I got into school for nothing-153
I got into school for nothing (153)
Lesson 31. The last spoonful is always the most annoying - 3
—Boom! Crash!
—KABOOOM!
The roar of exploding shells was deafening in all directions.
An overwhelming number of armored insects appeared, too many to grasp at a glance. Some charged straight at them, while others, bearing cannons seemingly ripped from modern tanks on their backs, unleashed a furious bombardment in their direction.
The Tower's rules inexplicably forbade climbers from using machines, yet the monsters themselves appeared fused with machinery. Such an absurdity was beyond comprehension.
“Ban, these bastards seem incredibly angry...!”
“It looks like what Rucell broke was something critically important to these guys. That’s why we’re now forced into a defensive battle to block their attacks.”
Even a quick glance revealed shells imbued with sinister concepts like fission, explosion, acid, and poison, all based on the fundamental concept of magic bullets.
It was at least fortunate that these weren’t mana-based attacks, but entirely physical projectiles.
“Those beetle-like bastards we dealt with earlier are coming in hordes!”
“It would be nice if there were a place to fight with our backs to... but unfortunately, I don’t see one.”
“If we summon the Mountain Giant...”
“There isn’t enough space to summon it.”
Dokgo Yeon said, exhaling a short sigh after glancing around.
“We’ll form a defensive perimeter centered around Ban Yuwon. And Beast... from now on, you focus on spreading electricity as much as possible to weaken as many of them as you can.”
“Yes!”
Machines reinforced twofold by the Trick Room’s conditions.
To weaken them as much as possible, Rucell stepped forward, spreading thunder and lightning in all directions.
Sizzle.
The armored insects’ charge immediately lost its momentum in the surging torrent of thunder and lightning, which shimmered blue and crashed like waves.
“Light!”
“I know!”
And seizing that opening, Dokgo Yeon and Light charged forward.
The reinforced armored insects were strong enough that even the peerless Dokgo Yeon couldn’t finish them off instantly. However, Rucell’s rampaging thunder and lightning, cutting off their movements abruptly, allowed them to be killed without much struggle.
“Tsk, they’re still too tough... Ban Yuwon, do you have any good ideas?”
“No, Dokgo Yeon. First, we need to deal with the shells flying in from all over! Ban’s abilities can’t cover everything!”
“I’m thinking... Right, let’s do this.”
At that moment, twenty-five Stormrain Swords burst forth from Ban Yuwon’s inventory and scattered in all directions.
If he didn't intend to imbue and swing each of them with Or, it wouldn't be a particularly good choice against the incredibly tough armored insects.
Ban Yuwon had no intention of swinging them in the first place.
“Perfect.”
“Oh, ooh...?”
It was to manifest his Authority through the Stormrain Swords, which had spread out in all directions via resonance.
As a result, all the shells surging from every direction transformed into golden strings of characters and began to be absorbed into the nearest Stormrain Swords.
The sight of twenty-five swords arrayed at regular intervals in the air, uniformly sweeping away the barrage of shells, looked as if a barrier had been cast over the entire space.
“Wow, shells are being deconstructed as soon as they’re fired, everywhere.”
“Next, please weaken the main bodies!”
“Dokgo Yeon, do you think I’m omnipotent?”
Ban Yuwon grumbled, yet an idea sparked in his mind.
“Cellon, I need some mana.”
—I’m the support? That means it’s Language Magic, then.
“That’s right.”
Ban Yuwon gripped Cellon and drew two concepts in the air.
Corrosion, and Diffusion.
Combining the two linguistic concepts and adding his own imagery, he fixed the spell’s form and designated its location.
Then, he poured all of his and Cellon’s Hyungi into it!
“Since thunder and lightning worked, this should work even better...! Go!”
FOOOSH!
A tremendous roar, as if a gas explosion had occurred, vibrated through the area.
And indeed, the sight was similar.
Corrosive gas, erupting in the midst of the surging armored insect legion, expanded in an instant, engulfing all the armored insects!
The armored insects at the epicenter melted instantly, and even those merely within the affected area immediately began to move awkwardly.
—Kek?!
—Kiiihhh—!
Of course, the concept of corrosion was threatening even to non-mechanical targets, but it was naturally even more lethal to machines composed of delicate parts.
Among the armored insects already malfunctioning from Rucell’s thunder and lightning, some went completely berserk, ramming into their own comrades.
“Ban, isn’t this dangerous for us too?!”
“Do you think I can’t control a spell I cast? Just charge!”
In truth, two Stormrain Swords were exclusively attached to the party, instantly absorbing any gas or shells that came near them, but...
“Well done, Ban Yuwon!”
Dokgo Yeon charged forward with a fearless expression, beginning to smash all the machines.
It was even easier than when they had faced these creatures in Room 84, because she had subtly imbued the corrosive gas permeating the armored insects with her own energy, the concept of Death.
While her power was inherently formidable, it became even more potent against those nearing its essence, those facing death!
