I got into school for nothing - 221
I got into school for nothing (221)
Lesson 44. A Strike that Pierces the Gap - 1
[The depth of Stigma has reached 120.]
[You have gained 10 Gap. This unique Authority temporarily slows the flow of time for yourself, and for that duration, reveals an absolute vulnerability in your opponent.]
The Authority of Gap was a technique that simultaneously created two effects, two 'gaps'.
The first was a gap in time.
It created a temporal fissure that applied only to oneself, allowing one to perceive and move through a limited span of time as if it were extended.
The second was a gap in the opponent.
It created a vulnerable opening that could be penetrated, even in an enemy with an ironclad defense.
Unlike a mutated Authority that activated spontaneously when an item was created, or Soul Flame, which involved tearing off a fragment of one's soul to bestow it, this was a high-tier combat Authority that required bone-gnawing effort to master properly.
‘Of course, that doesn't apply to me.’
After all, what were the combat techniques he had mastered so far? Wasn't it about controlling his own movements through the application of Giwon Sword, based on Yugi, and reading the opponent's movements to move efficiently?
But if he could add Gap to this, creating an opponent's vulnerability, then reading and attacking that gap would be an incredibly simple matter.
"Ban Yuwon!"
"Ah."
Even after safely escaping the Tower, Ban Yuwon, lost in thought about his newly acquired Authority and oblivious to his surroundings, quickly raised his head at the sound of his name.
Dokgo Yeon, clutching her black short sword, was right in front of him.
The emotions in her eyes were a hint of annoyance, and....
"If you came out safely, you should at least say something, shouldn't you?"
Dokgo Yeon said in a forceful tone, as if trying to deny the emotions Ban Yuwon had read.
He apologized honestly.
"My bad, something a bit complicated happened right before I escaped."
"...Well, since you're fine, it's alright."
Dokgo Yeon, sighing in relief, turned around and chuckled suddenly.
"And I saw something interesting, too."
"Interesting... Ah."
Besides Dokgo Yeon, Light's figure was also visible nearby.
He gripped the Holy Sword, which emitted a dazzling light, and stared, panting, at the collapsing Tower.
He seemed to be trying to avoid Ban Yuwon's gaze, but that couldn't overcome the Authority of his All-Seeing Eyes.
"You were worried about me too, huh? Thanks, Light."
"Worried? I merely destroyed the Tower. I thought you might get caught in it and die, but you somehow managed to survive."
At his thinly veiled words, Ban Yuwon, like Dokgo Yeon, couldn't help but laugh.
Even though he looked completely out of it, Light was still alive and breathing within that body after all.
The Holy Sword's violent reaction, restraining Light while erupting with a dazzling light like never before, made that abundantly clear.
"H-he's alive...?"
"He overcame divine punishment!"
"No, that person saved us!"
"The one who challenged the God's Seat and emerged victorious... Perhaps that person is truly..."
Meanwhile, Ban Yuwon wasn't the only one who had safely escaped the Tower.
The NPCs, who had been lured in as bait and sucked into the Tower ahead of him, had also somehow returned safely, thanks to the barrier Ban Yuwon cast over them at the last moment.
Although they hadn't heard the conversation between the Constellations and Ban Yuwon, they had roughly grasped the atmosphere, and now whispered amongst themselves, looking at Ban Yuwon with eyes full of reverence.
It was thanks to this that Light finally noticed them.
"Huh? ...Ah!"
Light, who seemed to have completely forgotten their existence, finally cleared his throat and raised the Holy Sword high.
"I have saved you from those false gods! Now, take up your swords again, rise, and fight alongside me!"
"Ah, I-I see! Understood!"
The NPCs, whose brainwashing by the Holy Sword had been partially undone when the Constellations intervened and Ban Yuwon subsequently crushed their Authorities, nevertheless gathered around Light, albeit with confused expressions, as he once again poured out his power.
Ban Yuwon had no intention of deliberately stepping in to undo their brainwashing, so he left them be and returned to the rest of his companions.
"Welcome back, Master!"
"You worked hard, Rucell."
Rucell, seemingly confident from the start that he wouldn't get hurt, simply greeted him with a warm smile.
Scattered at her feet were the monsters that had emerged, as if replacing the humans, when the latter had been sucked into the Tower earlier.
Unlike Dokgo Yeon and Light, who had raged, believing the humans had turned into monsters, Rucell had known from the beginning that they were creatures forged by the Constellations.
This was due to her innate senses, inherited from her Divine Beast bloodline, as well as her partial sharing of Ban Yuwon's All-Seeing Eyes.
"Wow, you've gotten stronger again in such a short time!"
"Now that you mention it..."
As Rucell genuinely rejoiced and exclaimed, Dokgo Yeon, hearing her words, scrutinized Ban Yuwon, her eyes sharpening once more.
"Didn't the Constellations do something unnecessary to you? Like sponsorship or contracts..."
"They tried to do something unnecessary, but... it's always the same. They coax, they threaten... and they spin all sorts of unbelievable tales about the Tower."
At Ban Yuwon's final addition, Dokgo Yeon's expression subtly crumpled.
"About the Tower..."
"At least there was one guy who was reasonable enough that I didn't need to unravel his trickery and could fully acquire an Authority that directly belonged to me."
Ban Yuwon spoke with a nonchalant smile, pretending not to notice her change, but Dokgo Yeon bit her lip and retorted even more forcefully.
"No matter how benevolent they seem, no matter how trustworthy they appear, they are ultimately enemies. You must never rely on them, nor trust them."
"Of course. Anyway, it looks like the real boss is about to show up soon."
