I got into school for nothing-55
I got into school for nothing (55)
Lesson 12. Monster Wave - 5
To talk about the Volcano, we need to go back in time a little.
The day before yesterday, Thursday, after Ban Yuwon declared a Rebellion Assemble.
Everyone gathered to decide on a rough course of action, then split up the necessary supplies and returned to their dorms, intending to sleep, when Yumina stopped Ban Yuwon and said this:
"Ban Yuwon student, you'll be having a special lesson with me starting now."
"A special lesson...?"
The ears of the remaining party, who had been about to leave, perked up.
"Th-that can't be. The two of them already...""
As Light and Rucell's reactions, in particular, were truly intense.
Just like typical teenagers.
As Ban Yuwon, realizing what they were thinking, stared daggers at them, Yumina's words continued.
"It seems today's lesson wasn't quite enough to help Ban Yuwon. I'm thinking of teaching you various magic spells that you can use in the special activities."
"Ah, magic."
"He's looking forward to it."
"Awooo, it's suspicious...""
Realizing that this wasn't what they had imagined, As Light and Dokgo Yeon quickly retreated. Rucell, however, persisted with a suspicious expression until the very end, only to be chased away by Yumina.
Once they were alone in the doorless classroom, Yumina opened her mouth, saying, "Alright then. Magic can be largely divided into two types. What do you think they are?"
"Hmm... Innate magic and common magic?"
"Not a bad answer."
It meant it wasn't the correct answer.
As Ban Yuwon pondered, Yumina spread her hands open.
Above her left hand, a magic circle composed of countless magical characters appeared, and above her right hand, a small fireball flared up.
"The precise answer is this: Reason and Emotion."
"Huh?"
It was an answer he had not anticipated in the slightest.
Erasing the flame that had appeared in her right hand, she floated the magic circle from her left hand in the air, then began her explanation, saying, "Then, let's start with Reason."
"There are those who assert that magic is a discipline of reason. A complex magical system, developed across countless dimensions over tens of thousands of years... They believe that only by thoroughly learning and researching it, and ultimately establishing one's own theory, can one construct spells that cannot be deciphered by others, thus unleashing powerful and profound magic."
The floating magic circle split, and increasingly complex magical languages were engraved within it.
Observing the superposition of magic circles that transformed into a single sphere in the blink of an eye—and the perfectly intertwined magical character strings within—Ban Yuwon narrowed his eyes.
The sheer volume of information felt like it would split his head open, yet an overwhelming sense of ecstasy took precedence.
[You have completely deciphered and absorbed the magical language constituting a highly advanced magical spell. The depth of your soul has reached 525.]
[The depth of your Myriad Venom Eyes has reached 170.]
The moment he finally deciphered what that magic was.
The depth of his soul and Myriad Venom Eyes each deepened by 5.
That merely seeing it once could bring about such a change allowed him to boldly estimate just how magnificent the magic Yumina had so casually cast truly was.
Seeing his eyes sparkle, Yumina was surprised in turn and asked,
"Surely you didn't decipher this spell, did you?"
"Isn't it Flame Explosion Magic?"
"That's right... This makes my claim that it can't be deciphered by others quite laughable."
Yumina, dumbfounded, wore a blank expression, then eventually nodded as if understanding, muttering,
"Well, I suppose you'd have to be that capable to arbitrarily rewrite the spatial transfer coordinates on a student ID."
"Oh, I couldn't interpret it immediately either. Usually, I grasp things the moment I see them, but this structure was simply too complex."
Yumina chuckled at Ban Yuwon's blatant defense.
"It's fine, a master is always happy when their disciple's abilities are exceptional. Ahem, ahem, anyway, I should show you the completed magic in action, shouldn't I?"
*Snap*—Yumina lightly flicked her finger.
The next moment, they were not in the doorless classroom, but on a wide grassland.
"What's going on all of a sudden?"
"I teleported us outside the academy to show you the magic in action. This, among others, is a field-type dungeon."
This is a dungeon? Hearing that, Ban Yuwon looked around and indeed felt the presence of monsters from all directions.
Having only experienced cave-type dungeons until now, Ban Yuwon was astonished to realize that there were various types of dungeons outside the Tower.
"Now, watch closely."
Yumina abruptly unleashed the magic circle.
The magic circle, which had been encircling the sphere like a membrane, greatly expanded, scattering golden character strings, and cast a kind of veil over the entire dungeon.
As if onion layers were peeling away, the magic circles successively melted down, repeatedly creating new rules that interfered with this space.
—Groooooowl
Ban Yuwon could now see hordes of monsters gathering—no, being drawn—to their location.
"I can immediately see why reason governs magic."
"Right?"
The activation of the magic circle accelerated more and more.
A spell formula defining the magic's activation area.
A spell formula specifying and guiding the magic's targets.
A spell formula enhancing the magic's power.
A spell formula further strengthening the power of fire.
Besides these, countless other laws were unleashed across the dungeon, altering the very quality of mana in the air.
Ban Yuwon felt his body grow heavy, as if submerged in water, and with difficulty, he spoke.
