I got into school for nothing - 64
I got into school for nothing (64)
Lesson 14. Rebel Force - 2
Only when the conversation was more or less concluded and the situation settled down, did Ban Yuwon finally have a moment to check the "gift" he had received from Dokgo Yeon earlier.
[Life 50, Body 30, Mana 60, Domination 10, Charm 15, Divine Word 17]
These were the concepts Ban Yuwon had successfully extracted from Lusein Ortima's right arm.
His arm likely contained many other concepts besides these... but due to Ban Yuwon's low comprehension, the rest were probably lost.
What was unexpected, however, was that he didn't possess the Constellation's Stigma that could be obtained even from Irekto.
In other words, this meant he hadn't contracted with a Constellation.
'Well, considering they're a family that dominates a high-ranking dimension,' he thought, 'at that level, they can probably pick and choose which Constellations to contract with. All the Constellation contractors I've met so far were merely swayed by the Constellation's will anyway.'
He shook off his lingering attachment and absorbed the concepts.
Lusein Ortima was not just an academy freshman; he was a talent nurtured by one of the most prominent forces across all dimensions, so the purity of the language concepts he possessed was exceptionally high.
Each individual concept held an unshakable persuasiveness incomparable to that of other beings. It was a presence that perhaps only Ban Yuwon, who wielded the Authority of Language, could truly perceive.
[The depth of Life has become 425, the depth of Body has become 285, the depth of Hyungi has become 240.]
The conclusion was this: while he would normally only acquire 10 points of Life from extracting 100 from a monster of similar level, Ortima's concepts boasted an astonishing 50% conversion rate.
Of course, Hyungi was only a third of that, as it required a process of converting Mana into Hyungi, but even that was incredibly satisfying.
[By absorbing 10 of Domination, you awakened the language concept within your body. The depth of Domination has become 16.7.]
[Domination — The will to control all things according to one's own desires.]
Domination, a concept Ban Yuwon hadn't possessed, could be fully absorbed, just like Charm, and surprisingly, a depth of 6.7 had accumulated without Ban Yuwon even realizing it.
At first, he thought it might be a change that occurred when Rucell became subservient to him, but upon closer inspection of the concept of Domination, he realized it wasn't so simple.
'If this concept accumulated merely by commanding others,' he pondered, 'then many of the monsters I've hunted so far should have manifested it. Besides, I already possess the concept of Leadership anyway.'
If he considered why Ortima had released this concept, the answer became clear.
Didn't Ortima possess the power to twist and manipulate fundamental laws with his will?
Thus, he arrived at the somewhat arrogant conclusion that Domination, literally, represented a coercive influence over everything beyond oneself... over all creation.
Such thoughts became firm, going beyond Charm (which was completely absorbed), when he proceeded to absorb the final concept, Divine Word.
[The higher-tier concept, Myriad Tongues, responds to Divine Word. By perfectly understanding and absorbing the concept of Divine Word, the depth of Myriad Tongues has become 180. You can now imbue your voice with strong intent and coercive power. Due to the growth and enlightenment of your unique ability, the depths of Myriad Sight and Myriad Hearing have also grown to 180.]
[The depth of Soul has become 580.]
'Holy...'
This was the biggest jackpot!
Myriad Tongues was the slowest growing among the three concepts.
But this time, that was instantly reversed; it not only rapidly grew by 15, but Myriad Sight and Myriad Hearing also grew in tandem with Myriad Tongues!
Of course, the concept of Divine Word was shattered, but even if Ban Yuwon had acquired around 17 points of Divine Word, he wouldn't have gained Ortima's unique ability. And since it brought positive changes and growth to his own unique abilities, there was nothing to complain about.
'No, perhaps if I hadn't possessed Myriad Tongues, I might not have been able to understand or absorb the concept of Divine Word at all. Anyway, it's a huge gain.'
As the depths of the three core concepts of his ability all reached 180, the depth of his Soul also surged in tandem to 580.
This also effectively proved the hypothesis that his unique abilities influenced his soul.
"So, how was my gift?"
Dokgo Yeon, who could viscerally feel Ban Yuwon arranging and absorbing all the concepts and growing considerably stronger, spoke to him.
"Yeah. I'm truly grateful. Honestly, I'm touched."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't just say it, but showed your sincerity."
"Just tell me what you want, anytime."
He chuckled as he replied, then realized there was still one more gift left from her.
'Earlier, I was so busy hiding it that I only briefly checked it before putting it straight into my inventory... but that was incredible too.'
The metal sphere, imbued with an unusual aura.
It seemed to be a weapon Ortima had used, as traces of his mana lingered heavily on it...
He wanted to take it out and examine it thoroughly right away, but the problem was Aire's continued presence in the room.
"..."
After being firmly rejected by Yumina and even receiving a kind explanation as to why she couldn't transfer to Class 11, she had simply been sitting slumped in a corner of the room, like a corpse from which the soul had departed.
"Light, isn't she leaving yet?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Weren't you close with her?"
Light, who knew she had rushed into the dungeon to apologize to Ban Yuwon, looked at Ban Yuwon with an exasperated expression.
Then, for some reason, he tilted his head, uttering a sound of "Hmm?"
"Ban, don't you look a bit more handsome?"
"Don't go around saying things like that to just anyone; they might get the wrong idea."
"But it's true."
Rucell chimed in from the side.
"I felt Yuwon's impression subtly change just now."
"Ah."
Only then did he understand why they were acting this way.
It must be because of Charm.
Among the concepts absorbed from Ortima's right arm, Charm had been 15, and by absorbing it, his own Charm had reached exactly 50.
