I got into school for nothing - 60
I got into school for nothing (60)
Lesson 13. Because I need to see you kneel - 5
Just as a caterpillar, after consuming sufficient nutrients, pupates and emerges as a butterfly, the ultimate form a beast-kin reaches after accumulating Wildness is beastification.
The form Rucell displayed now, was it a transitional stage from human to beast, perhaps a half-beast form?
Whether the concept of 'Giant' Ban Yuwon infused into her had successfully stimulated her Wildness, the power Rucell momentarily displayed was truly overwhelming.
"Master!"
Rucell threw the heart of the mechanical giant, which she had torn from Irekto, to Ban Yuwon.
A grotesquely shaped heart, half-eaten by metal and even exuding poison.
Just then, Farrell, tearing through the wind prison and bursting out, glared with wide eyes and thrust his sword—but by then, Ban Yuwon had already absorbed all the concepts forming the heart.
There was no time to organize the concepts on the spot.
Ban Yuwon separated the 'Giant' concept with a depth of 50 and infused it directly into Rucell (as his vassal, he could easily infuse concepts into her even from a distance), then launched himself forward.
—BOOOOM!
A massive crater formed.
To their astonishment, Farrell, who had burst through the wind, unleashed dense black mana from the tip of his blade, utterly pulverizing the spot where Ban Yuwon had been just moments before.
"Now I get it! You're using dark magic! A Mana Eater, stealing others' mana to strengthen yourself...! That's a grave violation of Dimension Protection Clause Article 12!"
"What the hell is that, you weirdo?!"
A guy belonging to a dimension pirate group, raging about "violations" and whatnot—he couldn't look more pathetic.
But Farrell, brimming with malice, brandishing his massive blade and charging forward, possessed an imposing might that was terrifying enough to make even Ban Yuwon, who sparred with Dokgo Yeon daily, flinch.
—Block it! First, fix them all in the same form, then split the attributes for multi-manifestation! Concentrate your mana!
—CRACK, BOOM! SIZZLE! RROOAARR!
He tried creating successive defensive barriers composed of wind, fire, lightning, and ice, using elemental magic he had become quite accustomed to handling, but they all shattered into pieces without holding out for even a moment.
If not for Cellon's assistance, his head would have already been split open by the foe's thick blade.
"You worm gnawing at the Tower! I'll personally exterminate you!"
The aura Farrell exuded grew increasingly savage.
But just before his sword could break through the barrier and pierce Ban Yuwon's body.
"Haaah!"
Perhaps because she had received an additional infusion of the concept of 'Giant' from Ban Yuwon, Rucell, who had bulked up in size as much as the rampaging Irekto, blocked his path.
—Now! Unleash whatever you've got!
"I know!"
Mana converged around the staff Ban Yuwon extended.
The elemental magic he could most reliably manifest was none other than a volcanic eruption.
First, he pictured the image of lava erupting, then imagined it compressing and shooting out in a straight line.
'It would be hard to do it normally; I just need to add Language Magic. Compression (壓縮), and Straight Line (直線)!'
Beyond the staff, a mass of intensely shimmering red energy gathered, forming a melon-sized sphere.
Within it, the two magic words Ban Yuwon had conjured nestled, solidifying the spell's form.
—Volcano Shot!
'Don't shout out skill names, Cellon...!'
—That's the important part, you fool!
In the magic arts, which demanded imagination, the name of a spell was a highly regarded element, so he couldn't simply deny Cellon's words.
A miniature volcano formed at the tip of the staff, with lava extending in a straight line from its apex.
Truly, didn't the name Volcano Shot suit it perfectly?
But just before it fired, something Ban Yuwon hadn't anticipated occurred.
The internal concept of 'Judgment', which had just increased to 4 after consuming Irekto's heart, resonated with his mana, staining the lava white!
"This, what the..."
Before he could even fathom its meaning, the Volcano Shot fired.
The endlessly compressed lava bullet struck Farrell directly.
A dazzling light condensed and exploded, visibly amplifying the spell's depth in that instant.
