I got into school for nothing-324
I got into school for nothing (324)
Lesson 63. Year 2 - 4
"You were lucky, my son."
"I think so too, Father."
Cheonma and Ban Yuwon were looking at the same object.
Two years ago, after magnificently dismembering his enemy and having absorbed extreme death by Dokgo Yeon, it was the Executioner's Longsword, cracked and left neglected in a corner of his inventory.
At the time, Ban Yuwon had failed to collect any concepts from Zenon.
Perhaps Zenon had vanished like his magic upon death, or because Dokgo Yeon was the one who defeated him, Ban Yuwon wasn't permitted to even touch his concepts.
He had considered various hypotheses, but all of them were wrong.
That was why the sword had been in an unstable, almost berserk state to begin with.
"The power this sword originally held is also fascinating. 'Severance,' you say... This is the ultimate goal of my martial arts."
If Dokgo Yeon created death through Hyunsingong, Cheonma intended Severance through Hyunsingong.
The reason he desired that power was clear.
Long ago, he recognized the interference of the Union Net, which connected all dimensions, and the Tower of Babel, and sought to obtain the power of Severance to free this world from it.
The result was a partial success: in exchange for allowing this world to imperfectly persist, he had to live with Severance contained within his own body.
Of course, now that his injuries had been healed by Ban Yuwon's hands, he had become whole.
"Compared to your abilities, Father, this is an embarrassing level."
"Insert what you extracted from me two years ago here. I will add my power to aid in the artifact's completion."
The powers now residing in the Executioner's Longsword were primarily of three types.
First, the higher concept of Severance, born from many concepts Ban Yuwon had imbued into the Executioner's Longsword, now fused into one.
Second, the profound death granted by Dokgo Yeon.
And finally, third, Annihilation, which had clumped together after absorbing all of Zenon's essence.
The problem was that the balance between these three powers was extremely off. As Cheonma said, if they added the concept of Severance that had come off him when his injuries were healed two years ago, and if Cheonma infused additional energy, it seemed they might be able to restore the sword.
"That's as far as I can help you. You'll have to figure out how to fuse that sword, Requiem, with this one yourself."
"I don't expect that much either. Let's try it for now."
He took out all the Severance concepts stored in his Code Core and imbued them into the sword.
Naturally, the other energies within the sword rebelled, attempting to go berserk, but as if competing with Cheonma's activated energy, the Won-gi Ban Yuwon emitted melted around the Executioner's Longsword, binding those energies together.
This was no task that simply ended by fusing them. He had to reconstruct the sword, controlling and arranging the energies, as if refining it right there.
'Activate the Soul Flame with the Constellation's Stigma... And then, infuse my Crimson Flame as well.'
Severance, Death, and Annihilation were all energies Ban Yuwon did not primarily wield.
To encompass all of them, he imbued them with the Soul Flame, a flame created from a portion of his soul, and then breathed in the Crimson Flame to amplify its power.
Many powers intertwined complexly, attempting to defy their master, but his Yugi, which had grown over two years, showed exceptional performance in controlling the artifact as well.
"Hoh."
Cheonma's eyes narrowed, having observed Ban Yuwon's energy manipulation.
As if unwilling to be outdone, he boosted his momentum and poured his energy into the longsword.
As the fierce energies of the two men dominated the inside of the sword, Death and Annihilation, which had been rampaging as if superior, finally began to submit to them.
It was the moment Ban Yuwon had been waiting for.
The flames he had injected flared fiercely, enveloping all of them.
What he had learned and mastered over two years was not just martial arts.
He had advanced to the Artifact Production Department, and from Professor Campanella, who felt immense guilt towards him, he had mercilessly received knowledge and experience. He had also honed his skills alongside Mira, who assisted him right by his side.
His intuition, sharpened through his experiences, told him.
'Good, it's possible.'
There were times he wondered if he would have to keep it enshrined in his inventory forever.
Even as he felt excited that after two years, he could finally wield his beloved sword and the will Dokgo Yeon had left behind, he did not stop the artifact production process.
Under the guidance of the red flames he had ignited, Ban Yuwon felt the concepts melding into one, and gently closed his eyes.
The moment the artifact was completed, brilliant flames erupted.
[The profundity of Soul Flame has reached 300.]
[Numerous destructive powers that could never blend found harmony under the Authority's flames, causing the Mutant Authority to manifest and add new capabilities. The profundity of Mutant has reached 300.]
A smile played on his lips.
While studying artifact creation, what he had focused on the most was, as expected, the Authority of Soul Flame and Mutant, which he had ripped from two Constellations in the past.
After countless experiments, he had mastered both the method to perfectly wield the Soul Flame and the way to successfully manifest Mutant.
The result was the completed sword.
"Surprisingly, it's red."
"To completely dominate its capabilities, I mixed in the power of my innate bloodline."
On the blade of the Executioner's Longsword, which was originally pitch black, a deep red pattern, like flickering flames, was now etched.
He wondered if it was overly flamboyant—but this sword was one that wouldn't turn vulgar even with extravagance, so it would be fine.
Ban Yuwon gripped the sword, which could no longer reject him, and read the concepts within it.
Myeol-yeom [Flaming Demonic Sword 3,500, Severance 1,000, Death 1,000, Annihilation 1,000, Burned Away 500]
"It's tidied up."
And it's become unique.
Not only did all the high-level concepts harmonize perfectly, but the Crimson Flame he had infused was transformed into the concept of Annihilation by the Mutant.
Though it read the same as 'Annihilation', meaning to disappear and cease to exist, its meaning was different, referring to being burned away and destroyed.
Ban Yuwon was confident this wordplay would positively influence his use of the Authority, and he swung the newly born sword in the air—Myeol-yeom—a couple of times.
