I got into school for nothing - 151
I got into school for nothing (151)
Lesson 31. The last spoonful is always the most annoying - 1
The moment Ban Yuwon instinctively picked it up, his Authority activated.
Ymir's Horns 100 [Space Transcendence 100, Solidity 50, Potency 50, Dark Mana 100]
He had expected something impressive, but what emerged immediately surpassed that level.
Space Transcendence, he mused. Could it be referring to the very power that had instantly pulled Ban Yuwon earlier?
Ever since the monster's axe and horns had resonated, he had suspected there was a magnetic force or some power affecting space, but to think *this* was the true essence!
‘To extract only this concept, it's impossible, isn't it? Each concept is so intricately intertwined that with my current skill, it might be a little difficult... Hmm?’
He had just obtained what might be the rarest treasure since entering the Tower, and as he pondered how to utilize it, it suddenly struck him that the composition of this concept was a bit strange.
It was almost as if it wasn't a sum of concepts, but rather that a minus sign had been inserted somewhere in between.
Although he had obtained the concepts of Space Transcendence and Potency for the first time, it was clear that both were extremely rare.
As for Dark Mana, it was a rare type of mana that allowed one to wield Dark Magic, a high-tier magic.
There was no element that should have caused a negative value, so why had it become negative?
“Heheh!”
“Ah, Eve! Sorry, I was distracted for a moment... Oh.”
At Eve's calling voice, Ban Yuwon emerged from his thoughts, registered his surroundings, and fell silent.
Was it because the boss monster had died, and the momentum of the wave had subsided?
While he was examining the dropped item, his vassals had already finished all the fighting.
“Is this the end?”
Normally, after a wave ended, a notification would appear, telling them to prepare for the next wave, which would start shortly, but now, only silence reigned.
Ban Yuwon organized the golden strings of text flying in from all directions, distributed them to his vassals, and absorbed as much as he could himself.
Even so, his Life had only increased by about 5, but thanks to that, he had achieved a depth of 760. Based on the System, that would be around Level 76.
“So what should I do now? Do I just have to wait until the Tower is complete?”
However, there was no need.
When he looked back, the completed Tower was already visible.
The Tower, rising so high it seemed to pierce the sky, perfectly matched the image of the Tower of Babel that Ban Yuwon knew.
“So now...?”
“—Ban Yuwon, that person over there seems to be looking at you?”
As Cellon had said, while others stood facing the completed Tower, there was one human uniquely turned towards Ban Yuwon.
Although his face was still unrecognizable and his voice unheard.
Ban Yuwon was certain that he was looking directly at him.
“No, if you were going to record something to show your descendant, you should have at least checked if the audio was properly recorded.”
As Ban Yuwon, certain that the other person was his ancestor, grumbled in exasperation.
The man raised a finger and pointed at the Tower.
“Huh?”
The Tower that trapped the light.
From within it, a small lump of light burst forth.
Perhaps his ancestor had, by building the Tower, become able to freely manipulate that light.
As Ban Yuwon vaguely pondered this, his ancestor once again raised a finger, this time pointing at Ban Yuwon.
“――.”
No, he hadn't pointed at him, but rather at the Ymir's Horns still held in his hand.
How could he tell? Because the lump of light that had burst from the Tower flew in a straight line and was absorbed into the Ymir's Horns.
It was literally at the speed of light, leaving no time to react.
“Incredible! Light had come to dwell even within the Ymir's Horns, which already held Dark Mana. With both light and darkness, it appears to be the strongest...!”
Of course, it wasn't.
Ymir's Horns 300 [Space Transcendence 200, Solidity 50, Potency 50]
It wasn't that light and darkness coexisted; rather, they had canceled each other out and vanished.
But at the same time, the concept of Space Transcendence was amplified, and simply looking at the overall conceptual depth, it had effectively tripled.
What if Ban Yuwon hadn't properly defeated the ox? What if he hadn't properly protected the Tower?
Naturally, such a reward as this couldn't have been expected.
‘It seems Eden won't be expected this time either. Still, having obtained this, is it enough?’
Ban Yuwon had no doubt that this was indeed the reward for this room.
And it made sense because after his ancestor's final action, the surrounding scenery was distorting and melting away.
