I got into school for nothing - 141
I got into school for nothing (141)
Lesson 29. The truth will always reveal itself - 1
It was always a given that Union Academy would be thrown into an uproar whenever Rebellion stirred up trouble, but this time, the extent of it was far greater.
The million-strong Orc Wave that erupted in the lower-ranked dimension Ur-Aha was, as Yumina had truly put it, an event worthy of being recorded in textbooks.
Regardless of whether the dimension in question was a lower-ranked one, an Orc that had obtained a Relic and become an Orc Lord was certainly not a monster a first-year student should be able to contend with.
That Ban Yuwon, with the assistance of his teammates, had defeated it and brought an end to the Orc Wave, was an achievement that was difficult to believe, even with Professor Yumina's authentication.
‘So what if they did? Doesn't it just end if you catch the Lord? From the video, he didn't even look that strong; there's no need to make such a fuss, is there?’ —someone might say.
But to say nothing of the critical misjudgment regarding the Orc Lord's power, which could be gauged by the number of Orcs it commanded, the very act of creating a one-on-one situation with an Orc Lord leading a million Orcs and finishing it off was the greatest proof of Rebellion's skill.
“Can’t you ever do anything quietly?”
On Saturday afternoon, Ban Yuwon, having returned to the Academy and rested for a day, sought out a charming wine bar in Ronica with Mira, just the two of them, to keep his promise to her.
It wasn't a place recommended by the Student Council, but one he had visited with Yumina before.
It was a place that operated just as secretly, was just as expensive, but boasted excellent ambiance and exquisite wine.
“Next week, even more people will start asking about you. I’m already getting depressed.”
Mira lightly grumbled, tracing the rim of her wine glass with her finger, making a soft friction sound.
Despite her words, a rather pleased smile played on her lips, suggesting she quite liked the place.
Ban Yuwon, as if privy to her true thoughts, spoke in a half-teasing tone.
“You had that many close friends who’d directly ask you things?”
“No, not really. It’s depressing because they ask even though we’re not close. Especially those in their final year, ripe for marriage—they fear nothing.”
“But *I* am afraid!”
When he first heard about students seeking marriage partners at the Academy, he’d simply thought, ‘Oh, really?’ But hearing it now, it wasn't something he could dismiss as someone else's problem!
Perhaps, on the day of the special activity, Rucell linking arms with Ban Yuwon really was an act to ward off an unspecified number of female students...!
“Underneath the Academy’s calm surface, there’s always a fierce war of nerves between the girls. Now do you understand how much Rucell and I suffer?”
“So you’ve been doing something without my knowledge. I don’t quite understand, but thank you...”
“Good, then treat me well. ...The closer you and I seem, the easier it is to ward off annoying people.”
Had she and Rucell coordinated their words beforehand? What she said was eerily similar.
Hearing that, Ban Yuwon suddenly recalled a past incident and asked her,
“How did you and Rucell become close?”
“Did it look like that?”
Mira gave a light laugh.
The moment he met that smile, Ban Yuwon felt a chill run through him and shuddered.
He couldn't fathom how she could create such a heavy atmosphere with just two words.
Was this also a Changeling ability?
“Uh... no?”
“Of course not.”
Seeing Ban Yuwon’s nervousness, Mira smiled, as if her prank had succeeded, and said,
“We did become close.”
It didn't seem like it wasn't the case.
But he was too scared to ask.
He simply vowed to engrave it into his bones: he could never casually judge women's relationships based on what appeared on the surface.
“Yuwon, I want to go flower viewing with you too.”
“You saw that too?”
“The flower-viewing video has more views than the one where you decapitated the Orc Lord.”
He had half-expected it, but hearing it directly still felt irritating.
The Orc Lord subjugation video, while boasting incredible power and being undeniably cool, actually garnered more attention on the intranet than from the outside world.
No matter how rare the appearance of an Orc Lord and an Orc Wave was, it ultimately happened in a lower-ranked dimension, barely clinging to the F-grade, and thus couldn't appeal as broadly to users across all dimensions.
It shouldn't be misunderstood as not receiving attention. It was just that Ban Yuwon's first attempt at making seasoned fried chicken, or Yumina's secret technique of flower magic that made all the trees in the vicinity burst into bloom, were simply much more popular with viewers.
“Still, I’m satisfied that I elevated the status of my hometown, Korea, with seasoned fried chicken.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There are plenty of similar chicken recipes overflowing in Union.”
