I got into school for nothing - Chapter 261
I got into school for nothing (261)
Lesson 51. Solid Alliance - 3
Having safely ensconced himself in his private room, evading the sharp gazes and probing hands of the women who sought his vulnerabilities, Ban Yuwon spent that entire night engrossed in artifact crafting.
His first priority, naturally, was to craft gifts for the mercenary women currently assisting him on this assignment.
First, for his mother, he crafted a bracelet that could provide defensive capabilities in an emergency, and furthermore, held the function to enhance the Unquenchable Flame.
Concepts related to defense, such as 'Exoskeleton,' 'Iron Armor,' or 'Stone Wall,' could surprisingly be acquired with ease in various locations, including the Tower. He had, in fact, been diligently stuffing most of these concepts directly into his school uniform as soon as he obtained them.
When numerous lower-tier concepts are brought together, they can be converted into higher-tier concepts, which, while shallower in depth, possess greater purity. Thus, he transformed the multitude of concepts he had accumulated into a handful of 'Vajra,' the pinnacle of defensive concepts.
‘If I hadn’t already possessed Vajra, I wouldn’t have even contemplated such a sublimation,’ he mused.
Next, he extracted his Won-gi through Yugi, refined it into the Unquenchable Flame, and imbued that into the artifact as well.
However, ever since he had mastered Yugi and grown adept at controlling conceptual transformations with his Giwon Sword, the duration of his modified concepts had steadily lengthened. Now, with both martial arts having matured and his ability to even wield Codeword, he could craft concepts that, once imbued into an object, would endure eternally.
‘Naturally, this is only feasible with concepts I have personally mastered and can skillfully manipulate,’ he acknowledged.
The rarer a concept and the deeper its intrinsic meaning, the exponentially greater the amount of Won-gi required for its creation.
To put it into perspective, a 'Defense' (防禦) concept of level 10 would expend 50 Won-gi, while an 'Unquenchable Flame' (紅焰) concept of level 10 would drain 500 Won-gi.
As for peak-tier concepts like Concept Conversion or synthesis, he had only experimented with them a few times and hadn't truly mastered them. Consequently, it was doubtful if he could even generate a single unit by expending 1,000 Won-gi.
‘If I could freely create anything with Yugi, wouldn't I be a god then?’ he pondered. ‘Regardless, it’s clear that my abilities are developing in the right direction.’
Ban Yuwon pulled out the Won-gi storage talismans he had diligently prepared whenever he had surplus Won-gi, tearing them, one after another.
Absorbing the Won-gi that permeated the air, he generated the Unquenchable Flame, imbuing only as much as the gemstone bracelet could contain. In the leftover space, he then integrated concepts such as 'amplification' and 'support,' thereby enabling it to function as a complete artifact.
It was neither a difficult nor a dramatic process, so no unforeseen mutations occurred. Nevertheless, it was a treasure that, if presented to the Prominence family, would surely make their eyes roll back in avarice as they scrambled to claim it.
Indeed, unless the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas crafted it themselves, how else could one easily create an artifact capable of enhancing the Unquenchable Flame's power?
“I dislike that I can’t alter the design in the slightest. If Mira were here now... No, Mira would probably cry if I asked for help making gifts for other women.”
—She might secretly imbue a curse.
“Don’t say things like that, Cellon; it sounds all too real, and it frightens me.”
Perhaps it’s not too late to learn smithing now?
No, Mira would likely just cry again, telling him not to steal her work.
Ban Yuwon decided to content himself with merely altering the contents, and proceeded to craft earrings for the remaining three women.
Naturally, all the earrings shared the same design.
It was obvious that any differences would inevitably lead to them assigning odd meanings and squabbling.
‘Kiira and my sister both wield the Unquenchable Flame, so I can make theirs similar to Mom’s,’ he thought.
As the Won-gi-infused talismans were torn, one after another, the earrings destined for the two women, now infused with Vajra and the Unquenchable Flame, began to radiate an even more brilliant light.
As he continuously crafted the Unquenchable Flame, his understanding of it deepened further during the process, resulting in his own Unquenchable Flame’s depth increasing to 300.
Similarly, in the process of sublimating defensive concepts into Vajra, the depth of Ban Yuwon’s own Vajra had increased from 50 to 70. Thus, he wasn’t merely performing good deeds for others at the cost of his talismans.
Even then, a small amount of residual space remained within the gems’ inherent magic. It wasn’t quite enough to contain either Vajra or the Unquenchable Flame, leaving him to ponder what to imbue instead.
‘Charm... should I imbue that? In games, after all, accessories typically boost charm; it’s practically a rule of thumb.’
