I got into school for nothing – Chapter 11
I got into school for nothing (11)
Lesson 3. This Is Your Pet - 3
Why were over a hundred goblins swarming the dungeon's boss room?
It wasn't because this was a dungeon designed for overwhelming numbers, but rather because, within the boss room, there resided an entity possessing a unique ability to command goblins.
Its name was Hobgoblin.
In truth, the hobgoblins found in British folklore, as told on Earth, are not malevolent spirits akin to goblins; rather, they are creatures more akin to house-elves, known for assisting with household chores.
Indeed, the very house-elf that would gleefully receive a sock and bolt away, shouting, "Dobby is free!"
One might even call them a variation, or a lesser version, of the Brownies found in Scottish folklore. However, in the various media (especially games) Ban Yuwon had encountered, hobgoblins were frequently portrayed as the chieftains, or enhanced variants, of goblins. Thus, he had simply assumed that any goblin leader would naturally be a Hobgoblin.
And, as it happened, his ability inherently had a strong tendency to manifest precisely as he envisioned it.
“You’re the pest, using your comrades as shields.”
The Dokkaebi Club, now fully awakened to the concept of 'ferocious death', truly raged like a berserker, sweeping through the goblins in the boss room.
In the midst of this onslaught, the Hobgoblin's commands proved utterly meaningless. Only after more than half of its forces had fallen did the Hobgoblin finally grasp the futility of directly assaulting the Dokkaebi Club. It then thrust a few goblins forward as living shields and charged at Ban Yuwon, launching an attack, yet...
“Indeed, if we’re talking purely about skill, that Goblin Warrior from back then was superior. Is it because their lineages differ?”
“How dare you compare me to an inferior species!”
“Your species is certainly different. Still just a goblin, though.”
“Kuaaaah!”
By then, Ban Yuwon, having already plundered concepts such like 'Life', 'Mana', 'Body', and 'Swordsmanship' from the fallen goblins, was fully prepared to face the Hobgoblin's assault head-on.
His abilities had far surpassed what they were before, while his opponent, aside from its sheer, brutish strength, wielded skills even inferior to the Goblin Warrior. It would have been truly strange if he had been pushed back.
“Hah!”
Ban Yuwon decisively parried the azure-bladed sword clutched by the Hobgoblin, then charged forward, thrusting his own blade out.
The instant the Hobgoblin's breathing faltered, the Executioner's Longsword, extending unimpeded, plunged into its neck, spreading 'Blood Poison'.
“Ke-hak!”
“Was it too shallow?”
“Kkueeegh!”
The Hobgoblin’s hide proved excessively tough, too resilient to sever its windpipe with a single strike.
Yet, just as Ban Yuwon prepared for another thrust, the Hobgoblin, having dropped its own blade, clutched its freshly pierced neck with both hands, writhing visibly in torment.
“Kkeok, kkeeeeeegh...!”
“Oh...?”
“Pu-heek!”
The creature spewed forth purple blood.
Ban Yuwon, hastily backing away to avoid the spray, found his vision, which had been fixated on the Hobgoblin, now broadening to the surroundings. It was then that he realized, with a renewed sense of clarity, that every single goblin in the boss room had perished.
The Dokkaebi Club, which had floated over to his side, bobbed and weaved in the air as if riding an invisible wave.
It looked as if it yearned for praise for a job well done, bringing a chuckle to his lips.
“Right, now it’s just you... no, you’re gone too, aren’t you.”
The blood-curdling scream it had just let out must have been its death rattle.
The Hobgoblin slumped to the floor, its face now bearing the vacant expression of death, much like the goblins that had preceded it.
Poison, spreading through the bloodstream: 'Blood Poison'.
All the enemies he’d faced until now had died instantly, so he hadn’t truly grasped its potency. Yet, watching the Hobgoblin succumb, it was clearly not a power to be underestimated.
“It’s over. You did well, Clubby!”
Ban Yuwon hugged the Dokkaebi Club and celebrated.
It wasn't as if he hadn't felt a touch of peril, but on the whole, this dungeon run had been remarkably smooth, progressing at a swift pace.
This was partly due to the Dokkaebi Club's apt support capabilities and formidable firepower, but it was also thanks to Ban Yuwon’s proper understanding and application of his own unique abilities.
More than anything, as Ban Yuwon cleared this dungeon, he felt not fear or dread, but a surge of exhilaration and an intense yearning for growth.
It was tantamount to proving that he could, without issue, adapt to this world and the Academy, where such battles would become a frequent occurrence.
“Phew, now that it’s over, time to collect the spoils.”
He had already harvested a substantial number of the goblins’ language concepts even during the battle, yet nearly fifty corpses still lay untouched.
He extracted a large quantity of concepts from their bodies and weapons, then shifted his gaze to the Hobgoblin's corpse, the most significant prize.
“Let’s see.”
Since he considered goblins an 'inferior species', surely this one would possess something more remarkable than its subordinates.
With that thought, he extracted a golden string of characters from its corpse.
