I got into school for nothing - 40
I got into school for nothing (40)
Lesson 9. Learning Martial Arts - 5
"Ah, ahh..."
Ban Yuwon desperately reached out towards the sky.
The thread, which had been descending to a certain altitude, was now trying to return to the heavens the moment he observed it.
However, as he stretched out his hand, imbued with potent will, the Hyungi circulating within his body reacted, flaring up intensely.
It felt as if his will and presence were spreading throughout the area where he extended his hand.
'It's like my Authority is being strengthened by Hyungi...'
Wasn't mana, in its original form, a power audacious enough to be called omnipotent, capable of transforming into anything?
Due to the strong suction force emanating from his Authority, a portion of the thread unwound and made contact with Ban Yuwon's hand. Ban Yuwon calmly grasped it and pulled.
As he did, a massive amount of unspooled characters wrapped themselves around his hand.
'Perfect!'
Of course, what he managed to retrieve was only a minuscule portion of the character string that formed the thread, but even this was more than what his companions had acquired.
He figured he would be inextricably entangled with these Constellations in the future anyway, and there would undoubtedly be other opportunities to rip out their concepts later on.
Ban Yuwon decided to focus on the immediate gains.
[You realize a more active and aggressive way to use your Authority. The depth of Omniscient Eye, Omniscient Ear, and Omniscient Tongue each deepen by 10. The depth of Life (生) has reached 260.]
[You realize how to further enhance your abilities by imbuing Hyungi with your will. The depth of Hyunsingong has reached 25. The depth of Hyungi has reached 152.]
First, there was his pure advancement, stemming from the process of plundering the cluster of characters.
Ban Yuwon felt the sensation of his Authority's limits crumbling more vividly than anyone else.
Even without needing to check the notifications that his depth had increased, he instinctively understood how to wield and further develop his Authority from now on.
'This isn't a favor that can be repaid with just a clothing gift, after all.'
For Ban Yuwon, who held the conviction that favors received must be repaid in full, this was no small matter weighing on his mind.
However, glancing at Dokgo Yeon, he saw she was merely closing her eyes, still basking in the afterglow of her level-up.
Ban Yuwon let out a soft sigh and turned his gaze back.
To the golden character string that was intertwined with his hand, wavering and slowly unraveling.
[Life (生) 50, Body (肉體) 20, Mana (魔力) 15, Myriad Transformations (萬變) 1]
The enormous amount of Life (生) that elicited an involuntary groan first astonished him.
A staggering 50! He had never once acquired such a quantity of Life all at once.
Of course, he did intend to share a bit with Eve.
"About 15 should do, right?"
"Sishishit."
A deeply moved Eve expressed her fervent emotion by tightening and loosening her grip on Ban Yuwon's arm.
He let out a short laugh, gave a portion of the Life to her, and absorbed the rest entirely himself.
As a reward directly bestowed by the Tower, both Life and Body were applied undiminished, and surprisingly, the same held true for Mana.
[The absorbed Mana (魔力) 15 is converted into Hyungi (玄氣).]
'Oh, ohh!'
He had anticipated some loss, but the result was a surprising 100%.
He had gained a full 15 Hyungi.
Moreover, as his Life grew, his soul also naturally expanded alongside it, effectively granting him the benefits of clearing several rooms!
'If I hadn't given some Life to Eve, I would have broken past 300.'
The thought suddenly crossed his mind, but he reminded himself that Eve was as much his partner as he was hers, making her growth equally important. He calmed his rising excitement.
And what was more important than anything else right now was...
[You absorb Myriad Transformations (萬變) 1. This is a top-tier concept, a concept that humans cannot possess.]
It was a top-tier concept that, in the process of being bestowed from the Tower to a human, seemed to have 'failed to transform into other concepts.'
While handling the Babylonia Code, Ban Yuwon had learned that language contained both higher and lower concepts, different from those classified by conventional linguistic rules. The method for distinguishing them was the scope of the concept's application and the brightness of its golden glow.
For instance, among martial arts, Hyunsingong possessed a particularly intense glow, and Hyungi's radiance was far more potent compared to mana.
'And this... it's blinding, utterly blinding.'
Myriad Transformations.
Ban Yuwon had hoped that perhaps he would gain transformation abilities, but if that were possible, he would have been able to apply a similar "Conversion" (變換)—like the one he gave Eve—to himself even before handling Myriad Transformations.
"Shwik, shwiiishit."
"You want it, don't you? You really want it?"
"Sishishishit! Shwishik!"
Eve's pouting and aegyo, realizing that Ban Yuwon possessed a concept even grander and "tastier" than the 15 Life (生) he had just swallowed, were so endearing that it was a shame to witness them alone.
By then, the rest of the party, having more or less dealt with the changes from their level-ups, were staring intently at Eve.
"She's cute."
"How about we use this as content for our video, Ban?"
"A good child, obedient to her master."
Though it seemed Rucell's point of appreciation was slightly off the mark.
