I got into school for nothing - Chapter 152
I got into school for nothing (152)
Lesson 31. The last spoonful is always the most annoying - 2
Monday of the 15th week.
Finally, the last Tower exploration of the first semester, and the first long-term exploration, began.
Just like when they first entered the Tower, all the students flocked to the hill where the Tower was located, and everyone was as excited as if a festival were taking place.
"This is our chance to make up for a semester's worth of lagging behind, all at once."
"Or the gap just widening even more?"
"You never know, a top team might retire midway."
"Are you an idiot? The top two first-year teams have never retired, not once."
"They, of all people..."
This time, they might actually overtake Aire's solo team and Lusein Ortima's team.
Anyone who had seen the Rebellion channel's Tower exploration videos, which were updated weekly until the final exam season, would have been thinking the same thing.
Their explorations had been extraordinary from the very beginning.
Even if their progress was somewhat slow, they had faced Trick Rooms as a matter of course since the lower floors—something even Aire, who was currently leading the first-year solo, breaking through to room 107 with unbelievable momentum, had only experienced twice. And hadn't they skillfully overcome Chain Rooms, which sometimes continued for several stages?
Even their sole weakness, their progress speed, had been rectified. With torrent-like breakthroughs since the 10th week, they had already reached Room 80, surpassing all other teams and now ranking 3rd, right behind Ortima's team, who was currently tackling Room 94.
"But they're especially intense, aren't they? Won't it probably get even harder for them?"
"That might be why their growth is faster. Perhaps a lower-rank dimension team really will become the top of their grade..."
"Did you see the latest grade announcement?"
"I did. I had a rough idea, but I never expected the seniors to change so drastically."
"We really should have joined the Union Tour Club."
Ban Yuwon listened to the whispers of the crowd, a displeased expression on his face.
"It feels like a settlement."
"A settlement?"
Sometimes, when playing a game, you get to see a mid-term settlement report – how many levels you've gained, how many achievements you've accomplished, what you need to do for future goals, and so on.
Ban Yuwon explained it in simple terms to the members who weren't familiar with games.
"It means that even someone who knew nothing about us before would likely learn all about us if they came here now."
"So you don't like it?"
At Dokgo Yeon's question, Ban Yuwon snorted and shook his head.
"It's still not enough. The first-years' reactions are obvious, to begin with, and irrelevant."
"That worm over there doesn't seem to think so."
At Dokgo Yeon's words, he turned his head and saw Lusein Ortima gazing at them with unusually sticky and heated eyes today.
It was to the point where he'd want to report him to the police immediately if there were any around.
"He... it's probably because of the conversation we had during our last spar."
"What did he say?"
"When I told him I was learning swordsmanship from you, he kept glorifying his past actions, saying things like I wasn't worthy, and talking as if you were his."
He was already used to the arrogant tone characteristic of those from higher dimensions, but Ortima was going too far.
Moreover, to arbitrarily decide Dokgo Yeon's future, of all people—there was a limit to not knowing one's place.
"And?"
"So I tried to make him come to his senses, but he just got even angrier, as people often do when confronted with the truth."
"Hmm... that's common. And then what?"
"Other than that, it was things like, 'I lost this time, but I'll win next time,' you know... the kind of things losers usually say."
At Ban Yuwon's shrug, Dokgo Yeon replied in exasperation.
"After all that posturing. You don't even try to sugarcoat yourself."
"This *is* high-level sugarcoating, you just don't get it yet."
Dokgo Yeon finally let out a small laugh.
And Ortima's gaze doubled in intensity.
"This is seriously annoying me to death. Dokgo Yeon, you deal with him somehow."
"I'd like to handle it myself, but... it seems the problem is out of my hands."
"Huh."
Dokgo Yeon, of all people, saying something to avoid responsibility?
As Ban Yuwon's eyes widened, she let out a sigh and shook her head.
"It seems you still haven't realized it, Ban Yuwon."
"Realized what?"
"What Dokgo Yeon means to say is, well."
For some reason, Rucell glared at Dokgo Yeon with narrowed eyes and replied.
"It means that no matter what Dokgo Yeon says or does now, that man already sees Yuwon as his rival and has marked him as such."
"Yeah, I sort of figured that much..."
"So what's the truth? Dokgo Yeon, did you perhaps instigate it?"
"Of course not. Why would I be afraid of a man like that and use Ban Yuwon as a shield?"
Dokgo Yeon, who replied with a calm expression to Rucell's glare, then twisted the corner of her mouth into a smile as she looked at Ban Yuwon.
"Ban Yuwon is just arbitrarily stepping forward to protect me. ...How cute."
"What, when did I ever--"
As Ban Yuwon, who was about to raise his voice in denial at Dokgo Yeon's absurd accusation, a conversation from his last spar with Ortima suddenly flashed through his mind.
How had he responded to Ortima's words, who treated him as a romantic rival, was jealous, and had exploded in an inferiority complex?
No, had he even said anything that denied his relationship with Dokgo Yeon in the first place?
'No, I didn't. I absolutely despise it when an ignorant stranger arbitrarily defines my relationship with someone else, anyway. ...Huh? Then it's not surprising if they misunderstood, is it?'
The conclusion was clear.
Ban Yuwon nodded.
"It was only natural to misunderstand, then."
"Right?"
"Somehow... I can't accept it. I'm always trying to get closer to Yuwon, but Dokgo Yeon, you seem to be cutting in line and getting ahead without anyone noticing...!"
"Would you please not drag me into your romantic entanglements? ...And you tend to run wild too much based on instinct, so try to control yourself a bit."
