I got into school for nothing - Chapter 104
I got into school for nothing (104)
Lesson 22. It was pointless creating a club - 4
When he first heard Mira speak, Ban Yuwon had only focused on what she meant by "growing their numbers."
Four students might be negligible, but twenty students were a force that couldn't be ignored.
And if external allies like Aire and the Student Council were added, that was even more true.
The significance lay in creating a group that could make its voice heard within the Academy, but in truth, he hadn't held high expectations for the seniors' abilities.
Frankly speaking, hadn't they already spent over a year at this Academy, undertaking Tower explorations, special activities, and receiving instruction from outstanding professors?
At the point where such individuals couldn't properly stand on their own and were leaning on him, a first-year student, he frankly hadn't held much hope for their future.
But that was an incredibly arrogant and foolish thought.
"...How can they possess these kinds of abilities and still be floundering?"
"At least the professors don't give us answers for that..."
Ban Yuwon rubbed his temples, reviewing the memo listing the unique abilities of the Special Admissions students.
In fact, ever since he heard about Pebble Senior's ability, he'd thought, 'Oh, isn't that pretty good?'
The paper he now held was filled with exactly those kinds of abilities.
For instance, there was a second-year senior who possessed the Authority to manipulate sound.
She could recall various sounds and replicate them exactly, or amplify them with mana, but she only used this ability to mimic monster sounds to cause confusion.
As soon as Ban Yuwon heard about her ability, he immediately thought of sonic weaponry, and Dokgo Yeon's eyes sparkled as she muttered, 'If applied to sonic martial arts...!'
Yet, the senior herself had failed to properly develop this ability, letting a whole year pass by!
"So, Senior Kshana, how do you fight?"
"I use a longsword. Like you."
"Ah, you use a longsword, I see."
At that point, Ban Yuwon checked all the seniors' primary armaments.
Regardless of their abilities, every single one used a longsword.
"Why this phenomenon?"
"You use a longsword too, you know."
"I use it because you, Dokgo Yeon, use a sword."
"Gah...!"
When he pressed the senior for the reason, the answer was simple.
The Academy fundamentally didn't offer methods to cultivate their unique abilities.
At this point, the question 'Then why on earth do they even select Special Admissions students...?' naturally arose, but upon reflection, it became clear that the selection of Special Admissions candidates wasn't the Academy's will, but the Tower's.
'The best Academy across all dimensions is so disorganized. Well, I did think they were quite hopeless when they just occupied a private possession (the Tower of Babel) and made it their school symbol.'
In any case, since the Academy didn't help, they had to either develop their unique abilities on their own or learn other skills, and short of wielding magic, the easiest option was the sword.
Union Academy's library offered all sorts of swordsmanship manuals, and students from lower-ranked dimensions, like the seniors, were actually so grateful they had to read even the basic swordsmanship manuals available there.
"Actually... even if we don't graduate, just learning these advanced swordsmanship techniques is a gain."
"And most importantly, the Academy's professors traditionally favor the sword. While directly learning from Professor Lyu Cheolmyeong, like you two, is an impossible dream, even learning from the associate professors is a benefit."
"Indeed, so that's why everyone, without exception, learns swordsmanship."
"That's true not just for lower-ranked dimensions, Ban Yuwon."
Misty, who had been listening nearby, interjected, addressing Ban Yuwon, who wore a strange expression, only now realizing the Academy's true circumstances after the mid-term exams of the first semester had long passed.
"Where do you think the professors' fondness for swords came from? For complex reasons like myths and legends, those from higher-ranked dimensions generally prioritize swords. Have you seen any student here use a weapon other than a sword for close combat?"
"Now that you mention it, not many."
Ban Yuwon sighed, organizing his thoughts.
Through this series of conversations, he could fully understand why Special Admissions students struggled to gain power in the Academy.
Roughly speaking, there were three patterns among them.
First, those who didn't know how to develop their abilities, so they either used them as much as they knew or gave up entirely.
Second, those who were developing their abilities well on their own but were held back by their Special Admissions party members, making their progress slow in the Tower.
Third, astonishingly, those who didn't understand why they were chosen for Special Admissions in the first place!
In other words, those who hadn't awakened their unique abilities!
"The first group, alright. The second group, commendable and a bit sad. But the third group, what the heck? Don't seniors have a status window, a status window?"
"A status window isn't omnipotent, Yuwon."
"It's not omnipotent?!"
As Ban Yuwon gasped in shock, Rucell chuckled.
"If it were omnipotent, I wouldn't have had to rely on Yuwon to resolve my Heart Furnace problem myself. Now that I think about it, it's really a good thing it's not omnipotent."
"If the status window were omnipotent, I wouldn't have to struggle with my Holy Sword either."
"...Now that you mention it."
