Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 12

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Lesson 3. This is your pet – 4

Yoo Mina told him there was a road near the dungeon to find the city, but she didn’t say anything else about finding his way, and Ban Yu-won realized the reason behind her silence as soon as he left the dungeon.

“Is the President supposed to be the ruler of this world?”

“Shh, shhh.”

The exit of the dungeon he left through took the form of a very small crypt coming out under the mountain. Looking around, he found piles of similar crypts. It was clear that each of them was a dungeon, but he’d expected their placement to be arbitrary. Considering Union Academy conducted practical evaluations on them, it was easy for him to conclude that the Principal was behind this.

‘Even if he can’t control the creation of dungeons, he can specify where the dungeons will be created.’

If you collected the dungeons this way, it was easy to get rid of them in an emergency. And, of course, there was a road right outside this dense dungeon area.

“I can already see it….”

The towering buildings were obvious ahead, and already the faint noise of civilization reached his ears. It’d take around 30 minutes to get there by walking. Professor Yoo Mina must have known this from the beginning, so of course, she asked him to visit the temple in that city.

“Shhhrr.”

“Huh? Yeah….”

Eve squeezed Ban Yu-won’s arm. When he looked at him, his eyes immediately settled on a distant object…

There was a huge island floating up there. It was so high that it was hard to see, but he could vaguely make out the shape of a tower.

“Isn’t that our school?”

“Shhhhhh.”

After Eve took the form of a beast, Ban Yu-won could understand his intentions easier. Apparently, they were looking up at the Tower of Babel. If the academy was in this area, the Tower of Babel should be visible, so it confused him a bit that he hadn’t been able to see it on the horizon.

“I was deceived. I didn’t notice when I was in the Professor’s room….”

There was also the possibility that his field of vision wasn’t sufficient or hidden by magic. In any case, there was nothing that wasn’t fantastical in this new world. He was so absorbed by the floating island that he didn’t realize he was almost in the city. For a moment, he thought the 30 minutes had flown by, but he didn’t consider his improved physical abilities.

“Wait there! That’s a face I haven’t seen.”

A person jumped out of the large building installed at the border between civilization and nature to block his way. Before they could finish speaking, Eve made his body invisible, but it seemed that this person’s senses were superior to Ban Yu-won’s.

“Oh.”

“Prove your identity! Are you a monster disguised as a human?!”

Ban Yu-won exclaimed at the person blocking his way. He was wearing a suit of spandex tightly adhering to his body and an unusually-shaped layer of armor that protected vital parts such as his chest and crotch with matte metal.

“No, I’m human. Union….”

“No, you asshole! He’s a Union Academy student!”

Just as Ban Yu-won was about to reveal his identity, another man in the same outfit jumped out of the building and smacked his colleague’s head. He frowned slightly when he noted the blue stripes on Ban Yu-won’s uniform (it was a pattern that revealed he was a special student), but then he looked at the brooch on his chest and fell into thought. Finally, he saluted.

“Hello! My name is Milton, the 3rd Superintendent in charge of the western border of the Academy City, Ronica!”

“Oh, I’m Dallon, the post guard…!”

Judging from the reaction to Milton, they probably knew very well what Union Academy’s special admissions students were and even looked down on them a little. Still, the brooch that Yoo Mina gave him blew away that prejudice. He thought there would be no need to show such a precious-looking brooch to buy a couple drinks, but Professor Yoo Mina was looking out for him.

Should he be happy about this, or should he prepare himself? Ban Yu-won held back a sigh and greeted them.

“Uh…hello? I am Ban Yu-won, a first-year student at Union.”

“How did you come down here…? If you are a first-year student, did you enroll today? Do you have official permission to go out…?”

“You idiot, how can an academy freshman leave without the approval of the President?!”

It seemed that Dallon’s head would roll after Ban Yu-won left.

“Sir Ban Yu-won, are you here after clearing a dungeon?”

“Sir…yes, I am. They said that I could explore at my will.”

“Thank you. I can’t raise my head before the Academy officials who block the threat of the dungeons.”

“Is that why there is a guard post like this here?”

“Yes.”

Milton, who was noticeably looking more friendly when he said that he cleared a dungeon, laughed.

“Although the President’s power controls their creation, we do not know when the overflowing dimensional energy will create an irregular dungeon. There are many guard posts on the outskirts of the city as such. It’s too difficult to use any machines as long as it’s dungeon-related. Haha.”

Difficult to use a machine as long as it’s dungeon-related? Were there machines in this world in the first place? Ban Yu-won, who was about to ask that stupid question, immediately shut his mouth. This was a world that treated the Earth as a lower dimension. Even if they weren’t machines Ban Yu-won knew, there was nothing strange about them being developed in this world.

“Now, you should go inside. Do you need any guidance…?”

“Then, can you show me the way to the Temple of Spring?”

Ban Yu-won, setting aside his doubts, decided to accept their guidance. Milton had mentioned Ronica earlier, so he should find the Temple of Spring here.

