I got into school for nothing - 245
I got into school for nothing (245)
Lesson 47. Reversal of Reversals - 5
Learning that Woohyeolrin's contracted Constellation was the Purgatory's Gravedigger, Ban Yuwon received a detailed explanation from Mira about the Constellation and its abilities.
"The Purgatory's Gravedigger has the ability to twist and amplify all kinds of curse effects. And it inherently craves all types of curses. It must have ended up contracting with me because of 'Changeling'."
"Twisting and amplifying curses... Curses are already tricky to activate and have stringent conditions, unlike martial arts or magic where mana directly translates to destructive power. And it can even twist them?"
"To others, Yuwon, your Authority is just as complex. But once you understand the core, curses are actually simple."
Causality (因果), that is, the result stemming from a cause.
Curses cannot be established by mere stubbornness or unreasonable demands.
One must provide a clear cause to generate the desired outcome.
"Woohyeolrin's Geas places a restriction on himself and amplifies other abilities. It's about subtracting one and adding one. Of course, with the Constellation's ability applied, the outcome might not be just one, but a half or even two."
"What about your Changeling?"
"It turns the impossible into the possible. And when the Constellation's power is added, the scope of modification widens. For instance, if we were to sleep in the same bed tonight—"
"Okay, that's enough."
Mira reassured Ban Yuwon, saying that even the Constellation's power isn't absolute, and it cannot fundamentally reverse the core of a curse.
While it can reduce or inflate the outcomes, it cannot create a causality that didn't exist.
Let's consider a real-world example, not one unsuitable for all ages with Mira's personal desires overtly flowing through it.
When Ban Yuwon entered a contract demanding something excessive from an opponent, merely to prevent them from having idle thoughts.
The contract, full of loopholes due to the lack of specified compensation, didn't function properly, but the contract itself remained.
This is the cause.
Woohyeolrin, using the unjust contract imposed upon him as a Geas, could twist the contract and shift the initiative to himself, as 'compensation for enduring it for a long time'.
A maneuver truly deserving the name 'curse,' making the opponent bear the cost of a contract that was never upheld from the beginning.
This is the outcome.
Though it was unclear how the Constellation's power would act here, it meant that a completely new contract wouldn't be created, nor would unjust shackles be applied to other Rebellion members who weren't even involved in the contract.
Only after weighing all possible scenarios did Ban Yuwon finally feel at ease and leave Woohyeolrin unchecked.
* * *
"I knew you'd take the bait. But I never imagined you'd fall for such a massive trap."
BANG! KABOOM!
Pirate fleets spectacularly exploding in outer space.
The dizzying barrage of laser cannons and the thunderous roar, as if hundreds of thousands of firecrackers were detonating simultaneously, surged through mana as a medium, shaking the entire spaceship.
At first, I intended to use Concept Conversion to shackle Woohyeolrin and the traitors, then use them to disrupt Exodus.
But I never thought a Constellation would expand the contract's scope... No, Woohyeolrin must have offered a fitting price for it.
"You must have pushed yourself quite hard."
"..."
Ban Yuwon narrowed his eyes, checking the thickness of the chain of contract that extended from his hand.
He had expected a spirited reply, but Woohyeolrin, who had been yelling and causing a commotion just moments ago, had now fallen silent.
"Argh!"
"No, my hand is moving on its own—!"
"Save me, we're just rank-and-file—."
As the traitors who followed him—that is to say, students belonging to the dimension pirate group Exodus—screamed and met their deaths, twisting each other's necks and stabbing knives into their bellies.
Only he, Woohyeolrin, was desperately trying to block the curse overwhelming him. RAn0BЕS
"Grr... Mira, was it...?"
With a grinding sound, Woohyeolrin asked, desperately controlling his teeth that threatened to move on their own and bite his tongue at any moment.
A simple Changeling couldn't have overturned the contract so spectacularly.
It was only possible with in-depth study of curses... and research into the Constellation known as the Purgatory's Gravedigger.
Realizing this, Woohyeolrin quickly came to a conclusion.
