I got into school for nothing - Chapter 41
I got into school for nothing (41)
Lesson 10. You Are My Master - 1
Ban Yuwon looked down at the wooden box that had appeared in the center of the rest area with his companions and murmured contentedly.
"Isn't this everything we could possibly get from the rest area?"
"That's right. While there are other possibilities, like streams flowing with wine or beds that quickly dispel fatigue, the biggest rewards are still the fruits and the treasure chests."
What looked like a shabby wooden box was banded with gold.
According to the textbook, treasure chests appearing in rest areas have grades, and the contents improve as the box material upgrades from wood, to bronze, silver, and gold.
Of course, as the group could see, the banding around the treasure chest also affected its contents.
"Since it's wood with a gold band, it's like the 'upper tier' of the lowest grade? I'd say this is probably the best treasure you can get from a 10-room."
"Ugh."
Light's expression became stung. Ban Yuwon almost worried about Light's future, wondering why this guy was so openly honest about his inner thoughts.
Beside them, Dokgo Yeon hummed.
"Indeed, the rest areas that appear every 10 rooms can be considered reward zones that tally our achievements from Room 1 to Room 9. The things we've experienced haven't exactly been ordinary, have they?"
"We even got entangled with Constellations twice."
"And it was rarer for elite monsters *not* to appear."
"Th-the giant maze and trap zones too."
Listing them like this, it felt as if they'd experienced in a compressed timeframe what other students might or might not encounter over an entire year of exploration.
"It wasn't for nothing that 10 rooms were set as a unit of measurement. It's natural to tie hardship and reward together. Of course, in our case... it was quite a bit more special."
"For tempering oneself, a harsh environment is always better. And if it comes with such enchanting rewards, I have no complaints."
One could tell what Dokgo Yeon meant by 'enchanting rewards' just by following her gaze.
She wasn't looking at the treasure chest, but rather at the branches laden with fruit hanging overhead, wearing an expression that clearly showed she wanted to pluck and eat another one right away, was she?
Ban Yuwon gave a wry smile and turned his attention to the treasure chest in front of him.
"Shall we open it, then?"
"Ban, can I do it?"
"No. Let Ban Yuwon open it."
Light's resentful gaze turned towards Dokgo Yeon after her declaration, but seeing Rucell quietly step forward and grab Ban Yuwon's arm, he resigned himself.
"I feel like if you open it, it'll bring bad luck."
"A-agreed."
"That's too much! What have I even done to deserve this?"
"Let me rephrase. You're just unlucky."
"..."
It *was* a bit unlucky how his tension surged the moment he grabbed the Holy Sword again.
Ban Yuwon bypassed Light, who was looking at him with desperate eyes, and placed his hand on the wooden box.
At that moment, the concept of 'Seal' that had existed on the box dissipated, and the box opened on its own.
Before worrying about the contents, he first secured the concept of 'Seal', which amounted to a staggering 50, before it vanished. Then he checked inside.
Inside lay a pink magical wand, looking as if it belonged in a children's anime, wielded by a magical girl.
"..."
"No way, a magic staff!"
Ban Yuwon felt dismayed the moment he saw it, but judging by Light's astonished reaction, it didn't seem to be garbage as Ban Yuwon had thought.
Furthermore, Rucell's eyes were wide, and Dokgo Yeon also wore a surprised expression.
"It contains a considerable aura. To think such an oddity... an artifact, actually existed."
"But none of us are mages."
"It might be something usable even by non-mages. Let's see..."
Light's hand reached out from beside him and touched the magic wand.
Immediately after, his shoulders slumped, indicating it was likely a dud.
"Leaving aside my lack of aptitude, I can't even bring up the information window. It seems to be in an unappraised state."
"Oh, it really is."
An information window, he thought.
Ban Yuwon was once again reminded that they had status windows!
"'What if I don't have a status window? I can just deduce it by looking at the concepts it holds.'"
As if to show that his Authority wasn't inferior to a status window, he picked up the magic wand, and instantly, a feast of concepts filled his vision.
[Mana 150, Soul 200, Magic Language 100, Elemental Magic 50]
"Hmm... hmm?"
"Did you find out anything, Ban Yuwon?"
"I did, but I'm thinking about what it means. So..."
First, the mana contained within the magic wand – no, the staff – is about 150.
While impressive, it didn't seem to be an overwhelmingly high level when considered as an artifact.
Nevertheless, the fact that it harbored a staggering 200 units of 'Soul' was the first thing that astonished Ban Yuwon.
Next, there was 'Magic Language' at 100, and even 'Elemental Magic' at 50.
Conceptualized knowledge, imbued alongside a deep-seated soul.
What it implied was...
"This looks like a training tool for novice mages."
"A training tool?"
"Yeah. It seems to possess an ego meant to teach knowledge to mages."
