I got into school for nothing - 179
I got into school for nothing (179)
Lesson 35. The Last Changeling - 4
"Huh...?"
Liu Cheolmyeong, who had committed the unforgivable act of ending a student's life—a deed no professor should ever commit—immediately became bound by a backwash of restrictions and curses.
Everything that had obeyed his transcendent will betrayed him; the tower of magic he had built over centuries crumbled, and his body shriveled.
His soul, shredded by blades of curses, splintered, tearing away even his last vestiges of dignity and will.
"Why, you—!"
Liu Cheolmyeong's face, which had been mere inches away a moment ago, receded again, etched with horror.
Captured by a vulgar impulse unfitting for his lofty status, the man who had been spitting curses that could never come to fruition vomited blood from every pore, and at last, his tenacious life force severed, he plummeted to the ground.
Though the defensive magic shrouding her body, including her clothes, had been instantly torn away, her abdomen, revealed through the shredded garments, was flawlessly smooth, without a single wound.
"Changeling."
Could it be, she murmured to herself.
Mira lifted her head, tracing the faint vestiges of the Fairy race's Authority she had felt the moment Liu Cheolmyeong stabbed her, and directed her gaze skyward.
Entering the atmosphere with a magnificent display, the Crimson Spear's fleet could be seen descending directly towards them.
"Could it be... Ketra. Were you really that foolish?"
No voice answered her murmur.
Doubt, horror, rage, sorrow, weariness—a maelstrom of emotions tangled within her mind.
"Mira――!"
A moment later, Shati, flying towards Mira with a shriek, gasped in shock as she examined her wounds.
Upon discerning that she was unharmed, Shati too grasped the entire situation.
"That fool."
"You knew?"
"I just found out. ...So."
Shati's eyes bore into Mira's face.
"What are you going to do?"
It was a question born of anxiety, wondering if Mira would simply pretend nothing had happened and let it pass.
"...What *should* I do?"
Fortunately, Mira didn't seem quite so naive, replying with a face close to tears.
Shati spoke, her expression a mix of relief and utter exasperation.
"Why are you asking me that? Are you going to do as I say?"
"But, it's too heavy."
Of course, it's heavy.
Sometimes it becomes utterly light, but at other times, a human life is heavier than anything in the world.
And by now, Ketra must be—.
Even Shati, who had never truly believed such a thing would happen, couldn't suppress the sigh that escaped her.
"Oh, seriously. Let's just go down for now."
"Okay."
Dragging Mira, whose mind had gone utterly blank like a doll from the continuous unexpected developments, they landed on the ship's deck, where Dokgo Yeon, her face looking tired and strained, greeted them.
The ghostly armor floating around her held its greatsword, on guard, but Dokgo Yeon waved her hand to signal they were not enemies, then greeted the two.
"You really came."
"Thanks to all of you, I'm alive—!"
Anneri Dedota, a female mercenary as exhausted as Dokgo Yeon, also weakly waved her hand, welcoming Shati and Mira.
Had these two not confronted Liu Cheolmyeong, injuring him and draining his strength, he would not have met such a futile end.
Thinking so, Shati felt anew that the junior before her was like a monster.
"You..."
Dokgo Yeon's cold voice cut through Shati's thoughts.
She gazed intently at Mira, tilting her head.
"You're alive. How did you survive?"
At that blunt question, Shati's expression twisted into a grimace.
"Is that the first thing you ask when you see her? It was Changeling. You heard the explanation from the Head of Planning... Ban Yuwon, our junior, didn't you?"
"I know. But I never imagined she could pull off such a daring spell against that man's final blow."
As she spoke, Dokgo Yeon, who had been observing Mira, narrowed her eyes as if realizing something.
"It wasn't you who did it, then."
"Junior Dokgo Yeon."
"Ah... I wasn't trying to pry. Anyway, thanks to you all, we easily subjugated that worm. Thank you."
At Shati's stern voice, Dokgo Yeon obediently stepped back and bowed her head.
As Shati and Mira, witnessing a miraculous moment that would likely never occur again in this century, stared wide-eyed in astonishment, Dokgo Yeon, who had by then lifted her head again, spoke.
"Well then, I plan to go help Ban Yuwon right now... What about you two?"
"Hmph."
Mira, who had been dejected, abruptly lifted her head at those words.
As if suddenly realizing her utmost priority, Mira's violet eyes widened as she declared.
"I'm going too."
"...Is that so."
Dokgo Yeon nodded as if she had expected it, then her gaze drifted to the spaceship beyond the sky.
