After the Saturday when Yumina went into a frenzy, shocked like a foreigner trying spam wrapped in kimchi for the first ti upon hearing the news that Rebellion had brought an artifact from the dungeon, Sunday morning dawned.
Ban Yu-won decided to go out to the external city of Ronica with the Rebellion mbers, partly to soothe the shock of the loss, and partly to hold a reflection eting.
In truth, it was because if they stayed put, it seed Light would inevitably be crushed by Dokgo Yeon's hands.
"Where do you think you're going? This vermin needs to grovel a bit more."
Of course, Dokgo Yeon herself adamantly refused, saying she needed to correct Light's attitude, but Ban Yu-won couldn't ignore Light's desperate gaze and persuaded Dokgo Yeon.
"It's not good to make him grovel too much. Besides, we need to talk about what we got from the tower. Let's go out and get so fresh air too."
"I think that kind of leniency will make this vermin even more rusty."
"B-Ban. Did I... Did I really do sothing that wrong?"
"Y-yeah. You did make a mistake."
Apparently, the two who had lost earlier than Ban Yu-won and Luciel yesterday had only given a brief explanation to Yumina before being imdiately confined to the training room.
To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say that Dokgo Yeon had dragged Light and imprisoned him in the training room.
And since they hadn't returned to their room all day yesterday, it ant they had been locked in the training room all night.
But Ban Yu-won honestly understood her anger and, in a sense, was even more heated than her.
"To be frank, if it weren't for that mistake yesterday, we would have made it to room 20, right?"
It was because he himself had lost strength at room 19 and lost along with Luciel.
Room 20 is Eden, the area where rewards are given.
Though he wasn't sure, the exploration from room 11 onwards must have been quite challenging, so there would have been so reward. To put it bluntly, one could say they had lost that reward because of Light.
"B-but... that was, a mistake."
"A mistake? It seems you haven't properly reflected yet."
Dokgo Yeon said threateningly, wiggling her finger.
Each ti her finger moved, different colored flas could be seen blooming.
He didn't even want to ask what kind of technique it was.
"No. It was all my fault. I'm sorry, everyone. I was too cocky yesterday."
Perhaps thinking the sa as Ban Yu-won, Light suddenly started to show remorse.
It was an imdiate response that showed how much he had groveled overnight.
"See, Light is reflecting too, so let's take a breather for a mont. Okay?"
"...Sigh."
Dokgo Yeon made a displeased expression but eventually nodded.
"I guess it can't be helped. But today, I get two spoonfuls."
"Of what?"
"The sweet... jam you made yesterday."
To think she would negotiate here?
After thinking for a mont, Ban Yu-won finally ca to a conclusion that everyone could agree on.
"Alright, then as punishnt, we'll take away Light's portion today."
"Aaagh?!"
Having successfully reached a dramatic agreent, the group finished breakfast, got ready, and headed to Ronica.
As they were now quite well-known, they all dressed in casual clothes to avoid attention, but among them, the most impressive was the black, elaborate traditional outfit that Dokgo Yeon wore. ᚱᴀＮǒ₿ÊṢ
It was a truly elegant and beautiful dress that was sowhat reminiscent of hanbok, with ample fabric yet cinched at the waist to subtly reveal her figure, but.
"Let's buy your clothes first. Right now."
"I look forward to it."
While it was a beautiful dress that suited Dokgo Yeon, the elegant beauty, very well, it was honestly cumberso for those walking with her, and if not careful, it could attract even more attention than their uniforms!
"So today, we'll first buy clothes for Dokgo Yeon... and then buy mirrors for everyone."
"Mirrors?"
Light, who had been subdued after being disciplined all night, perked up his ears at those words.
anwhile, Dokgo Yeon tilted her head.
"We can receive communications from the academy with our student IDs, so why do we need to get communication devices ourselves?"
"Because student IDs don't have a transmission function. Or more precisely, we don't have transmission rights."
"Transmission? Why do we need such a function...?"
"I'm not sure about that either. When I had dinner with Professor Yumina yesterday, she ntioned it. She said it would be good to have devices that allow us to communicate with each other from a distance. Apparently, other students are mostly from higher dinsions, so they brought mirrors with them?"
While Dokgo Yeon pondered with a "hmm" after hearing Ban Yu-won's explanation, Light and Luciel's expressions beca a bit strange.
"You had dinner alone with her again yesterday? That person is really strange."
"There's a sll. A blatant... vulgar female sll."
"It's surprising to hear those words coming from the mouth of a beast."
"Kyaeng!"
After rebuking Luciel, Dokgo Yeon organized her thoughts and spoke.
"If it was because of our issue of going outside, she would have ntioned it when the club was ford. Does this an the academy might be planning sothing as a whole?"