"Kuaaaaaagh!"
It was certain.
The concept of 'Judgment' had strengthened the magic!
Only then could Ban Yuwon perfectly grasp the true nature of this concept.
'The previous Orc Centurion, and Irekto today, I could only obtain 'Judgment' from those deemed as sinners.'
Punished a sinner, thus Judgment. A simple logic.
But it didn't end there; the acquired concept of 'Judgment' further aided him in punishing sinners.
A concept that deepened in efficacy the more sinners he punished, and the deeper its efficacy, the more easily he could punish sinners.
Wasn't this a concept with an alignment and individuality as distinct as a class in a game?!
'Well, considering I ate something akin to the Forbidden Fruit from the Bible, I should at least see this much effect.'
"You, by what means, such magic..."
Indeed, the Volcano Shot, imbued with the concept of 'Judgment', displayed truly tremendous power, leaving a terrible wound on Farrell, who was surely far stronger than Ban Yuwon.
"Kkuagh?!"
"But, even sooo!"
What was truly astonishing was that, even amidst all this, the foe remained undeterred, swinging his bladed arm—and finally plunging its edge into the body of the giant that had been blocking him.
A distorted smile spread across Farrell's face as he landed his fatal blow.
"Even so, in the end, both of you will die by my hand...! In the name of Exodus!"
"Wh-why...?"
The pierced body of the giant trembled violently, given no chance to retaliate.
With a gurgle, he coughed up purplish blood and cried out in a trembling voice.
"Why me, Professor...!"
"...?!"
It was a deep, low male voice.
Farrell's eyes finally snapped open.
He realized he had been caught in an illusion.
The one pierced by his sword was not Rucell, but...
"Irek-to?"
"Ugh, why would you do this?!"
Irekto, still alive, choked out groans, pierced by Farrell's blade.
The vitality that kept him alive even after his heart was ripped out was astonishing, but it now seemed to have reached its limit.
"Where's that wench... ugh!"
"Hup!"
Just as he was blabbering foolishly, unable to grasp the situation.
The 'real' Rucell appeared behind Farrell.
Long, sharp beast claws shot out, piercing his chest from behind!
"Kuhak! Wh-what, how...!"
Farrell's eyes, having not only definitively finished off his ally but also suffered a fatal ambush, were filled with rage and doubt.
It was at that moment that a pure white serpent, swimming through the air, entered his gaze.
"Hiss, ssshhik!"
A serpent exuding golden mana from its entire body.
Unbelievably, it was a high-ranking spiritual being Farrell had never seen in his life... a Phantom Beast (幻獸)!
"Don't tell me I was caught in a Phantom Beast's illusion...? Me, Farrell?!"
"Sssshhhik."
The Phantom Beast, Eve, having accomplished its objective, gracefully coiled itself around Ban Yuwon's arm.
The splendidly evolved creature had, so to speak, hatched from its egg and made a magnificent debut.
Having previously only been able to alter its own form, it had now evolved into a Phantom Beast, growing its power of transformation to an entirely different level!
Eve [Phantom Beast 100, Life 100, Spirit Energy 90, Soul 70, Myriad Transformations 50]
'Its outward appearance is the same, but its internal concepts have changed dramatically... It seems all the miscellaneous concepts disappeared and were integrated into higher-tier concepts like Phantom Beast and Myriad Transformations. Seeing 'Myriad Transformations', which was only depth 1, become 50, I'd say its evolution was quite successful.'
Traces of its time as a mere weapon, with concepts like ghostly energy or transformation, were now completely gone.
It had successfully abandoned its original core concept of a weapon and adopted the form of a spirit beast (妖獸)—no, actually, going one step further, a Phantom Beast (幻獸).
Only after checking its owned concepts did Ban Yuwon relax, gently stroking its head.
"Well done, Eve."
"Hiss, ss-ss."
"...Since when?!"
Farrell, realizing the Phantom Beast belonged to Ban Yuwon, spat blood and cried out.
