Why Did I Have to Enroll

For Ban Yu-won, a concept is the expression of the fundamental image of all things in language. In other words, whatever the concept might be, it is defined in a way that Ban Yu-won can easily understand. It’s not difficult. When encountering something for the first time, humans tend to interpret it in the most familiar terms, and Ban Yu-won is no different.

[Sword Aura]

To Ban Yu-won, if he were to define his aura, it would be Sword Aura.

Although he couldn't fully understand it, it seemed that for Dokgo Yeon, the detailed concept of her aura might be something like [Sword Aura (Death)].

As for Ryu Cheol-myeong, instead of having Sword Aura divided into sub-concepts, it felt like different concepts were clinging to the Sword Aura itself, like [Heavenly Pressure Sword Aura].

It might look more impressive, but it's just a vessel decorated with forced embellishments.

A flashy vessel with a lackluster content versus a seemingly simple vessel filled to the brim.

There's no need to debate which is more solid.

“…To think you realized what true Sword Aura is while dealing with that fake.”

She realized that he didn't just analyze and accept Ryu Cheol-myeong's aura but used it as a lesson, learning what he needed and discarding the rest.

The black color of his aura was simply because it was created with Void Pressure.

While it might be stronger than a half-baked aura, it didn't define its properties.

“This is a pure Sword Aura, formed without enlightenment, relying solely on inner strength. It’s a skill that only someone like you, who can discern the origin of all things, can see.”

“No, it’s because I’ve seen your completed Sword Aura before that I could create it. You guided me.”

By seeing the correct form first and then comparing it with the incorrect one, he realized ‘why it’s wrong and how to avoid being wrong.’ His martial achievements couldn’t be discussed without mentioning Dokgo Yeon.

“Mmm….”

Seeing Ban Yu-won express pure gratitude, Dokgo Yeon seemed to have something to say, her lips twitching slightly, and then…

“Hmph, if you claim to be my disciple, you should at least do that much.”

She ended up turning her head with a snort. Even if she pretended not to be pleased, it was obvious, with her earlobes turning red, that she was quite cute. He wanted to say it, but he was afraid of getting hit. He still couldn’t implement the magic that would return all damage he received to space on his own!

He cleared his throat and continued.

“Anyway, since that’s settled, there’s no need to forget this, right?”

“No, seal it until your Sword Intent is properly established.”

Dokgo Yeon cut him off mercilessly.

“If you go around swinging a mere form of Sword Aura without the proper intent, you’ll never realize true Sword Intent.”

“Alright, alright.”

Seeing Dokgo Yeon look as if the sky would fall if he swung the Sword Aura around, Ban Yu-won gave a wry smile and dispelled the Sword Aura. She was a strict teacher, but he had never suffered by following her advice.

‘Phew, even if it’s just a shell, it’s still an advanced technique, so it’s exhausting.’

The fact that Sword Aura is the domain of the strong is not just because it's difficult to wield but also because it consumes a lot of mana.

Just manifesting it for that brief moment drained nearly 20% of his Void Pressure.

Using it in actual combat would be difficult.

Even if he used all the Void Pressure in his body, he could only maintain it for about 30 seconds...

Would realizing Sword Intent improve this insane mana consumption efficiency?

‘Or maybe I just have a severe lack of Magic Power.’

Ban Yu-won checked his internal concept. The depth of the Void Pressure he possessed was 390. Compared to when he first acquired Magic Power, it was like night and day, but he knew well that he was still a novice compared to strong individuals like Dokgo Yeon or Ayre.

“Haha, alright. Now that I’ve roughly heard the situation… I’ll go meet Professor Ryu Cheol-myeong for a moment.”

“Wait, Professor Yumina. I can’t just let you go when you have such a murderous look on your face.”

Of course, there was no comparison to this transcendent being exuding a strong floral scent and Magic Power right in front of him.

“But I can’t just stand by! I’m sick of their arrogant mindset! What do they think the educational policy of Union Academy is…? What if I hadn’t taught you about the magic circle in advance?”

Yumina’s anger, after hearing about the events of the morning, had reached the heavens. Everyone thought it was impossible for a full professor to directly harm a student, but to think he would lightly break that assumption and assault Ban Yu-won under the guise of a sparring match! Moreover, hearing that this had happened before was infuriating.

“When I asked to have healing magic inscribed in the magic circle, I thought it was out of concern for accidents during student sparring, but to think he was planning to assault a student and erase the evidence. I never liked him, but this is the worst! I can’t forgive him; I won’t let this slide!”

“Calm down, sis.”

Ban Yu-won used a secret technique, and Yumina, who seemed ready to teleport to Ryu Cheol-myeong’s location, calmed down a bit. Of course, this technique had the side effect of drawing stern gazes from those around him!

Ignoring the side effects, he continued.