Leaving aside Light, whose problem hadn't been solved yet, Rucell certainly would have remained in an incomplete state, unable to resolve her Heart Furnace issue, if it weren't for Ban Yuwon.
At that moment, Ban Yuwon felt a lump in his throat.
He realized that almost all of the Special Admissions students gathered here were in the same predicament as Rucell, unable to resolve their core issues.
'Of course, no matter how long they stayed at the Academy or had a status window, their problems wouldn't be solved.'
It was then, as Ban Yuwon scoffed at his own foolish thoughts, that Pebble Senior tilted his head and spoke.
"Something sounds strange after listening to all this. Junior, you don't have a status window?"
"No."
Ban Yuwon replied calmly.
Beside him, Rucell, Light, and Dokgo Yeon all nodded, murmuring.
Naturally, though he hadn't explicitly stated it, the three had many opportunities to realize he didn't have a status window, having always acted alongside him.
Especially during the time when the Tower bestowed rewards after he annihilated the Tower's invaders, even Dokgo Yeon leveled up, and Ban Yuwon was the only one tilting his head in confusion – they couldn't possibly not know.
"No, if you don't have a status window, you can't even receive the benefits of the Level system. So how do you get so strong...?"
"Ah, Levels. Well, my Authority is similar to that. Besides, the reason I don't have a status window is because my Authority devours it."
"Your Authority... devours the status window...?"
Pebble Senior looked at Ban Yuwon with an expression as if he were seeing an alien.
In fact, most students, excluding the Team Rebellion members, wore similar expressions.
"No wonder he's so strong..."
"Aren't the status window and Levels systems that even the professors haven't fully analyzed yet?"
"What *is* that Authority...?"
"Is he really going to conquer the Tower?"
Ban Yuwon was flustered by the whispering people.
It was absurd that not having a status window was a reason to rate him so highly.
"No, what's important right now isn't my Authority. It's that there are seniors who don't know their own unique abilities."
"But how do we find out what's not even shown in the status window?"
"That... is difficult even for me right now. And for those who don't know how to develop their Authority, it seems we'll have to analyze it together in the future."
However, it wasn't impossible.
The possibility had already been presented by the talismans he had developed just recently.
For those who frequently used the talismans created with his mana and grew familiar with them, Ban Yuwon could directly cast spells, and of course, thoroughly investigating the concepts within their bodies wouldn't be a difficult task!
"Leave the unique abilities to me for now. Today, let's start with a skill assessment."
Ban Yuwon fidgeted with his student ID, infusing it with Hyungi.
At the same time, as he stimulated a certain concept within his body, the Hyungi instantly spread in all directions, enveloping everyone.
Of course, some among them could have resisted his energy, but knowing he meant no harm, they quietly accepted it, and...
The next moment, they all found themselves inside Training Room 11, located in Academy Annex 2.
Misty, being a mage, reacted strongly.
"What? Is teleportation via student ID usually capable of covering such a large group?"
"You've extended the student ID's teleportation range with spatial control? Clearly, Ban Yuwon's understanding of space wasn't that deep until recently. Amazing."
"You, truly...!"
Yumina immediately stated the correct answer.
Meanwhile, Aire glared at him as if she wanted to devour him whole.
Yep, she probably couldn't do it.
"I had... an epiphany."
Even if it was Yumina, he couldn't tell her the truth.
The truth was, during his solo exploration of the Tower, he had collected a vast amount of the concept of 'Air Pressure' (`Kongap`) while fighting the World Giant. He realized this concept was inherently a form of 'Space Control' (`Gonggan Jeyeo`), and as a result of transforming and absorbing it all, his 'Space Control' concept, which had been below 10, instantly reached 100!
It felt incredibly hypocritical to be admired and praised for an ability he had essentially snatched like this.
"What is it? Why do you keep flaunting your abilities?"
"Senior, don't just mess around; learn from things like that. Even if he openly boasts, everyone's still amazed because his abilities are truly extraordinary."
"Then, shall we start the sparring right away?"
Ban Yuwon looked at Dokgo Yeon, wondering if she'd take his place, but she firmly shook her head.
Tch, he clicked his tongue and stood in the center of the training room.
"Pebble Senior, you first. Let's set everything else aside and just spar with pure swordsmanship."
"What? You, no matter what, I've been at the Academy for four years."
"Winning or losing isn't important. I'm just curious about the swordsmanship you seniors have learned."
"You won't resent me if I win, right?"
"Of course."
"Good."
As Ban Yuwon confirmed, a sly smile flashed across Pebble Senior's face.
That person should definitely not be dealing with people later on.
How could his intentions be so transparent?
"Hah, I told him not to mess around..."
The junior who had just advised him could only lament at the sight.