"I'm asking since when you've been casting illusions on me!"
"Then I'll ask you."
Ban Yuwon struck a pose like a character from a comic book and spoke.
"Since when, exactly, did you think I *wasn't* using illusions?"
"Wh-what...!"
In truth, even Ban Yuwon didn't know.
All the hallucinatory effects that had just occurred in this space were the work of Eve, who had completed her evolution unnoticed by anyone and spontaneously emerged from Ban Yuwon's inventory.
Hiding Rucell's form, and disguising Irekto—who remained alive despite having his heart ripped out—as Rucell.
It must have been even easier to show Irekto, who was barely recovering from severe injuries and disoriented, illusions of Ban Yuwon, making him charge at Farrell without a second thought.
"But you knew, Rucell? How?"
"Because we are both our Master's vassals (眷屬)."
"Kuhak!"
Rucell replied with a bright smile, then twisted her arm with force.
The mana contained within her claws surged, tearing Farrell's body to shreds.
—Whoosh
With that, had the power of 'Giant' finally run out? Her body shrank back to its original size, and the ears and tail that had risen from her head and rump also vanished.
However, as the concept of 'Giant' was now firmly established within her body, she would be able to transform into her half-beast form (半獸) whenever she wished in the future.
"Then... shall I finish him, Master?"
Rucell's clear eyes, now calm after her Wildness had receded, reflected Ban Yuwon.
She likely had no other meaning behind her words—no, perhaps she said it purely out of consideration for him, but to Ban Yuwon, it felt as though she was testing him.
Could he kill a person?
Her eyes seemed to ask him that very question.
'It must be self-doubt. But the problem is that I'm even having such thoughts. It means there's still even a slight hesitation left in my heart.'
It was only natural that such incidents would not be rare for Ban Yuwon in the future.
Moreover, he himself had inadvertently killed an intruder he encountered in the previous Tower, so it was ridiculous to suddenly hesitate now.
"No, Rucell. I'll do it."
After a brief thought, he replied firmly and drew the Executioner's Longsword, which he hadn't pulled out throughout the battle.
His resolve was firm, but his steps toward the enemy were light.
"You, Exodus, you—"
"I've heard that before."
Slice—. He cut down the dying Irekto's neck, then pierced Farrell's neck.
Irekto's poison-infused blood and Farrell's blackened blood all seeped into and were absorbed by the Executioner's Longsword.
Just as he squeezed his eyes shut at the indescribably eerie sensation, an unexpected Authority notification appeared.
[The depth of Blood Poison (血毒) possessed by the Executioner's Longsword increases to 30, the depth of Murder (殺人) to 75, and the depth of Demonic Sword (魔劍) to 50.]
His closed eyes snapped open.
He had more or less guessed it, but... this artifact from Earth was truly a demonic sword that strengthened itself by slaying people!
As it absorbed all the blood of the two men, the blade subtly lengthened, its sharpness increased, and above all, the power residing within the sword clearly felt strengthened.
While it had grown slightly even by killing monsters until now, he could confidently say this was the first time it had achieved such dramatic growth.
The strength of his enemies must have also influenced this sudden, rapid growth.
[Obtained concepts: Giant 100, Life 62, Mana 66, Body 59, Superstrength 50, Bladification 50, Judgment 6, Constellation's Stigma 0.6.]
The amount of concepts obtained from the two corpses was truly immense.
Of course, the actual reduction rate when Ban Yuwon absorbed these into his body would also be enormous, so he shouldn't rejoice blindly.
In fact, including what came from Irekto's heart earlier, he had gained a total of 82 'Life', yet the amount consumed to raise Ban Yuwon's 'Life' (生) from 392 to 400—an increase of 8—was a staggering 32.
Though others would likely curse his current growth rate as cheating!
"Hiss, ssshhik."
"Alright. You performed well in battle, so you deserve it."
So, Ban Yuwon decided to give all the remaining 50 'Life' to Eve.
Its 'Life' (生) was merely 100.
Compared to Ban Yuwon, it was considerably lower, so its Life absorption efficiency would be much higher.
