I got into school for nothing - 94
I got into school for nothing (94)
Lesson 20. My Vassals Can Be Copied? - 4
Friday dawned.
As the members of Team Rebellion gathered for breakfast, a guest joined them today.
It was Aire, a girl with striking clear sky-blue hair and silver eyes.
“I wanted to fight you.”
“If you want to bother me, just say you want to bother me.”
Of course, Aire hadn't suddenly become a battle-crazed warrior; she was simply referring to the comprehensive evaluation sparring match.
All those gathered here held a top rank in the first-year sparring hierarchy, with Dokgo Yeon at first place and Aire at second, both unequivocally demonstrating combat prowess that far surpassed the typical first-year.
“I, I won't stand by if you bother Yuwon...! Even if you're the top predator!”
“It's a joke, Rucell, don't get hostile over nothing. ...Top predator?”
“All your team members are peculiar.”
“You're one to talk.”
For reference, Rucell was ranked 4th.
She had lightly smiled and forfeited her match against Lusein Rown-Palomer Aquinas Ortima, who was ranked 3rd, and Ban Yuwon found it all the more chilling because he could guess why she had withdrawn.
The reason Lusein Rown-Palomer Aquinas Ortima, originally hailed as the top prospect among first-years, remained at 3rd place was likely due to him not yet fully recovering from his injuries and thus being unable to overcome Aire's ice magic.
“By the way, why are you here?”
Light made his usual tactless remark.
No, rather, it seemed as if he wanted to chase Aire away from the gathering.
However, Aire, with her usual composed expression,
“I won't be able to see you over the weekend, so I wanted to see your face beforehand. Because we're friends.”
she replied.
“Friends...! Come to think of it, this guy too.”
At Aire's 'friend' declaration (which Ban Yuwon believed was merely a temporary ploy to get closer to Light), Light looked visibly startled.
Ban Yuwon felt as if he could see right through him.
He was clearly conscious of his own 'friend' declaration from yesterday (which Ban Yuwon believed he'd used as an excuse to dig into Ban Yuwon's secrets).
“You won't be able to see him over the weekend, you say? Why is that?”
As the two engaged in a strange staring contest, Dokgo Yeon, who seemed to have little interest in Aire, suddenly asked, placing a xiao long bao onto a wide spoon (tangchi) used for soup.
Today's breakfast menu clearly featured many dishes reminiscent of Chinese and Southeast Asian culinary cultures from Earth.
There were thin-skinned dumplings, chicken porridge, stir-fried morning glory (gongsimchae), various pickled vegetables, and even a meat stir-fry with a Sichuan (Sichuan) aroma that vaguely resembled Twice-Cooked Pork, all of which put Dokgo Yeon in a good mood.
“Because I'm entering the Tower. Right after breakfast.”
“...So solo exploration isn't subject to the exam period restrictions, I see.”
Ah, her previously good mood soured slightly now.
She hadn't seemed particularly attached to solo exploration in the first place, but merely watching others enter the Tower while she couldn't, during the exam period, was clearly a different feeling.
“Yeah. I don't have any remaining exams, so I can go in right away. Though I did have one originally.”
“You had one originally? Ah.”
He wondered why Aire had looked at Ban Yuwon as she said that, but immediately realized the reason.
The exam originally scheduled for today was Magical Combat, taught by Yumina.
Since it had been replaced by a thesis, her entire day was now free, making Aire a free woman.
“...What's with that eye contact between you two? It's annoying, like you're trying to emphasize your friendship.”
“Because we are friends. We shared something that only friends who attend the same class would understand. Light, are you jealous?”
“Y-you...”
Aire chuckled in response to Light's sulky remark.
It was so obvious she found Light adorable that Ban Yuwon couldn't help but laugh.
Dokgo Yeon, who had been observing the exchange, narrowed her eyes and asked Ban Yuwon.
“Ban Yuwon, what did you say to this idiot yesterday?”
“Light did most of the talking. Somehow, our friendship just deepened.”
“I see. It's a slightly different direction than I expected... but it seems to have been resolved well.”
“Hmm, maybe it's more like first aid...?”
