Why Did I Have to Enroll

Chapter 144:

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 144

Lesson 29. The Truth Will Be Revealed Someday - 4

“It’s an honor to have you visit us in person, Professor Ryu Cheol-myeong. However, we’re currently in the middle of student council business. If you have any matters to discuss with us, could you please wait a moment…?”

Faced with the unexpected visit of a rude middle-aged man during student council duties, Shati, the student council president, responded with a rare social smile.

However, Ryu Cheol-myeong, the man brimming with anger, waved his hand dismissively, interrupting Shati’s words as if he couldn’t care less about the student council’s circumstances.

“President, you must be aware of the unpleasant rumors circulating about you recently.”

“Rumors, you say?”

“I’m talking about the persistent, filthy, and unfounded rumors linking you with the first-year special admission students.”

Of course, Shati was well aware of them.

After Ryu Cheol-myeong suffered humiliation at the hands of Rebellion and expelled them from his lectures under the guise of completion, the students were initially just amazed that Ban Yu-won had truly awakened his aura during Ryu Cheol-myeong’s lecture…

But as the process became known and some professors publicly warned Ryu Cheol-myeong, the story spread among students that Ban Yu-won’s awakening was purely due to his exceptional talent, and that Ryu Cheol-myeong had been openly harassing students he disliked under the pretense of education.

Naturally, many students who hoped to gain favor from the authoritative Ryu Cheol-myeong, especially those benefiting from his pureblood ideology in the special class, pretended it was all educational guidance, but it was like trying to cover the sky with a palm.

Once the rumor caught fire, it spread uncontrollably, centered around the intranet.

‘But why is he blaming us now? He was the one who declared defeat first. If he got caught pulling such a disgraceful stunt, he should bear this level of criticism.’

While thinking this inwardly, Shati maintained a poker face as Ryu Cheol-myeong spoke, his forehead twitching.

“The malicious rumors have spread throughout the academy, threatening even my honor as a professor.”

“There are always those who speak without knowing their place. Even if we gather the best talents from different dimensions, they are still immature in character. I hope you can understand, Professor…”

Bang! Ryu Cheol-myeong slammed his hand on Shati’s desk.

“I suspect the student council is involved in the propagation of these rumors.”

At his absurd conjecture, Shati thought to herself.

How did this bastard find out?

They were already working to change the academy’s atmosphere by exploiting his weakness, but he caught on so quickly!

“It’s a misunderstanding, Professor Ryu Cheol-myeong.”

“If it’s truly a misunderstanding, then you should be able to help suppress the rumors, right, President?”

“I’m sorry, Professor, but our student council doesn’t have the authority to control the intranet. That power lies solely with the Chancellor…”

—Listen, President, I’m not a fool.

Ryu Cheol-myeong’s voice pierced directly into Shati’s mind.

His voice, tinged with a sticky heat, seemed to cling to her brain, sending shivers down her spine.

Shati barely managed to maintain her poker face as she silently stared at him.

—I know the student council is gathering students from lower dimensions to stir up trouble. And I must have been a perfect target for you, given how I usually oppressed them, right?

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding, Professor. We only wish for all students to be treated fairly and grow equally at the academy. We have no intention of defaming you.”

“So you’re going to stick to that story?”

“No matter what you say, what’s not possible isn’t possible.”

“President—”

“Instead.”

Ryu Cheol-myeong’s sharp gaze shot towards Shati, who interrupted him, but she didn’t lose her composure.

The devil’s eyes sparkled brilliantly, exuding magic power.

“I do know the cleanest way to eliminate baseless rumors.”

Ryu Cheol-myeong’s one-sided turn ended, and finally, Shati’s turn began.

“What…?”

“I’ll help you. To prove the student council’s innocence.”

She hadn’t expected Ryu Cheol-myeong to approach her like this first.

She was already preparing a trap with Mira to give him a taste of his own medicine.

She couldn’t miss this opportunity.

She intended to hold onto him tightly and bite down hard.

“Your words seem to have changed suddenly. Just a moment ago, you said it wasn’t possible.”

Ryu Cheol-myeong, feeling as if he were possessed by a devil, instinctively took a step back.

Shati shook her head with a bitter smile.