[Plundering 'Life' 5, 'Magic' 3, 'Demonic Spirit' 5, 'Body' 3, 'Soul' 2, 'Command' 1, 'Murder' 1.7, 'Household Spirit' 0.05 from the Hobgoblin.]
Indeed, there was an astonishing amount!
‘Wait a minute. 'Life' and 'Body' are concepts every monster possesses, so that’s fine... but 'Demonic Spirit' instead of 'Demon'? 'Magic' was extracted separately. Does that mean a Hobgoblin is more of a 'Demonic Spirit' than a 'Demon'? What's the difference between a 'Demon' and a 'Demonic Spirit' anyway?’
Naturally, he had no way of knowing.
But the crucial point was that all these values were preposterously high!
It was indeed justifiable to disdain goblins as an inferior species.
Wasn't it more than twice the amount collected from the Blind Goblin Warrior, who had exuded a rather formidable presence?
Yet, even more significant than that, was the acquisition of the concept of 'Soul' from this creature—a concept he had never before obtained from any other goblin.
Ban Yuwon, musing that this might very well be an indicator of a monster’s tier, absorbed the remaining elements.
‘'Command' must be literal... and as expected, it was a rather unremarkable level. I’ll hold onto this for now. But 'Household Spirit'? What’s that?’
Upon absorbing the concept of the word, he realized it signified a 'house-elf'.
While Ban Yuwon recognized the Hobgoblin as a monster, he was also aware that it appeared as a house-elf in British folklore.
Perhaps that was precisely why his faint, lingering knowledge had caused it to yield even such an incredibly shallow concept, with a depth of merely 0.05?
It was a moment that freshly confirmed to him that language concepts were, truly, acquired only as much as he knew and perceived.
‘To properly extract concepts from monsters, it means I’ll have to study hard. Hmph, so that’s my lot in life. Even if I don't go to university, I still have to study....’
It was then.
Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned to see the Dokkaebi Club rotating intricately in the air, seemingly trying to convey something to him.
“What’s wrong?”
It pointed at the golden string of characters being absorbed into Ban Yuwon's body in real-time.
“Ah, you want it?”
When Ban Yuwon, tilting his head, posed the question, the Dokkaebi Club spun its body vigorously, as if giving a strong affirmation.
Indeed, it possessed a faint but definite ego, and must have felt itself growing stronger each time Ban Yuwon bestowed codes upon it. Thus, it was entirely understandable that it would pester him for more.
“Of course I’ll give it to you. Just wait a moment. I’m just about to carve out a bit.”
However, its request was not so simple.
Right before Ban Yuwon’s eyes, the club transformed itself into a pen and began to write on the stone floor.
“Hm? What is it, why did it...?”
Ban Yuwon was speechless.
This was because he saw the character 'Life' (生) neatly inscribed on the stone floor.
This was no mere coincidence.
Perhaps it had somehow read the details of the codes Ban Yuwon had absorbed!
“How did you know?”
The Dokkaebi Club, which had been inscribing other characters on the floor, paused at Ban Yuwon’s question, then unhesitatingly lifted its nib and pointed directly at him.
Did that mean it could read thanks to his ability?
Since the moment he had brought it into existence, he and the creature had been bound by a master-servant relationship, making it entirely plausible that it would be influenced by its master’s abilities.
“Alright, 'Life'. I hadn’t considered bestowing this upon you. I’ll give it to you. How much should I give?”
As if signaling for him to wait a moment, the Dokkaebi Club, which had been idly waving its nib, drew a distinct '1' beside 'Life'.
Having done so, its nib trembled slightly, as if timidly gauging Ban Yuwon's reaction, a rather endearing sight.
“I can give that much. I could even give more, you know?”
“!!”
Fortunately, that seemed to be sufficient.
Relieved by Ban Yuwon's affirmation, it continued to busily move its pen nib.
‘Soul’ 1, and then 'Bewitching' (妖) and 'Ghost' (鬼).
As 'Soul' strongly felt like a complement to 'Life', he instinctively understood. The peculiar thing, however, was its request for both 'Bewitching' and 'Ghost' to be given separately.
It could have received them as a whole, so there had to be a reason for it to specify them separately.
“First, 'Life' and 'Soul'.”
From the codes he had just collected from the Hobgoblin, he detached one unit of 'Life' and one of 'Soul', and bestowed them upon it.
Ban Yuwon had never taken it lightly, but the outcome was even more astonishing than he had anticipated.
The moment the bestowal was complete, a dazzling golden light burst forth, and the Dokkaebi Club’s presence instantly amplified!
[The artifact gains new and infinite possibilities, ensuring its steady growth henceforth. A miracle made possible by the perfect harmony of synthesized concepts! You gain profound insight, and your proficiency in utilizing the Babylonia Code is enhanced.]
For even the Babylonia Code to display such a message, how could this not be an incredibly gratifying development?
Moreover, it was as if the artifact itself had, this time, spoon-fed him an achievement.
Currently, being disconnected from the Academy’s management system, he couldn’t know for certain, but if the professors were to witness the Dokkaebi Club in its current state, wouldn't they cause an even greater uproar?