The moment Ban Yuwon said that.
The staff wriggled, so undeniably that everyone present could confirm it.
"It's real?!"
"An artifact with an ego," he marveled.
The party's gazes simultaneously fixed on Ban Yuwon.
They were likely thinking of Eve, who was probably slumbering in his inventory right now.
Of course, Ban Yuwon could have debated several differences between Eve, which could be called his masterpiece, and this artifact, but it was clear they wouldn't understand even if he tried to explain, so he decided against it.
Instead.
"Hey guys, I want this. Would that be okay? I'll pay for it, of course."
He wasn't particularly coveting an artifact with an ego.
However, he was extremely keen on the 'Magic Language' concept contained within this artifact.
With the analysis of the student ID pattern currently at a standstill, acquiring this would swiftly change many things!
"I'm fine with it. However, let's settle the payment after we leave the dungeon. We don't have enough time to research and handle it right now."
"I... I'm okay with it too. Ban always goes through so much trouble for us anyway."
"Of course, Ban should have it."
But Rucell's reasoning has been strange all along!
In any case, Ban Yuwon, having acquired the staff by unanimous agreement, let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks. It has an ability that seems like it'll be incredibly helpful to me."
"So you have the ability to appraise items. Not that it's surprising at this point."
"If it were Dokgo Yeon, it would be surprising, but with Ban, it just feels natural."
As much as Ban Yuwon wanted to extract all the concepts from the staff right away, as Dokgo Yeon had said, the current environment wasn't ideal for acquiring and mastering new abilities.
He made a mental note for later, tossed the staff into his inventory, and stood up.
"Then, shall we start the calculations?"
"Calculations? For that artifact just now? Are you seriously talking about paying with cash?"
"No, of course not."
He grinned and first pulled out a large jar from his inventory.
Inside was peach jam.
Seeing it, Dokgo Yeon's eyes sparkled without restraint.
"It's a different flavor of jam! You scoundrel, to tempt me with sweetness. Even knowing the calculations won't match, I have no choice but to give in...!"
"That's true, but I'm not just paying with jam."
As Ban Yuwon stretched out his hand, the fruits hanging from the branches overhead simultaneously emitted golden strings of text.
"Ban Yuwon? Those will disappear the moment they're taken outside."
"There's nothing to lose, so just watch."
As he had done on Earth, he first separated the countless fruits into two concepts: 'fruit core' and 'fruit pulp'.
The fruit cores became the concept of 'Core', increasing the maximum capacity of his Code Core (perhaps because the fruits themselves were special, there was an enormous amount of 'Core' concepts). The remaining strings of fruit pulp, guided by Ban Yuwon, all flowed into the jam jar.
Ban Yuwon, extracting golden threads from the fruits draped all around, looked like both a spinner at a loom and an orchestra conductor.
"My goodness, this is..."
"Huh."
"It's beautiful..."
The fruits, completely stripped of their concepts, vanished one after another.
But with each disappearing fruit, the light emanating from the jam jar grew even more dazzling.
Finally, when the jar, having absorbed all the life force from the fruits in the rest area, swelled as if to explode, Ban Yuwon sealed it.
At that moment.
[Life Elixir 30 has been crafted. This elixir, created by miraculously condensing and sealing the endless vitality contained within the fruits of Eden, will significantly restore and increase the consumer's vitality and mana, and grant countless new possibilities. Regular consumption will further enhance its effects, but excessive intake at once will incur divine punishment.]
"Success, at least for now."
A smile played on Ban Yuwon's lips.
His companions, having witnessed the crafting process, were simply dumbfounded.
"This... we can't record this, can we?"
"Of course not. I'd be arrested."
Ban Yuwon laughed at Light's foolish remark, then put it into his inventory.
"Now that it's made, we should check if it's stable outside. Of course, if you're all still tired, we can stay here a bit longer..."
"Let's go now. That's alright, isn't it?"
When Dokgo Yeon asserted herself, her cross-shaped pupils blazing, most humans couldn't defy her will.
Light and Rucell, overwhelmed by her presence, nodded frantically, and Ban Yuwon, with a wry smile, opened the door situated in the middle of the rest area's wall.
"Then, let's go."
They left Eden, the rest area that had given them so much, without regret, heading for Room 11.
Feeling the shift occur, Dokgo Yeon shot Ban Yuwon a piercing gaze, and he immediately checked his inventory, then flashed a triumphant smile.
"It's perfectly fine, as expected. Success—."
"You did it, Ban Yuwon!"
Dokgo Yeon, cheering unconsciously, suddenly threw her arms around him.
Though she quickly came to her senses and retreated even faster than she had approached.
As Ban Yuwon merely blinked, Light's eyes widened as he spoke to Dokgo Yeon.
"Dokgo Yeon, you just hugged Ban—"
"Be quiet."