A slightly different direction, she said? Could it be that she genuinely hoped Ban Yuwon and Light would enter a romantic relationship?
“It would've been better if he'd suppressed it more firmly.”
“Phew, that's a relief.”
Seeing Dokgo Yeon still pushing the 'Ban Yuwon Casanova theory,' and Rucell genuinely relieved that it hadn't come to pass, made Ban Yuwon's head spin.
No, wait, come to think of it, he also had something he needed to tell his companions.
“So, about that, guys.”
“What's 'so, about that'?”
“Actually, after resolving a small incident recently, I also gained solo exploration authority.”
[The World!]
Time stopped.
Without a single exaggeration, every team member except Aire froze solid.
As for Aire, since she was naturally expressionless, it wasn't noticeable.
“So, I was thinking of entering the Tower alone today...”
“What's that?!”
And then time started moving again...
Light pounded on the table, expressing his dissatisfaction.
“Why were you hiding such an important thing all this time, and from a friend no less!”
“That's why I'm telling you now, here, among friends.”
“So this is what you were hiding until the very end yesterday!”
No, what he was truly hiding was mostly about the unexpectedly deep and dark relationship between Mira and Ban Yuwon.
“You're going into the Tower? What about our exploration?”
Dokgo Yeon, whose mood had soured a bit again because she was falling behind even Ban Yuwon, posed a pertinent question.
“It's treated separately. Even though our team is currently on Room 23, I can start again from Room 1. Of course, if I go in with you guys next week, it'll be Room 23 again.”
“That's a convenient system.”
“C-can I go in with you too?”
Ban Yuwon, who had expected Rucell to react this way from the start, gently stroked her back, comforting her.
“I don't think so. Sorry, Rucell. But I'll be back before our Sunday date. Ronica Central Plaza at 1 PM, right?”
“You didn't forget...♡”
“...”
As Rucell's favorability, the easiest in the world to raise, once again soared, Aire, who still looked as if time had stopped for her alone, opened her mouth with a serious expression.
“People with solo exploration authority can climb the Tower together. If I were to retire now...”
“No, I said I'm climbing alone, ma'am. Just me.”
He had just heard that information for the first time.
Something in her words bothered him, and as Ban Yuwon pondered it, he soon realized that Mira also possessed solo exploration authority, and hastily sent her a message saying, 'No intentionally retiring.'
Immediately afterward, his mirror began vibrating frantically, but he ignored it.
It probably wouldn't contain anything substantial anyway.
“Then what about the video, Yuwon?”
“It's a secret for now. Since I'm challenging it alone, I plan to experiment in various ways.”
Aire seemed quite bothered by Ban Yuwon's mention of experiments, but he had no intention of revealing his secret weapon yet, so he merely gave her a gentle smile.
* * *
[Mira ― I wanted to start over from Room 1 with you too. You said you'd take everything from me, was that a lie? Are you saying I'm not helpful for the exploration? You really are a terrible man. Turning away pretending not to know after lifting someone's hopes so much, you're just like Ketra.]
“Ah... this woman is truly bothersome.”
It seemed Mira had genuinely intended to retire and then climb the Tower with Ban Yuwon.
Originally, the Tower of Babel could only be climbed by teams of students from the same year, but solo exploration was an exception to even that rule, so it was a good thing Ban Yuwon had urgently told her not to retire.
After all, the reason Mira was highly regarded in the academy right now was precisely because her solo explorations were yielding records no less impressive than those of Ketra's 'team', the student council vice president!
[Ban Yuwon ― I have a lot of things I want to try separately during solo exploration. And to grow your abilities right now, exploring alone would be much better than restarting from Room 1 with a burden like me. You said you'd be helpful to me, so are you planning to ruin your own career? And don't use Ketra's name like an insult.]
[Mira ― You're right. I apologize, I lacked understanding of exactly how you need me. I'll focus on self-cultivation for a while. And I take back saying you're like Ketra.]
Ban Yuwon, satisfied with the reply, was about to put his mirror away when it vibrated again.
[Mira ― Still, I wanted to see the Shower.]
[Ban Yuwon ― Not Shower, Downpour.]
Pfft, Ban Yuwon let out a small laugh.
