Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Lesson 26. Push Away When Close - 1
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"What the hell is that?"
Ban Yu-won, having just finished his meditation and opened his eyes, blurted out in dialect from sheer bewilderment.
A mountain was tumbling over.
It wasn't just rocks rolling; an entire towering rocky mountain was flipping backward!
"No way, what...?"
―You've done something similar yourself.
"Hey, mine was... that thing killed itself."
―Frankly, that seems even more impressive...
Wondering what Dokgo Yeon could possibly be doing to make a mountain flip like that, Ban Yu-won watched closely and noticed arms and legs sprouting from it.
In other words, Dokgo Yeon was battling a colossal golem made from the mountain itself!
Ban Yu-won gaped foolishly at the mountain golem, which rose again with a massive tremor shaking the area, as if a couple of flips weren't enough to take it down.
"If Dokgo Yeon weren't here, the game would've ended the moment that thing showed up? What a shitty balance patch from this Tower!"
―Think of it the other way. Isn't this actually the balance patch working perfectly?
"...Huh!"
Ban Yu-won paused to consider her words.
What if the Rebellion Party's overwhelming power compared to others was causing these absurd situations, even on lower floors?
Not everyone would face this, but since Ban Yu-won was in Rebellion, it perfectly timed the reveal of the Tower's true nature?
The hypothesis felt so plausible that Ban Yu-won broke into a cold sweat.
"If this keeps up, it's gonna get rough."
―If you keep triggering multi-shifts, yeah? Won't it just get worse?
"...Nah, actually, I like it."
Ban Yu-won, who had freaked out at the first sight of the mountain flipping, checked his internal code and saw his Life stat had reached 588. He forced a bold grin.
"The tougher it gets, the bigger the rewards. While others lick the Tower's surface and brag, we'll devour it from the inside out, bit by bit."
―I wonder what awaits at the end...
Sellon's voice trailed off wistfully.
Ban Yu-won subtly probed her.
"You know something about it?"
―If I did, I'd be the Tower's master by now.
Fair point.
―But it's true you're treading a path no one's touched in thousands of years. Doesn't that give you better odds of reaching the top than those repeating the same thing millions of times?
"The top, huh."
―Yeah, just like my contractor...
Sellon's tone darkened abruptly.
Ban Yu-won winced inwardly.
Stepping on a landmine in the most unexpected place.
He gripped the staff tightly, watching the curse enchantment pulse like veins across its surface.
"Mana fully recovered?"
Time for a mood changer when she's down.
And right in front of him was the perfect stress relief!
―Hey, don't grope a lady's body without permission!
"You weren't complaining before. Let's blast some big magic."
―...Alright, here we go?
Magic improves with use.
Unlike earlier, when he'd needed tens of seconds of focus, Ban Yu-won now formed a Photon Sphere in mere seconds, channeling all his and Sellon's mana into a glowing orb―
and hurled it at the center of the monster-infested hill.
―Kreeek?!
―Kiiiiieeeek!
The armored beasts weren't fools; a few charged the Photon Sphere with grim resolve, unwilling to repeat their earlier defeat.
But―
―Keeek!
―Kuhek!
Twelve streaks of rain pierced their bodies in rapid succession, halting their advance.
By then, the Photon Sphere reached its target and detonated in a massive explosion, swallowing the area whole!
―Swaaaaaaaa...
The sound of the sphere's blast wasn't mere noise; it devoured everything around, plunging the zone into instantaneous silent void—an auditory hallucination from the sheer destruction.
Watching the monster-swarmed hill vanish into light, Ban Yu-won felt genuine awe.
Even more moving was the flood of golden concept strings rising above.
"Efficiency's up from before?"
―Proof you've gotten used to photon magic. Same mana, but you can now gather and explode the light more efficiently.
And not just that, Ban Yu-won suspected.
Sellon's stirred emotions had likely amplified the curse enchantment's boost to the light power.
The depth of Photon Magic has reached 60.
Concepts that grow without absorbing from others are precious.
Ban Yu-won smiled contentedly at his magic's progress, surveying the devastation.
A slight delay, but two Photon Sphere blasts in a row left the armored beasts reeling visibly.
And then, incredibly―
"No way..."
"They're fleeing! The monsters are retreating!"
"I've never heard of monsters causing a wave then running away...!"
"The Grand Mage has completely driven back the south gate monsters!"
"Waaaaah!"
As if the infection wave had fully lifted, the clustered armored beasts scattered rapidly!
"Grand Mage! Grand Mage!"
"The Grand Mage will save our city!"
The soldiers, who had climbed the walls ready to die, erupted in cheers at the unbelievable miracle.
Ban Yu-won grew sheepish as their praises swelled.