“What I meant was that there’s nothing the student council can do. But I, personally, have a way to help you, Professor.”

“The student council president, personally? That’s hard to believe.”

Why would she? He knew she didn’t think highly of him.

Ryu Cheol-myeong’s suspicious gaze swept over Shati’s entire body, lingering particularly long on her face and chest, causing her to feel an unbearable disgust. Yet, she spoke again.

“However… if I am of help, may I ask for a small reward?”

“So there was another motive? I don’t know what you want from me, but I have no intention of granting it easily…”

“I’m actually interested in the associate professor recommendation you hold, Professor.”

Ryu Cheol-myeong’s brow twitched at her words.

“You could become an associate professor without a recommendation, couldn’t you?”

“Of course, I could, but…”

As Shati trailed off, Ryu Cheol-myeong clicked his tongue, guessing the rest.

“Tsk, are you trying to play a power game with that ridiculous recommendation? Fine, do as you please.”

Ryu Cheol-myeong was quite displeased, but he accepted Shati’s reason for helping him.

If she had a clear desire, there was no reason not to trust her.

That’s why Shati told such an unbelievable lie.

To make Ryu Cheol-myeong believe her!

‘Even if I get a recommendation from someone who will soon disappear from the academy.’

She scoffed inwardly, her eyes gleaming.

Ryu Cheol-myeong, reluctant to nod to Shati’s proposal, issued a warning.

“But I haven’t heard what your method is yet. Giving you the recommendation is easy, but only if the results are certain.”

“Of course, Professor. The recommendation is just a bonus. As long as you remain a professor, you deserve respect and admiration from all students.”

“…Hmph, fine. Let’s hear it then.”

Despite feeling something off in Shati’s words, Ryu Cheol-myeong decided to go along with her proposed method.

After all, Shati was a student, and he was a professor.

There was a significant gap between them.

If she dared to deceive him, he could use it as leverage to demand even more…

—And Shati’s ‘Constraint’ and Mira’s ‘Curse’ were specialized in exploiting such light and careless perceptions to lower the opponent’s status.

*

The rumors of “Ryu Cheol-myeong’s incompetence” that had been circulating around the academy vanished precisely two days later.

Some were still badmouthing Ryu Cheol-myeong somewhere on the intranet, but the response was weak.

Even that soon disappeared.

The reason was none other than Ryu Cheol-myeong himself.

“Ah, good morning, Professor.”

“Yes, good morning… student.”

“—Yes, yes!”

“Professor!”

“Good morning!”

“Yes, students.”

It was unlikely that something about Ryu Cheol-myeong had dramatically changed in just a few days.

However, students who faced him instinctively bowed their heads, and this was not due to Ryu Cheol-myeong’s oppression or presence but rather a completely natural phenomenon.

Simply put, it was dignity.

The dignity that made a professor truly professorial.

‘The influence on others… is that also a form of charm?’

Ban Yu-won, who was observing Ryu Cheol-myeong from afar, following Shati and Mira’s advice to avoid facing him directly, concluded.

‘It’s peculiar how the concept of charm amplifies only when dealing with students. Could that be the power of the Constraint?’

Perhaps it was a Constraint that allowed Professor Ryu Cheol-myeong to exert overwhelming influence when dealing with students.

No matter how many rumors circulated about Ryu Cheol-myeong, students who actually saw him were overwhelmed and dared not gossip about him.

Even the professors noticed it, but when they faced Ryu Cheol-myeong, they felt nothing amiss, so they couldn’t say anything.

‘Even observing indirectly through Tike’s Lens, I can feel a slight influence. It must be overwhelming for others who can’t directly observe the concept.’

It was clear that the magic Shati and Mira had painstakingly prepared was activated on Ryu Cheol-myeong.

But then? Wouldn’t this only strengthen Ryu Cheol-myeong’s position within the academy?

Every student who faced Ryu Cheol-myeong was overwhelmed and lost their spirit, so didn’t this mean Ryu Cheol-myeong achieved exactly what he wanted from Shati?

…Of course, he didn’t entertain such an absurd misconception.

He already had a rough idea of how the Constraint and Curse were activated.

‘I can guess when that guy’s Constraint will activate. As expected of a demon, she used her brain well.’

