Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 145

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 145. Galaxy Martial God Hall – Collateral Branch (6)

The way Cheon Ha-sung’s eyes were rolling around looked exactly like the moment before someone caused trouble, so I glanced toward where the teachers were sitting.
The teachers were staying in place to prevent any incidents, but they kept their distance and talked among themselves so as not to interfere with the children’s exchange.
Of course, for fifth and sixth graders it might be different, but fourth graders—still green—didn’t require much vigilance.
No matter how much the older students talked, it was hard for direct competitive spirit to emerge before the inter-school exchange competitions that started from the higher grades.
“Hmm?”
But Teacher Kim Do-hwa wasn’t visible among the other teachers.
I sent a text to Teacher Kim Do-hwa.

—Where are you right now?

Teacher Kim Do-hwa replied to my message immediately.

—I stepped out for a moment because of the third-session event.

Well, as the Martial Arts Director, Teacher Kim Do-hwa was third in seniority among all the school teachers, even counting the Principal.
If the Vice Principal retired right now, Teacher Kim Do-hwa would take that seat immediately—so there was no helping how busy she was.

—Why’d you slip out like a ghost without any warning?
—If I left openly, the kids’ restraint would actually come loose. So I left quietly.

True enough—I’d openly released an intimidating aura at Peak Mastery Realm level, so if Teacher Kim Do-hwa disappeared, the children might relax and act recklessly.

—Did something go wrong?
—Not yet, but I have a feeling something’s about to. If you came back now, you might be able to stop it right away?

Teacher Kim Do-hwa didn’t reply to my message immediately.
After a few seconds’ pause, the text came through.

—You stop it.
—Pardon?
—If the problem hasn’t happened yet, you should be able to handle it at your level anyway. I can’t leave my post right now, so you stop it.
—But you said I only had to keep watch when you stepped away?

My Dantian was nearly empty from practicing Sound Transmission.
Of course, it had filled a little with Qi accumulated naturally through breathing, but not enough to break up a fight.

—I’ll give you Points.
—I probably won’t be able to spend all the Points I have even by the time I graduate university.

Periodically, I’d buy the latest graphics cards, computer components, 3D printers, and other hobby equipment, yet Points kept piling up.
I couldn’t convert them to cash, and once I graduated university, there’d be Points I couldn’t use. It was really wasteful.
Of course, there wasn’t no way to use Points after graduating university.
If I entered a graduate program under the same academy foundation, I could keep using Points.
The Points didn’t disappear—I just couldn’t use them after graduation.
I’d rather throw the Points away than enter a graduate program.
My slow reply seemed like I was cursing out Teacher Riven, who was giving me so many Points.

—Put this down as a debt.
—OK. I’ll do my best to stop it!

