won absorbed the concept, the snack bag withered in an instant, crumbling into dust that scattered away.

Dad jumped up in horror and shouted.

"It's turning to dust!"

"Honey, sit down. Yu-won, what was that just now? Can you do that to other trash too?"

"The ability to turn trash into dust...!"

"!!"

They all seemed surprised in their own ways... but the direction of their shock felt a bit off from what Ban Yu-won had expected.

He narrowed his eyes and said.

"Don't you guys have any other reactions? Like, where the hell did you get that power from?"

The family's responses were a sight to behold.

"It's surprising, sure, but not as much as when you spoke ten languages at three years old..."

"Yu-won, can you get rid of Styrofoam too, by any chance?"

"So what's with that uniform you were wearing earlier?"

"Babel Tower!!!"

In the midst of the family each blurting out their own thoughts, Grandfather suddenly raised his voice.

"You've found Babel Tower, my boy!"

"Huh?"

"Father, what's wrong?"

"Grandpa, go back to bed already."

How does turning a snack bag to dust lead to Babel Tower?

The rest of the family thought Grandfather's dementia was acting up again and tried to usher him back to his room.

"No, everyone stay put. Grandpa really knows what's up."

And ironically, that was spot on.

"I've found Babel Tower. But these weird monsters have taken it over, Grandpa."

"What an outrageous affront!"

Grandfather bellowed.

Was it his imagination? The frail, shabby-looking old man seemed to be growing larger by the second.

No, the anger and passion forged into his flesh were being stoked like a bellows, swelling him up.

"So we have to take it back. Support me."

"Support you? Of course! How could this old man stand idly by when our Yu-won is fulfilling the family's long-cherished wish!"

Grandfather, now fully compos mentis, shot to his feet, eyes blazing, and asked Dad.

"Son, where's my cellphone?"

"Huh? Father has cellphones all over... Oh, that old flip phone? It's safely stored in the warehouse."

"Bring it here. I need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to use that one."

"Father? Gah, you're still ridiculously strong!"

Grandfather dragged Dad away by the collar.

Mom and Sis could only stare at their retreating figures in stunned silence.

And rightly so—it had been years since Grandfather Ban Ji-won had shown such vitality.

"Father really loves Babel Tower to get this excited... So, what's the real story, Yu-won?"

Mom asked. Ban Yu-won answered honestly.

"I found Babel Tower."

"Even you, son? I don't know what your goal is in fooling your grandfather, but..."

"I found it."

Ban Yu-won insisted firmly, opening his inventory.

The Dokkaebi Club, fully recovered after hours of rest inside, shot out, spun through the air a few times, circled behind Mom, and lightly tapped her shoulders.

"Eek!"

"Believe me a little. So, Mom, sorry, but I can't go to college."

"You're not just lying after failing, are you?"

"No, Mom, I saw it. This guy's definitely accepted to S University."

Ban Yu-mi spoke calmly, then turned to Ban Yu-won with serious eyes.

"Can I come to Babel Tower too? Sounds fucking fun."

"You're not ready. No, don't clench your fist. I'm serious, give it up."

"Damn it..."

"I'll explain, so sit down and listen calmly."

With that, Ban Yu-won explained everything that had happened to him that day.

Mom was horrified to hear her son had unknowingly faced mortal danger, while Ban Yu-mi’s eyes sparkled at the mention of monsters and mana.

And when he got to the part about Babel Tower being the dungeon of dungeons...

"No way!"

Mom shrieked.

"How can I send you to such a dangerous place!"

"I’m going, Mom. It’s the best place to make use of my talents."

"That’s not what you said before! You wanted to be a diplomat to live comfortably!"

"Ugh, that’s because becoming an archaeologist or linguist here guarantees results. But that’s not the case there. Our building is there!"

"Ugh, I should’ve known when you were little, always trailing after Grandpa!"

Mom pounded her chest in frustration at her stubborn son, while Ban Yu-mi asked.

"Can I handle that mana stuff too?"

"What? No way... Hold on."

What had made Ban Yu-won able to wield mana?

Clearly, when he’d taken in external magic, it had awakened the mana dormant in his body.

And if so, Ban Yu-mi had just as much potential.

"Sis, give me your hand."

"Eek, so embarrassing."

"Cut the crap."

He grabbed her grumbling hand and peeled off 0.05 of his perfectly attuned 16.25 mana, bestowing it upon her.

Bestowal didn’t require ownership, after all.

The moment 0.05 mana flowed through his hand into hers, Ban Yu-mi jolted.

"W-what’s this?"

"Mana. Feel it?"

"This... right now...!"

She yanked her hand away and retreated, sitting cross-legged on the floor in focus.

In wuxia novels, it was usually the lotus position, but her kendo-honed form looked authentic enough.

Unlike Ban Yu-won, who’d grasped mana instantly upon absorbing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, she took much longer—maybe because she’d only gotten 0.05, or perhaps her talent was comparatively less. Hard to say.

As Ban Yu-won wondered if he should give her more, a brilliant red light emanated from Ban Yu-mi’s body.

"Got it! This is it, right!"

"Oh, it worked."

Her presence swelled in an instant.

Maybe because she was already strong, but awakening mana brought a dramatic change.

Her strength surged, her stamina too, her entire aura transformed.

