I got into school for nothing - Chapter 107
I got into school for nothing (107)
Lesson 23. Even If It's a Lie - 2
Let's plainly state what just happened.
To resolve the incident within this room, which involved the contractors of the Constellations (it is presumed that the Constellations only lent a portion of their power, and the NPCs were shaped by the Tower itself), Ban Yuwon, who distinguishes good from evil, personally stepped forward and 'Judged' the criminals.
Then, perhaps because Ban Yuwon had disregarded it and proceeded with matters arbitrarily, the Constellation overseeing 'Sin' appeared directly, borrowing an NPC's body, and caused a ruckus!
This Constellation's direct appearance likely served as a trigger; even the Constellations contracted with the criminals completely shredded their bodies and appeared directly in the room!
I imagine that viewers of the video wouldn't understand what in the world was happening if they saw this, but even Ban Yuwon couldn't understand why the situation had escalated so much.
"So, you're saying you don't like that I judged the criminals here without including you?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
—How dare you!
At Ban Yuwon's explanation of the situation (which also served as an explanation for viewers who would watch the edited version uploaded to UniTube), the Constellation grew even more enraged.
—Originally, this place is a space overseen by me, 'Wings of Justice'! It would have been good if you had prostrated yourselves before my power, which recognizes sinners, worshipped me, and meekly begged for salvation!
"No, I'm saying we don't need that, old man."
—You truly have no need for it? How surprising.
This time, it was the wolf-man who spoke.
He grew steadily larger, and when he reached about 3 meters, he let out a puff of black breath and greatly expanded his body. Unlike the 'Wings of Justice', whose power was concentrated solely in its wings, he possessed a destructive, muscular physique.
—Even though they were controlled by the Tower's rules, the contractors had no openings. Unless you found and destroyed my Relics, 'Claw of the Dark Forest', hidden throughout the city, there's no way they would have exposed their aura.
Speaking thus, he lightly stamped his foot.
Then, ominous black pillars of light surged from various points across the city, and they all flew towards and were absorbed into the wolf-man's body.
Ban Yuwon surmised that he had likely absorbed the power of the Relics he had just spoken of.
—No! If only the power of my contractors had increased a little more! I could have trampled and incinerated all of your vulgar subordinates!
This time, with those words, the 'Wings of Justice' flapped its great wings of light.
He had roughly anticipated it, but from various places in the forest, pillars of Starlight surged and were absorbed into him.
It seemed there was a means hidden in the forest to boost the power of the 'Wings of Justice's' contractors.
Somehow, for a group moving secretly in the dead of night, it made no sense that they would only use a Constellation's Authority once, a meager Authority at that—one that could merely detect the presence of criminals within a house—and then retire.
'Originally, this room was meant to be cleared by either thoroughly searching the city to destroy the Claw's Relics, or finding and using the Wings' Relics in the forest.'
It was exactly as Yumina had said.
If they had found both, a high clear score would probably have been awarded.
But Ban Yuwon's party simply charged straight into the city and made a colossal blunder... As a result, the Relics were munched up and devoured by the Constellations who appeared later.
—But in the end, it wasn't your subordinate's turn. If you hadn't appeared here, the climbers would have easily killed all my subordinates and left this place. Indeed, seeing them pick out and kill only my subordinates, it seemed their Authority was far superior to yours, didn't it?
—Nooooooooo! My Authority is mine alone!
The Wings roared and spread its wings wide.
—To find and punish sinners is a divine mandate given only to me! No one else dares to impersonate me!
Then, surprisingly, spheres of light began to form in various parts of the sky, and they started to rain down bolts of light across the entire city!
It seemed to target Ban Yuwon's party first, but because many people were gathered in the plaza, they also fell within the attack's range.
"That crazy bastard!"
Surprisingly, the fastest to react was Light.
He, who had imbued his spear with ample mana, struck down the falling light to protect the people.
Ban Yuwon also immediately activated both elemental magic and Language Magic, forming a protective barrier over the area, but the power of a Constellation borrowing a contractor's body was not to be underestimated.
"This doesn't feel like a Room 23 difficulty either, does it?"
"It's so utterly obvious I don't even want to answer."
Dokgo Yeon sneered and raised her short sword.
A few threads of death blossomed at the tip of her sword, weaving patterns in the air, and all the light that had invaded the ground was annihilated.
"Are you saving the NPCs?"
"I'm starting to think this might be worth points too."
In fact, Ban Yuwon had been thinking the same thing.