Charm was the power to sway the hearts of others.
It wasn’t merely about captivating an opponent, but also about influencing various facets, such as making others feel overwhelmed by his presence or causing them to docilely heed his words.
Since it wasn't solely about enhancing beauty, filling the remaining space with 'Charm' would be a good choice.
Above all, no woman would object to becoming more attractive.
‘All that’s left is Anneri’s earring,’ he realized.
He began by imbuing Vajra, just as before.
Imbuing the Unquenchable Flame would be meaningless for her, so after much deliberation, he instead crafted and instilled the 'Gwoeyeong' (怪影) from Gwoeyeonggong.
Given her naturally outstanding stealth abilities, she would undoubtedly be able to skillfully wield Gwoeyeong.
He finished this one by imbuing 'Charm' as well, and just as he was about to press on, seizing the momentum to begin work on the day's main objective—the pendant—that was when he received a message.
[I’ve found them. I just need to deal with them as instructed and let one escape, right?]
A report chimed in from Lilyth, who was out on patrol.
It appeared she had located the Crimson Spear members who had infiltrated planet Galahad.
Eve, similarly disguised as an Exodus executive, was also conducting search operations.
‘Of course. If it seems difficult, join up with the others and...’
[Master, you jest. As long as Requiem is with me, I don’t feel like I could lose to anyone!]
‘Yes, it’s truly admirable that you’ve grown into a strong child who won’t succumb to narrative foreshadowing,’ he thought, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The acquisition of Requiem bolstered the combat power of his vassals even more significantly than it did his own.
Even with Eve and Lilyth sharing its power, it enabled them to effortlessly apprehend the dimension pirates who had once roamed the cosmos unchecked.
While Ban Yuwon regularly monitored the situation on Galahad through the videos Tikke transmitted, he worked on crafting accessories for Asha with a visibly more relaxed demeanor.
In truth, he had wanted to give gifts to Rucell, Mira, and Dokgo Yeon as well... but if he did, he would then feel guilty towards Asha. Thus, he decided to craft their gifts at a later opportunity.
Yumina? He certainly didn’t wish to make her affections any heavier than they already were.
[It’s all sorted out, Master!]
‘Good. Then, wait until the ones who escaped return to their main force and react.’
[Understood!]
However, until the royal capital’s night gave way to dawn, the Crimson Spear fleet showed no significant change, maintaining its standoff with the guardian alliance.
The reason was only revealed as morning broke: dozens more Crimson Spear warships had appeared, tearing through the dimensional wall.
“Why, by all that’s holy? Did the likes of Crimson Spear truly decide to provoke a full-scale battle with our Exodus?”
“Don’t speak from Exodus’ perspective,” Ban Yumi cut in.
Having first exited the royal capital with his companions, Ban Yumi pointed this out to Ban Yuwon, who had been engrossed in contemplating the reason behind their arrogant and audacious behavior.
“Isn’t it simply because, after fighting directly, the sword seemed even more incredible than they had imagined?”
“That...”
“So, don’t they imagine they can simply storm in en masse, seize the Holy Sword from Exodus before they can escape, and wipe everyone out? With no Exodus warships visible in the D-13 Dimension, it must look like a perfectly exploitable situation from their perspective, wouldn’t you agree?”
“That’s... incredibly persuasive!”
This was entirely due to Eve and Lilyth’s overly spectacular demonstration of Requiem’s power.
So much so that the Crimson Spear, whom he had expected to retreat nursing thoughts of revenge against Exodus, had grown so covetous of Requiem that they had called for reinforcements!
Ban Yuwon had initially devised a strategy to exploit the Crimson Spear’s confusion—caused by Exodus’ sudden appearance and the theft of the Holy Sword—to toy with them before leisurely making his escape. However, now that events had spiraled in this direction, he could no longer afford to be complacent.
“Eve, Lilyth, you two need to head out right now and perform a little act for us.”
“Shishi-shit!”
[If I had known this would happen, I wish I’d just finished them off yesterday.]
“I merely wanted to create an opportunity for the guardian alliance to unite by clashing with the Crimson Spear, but...”
Ban Yuwon conceded that his plan, which had sought to kill two, even three, birds with one stone using Requiem, had been riddled with flaws.
Yet, the ultimate outcome would remain unchanged.
No matter how many Crimson Spear ships were added, they would never be able to win a speed race against Lilyth, who had mastered a plethora of concepts, from 'Acceleration' and 'Breakthrough' to 'Meteor.'
[Then we’ll be off!]
“Hahahahaha!”
Eve, letting out an exaggerated burst of laughter, boarded Lilyth, who had, by then, transformed into an Exodus warship.