“Actually, if it were before, we might have been able to argue, but not now. I’ve achieved results thanks to him.”

“That’s because it’s you, Yu-won.”

“The important thing isn’t that part. Anyway, there haven’t been any victims so far, and I did gain aura thanks to Professor Ryu Cheol-myeong. At least, that’s the outward result.”

“That may be true, but I still don’t like it…!”

Since her mask had been removed once, Yumina had been showing her true self more often in front of the Rebellion members. Even her murderous intent was being replaced by a floral scent, a fragrance that was both extremely pleasant and chillingly eerie.

Ban Yu-won calmed his churning stomach from the floral scent and continued.

“It’s okay. He won’t be able to use such tricks anymore.”

“Because you’ve awakened your aura?”

“Exactly.”

Even if it was impossible for others, Ban Yu-won could awaken aura through such a brute force method. Zero and one are fundamentally different. This was something not only Ryu Cheol-myeong but also the other students in his class would be sensitive to.

“Probably, they won’t be able to stand Ryu Cheol-myeong wielding a sword against students from lower dimensions or other underachievers anymore. If a student who was being bullied awakens aura, it would only benefit that student.”

“Now that you mention it… that might be true.”

Even though aura is the domain of advanced swordsmen, Union Academy is a place that gathers the best talents from all dimensions. By the time they reach the upperclassmen, it’s rare for someone not to handle aura. In the second year, it’s about 40-50%, but by the third year, over 80-90% of those majoring in close combat handle aura. Essentially, those who can’t handle aura are considered underachievers, and the students who suffered in Ryu Cheol-myeong’s class fell into this category.

…Even Stone Senior still can’t handle aura.

‘But it’s different for first-years.’

The best talents learn aura after rolling around in the best growth environment, Union Academy and the Tower of Babel, for over a year. Now that Ban Yu-won, who just stood at the starting point, had mastered aura, everyone was shocked and focused on him. During the aura combat lecture earlier, the students from Class 1, who saw Ban Yu-won gain aura, even asked to receive special training next, leaving Ryu Cheol-myeong flustered.

“So Ryu Cheol-myeong’s tyranny ends today. This incident will spread publicly, making it even more so.”

“But our Yu-won was hit, and we can’t just let it slide…”

“I don’t know when Ban Yu-won became yours, Professor.”

Dokgo Yeon coldly remarked, raising her short sword. The black energy, aura, enveloping the sword, carried a clear sense of death that Ban Yu-won could feel. Even if the absolute power was less than Ryu Cheol-myeong’s, he was confident that the quality of the aura itself was overwhelmingly superior.

“I will personally cut him down before I graduate.”

Dokgo Yeon’s fierce declaration left Yumina and the entire Rebellion speechless. No one dared to challenge her, even if cutting him down seemed excessive.

“So don’t deflate the tension. Right now, Professor, focus only on supporting Rebellion and the Union expedition.”

“Yes, yes. I’m always ready to support you.”

Thanks to Dokgo Yeon’s quiet fury, Yumina’s tone returned to normal. Ban Yu-won thought the same. The incident had already occurred, and there was no practical way to harm Ryu Cheol-myeong. So, they needed to focus on solidifying their foundation. Establish Rebellion as the undeniable ruling class of the academy, lead the special admission students to support them firmly, and gain the support of next year’s freshmen. Once they achieve that, it would be as good as their victory.

“Beating those bastards… can wait until then.”

Ban Yu-won wasn’t a saint who could endure all the unfairness thrown at him. He refrained from holding Cantone, Ortima, or Ryu Cheol-myeong accountable because he didn’t yet have the power to defeat them or the authority to punish them confidently. If he acted rashly now, as Dokgo Yeon said, it would be a ‘clumsy struggle.’ While maintaining appropriate tension, let them think he can’t bite them yet. Then, when he regains everything he needs to reclaim…

“That’s when we turn the tables.”

“I agree. In that sense, let’s spar.”

“…What? Wait, hold on, teacher?”

It seemed that Dokgo Yeon, who had been fired up, decided to beat Ban Yu-won instead of Ryu Cheol-myeong, dragging him onto the ring. This woman, despite acknowledging him, was still displeased that he awakened aura thanks to Ryu Cheol-myeong! How petty!

“Wait, Dokgo Yeon.”

Fortunately, Luciel intervened to stop the rampaging Dokgo Yeon.

“I also want to learn aura as soon as possible. So, I hope you can directly spar with me for a while.”

“Didn’t you hear what I told Ban Yu-won? Learning just the shell is meaningless.”

Dokgo Yeon scoffed at Luciel’s childish words, but Luciel seemed to have anticipated this and retorted.

“I know that the martial arts you taught me aren’t as profound as what you taught Yu-won. I can feel that I’m close to manifesting aura.”

“…”

“To be precise, I realized it while watching today’s sparring… isn’t that right?”

