I got into school for nothing - 269
I got into school for nothing (269)
Lesson 53. Equivalent Exchange - 1
Fortunately, the academy was incredibly lenient towards those with special abilities. And as long as the content wasn't fabricated, special activities involving dispatches to higher-ranking dimensions offered quite a lucrative score.
[Then can't the children of higher-ranking dimensions just pretend to do special activities and confidently go home to play during the semester?]
“Do... you... think... the... Chancellor... is... a... pushover...?” Ban Yuwon replied to Lilyth, struggling with each word, his concentration fixed on the hazy cluster of concepts forming before his eyes.
He was currently on the backside of the Tower, challenging himself with goblin creation, a task that had now become routine. Solo Exploration could be entered at any time, so whenever he found himself with spare time, it had become a habit to come inside and train his Authority. It was a space where no one could disturb him, and the sofa was quite cozy, making it suitable for organizing his thoughts alone.
—No, strictly speaking, he could never truly be alone anymore.
“Hoo...”
The concept, which had momentarily coalesced into a goblin shape and moved according to his will, ultimately collapsed and scattered. Ban Yuwon, letting go and giving up on controlling it, breathed a sigh of relief. He then picked up the teacup on the table, moistened his throat, and spoke.
[That's true, but...]
“No matter how credible it is, seeing you get away with just video reports, it really does seem like that monster favors you,” Cellon, who had been sitting demurely beside him sipping tea, remarked.
Now, Ban Yuwon, who understood a fair bit of her past, read the complex hidden meaning in her words and smiled bitterly.
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, though.”
The Chancellor would stand by, watching, believing that whatever Ban Yuwon experienced would lead to growth, as long as he didn't die. No, more than that, there were even times he seemed to deliberately guide Ban Yuwon towards hardship. In any case, it had helped this time. He had easily permitted Team Rebellion and the Fairy Devil Team to conduct their special activities together in the A-4 Dimension.
It was as if, for all the great expectations and burdens he placed upon him, he would also grant Ban Yuwon every possible convenience within his power. Naturally, this was no longer the relationship between a typical student and the Chancellor. 'Patron and sponsored' fit the description better. Since it wasn't something he could simply refuse, Ban Yuwon decided to utilize whatever he could.
‘There will be many opportunities to visit other dimensions for special activities during the remainder of the semester. Anyway, as long as it falls under the scope of special activities, if I’m truly pushed to the brink of death, he’ll rescue me...’
It wasn't just Shati’s home, the A-4 Dimension. He also had to visit Mira’s dimension, and he planned to get more involved with the Level Force Mercenary Group's requests. To observe and respond to the movements of the Prominence Family, he needed to act more proactively.
Moreover, the immediate enemies weren't just the Prominence Family and Crimson Spear. Exodus, and Lusein Rown-Palomer Aquinas Ortima, who had been completely rejected by Dokgo Yeon this time, also weighed on his mind. Even the Melodia Family, who seemed to grasp fragments of the universe's secrets, couldn't be considered allies without reservation. After all, he had only received their help due to his friendship with Aire; the family head himself had clearly shown signs of being wary of Ban Yuwon.
“Ha, so many enemies...”
A sigh escaped him involuntarily. Even when he was frantically absorbed in his tasks, the realization would occasionally surface, bringing a suffocating feeling to a corner of his heart.
“Well, of course, you’d have many enemies, being someone who aims to conquer the Tower,” Cellon said, emptying her cup and placing it on the table. She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at him with a smile.
“No matter how they became your enemies, they instinctively realize that if they leave you alone, you will inevitably reach the top of the Tower someday. That’s why they can’t just leave you be.”
“Is that so...”
“Huhu, it is. Your talent is so brilliant that you must endure the moths drawn to its light.” Cellon gazed at him with a pleased expression, her eyes closer to those of a guardian than a friend. Indeed, even Yumina had relied on her through a Constellation contract, so perhaps such feelings were appropriate to direct towards Ban Yuwon, Yumina's disciple.
Even she, who would turn into a malicious matchmaker whenever Yumina was involved, now, alone with him, exuded the dignity of a sage who had exchanged years for knowledge and wisdom.
“Can I handle it?”
“Of course. Because I’m betting on you.”
“Is that so.” Though there were no guarantees, his heart surprisingly felt a little lighter. It was a sense of stability that could only be offered by a senior and an understanding confidante who had walked a step ahead of him, different from lovers like Rucell or Mira who accepted him unconditionally, or comrades like Dokgo Yeon, Asha Light Camelot, and Aire who walked alongside him.
[...At this point, I feel it’s necessary to investigate the hidden agenda of that woman who relentlessly pushed her disciple onto Master. Perhaps it wasn't a grand scheme designed by a sage?]
Lilyth ruined the good atmosphere again.
“Hmph. Eve.”
“Shh-shh-sht.”
[Oh, big sister?!]
Ban Yuwon sighed and entrusted Eve with keeping Lilyth in check. He turned his gaze to the harmony of the Tower unfolding before his eyes, activating his Giwon Sword once more to pursue it. A small amount of demonic energy, life, flesh, and a minuscule trace of soul coalesced, forming the shape of a small demonic goblin.
‘Adjust the flow of concepts. Create a temporary shell with my Authority, then pour the contents inside and solidify it. This much is fine. Success hinges on the shell maintaining its form even after it leaves the influence of my Authority.’
Now, almost three weeks after first embarking on this Solo Exploration, significant progress had been made in the task of shaping a form from mere concepts. Had he not been accustomed to imbuing inanimate objects with the concepts of life and soul, and recreating them as his subordinates, his progress would likely have been much slower.