“Ohohohoho... Yes, now they’re breaking apart quite satisfyingly!”
Dokgo Yeon, who hadn’t had a good affinity with machines, succeeded in reclaiming her overwhelming dominance by indirectly utilizing the corrosive gas.
Light, though not to Dokgo Yeon’s extent, also easily shattered the armored insects, and Rucell once again rejoined the front lines.
In the meantime, Ban Yuwon recovered his Hyungi through cultivation and gathered the absorbed concepts of magic bullets from all over.
“So, the problem is how to utilize this...”
—Whirr.
“Hm, Tikke? Yes, if you wish... No, wait a minute. Come to think of it.”
Even as Ban Yuwon pondered a new idea, the battle continued.
The armored insects, appearing with the distinct characteristic of being machines, had clear strengths but also clear weaknesses. Team Rebellion succeeded in annihilating the armored insect swarm, a force powerful enough to astound even most graduation-level parties, without a single scratch.
Team Rebellion, having thus easily broken through Room 85 and entered Room 86, was met with this:
—In this space, all machines possess 2.5 times their abilities.
“Uh...”
“...Well, this is certainly interesting.”
A twist in the conditions they hadn’t even dared to imagine, coupled with a terrifying increase far beyond their expectations, left them speechless.
Of course, corrosion and thunder and lightning would still be effective, but if the increase continued by 50% like this, what about the final Chain Room, Room 95?
They would have to fight against machines reinforced by a staggering 650%, was that even a sensible prospect?
“I-I really made a huge mistake...!”
Rucell shivered, seeing the armored insect legion charging in with a more distinctly formidable presence than in Room 85.
Ban Yuwon actually thought the same, but he couldn’t possibly demoralize her here. raN0b{ES
“It’s alright. The stronger the enemy, the more spectacular the rewards will be. I’ll figure out a way to win, so you just focus on fighting hard.”
“Yuwon...!”
“Do you two, really have to create that kind of atmosphere every single time?”
“Rarely do I agree with Light, but... for now, let’s focus on the enemy before us.”
One fortunate point was that the increase in their power was primarily in their ranged attacks.
The types of incoming shells had become much more diverse, and larger.
But even so, as long as the twenty-five Stormrain Swords were spread across the area, the chance of them harming the party was zero.
“Tikke, ready?”
—Whirr!
Tikke confidently replied, repeatedly adjusting and unadjusting its aperture.
“Good. Then, link up.”
The resonance between his vassals, centered around Ban Yuwon.
He deliberately shifted its direction, allowing the twenty-five Stormrain Swords to link with Tikke.
Thus, as the concepts of the shells absorbed by the Stormrain Swords automatically began to flow into Tikke, Tikke’s seven barrels vibrated in unison, strengthening and firing them back out as ‘Projection Magic’!
—KABOOOOM!
The front lines were being utterly annihilated.
It was even more astonishing considering that Rucell’s thunder and lightning or Ban Yuwon’s corrosion hadn’t even spread yet.
—CRASH!
“Hm?”
“What is this?”
The party, who had been preparing for battle, were equally astonished by the sight.
Not only was the rate of fire incredibly faster than Tikke’s original capabilities, but its destructive power was also incomparable.
Of course, this was partly due to completely absorbing the powerful magic bullet concepts fired by the armored insects, but it wasn’t just that.
“Ban Yuwon, surely not?”
“It seems Tikke also falls into the category of machines designated by the Trick Room.”
—KABOOM! Boom boom!
“Hah...”
As Ban Yuwon quickly revealed the answer, Dokgo Yeon merely let out a sigh, as if utterly dumbfounded.
And no wonder, for wielding machines within this Tower was originally an unthinkable feat.
Thus, even upon seeing the Trick Room’s condition, ‘all machines are reinforced,’ they hadn’t given it much thought. But tragically for those armored insects, Ban Yuwon was the only man capable of manipulating machines within the Tower!
“And if that’s the case...”
“—Shishishishishish!”
As if it had been waiting for this very moment, Eve shot up into the air.
Eve, possessing the ability of myriad transformations, could naturally transform into a machine!
Of course, it was difficult for it to transform into something it didn’t properly understand, but not only were there countless examples right before its eyes...
“Eat it, Eve!”
—Hiss!
Ban Yuwon even plundered the concepts that constituted those creatures and bestowed them upon Eve, helping it deeply understand the essence of machines!
—Hiss, shishishish!
Eve’s body swelled in an instant as it began to transform.
In the meantime, Ban Yuwon joined forces with Cellon to once again detonate corrosive gas amidst the enemies, and Rucell also unleashed thunder and lightning, clearing a path for the party to move.
And then.
“Go, Eve!”
—Rumble...
Finally, the transformation was complete, and Eve, having changed into a colossal armored vehicle, revealed itself.
It was covered from head to tail in a hard carapace, like the beetle-like creatures they had first faced in Room 84, with spikes repeatedly rising and retracting at a constant rhythm from within.