Milton again looked at the brooch on his chest and then nodded.

“I will take you there myself. Dallon, don’t fall asleep and stay alert.”

“Chief?”

“Come on, let’s go.”

If the other person treats you well, there is no reason to refuse. Ban Yu-won accepted his request to accompany him, thinking that a human of his size would be more than appropriate as a bodyguard.

After passing the post, the road expanded to accommodate heavy traffic. He wondered if the buildings would appear sporadically, but after walking for five more minutes, a modern city like Seoul appeared before him. Surprisingly, streamlined cars that seemed to have been made for moving inside the city were floating above them, driving on roads made by flickering holograms.

“I want one.”

“Hm? Oh, you mean the hovercars.”

Hovercar? This really was a scene out of some sci-fi flick.

“Haha, you probably won’t be able to ride them on the floating island.”

“Couldn’t I just put it in my inventory and ride it only when I come down?”

“…Were you already given an inventory? Isn’t this your first day?”

Oops, they said that the inventory was only given to students with special academic achievements! As Ban Yu-won gradually felt a little uncomfortable with Milton’s attitude of reverence.

“So…how much is that?”

“If it is a low-cost entry-level model, you can buy it for about 200,000 Ronia, including the cost for the safety education.”

It was Ban Yu-won’s first-time hearing about the concept of money in this world.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not from this world. How much is that in gold? I brought quite a bit, but I don’t know the price conversion….”

“Gold?!”

Was there something wrong with gold? Was gold a cheap mineral because this dimension was too high-level? Or were there negative elements of gold that hadn’t been discovered on Earth…?

While Ban Yu-won’s thoughts went out of control in response to Milton’s sudden fuss, the guard trembled and asked:

“You’re carrying quite a bit…how much would that be?”

“Uh, can I go to the bank first?”

Ban Yu-won, reading something in his tone, suggested that instead of answering, Milton nodded.

* * *

To jump to the conclusion. In this world, or at least in Ronica, gold was worth ten times more than it did on Earth. Gold was, of course, a precious metal on Earth, but if you moved to higher dimensions that dealt with mana, it grew exponentially in value. It was the preferred material for magic tools and efficiently dealt with mana.

“Your account has been opened. Please check your balance.”

After leaving Ronica’s bank to open a personal account (unusually, they registered with his Magic Power, which was possible because the magic of all beings was unique), Ban Yu-won received a small crystal politely presented by the banker. This was to serve as both an account and a payment card, so even if it was stolen, it seemed that he could rest assured that it couldn’t be used if the thief’s Magic Power structure was different.

[Ban Yu-won’s account balance: 7.53 million Ronia]

Ban Yu-won handed over a one-kilogram gold bar to the bank. After deducting various fees such as account issuance, the total amount of money obtained was 7.53 million Ronia. At this point, he could see that 1 Ronia was worth 100 won, so he’d made 750 million won by selling a single gold bar, and he still had 99 more in his inventory.

“That’s right.”

“Thank you for using Central Bank. Have a good day.”

His grandfather wasn’t wrong in saying that gold went anywhere in the world. Ban Yu-won nodded to himself and left the bank.

“Then let’s go. I will take you to the best hovercar store!”

“I’m sorry I’m making you do this much. You must have lots to do….”

“It’s okay. But I will be grateful if you buy me even a simple snack.”

Soldiers starving was the same between the lower and the higher dimensions. But Ban Yu-won was also interested in the snacks of this world, so he followed his guide on a walk through the city’s shopping streets. It was just an ordinary city in these parts, except for hovercars above them, people who looked more like monsters than humans, and the holograms popping up here and there to advertise goods.

“Hmm, the chicken skewers taste similar.”

The stalls were also floating in the sky, looking for customers.

“It’s not made from chicken, but from the leg flesh of the monster Meruda. Oh, there it is!”

‘Did I just eat a monster?’

Milton, excited, dragged Ban Yu-won to another huge building before their meal was done. All types of magic tools were sold on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors, but Ban Yu-won couldn’t help but think of Yongsan Electronics Market when he saw them.

Milton smiled as Ban Yu-won stared at everything.

“Haha, a lot of interesting things are released every year. I’ve heard these machines work well on the floating island where the academy is located, so you might want to buy a few.”

And finally, he learned that each device powered by magic was called a machine in this world!

‘I-I see. I’m used to electronic devices, but the raw power of this world is mana. Magical machines are natural.’

It was an extraordinary realization. Following Milton’s recommendation, he selected several interesting ‘machines,’ reaching a whopping 300,000 Ronia.

“It’s expensive.”

“Hahaha, this is a top-notch store….”

The 4th floor was finally the hovercar store, but when he heard that the 5th floor displayed cutting-edge off-road hover bikes, Ban Yu-won’s hurried there as if possessed.

“A bike would have a better sense of speed, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, but it’s more difficult to ride. Besides, it’s nice to hear that off-road bikes are fun outside of the city, but if you accidentally enter a dungeon, you’d be throwing it away….”