“The transformation concept is spot-on,” he remarked.
“...”
As his companions stood aghast at the sight of a cute doll and a snake instantly transforming into a dimension pirate warship exuding formidable presence, complete with its captain, Lilyth activated 'Acceleration' and 'Breakthrough,' launching in the blink of an eye and tearing through the atmosphere!
* * *
Kuran Luchato was a man of considerable standing.
He hailed from a good family, recognized his own talents quite swiftly, and possessed ample opportunities to cultivate them.
Before reaching adulthood, he had already become the preeminent hunter of his world, making his selection for Union Academy an entirely natural progression.
Fortuitously, or perhaps ill-fatedly.
His encounter with the truth of Union and the Tower also occurred remarkably swiftly.
—Will you be a slave, or will you escape with us?
He chose Exodus.
It was a choice made with utter naturalness, devoid of significant deliberation or internal conflict.
A portion of his body, lost during his escape from the academy, was mechanically restored with the group’s aid. He diligently trained in Annihilation Magic, which collapses all things, and even forged his own unique weapons and combat strategies.
At a young age, he was placed in command of one of Exodus’s fleets, thereby becoming an executive.
Not long ago, he had the misfortune of encountering a full professor from the academy, resulting in everything below his neck being blown away. Yet, he hadn’t actually suffered much of a loss.
His Annihilation Magic, honed over decades of training to an extreme density, could even contain his life force and soul.
Indeed, by transferring all his essence into his magic and then into his head the instant his body was severed, he had received the blessings of the mechanical races, thereby gaining an even more potent body.
“A blessing in disguise, a blessing in disguise,” he muttered.
With a cigar clamped between his lips, humming a tune, he surged through the dimensional wall with his accompanying fleet.
His target was the D-13 Dimension.
He had initiated an investigation after noticing a sudden, large-scale movement from the Crimson Spear, and it appeared that an absurdly potent relic—one utterly unfitting for a lower-rank dimension—had been unearthed there.
Even without this, the D-13 Dimension was already garnering attention as the homeland of As Light, this year’s special admissions freshman, who hailed from a place renowned for gathering an absurd collection of formidable individuals.
If a newly unearthed relic from that dimension was truly so potent, it would be an unmissable major event. Sensing an opportunity, Kuran swiftly stepped forward.
“Even though Woohyeolrin died, and that bastard Cartro El Fassis betrayed us, and ninety percent of our comrades planted in Union were eliminated...”
Honestly, the setback had been immense.
Kuran, as one of the plan’s masterminds, couldn’t evade interrogation either.
But!
What if he managed to acquire the relic from the D-13 Dimension this time?
What if he could leverage that opportunity to even ensnare As Light, a member of Rebellion who had given him such a massive headache?
“It’s a blessing in disguise.”
There was no need to crunch the numbers.
After all, wouldn’t a ‘true gem’ like As Light be far more exploitable than mere chaff like Woohyeolrin or Cartro El Fassis!
Kuran Luchato, humming a tune to the bright future that lay ahead, crossed the dimensional wall.
At that exact moment, he witnessed a magnificent explosion of light erupting in the cosmic expanse beyond.
—Kuran—Luchato—!
A terrifying telepathic shriek, shaking the entirety of cosmic space, rattled his brain.
“No, are they insane? Did those bastards plant a spy? How could they possibly detect my presence the very instant I crossed the dimensional wall?”
Just as an utterly dumbfounded Kuran Luchato was about to open a comms channel and demand an explanation, a small warship, emblazoned with the Exodus emblem, streaked past his own vessel at light speed.
“Huh?”
“Hahahahahah!”
A figure who looked exactly like him, laughing heartily, was on that ship.
He hadn't seen wrong.
It was confusing even to himself.
He had stopped with his mouth agape, only to snap it shut again, fearing his cigar might tumble out.
“Hey, wait a second, that bastard, what, grab that—!”
—You’ve brought your subordinates!
The moment Kuran, utterly startled, attempted to turn the helm, the massive Crimson Spear fleet unleashed a simultaneous barrage of fire.
In the midst of that chaos, he couldn’t even hope to catch the ship that had already shot past the dimensional wall.
“Captain, we will engage!”
“No, those bastards aren’t important right now— Ah, what the hell is truly going on?!”
Having neatly missed his doppelganger, and inadvertently thrown into a full-scale battle with the Crimson Spear, Kuran felt as though everything was spiraling into utter disarray.
She had been right.
The Crimson Spear bastards were attacking, vehemently demanding he surrender the Holy Sword—a sword he was, himself, frantically trying to locate.
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