“Phew, alright. Next, I just need to give it 'Bewitching' and 'Ghost', right?”
Though there was ostensibly no discernible change (and it would have been difficult to notice one in the first place), the Dokkaebi Club, now exuding a profoundly altered aura, reacted even more fiercely, approaching him.
When he separated the 'Demonic Spirit' of 5, each part yielded a depth of 2.5.
First, he added all the 'Ghost' concepts he had acquired from the goblins and bestowed them upon it. Instantly, its 'Ghostly Weapon' (鬼器) surpassed 10, growing all the way to 15.
But what ushered in an even more significant transformation was none other than 'Bewitching' (妖).
[ 'Bewitching' (妖) 2.5 and 'Beast' (獸) 4 are automatically synthesized. Due to their perfect compatibility, a transcendent synthesis far exceeding their depths occurs, completing 'Demonic Beast' (妖獸) 10. As a perfect concept, it cannot be separated again.]
“Ah.”
The sound escaped him instinctively.
Right.
Earlier, to create 'ferocious death', he had separated the concept of a ferocious beast, but the 'Beast' (獸) concept itself, representing an animal, had remained untouched within the Dokkaebi Club!
Ban Yuwon, dumbfounded by this utterly unforeseen outcome, stared blankly as the Dokkaebi Club transformed its appearance in mid-air.
Demonic Beast—a distinctly fantastical term, born from combining the character for 'bewitching' (妖) with 'beast' (獸).
It refers to an animal that transcends simple creatures, reaching the realm of the mystical.
And now, the Dokkaebi Club, drawing upon the power of the concepts of 'Transformation', 'Life', and 'Soul', was transforming into a living Demonic Beast!
‘This can really change back into a magic gun or shield later, right...?’
Setting aside Ban Yuwon's excessively unromantic thoughts for one witnessing the birth of new life, the Dokkaebi Club, having at last completed its transformation, let out a soft hiss.
“Shhhiss.”
Ban Yuwon, who had secretly worried that a monster of some grotesque form would emerge given its designation as a Demonic Beast, felt a wave of relief upon witnessing its appearance.
It was a snake.
And what’s more, a snake with exquisitely fine and beautiful white scales.
Its eyes gleamed with a bluish light, and within them, he could distinctly perceive the swirling demonic and ghostly energies.
“Can you also turn invisible?”
“Shhhryk.”
With a soft hiss, its form turned transparent.
As if it had read Ban Yuwon’s mind, it then shifted its form into a club, a gun, a shield, and other objects, all while remaining transparent.
Eventually, dispelling its invisibility and returning to its snake form, it floated up as if swimming through the air, then slowly coiled itself around Ban Yuwon’s arm.
“Shhhik, shhhryuk.”
“Good. From now on, your name is Eve.”
“Shhhheeeek!”
He couldn’t keep calling it the 'Dokkaebi Club' forever, and since it had gained a living, moving form, it would be best to bestow a proper name upon it.
The creature, greatly pleased with the name it had unexpectedly received, gently tightened its coil around Ban Yuwon’s arm.
Incidentally, the name Eve came about quite spontaneously: seeing the snake, he was reminded of the story of Satan transforming into a serpent and offering the forbidden fruit to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
“Well then, let’s break the core and get out of here. It’s almost lunchtime, so back to the Academy... no, wait.”
In truth, it was a bit late for lunch. It was uncertain whether the student cafeteria would even accommodate students arriving at this hour.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to seek out the external city, as Yumina had suggested?
‘I’ll just get a general lay of the land, and if it’s too far, I can always head back to the Academy.’
Having made his decision, Ban Yuwon first destroyed the dungeon core and organized all the concepts.
He shoved all the concepts he didn’t immediately need into the Code Core, and after bestowing the essential ones upon himself, a new status appeared.
['Life' (生) 45.1
'Body' (肉體) 32
'Soul' (靈魂) 324.5
'Mana' (魔力) 38.7
'Swordsmanship' (劍術) 14.2
'Command' (統率) 1 — The ability to lead a group.
'Myriad-Reading Eyes' (萬讀眼) 105
'Myriad-Hearing Ears' (萬聽耳) 100
'Myriad-Speaking Lips' (萬言脣) 100]
His internal concepts, having grown to an incomparable degree since this morning, were now complete.
“How about it, do you think you can now contend a bit with your peers?”
“Shhhik...”
When Ban Yuwon, pleased by the transformation of his internal codes that truly warranted the phrase 'rapid progress,' asked, Eve shook her head with an apologetic expression.
In truth, Ban Yuwon already knew as much, but the unequivocal denial still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
‘So what? The important thing is the growth rate, isn’t it?’
Today, the day of the entrance ceremony, was Monday.
And the day they would enter the Tower was Friday.
Ban Yuwon vowed that by Friday, he would ensure his abilities had grown to a level where he would no longer hold back his peers. With that resolute promise, he stepped out of the dungeon with a determined stride.
Comments