Her extraordinary insight and judgment, unbefitting her age, had even told her who was aboard that spaceship.
Liu Cheolmyeong, who had just died, was the only villain present—yet the taste in her mouth turned incredibly bitter the moment she heard Mira's reply.
"The heart, it's truly difficult... *huff*."
Dokgo Yeon, startled by her own candid admission, instinctively covered her mouth.
She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, as if trying to regain her composure, then spoke to Anneri as if nothing had happened.
"This vessel, can it be piloted?"
"Of course. That's why I purposely didn't break this ship, only killed the crew... Oh, and you know that any loot acquired during a commission goes to the mercenary unless there's a special clause, right? Though, if Sir Yuwon grants me a passionate kiss, that's an entirely different story..."
"Ban Yuwon already has a ship, so he won't need it."
Dokgo Yeon, replying fiercely to Anneri's jest, reiterated her command.
"Then pilot the ship. We're going to help that ignorant man."
Exodus had already retreated, and the remaining enemies had been dealt with by the beast-kin without issue.
There was a small fleet lingering in the sky, but they were not enemies.
So, the only one still fighting on this planet was Ban Yuwon.
Anneri, energized by the thought of meeting Ban Yuwon, replied spiritedly.
"Yes, sir!"
"Ah, before that."
Dokgo Yeon launched herself from the ship.
One might wonder what her intention was, but soon Dokgo Yeon returned, holding Liu Cheolmyeong's withered upper body, and with a subtly pleased expression, she stored it inside her bracelet. RAN`0bE)S
Then, noticing the gazes fixed intently upon her, she cleared her throat and adjusted her expression.
"I was worried since his lower body had completely melted away, but fortunately, there was still a present left for Ban Yuwon."
"I get your intention, but you're a little scary..."
If it was meant as an excuse, it was a complete failure.
Shati shook her head, thinking that perhaps Dokgo Yeon was a more fitting existence for an 'Evil One' than herself.
* * *
Ban Yuwon believed he already knew how incredible the beast-kin's loyalty was, but that was a misconception.
How could he 'take care' of Liu Cheolmyeong?
The moment the incarnation died, he had no time to worry about Dokgo Yeon, as he was too busy fending off beast-kin who charged at him from all directions in a furious frenzy.
It was fortunate enough that he had managed to contact Mira and ask her to help his side.
[Life 32, Wonshin 20, Won-gi 30, Soul 13, Charm 30, Supernatural Strength 50, Curse 50, All-Reading Eye 20, All-Hearing Ear 20, All-Speaking Lip 20, Judgment 50, Domination 30, Constellation's Stigma 15, Rebellion 20, Adamantine 5 depth obtained.]
[The depth of Yugi became 264, Gwoeyeonggong 172, Giwon Sword 1,030, and Command 60.]
[Rebellion is a unique concept that blossomed by repeatedly achieving the feat of successfully usurping the power of beings of higher standing whom one antagonized. The higher the depth of Rebellion, the more one's abilities are amplified when facing beings of higher standing.]
[Adamantine is a unique concept that strengthens the mind and body to make them unbreakable. The concepts of Firmness and Resistance are absorbed into the higher concept of Adamantine. The depth of Adamantine became 20.]
[The achievement of Incarnation Thwarting was reflected, and the depth of Honor became 300. The depth of Soul became 950.]
"Hoooh... Is it over?"
"Yes, somehow..."
After the battle, which was both short and long, ended.
Ban Yuwon and Rucell collapsed onto the floor in identical fashion.
Abyss, the drill that moved freely through the earth, crushing enemies.
Abel, the combined robot that boasted absolute majesty for just three minutes, crushing and pulverizing enemies.
Tikke, who guarded its master's side, unleashing a barrage of magic bullets, and Eve, the versatile phantom beast that changed its form at will, assisting in combat.
Stormrain Sword, the twenty-five sharp rain-like blades that each became an extension of Giwon Sword, sweeping across the battlefield and shredding enemies.
"If I didn't have even one of them, I'd probably have an arm ripped off by now..."
"Ugh, I burned too much Wildness, and my whole body is still burning hot."
Rucell collapsed onto Ban Yuwon, who lay prostrate on the ground like Yamcha after being hit by a Saibaman's self-destruct, too exhausted to stand.
"Rucell?"
"Ah, how cool..."
Her entire body was scorching hot, as if she were truly suffering from burns.
It was only natural, considering all the Wildness concepts held by the multitude of beast-kin had been injected into Rucell alone.
Her stats, permanently amplified by the Wildness Furnace today, would certainly not fall short compared to Dokgo Yeon's.
