Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 83

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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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Chapter 83. Galaxy Martial God Hall – Exchange with Seniors (2)

Wednesday of the last week in March.
The week of the exchange meeting with seniors had arrived.
Though they called it a week, it amounted to just one day of meeting with seniors, having conversations, and receiving various advice.
While club time normally allowed members to visit at their convenience and engage in club activities autonomously, Wednesday’s sixth period was fundamentally mandatory attendance.
Typically, Wednesdays were days when the club advisor or invited instructors led group activities.
Since exchange meetings were fundamentally conducted on a club-by-club basis, holding it on Wednesday was only natural.
Still, because today was specially designated as exchange week, both morning and afternoon classes were replaced entirely with club activities.
Riven complained that the school was infringing on my precious study rights with this pointless event.
I wished she would reflect on whether she was violating children’s rights before worrying about my study rights.
“Why do you look so exhausted?”
As I arrived at the Club Room instead of my regular classroom, I noticed deep dark circles settled beneath Teacher Kim Do-hwa’s eyes.
“…I’ve been worn out by this exchange meeting.”
“There’s nothing to be worn out about… Ah. I apologize for my rudeness. I hadn’t thought it through.”
The family was keeping a close watch on Cheon So-yeon, who possessed the Cheonmu Heavenly Body.
Especially since the Family Head was clearly taking special interest, there were surely no shortage of family elders wanting to approach Cheon So-yeon.
However, approaching Cheon So-yeon carelessly would inevitably draw the Family Head’s attention.
Or perhaps the Family Head had issued strict orders not to approach her recklessly.
In such circumstances, if there existed an opportunity—even indirectly—for one’s child or grandchild to approach Cheon So-yeon legitimately?
If there were an opportunity to naturally grow close to Cheon So-yeon?
Of course, competing behind the scenes to seize that opportunity was inevitable.
The exchange meeting was precisely such a natural and legitimate opportunity, and since Cheon So-yeon’s club was newly established with no senior members, there was no suitable senior to invite to the exchange meeting.
It was only natural that family elders would approach Teacher Kim Do-hwa, the club advisor.
Teacher Kim Do-hwa must have been suffering from the coercion and inducements of these powerful figures.
“Usually you’re so unchildlike that you lack any cuteness, but times like this are nice.”
Cheon So-yeon, who had arrived at school with me, couldn’t follow the conversation between me and Teacher Kim Do-hwa and looked puzzled.
It’s better that you don’t know.
“You should have just passed the buck to the Principal.”
“So I did pass it to him. How was I supposed to handle those old geezers? My suffering came from the Principal.”
The Principal, who suddenly received the bomb tossed to him, got angry and pecked at Teacher Kim Do-hwa.
Of course, the lobbying couldn’t have happened just a day before—Teacher Kim Do-hwa was fine until yesterday.
The moment she received the initial contact, she tossed it to the Principal, and after the Principal busily wrapped everything up and found some free time, he pecked at her all day yesterday.
“Well, at least the Principal just nags without going further.”
“That’s true….”
Teacher Kim Do-hwa nodded in agreement, then glanced at me.
“I can’t tell if I’m talking to a fellow teacher or a student.”
“Haha, how sudden. So which senior is coming?”
At my question, Teacher Kim Do-hwa checked the document he’d received on his personal hologram device.
“Three of them are coming, it seems. Cheon Jung-hwa, Cheon Bo-ryeon, and Cheon Cheol-young. All three are in Class 1, second year at Cheonmu First High School.”
Class 1 at First High School, where the direct line attends.
“The future pillars of the family, indeed.”
If middle school is divided into First Middle and Second Middle, high school is split into First High, Second High, and Third High.
The top students from First Middle go to First High, while the lower-ranked go to Second High. The top students from Second Middle advance to Second High, and the lower-ranked go to Third High.
The numbers aren’t even that large, yet they still felt the need to subdivide further—though I suppose as talent diverges with age, the gap becomes so severe that attending the same school creates friction. It’s unavoidable, or so they say.
After all, if the top students at the same school are knocking on the door of the absolute peak while you’re still floundering at the second tier, how utterly miserable would that be?
By separating the schools entirely, at least there’s no need to see each other, so dissatisfaction wouldn’t breed despair.
Even with all that division, the Family Head is over six hundred years old, so the direct line produces anywhere from dozens to hundreds of births in a single year.
Even those who graduate from First Middle, First High, and First University and enter society will have some who stumble and others who advance.
How many so-called geniuses reached the absolute peak at a young age, only to spend their entire lives battering against the wall of Hwagyeong before dying of old age?
Is breaking through the Hwagyeong wall the end?
The Hyeongyeong wall is even higher, and dangerous battlefields are scattered throughout the cosmos.
Being of the direct line doesn’t make enemy blades pass you by.
My father, whom I’ve never once met, reached the realm of Hwagyeong as the Family Head’s grandson, yet his name appears on the casualty list.
Thinking about it that way, falling out of the competition wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
At least I could live peacefully in a safe place.
Dropping out too early would have its own difficulties, but at least it was better than dying.
“But the club only has four members—why are three seniors coming?”
“That’s probably already a significant reduction.”
Teacher Kim Do-hwa shuddered and frowned.
Before passing the matter to the Principal, he must have received countless inquiries—at least three or more seemed to have shown interest.
As I was spending time exercising moderately in the club room, I soon heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
At Teacher Kim Do-hwa’s permission, the door opened and one man and two women entered.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Cheon Bo-ryeon from Cheonmu First High School.”
“I’m Cheon Cheol-young.”
“I’m Cheon Jung-hwa.”
At their greetings, Teacher Kim Do-hwa gave a slight bow as well.
