Why Did I Have to Enroll

Lesson 5. The Tower is one-way – 2

“W-Why are there so many people looking at us?”

On Friday morning, while desperately struggling to eat something similar to coriander on top of the rice noodles, Ruchel suddenly trembled and murmured. Ban Yu-won responded kindly by extracting every concept of scent she was uncomfortable with from the noodles.

“That’s because, in two days, our channel has grown a huge following watched by a third of people at the Academy.”

“A third?”

Light, struggling with the smell of the noodles just like Ruchel, muttered in awe. Given Light was someone fun to tease, Ban Yu-won left his bowl be, and instead, he answered:

“Yeah, 500 people. Isn’t that awesome? In fact, the plan is moving ten times faster than I thought. Everyone is taken aback for different reasons. Perhaps in the future, there will be fewer quarrels during lectures, and no one will be able to bully us because they’ll be mindful of other people.”

Ban Yu-won’s plan far exceeded his expectations. Perhaps the reason was that the appearance of their members was exceptionally excellent even in this academy where talented people from all dimensions gathered. The fact that Dok Go-yeon and Light showed off their splendid and terrible power must also be a big part of it. But it wasn’t just for that.

A video where everyone gathered to have a meal together, their classes, them playing a board game Ban Yu-won brought from Earth after dinner (this was a huge hit). Above all, it was also important to mobilize the media editing power of Ban Yu-Won’s modern Earth to make the tea time video with Professor Yoo Mina, one of the academy’s powerhouses, much more interesting than it actually was.

“We will hook them with entertainment and make them stick around. There was no such medium in my hometown, so I can’t believe how fast and dramatic the response was. It’s really interesting.”

“I bet it will be more fun in the future. We’re going to get more attention.”

In fact, their videos were gaining more and more popularity outside the academy. There were no regulations prohibiting it, but the academy students hadn’t come up with the idea of making videos of their daily life before. But suddenly, four handsome boys and girls gathered to film and upload videos of their lives at the academy, so it had to be a hit.

“Uh, uuuuuh…but….”

“You’ll get used to it, Ruchel.”

And in this current moment, it was Ruchel who received most of the attention. Of course, Light and Dok Go-yeon were very good-looking, but they were too overwhelming in terms of skills, so people felt distant from them. But Ruchel had only been exposed as a puppy, and she was beautiful.

“I didn’t agree with this two days ago…huh? Now the noodles don’t have that weird soap taste! Ban, thank you…!”

Ruchel, frowning as she felt the gazes upon her, dug into the rice noodle soup with a happy gleam in her eyes. Ban Yu-won smiled, and Dok Go-yeon, slowly savoring the rice noodles next to him, then snorted and scolded Ruchel.

“Weird soap taste? It seems you don’t even know how to eat it. This scent is what enhances the taste of this dish.”

“Dok Go-yeon, you know how to eat.”

Ban Yu-won divided the concept of scent extracted from Ruchel’s rice noodles in half and divided it into his own bowl and Dok Go-yeon’s. It was the first time he’d shown the concept of language so blatantly, so Dok Go-yeon narrowed her eyes at him.

“Will you be okay?”

“Do you think they would know this even if they saw it?”

“No, not even a bit.”

“It’s not something I can hide. Do you have your answer now?”

“Yes. Hiding it while showing that blatant attitude is the best method of concealment.”

With that satisfied evaluation he had become used to over the past five days, Dok Go-yeon sipped the broth and exclaimed with satisfaction.

“So that’s how you made the elixir….”

“I added one more step to that, though.”

“Err, Ban.”

As everyone ate to their satisfaction, Light cautiously held out the bowl.

“Could you take out some from mine too….”

“What?”

“T-The weird soap….”

As Dok Go-yeon glared at Light when she heard the word soap, Light pouted his lips and protested.

“What can I do if it smells like soap?!”

“Haah, you don’t know how to respect and accept cuisines from different cultures. It is deplorable.”