Having enjoyed Eve's aegyo to his heart's content, and knowing there was no other suitable recipient besides Eve (though he had briefly imagined imbuing Lilyth with Myriad Transformations to turn her into all sorts of vehicles), Ban Yuwon drew out the Myriad Transformations and bestowed it upon her.
However, as was always the case when he bestowed a concept upon Eve, something utterly unexpected occurred this time as well.
[The target has mastered a lower concept, and the compatibility is miraculously high! A primordial transformation of the target that accepted the concept occurs!]
"What did you say?"
"Shwiiiiiishit!"
Primordial transformation? The moment he thought this, his innate language comprehension unraveled the incomprehensible term into an understandable meaning.
A primordial transformation was precisely that: an evolution that overcame one's inherent nature and form—their very root—to the extent of a species-level change.
It was a rare marvel, occurring perhaps once every few years across all dimensions!
[All concepts held by the target merge into one. Centered around Myriad Transformations, the individuality and characteristics of all concepts fuse, giving birth to an entity with a unique concept. However, a considerable amount of time will be required until hatching.]
All the character strings Eve possessed burst forth from her body, glittering.
Eve let out a loud cry, then coiled her body tightly. The golden character strings layered themselves around her, finally transforming into an oval-shaped egg.
"Uh..."
Ban Yuwon cradled the golden egg, a size he could barely lift by supporting it with both palms, and his pupils dilated in shock.
It was excellent news that Eve was evolving, but he hadn't expected it to require time.
Of course, her absence wouldn't cause immediate catastrophe, but Rucell was the problem.
'The means to calm Rucell in an emergency has vanished!'
He had relied solely on that until now.
When Ban Yuwon glanced at her, Rucell merely sent him a clear smile, as if still trusting him without a shadow of a doubt.
He had no idea what the source of this woman's trust was!
"It seems a shift will occur soon."
"A shift? Oh, wait a minute."
Hearing Dokgo Yeon's murmur, Ban Yuwon finally snapped back to attention.
There was still something he hadn't recovered from this place.
Desperately stuffing the golden egg into his inventory, Ban Yuwon headed straight for the hole where the irregular he had personally sent flying had vanished without a trace.
And indeed, as expected, though the person had disappeared without a trace, he could still discern the shimmering golden character strings that remained!
[You plunder Life (生) 29, Body (肉體) 26, Mana (魔力) 24, Soul (靈魂) 11, Space Control (空間制御) 2.5, Shadow Stride (潛影步) 5.7, Constellation's Stigma (星痕) 0.1.]
It was good to absorb it all in one go, but there were simply too many points to take issue with.
Starting with the four core codes.
Unlike the concepts he had ripped from the Tower earlier, these were reduced to less than half their original value the moment they were absorbed into Ban Yuwon's body.
Especially in the case of Mana, 24 was converted into a mere 6 Hyungi, making Ban Yuwon's head spin.
Gritting his teeth, he absorbed all the concepts, and the core codes were summarized as follows:
[Core]
Life (生) 305
Body (肉體) 246
Hyungi (玄氣) 173
Soul (靈魂) 452
'Still, Life (生) has surpassed 300, so that's something, I guess... As for the rest, I don't get it. Space Control? Was this what Dokgo Yeon repelled earlier?'
If so, then Shadow Stride (潛影步)—the "stride" (步) appended to "hidden shadow" (潛影)—must have been the technique the irregular used to conceal himself and retreat like a dart.
Indeed, as if to prove Ban Yuwon's imagination correct, both were concepts that humans could possess. The only problem was that with such a shallow depth, they couldn't manifest any truly significant abilities.
'I knew I couldn't bring over the original depth of the concepts the target possessed, but this is a bit too severe, even for that. Will it increase if I practice?'
Fortunately, Shadow Stride had been incorporated into martial arts. Knowing that martial arts concepts tended to increase in depth proportionally with training, he felt a little relieved.
What disturbed Ban Yuwon the most, however, was the final concept.
[Constellation's Stigma (星痕) 0.1 — A trace of a star. The pure essence of a star, all individuality having vanished.]
Constellation's Stigma.
The name alone suggested immense power, yet the clear implication that it was connected to Constellations bothered him slightly.
However, since the description—"pure essence, all individuality having vanished"—was likely not false, he decided to keep it for now.
Indeed.
Constellation's Stigma was a concept that humans could possess.
"Ah, Room 10."
"A rest area."
When Ban Yuwon finished organizing all the concepts and looked up, a shift had already occurred, and the surrounding environment had changed.
The overall environment wasn't much different from Room 9, which could be considered a type of irregular room. However, there were no pillars rising from the ground, and an elegant fountain had been installed on the wall.
This was the basic type of rest area.
In other words, an environment equipped with "safety" and "drinking water."
"I heard there are cases where you don't even get water if you're unlucky, but fortunately, that's not the case here."
"Rather... it seems we've hit the jackpot?"
