Why Did I Have to Enroll

Ban Yu-won, who half-jokingly worried about having to engage in a continent-wide battle upon reaching Room 28, found himself at Eden’s Rest after Room 27, skipping directly to Room 30. Whether this was fortunate or not was debatable.

“Ah, I’m exhausted~!”

Ban Yu-won threw himself onto something resembling a giant, fluffy cushion that appeared in the center of Eden. To his surprise, he felt his fatigue melting away from the point of contact, spreading a refreshing sensation throughout his body. Even the dirt and dust clinging to him vanished.

“Oh, oh…? Is this another artifact?”

“Really? Let me try.”

Luciel, showing her desires quite openly, threw herself onto the cushion where Ban Yu-won was already lying. Naturally, their bodies overlapped, but she pretended not to notice and enjoyed the comfort the cushion provided.

“Ah, this is really nice.”

“Hey, if it’s that good, let me have a turn too…”

“Yu-won’s fatigue hasn’t completely gone yet. Light, please wait a bit.”

“Yes, I suppose I have no choice. Maybe I should give Yu-won a massage… hehe…”

Luciel slyly extended her hands to massage Ban Yu-won’s back and shoulders. As Ban Yu-won began to seriously ponder how much of this beast’s growing boldness he should tolerate, Light’s question interrupted his thoughts.

“Ban, was it okay not to kill all of them earlier?”

“Huh? Oh, the minions of the Wings of Justice.”

The end of Room 27. The Claw’s contractors, who had been exposed due to their attempt to forcibly summon the night, ended up fighting against the Wing’s contractors, who could also operate at night. The Claw’s contractors were powerful at night but were no different from ordinary humans during the day, so they were easily defeated by the Wing’s contractors. The problem arose after they were all dead.

Many of the Wing’s contractors survived, but Ban Yu-won didn’t take any action against them. Consequently, Room 27 was considered cleared, and the portal to Room 30 appeared. Ban Yu-won ignored Count Durk’s advice to meet the king and led his party straight here.

“To kill the survivors would have been a hassle. You know the rule about not attacking first, right?”

“That’s true, but we managed to wipe out everyone up to Room 26…”

Light was genuinely pure and honest. There were times when Ban Yu-won thought he was naive, but now he hoped Light would remain just as he was.

“We knew that clearing up to Room 26 would lead to the next room. But this time, I had a hunch it was the last. So leaving them alive wasn’t a risk.”

“That’s why they survived…?”

“Moreover, they had already lost their hostility towards us. Even if we forced it, the tower wouldn’t have recognized it as an achievement.”

Ignoring everything else in Room 30, Dokgo Yeon began eating the fruits of Eden and chimed in with Ban Yu-won’s explanation.

“No need to kill something if it’s not necessary, even if it’s fake.”

“The constellations’ resentment would have grown.”

“I feel like we’ve already made enough enemies.”

“Well, we embarrassed them, but only the NPCs suffered. If I were that constellation…”

Having finished a fruit, Dokgo Yeon licked the juice from her fingers, then quickly hid her hands behind her back when she noticed Ban Yu-won’s gaze.

“If there’s a next time, I’ll make Ban Yu-won my contractor.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Aside from being at odds with them, you’re a perfect candidate. You can handle light, have the aptitude for Judgement, and even possess great intelligence.”

“That last one is something the constellation lacks.”

Luciel, who was massaging Ban Yu-won’s shoulders, added cheerfully.

“Constellations are probably just like humans, searching for what they lack.”

“That’s true.”

For some reason, the two women began giggling together. Ban Yu-won and Light exchanged puzzled glances.

“Oh, Ban, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask.”

“Ask away, ask away.”

Knowing that Light hadn’t been at ease throughout this exploration, Ban Yu-won was quite lenient with him.

“Why did you refuse the king’s summons? He was supposed to personally commend us if we succeeded.”

“Oh, that…”

What should he say? Light would probably be upset again if he heard the answer. But as Ban Yu-won pondered, Light figured it out on his own.

“Did you think they might try to harm us?”

“…Probably. It was likely a ‘trap’ disguised as a reward from the tower.”

“You realized it, Light.”

“Yeah. After hearing Ban’s persuasion, I also thought it seemed a bit dangerous.”

The chamberlain probably thought it was dangerous too. With the support of hundreds of thousands of citizens, wielding power that subdued the constellation’s contractors, and leading their battle in front of many citizens, if Ban Yu-won had declared another noble as an enemy, the consequences would have been terrifying.

So, with the threat of the Claw’s contractors gone, Ban Yu-won was nothing more than another threat in the eyes of the king and nobles.

“I still can’t believe it.”

Light mumbled, pouting.

“Everything was fake. We had to use our minds and hearts against those fakes.”

“Isn’t it fortunate they were fake? We could simulate scenarios where our hearts were less hurt.”

“Was this another trial from the tower to help us grow?”

“Of course. Whether it’s growth or just an understanding and adaptation to human nature is debatable.”

Ban Yu-won stood up from the cushion with Luciel and picked a fruit from a tree.

“It’s delicious. You should try it.”

“Ban, I’ve made up my mind.”

Ignoring the fruit, Light spoke with determination.

“Even if I meet NPCs in the tower from now on, I won’t treat them as fakes. I’ll consider them as real as any human.”

“Really?”

“Oh, no, I don’t mean to stop you. You always act in our best interest.”