While nothing could be done about the NPCs they had killed in the name of 'Judgment', leaving those who could be saved to die certainly bothered Ban Yuwon.
"What are you doing, you bastard, claiming to kill sinners!"
—Hmm?
At Light's shout, the Wings turned its gaze to him.
—It is an unavoidable sacrifice made to punish sinners like you. You, too, killed innocent people, didn't you?
—Hahahahahaha! It's absolutely hilarious to see you vent your frustration on dolls after being beaten by students! Your excuses are a work of art!
—And you call yourself a Constellation after that?! Your mental state hasn't improved at all compared to when you were human!
—I was never human to begin with! Beast, the only reason I'm not killing you right now is because I must first punish those bastards!
Ban Yuwon listened quietly to the conversation between the two Constellations, tilting his head.
They had seemed connected ever since they were bound together in the same room, but could it be that they had known each other even before becoming Constellations?
Having heard from Cellon previously that Constellations were once human before becoming Constellations, he knew that Constellations were originally mere mortals... yet, regarding Constellations, the only thing that continued to grow was his lack of understanding.
—Ban Yuwon.
—Huh?
Dokgo Yeon silently tightened her grip on her short sword and sent a telepathic message to Ban Yuwon.
—That Wing, can't we attack it now?
—Not yet. It's against the Trick Room's rules.
—'Not yet,' you say. Wait, does that mean if we kill that beast?
—A shift would occur immediately.
Originally, the objective of Room 23 was to eradicate the group of murderers in this city.
When that was cleared, a shift was supposed to occur, but the surviving murderers' bodies merged to materialize a Constellation.
One might think it would be fine since all the culprits were dead, but not only had no shift occurred, in Ban Yuwon's Eyes of Myriad Poisons, the wolf-man was covered in an absurdly thick black mist, making his face indiscernible.
It felt like the quest to capture a group of murderers had been changed to a quest to capture one mighty boss.
—If you hadn't said 'not yet,' I would have cut it down immediately. There's a way, right?
Blocking the possibility of a quick clear for Room 23, Dokgo Yeon also seemed to harbor resentment towards the Constellation who had forcibly brought day and fixed it in this city.
Ban Yuwon winked and raised his staff.
And he shouted aloud.
"It's ready now, Cellon!"
—Curse Formula Unleashed!
From the moment he witnessed the trick pulled by that 'Wings of Justice', the magic he had secretly prepared while observing the movements of that Constellation and the other one finally activated.
Flowing from the bodies of the quartet—Ban Yuwon, Light, Rucell, and Dokgo Yeon—chains of black mana rose into the sky on the wind and tightly bound the Constellation floating in mid-air!
—Wh-what...!
Clank, the sound of chains rattling seemed to echo.
Each link of those chains, composed of character strings personally inscribed by Ban Yuwon, was far tougher than chains made of steel and possessed immense restraining power.
"Hoo, it took a while since it's my first time actually using a curse."
—You did well enough. Is it because I taught you, perhaps?
—You, you bind me? Me? Me!
What emotion underlies a curse? It is resentment and hatred.
While curses can be easily manifested even with simple emotions of envy and jealousy.
Throughout history, most reasons for cursing others stemmed from 'hating the target who inflicted harm upon oneself.'
This means that a curse is more easily cast on a target with 'deep ties' who has actually harmed you and caused negative states or emotions, rather than on an 'unrelated' person who has done nothing to you.
To put it simply, a curse is 'karma' and 'revenge.'
—What is this...?! How dare you, me, 'Wings of Justice'! Do you accuse me of being evil!
"You did it first."
Ban Yuwon scoffed at him, ridiculing him.
Jingle, the chains of mana extending from them swayed and slowly, slowly began to drag him down to the ground.
Simultaneously, blackness climbed over his entire body.
Just as he had used his Authority earlier to forcibly make Ban Yuwon's party sinners, Ban Yuwon wielded the powers of curse and Judgment simultaneously to exact the same revenge upon him.
"Ta-da, now you're a sinner too."
—Yo-you human...!
Well, with this, Room 23 now had two 'bosses.'
Two Constellations were now targets for the hunt.
—Incredible, truly magnificent! Even if it's materialized by borrowing the body of a low-ranking doll that can barely contain any mana, to still directly cast a curse on a Constellation!
The wolf-man seemed to be enjoying himself throughout.
Until the Constellations descended, the criminals were undoubtedly evil, and the man who sought to capture them was a good person. But after the Constellations descended, it was truly ironic how the wolf-man seemed to project a more friendly aura.