"Wasn't planning this... Are monster waves always this easy?"
―The wave here wasn't that strong, but mostly because I'm your support!
She never misses a chance to boast.
Still, one Photon Sphere blast seemed to lift her mood considerably, easing Ban Yu-won's mind.
"Hmm... Looks like this side's secure now."
―I think so too.
He monitored the battlefield while recovering mana briefly, but no more armored beasts seemed headed for the south gate.
Still, no time to relax.
Fighting raged at other gates, and north gate had Dokgo Yeon battling a mountain golem.
"Grand Mage?"
"Hold this gate. I'll aid our comrades at the other gates."
The soldiers looked anxious as he prepared to leave.
But with no threats left at south gate, Ban Yu-won coldly brushed off the clingy ones and moved.
If only Lilith were here, she could scout everywhere in seconds...
He idly opened his inventory, stroked the metal egg form of Lilith, and closed it.
No major crises this time, so maybe no hatching.
'Tike, where's the biggest hotspot?'
Ban Yu-won sent his will via resonance.
Tike was hovering above the city, filming all directions.
With Sevenfold Demonic Cloth and Projection Art combo, it focused on seven spots simultaneously!
It could close-up 1km objects like 1m away or precision-strike targets.
Impressive, but Tike's role didn't end there.
'Left all concept recovery to it too...'
Tike observed and controlled deaths from all directions, collecting every concept.
That's why the monsters Ban Yu-won killed earlier rose skyward instead of absorbing directly.
Tike now sucked in rising concepts, stored them temporarily,
reported anomalies in real-time,
and provided covering fire—all flawlessly.
'East gate: Light and Eve clearing fast. North: Dokgo Yeon dismantling the mountain solo... So best to help Lucelle. Got it.'
With precise intel from all-seeing Tike, Ban Yu-won headed straight for west gate.
Even before reaching the walls, the battlefield clamor assaulted his ears.
"We gotta do something about that girl! She's in too deep!"
"But that mercenary's kept monsters from overrunning the walls... Hey, keep shooting!"
"Arrows, rocks—throw anything! Block those monsters!"
Unlike the south gate Ban Yu-won had nearly soloed, the intensity here was on another level.
Soldiers flinched and parted as he ascended the walls.
"You with that mercenary?"
"Talk her down. She's struggling but won't retreat...!"
"She's already infected! Too late to save her!"
The soldiers bickered about Lucelle, fighting alone outside the gate.
But to Ban Yu-won, she looked perfectly fine.
―Grraaaaaang!
Over 3 meters tall, Lucelle swept the field with her broom-like tail—utterly dominant.
Panting from single-handedly holding the line, but no signs of infection wave affecting her.
'What's the infection condition anyway?'
―Soul corruption. To block it, your absurdly high soul tier—or like that beastkin, a master-servant contract donating her soul beforehand.
Sellon was dropping smart insights today.
But... what? Ban Yu-won couldn't let that slide.
'Donated her soul? To me?'
―That's what a master-servant contract is. You didn't think she just wanted to call you 'Master,' right?
'Hmm...'
Half from the Heart Road, half he'd suspected as much.
Since the contract, he'd felt a spiritual link with her.
Once controlling Heart Road, he knew it wasn't ordinary...
'Suddenly feels heavier.'
―Just take good care of her. Now help—she's struggling.
Just what he waited for.
Ban Yu-won first fired twelve rain streaks into the fray, then raised his staff and unleashed a pure white light beam.
Speed: lightspeed. Result: overwhelming.
Dozens, hundreds of armored beasts vaporized without screams; walls' soldiers and even rampaging Lucelle froze in shock.
"Nngh..."
―You okay?
The effect was stellar, but Ban Yu-won felt his head throbbing.
Magic consumed more than mana—mental strain was key.
Sellon boasted each cast because she shouldered nearly half his mental load during incantations.
"Guess those two Photon Spheres at full power took a toll..."
―You knew max power double-tap's tough.
"Yeah, no more magic till mental recovers..."
Can't magic? Fight with sword.
As Ban Yu-won thought like Marie Antoinette and leaped from the wall―
Tike beamed him an image via resonance.
Tike's view overlaid his vision... He froze mid-motion.
"These bastards... what the hell."
A colossal monster army surged from the mountain base.
Few armored beasts—likely the ones he'd scattered at south gate.
The rest? Blue-skinned monsters in human clothes/armor―
Humans turned monsters by the infection wave!
"We blocked internal victims, though."
―I figured it out.
Sellon bragged smugly.
―Tower's shoving in extras from neighboring cities now out of spotlight.
"Wasn't supposed to expose you to modern culture."
Ban Yu-won sighed.
Now he'd have to use that trump card he'd prepared!