I got into school for nothing-367
I got into school for nothing (367)
Lesson 72. Tower of Babel Isolation Operation - 2
As two S-rank dimensions vanished one after another, a sense of dread slowly began to spread through Union Academy.
This was an extreme change that couldn't be compared to the disappearance of a few lower-rank dimensions.
It reached a point where some even trembled, wondering if all dimensions might perish this way.
Ban Yuwon, for a different reason, racked his brain.
"These bastards, surely they didn't volunteer for this?"
The Rebellion team's advance was currently stalled.
Of course, other students were still climbing the Tower, but compared to Rebellion's exploration, which had already surpassed the 560th floor, there was no room for new variables to be created—in other words, it must have been a level that could be sufficiently covered by just the concepts circulating within the Tower.
'Both Fides and Amore were relatively good at remembering their predecessors. It wouldn't have been strange if they had a hidden card, but I never imagined it would be something like this.'
Who would have known it would be a suicide attack that obliterated their own dimension, not even launching nuclear missiles at Union?
But now the problem was that by doing so, the Fides dimension was likely absorbed entirely by the Tower of Babel.
It was difficult to face Ban Yuwon outside, so they'd rather enter the Tower—.
Whether they had been aiming for this, or if they made such an extreme choice out of fear of Ban Yuwon, it was undeniably an effective move, considering he would ultimately have to enter the Tower to rescue his father who was trapped within it.
"And here I am, going around setting up barriers to prevent exactly this kind of situation."
[Phew, we've safely subdued them. As expected, B-rank dimensions offer a different kind of challenge!]
Anneri's image was reflected on the mirror Ban Yuwon had projected, wiping sweat from her brow and smiling refreshingly.
On the other side, Heukseol could be seen, her expression sulky as she activated the barrier device Ban Yuwon had created. RAN.0bеs
"Why is she sulking? Did someone hit her while subduing them?"
[It seems she wanted to serve by Master Yuwon's side.]
—Once I return, she won't be able to dream that vain dream anymore.
"Don't hate both of them too much..."
He continued to receive reports from other teams, and fortunately, no one seemed to be encountering major difficulties in the B-rank dimensions yet.
In truth, the essence of this operation was speed.
Just as the barrier spread across Earth could only be briefly pierced, no matter how much power the Melodia Family Head poured into it.
Once a barrier was deployed, it would "combine with the dimension wall" to take effect. Therefore, unless one possessed the power to completely shatter a dimension wall, or was an ability user like Ban Yuwon who could selectively dismantle only the barrier from the dimension wall, there was no way to remove it.
'So, as long as we can just set up the barriers and get out, it'll be fine.'
By the time it came to B-rank dimensions, many more people were able to access the Union Net and receive the benefits of the status window.
With the Fides dimension having vanished, and the number of dimensions losing connection to the Union Net continuously increasing, what would people think when they saw the Rebellion team directly carrying out this barrier work?
Not only would there be direct opposition, but in the worst-case scenario, there was even a possibility of other dimensions cooperating.
[Master, it seems we've been discovered. Our channel, and indeed the entire Union Net, is ablaze!]
"Exactly, the real fun of UniyouTube is when things get heated like this. Bring some popcorn."
It was something he had braced for, and as expected, the conflict grew, and talk of Rebellion being the main instigator of this situation began to swell.
Many even came directly to throw stones at the channel he managed.
Looking at the Union Net, all sorts of malicious speculations were circulating.
The idea that Ban Yuwon had gone mad while climbing the Tower was rather mild. Conspiracy theories claiming he was colluding with the Ten Great Families to limit the benefits of the Union Net to only them even gained considerable support.
He was, of course, planning to block all S-rank dimensions too!
"Student Yuwon, how about this? In my assessment, I think it's a success this time."
Hearing Campanella's call, Ban Yuwon raised his head. He met her gaze—her eyes, still half-dead, yet burning with a strange passion—and gave a slightly awkward smile, feeling a bit troubled.
"Are you getting any sleep while you're doing this?"
"I can sleep all I want once this is over. Right now, helping you is much more important, isn't it?"
Please don't say things like that, it's too much pressure...!
Ban Yuwon groaned inwardly as he accepted the cube-shaped magic tool Professor Campanella handed him.
"...Ah."
As their fingers brushed in the process—though it probably seemed intentional—Professor Campanella let out a blank exclamation and froze on the spot.
"Professor?"
"Uh, hmm. I'd like you to take a look. ...Hehe."
Scary!
Get me out of here right now!
I really shouldn't have come to see her alone when Mira wasn't here!
Ban Yuwon, ready to escape from Campanella with spatial teleportation at any moment, examined the item—and soon let out an exclamation of his own.
Its core concepts were lure, absorption, confinement, and control.
Just by hearing about the concepts it was composed of, one might wonder what dangerous thing they were trying to do, but this was a simple mousetrap.
Albeit a mousetrap designed to lure and trap monster waves.
Ban Yuwon analyzed the detailed elements of the 'lure' concept, examining whether it could properly attract the monster wave—that is, the infection wave.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"You've succeeded, Professor."
"Thank you, it's thanks to your help."
Campanella replied with relief.
"No one has ever dared to conceive of such an idea until now. To think it could trap an infection wave."
"In the end, I thought it would be possible, as long as we could accurately grasp what kind of concept it was."
He narrowed his eyes as he inspected the item.
Of course, there were still many problems.
How much could this one item truly cover? And how long could it withstand the infection wave?
Ultimately, this was an item to be used temporarily until Ban Yuwon conquered the Tower. To control the monster waves across all dimensions, the principle applied to this item ultimately had to be applied directly to the Tower itself.