In the meantime, the two stood facing each other, gripping wooden swords.
"Really, really no resentment, right?"
"I said so."
"Alright... Die!!!"
Pebble Senior feigned a satisfied nod, then suddenly lunged forward.
Despite his antics, as a senior who had climbed the Tower for over three years (though he had probably 'Lost' a few times), his movements were remarkably fast, and the energy concentrated in his sword was sharp enough not to be underestimated, even with a wooden blade.
But unfortunately, it was all within Ban Yuwon's calculations.
'Dokgo Yeon is truly a genius.'
There was no need to mix in the 'Flow' technique to cushion the impact.
Ban Yuwon thought, as he instantly deflected the senior's wooden sword with 'Counter' and strongly struck his abdomen, pushing him back.
'I hadn't even learned swordsmanship from her for six weeks, yet I could defeat someone who had practiced for over three years this easily.'
"Guh!"
While Ban Yuwon was lost in such leisurely thoughts, Pebble Senior clutched his abdomen, which had been hit by the wooden sword, and dropped to his knees.
Was the problem that he hadn't held back much strength and hit hard, considering his opponent was a fourth-year senior? As Ban Yuwon pondered, he suddenly realized that his 'Life' had already reached 520.
With a powerful physique harmonized with advanced technique, this level of power was only natural.
"I don't think I got a proper look at your swordsmanship, so let's go one more time."
"No! I'm not doing it, never!"
Pebble Senior repeatedly gagged, his face a tearful mess, backing away.
Another fourth-year senior stepped forward, kicking him aside.
"You're shaming all the fourth-years, you bastard."
"You fight him too! It hurts like hell!"
The sparring with the other senior began immediately.
Fortunately, this senior was much more skilled with a sword than Pebble Senior, allowing the spar to last considerably longer, but even he couldn't overcome Ban Yuwon.
The next, and the next...
Of course, the lower the year, the weaker they became, with only one third-year male senior achieving something noteworthy against Ban Yuwon.
More precisely, it should be said that his sheer power, rather than technique, overwhelmed Ban Yuwon.
"You said your ability was Geas, right?"
"That's right. It's a curse I place on myself. If I limit one thing, I gain another. Do you know what equivalent exchange is?"
"I know it well."
He was overwhelmingly strong among the Special Admissions seniors, thanks to his simple yet powerful unique ability.
However, because his team members' achievements weren't very good, he was held back, and his Tower clear rate was only slightly above the third-year average.
"Senior, you wouldn't have needed to make a contract with me."
"It wouldn't make sense for me to be left out when all my comrades are doing it. Besides, I was curious who the guy the Student Council's PR head was so fond of was."
"Huh? Oh, you're a third-year, right?"
"Surely not a first-year... I was convinced after fighting you directly, though. You're ridiculously strong."
"Haha, you were incredibly strong too, Senior."
That senior seemed to have quite a bit of emotion toward Mira.
He seemed to be trying to hide it, but couldn't quite conceal his bitter envy.
Thinking back, it was the same in the student cafeteria, and even Pebble Senior seemed to adore Mira.
Indeed, popular people are just different.
Ban Yuwon even felt a touch of awe.
"Is this what they call an idol of the school or something..."
"Yuwon, be prepared later."
But everything after that was disappointing.
Occasionally, there were those with excellent abilities, but none with exceptionally brilliant swordsmanship.
Watching and learning various forms of swordsmanship did help Ban Yuwon solidify his own style a bit, but that was about it.
After sparring with all fifteen individuals concluded.
"As I thought."
Dokgo Yeon, who had been watching the entire time, spoke with a refreshing smile that might have just been his imagination.
"It's not a problem with the practitioners. The swordsmanship from other dimensions is truly pathetic!"
"You're totally an 'isekai' cliché..."
In fact, Ban Yuwon had been sensing it little by little yesterday while watching Professor Lyu Cheolmyeong's Or demonstration.
After all, Lyu Cheolmyeong was a grandmaster who must have honed his swordsmanship for at least several hundred years.
If even Dokgo Yeon felt a deficiency in Lyu Cheolmyeong's Or.
If even Ban Yuwon felt something was amiss.
What about the other students, who were at a lower level?
"I guarantee it. Among the students in this Academy, there will be no one who handles a sword better than you, Ban Yuwon, unless they possess a sword-related Authority. Because I taught you!"
"By the way, what do you think of Japanese swords?"
"What are those?"
However, even as Dokgo Yeon excitedly trashed swordsmanship from other worlds, she didn't offer to teach the seniors herself. As a result, starting next week, Ban Yuwon found himself in the position of personally teaching them the concepts of 'Slash' (`Cham`), 'Pierce' (`Gwan`), and 'Flow' (`Yu`).
Of course, that wouldn't be an easy task.
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