It seemed she intended to pretend it never happened.
—Rustle, rustle
As everyone shared an unspoken understanding, the monster of Room 11 finally appeared.
It was an animal-type monster with an insect's carapace, one of the common monster species of the Tower known as Carapace Beasts.
Common didn't mean weak.
Rather, given that countless variants existed with myriad abilities and specialties depending on their carapace and animal lineage, they were foes one could never let their guard down against, no matter where they were encountered.
They were truly monsters befitting the Tower's notoriety, just as much as the Tower spiders.
That was certainly the case, yet...
"If I move quickly and digest these fruits, I can finally try the jam!"
Driven by such trivial logic, Dokgo Yeon began moving frantically, causing the monsters to perish insignificantly, like mere Room 1 monsters.
Ban Yuwon had thought the fruits of Eden wouldn't be so simple, but for now, he decided to stay quiet.
"Ah, then me too."
"Light, you can put your sword down now."
"Ah, ahhh!"
"You weren't seriously thinking you could subtly deceive us, were you...?"
* * *
From Room 11 onwards, comparatively simpler rooms followed, mostly featuring combinations of monsters and traps that were said to appear most frequently after Room 50.
Of course, the monsters were, without exception, not of a difficulty that should appear on lower floors, but that was hardly surprising, so he set it aside.
As Ban Yuwon currently had no means to curb Rucell's berserk state, he actively moved his body, refraining from relying on her power as much as possible.
He had expected a heavy burden due to Light's less-than-superb movements without his sword, but Dokgo Yeon covered all those many gaps.
In the end, by the time the clock pointed to 11 PM, Ban Yuwon's party had managed to conquer up to Room 14 of the Tower.
"Why... why aren't I hungry?"
Dokgo Yeon muttered in an almost despairing tone.
Surprisingly, the feeling of fullness provided by the fruits of Eden hadn't subsided even after more than ten hours.
"Anyway, I can't move any further now."
"Damn it, if only I had my sword..."
"Hoo, hoo..."
Meanwhile, the rest of the party, who had to match her breathless pace, were utterly exhausted.
Ban Yuwon felt as if he had truly challenged his own limits, Light searched for his Holy Sword about once every three minutes, And Rucell, even with intermittent rests to calm her down, remained with black hair, on the verge of going berserk at any moment.
If Dokgo Yeon had been alone, she would have run relentlessly until she felt hungry, but seeing her utterly exhausted party members, she had no choice but to give up.
The last monster of Room 14 (a steel Tower spider) had been securely tied up with rope Ban Yuwon had brought separately and left in a corner.
"The mere fact that we could fight non-stop for several hours already proves this isn't normal."
"Now that you mention it..."
They weren't Energizers.
Just being in an extreme environment consumed an immense amount of mental energy, and fighting endlessly spawning enemies in a confined space like the Tower incurred an incalculable physical toll.
Yet, they had fought monsters for several hours, almost without rest, from Room 11 to Room 14, demonstrating the tremendous influence of the fruits of Eden.
"Meals... don't seem necessary. Let's wash up and rest. We've come far enough. Let's explore Room 15 tomorrow."
"Everyone will be surprised when they see the video."
Of course they'll be surprised. There will be more than a few people who flip out in shock when they see how pathetic you become without your sword, Light.
Ban Yuwon desperately suppressed those words from escaping his lips and took out various tools for washing from his inventory.
"Everyone, wash with these."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to focus a bit on Hyunsingong. My body will get dirty again after training anyway, so I'll wash then."
"Hmm."
Dokgo Yeon wore a satisfied expression.
"It's rewarding to have taught you. Yes, the mastery of Hyunsingong changes depending on how much you push your energy, so go on and strive. Beast, you come here."
"Grrgh?!"
With that single remark, Dokgo Yeon dragged Rucell behind the makeshift tent Ban Yuwon had set up.
Ban Yuwon, who had plopped down on the floor intending to focus on Hyunsingong, saw Light standing there, unsure what to do, and said a word.
"What are you doing? Go in and wash with her."
"Wash together?! I—I'm a man!"
"Oh, right. Then just take your clothes off and wash here."
"How vulgar!"
He had no idea which tune he was supposed to dance to.
Ban Yuwon closed his eyes tightly and focused on Hyunsingong, waiting for Act 3 to arrive as quickly as possible.
"Ban, when I said 'vulgar' just now, I wasn't calling *you* vulgar, but rather that no matter if we're both men, one simply cannot carelessly expose oneself in front of others... Ban?"
"..."
"Did he fall asleep...? Hmph."
—Rustle
That night, Ban Yuwon couldn't sleep a wink and had to continuously operate Hyunsingong.
It was definitely not because he had seen Light's flat chest after Light undressed to wash, mistakenly thinking he was asleep, and had fallen into a state of denial.
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