As he had repeatedly stated, the higher-ranked dimensions, including Union, were by no means inferior to Earth in terms of food culture.
And the same held true when compared to Korea; feeding these people kimchi or bibimbap would never make them burst into emotion and give a thumbs-up.
However, there was one thing Union lacked, and that was Korean-style seasoned fried chicken.
“This is definitely different, though. Dokgo Yeon even praised it more than when I created my sword technique, you know? You’d understand if you tasted it.”
“Alright, then make it for me directly sometime. I’ll judge after I eat it.”
“Just you wait, I’ll personally... huh?”
Only after the conversation reached that point did Ban Yuwon realize he had been tricked.
It wasn’t easy to trick him with words, yet he had fallen for it so naturally.
“You promised.”
Mira let out a small chuckle and lightly tapped her glass against Ban Yuwon’s on the table.
Clink— a cheerful sound rang out.
Was it a ceremony to flaunt her victory? Ban Yuwon raised his glass and drank, pursing his lips.
The wine, which he thought would be bitter, somehow tasted sweeter.
“No, it’s not hard to do since Rucell taught me properly this time... But what about you? Don’t you have anything? Like traditional fairy food or something.”
“I do, but do you think I’ve ever cooked in my entire life?”
“No.”
“You know me well.”
Mira drank the wine in her glass, then, for some reason, added with a deeper smile,
“So I’ll practice hard from now on. Just wait for me.”
She was truly a vixen.
* * *
The 10th week of Union Academy dawned.
As Mira had predicted, the subjugation of the Orc Lord caused an explosive reaction within the Academy, to the point where students began approaching Ban Yuwon, bypassing Mira and Rucell’s formidable guard.
It wasn't just female students; male students from the same first year also did, and surprisingly, they expressed a desire to join the club Ban Yuwon represented: the ‘Union Tour Club’.
“Why?”
“Honestly, I want to climb the Tower with you, but I suppose that’s impossible now.”
Ban Yuwon nodded instinctively at the words of a nameless male student from Class 3.
It was a team that had already been running together for over two months, and more importantly, thanks to the existence of the Rebellion channel, saying one wanted to join now had become an act of shamelessness in itself.
“But I want to become strong like you. All the students who joined your club are developing rapidly, aren’t they? Surely there, you’ll find...”
“Hm? Ah, I see. I appreciate you thinking highly of our club.”
Only then did Ban Yuwon realize that the excessive attention he was receiving wasn’t solely due to his performance in the special activity.
Last week, all first-years participated in special activities, but the upperclassmen continued to climb the Tower.
And the special admissions seniors, who had trained together in the club for several weeks and grown, truly unleashed their potential then.
Even Senior Pebble’s fourth-year special admissions team had broken their previous clearing record and set a new personal best in just a few weeks, so what about the other seniors’ achievements?
In particular, several seniors who couldn’t properly handle their own Authority began to wield their powers effectively with Ban Yuwon’s help, and their perception within the Academy had changed dramatically, even before the first semester had ended.
And at the apex of the admiring gazes directed at them stood Ban Yuwon.
“C-can we join that club too?”
“You’re the president, aren’t you, and Professor Yumina’s proxy. So if you just put your mind to it, couldn’t we join too? Right? Can’t you just talk to us once?”
Club membership applications flooded in by the dozens every day, neatly surpassing 100 applications by Tuesday evening.
A few upperclassmen and over 90 freshmen.
Essentially, one-third of the freshmen wanted to join the club!
Naturally, Ban Yuwon politely declined all applicants.
‘If I just accepted all these people, we’d effectively own the first-years at that moment... But our influence among the first-years was already overwhelming, so is it really necessary?’
It didn't align with the club's founding purpose, nor did he think simply accepting many students would lead to successful operation.
In other words, the demerits outweighed the merits.
“No, why!”
Pebble, however, couldn’t accept this and cried out in anguish.
“I don’t care what happens to the guys, but you could have picked out just the pretty girls to join! Did you really have to refuse everyone to feel satisfied—!”
“I don’t know how you can be so transparent. Just keep rolling, like the Pebble you are.”
“Damnnnnn ittttt—!”
The concept of Amplification radiating from Pebble activated more strongly the more actively Pebble moved, and it persisted longer the deeper the relationship with him.
For example, if Ban Yuwon, who only met him during club activity hours, only had his power enhanced by about 2-3% due to the Amplification effect, then club members who frequently gathered in the training room for drills would see a 4-5% increase, and those who entered the Tower with him would be strengthened by a remarkable 7-8%.