Recalling how he had opposed Ban Yu-won during the ‘trial’ in Room 23, Light blushed and cleared his throat, putting on a serious face.

“I just mean I won’t easily kill them just because they’re fake. Not that I won’t kill when necessary, but… I want to bear the weight of my thoughts and actions against them, rather than dismissing it lightly.”

Though his words were somewhat rambling, Ban Yu-won understood what he meant. He accepted and respected their approach to the tower’s NPCs, but he couldn’t help but treat them as real.

“You’re choosing to take on unnecessary stress.”

“I don’t think it’s unnecessary… Is that wrong?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Ban Yu-won smiled. Given how easily he, Dokgo Yeon, and Luciel accepted the NPCs’ existence, he thought it might be good for at least one member to seriously approach the tower’s virtual beings. If it were the old Light, he might have thought it was dangerous, but knowing now that Light respected the group more than himself, it was okay.

“You might gain something by taking it seriously. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

“I’m not going to die!”

“Like a grub. You could pass by quickly, but you’re moving so slowly that you bump into everything and get hurt.”

“What?!”

Light got excited at Dokgo Yeon’s casual remark. She laughed leisurely, squishing the cushion with her hips as Ban Yu-won and Luciel stood up.

“It was a compliment.”

“Liar!”

“This cushion really refreshes you. Can’t we take it with us?”

“Don’t change the subject…! And it was my turn next!”

In the end, Light squeezed in and shared the cushion with Dokgo Yeon. They must be getting along, right? Ban Yu-won chuckled and looked around at the other structures in Room 30. Despite the spectacular exploration from Room 23 to 27, the rewards in Room 30 were abundant, even though Rooms 28 and 29 were skipped.

In addition to the large cushion that washed away all grime and restored fatigue (it was stuck to the floor and couldn’t be removed), there was also a stream of flowing liquor, as one of the previous party members had mentioned.

[Blood Wine, Regeneration]

“I figured it wasn’t just ordinary liquor.”

Though the concepts were simple, these two words evoked a certain image. The wine even looked like grape wine…

Ban Yu-won tried filling his water bottle with the wine, only to find it turned into water inside the bottle. He had a hunch but chose not to voice it.

‘It means to enjoy it here, like the fruits of Eden…’

This suggested that, like the fruits of Eden, he could extract and compress the concept separately. Ban Yu-won put his thoughts into action and achieved satisfactory results. Despite the downside of getting drunk if consumed in large quantities, it was the most plausible potion he had acquired since arriving in this fantasy world.

Just then, Dokgo Yeon’s voice called out from a distance.

“Ban Yu-won, I’d like you to make some jam. There’s something called marmalade, right?”

“Leave it to me.”

However, despite his words, Ban Yu-won made the marmalade with a twist. While it was similar to the previous jam, a mutation added an interesting concept: ‘Poison.’

The first time it was consumed, the effect was excellent, but if eaten consecutively, the effect would quickly diminish, and side effects might occur. In short, it wasn’t an entirely positive option, and Ban Yu-won saw it as a good opportunity to recognize the negative aspects of mutation.

“What?! That’s… not good for us, who eat jam every day.”

“Calm down, Dokgo Yeon. We still have plenty of jam from Room 20. Plus, if we eat this periodically, it’ll be fine.”

“Oh, that.”

Luciel seemed to recall something but hesitated to speak, watching Dokgo Yeon’s reaction. Meanwhile, Light, who had been enjoying the cushion, spoke thoughtlessly.

“If it’s most effective the first time, we could give it to the club members. It’s too precious to give every day, but once should be fine—ouch!”

“What did you say?!”

Dokgo Yeon reacted as expected, pushing Light off the cushion. The reason Luciel didn’t voice the same thought was evident from Light rolling on the floor. Dokgo Yeon was extremely sensitive about sharing her sweet treats with others!

“You’re telling me to give up this sweetness… I mean, this elixir, to someone else when there’s not even enough for me?”

“Don’t worry too much, Dokgo Yeon. We’ll reach Room 40 before long, and…”

“Are you saying that too?”

“Ban…!”

Light looked at him with eyes full of gratitude, as if seeing a friend willing to sacrifice himself to save him.

“We might find more fruits of Eden elsewhere, so don’t be too upset.”

“Elsewhere? Oh.”

Dokgo Yeon calmed down, remembering that Ban Yu-won had the right to explore solo.

“But I don’t have a share in that exploration. Are you saying you’ll get the elixir jam for me?”

“Why would you say something so disappointing? Half of my strength now is thanks to you.”

“Oh…”

Since he rarely had the chance to flatter Dokgo Yeon, Ban Yu-won seized the opportunity to express his gratitude in an exaggerated yet natural way. For instance, he believed her contribution to his strength was about 30-40%, but he casually raised it to 50%. His skillful maneuvering significantly improved Dokgo Yeon’s mood.

“Well, if you put it that way… I’m not unhappy to hear that.”

“Whew, I’m saved.”

Light, who had been unjustly scolded and nearly lost ten years of his life, cleared his throat and spoke.

“Can we finally open that treasure chest now?”

Ban Yu-won chuckled, turning his gaze to the main attraction of Room 30. In the corner of the room stood a treasure chest made of copper and lined with gold. According to the Babel Tower’s standards, it was a high-grade treasure chest, eagerly awaiting to be opened.