"Real...?"
Everyone except Ban Yuwon seemed to have thought that the clear condition for Room 149 was to destroy the Tower, and they had dropped their combat stances the moment he emerged. But Ban Yuwon wasn't fooled.
From the beginning, the sanctuary created inside the Tower was a space the Constellations had built to evade the Tower's watchful eyes.
There was no way a room would be cleared just by destroying that device.
Moreover, the room they were currently in was an irregular room, reached after ignoring the conditions of a Trick Room and causing a shift.
Considering the number of rooms skipped and the conditions shattered, it couldn't possibly end with merely destroying a single structure.
―Whoosh-o-o-o-o
And sure enough, right after Ban Yuwon's warning, changes began to occur.
The shattered fragments of the Tower, pulverized by the two power attackers, Dokgo Yeon and Light, were writhing and moving.
According to Light, those fragments, imbued with the power of the "false gods"—the Constellations—and even their dominion, each held the potential to become a lethal bullet.
And now, all of them were bound to a single Constellation...
―"Indeed, you are perceptive. Losing a talent like you would truly be a painful matter."
The Constellation's voice, resounding to everyone in the party, was, of course, that of the Merciful North Wind.
However, Ban Yuwon, being from Earth, knew very well.
That a cold wind blowing from the north could never be entirely merciful.
―"You are currently in a gap within the Tower. If you die now... it means you might truly die."
―"And then you would be dragged to this side."
―"Alright. Then shall I ask once more?"
At the Merciful North Wind's voice, which surged like a typhoon and struck deep into the minds of the party, each of them gritted their teeth and drew their weapons.
One by one, streaks of the Constellation's wind, so dense with power that they had become tangible, rushed in and were absorbed by the Tower's remnants.
Whoosh, with a sound like a spinning top, the fragments of the Tower simultaneously floated into the air and began to revolve.
―"Will you accept my terms and form a contract with me, human?"
"Go to hell."
He snorted in reply, tightening his grip on the Executioner's Longsword.
The power residing in the longsword was Starlight, the power of Ban Yuwon's partner, Cellon, which the Constellations had sought.
Dazzling starlight swirled around the blade in a spiral, mimicking the North Wind.
It was imperfect starlight, but starlight nonetheless.
Furthermore, Ban Yuwon was capable of performing a feat that was impossible for the current Cellon.
‘It's probably closer to the Starlight Magic Cellon wielded during her time as a Constellation.’
That was to add the Stigma, the source of the Constellations' power!
Adding the Constellations' own power, Stigma, to the Starlight that destroyed Constellation power was akin to a dragon wielding a Dragon-Slaying Sword and going berserk, but it was a feat possible because he had mastered Yugi, which allowed him to create and control all energies.
...Wait? But there's someone like that right next to me?
―"Is that your answer? Then, first, I shall utterly crush you!"
The typhoon instantly expanded, engulfing the party!
This was no ordinary natural phenomenon.
It was the incarnation of the Merciful North Wind, descended using the Tower's fragments as a host!
Light, recognizing its true form, glared and stepped forward.
"I'll do it!"
"You worked hard saving me, so everyone else can rest."
Ban Yuwon chuckled, waved Light back, and raised the Executioner's Longsword.
He wielded the Authority he had just mastered.
Gap.
Even a calamity created by a being closest to perfection could not help but reveal a 'gap' before him.
"Haa—!"
Within the fleeting moment, stretched almost to eternity, Ban Yuwon's All-Seeing Eyes fiercely gleamed, having found the typhoon's vulnerability.
The Executioner's Longsword, thrust forward with a single shout, and the trajectory of starlight extending from it—
With a *slish*.
It split the typhoon cleanly in two, so cleanly that one could almost hear the phantom sound of a slice, even though no such sound should have been audible.
―"Hah..."
Within the typhoon, decapitated and vanishing, the Tower's fragments lost their power, collided with each other, and self-destructed.
The Merciful North Wind could only stare in utter disbelief.
―"To have acquired his Authority and wield it so perfectly, in mere minutes..."
The being seemed about to say more, but its words were cut short, crackling like a radio plagued by static, before it promptly vanished.
The Constellation's presence completely disappeared from Room 149.
[You have gained 10 Divine Wind, 5 Destruction, 30 Stigma.]
[The depth of Gap has reached 15.]
For several gods to have been meddling, the concepts gained as rewards might seem underwhelming, but even the least impressive among them, Stigma, was worth 30 depth.
Furthermore, when it came to Divine Wind or Destruction, they were immense treasures, capable of being transmuted into artifacts no matter how they were used.
‘Good, I can put these to proper use.’
Ban Yuwon grinned, concluding that the Authority granted by He Who Measures the Instant was indeed perfectly suited for him.
Rucell, as always, simply clapped her hands, delighted by his performance, but Light's jaw dropped wide enough to dislocate.
"What... was that?"
"It wouldn't be fun if I told you everything. Just know that it's a new power I just acquired."
"...You truly are something else."
Even Dokgo Yeon, who always rejoiced in his growth, was gazing at him with an inscrutable expression that was difficult to describe.
It was only natural for them to react this way, considering he hadn't struggled at all but had utterly destroyed the Constellation's incarnation in a single blow.
"Oh, o-o-oh."
"Indeed... that person will save us!"
The NPCs, whom Light had somehow managed to control again, had completely switched allegiance to Ban Yuwon after witnessing his final strike.
No, there was no point in enticing the NPCs anyway, since the Chain Room was already over.
Ban Yuwon thought this, and casually waved to them, but.
To put it bluntly, that was a huge misconception.
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