Dokgo Yeon remained silent, neither affirming nor denying. It seemed that Ban Yu-won wasn’t the only one who gained enlightenment from watching Ryu Cheol-myeong’s demonstration today. This was partly due to Luciel’s exceptional talent and her high affinity with the martial arts she learned from Dokgo Yeon, allowing her to grow rapidly. But most importantly, it was because she, who harbored deep feelings for Ban Yu-won, had closely observed the process of him awakening aura during the sparring.

To guide the growth of not one but two people at once, truly a remarkable teacher!

“Sigh, alright. Let’s see how long that confidence lasts.”

Finally, Dokgo Yeon drew her wooden sword and faced Luciel instead of Ban Yu-won. Luciel leaned forward, extending her hands. Sparks flew as long, sharp claws grew from her hands. The fierce aura, not something you’d expect from an item obtained on the 30th floor of the Tower of Babel, made Ban Yu-won and Light gulp simultaneously.

“…Have you gotten used to those claws?”

Dokgo Yeon asked, watching closely, and Luciel replied with a gentle smile that didn’t match the fierce aura.

“Yu-won obtained and strengthened them for me. I plan to use them for life.”

“If it’s an item that continually grows stronger, that’s fine. In that case, aligning the form of aura with the weapon is one method. In martial arts, those who obtained divine weapons did the same.”

Luciel’s ears seemed to perk up at Dokgo Yeon’s words.

“How?”

“I’ll engrave it on your body from now on.”

“Eek?!”

In an instant, Dokgo Yeon vanished from her original position and appeared in front of Luciel, kicking her. As she kicked, a black mist-like aura enveloped her foot, unmistakably aura!

“Ugh… Haaaah!”

“Too slow!”

“Eek!”

Luciel, moving at a speed hard to perceive with her body enveloped in blue lightning, was caught by Dokgo Yeon, who swung her sword or kicked her with ghostly precision. Having obtained the Thunder Beast, Luciel’s power had increased significantly, almost by 50%, but even she was handled lightly by Dokgo Yeon.

―Thud! Thump!

“Eek, eek!”

“Keep synchronizing with the energy. At the moment of life and death, when you can’t distinguish between the energy of your weapon and your own, a simple and brutal aura befitting a beast will be completed!”

“Raaawr!”

The black and blue auras clashed and sparked, dizzying Ban Yu-won’s vision. It seemed that Luciel was quickly adapting to her weapon while being hit by Dokgo Yeon, but it looked incredibly painful. Light, watching beside Ban Yu-won, quietly asked him.

“How is what Dokgo Yeon is doing different from what Ryu Cheol-myeong did earlier?”

“Light, you idiot, Ryu Cheol-myeong hates us, and Dokgo Yeon likes us.”

“…Ban, do you realize you just made a dangerous statement in multiple ways? No, you even made me angry, so it’s triple!”

“Ban Yu-won! You’re next, so be ready!”

“Ah, I’m doomed.”

“Dokgo Yeon, you’re being too aggressive… Eek?!”

Indeed, Dokgo Yeon was in a bad mood. And Light too. Ban Yu-won nodded, accepting the impending doom, while Yumina worried about a potential murder happening in her class.

---

The next day, Thursday afternoon, during the Union expedition activity time—also known as special admission rehabilitation time. Ban Yu-won was bombarded with questions from club members who hadn’t yet awakened aura, asking how they could manifest it. Luciel, who had obtained a growth-type artifact at the end of last week’s exploration video, was also bombarded with envy. Dokgo Yeon, known for teaching Ban Yu-won swordsmanship, became quite popular.

“Phew…”

Light, feeling like a spare tire, found some relief in being momentarily ignored and stepped out of the training room. Lately, he had been thinking a lot about himself, Ban Yu-won, and his future relationship with the Rebellion members. Especially with Ban Yu-won and Luciel’s growth standing out these days, even more so.

So, even when he was chatting with the group, he would find opportunities to sneak away and be alone like this.

“Light.”

“Huh?”

Even though he knew it wasn’t Ban Yu-won, hearing a woman’s voice made him feel foolish for having a slight hope. The one who called him was Ayre. Since the last special activity, she had been increasing her interactions with the Rebellion members, but she was particularly friendly with Ban Yu-won and Light.

“Why?”

“Spend some time with me.”

Ayre said, seemingly pondering something.

“In human language, ‘right now, you’re’ a man, so…”

“What are you talking about? I’ve always been a man!”

Ayre’s face brightened as if she had recalled the word she wanted.

“Yes, a date. Go on a date with me.”

“…I don’t know what it is, but that’s definitely not it.”

Light replied with a look of disbelief, but since he wasn’t in the mood to swing a sword among those people, he decided to comply with Ayre’s request. Naturally, the sight of the two sneaking out of the training room was noticed by others, further fueling the rumors of their romance.