And Ryu Cheol-myeong, who fell for it so easily, could indeed be called a fool.

If someone like Cantone, who seemed to have orchestrated everything behind the scenes during the past semester, were involved, he wouldn’t have fallen for Shati’s tricks so easily.

Judging by how Ryu Cheol-myeong was left as he was, it seemed Cantone had completely severed ties with him.

“Ugh, it’s really annoying. Do we have to watch that for the rest of the semester?”

Luciel, who was watching through Tike’s Lens alongside Ban Yu-won, expressed rare anger.

It was unusual for her to react so strongly to someone else, but the reason was that the memories of attending his lectures, even for a short period, were truly the worst.

“Hmm.”

Dokgo Yeon, though not as much as Luciel, also wore a displeased expression.

“This will dampen the spirits of the special admission students who had just regained their confidence.”

“They were getting a bit too cocky all of a sudden. It’s better to quietly work on their skills rather than showing off too much… at least for now.”

It’s a step back to move two steps forward.

Ban Yu-won added briefly and then turned around, looking around.

“But where’s Light? Did he go out with Ayre again?”

“No, he’s in our training room, sparring with Livi.”

Luciel’s prompt reply made Ban Yu-won’s expression sour.

It wasn’t Light’s actions that bothered him.

It was Luciel’s choice of name that bothered him.

“Luciel, do you have to call it that?”

“It’s cute.”

“Even if the name is cute…”

Ban Yu-won and Dokgo Yeon looked at Luciel, who was proudly praising her naming skills, with similar expressions.

“I think Geum-dong, meaning ‘moving metal,’ is a much better name.”

“I don’t think so either. Plus, it reveals its identity.”

“Ugh…!”

Ban Yu-won, who had mercilessly rejected Dokgo Yeon’s idea (and got hit on the shoulder a few times by the sulking Dokgo Yeon), nodded after attempting Resonance with the one Luciel named ‘Livi.’

“Let’s go train too. My pride won’t allow me to slack off while Light is working hard.”

“But we’re going into the tower again tomorrow, so don’t overdo it.”

“Yeah, we should.”

“You’re not planning to secretly drag Ban Yu-won out to the outer city again, are you?”

“…Ehe.”

“What do you mean by ‘ehe,’ what…!”

Except for a few ominous signs appearing here and there, the 10th week at the academy flowed very smoothly and peacefully.

This was no exception for the tower exploration that resumed on Friday, as they successfully cleared the 65th floor by Sunday without any retirements among the group.

The absence of dramatic events also meant the absence of dramatic progress, so Ban Yu-won wasn’t sure whether to be happy about it…

However, it was true that everyone in Rebellion, including himself, and all the special admission students in the Union Travel Club, were rapidly improving.

“…What? You met the president during a solo exploration?”

“Yeah, just when I thought I caught up, a joint quest occurred, allowing us to interact. I thought it was the first time, but it turns out it’s happened a few times before.”

However, there was someone who was progressing significantly faster than everyone else, and that was none other than the student council president, Shati, and the PR manager, Mira.

Even while conducting solo explorations, the two were advancing through the tower at a pace that didn’t fall behind the elite fourth and fifth-year students. Surprisingly, they were linked by a joint quest within the tower, allowing them to cooperate and further accelerate their growth.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of solo exploration?”

“When the joint quest ends, they’ll separate again… Besides, this is a great opportunity.”

Mira, who had come to share this astonishing information with him, said with a sinister smile.

“Now is not the time to insist on solo exploration or anything. It’s time to grow as much as possible in preparation for the upcoming showdown. We’ll show the power of Team FairyDevil.”

A fairy and a devil teaming up, hence FairyDevil.

While Ban Yu-won was grateful for Mira and Shati’s efforts for Rebellion, he couldn’t help but feel slightly anxious, as it seemed like only they were advancing too quickly.

Even though he knew he was a first-year and they were third-years, he couldn’t suppress such feelings.

When would he be able to perfect his Swordsmanship and evolve his Mysterious Body Technique?

He needed a dramatic change…

??And the change he desired finally came on the Tuesday of the 12th week.

The solo exploration of the tower was finally possible again.