"Did she... suspect me?"
"The Constellation was involved from the start, right? It's all because Mira is so pretty, so it can't be helped. Of course, Mira doesn't blame you. She admits that it was due to her own weakness. Our princess has become much braver... but that makes me a little sad."
The contract's scope being too broad indeed became a problem.
Chains made of Authority snapped, and some of the pirate fleet regained their freedom, dispersing into space.
The party, who had been quietly observing the unprecedented Changeling Ban Yuwon had unleashed, rose to their feet upon seeing this.
"I'll go out, Won."
"Me too. I drank tea, so this is repayment."
"When it's like this, shouldn't you yield to me instead of rushing out as if you've been waiting for it? Yuwon and I just made up recently, so shouldn't you give me a chance to look good? You're all too selfish—wait a minute!"
It wasn't just the contract that was reversed due to Concept Conversion.
The effect of the Talisman imbued with the Purgatory's Gravedigger's curse was also reversed, drastically enhancing the abilities of all Rebellion members who possessed it.
Dokgo Yeon, Aire, and in addition, Asha, wielding the True Dragon Sword transformed into a long spear, bickered briefly before leaping into space. Before long, the warships that had been approaching the spaceship, aiming their cannons, shattered and exploded en masse.
Not to mention Dokgo Yeon or Aire, even Asha, who had obtained a weapon suited to her thanks to Ban Yuwon, generated terrifying destructive power.
"Ha, hahaha..."
Woohyeolrin let out a despondent laugh.
"In the end, is it truly insurmountable?"
There were three ability users capable of single-handedly facing warships.
Moreover, even after deploying such firepower, Rucell remained by Ban Yuwon's side, creating an indescribable sense of stability.
An iron wall.
Seeing Woohyeolrin collapse, feeling the 'Rebellion's' insurmountable wall, Ban Yuwon clicked his tongue.
"Why did I try to overcome it? I only wanted to help the seniors who came in through the Special Admissions for Lower-Rank Dimensions."
"Th-that's right!"
Kshana, who had been overwhelmed by the rapidly unfolding situation, suddenly raised her voice.
"Yuwon has been so good to us... You shouldn't do this! He gave us possibilities when we had no hope! My ability, too... and other seniors' abilities! He helped us think through things and grow..."
"Woohyeolrin, you were always well-off, so you wouldn't understand our feelings. Yuwon worked so hard to improve our situation."
Another third-year senior agreed with her.
The students who belonged to Exodus were all of the fourth-years and some of the third-years, while all of the second-years, represented by Kshana, and the remaining third-years were completely unaware of the situation.
"All of that is nothing more than pathetic hypocrisy. In the end, he was just trying to use you," Woohyeolrin retorted in a cold voice.
Seeing the blood trickling from his lips, it seemed he had bitten his tongue after all.
"Nothing will change just by picking a few lucky ones and looking after them. It has to change from the root. The walls separating dimensions, the unequally distributed mana, Union promoting discrimination from behind the scenes by labeling dimensions as higher and lower! Nothing will change unless those are torn down!"
"Do you really think that destroying Union and the dimension walls will redistribute mana across all dimensions?"
"Not just like that, no. But it's possible if we conquer the Tower."
He raised his head and met Ban Yuwon's gaze directly.
"The wish you bastards will never achieve, Exodus will make it happen."
"Ah, I see... I roughly get it. Thanks for telling me Exodus's wish. Though I don't know if that's your wish too."
It was indeed a good thing he hadn't eliminated him beforehand.
Because now he knew the enemies' objective, which he had never imagined.
Ban Yuwon didn't believe for a moment that conquering the Tower of Babel to its very top would lead to the convenient reforms Exodus desired.
But there must be a reason why they came to such a conclusion... and the rest would need to be discussed with others.
Perhaps Yumina would have more detailed information on this than Ban Yuwon.
"Something that anyone born in a lower-ranked dimension yearns for... The very act of dismissing it so lightly is proof that you cannot represent us."