"...This truly is magic."
"More precisely, it's magic as a discipline of reason."
Before long, all the monsters that made up the dungeon were bound to the ground, unable to move, and lay scattered.
And as the core of the last remaining magic circle oxidized with a brilliant light, everything burst into flames.
Probably even the magic core that formed the dungeon itself.
Even if one could interpret such a massive, large-scale magic beforehand, would it truly be possible to stop it? Ban Yuwon thought, letting out a hollow laugh.
"Did you watch closely?"
"Yes..."
"Then, let's move on to the next."
*Snap*—She flicked her finger once more, and this time, he realized they had moved to a dungeon similar in form to the previous one.
"This time, it's time to learn the magic of emotion."
A small flame had now appeared above her right hand, and all Ban Yuwon could discern from it was simply a deep, hot flame.
"The elemental magic I use falls under this category, right?"
"Yes, you understand without me even saying. Now, watch closely! Hmph!"
Without the tedious work of layering spell formulas that interfered with the world, Yumina simply tossed the flame into the air.
It then swelled greatly and split apart, filling the dungeon.
After burning brightly and magnificently, nothing remained.
Ban Yuwon, overwhelmed, could only watch in silence.
—Snap!
Yumina flicked her finger once more.
The two returned to the doorless classroom.
"What did you see?"
"I certainly saw something."
Ban Yuwon said, then paused in thought.
Within the greatly swelling flame, he had indeed discerned concepts like Fire, Amplification, and Guidance.
But if asked if he felt any regularity in it, the answer was absolutely not.
Nevertheless, the magic manifested perfectly, perhaps even faster, grander, and more definitively destroying enemies than magic manifested through a magic circle.
"However... I can't explain it."
"That is precisely the magic governed by emotion. It's not theoretical, and both acquisition and mastery are difficult, but precisely because of that, it's hard to decipher, and its effects are potent. In fact, its mana efficiency is also a bit higher."
"The magic you've learned is precisely that," Yumina added.
"But I can't create a flame like that."
"It's entirely possible, as long as you have the mana and imagination to back it up. The key is to conjure a firm image."
"Image..."
"What you showed me in class today was truly remarkable. You instantly constructed an image and completed perfect magic, didn't you? You just need to develop that a little further."
Ban Yuwon thought about how he had used elemental magic in class.
Back then, he had clearly visualized Air and woven the form of a Vortex, hadn't he?
This meant that even while casting magic, he had unconsciously manifested it around language, the very foundation of his ability...!
In an instant, it felt as though Ban Yuwon's vision brightened.
'Language can become an image.'
And the reverse was also entirely true.
For Ban Yuwon, who understood and absorbed all phenomena as language through his Myriad Venom Eyes, the distinction between language and image was already unnecessary.
Furthermore, perhaps, in the end, even the distinction between reason and emotion would become obsolete.
'Now that I think about it, I had something perfect.'
Ban Yuwon pulled out the Code Core, which had been quietly dormant in his inventory.
[Volcano 14]
The concept he had gained through an utterly unexpected turn of events was scattering brilliant light within it.
* * *
[Elemental Magic 90]
Ban Yuwon grinned as he looked at the concept of Elemental Magic, which had, by chance, even surpassed the depth of his swordsmanship.
The realization he gained that day, thanks to Yumina, would greatly influence not only his magic but also how he handled and developed his linguistic abilities.
—Are we finally fighting now?
'Yeah. Let's unleash a big one.'
—You're just barely at the basics, acting all confident.
'That's why you need to help me.'
The voice of Cellon, the self-proclaimed archmage's ego residing in the staff, echoed in Ban Yuwon's mind.
Ban Yuwon gripped the staff with both hands and moved to the building he had been assigned.
The guide, Anneri Dedota, followed behind him.
She had specifically chosen him, even though As Light was also there.
'Surely she's not planning to stab me in the back here?'
To Ban Yuwon, who was narrowing his eyes and looking back warily, Anneri, who had by now approached close enough for him to feel her breath, asked,
"Seeing you hold that staff, are you perhaps planning to use magic? Did you possess magical abilities from the start?"
"I recently embarked on the path of magic."
"How astonishing...!"
Anneri clapped her hands with an exaggerated expression.
The distance was excessively close.
Thinking she might stab him in the back, even at the risk of self-destruction, Ban Yuwon widened the gap slightly and spoke.
"But why are you following me?"
"It seems you're about to use magic, so I'm here to protect you, Ban Yuwon, to prevent any monsters from approaching!""
"No, I'm saying I don't want you here because I think you're going to stab me."
Ban Yuwon struggled to keep any signs of displeasure from his face as he landed on the building's rooftop.
The point he had to defend was a four-story building. On the ground, soldiers with shields and spears held their positions, while on the windows and rooftop, several more soldiers aimed bows forward.
Even if it wasn't quite the massive battlefield he'd seen yesterday, the fact that they were facing far more monsters than humans was no different.
"Huh!"
"Loyalty!"
"Ah, don't mind me."