At this point in time, Mira was the only one who knew about the 'experiment' he intended to conduct.
The reason was simple.
She had been present at the site where the experimental equipment was being created.
“Alright, if I do this with my student ID...”
Friday morning, the entrance to the Tower of Babel, where no other students' shadows were visible due to the ongoing exam period.
Before the Tower of Babel, which ordinarily wouldn't permit even approach, Ban Yuwon manipulated his student ID, revealing a blank space, and the barrier naturally opened.
“Shhh.”
“Right, let's go.”
—Whirr
Eve, having returned to her designated spot on his right arm after two long weeks of 'business trips,' hummed contentedly.
Tikke, dramatically transformed compared to when she last entered the Tower, followed behind.
Of course, if Ban Yuwon's experiment proceeded as intended, these guys wouldn't have a turn in this exploration...
—Thump
The moment Ban Yuwon stepped inside the Tower, the entire structure shook, and a shift occurred.
Somehow, it felt like a considerably greater disturbance than when he'd entered with his companions.
He gave a wry smile and quietly drew his Executioner's Longsword.
Soon, the vibrations ceased, and as the rising dust settled, his vision cleared.
“Huh...?”
What met Ban Yuwon's eyes was an empty wilderness.
If he had to describe its distinguishing feature, it was immensely—vast.
“...No, seriously, from Room 1?”
“Sss-sshit.”
Honestly, he had anticipated this possibility to some extent.
When Ban Yuwon, who knew the Tower of Babel better than anyone else in the academy, entered the Tower alone...
he had hoped that perhaps the Tower would reveal a unique landscape, permitted only to him.
“Still, this scale is too massive. Right, Eve... woah.”
“Ssshit?!”
Ban Yuwon, looking at his student ID with Eve, was speechless with shock.
On the student ID screen, where the number '1' should ordinarily have appeared, numbers from 1 to 9 were irregularly appearing, scattering, and spawning.
“What in the world is this.”
Even the concept of rooms was crumbling so absurdly.
No, perhaps this space was already different from the Tower of Babel as defined by the Chancellor?
In fact, could it be that all the humans who had entered the Tower of Babel until now had never truly known the real Tower?
“Ah—this isn't helping.”
Ban Yuwon decided to forget about his student ID for now.
For now, he would simply focus on the sword in his hand and sharpen his senses, ready to respond to whatever might appear.
What Dokgo Yeon had instilled in him included not only methods for wielding internal energy and moving his body, but also the proper posture and attitude when facing a sword.
‘No matter how much internal energy one possesses or what peerless divine techniques one has learned, ultimately, a swordsman must embrace a unique sword of their own. Cutting (斬), thrusting (貫) at a target, deflecting (流) attacks, or countering (反) them—all are good as you've learned from me. But the implement that performs these actions is the sword itself. Only when you grasp that meaning can your martial path truly be established.’
Even Ban Yuwon, who was fluent in all languages, could not immediately grasp Dokgo Yeon's words when she discussed the fundamentals of martial arts.
Nevertheless, thanks to her consistent training and their sparring sessions with swords, he was gradually beginning to understand how to wield a blade.
His recent dilemma was whether to elevate this into pure swordsmanship or to mix something else into it to create a more comprehensive martial art...
Seeing Light struggling with the spear, he realized that handling many weapons was indeed no easy feat, and thus resolved to focus solely on the sword, his first weapon.
The fact that Dokgo Yeon's strongest weapon was also the sword influenced his decision.
—Hum
“What is it? Is my sword reading my will and reacting?”
Was this the fabled Sword Cry (劍鳴) only spoken of in wuxia novels?
Of course, it wasn't.
Because what was shaking was not Ban Yuwon's sword, but the ground itself.
“The ground? Surely the objective of this room isn't to endure an earthquake... no, that's not it.”
Thump.
Thuuuuump.
Amidst the steadily growing rumbling of the earth.
Ban Yuwon watched as a part of the earth began to rise.
If he were to liken it to something he'd seen in a comic book back on Earth...
“On that day, humanity remembered...”
A golem exceeding 50 meters in height.
A giant (巨人) born from the earth was looking down at Ban Yuwon.
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