"Us? Don't arbitrarily lump me in with Exodus! No purpose can justify a crime! Especially against Yuwon, who worked hard for us—!"
Well done, Kshana. Keep it up.
Ban Yuwon certainly had his own thoughts about the inequality that Woohyeolrin and Exodus claimed, but nothing could be achieved through these methods.
‘Things are going to get more troublesome from now on. Exodus surely isn't operating at full strength yet. Perhaps Woohyeolrin's rampage was even a test for me.’
If that were the case, it would truly be a grand-scale test.
In any case, it wasn't a loss since he managed to reduce their fighting strength, but he couldn't help but sigh, wondering anew why he had so many enemies.
As Ban Yuwon clicked his tongue and raised his hand to finish Woohyeolrin himself, Woohyeolrin, who had lost focus from too much blood loss and couldn't even properly see Ban Yuwon in front of him, suddenly screamed.
"Cartro—! Command! You can do it! All our comrades are dead, completely dead! Why didn't you step in before it came to this?!"
"..."
Woohyeolrin yelled at Cartro, who remained silent with his head bowed within the barrier.
"Before it's too late! Right now—! 'Command'! With your Authority!"
Command, huh.
Hearing those words, Ban Yuwon's eyes sparkled.
Cartro's ability to strengthen allies was incredibly powerful, but Ban Yuwon had long suspected it was overly unilateral.
In fact, in exchange for enhancing everyone's abilities, Cartro must have gained some kind of right.
If that right was the power to issue commands to targets, then that truly would be an Authority fit to be called 'Domination'.
Most likely, Woohyeolrin's contract usurpation had been a plan to work in conjunction with Cartro's ability from the very beginning.
But when Cartro's condition recently became abnormal, he must have been forced to settle for taking additional measures with the Talisman.
"It's impossible. I told you we couldn't win, Woohyeolrin," Cartro finally spoke, his voice subdued.
Had that voice even been heard? Woohyeolrin's voice grew louder.
"Command! Like you did when you survived the monster wave!"
"Did Kuran tell you that? Even if you try to provoke me with such words, it's futile."
Cartro raised his head.
His gaze extended from his own chest, as if seeing something invisible, all the way to Ban Yuwon.
Their eyes met.
"He's been observing my Authority. From the very moment we first met."
"Cartro—!"
"It means he could sever this kind of connection at any time. If he had wanted to, he could have easily broken the contract you tried to use. He only left it because he intended to turn your Authority against you. So, I repeat—it's impossible."
"—!"
Woohyeolrin continued to scream, but nothing more could be heard.
That was because Kshana, unable to bear it any longer, had transformed all the sounds he emitted into mana.
After instinctively activating an Authority that converted others' voices into magical power, Ban Yuwon gave a gentle smile to Kshana, who was herself surprised by what she had accomplished, and said.
"Remember this sensation well, Senior. If you succeed in taking away the voice of someone who exercises Authority through their voice, you might be able to nullify their ability itself."
"Yeah... yeah!"
Kshana, who had been subtly feeling alienated and anxious during Ban Yuwon's ruthless punishment of Woohyeolrin and the other seniors, finally relaxed and smiled upon hearing his words.
Ban Yuwon also smiled.
‘It's a real relief that Kshana isn't a traitor.’
If Cartro's 'Command' was something that activated the moment he vocalized it, then even without Ban Yuwon's barrier or Authority, Kshana's mere presence could block his Authority.
While it was regrettable to lose capable individuals like Woohyeolrin, it was at least fortunate that Kshana's abilities had advanced significantly in return.
Lilyth, who had received this thought, whispered to him in disbelief.
"That's a rather psychopathic line of thinking, Master."
‘That's why I didn't say it out loud and just thought it to myself.’
Woohyeolrin couldn't hold out much longer and collapsed.
Ban Yuwon, having successfully extracted all concepts from the traitors, including Woohyeolrin, raised his head, vowing not to let their sacrifice be in vain.
"Then, let's officially begin the purification of the abandoned dimension."
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