"I've heard that the academy has many special activities besides regular classes."
"Special activities? Ah."
Dokgo Yeon frowned.
"I think they said we don't enter the tower during weeks with special activities."
"It's strange to send us into the tower every week in the first place. They'll probably distribute it appropriately from now on."
The Union Academy was established to help students climb the tower, but because of that, it doesn't focus solely on the tower.
They place a lot of emphasis on humanities education and character education, and spare no support to help students experience and accept a wider variety of things.
Isn't that why they call it an academy that nurtures the next generation of gods?
Special activities were likely to fall into that category as well.
"Huh, I don't like it."
"Calm down. Co on, let's go buy clothes."
"Did you really think I'd feel better after hearing that?"
Ban Yu-won headed to the departnt store with the grumbling Dokgo Yeon and the others.
Unlike Luciel, whose physical attributes were sowhat excessively glamorous, Dokgo Yeon had a perfectly balanced model physique - slender yet curvy in all the right places.
Except for the slight eeriness given by her unique cross-shaped pupils, her face was also well-proportioned, making it difficult to find clothes that didn't suit her.
However, Dokgo Yeon herself seed a bit anxious.
"Do these flowy clothes really suit ?"
"Yeah, that traditional outfit is even more flowy. This fits you like a glove, so let's buy it."
"I'm not sure, but if you say so..."
In fact, Ban Yu-won had quite a knack for judging won's clothes, thanks to his extensive experience being dragged along on his sister's shopping trips.
On the other hand, Dokgo Yeon seed unfamiliar with Union's diverse and casual fashion culture, and rarely allowed herself to be led by Ban Yu-won.
Finding this a bit amusing, Ban Yu-won got excited.
"How about this dress next? If it looks good, let's buy it too."
"Um, okay, I understand."
"Then shall we look at so knitwear?"
After trying on various clothes and purchasing everything that suited her, they ended up spending over 100,000 Ronia just on her clothes.
If converted to Korean won, it would be an absurd level of extravagance exceeding 10 million won.
But Ban Yu-won knew that compared to the value of the divine skill he had received, this amount was pocket change, so he willingly bore the expense.
"Hehe, the weight of these gifted clothes feels heavy."
Once the shopping was over, Dokgo Yeon seed quite satisfied, not so much because she liked the clothes, but because Ban Yu-won had spent more on her than he had on gifts for Luciel.
"...Greedy pig."
"What did you say?"
Luciel, however, seed just a tad upset.
Her jealousy of Dokgo Yeon was indescribably cute.
But Ban Yu-won didn't dare open his mouth, as Dokgo Yeon's glare after hearing Luciel's muttering was truly terrifying.
*
After buying clothes and mirrors for everyone, the four of them got a room at a suitable restaurant.
While eating dessert after finishing lunch, surprisingly, Luciel was the first to open the conversation.
"I don't think it's good to get carried away with power like yesterday, Light."
"I can't believe you of all people are saying that, Luciel!"
Light, who rembered how Luciel had turned into a beast the mont Eve's actions beca impossible, naturally shouted in indignation.
However, Luciel, who would have been timidly shrinking away until now upon hearing those words, made a proud expression and reached under the table to grab Ban Yu-won's hand sitting next to her as she replied.
"I've been completely resolved. Yu-won resolved it for ."
"...Yu-won? Did you just call Ban 'Yu-won'?"
"Hooh, indeed."
Light made a dumbfounded expression upon hearing Luciel's words, while Dokgo Yeon, on the contrary, looked satisfied.
But Ban Yu-won was no less surprised than Light.
He had told her to call him by his na when people were around, but she was really calling him just by his given na without the surna?
Of course, in Korea, it was natural to call each other by their nas, but since coming here, he had always heard either full nas or just surnas, so this form of address felt strangely intimate.
"I had a feeling. Looks like you wrapped things up well."
"Dokgo Yeon, have you really been seeing through everything?"
"I haven't seen through everything. Just as far as I can see."
Dokgo Yeon, who replied with a faint smile, turned to Luciel and asked.
"So, can we consider your problem completely resolved now?"
"Yes."
Luciel answered confidently, gripping Ban Yu-won's hand so tightly it might crush.
Ban Yu-won wanted to say it hurt, but he endured, seeing her face full of determination.
As Dokgo Yeon smiled mysteriously as if guessing the changed relationship between the two, Light muttered with a miserable expression.
"So now I'm the only hole in the party..."
"Hey, Dokgo Yeon, how much did you make the kid grovel in one day for him to call himself a hole?"
"As we all felt yesterday, the problem with that sword is serious."