“Our Lipod’s state-of-the-art off-road bikes are designed to withstand dungeon mana waves for extended periods unless you go directly inside!”

It seemed news had spread that Ban Yu-won happily paid 300,000 Ronia for magic tools at the store downstairs. An employee of the hovercar shop approached them, saw the brooch hanging from Ban Yu-won’s chest, and broadly smiled.

“It’s even designed with a replaceable core, so you can replace it if it’s damaged. We’re actually doing a special. If you purchase now, you can exchange mana cores for the production price up to two times within three years!”

“I mean. We have to be prepared for damage, right?”

“No, no, it’s just insurance in case something goes wrong. In the case of the new model Onyx announced this month, ten units are already scheduled to be delivered to the Dimensional Border Force. It is conclusive proof that our Lipod’s development ability is ahead of the military’s! What do you think, sir? Would you like to see it?”

He didn’t know who the Dimensional Boundaries people were, but seeing Milton suddenly shut his mouth, it seemed pretty credible. Ban Yu-won followed the staff and paid for the Onyx almost as soon as he saw it. He liked everything about it, including the streamlined and sleek body and the sharp front fender.

“3.5 million Ronia…no, it will be 3.2 million Ronia with the discount. Oh my God, in a lump sum payment! Thank you!”

Converted to Korean Won, it was 320 million. It was the biggest spending spree of Ban Yu-won’s life. But why was he looking at the brooch on his chest when he said there was a discount? Ban Yu-won decided that when he returned to school, he would ask Professor Yoo Mina about that.

“If it flies in the sky, there will be no dust, so why did you put fenders on it?”

“You have misunderstood, sir. These sharp parts are reinforced sections, not fenders. It is designed to accept mana so it may break down obstacles in the way or, conversely, to block attacks.”

“Why does it need the ability to attack enemies?”

Ban Yu-won bought the bike, but Milton was still grumbling. The professionalism of the staff who went along with him to the end felt great.

“As I said before, it’s a premium product for situations when you’re in combat. Dimensional Frontiers, huh? Now, here’s the number engraved! A total of 50 units were produced, and this is the 7th of them.”

“I suppose I should check the device description later by looking at the manual.”

At this rate, the question-and-answer section would become endless, so Ban Yu-Won changed topics and asked:

“Can I get some driving lessons?”

“I was going to tell you anyway. Our company can issue the certificate for you, and you can take the exam right away, or you can get training first.”

“Then I will take the test tomorrow.”

“All right!”

There were relics brought from Earth that could be put to good use. If done right, he might be able to enhance the bike past what its creators could do.

‘It was nice to stop by the city.’

After a pleasant shopping experience, Ban Yu-won could finally head to his original destination, the Temple of Spring. However, the special treatment he received elsewhere in the city was nothing compared to this place.

As soon as Ban Yu-won stepped into the temple made of white stone, the priests reacted as if lightning had struck.

“Someone wearing Yoo Mina’s brooch has come!”

“What? Take him inside the temple!”

“Don’t stand there this way!”

“Now, sit down!”

The priests didn’t pay any attention to his uniform. Bring this and that, drink this, eat that. Isn’t the seat uncomfortable? It took him about five minutes to introduce himself.

“I am an academy student, Ban Yu-won. Today, I came to see you at the request of Professor Yoo Mina. I want to buy two bottles of Honeymoon, the fruit wine produced in this temple….”

“We have already prepared it.”

“Yes?”

“There is only one reason she would seek this temple.”

It was the moment when the image of Yoo Mina in Ban Yu-won’s mind changed.

“I’ll give you a bottle as a gift, so please enjoy it.”

“Yes? No, I’m still underage….”

He was about to say he was underage, but after thinking about it, he realized he was about to enter college. Wasn’t that old enough?

“You can’t enter the academy unless you turn 17, right? In Union, you are an adult if you are over 17.”

“I’m only 18 years old, but….”

“No problem then.”

Moreover, since the priest said this, Ban Yu-won, thinking it was a good opportunity, decided to start drinking this bottle of Honeymoon.

“Thank you for coming here today. Please say hello to Yoo Mina for us.”

“All right.”

Of course, looking at their appearance, he could see why they were so devoted to Yoo Mina and himself, who came with her brooch. Blue or pale skin, hair made of leaves, occasionally wearing a crown of flower buds. They appeared to be from the same race.

He should have noticed it when she said this was a temple dedicated to the God of Spring.

“Then, I will….”

Ban Yu-won stood up as soon as he got the bottles, unable to stand the attentiveness of the priests poised to feed him. Then, the priests handed him a box full of refreshments they had made at the temple, saying that they couldn’t let him leave with just that.

“You’ll come again soon, right? I will give you more if you tell me the sweets you like.”

“No….”

What the hell was Yoo Mina to them? Those words came up to his throat, but Ban Yu-won swallowed them, realizing it would be more troublesome if he got entangled in this.

But what?

Would he be back soon?