“I’m Kim Do-hwa, advisor of the Alchemy Club for Martial Arts. This is Cheon So-yeon, our club president; Cheon Ji-woo, vice president; and our members Cheon Ga-ryeong and Cheon Gong-hu.”
Teacher Kim Do-hwa seemed to be seeing these three people for the first time as well.
Since there was a ten-year age gap between them and me, ten years ago—or rather, five years ago when they graduated from elementary school—Teacher Kim Do-hwa apparently wasn’t teaching here yet.
Usually elementary school teachers rotate to different schools every five years, but since Cheonmu Elementary School is private, it offered lifetime tenure if one wished.
Just look at the Vice Principal—at eighty-five years old, he’s still managing his teaching career just fine.
Though reaching the absolute peak while living a peaceful teaching life was no easy feat.
A martial artist’s growth blooms through struggle.
He probably belonged to the Military Force Unit before becoming a teacher, and was assigned to the rear—whether by choice or circumstance—for some reason.
I’ve heard that martial artists blocked by the wall of their realm often come to the rear, where there are no combat duties, to focus on solitary cultivation.
“Hi there. I’m Cheon Bo-ryeon.”
The female high school student who appeared to be their representative greeted everyone while showing particular interest in Cheon So-yeon.
Cheon So-yeon noticed this attention and quietly stepped back.
She had never been fond of receiving attention since childhood.
Unlike Cheon Gong-hu, she wasn’t timid—her reaction was more like that of a wary, wounded stray cat, bristling with caution.
“Haha, did I do something wrong?”
Cheon Bo-ryeon looked bewildered as Cheon So-yeon distanced herself from her.
I considered offering some advice but decided against it out of laziness.
If I pretended to know better, Cheon So-yeon might see me as a stepping stone and dislike me even more.
At that moment, Cheon Ga-ryeong stepped in and spoke instead of me.
“So-yeon doesn’t like it when older people talk to her first.”
Cheon Bo-ryeon’s eyes wavered at those words.
She had probably been instructed by her parents or family elders to win Cheon So-yeon’s favor, but if the girl disliked being approached in the first place, there was no clear strategy to gain her affection.
However, unlike Cheon Bo-ryeon, the female high school student named Cheon Jung-hwa seemed to have already heard about this, as she grinned and approached me.
“Hey, you’re Cheon Ji-woo, right?”
To aim for the general, you have to shoot at the soldiers first.
Cheon Jung-hwa had clearly come with the intention of winning me over first.
Poor, naive thing.
I decided to offer some advice to this still-young girl who knew only half the story.
“Senior Cheon Jung-hwa, I apologize for being presumptuous, but would it be alright if I offered you some advice?”
“Huh? …Oh, yes.”
“Approaching me first to get close to So-yeon is a blunder. Since childhood, So-yeon has disliked people who approach those around her as a means to reach her.”
Cheon Jung-hwa’s eyes wavered at my words.
“Well, regardless of my intentions, I don’t dislike people who are kind to me. But no matter how much I say I don’t mind, So-yeon seems to feel aversion.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong added to my words.
“That’s right! Especially, So-yeon really hates it when other girls fawn over Ji-woo!”
At Cheon Ga-ryeong’s words, my head suddenly throbbed and I pressed my forehead.
“That’s Ga-ryeong’s misunderstanding. That girl is always absorbed in romance dramas and loves shipping any two people who seem remotely close.”
“Hey! What did I—!”
“Ga-ryeong, please stop watching those melodramas. How many people have you paired up around So-yeon? Cheon Ha-sung is a bickering rival who secretly likes So-yeon—the tsundere type, Cheon Myeong-tae is the straightforward guy, Cheon Hyo-jun is the sweet guy, and I’m the childhood friend….”
“Kyaaaaa! You! You! You saw it!”
Cheon Ga-ryeong’s face turned bright red as she lunged at me.
Well, it wasn’t anything serious for a kid her age.
Just things like how pretty Cheon So-yeon is and how envious that makes her, or wondering if someone might have feelings for someone else.
Observations like how someone has a personality like a drama protagonist, and wondering if the actual drama protagonist was similar.
It was a cute, embarrassing diary marinated in romance drama fantasies, embellished with a bit of imagination.
And I hadn’t even wanted to see it—her notebook had fallen, and I only glanced at the contents to find the owner.
Of course, after seeing what was inside, I pretended to know nothing and quietly returned it to her seat.
“Who writes fantasy notes about their friends like that? Ow! Ow! That hurts! Don’t use inner energy! You know I can’t use inner energy right now! Ow!”
I barely escaped Cheon Ga-ryeong’s assault and ran through the Club Room.
Cheon Ga-ryeong chased after me in fury.
Unable to use inner energy, I was quickly caught, feinted, and fled again.
Then I was caught once more and beaten down on the ground.
The fortunate part was that she didn’t use inner energy while pummeling me.
At this school, as long as inner energy wasn’t used, almost anything was treated as a joke.
“Ugh! Gong-hu! Ga-ryeong, please stop her! I think my bones are broken!”
Since I couldn’t use inner energy either, pain was still pain regardless.
Cheon Ga-ryeong’s fists, like an 8-ton truck with broken brakes, only stopped moving after Cheon So-yeon and Cheon Gong-hu clung to her and pulled her away.
Phew! It felt like I’d been hit by a truck and reincarnated into another world.
Ah, that’s right. This place is another world to me.
Cheon Ga-ryeong, her dark history exposed, still had a flushed face as she huffed indignantly, and I found her so amusing that I burst into laughter before getting hit once more.
Ouch, my whole body aches.
Still, she had such a simple side that if I bought her ice cream later and put it in her mouth, her anger would surely fade.
The three senior students who had come as exchange visitors could only stare at us blankly.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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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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