The group, engaging in a conversation reeking of youth for the first time in a while, headed towards the Tower.
Until recently, the Rebellion team, the most recognized among the first-years, would enter the Tower first. But now, just like other grades, teams would enter in order, starting with those who had climbed the highest in the Tower.
First, Aire entered, and then, second, Ortima's team, who had glared at Ban Yuwon until the very end, entered.
Their turn was third. Yumina stood at the Tower entrance, as always, to greet them.
"Please be careful. While the invaders' activities have quieted down... the Tower always stabs you in the back when you're most off guard."
"We will keep that in mind."
Before entering the Tower, he met each of his companions' gazes, as always.
Only As Light awkwardly avoided his gaze, but that had been happening since yesterday, so it was fine.
"Wait. Why is As Light acting like that again? Yuwon, by any chance..."
"Well, Student As Light invited only Student Ban Yuwon to his dimension! How bold!"
"Professor?!"
In the end, Yumina dropped a bombshell, ruining the entire serious atmosphere.
...Surely not on purpose?
* * *
Rucell was considerably shocked by the fact that Dokgo Yeon and As Light had been secretly making progress with Ban Yuwon without her knowing. But after a brief period of dejection, she switched to a more positive way of thinking by the time they broke through Room 84.
"Since things have come to this, this vacation, I'll make sure to progress so much that no one can catch up...!"
—Kieeeeeeeeee!
"Oh."
At Rucell's magnificent display, dashing with lightning cloaking her entire body and smashing through hordes of monsters blocking their path, Ban Yuwon could only sigh softly.
"Hmm."
Meanwhile, Dokgo Yeon cocked her head, examining the corpse of a new type of monster that had started appearing on this floor.
"Are their bodies entirely made of iron?"
"It's definitely bug-based, for one. Ugh... Crustaceans were fine, at least; they just wore shells, but their insides were still animal."
As Light, as if he hated bugs, shrunk back, making a pathetic sound.
Meanwhile, as he could analyze concepts, Ban Yuwon already knew the monsters' true identities.
"They're Armored Bugs."
"Armored? Like carapaces?"
"Different. Machine armor. It means they're not just simple iron but possess firepower. In the case of these guys..."
The monsters that appeared on the 84th floor looked like ladybugs, but the part corresponding to their shells was covered in metal, boasting a sleek luster.
Their attack pattern was extremely simple: merely rotating their bodies and charging forward.
But their rotation speed and charge speed were terrifying; if one collided head-on, there was a possibility of being ground to dust.
However, before they even reached the group, they would stop rotating or collide with each other, malfunctioning. There was only one reason for this.
It was due to the overwhelming current emitted by Rucell, who was leading the charge.
"Look, even now, when Rucell unleashes lightning, the machines burn and stop spinning, right? In other words, they gained their rotation ability through machinery."
"Why is this more efficient than destroying them directly with my internal energy?"
While it was a familiar concept to Earthlings that machines break down when too much current flows through them, explaining this to someone from another dimension was incredibly difficult.
So he gave up.
"Just think of it as how it works. Anyway, thanks to Rucell, we know the strategy, so that's a good thing."
For the unconvinced Dokgo Yeon, Ban Yuwon activated elemental magic and Language Magic simultaneously.
He created lightning mana with elemental magic, and using Language Magic, he bestowed this upon Dokgo Yeon's and As Light's weapons, enchanting them.
Ban Yuwon, without needing to cast spells, could simply activate his Giwon Sword and convert his overflowing Hyungi directly into lightning.
"Your abilities are getting more and more diverse."
At Dokgo Yeon's words, as she watched the menacing current flowing over her short sword with an intrigued gaze, Ban Yuwon replied proudly.
"Even though it looks like this, I'm devoted to martial arts, Master."
"So, how much is left until the completion of Hyunsingong?"
"..."
He couldn't answer.
He clearly felt that he was almost there.
Just one more step was needed.
Why couldn't he reach it?
"Somehow, before this exploration ends..."
"If he were to encounter a formidable foe, there might be an opportunity for growth."
"Ah... Yuwon!"
At that moment, Rucell, who was more fiercely rampaging and sweeping away the Armored Bugs than anyone else, called Ban Yuwon's name.
"Something strange came out of an elite monster!"
"I didn't even notice an elite monster appeared."
"Power aside, its speed was too great to even chase."
"Because she's a beast."
He looked around and saw that, to his chagrin, despite having applied lightning enchantments, the entire Room 84 had been annihilated.
If Rucell hadn't conceded when she met Ban Yuwon in the recent comprehensive evaluation spar, her ranking would surely have been different from now...
"But Yuwon, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Because I didn't even know what was inside and just destroyed it along with the monsters..."
"Ah."
Soon, Rucell approached the group, carrying what looked like trash—a very delicate device made of machinery.
At first glance, it appeared to be a core component for operating something enormous.
"I'm really sorry..."
"It's alright, Rucell. It was our fault for leaving it all to you in the first place. Besides, no matter how the Tower rolls, there's always a way forward."
Ban Yuwon, who took the 'trash', reassured Rucell, who was looking at him with a face that seemed on the verge of tears, and then carefully examined it.
However, what he further realized was that, at least with Ban Yuwon's current abilities, there was nothing he could do about it.
And then.
"Huh, a shift?"
"It seems it was meant to proceed automatically even without finding another way. Perhaps it closed the possibility of a Chain Room... Hmm?"
—You must block 10 attacks without taking any friendly fire.
—In this space, all machines possess double abilities.
...Due to Rucell destroying the mechanical device, a chain of 11 Chain Rooms had begun.
Comments