At that level, it was by no means a negligible figure.
Ban Yuwon pondered how he could increase this effect.
“It seems to be influenced by Senior Pebble’s perception, too. No, I think that’s the biggest factor.”
“Just make me a weapon, a dedicated weapon!”
Pebble, who had just completed a lap around the training room, said this without seeming tired.
A dedicated weapon, Ban Yuwon mused again.
A weapon that could broadly disperse the concept radiating from him... A fan?
“No, that wouldn’t work... I’ll think about it more. And Senior, if there’s something you want to get from me, work harder and achieve better results. Understood?”
“You’re not even human...!”
“But you’re a Pebble, Senior.”
“I’m Cartro, not Pebble!”
Watching Pebble move today, and observing the Amplification radiating from him, he reflected once more that his ability was far removed from physical phenomena.
If he could consciously control this Amplification ability, like an Orc Lord strengthening its subordinate Orcs, to enhance many people...
‘Oh?’
Could this Amplification effect also be in the realm of soul power, or spirit power (영력)?
Spirit power was a force based on the soul, distinct from pure Mana and distinct from psychic powers (염력).
To be frank, Ban Yuwon's Authority also had a close relationship, such as strengthening his soul with each growth, but its scope of power was much broader than spirit power.
‘It might be arrogant for me, an Authority user, to think this, but it feels like I’m wielding a power that is the source of all kinds of power, whether it’s psychic power or spirit power...’
He had thought this even when he was researching psychic powers before, but Ban Yuwon could achieve everything psychic powers could with his own Authority.
The same would likely be true for spirit power, but because it was quite different from how Ban Yuwon originally used his Authority, for now, he planned to research and get used to spirit power.
And once he fully adapted to spirit power, he would cleanly absorb it, integrating the principles of spirit power into his Authority to wield it more perfectly.
‘Alright, then... shall we give it a try?’
Ban Yuwon activated the concept ‘Spirit Power’, which he had obtained from the Orc Lord previously, and re-examined the way Pebble's Authority, which he hadn't understood before, worked.
The results were immediately clear.
A smile appeared on Ban Yuwon’s lips as he realized one expected fact, and one unexpected fact in addition.
“Senior Cartro.”
“I’m not Cartro, I’m Pebble... Huh?”
Pebble, dumbfounded at being called by his real name for the first time by Ban Yuwon, turned to him.
With an inscrutable smile, he said to Pebble,
“I’ll make you a dedicated weapon.”
“Oooohhhhhh!”
“But your weapon will be a consumable item.”
“...Huh?”
It seemed Pebble’s Authority wasn’t simply limited to Amplification.
Creating a dedicated weapon for someone who wielded power affecting the soul was impossible for Ban Yuwon right now, but instead...
Among his existing inventions, there was something that could help him wield his Authority more actively and powerfully, as a consumable item.
“It’s a bundle of Talismans! If you imbue your spirit power into these and attach them to a target, the Amplification will surely take effect without any of its drawbacks!”
He incorporated some of the profound principles of Giwon Sword he had previously realized, creating spirit power Talismans that served as sturdy vessels to amplify Authority themselves, and inserted several concepts to assist Pebble's power.
Then, when Pebble imbued them with power and attached them to a specific target, ‘Amplification’ would be applied, with all its shortcomings perfectly resolved!
‘Of course, the duration is limited, but unlike the Study Talisman which only lasts 30 hours, these aren't single-use, so he just needs to replenish them occasionally.’
Of course, if he could create an item imbued with spirit power and various concepts that also had a permanent duration, it would be a permanent artifact, but reaching that level was impossible unless one was a professor in the Artifact Production Department.
For now.
“W-what is this? I don’t like this, give me a cool weapon! Like the greatsword my junior got from the Orc Lord last time!”
“Stop complaining and imbue them with power, then cast them on us. Quickly.”
“Yes, y-yes...”
Pebble accepted the bundle of Talismans Ban Yuwon had poured his Hyungi and spirit power into, making a disgruntled expression, but ultimately couldn’t refuse his words and activated his power.
And Ban Yuwon’s idea perfectly proved true—it yielded the astonishing result of ‘amplifying’ the abilities of not only Pebble’s teammates but also all club members, including Ban Yuwon himself, by 10%!
Pebble was no longer just Pebble, but a magnificent totem that, simply by being there, greatly amplified everyone’s abilities!
...Though he himself, having overly activated his Authority, promptly passed out.
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