“You also threw away the potage that came out last time.”

“The level of the chef was just poor that day.”

They were indeed fun to watch.

Ban Yu-won ignored them as they started fighting and took out only the concept of the scent Light didn’t like from his bowl.

“Ban…!”

He had the eyes of someone looking at their savior.

“But why don’t you try a little bit? The academy won’t show this variety at every meal.”

“Ugh, indeed. I’m always learning something from you.”

“Hmph, I’m different from you, who is swung by a sword.”

“Why are you the one proud of that?”

In the end, they continued to fight.

Ban Yu-won wondered if they knew they had to enter the Tower after their meal or if he should be glad they were maintaining their normal condition. At this point, he gave up on intervening and decided to just enjoy the meal. To be honest, from his perspective, he thought that he was just lucky to be eating for free.

* * *

“You know, right? Today is the day you’ll enter the Tower.”

Yoo Mina, who gathered them into the doorless classroom, explained.

“Actually, people have been entering since dawn. The 5th graders, the seniors, entered first, and now the sophomores are entering.”

“Of course, we must be last even among the first years, right?”

“No.”

At Ban Yu-won’s question, Yoo Mina looked at him and shook her head with a smile.

“Student Ban Yu-won’s plan worked well for the faculty as well. I made a proposal to have you guys, since you are attracting attention within the academy, enter first among the first years…surprisingly, it passed.”

“Professor, I love you.”

Yoo Mina smiled as Ban Yu-won made a heart with his fingers.

Next, Ban Yu-won asked an important question.

“Is it possible to film the inside of the Tower?”

“I’ll check it out, but you know cameras break down quickly inside the Tower, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

But he also knew how to keep those machines from breaking down in the dungeon. Thus, Ban Yu-won was accompanied by Tyche, a drone with a camera created after Eve and Lilith! He wouldn’t admit that he chose a random name since he couldn’t think of a more plausible one after Eve and Lilith.

“I guess that means you’ve created something else. Well, that’s the answer to your question, but it’s not forbidden. The Tower’s internal structure changes every moment, so filming is meaningless. And since it’s pointless, there’s no need to stop you.”

He had already confirmed that while preparing to enter the Tower. The interior was a space similar to a dungeon with monsters and traps. At this point, he felt like calling his ancestors and telling them that these would lower the price of the building, but sadly, that was their reality.

However, the Tower of Babel was completely different from the dungeons Ban Yu-won had explored for the past few days. The key difference was internal volatility. The structure changed each time, and one could never reach the same place twice.

Once they left, it was over, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t go back. Naturally, the composition of monsters and traps constantly changed, and the difficulty level was amped up a little each time.

‘It is the perfect condition for testing and nurturing humans.’

It could be said the conditions were too harsh for explorers, but that wasn’t necessarily the case because the Tower was full of mysterious energy, so people inside couldn’t die. To be precise, in most areas, the challengers wouldn’t die but would return to the entrance of the Tower instead.

“Everyone has their student ID, right? You should never forget it, as it is not only your ticket to the Tower but there’s also a tracker for how deep you’ve explored.”

Ban Yu-won took out his student ID and quickly found the number 0 on it. This new function of the student ID was opened ahead of entry to the Tower.

“As everyone knows from your classes, this indicates how deep you have reached inside the Tower. It starts with room 0 and counts up by one as you progress.”

“Room….”

The characteristic structural changes that occurred in the Tower were called Shifts, and it was said that the more Shifts you experienced, the deeper you were in the Tower. For each one they experienced, this number would tick up.

“Do you know the best record, Professor?”

Yoo Mina responded to Ban Yu-won’s question with a satisfied nod.

“Sure. The all-time high was Room 561. Is that helpful?”

The party was stunned by the unexpected record.

Ban Yu-won raised his hand again and asked.

“Room 561 isn’t a depth that can be explored in a few days.”