Having heard the answer I wanted, I sent the text quickly and moved toward Cheon Ha-sung.
Sure enough, Cheon Ha-sung had already picked a fight with someone from another school.
What was wrong with Cheon Ha-sung?
He wasn’t the type to act so stupidly.
Cheon Ha-sung seemed to have never provoked anyone properly before—he was just throwing out some generic, pathetic lines about collateral branches and such.
But looking closer, the face of the guy who’d started the fight looked familiar from somewhere.
Where have I seen him before? …Ah! That rude guy from the bathroom!
He wasn’t much to look at, but was he a fourth-year student?
Then again, with that level of skill, he couldn’t be fifth or sixth year.
But being in Class 1 was unexpected.
If other schools follow the same curriculum, belonging to Class 1 means being in the top tier of your year—are there no talented students at other schools?
No wonder Teacher Kim Do-hwa showed so little attachment to the idea of a public match between me and Cheon So-yeon; there was a reason for it.
In the brief moment I was observing how things would unfold, the atmosphere between the two of them turned hostile in an instant.
Whenever those two fight, Cheon Ha-sung always beats the other person to a pulp and that’s the end of it.
Still, maybe that rude guy would be fine with taking a few hits?
I was tempted for a moment, but decided to break it up anyway.
If those two fought, there was a chance it could escalate into a full brawl, regardless of how the fight started.
Since I was already indebted to Teacher Kim Do-hwa, I had to do my part.
I stepped between the two of them as their fists flew toward each other, gently deflecting both their strikes to the side.
These kids—the air turned ugly, and now they’re throwing Inner Power into their punches?
“All right, both of you seem way too worked up. A fistfight at the Inter-school Exchange Event? Calm down, you two.”
Cheon Ha-sung clicked his tongue at me as if the plan had fallen through, and the rude guy from the other school—I glanced at his name tag—was this Gam Chan-sung?
Gam Chan-sung looked flustered at my sudden intervention.
He clearly hadn’t expected the punch he’d thrown with such force to be deflected so easily.
“Who—who are you?!”
“Me? I’m in the same class as him. He does tend to act superior most of the time, but he’s not the type to go around insulting people. He’s just had some rough things happen recently and gotten angry about them. I’ll apologize on his behalf, so I hope you can understand.”
Even with my apology, the rude guy kept frowning, his mind fixed on how easily his attack had been deflected.
When he saw my face, he seemed to remember how he’d ignored me in the bathroom, and his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“You…!”
As Gam Chan-sung puffed up his presence, seeming to verify whether my deflection had been luck or skill, I took a deep breath and released my Killing Intent in all directions.
At my Killing Intent, the guy who’d been about to attack me froze in shock, and the teachers quickly hurried over.
“What’s going on?!”
Since I didn’t have the Inner Power to fight this guy, I needed to call someone to help stop him instead.
Fortunately, Killing Intent—that kind of intent—didn’t require Inner Power.
At the teacher’s shout, everyone turned to look at us.
Only Cheon Ha-sung standing nearby, this guy, Cheon So-yeon, and the teachers had felt my Killing Intent.
“Ah, it’s nothing serious. My friend misspoke and there was some friction, but when I suddenly stepped in to break it up, he got very upset.”
By pinning the release of Killing Intent on Gam Chan-sung, he looked bewildered, staring at me.
“Fortunately it didn’t turn into a full fight, so I’ll take this friend of ours elsewhere to cool off.”
The teacher, unsure whether it was I, Cheon Ha-sung, or Gam Chan-sung who’d released the Killing Intent, simply nodded.
“Both of you be careful. We’ll be watching.”
With that warning, the two were forced to move to the far end of the Inter-school Exchange Event.
As the teacher turned his gaze to us—or rather, to Cheon Ha-sung—before we retreated to a corner, I asked him.
“What’s gotten into you? You’re doing something you don’t normally do. I thought it’d be Cheon Myeong-tae causing trouble.”
At my question, Cheon Ha-sung scowled at me.
It was as if I’d interfered with his business.
“How am I supposed to help if I don’t know what’s going on? Actually, never mind. I shouldn’t be sticking my nose in anyway. Your homeroom teacher said she’d punish you severely if you caused trouble, so I stepped in, but just forget it—I was being nosy.”
As I turned to leave, Cheon Ha-sung urgently grabbed my arm.
“Wait.”
“…C-could you help me?”
At his stammering request, I laughed softly.
He couldn’t hide his age either, could he?
“What’s the matter?”
Cheon Ha-sung told me about what had happened with the Club Senior.
The Club Senior had asked him to either win the Inter-school Exchange Competition directly or injure several of the competitors in exchange for reducing his Demerits.
It seemed the senior had deliberately shown him a photo of someone to pick a fight with, and was trying to provoke a brawl so that injuries would force Cheon So-yeon to compete.
“Good grief, you idiot. Would a elder of the family do something that could get him marked by the Family Head just to fulfill one grandson’s request? Cheonmu School already has school-related information going directly to the Family Head because of Cheon So-yeon. If this gets out, how do you plan to deal with the fallout?”
In truth, giving Cheon Ha-sung special treatment was something that might just earn a scolding and be forgotten.