But Mom just clutched her forehead and sighed as her daughter tested her new power by doing a handstand on one finger.

"Oh no, now my daughter’s gone weird too."

"Mom, I’ll give you some mana. Once you awaken it, your body gets tougher and healthier."

"No thanks, Mom’s good. Don’t want it."

"It doesn’t even hurt."

"Don’t want it!"

Whether spooked by her daughter radiating red light, Mom flat-out refused.

Meanwhile, Ban Yu-mi, now fully attuned to her mana, dragged Ban Yu-won off, itching to test it out.

"Ban Yu-won, spar with me!"

"I’ve never even learned kendo."

"Don’t bullshit me, punk. Your stance was solid. Sis’ll check you properly, so hurry up and come out. Hurry!"

"Wait, before that, our grandpa..."

"Yu-won."

As he resisted being dragged out willy-nilly by Ban Yu-mi, Dad and Grandfather returned to the living room.

"They said to come by noon tomorrow. Bring whatever you need."

"Who’d you tell to come?"

"The banker, who else?"

Banker. As in, bank employee.

Ban Yu-won vaguely recalled hearing the family had an account at a Swiss bank.

He glanced at Dad, who nodded with a still-stunned expression.

"Turns out he’s got an account at one of those private banks straight out of movies. Never even told his own son..."

"You’ve got no talent for it! The account was always meant for Yu-won anyway!"

"Dad... and Grandpa too."

Ban Yu-won bestowed 0.1 mana each on Dad and Grandfather.

Even if not immediately, it could help their health if they ever awakened it.

Especially to slow Grandfather’s dementia, even a little.

Now my mana’s a clean 16.

Investing in family wasn’t a loss.

To other academy students, it’d be negligible anyway.

He wanted to give some to Mom too, but couldn’t force her when she refused so vehemently.

"Feel that energy in your body? Now, focus on it—"

"It’s good for you, so concentrate and feel it well. Anyway, we’re heading out!"

"Wait, I need to explain the academy to Grandpa too..."

"Mom’ll handle the explaining!"

And so, Ban Yu-won was dragged out by Ban Yu-mi and forced into being her sparring partner.

The silver lining? Sparring with a skilled opponent rapidly grew his various concepts.

Swordsmanship grew especially shockingly fast—from 3 to 5.6 in just hours.

"What the hell, you. Why’re you getting stronger so fast!"

"Ahh, this is what they call ‘talent.’"

"I wanna kill you for real."

Ban Yu-mi had grown stronger with mana, but so had he—and he had more of it.

Above all, his Life concept—level, simply put—was higher.

Her lifelong honed skills kept her ahead, but Ban Yu-won was catching up fast!

Hmm, explaining this just as ‘talent’ doesn’t cut it, does it?

Even as he grew in real-time sparring with her, Ban Yu-won questioned his own growth.

Then it hit him: his unique concepts—All-Reading Eyes, All-Hearing Ears, and All-Speaking Lips.

These didn’t seem limited to language alone.

Why’s my swordsmanship improving so fast? Because I’m reading and interpreting Sis’s movements, applying them to myself. It’s not just reading words.

Ban Yu-mi, never bested by her brother in physical pursuits, fumed and kept him pinned all night.

Thanks to that, Ban Yu-won, pulling an all-nighter swinging a sword, pushed swordsmanship to 7.2 and grew his other physical concepts a bit too.

But the overexertion left him crashing until nearly noon.

"Awake, are you?"

"Oh, Grandpa... You okay?"

Ban Yu-won eyed Grandfather Ban Ji-won, who seemed to have been waiting for him to stir, with slight worry.

But Grandfather nodded vigorously, dispelling his grandson’s concern.

"Can’t afford to lose my mind at a time like this. Don’t worry—until I’ve properly equipped you, I won’t do anything foolish. Now, take a look."

Following Grandfather’s pointing finger, Ban Yu-won saw stacks of gleaming gold bars.

Roughly a hundred kilograms, by the look of it.

"W-what is this...?"

"Pulled a bit of gold from the account. Gold’s good anywhere in the world, so take it."

"What’ll you do if you give all this to me!"

"Plenty left, boy. Don’t underestimate the wealth our ancestors amassed. Ahem, but the real treasure’s this."

Tearing his eyes from the dazzling gold, Ban Yu-won spotted a large trunk in the corner.

It looked ordinary, yet it irresistibly drew his gaze.

He realized it was the mana emanating from within.

Mana! On Earth, where there was supposed to be none!

"Th-this..."

Ban Yu-won opened the trunk to find it packed with artifacts.

He knew his ancestors had traveled the world.

Grandfather Ban Ji-won alone had collected souvenirs from every corner as a diplomat.

But these weren’t trinkets—they were genuine relics steeped in history and legend.

Some had even sprouted mana they shouldn’t possess. True treasures, incomparable to mere gold.

"Grandpa, how did you..."

"Traces of our ancestors’ efforts to find Babel Tower. It’s all yours now, Yu-won. Will this help?"

Ban Yu-won picked up an ancient-looking slingshot.

Carved from sturdy wood, inscribed with strange script, sinew bands from some beast replacing rubber—frayed and unusable, but the feral aura was dizzying.

"...Yeah."

Ban Yu-won nodded absently, admiring a true artifact lingering on mana-less Earth.

"This’ll help a ton."