Dokgo Yeon continued, neatly ignoring Ban Yu-won's questioning.
"Light, do you have anything you want to say about that part?"
"...No. I'm aware that my behavior yesterday was unnatural. I'll... I'll try to fight without the holy sword."
That probably wasn't the answer Dokgo Yeon was hoping for.
She likely wanted Light to open up more about his circumstances and ask for their help.
But while Light acknowledged his problem, he still didn't reveal the circumstances related to the holy sword.
If that was the case, they couldn't force their way in any further.
─At least not yet.
"Sigh."
It was then that Dokgo Yeon, who had let out a soft sigh, gave Ban Yu-won a aningful look.
Ban Yu-won made an expression as if he didn't understand why she was looking at him like that.
I an, what am I supposed to do? I might have been able to restrain Luciel, but I can't do that to Light!
But then it happened.
─It's aningless to keep trying without the sword forever. We need to approach this from a fundantal level.
He flinched.
He couldn't help but be surprised as Dokgo Yeon's voice was transmitted directly into his mind.
Could it be sound transmission? Is this the famous martial arts telepathy, sound transmission?!
─You're sharing a room with this worm, aren't you? What are you doing with that uselessly handso face of yours? Try to seduce him properly!
Ban Yu-won almost spat out the chocolate cake in his mouth in a ssy way.
Whether Luciel noticed sothing strange about his appearance and tilted her head in worry or not, Ban Yu-won was barely managing to endure the sound transmissions pouring into his mind from Dokgo Yeon.
─If you play along and gently strip him down to his core, do you think he'll keep being stubborn until then? Surely you're not saying you can seduce the beast but not Light?
Anyone listening would think Ban Yu-won was so kind of Casanova.
He felt extrely wronged.
It's not like he had specifically seduced Luciel, and it's not as if she liked Ban Yu-won romantically either!
─You're the one who said we should take Light to the end. I'll try too, but don't think about sitting back and doing nothing.
But Ban Yu-won couldn't refute because he couldn't use sound transmission.
With Dokgo Yeon's one-sided declaration, the sound transmission ended.
Ban Yu-won sighed at Dokgo Yeon's behavior, pretending as if nothing had just happened, and reluctantly pulled out his secret weapon that he had been saving.
"As it happens to be related to Light's problem, I'd like to discuss the reward we got from Room 16."
"Room 16? The Trick Room?"
"Yeah. A treasure chest appeared."
Ban Yu-won checked the security status of the room and cleared the dishes off the table.
And what he placed on it was a single spear.
It was a long spear about 2.5 ters in length, made of a very simple, solid white tal.
"Could it be a rare item? An artifact?"
Dokgo Yeon asked incredulously after confirming it, and Ban Yu-won nodded.
"That's right. Honestly, it's unreasonable for Light to fight barehanded without his holy sword. At first, I thought about having him wield a sword, but..."
"I can't hold any real sword other than the holy sword. That's the contract."
Light said, pouting his lips.
Ban Yu-won nodded and continued.
"So the conclusion is that he has to use another weapon. We went in barehanded this exploration to gain various experiences, but we can't do that next ti. Since we happened to get an artifact, I thought maybe Light could use this."
"I... think it's okay. It's also a weapon that's easy to learn at the beginner level."
"But is it really an artifact? I don't know for sure, but it seems like our party might be the first to co out with two artifacts from a single exploration..."
Light reached out to the spear, saying this not so much out of suspicion towards Ban Yu-won, but because he simply couldn't believe the situation.
Imdiately after, his movent stopped.
Seeing his pupils twitch slightly, it seems he must have seen the item's information window this ti.
"...This is real. And its performance is still unbelievable for sothing obtained on a lower floor."
"You use that. Dokgo Yeon, you'll teach Light spear techniques, right?"
Since you even told to seduce Light, I'll make sure you don't get off easy either.
Dokgo Yeon snorted and replied to Ban Yu-won, who was sending her a look with that aning.
"I can teach the basics as much as needed. Though it's uncertain how well Light will be able to follow my teachings without the aid of the holy sword."
"I don't dislike spears either. ... I'll give it a try."
Light nodded firmly, though with a sowhat uneasy expression.
Why the uneasy expression?
'I hope he's not going to be unable to wield the spear properly because of the holy sword. As Dokgo Yeon said, this is a problem that needs a fundantal solution.'
Ban Yu-won sighed, worried about the day he might actually have to seduce Light, when he rembered there was sothing he hadn't told the group yet.
"Also, starting next week, I'll be attending Professor Yumina's magic lectures. Just so you all know. There's no change to the classes we take together, just an additional lecture on Thursday afternoons."
"Magic?!"
It was the mont when the biggest bomb of the day dropped.
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