“—Eh?! What the! Is it really ending like this? So, where's the detailed explanation about the Tower's origin? What about hints on what's hidden in the Tower?”
“You just saw it. Wasn't it that light? That light is what's hidden in the Tower.”
“—So what *is* it?! Where's the basis for the absolute premise that those who climb the Tower become gods? What *is* that light?!”
It seemed that Cellon, the Archmage, also couldn't quite interpret the series of events that had occurred in this space.
But Ban Yuwon felt like he understood.
Was it because that person was his ancestor?
Was it because his Authority could recognize at least some of the light's essence...?
‘Perhaps.’
The Tower of Babel might not have been stolen after all.
If that were truly the case, then how many people had pointlessly cursed him until now...?
As he awkwardly mumbled and thought such things, a vibration, similar to when he had killed the giant in his previous Solo Exploration, swept over him.
Ban Yuwon didn't resist it, surrendering his body, and looked back at the man standing in the distorting scenery, but.
The Tower and the man had already vanished without a trace.
As if they had been isolated from this space.
* * *
After exiting the Tower.
Ban Yuwon pondered how he might process the two horns, imbued with the unfamiliar concept of Space Transcendence, but it was unnecessary.
The moment he placed them in his inventory, Lilyth had swallowed them.
“Hey, you rascal.”
“――.”
He had clearly seen her open her maw wide and swallow the horns in one gulp, but the moment Ban Yuwon spoke to her, she reverted to her mechanical egg form, feigning ignorance.
It was absurd, but Lilyth wouldn't possibly harbor ill will towards Ban Yuwon, and perhaps her stalled evolution until now was precisely because she lacked a crucial concept, so he decided to let go of his lingering attachment.
No, to be honest, he was even a little excited.
‘Lilyth, who was originally a vehicle, had swallowed the concept of Space Transcendence, so wasn't it unreasonable to tell him not to speculate?’
Even in novels these days, they don't resort to such petty tricks as hiding this as foreshadowing.
Perhaps Lilyth, once her evolution was complete, would emerge with a function Ban Yuwon had never even imagined... the ability to teleport!
Actually, he had hoped she might even be able to perform dimensional travel, not just spatial movement, but on second thought, that seemed like underestimating dimensional travel technology too much, so he scaled back his expectations.
“Hmm. Is there nothing I can do?”
Returning to his dorm room, Ban Yuwon, who had been quietly observing the mechanical egg, soon smacked his own head.
Why had he thought of using Language Magic to increase the efficiency of his studies and training, but hadn't thought of helping *this* one's evolution?
He added all of his mana, and even Cellon's mana, to it, and used Language Magic to engrave the word ‘Acceleration’ onto the surface of the mechanical egg.
At that moment, the mechanical egg shone brightly, and from within, the sound of gears turning and a heart beating began to emerge simultaneously.
He didn't even need to examine it with his Authority to be certain that it was a successful attempt.
“Ban!”
Just then, the door opened, and Light appeared.
He seemed to have been training until now, his body drenched in sweat, and he held a spear in one hand.
“Are you done?”
“Somehow, just in time.”
“That's a relief...”
“No matter what, I was trying to make sure it wouldn't interfere with the exploration starting on Monday. You didn't need to worry.”
“I'm relieved you returned safely, you idiot.”
Light, his face serious, replied gruffly to Ban Yuwon's words.
He had been worried, but Ban Yuwon was just spouting unnecessary remarks, so it was understandable that he would get sulky.
“Alright, thanks for worrying about me. As a reward, I'll make you some hot chocolate, so hurry up and shower, then come out.”
“Uh-huh... okay. That...”
Was there something embarrassing in what he just said?
Light, who had unnecessarily hesitated and backed away, stopped on his way to the shower, turned back, and asked.
“W-will you put alcohol in it too?”
“No, you're on a prohibition for now. Even after the prohibition is lifted, drinking when I or Dokgo Yeon aren't around is forbidden.”
“You meanie...!”
The destructive power of Light when he drank alcohol was enough to make one think, ‘Maybe a guy wouldn't be so bad after all.’
He thought it was truly fortunate that Dokgo Yeon was the one who first taught him to drink.
“Ban.”
While leisurely making hot chocolate, recalling their last dinner outing.
Suddenly, Light poked his head out from the shower room.