This task, if the completion of creation was set at 100, felt like it was already 50 to 60 percent done. In fact, the goblin he created would even move no differently from an actual Goblin under the influence of his Giwon Sword.
‘It’s a complete turnaround from three weeks ago, when even forming a shape was impossible.’
Training in the Orb’s space had been a tremendous help. Relying on the Orb’s spatial Authority, which automatically backed up the formation of external shapes—something he hadn't even grasped—he had slowly learned, and as a result, he had now mastered the knack of creating forms with his own power!
The rest was whether the completed creation would maintain itself even when isolated from his Authority...
“Oh dear.” Cellon let out a soft exclamation as she watched the goblin completely collapse and revert to concepts.
Ban Yuwon, who had more or less expected this, wasn't disappointed. It was the same principle as imbuing concepts created by his Authority with permanence. This task, infinitely more difficult and inefficient than creating temporary concepts, would be complete once he mastered it to the extent his hand could reach.
“I should be able to do it by the end of the second semester.”
“Then you’ll be able to glimpse other secrets held by the Tower.”
“I have a feeling it’ll probably lead to the next Progenitor’s Room, though.”
Both creating the form and pouring in the contents to complete it—the difficulty would naturally skyrocket the higher the level of what he wished to create. Right now, he could only manage to sculpt the shape of a Goblin. If he tried to create something like a powerful Orc Warrior or an armored centipede, his brain would simply short-circuit.
“What, so it’ll never end, then? It’ll probably feel like this for a while.”
[You look a little happy, though. As expected, this woman also...]
“Eve, keep your sister in line.”
“Shh-shh-sht.”
This week would be busy with Tower climbing, but next week, a special activity was officially scheduled. They were heading to the A-4 Dimension, to the most dangerous place in the Demon World. ‘It would be good if I could at least create a perfect goblin by then,’ Ban Yuwon thought vaguely, reaching out his hand once more to condense the concepts.
* * *
Between the B-125 Dimension and the B-127 Dimension, there had once been a dimension called B-126, or alternatively, Pryston. 'Had been' didn't mean the dimension had vanished, but rather that no one sought it out anymore. In the past, a fierce war had erupted for control of Pryston, which escalated into a conflagration that engulfed all of humanity within that dimension.
Everyone knew that several of the Ten Great Families had been behind the war. However, during the conflict, the dimension’s unique resources became depleted and lost their value. Moreover, dangerous dungeons began to cause waves, leading those who were convinced that further intervention would only result in losses to withdraw before it was too late. Only unknowing sacrificial lambs remained, who soon vanished into the maws of monsters.
Now, it had become a forsaken dimension where even asteroids could be swallowed whole in a moment of carelessness, firmly recognized by dimension travelers as a place one should never set foot in.
“Ha, these crazy bastards, seriously.”
It was in that very forsaken dimension that Kuran Luchato stood. Despite his successive failures leading to a reduction in assigned warships and a drastic decrease in authority, he was still an executive of Exodus. A status that allowed him to comfortably nap even while staying in the lawless zone of a forsaken dimension, which was categorized as high-risk even among all dimensions.
“Are you really trying to mess with us? Seriously? You’re probably hard-pressed these days, so are you just going to keep attacking without thinking?”
However, it seemed his authority wasn’t properly acknowledged by the rabble currently surrounding his fleet. Even after he vehemently threatened them through the communication channel, the enemy’s momentum, steadily closing the distance, showed no signs of abating. Instead, only sharp, aggressive retorts came back.
—You bastards have wounded the pride of us, Crimson Spear.
—You even stole the Holy Sword.
—At the very least, we must reclaim it to settle this grudge.
Crimson Spear. Their fleet had eventually tracked down Kuran Luchato’s location and was now bearing down on him in full force. Naturally, he had requested reinforcements, and Exodus, unwilling to lose face in a battle of pride against Crimson Spear, immediately dispatched their own forces. As luck would have it, a large-scale naval battle between Exodus and Crimson Spear was about to take place.
Of course, Kuran had no intention of simply refusing the fight. What he couldn't comprehend, even to the very end, was this:
“I don’t have that damn Holy Sword, you sons of bitches!”
Being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Being demanded to hand over a treasure he had never even possessed! As a dimension pirate, what greater humiliation could there possibly be?
—It seems we’ll have to spill some blood before you come to your senses.
—We’ve always disliked how you bastards look down on us. Now’s our chance to establish the pecking order.
“But why do I have to be their stepping stone, damn it?!”
For Kuran, who had carved out his own path to success even after joining Exodus, this was an unbearable turn of events. Could things get any more twisted? And just who were those despicable scoundrels who had mimicked him and leisurely escaped in the D-13 Dimension in the first place?!
“Unforgivable, damn it...! I shouldn’t be wasting time squabbling with these worms when a great undertaking lies ahead!”
Could he hold out until reinforcements arrived? No, if he clashed with Crimson Spear at this critical juncture and squandered his forces, could he possibly complete the great undertaking he had to achieve at Union Academy? The answer was despairing.
Kuran cursed his past self for having moved carelessly, lured by the Holy Sword and the gem that was As Light, and he cursed the damned pirates who had mimicked him to reel in the leviathan that was Crimson Spear, as he began preparing for battle. The grand confrontation between Exodus, who, backed by Constellations including their Gigantic War Machines, aimed for the Tower, and Crimson Spear, who, supported by the Ten Great Families, sought to disrupt the order of dimensions.
...The most infuriating part was that no matter which side won, it seemed the scoundrels who had mimicked him would achieve the outcome they desired.
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