Light said, a hint of excitement in his voice, as he pointed upwards. They could see branches hanging down over their heads from the distant ceiling.
A variety of fruits, from fig-like ones hanging closest to Ban Yuwon, to apples, apricots, bananas, grapes, melons, and watermelons, all hung together on the branches, boasting a bizarre yet abundant beauty.
"I heard that fruits grown in rest areas not only recover your fatigue but also enhance your potential."
"Right, it definitely looks like a watermelon, but it's not a watermelon, so it's probably fine for it to grow on a tree..."
Suppressing the urge to comment, the moment he plucked and bit into a fig, all thought vanished from Ban Yuwon's mind.
[You have gained Life (生) 1, Mana (魔力) 2, and Charm (魅力) 4.]
'Delicious!'
He decided not to ponder, for now, why eating a fruit would increase his Charm.
What was important now was that this fig was a rare treasure, unlike anything Ban Yuwon had ever tasted in his life, and likely never would again.
"Hoo..."
"Waaah!"
"Huk."
Looking around, he saw the other members were also biting into a fruit each, and Light was even shedding tears!
"To think I would actually enter the Tower and even taste the Fruits of Eden...!"
"Eden?"
"You didn't know?"
Light, unable to hide his emotion, chewed on the banana in his hand and said,
"Climbers call the rest areas 'Eden.' No one knows the exact meaning, but everyone knows that the Tower designates these areas as Eden. That's why everyone calls these fruits 'Fruits of Eden'... You know the rest from the textbook, right? The probability of fruits growing in a rest area is less than 10%."
"It's so delicious... and surprisingly, I feel my inner power increasing. To think it grants permanent growth, even if it's just a little. I wish I could eat more, though."
Dokgo Yeon, who went crazy for sweets, munched on a ripe apricot, making an utterly blissful expression that was surprisingly adorable.
"It said only one is allowed per person. No matter how many you pick, they'll vanish the moment you move to the next room..."
"I'm, I'm full. I can't eat anything, anything more."
At Rucell's words, as she neatly devoured an entire bunch of grapes in an instant and massaged her stomach, Ban Yuwon inadvertently nodded his head.
"Even if you pick them with the intention of storing them, they disappear once you leave this place. And even if you want to eat your fill, just one makes you completely full... So, it's like a tasting corner."
"A tasting corner?"
"If you want, I can take you later. There's just the minor issue of having to cross dimensions."
The fruits here would fill you completely the moment you ate just one, making it impossible to eat a second.
It was said that ignoring that feeling of fullness and eating another fruit would result in severe side effects, and Ban Yuwon had heard that these were particularly nasty ones.
"Let's see... Oh, it's true."
It was the moment Ban Yuwon had cleanly finished a single fig.
A miraculously satisfying fullness washed over him, making him feel as if he desired nothing more to eat.
It was as if his instincts were adamantly proclaiming, "You cannot eat any more."
But something even more astonishing occurred immediately afterward.
[You have gained Life (생) 4, Mana (魔力) 6, and Charm (魅力) 16.]
[You have eaten the one and only fruit of Eden, the Fruit of Good and Evil (善惡果). Your Omniscient Eye will now be able to discern sin.]
Ban Yuwon froze, as if stunned.
'What did I just eat?'
The Fruit of Good and Evil (善惡果)?
The one that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden before being cast out...
"Ah."
Ban Yuwon slapped his forehead.
It was almost absurd that he hadn't realized it until now.
This space was called Eden, and the fruits were called the Fruits of Eden.
What's more, the fruit he had eaten was none other than a fig.
While the Fruit of Good and Evil is often depicted as an apple in Western culture, that's merely an image appended by Westerners.
The Bible describes Adam and Eve, feeling shame in their nakedness after eating the Fruit of Good and Evil, covering themselves with fig leaves.
Why would they specifically cover themselves with fig leaves? Because the fruit they had just plucked and eaten was a fig, so naturally, the closest tree would have been a fig tree.
'No way, did I really just eat *that* Fruit of Good and Evil from Eden? It can't be, can it...?'
At the very least, his Authority identified it as the Fruit of Good and Evil, and the Tower even mentioned it was the "one and only" fruit. He might not know everything, but it was clear this was an incredibly special fruit.
Furthermore, an incredible ability had been added to his Omniscient Eye!
"Ban Yuwon, why are you making such a strange face? Is it because you want to eat more fruit?"
"No, it's not such a cute reason... It's nothing."
Seeing Dokgo Yeon's adorable expression about to twist into a frown, Ban Yuwon hastily corrected himself.
However, looking at her and the rest of the party, he couldn't discern any particularly altered features.
"Ba-Ban!"
It was then.
Light, who had been looking around, spotted something and called out to him in a loud voice.
"There's even a treasure chest here!"
"Did an artifact appear?!"
It was the presence of a treasure chest, said to be found in rest areas with a probability as rare as the Fruits of Eden!
Ban Yuwon's party had truly hit the jackpot on their very first visit to a rest area!
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