The soldiers, noticing Ban Yuwon's landing, started to approach, but he waved his hand to deter them.
In any case, the area assigned to the Rebellion members wasn't of particularly high importance. It was a sector with little chance of being breached.
It was a level where he only needed to keep his eyes open without unnecessarily bothering the soldiers.
"Of course, that's not why I came."
"What are you going to show us...!"
"I need to concentrate now, so could you step back a little?"
"Yes, sir!"
Ban Yuwon took out Tikke, the autonomous camera drone imbued with a will, from his inventory.
He planned to record many scenes of himself and the members in action, then edit the highlights and upload them after the special activities concluded and they returned to the academy.
'From an angle that captures the magic as coolly as possible...'
As he was setting up the recording with such thoughts, Anneri Dedota, who had once again drawn close, said with sparkling eyes,
"Are you filming? An ordinary machine would break down quickly...!"
"It's specially made."
"So it's a unique technology that no one else at Union Academy can replicate, right? That's amazing!""
Ban Yuwon inwardly snorted at her exaggerated admiration.
Was she trying to extract the camera's production method with a clumsy honeytrap?
Even if he honestly told her, the Ortima wouldn't actually be able to create artifacts anyway.
Moreover, this woman had just casually made a remark that suggested she knew the academy's internal affairs.
Was she foolish, or was she underestimating Ban Yuwon?
But it didn't matter. He would be able to deal with someone like her soon enough anyway.
He once again pushed back the clingy Anneri and raised his staff.
'Let's begin now.'
—You're late! How long are you going to make me wait?
'I was just preparing to get the coolest shots of our performance.'
—...If that's the case, then it can't be helped. Alright, just manifest whatever magic you're using properly. I'll assist you perfectly!
As easy as ever, he thought.
He let out a chuckle and focused his Hyungi into the staff's head, its core.
Thanks to Yumina, he now had a firm understanding of the basics of magic manifested through emotion.
The elements he wished to control were Fire and Earth.
The form was a Volcano erupting with magma.
The starting point of the magic was naturally the ground, beyond the city where shadow weasels were gathering.
The scale was to be the maximum that Ban Yuwon's and Cellon's mana would allow!
'The image is clear. To the extent that I've embraced the entire concept of a volcano with elemental magic.'
A smile hung on Ban Yuwon's lips.
In sync with his magic incantation, Cellon was also weaving the mana stored in the core into his magic, amplifying it. And indeed, the degree of amplification was tremendous, proving she wasn't calling herself an archmage for nothing.
—Wooooooosh
"Wh-what is that?"
"Magic... He's casting magic!"
"Ban...!"
Had they noticed the enormous mana gathering in the area?
Not only the soldiers, but also the Rebellion members on nearby rooftops, Yumina watching from behind them, and even the students of Class 1 far away, were all looking back at Ban Yuwon.
It made sense. Thanks to the artifact as well, the amount of mana he was currently wielding was by no means something a first-year academy student should be able to handle!
But then.
—Huh? There's interference coming in?
'Interference?'
—From over there. Someone's weaving an opposing spell formula that's interfering with our magic structure. Ice magic?
Turning his gaze, the person he saw was none other than Aire, the untouchable princess of Class 1.
She was holding a spherical magic orb in her arms, staring directly at Ban Yuwon, and chanting a spell.
Anyone would think she was trying to kill him.
The mana reaction originating from her was subtly, yet unmistakably, blending into the mana Ban Yuwon was generating.
'Does she really think that's not obvious?'
—She's trying to dismantle our magic, seize its mana, and use it to strengthen her own spell. If she succeeds, she'll probably justify it.
'Hmm...'
—So, we'll do the opposite.
Cellon declared.
—Let's snatch that woman's mana too and complete the magic. You just need to keep focusing on the magic. I'll handle the mana disruption.
'Oh, that sounded pretty archmage-like just now.'
—I told you I am an archmage!
Ban Yuwon trusted Cellon and continued to chant the magic.
Although chanting, in reality, was merely visualizing the image of a volcano and concentrating his Hyungi, it was clear that each time the image solidified, the magic became more robust and its power grew stronger, so the expression "chanting" was not incorrect.
—It's a success... Manifest it now!
"VOLCANO!"
The moment Cellon's words fell, Ban Yuwon unleashed the mana gathered in the staff.
Aire's mana had attempted to subtly entangle and disrupt his, but interfering with Ban Yuwon's firm image proved impossible.
Moreover, due to Cellon's manipulation, her mana structure collapsed in reverse, and was even absorbed into Ban Yuwon's magic.
The exhilaration of that moment was ineffable.
—I reversed the interference spell formula that woman used. To try and defeat me with delicate mana manipulation? She's hundreds of years too early!
'I don't know what that means, but anyway.'
The moment the colossal, truly colossal mana spectacularly struck the target location.
—KWA-A-A-ANG!
The ground in the entire area where thousands, tens of thousands of monsters had gathered was utterly overturned, triggering a massive explosion of surging magma!
"Just look at that incredible magic!"
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