When he had first awakened Charm, he thought there were no significant changes, but perhaps reaching 50 had a positive effect on his outward appearance?
'Damn it.'
If he had known such a noticeable change would occur, he wouldn't have absorbed or organized concepts while an outsider like Aire was present.
"It's fine."
Just then, as if reading his mind, Aire opened her mouth.
"Your ability, I've known about it since your spar with Irekto."
"Oh."
"Across all dimensions, there are others with similar abilities."
That can't be right.
Even if Aire inferred Ban Yuwon's ability based on her observations, it would likely only be 'ability plunder' or 'absorption'; she probably couldn't even begin to grasp what Ban Yuwon's true ability was.
"If you already know, then it's fine. I'll tell you."
Ban Yuwon explained that he had plundered a portion of Ortima's Charm from his right arm, tailoring his explanation to Aire's level of understanding.
Rucell, who received Wildness extracted from monsters by Ban Yuwon every time, and thus had the most intuitive understanding of concept plundering, listened to the explanation and tilted her head, saying.
"That man's Charm...? He wasn't charming at all. Compared to Yuwon..."
However, unlike Rucell, who was blindly devoted to Ban Yuwon, Light spoke calmly.
"It's true that he was an eyesore to us, but purely based on looks, he wasn't inferior to Ban. Besides, Charm isn't something you can judge solely by appearance."
It was an accurate definition.
Charm was the power to move others' hearts.
In other words, if Ortima could exert strong influence over others simply by his presence, it was natural that his Charm would be high.
He probably possessed an incomparable amount of Honor compared to Ban Yuwon, but Honor didn't seem to be a concept that could be plundered from others, so he couldn't acquire it this time.
"Light, to hear such intelligent words from you... did something happen in the dungeon?"
"Ban, you don't like me, do you?"
"No, I like you."
Teasing him was just too much fun.
"What?!"
Even now, startled, he unnecessarily fumbled at his chest and then glanced at Ban Yuwon—what a transparent action that was!
"Yuwon...?"
"No, Rucell. Uh, my bad."
But seeing Rucell glaring at him intensely, it seemed he ought to rein in his teasing of Light.
As he did so, he realized that Rucell wasn't the only one staring intently at him.
"...Aire? Why?"
"No. Nothing."
But Ban Yuwon didn't miss her gaze momentarily flickering towards Light.
...Ha, could it be that Aire had fallen for Light while clearing the dungeon with him?
There was every possibility.
Light was a beautiful youth with delicate features, enough to be mistaken for a girl at first glance. Moreover, while Aire cast her magic, he bravely wielded his spear, protecting her... and he even heard that at the last moment, he had helped her by giving her a Candy of Life that Ban Yuwon had provided, hadn't he?
For a girl with normal sensibilities, falling for him wouldn't be surprising.
That's why she didn't like seeing Ban Yuwon tease Light!
"Oh dear."
But the end of that affection could only be tragic.
Because Light was hiding his true form...!
In this case, perhaps it was better for her that she couldn't transfer to Class 11 after all.
All he could do was pray she'd find new love as soon as possible.
"Hang in there."
"?"
Though she tilted her head at Ban Yuwon's heartfelt words... Aire finally stood up from her seat.
"I'll keep what I heard today a secret."
"Of course you should."
"Unless Light reveals my secret first."
To have become close enough to share secrets in just one day!
"Then I'll go. ...I won't give up."
"I think it would be better for you to give up quickly."
"I won't give up."
With a glare, she said, staring at Ban Yuwon, and left the room.
Light chided Ban Yuwon.
"Even if you dislike her, there's no need to openly rebuke her."
"Ha, Light, if you knew why I said those things, you'd... No, never mind."
At Ban Yuwon's sight, shaking his head as if in pity, Light made a sour expression.
On the other hand, Dokgo Yeon, who always assessed situations most objectively, discerned that Ban Yuwon was fabricating a story in his mind.
"That man, it seems he's making some ridiculous assumptions."
At Rucell's cheerful, smiling remark, Dokgo Yeon's eyes narrowed.
"Beast, you're also suffering because of that man's annoying misunderstandings. Right now, that blockhead probably thinks you're only clinging to him to resolve your madness (Heart Furnace)."
"I like it, even with all that included."
"Truly, I can't understand male-female relationships."
"..."
Seeing Dokgo Yeon brazenly utter those words, even though the current situation had arisen precisely because of such relationships, and she herself was at the very core of it, Rucell couldn't help but wonder if she was turning out to be quite similar to Ban Yuwon.
...Perhaps that's why Dokgo Yeon paid even more attention to Ban Yuwon?
"Ortima didn't seem like he would give up."
"Then that day will be the day of his funeral. Ban Yuwon was so pleased with just his right arm; if I brought him the rest, it would certainly be a sight to behold. ...It's a shame I couldn't sever the crown from his head."
Rucell's jaw dropped.
To talk about another man and then naturally think of taking care of Ban Yuwon first?
Indeed, this woman was the most dangerous.
She reaffirmed that to herself, anew, and resolved not to lose either.
"What? Where's my metal sphere? ...Eve, did you eat it?!"
"Shh, shhh."
"You said it was a concept more necessary for a familiar than for its master, and so you shared it with Lilyth and Tikke... No, I know you wield my Authority. ...No, you ate it well. If you enjoyed it, then that's fine."
"...Ban, are you crying?"
"No, I'm just happy."
The second day of the special activity ended like that.
Due to the unexpected clash with Exodus, the remaining schedule for the second day was entirely canceled—thanks to the group's free activity being postponed to the next day.
The third day became a full day of leisure.
...Somehow, it felt like a school trip right up until the end.
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