He had only peeked his head out from beyond the door, but his bare skin was clearly visible up to his collarbone.
The necklace string around his neck looked unusually constricting... No, wait a minute.
“Oh?!”
Had Light ever acted so carelessly before?
The astonished Ban Yuwon couldn't hide his feelings and clearly revealed them.
Light, perhaps unnecessarily embarrassed by his reaction, had his cheeks turn red.
“You, don't come over here.”
“So what is it? Is it urgent?”
“No, it's not urgent. I just forgot what I was going to tell you earlier... and I thought I should say it before I forget again.”
Unable to meet his gaze, Light fidgeted, glancing around.
It only just occurred to him that what he had wanted to say earlier might not have been a simple request like Yumina's, asking for alcohol in his hot chocolate.
But if it wasn't urgent, he could have just said it after showering.
“W-well, you see... what was it? He said applications are only open until tomorrow morning.”
“What is?”
“Uh... that, an invitation. An invitation, as in what kind of invitation...”
He seemed to have been showering, as Light's hair was damp.
If it had been anyone other than Light, he might have wondered if they were trying to use a honey trap on Ban Yuwon.
Drip. A droplet of water, fallen from his bangs, was seen trickling down his collarbone.
Soon, the droplet flowed into a region invisible to Ban Yuwon's eyes, but its trace remained unusually vivid, stimulating his imagination.
No, what is this?
What is this situation right now?
Why did it suddenly become like this?
Ban Yuwon suddenly realized that he was sharing a room with someone of the opposite sex, and that it was an incredibly heart-pounding matter.
“W-will you come?”
“So, where to?”
“My dimension.”
Light said, almost whispering, then turned his head away in embarrassment.
Since more of him was exposed, he wished Light wouldn't make any sudden movements.
But if he said such a thing, it would reveal that he was conscious of Light, making him feel like he was losing.
Whether he knew of Ban Yuwon's pathetic thoughts or not, Light spoke again.
“During the break, will you come visit? Rucell is also... going to your dimension, right? So.”
“Uh... then, should I go with Rucell?”
“No!”
“No, it's not that. It's not that I dislike Rucell. It's just that I can't let just anyone in... but you're my friend, so it's fine.”
That statement just now sounded as if Rucell and Dokgo Yeon weren't his friends. Is that really okay?
“So... will you come?”
He tilted his eyes slightly upwards, and Light asked again, looking at him as if observing.
Should he say it felt cunning, or that an unexpected kind of cuteness from Light made his heart beat a little faster?
However, he was truly perplexed as to whether this was a question to be asked while showering...
“Hmm. Rucell is planning to visit our dimension, and I'll have things to do on Earth too... So, if not for too long, but even just for about a week, then I'll visit.”
He, too, wanted to become closer with Light, and he believed he had to break the curse related to his necklace, and most importantly, he had something he absolutely wanted to say to Light's "parents" if he met them, so he nodded.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Alright...!”
Light's complexion instantly brightened.
Then, perhaps suddenly realizing that he was naked, he quickly hid himself.
But before closing the shower door.
“Then it's settled!”
“Yes, I said I'd go.”
Perhaps still feeling uneasy, he made Ban Yuwon confirm again before finally closing the door.
Ban Yuwon chuckled at his fresh, innocent demeanor, but then, a sudden thought made his expression harden.
‘Wait, so what then? ...Is he finally going to confess that he's a woman?’
Or is he going to hide his identity even after inviting me home?
Which one is it, exactly?
* * *
“If you're going to seduce him, there's no choice but to ambush him.”
“It's not seduction! I'm just trying to invite him to my kingdom! ...So, ambush? Are you telling me to tackle him from behind and then threaten him? I know that's not it, I know, so don't look at me like I'm pathetic...”
“I'm telling you to create an unexpected situation. Make him nod without thinking too deeply. To put it extremely, by getting naked.”
“That's just perverted!”
“Do it subtly.”
“Who subtly gets naked? That's even more perverted!”
“Don't ask for details. I don't know much about human mating rituals myself.”
“M-mating...! No, not that yet!”
“Yet?”
“Waaahhhhhhh!”
“Ah, I misspoke. It wasn't mating, it was courtship. ...Light? Are you okay?”
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