Considering that her stats would be temporarily amplified by the Wildness Furnace's operation, it might truly be possible to defeat her now.
"Am I heavy?"
"No, it's warm and just the right weight, like being under a winter blanket."
"Fufu, then let's stay like this a little longer..."
Rucell's closeness was incredibly stimulating, but thanks to the unique concept, Adamantine, which he had crushed and absorbed from the constellation's incarnation, his mind had become resilient enough to resist the temptation.
Of course, just because he *could* resist didn't mean he *had* to.
Moreover, having overcome the constellation's incarnation together, completely resolved Rucell's chronic problem, and then fought a fierce battle, the two were now experiencing a strange sense of exhilaration and unity.
"..."
"...Masterrr."
"Rucell..."
With all the beast-kin dead, there was no one around except Ban Yuwon's retainers.
Their gazes met, and their faces naturally drew closer...
—Ahem, the kids are coming?
"Aish, seriously, the timing."
They just interrupted at such a perfect moment earlier too!
Ban Yuwon, having soothed Rucell with a mere peck on the lips, lifted his head, and saw a ship with Exodus's broken flagpole dangling from it, descending towards them.
"Yuwon!"
"Whoa."
He hastily stood up and caught Mira, who had called his name and leaped down; she then wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his neck.
"Yuwon...!"
"I'm fine, Mira. Thank you for coming. Is everyone safe?"
"Ugh... Yes. There are no enemies left."
Following her, Dokgo Yeon landed lightly, Anneri emerged from her shadow, and finally, Shati descended leisurely, flapping the splendid membrane wings she had spread.
Ban Yuwon wore a wry smile at the sight of his diverse comrades, while Anneri gave a cute salute and reported.
"We went to all the trouble of seizing the ship, but there was no opportunity for us to truly shine. Still, Sir Yuwon! The commission was successfully completed!"
"You did well, thank you."
"Then, the promised kiss..."
"Ban Yuwon."
Dokgo Yeon, having boldly cut off Anneri who was about to step forward without a hint of tact, abruptly presented Liu Cheolmyeong's upper body before his eyes.
"It's a gift. Only his upper body remains, however..."
"Dokgo Yeon, you... Thank you!"
Not only had she ended the life of their greatest enemy, Liu Cheolmyeong, but she had even brought back his corpse!
Ban Yuwon, singing the praises of his master's grace in his heart, absorbed all concepts from the wretch.
[Life 25, Wonshin 33, Won-gi 12, Soul 17, Judgment 24, Constellation's Stigma 11, Rebellion 3 depth obtained.]
[The depth of Yugi became 270, and Giwon Sword 1,124.]
Despite having absorbed a vast quantity of concepts, including Life, by facing countless beast-kin after the constellation's incarnation, and even though Liu Cheolmyeong's corpse was not intact, the harvest was considerable, likely due to his exceptionally high status.
Even if two previous versions of Ban Yuwon, from before he came to Jeda, were to exist, they would likely not be able to defeat his current self.
He had achieved explosive growth in just a single day.
While the fact that he could obtain the concept of Rebellion even from enemies of higher standing whom he hadn't personally killed was good information, even more remarkable was the evolution of his Giwon Sword.
Although Liu Cheolmyeong was inferior to Dokgo Yeon when it came to swordsmanship, the years and experience he had accumulated wielding a blade were not to be underestimated, and the proof was the nearly 100-point increase in the Giwon Sword's depth!
Having increased by another 94 points on top of already exceeding 1,000 in depth, he truly was worthy of being called a full professor at the Academy.
"Dokgo Yeon, I'll say it again, truly, thank you...!"
"Huhu, so you do know how to be grateful. As long as you claim to be my disciple, I cannot tolerate any unsightly displays. Just consider it as having consumed an elixir."
"Ugh..."
"I just can't understand them anymore..."
Rucell, jealous of the peculiar master-disciple relationship that had formed between Dokgo Yeon and Ban Yuwon, clung to one of Ban Yuwon's arms.
Shati, watching this, had to try very hard to resist her mind from becoming muddled.
"So... Mira."
"Hmm?"
To Mira, who still clung to him, refusing to let go even amidst the unfolding commotion, Ban Yuwon asked with a wry smile.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
He couldn't understand why the person who had come to help him now wore an expression seeking help, but there was no way she could deceive his All-Reading Eye.
"You... you know everything."
"Of course. I know everything."
So, tell me.
Ban Yuwon said, his gaze fixed on another spaceship slowly descending from the sky.
Mira slowly nodded at his trustworthy demeanor and began to speak.
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