It wasn’t directly connected to Cheon So-yeon.
But would opposing factions within the family just sit back and do nothing?
If they latched onto the fact that Cheon Ha-sung had remained in the same class as Cheon So-yeon and would continue to do so, bringing up the indirect effects on her, there’d be no way out.
Among the family elders, Cheon So-yeon was an attractive talent, but a dangerous presence who could jeopardize one’s political standing if approached carelessly.
As long as the Family Head directly protected her, she’d be free from various political pressures, at least until she came of age.
“S-so the senior was lying?”
“Well, he probably meant what he said in earnest. The man himself has that much power. But putting his political career on the line to help with something this trivial? That’s ridiculous. The more practical approach would be to have the Club petition the Family Head using the Inter-school Exchange Competition victory as a pretext.”
A petition was certainly an effective tool.
The point isn’t to erase the demerits entirely, just reduce them.
Cheon Ha-sung’s face darkened at my words.
I let out a small sigh at the sight.
“Look, it comes down to two options: either injure one of the other school’s competitors, or you enter the competition yourself. I can’t help with the first, but I think I can manage the second.”
“Really?! You mean it?!”
“But being able to help and actually helping are two different things.”
Cheon Ha-sung asked me seriously at my words.
“What do you want from me, then?”
His question, spoken with unmistakable resolve, left me speechless.
“…You really hate the 4-Person Room that much?”
“You don’t live in the dormitory, so you have no idea. The guys in the 4-Person Room are such delinquents that it’s a wonder they haven’t been expelled. It’s basically the last stop before you’re out.”
Living such a chaotic life? No, more than that….
“How disgustingly did you trash the place for the dormitory supervisor to assign you demerits that severe?”
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
Cheon Ha-sung avoided my gaze while clearing his throat.
Even he seemed to know, on some level, that he’d messed up.
“So what do I have to do?”
“Nothing urgent for now. Let’s just say you owe me a debt. You can repay it later when I ask you for a favor.”
“…What kind of favor are we talking about?”
“Nothing specific really. I’m just setting this up as insurance for the future, in case something comes up.”
Cheon Ha-sung looked uncertain at my answer, but since he disliked the 4-Person Room even more, he nodded in agreement.
“Fine. I’ll accept the debt. But how exactly are you going to get me into the Inter-school Exchange Competition?”
He wasn’t doubting for a second that he’d win.
And truthfully, among all the students here, only two were stronger than Cheon Ha-sung: Cheon So-yeon and me.
Unless he suddenly got food poisoning or something, Cheon Ha-sung’s victory was already decided.
If he could compete, that is.
“The thing is, you need an open slot to participate. All you need is for one of our class’s competitors to withdraw.”
“You think anyone would actually do that?”
I smiled and called over Cheon Ga-ryeong, who was chatting cheerfully with students from other schools, her natural charm on full display.
“What’s up? What do you need?”
“Ga-ryeong, would you be willing to hand over your competition entry to Cheon Ha-sung?”
Cheon Ga-ryeong frowned at my request.
“No way. They said we’d get really good Elixir if we win.”
“I’ll make you a first-class premium Inner Power advancement Elixir this week during club activities, tailored specifically for you.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong looked at me as if to ask what had gotten into me.
“Even when I ask, you always just make body-strengthening and growth Elixirs. What’s changed?”
I was the only one who properly followed the Elixir-crafting lessons during club activities, so I always made whatever I personally needed.
To lift my Inner Power Restriction, I had no choice but to consume body-fortifying Elixirs beyond what the family provided.
Even when Cheon Ga-ryeong complained about lacking Inner Power and asked me to make Inner Power advancement Elixirs, I’d just told her to make them herself.
Still, since we made them during club activities, we shared all the Elixirs equally.
“It’s a good opportunity to put him in your debt.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong laughed, glancing at Cheon Ha-sung.
“Now that’s something I’d be interested in.”
At Cheon Ga-ryeong’s words, Cheon Ha-sung shuddered noticeably.
“Then take his debt instead of my Elixir.”
“No, that’s not the same. Making Elixirs doesn’t happen just because I’m ordering him around.”
That was true. Cheon Ha-sung let out a relieved sigh as well.
“Still, just the Elixir feels a bit lacking.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong clearly intended to sell her competition entry at a premium.
“I’ll buy you something from the Points Mall for under a million Points.”
It’s not like I’m short on Points anyway, thanks to Riven.
At my offer, Cheon Ga-ryeong beamed.
“Deal! That was a good trade.”
“Good trade indeed.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong and I shook hands to finalize the deal.
I texted Teacher Kim Do-hwa to let her know the problem was solved and explained the current situation.
“Remember, you owe me for all of this.”
Cheon Ha-sung reluctantly nodded, and I smiled with satisfaction.
Just as I thought there wouldn’t be any more issues, a problem surfaced.

(To be continued in the next part)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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