“As long as they don’t die inside the Tower, the challenger can record their achieved position. And the next time they enter, they can start from there through their student ID.”

“That’s why this was essential to climbing the Tower….”

This academy was also insane for distributing items with teleportation, keys, and save functions for free to all students. But more than that, what surprised Ban Yu-won right now was…

‘It’s like a game with an intermediate save function.’

Of course, the conditions were tougher than the games he’d played. The map changed every time, and the monsters changed too. If he died, he would have to start all over again. But, on the contrary, maybe it was better since their abilities weren’t reset.

…Although there was a time limit of five years to clear it.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Dok Go-yeon smiled bewitchingly while examining her student ID. Ban Yu-won shuddered at the subtle spread of her fighting will.

Light, on the other hand, was holding his student ID without saying a word. And Ruchel was…staring at Ban Yu-won, unsure what to do.

‘I mean, there is nothing I can do even if you look at me like that.’

But Ban Yu-won’s desire to climb the Tower wasn’t inferior to theirs.

‘If I wanted to live peacefully on Earth, I could’ve. But this is my choice. I’m determined to fight, even if it means risking my life.’

He couldn’t tell what kind of feelings his colleagues, who were in the same position as him, had or whether they were hesitant. However, they could never feel lighthearted as they were about to climb the Tower that was said to turn people into gods.

Perhaps when they learned of Ban Yu-won’s simple reason for climbing the Tower, they might find it absurd and ridicule him. However, Ban Yu-won’s desire for the Tower was one he cherished since childhood. Although worldly and simple, it was just as pure and intense and enough to convince him that he was ready to throw away his life when he saw it.

“I think everyone is mentally ready. But I have one last thing to say.”

Yoo Mina, making eye contact with Ban Yu-won again, nodded.

“It has to do with the dimensional pirates I mentioned the other day. In registering new students as Tower Climbers, a gap is revealed in the Tower’s barrier. This is when the success rate of a dimensional pirates’ invasion is highest.”

“So?”

“Irregular phenomenon can occur due to their intrusion. In a nutshell, it means you can encounter dimensional pirates inside the Tower.”

It was as if Ruchel’s heart had stopped, but Professor Yoo Mina continued.

“What you should be wary of is the irregular phenomenon itself rather than the intruders. There is no death inside the Tower, but that isn’t absolute. Especially regarding Irregulars.”

The Tower couldn’t absolutely guarantee the safety of its climbers, and to say that it was safe in ‘most’ areas meant that there were also unsafe areas. With Irregulars, the Law of the Tower was disturbed, and the students involved were at risk.

“So, for your safety, it is my judgment as the professor in charge that it is better to finish this expedition as soon as possible and return. Then I’ll ask…class leader, for how many days do you plan to be on this expedition?”

Ban Yu-won turned to his colleagues. In fact, this had already been communicated to them. He looked back, thinking that maybe someone had changed their mind in the meantime, but Dok Go-yeon, Light, and even Ruchel nodded quietly.

In the end, he shrugged and looked back at Yoo Mina.

“Three days and two nights.”

“Okay, now it’s your turn. Bye.”

The moment Yoo Mina clapped her hands, they found themselves standing in front of the entrance to the huge Tower. Behind them were all the first-year students who had lost their lead to Class 11. Many of the academy’s associate Professors and the nine full Professors, including Yoo Mina, were all paying attention to them.

“Are you all ready?”

“Of course.”

“…Certainly.”

“Uh, uuuh.”

He wasn’t happy with those answers, but Ban Yu-won suppressed the desire to say something and pulled out the camera drone. The Professors’ eyes grew large as they saw it move as if it were alive and zipping around Ban Yu-won.

“Then, let’s go in.”

The four rebels and the artificial creature that followed them entered the Tower as the first freshmen this year. It was noisy, but would they find prosperity in the end?

‘Ancestors, just wait.’

Prosperity or not, Ban Yu-won was certain it would continue to be noisy.