But irony is irony, and experience points are experience points.
"Dokgo Yeon, you can do it now."
"May I do it?"
Dokgo Yeon nodded and raised her short sword, but before that, someone stepped forward: none other than Rucell.
"If you wish to."
"Thank you. He seems like my kind of opponent, so I wanted to face him head-on."
Rucell smiled gently and expressed her gratitude, then turned her head towards the wolf-man.
Above her head, canine ears, and behind her buttocks, a luscious tail sprouted.
In an instant, her hair turned black, and her entire body swelled significantly.
After she entered and exited the Tower alone last week, Ban Yuwon transferred the maximum possible concept of a giant that she could accept.
The depth of the giant and monstrous strength Rucell now harbored reached 100.
—Good, I've been waiting. No... are you truly going to face me alone?
"Grrr... if you're scared, you can run away, you know?"
—Hahahahahaha!
The wolf-man, laughing heartily, lunged at Rucell in that very form.
Rucell, who had already completed her semi-beast transformation, extended her beastly claws and met his attack.
—Crash!
The sound was like a dump truck crashing into a wall, but Rucell didn't budge an inch from her spot.
Instead, she swung her other hand, inflicting a dreadful laceration on the wolf-man's forearm!
"Rucell, it's fine to just kill him!"
"Yes!"
—Hahahahahaha! A strong foe indeed!
Perhaps the martial arts she had learned from Dokgo Yeon were taking effect, for despite her movements being based on 'Wildness', they held a strange elegance and sharpness.
More than anything, an immense amount of 'Gi' resided within the claws that had grown from her, making him wonder if she might manifest 'Or' even before Ban Yuwon.
He had finally found a path suited to her, and feeling secretly proud of the beast queen growing at an incredible speed, he tore his gaze away.
"No need to intervene there. We just need to take care of this side."
—You dare to disgrace the 'Wings of Justice', you bastards...! Do you underestimate me simply because I am currently trapped in this lowly body and cannot exert my full power? Remember this clearly: I am a Constellation! I possess the power to cast you into the abyss any time in the future!
He raised his head and saw the Wings in the air, frantically flapping its large wings, forming an orb of light in mid-air.
If that were to strike directly, they would sustain no small amount of damage, but...
"Oh, we've had that happen many times already, it's fine. Hup!"
Ban Yuwon scoffed and gathered the chains restraining the Constellation, then pulled them hard.
—Kuaaaaaah!
Surprisingly, in an instant, the orb of light dispersed, and the Constellation, helplessly dragged by the chains, was slammed to the ground!
Even if the curse had failed, it was perfectly successful; the chains themselves had become like his reverse scale.
Especially for the 'Wings of Justice', a Constellation that judges sins, who had now been branded with the mantle of a sinner himself, he was suffering severe damage with every tremor of the chains.
"Ban Yuwon, I will do it."
"No, I'll do it."
This time, it was Light.
With an utterly furious expression, he glared at the fallen Constellation, concentrating mana into his spear.
"I want to do it."
"...I suppose there's no helping it."
"Thank you."
As Light, having received Dokgo Yeon's concession, stepped forward with his spear pointed, the 'Wings of Justice's' reaction was truly a sight to behold.
—Not only did you treat me as a sinner and throw me to the ground, but such disrespectful treatment...!
"Shut up!"
Light snapped fiercely.
"While you're busy acting all self-important and righteous, in the end, all that matters is your own pride! I absolutely despise that about you bastards!"
"What's up with him now?"
"It's because he's tender-hearted."
It was an enigmatic reply.
After speaking, Dokgo Yeon sighed and swung her short sword.
Due to the fierce battle between Rucell and the Claw, and the clash between Light and the Wings, fragments were flying everywhere. Seeing them all vanish under the delicate sword energy she unleashed, Ban Yuwon thought she possessed remarkable skill.
Most of the NPCs had already fled in terror at the appearance of the two transcendent beings, but those who hadn't managed to escape were at risk of being hit and injured by the fragments.
Dokgo Yeon had just protected them from that.
"...Ah, is Light perhaps angry because of the NPCs right now?"
"I just hope it doesn't carry over into the next room."
Dokgo Yeon affirmed Ban Yuwon's words and said.
"Because if NPCs appear in the next room too, controlling Light will become incredibly troublesome."
"Dokgo Yeon, have you ever heard of foreshadowing?"
"?"
Ban Yuwon felt a surge of unease and let out a quiet sigh.
'He should have given her the lecture on 'spells that must never be memorized.'
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