"There's a good way to perfectly analyze its actual effects. Eve."
"Shh-t."
At the brief call, Eve nodded silently and unleashed her power.
When the divine beast manifested its Authority, the area instantly transformed as if into outer space.
Professor Campanella, seemingly quite accustomed to this, said with a calm expression:
"It's always amazing, this Authority..."
"Because she's eaten things. Right, Eve?"
"Shis-sh."
Eve, who rubbed her forehead against Ban Yuwon's outstretched hand, showing a moment of affection, gradually expanded the cosmic space—the illusionary domain.
This space was already perfectly separated from reality; both the flow of time and spatial interference operated under principles entirely separate from reality.
"How about this much?"
"Shis-sh."
In the blink of an eye, Eve, who had created a space equivalent to two F-rank dimensions combined, distinguished the area by creating a dimension wall around their location.
Having set the audacious goal of blocking monster waves across all dimensions, the item in Ban Yuwon's hand had to, one way or another, demonstrate performance that transcended the dimension wall.
"Alright, shall we generate it then?"
"Shhhhiii..."
The infection wave generated in the area furthest from them.
It was a cosmic disaster—mutating and strengthening existing monsters, and if there were no monsters, it made the surrounding mana run wild, creating new monsters.
In this space, it was merely something that could be easily reproduced by Eve's will.
Of course, it had no physical form, but in all other aspects, it perfectly matched an actual monster wave.
"It could be dangerous, Professor. Would you like to step outside?"
What if one were to die in here?
Even if their real body was unharmed, the excessive realism wouldn't just end with phantom pain.
Perhaps their heart might stop.
Campanella refused Ban Yuwon's suggestion, offered with this thought in mind, with a subtle smile.
"It means you're in danger too, doesn't it? I'll stay here with you. ...Perhaps dying together might be a bit romantic. Hehe."
See, every single word you say is terrifying!
Even as Ban Yuwon trembled in fear, the infection wave gradually began to swell in size.
Then, at a certain moment, the cube in Ban Yuwon's hand began to vibrate with a hum... rising from his hand and floating in the air.
"Is this the seeking type, perhaps? It didn't seem so when I only examined its concepts."
"Because that would reduce its stability, it probably won't move."
Indeed, the floating function seemed to be for securing the minimum space required to absorb the infection wave.
Even with a dimension wall between them, and despite the distance equivalent to two F-rank dimensions layered together, the infection wave reacted to the magic tool and began to change its form.
Originally, the infection wave spread in all directions like a fog, swirling like a typhoon and indiscriminately mass-producing monsters.
But now, perhaps because the magic tool's suction power was excessively strong, it was being pulled straight towards them, as if someone was drawing it, extending in a straight line.
"Hmm..."
"What would happen if someone were in that path?"
"Well, it could be dangerous if you were bare-bodied. But isn't the person who comes into outer space without any magical defenses at fault?"
"Now that you mention it, that's true. You could call it a natural death."
Even as the two exchanged opinions, the infection wave, which had gradually closed the distance, finally charged straight into the dimension wall—and slipped through the dimension wall as if nothing was there, finally being sucked into the 'mousetrap' floating in the air, disappearing from sight.
"From the very beginning, the Tower's 'Integration' aimed to exert influence beyond dimension walls. So, in a way, it's only natural that the infection wave, a byproduct created in that process, isn't affected by dimension walls."
"What's important now is that even with the dimension wall between them, the device successfully lured and absorbed the infection wave."
The two exchanged smiles, then reached out a hand to shake.
There was a feeling as if she was stroking the back of his hand, lingering, reluctant to let go—but he hated himself for having grown accustomed to even this.
"Then, from now on, let's continue the experiment by increasing the distance."
"Ah..."
When he finally withdrew his hand, Campanella was overtly disappointed. Ban Yuwon, of course, cleanly ignored her and turned away, asking Eve to start experimenting with other conditions.
After approximately 10 hours of experimenting, researching how to modify the device to make it work more effectively once its performance reached its limit, Eve finally reached her limit in maintaining her Authority.
"Phew, it's amazing every time I experience it."
Confirming that only 10 seconds had passed in reality while 10 hours had flowed in the illusionary space, Campanella blinked her eyes.
"Even Professor Zenon couldn't have done it like this."
"Because she's a divine beast. You've worked hard, Eve. It looks like it'll be completed quickly thanks to you."
"Shis-shish."
Campanella, who momentarily wore an envious expression at the sight of Eve, rubbing her head against Ban Yuwon's cheek and acting cute despite being tired, felt Ban Yuwon's gaze on her and immediately corrected her expression.
"Then I'll start making the upgraded version now."
"I told you to rest a little first."
"Rest, well—"
Campanella hesitated a little at his words, then stealthily extended her head towards Ban Yuwon.
After a moment of thought, Ban Yuwon ended up stroking her head just as she wanted.
"Good, I think I'll be fine now."
"That's a relief."
Yeah.
Still scary, though.
Even as Ban Yuwon sighed with that thought, he left her workshop to install the device he now held in an F-rank dimension.
At that moment, Lilyth came up with a brilliant idea.
[Master, how about advertising this? We can pretend our goal was to spread this item from the very beginning!]
"Ah, that thing, you know. Like, 'This is just a temporary phenomenon, so please rest assured and enjoy your daily lives,' that kind of thing?"
[Kukukuku, by the time these ignorant fools realize the truth, Master will already be tearing down the Tower!]
No, if things go according to plan, the Union Net and the System will be maintained, actually.
But Ban Yuwon, thinking that announcing this wouldn't be a bad idea, nodded. Then, a sudden thought struck him: it would feel more realistic to broadcast this live.
Three days later, a very good opportunity arose.
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