The roar of its motors was so loud it sounded like incessant thunder.
“Whoa, this...”
“...It’s reassuring.”
Though its size couldn’t compare to the Mountain Giant, Dokgo Yeon’s pet, its imposing presence was in no way inferior!
Eve, transformed into ‘the strongest machine Ban Yuwon could imagine,’ charged straight into the enemy lines, rumbling like thunder!
“Smash them all!”
—RUUUMBLE!
Eve, already the strongest of Ban Yuwon’s vassals, and further enhanced by a 2.5x buff from the Trick Room, literally trampled the weakened armored insect swarm, which had been affected by corrosive gas and thunder and lightning.
Like the armored insects of Room 84, the carapace encircling its body rotated continuously and rapidly; furthermore, when it collided with an enemy, spikes erupted from its shell, piercing their bodies and causing explosions.
And what of its charging speed? Its engines, faithfully copied from the armored insects’ own motifs, were further enhanced by Eve’s own arrangement, transforming it into a peerless monster on the battlefield!
“There’s more than one thing I’d like to argue about... but for now, let’s follow behind Eve.”
“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but couldn’t Ban conquer the Tower by himself?”
“...Be quiet.”
“Dokgo Yeon, you thought so too... Ow!”
After that, relying on the greatly enhanced powers of Tikke and Eve, the party broke through up to Room 89 (where machines were 4x reinforced) without violating the Trick Room’s conditions, and were able to move to Room 90, Eden, to take a long rest.
They had even considered the possibility that Eden might not appear due to being in the middle of a Chain Room, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
However, it wasn’t as if everything was going perfectly.
“In Room 89, even with corrosion and thunder and lightning added, the enemies weren’t weakened much.”
“Conversely, you should consider that’s how strong they were *after* being weakened. Starting from Room 91, it’s definitely going to get really tough...”
“If we didn’t have Tikke and Eve, we would have definitely been eliminated.”
“I’m sorry, everyone.”
“I said it’s fine, let’s worry about what to do next instead.”
Even with the double debuff applied by Ban Yuwon and Rucell’s powers, the enemies’ strength had begun to surpass that of the party.
No matter how much Tikke and Eve were strengthened by the Trick Room’s conditions, they couldn’t possibly handle all the armored insects by themselves.
Considering there were five Chain Rooms left, it was clear that proceeding like this would inevitably lead to defeat.
“For now, it seems we need to stay here for a while and solidify our countermeasures.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“It’s a good thing this is a long-term exploration, really.”
Staying for a long time would usually hinder their progress, but there was no particular limit to how long they could stay in Eden.
If pushing forward thoughtlessly would only lead to elimination, then taking advantage of the long-term exploration period to research countermeasures over more time would be the rational choice.
“Hm? Is that perhaps the one from Room 84, that—?”
“I’m going to research it more. The situation was too urgent earlier to properly examine it... Anyway, the fact that those guys are desperately attacking us must be because of this.”
A core device that powered gigantic machines.
What would have happened if they hadn’t broken this?
He didn’t know for sure, but they probably wouldn’t have fought those armored insects to the death like this.
That meant this was incredibly important to them, and in the natural flow of things, they would undoubtedly encounter something related to it within the remaining five rooms.
‘There must be some way to use this... If there’s nothing I can learn by analyzing it, how about using Restoration Language Magic? Hmm, there’s potential, but my mana seems insufficient.’
Ban Yuwon even drew upon Cellon’s Hyungi to somehow restore the component to the best of his ability, but it was such a formidable object that it felt like only about 4% of its entirety had recovered, if the whole was considered 100%.
Furthermore, this wasn’t something that could be solved by repeatedly casting Restoration magic; it required elevating the depth of the Restoration concept itself to an absurd degree.
“Can you do it, Cellon?”
—If I forget about eating and sleeping and concentrate for about twenty days, maybe?
“Are you making fun of me right now?”
—Casting magic that transcends your current level usually requires risking your life. The fact that it’s possible in about twenty days with my help and no real risk, actually means I’m praising you immensely.
“Oh, is that so...”
Still, he couldn’t afford to be tied up here for twenty days.
Sighing, Ban Yuwon first picked and ate the Fruits of Life that had appeared in Eden to recover his mana, then, pooling all of that, he managed to restore the ‘trash’ to about 10% before tucking it into his inventory.
If he couldn’t find the key right now, all that was left was the brute-force method.
Collecting all the armored insect parts that had dropped intermittently during the breakthrough from Room 84 to Room 89, the quantity was considerable, and the amount of concepts absorbed from them was also immense...
“Alright, then, let’s see...”
“B-Ban!”
Just as Ban Yuwon was about to enter his ‘inventor of the century’ mode and commence his work.
Light’s familiar voice, just like so many times before, echoed in his ears.
“There’s a treasure chest here!”
“Did an artifact appear?!!!”
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