However, the problem was that 'Life' couldn't rise beyond the depth of its core concept, 'Phantom Beast'. Fortunately, when he poured in the accumulated concept of 'Beast' (獸), along with the concept of 'Bladification' (刃化, the ability to transform into a blade) obtained from Farrell, the Phantom Beast concept grew to 150.
"Rucell, you too."
"Master...!"
To Rucell, he bestowed the concept of 'Giant' obtained this time, along with 'Superstrength' reaching 50.
Originally, the concept of 'Superstrength' was already a set with 'Giant', and in fact, Ban Yuwon couldn't absorb any more 'Superstrength' himself.
Currently, a Superstrength of 50 was already latent within Ban Yuwon's body, and perhaps his physical body couldn't yet handle anything beyond that.
So, after distributing, absorbing, and organizing all the concepts.
[Core]
Life (生) 400
Body (肉體) 270 [Currently transforming — ???(???) 100+]
Hyungi (玄氣) 220
Soul (靈魂) 530
[Passive]
Martial Arts (武道) 348 [Swordsmanship (劍術) 80, Hyunsingong (玄身功) 40, Shadow Step (潛影步) 20, Assassination (暗殺) 65, Pierce (貫) 37, Sever (斬) 36, Flow (流) 39, Counter (反) 31]
Leadership (統率) 10
Charm (魅力) 35
Constellation's Stigma (星痕) 0.9
Judgment (審判) 10
[Active]
Superstrength (怪力) 50
Acceleration (加速) 4
Space Control (空間制御) 5
Elemental Magic (元素魔法) 100
Even just organizing the changed concepts yielded this much.
It was natural for his Martial Arts to grow after battle, but he had no idea why Leadership and Charm had increased.
Space Control, which he had vaguely wondered how to handle, was surprisingly growing little by little every time he wielded magic, and the time he might wield this ability independently could unexpectedly arrive soon.
Meanwhile, the Constellation's Stigma, totaling 0.8 from both individuals, indicated that Farrell must have also contracted with a Constellation. Yet, seeing it still hadn't reached 1, he could only sigh.
'Not that anything specific would happen if it reached 1, but...'
Lastly, 'Judgment', which had greatly aided in finishing off Farrell, neatly reached 10.
Having shown such power with a depth of merely 4, he could expect even greater effects in the future.
...Though, honestly, it was a concept he'd rather not have to use, if possible.
Having perfectly organized the internal concepts, Ban Yuwon sighed, "Hoo," and turned his head.
"Rucell, are you okay? Can you move?"
Although it seemed like an easy victory, it was a battle that would have ended in great disaster had it not been for Rucell's devotion and Eve's quick wit.
In Rucell's case, she had actually even destroyed the protective artifact Professor Yumina had made for her in the process of grappling with Irekto.
That foe truly was a monster befitting the name 'Giant'.
"I'm fine, Master."
But Rucell bravely shook her head in response to Ban Yuwon's worried gaze.
"More than that, I'm worried about the other members..."
"Right. There might be other Exodus members hiding in the dungeon. I'm sorry, but we need to move immediately."
Judging by their locations being detected through the flower ornaments, it seemed neither of them had sustained serious injuries, but there was no telling what might happen.
"No choice then, let's eat some candy and move right away."
"Yes!"
"Eve, say 'ahh' too."
"Ssshik."
They ate the candies they had made and shared for such occasions—elixirs of life, clumped and solidified, crafted from the Fruit of Eden—to recover their stamina.
The effect was beyond words.
With a slight exaggeration, his body felt as refreshed as if he had just woken from a deep sleep, and all his injuries, both known and unknown, vanished completely!!
"That Ortima son of a bitch, if I find him, I'll iron his face flat."
"I'll hold him down. Then we move right... huh?"
—THUMP!
"What's this tremor...?"
"Oh, this, surely not."
"Ssssshikt?!"
Suddenly, a massive tremor began to shake the dungeon.
...The dungeon had been cleared!
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