Cheonma, seeing the burning red flames left in the wake of the sword's path, read the power residing within it and clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"It is truly a divine artifact among divine artifacts. If it were to be kept at our sect, that is."
"Why would I just display a sword I've gone to such lengths to create? On the Rebellion channel, I'll put up banners saying 'A sword sponsored by Cheonma!' and promote it heavily, so you'll have to be content with that."
"It's no matter."
Even Cheonma, who had always been so distant, now exchanged comfortable jokes with him.
It was a little different from what he had heard from Dokgo Yeon, but perhaps because she was destined to be the next leader of the Shin-gyo, he could only speculate that Cheonma had deliberately educated her more strictly.
Or perhaps it was respect for a fellow transcendent being.
"Are you returning?"
"Yes."
Ban Yuwon nodded, smiling faintly, and said.
"There's still some vacation left, but I should probably meet some other people too."
"Do you think I don't know you're going to see those women?"
"What do you mean 'women' to your son's girlfriends, Father?"
"I never had a son like you."
Over the past two years, he had acutely realized that one of Cheonma's specialties was speaking with a forked tongue.
Cheonma turned his head, his face solemn as if they were truly strangers, and spoke in a slightly lowered voice.
"I have taught you everything I can."
"Oh."
"I never thought I, of all people, would utter such words. I've lived my entire life reveling in my own superiority, but in the end, I was nothing but a frog in a well."
He smiled bitterly and rose, then waved his hand, pushing Ban Yuwon out of the room.
"Next time you visit, I hope you come hand in hand with my daughter."
"I will certainly do so."
"Hmph."
The curtain fell.
Ban Yuwon silently offered a deep bow on the spot, then withdrew from the room.
Heukseol stood silently in the hallway.
She had been holding her breath, even employing stealth techniques, so he might have been startled, but Ban Yuwon calmly nodded towards her.
Heukseol clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"You're not surprised, Commander."
"Thanks to a certain someone, my Gwoeyeonggong has improved greatly."
The motif for Gwoeyeonggong, the martial art Ban Yuwon used when moving stealthily, came from Heukseol, who stood before him.
Naturally, he had received much instruction from her, who used the original technique... albeit somewhat unwillingly. But because it suited him surprisingly well, he had now grown to a level well over 2,000 in profundity.
Perhaps he could even contend with Anneri... No, he didn't know what else that woman was hiding, so it might be difficult.
"You've worked hard assisting me all this time. Leading the Myeolryongdan will be tough, but if you hold on just a little longer, I'll bring Yeon back."
"Why do you speak as if you're saying goodbye?"
"Because it is goodbye?"
Heukseol grinned upon hearing that.
She pulled something out from within her robes. It was a card proving membership in the mercenary group he was well acquainted with.
"...Huh?"
"'Rebel Force,' what a truly ominous name. Which is why I like it."
"No, when? How? ...Why?"
"Think about it."
She looked at him as if he were utterly pathetic.
"Your Lady was trapped in the Tower, and you, Commander, filled her place. Now, with you, Commander, departing once more for the land of decisive battles, how could the Shin-gyo possibly just let you go? Someone must watch over you to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"So Heukseol is coming along...?"
"I looked into various methods, but becoming a member of a mercenary group that travels across dimensions was indeed the simplest way. Of course, I merely joined for affiliation, and in reality, I intend to infiltrate Wicheon and serve the Commander."
Ban Yuwon felt a headache coming on and pressed his forehead.
Heukseol wouldn't have done this on her own initiative. If Cheonma had ordered her to do so, then he couldn't refuse.
Of course, having one more ally in Union was reassuring, and Heukseol, a master proudly standing among the top ranks even in Murim, where formidable practitioners abounded, would be a great asset in terms of combat power, but....
The very fact that it was Heukseol coming along...
"...You won't do anything strange, right?"
"I don't know what the Commander thinks of me, but I am always calm and collected."
"But sometimes I become passionate," she said, and at the sight of Heukseol wagging her tail back and forth, Ban Yuwon decided to abandon all hope.
He could only hope that his girlfriends wouldn't misunderstand.
No sooner had he thought that than his mirror vibrated uncannily.
―Mira: Where are you now, honey? I wanna see you soon ㅠㅠ
―(Ex-President): Please refrain from your antics in the group chat ㅠㅠ
―Me: I'm still in Murim, but I'll depart for Union right away. Uhm... a guest is coming with me, so don't be surprised.
―Rucell: I think I know who it is. Brother mentioned it. He said a new mercenary joined.
―Asha: Besides the club members who graduated this year?
―Aire: Is she strong? ...Is it a woman?
―Yumina: Yuwon, you can come to our usual spot. I'll reserve a party room and wait for you.
―(Ex-President): Professor Yumina, subtly flaunting your relationship with the new president is a bit much.
―Professor Campanella: Shatie, so now that you're a fellow professor, you're talking back to Yumina?
―Yumina: I'm not just a fellow professor. I'm the Vice Chancellor.
In the chatroom, the members were already chattering loudly.
Vacation hadn't even ended yet, and they had only been separated for less than two months, yet it felt like a reunion after a very long time.
"Can I also join this chatroom now?"
Ban Yuwon chuckled, pushing away Heukseol, who had suddenly poked her head out from behind him and spoken.
"Hearing 'chatroom' come from Heukseol's mouth feels incredibly foreign."
"You may not think so, but my adaptability to modern technology is superior to the Lady's."
"That criterion is hardly convincing when it comes to Yeon."
"Hmm."
"What now?"
"Perhaps you'd consider calling me 'Seol'?"
Ban Yuwon seriously considered ditching her for a moment and escaping to Union alone, but unfortunately, he couldn't shake off Heukseol's wholeheartedly applied stealth techniques.
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