Chapter 153
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Lesson 31. The Last Spoonful Is Always the Most Annoying - 3
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BOOM! KABOOOM!
KRRRRBOOOOM!
Cannon fire erupted from every direction, deafening the air.
An uncountable horde of mechanized bugs swarmed into view. Some charged straight at them, while others—bearing cannon barrels ripped straight from modern tanks on their backs—unleashed a mad barrage of shells in their direction.
The tower forbade climbers from using machines, yet here came the monsters fused with machinery. It couldn't get any more unfair than this.
"Ban, these bastards look seriously pissed...!"
"Looks like whatever Lucelle smashed was a big deal to them. That's why we've ended up on defense against their assault."
Ban Yu-won coolly analyzed the situation even as he extended his hand, conceptualizing every incoming shell.
A quick scan revealed shells based on the concept of magic bullets, infused with vicious add-ons like fission, explosion, acid, poison, and more.
At least they weren't mana-based attacks; solid projectiles were a small mercy.
"Here come those mantis-beetle things we took out earlier—in droves!"
"It'd be nice to find a wall to back up against for the fight... but unfortunately, nothing in sight."
"What if we pull out the stone giant...?"
"Not enough space to deploy it."
Dokgo Yeon glanced around before letting out a short sigh.
"Form a defensive line around Ban Yu-won. And Beast... from now on, focus on spreading electricity everywhere to weaken as many of them as possible."
"Got it!"
The machines, doubled in power by the Trick Room's conditions.
To debilitate them maximally, Lucelle stepped up, unleashing lightning in all directions.
Crackle-crackle.
The surging torrent of electric waves crashed like a blue tide, instantly sapping the momentum from the mechanized bugs' charge.
"Light!"
"On it!"
Seizing the opening, Dokgo Yeon and Light charged in.
The enhanced mechanized bugs were tough enough that even Dokgo Yeon couldn't dispatch them in one blow, but Lucelle's tyrannical lightning chopped their movements to pieces, making short work of them.
"Tch, still too damn sturdy... Ban Yu-won, got any bright ideas?"
"No way, Dokgo Yeon. First, we gotta deal with these shells flying from everywhere! Ban can't cover them all!"
"Working on it... Yeah, let's do this."
In that instant, twenty-five rain swords burst from Ban Yu-won's inventory, scattering in all directions.
Swinging them with aura might not have been ideal against such resilient foes anyway.
Ban Yu-won had no intention of swinging them at all.
"Perfect."
"Ooh... whoa?"
Resonance spread his authority through the storm swords everywhere.
As a result, the onslaught of shells from all sides transformed into golden strings of text, sucked into the nearby rain swords.
The twenty-five swords hovered at precise intervals, sweeping away the shell barrage in unison—like a barrier enveloping the entire space.
"Whoa, shells are disintegrating the moment they're fired from everywhere."
"Now weaken the main bodies!"
"Dokgo Yeon, you think I'm omnipotent or something?"
Ban Yu-won grumbled but came up with an idea.
"Cellon, lend me your magic power."
—I'm the support? Guess that means language magic.
"Right."
Ban Yu-won gripped Cellon and sketched two concepts in the air.
Corrosion, and proliferation.
Combine the two language concepts, infuse his imagery to fix them into a spell form, designate the spell's position.
Then pour in every last drop of his and Cellon's magic power!
"They ate the lightning, so this should hit even harder... Go!"
BOOOOM!
A deafening roar like a gas explosion shook the area.
And it pretty much was.
Corrosive gas erupted in the heart of the mechanized bug horde, expanding in an instant to engulf them all!
The bugs at ground zero melted outright, while every other in range jerked awkwardly into motion.
Kik?!
Kiiieee—!
Corrosion was threatening even to non-machines, but obviously fatal to delicate machinery.
Among those already fried by Lucelle's lightning, some went berserk and crashed into allies.
"Ban, isn't this dangerous for us too?!"
"You think I can't control a spell I cast? Just charge!"
In truth, two rain swords clung to the group, instantly sucking up any approaching gas or shells...
"Nice one, Ban Yu-won!"
Dokgo Yeon charged out with a fearless grin, smashing machines left and right.
Easier than back in 84 Room—because she'd laced the infiltrating corrosive gas with a touch of her power: death.
Her strength was potent by nature, but surged against things close to its essence—like the dying!
"Heh heh heh... yeah, now they're shattering nice and clean!"
Dokgo Yeon, whose matchup with machines wasn't great, reclaimed her dominance by piggybacking off the gas indirectly.
Light smashed them easily too, if not quite as effortlessly, and Lucelle rejoined the front lines.
Meanwhile, Ban Yu-won circulated his energy to recover magic power, gathering the absorbed magic bullet concepts.
"Now, how to make use of these..."
Whirr.
"Yeah, Tike? If that's what you want... wait, hold on. Come to think of it."
As Ban Yu-won mulled an inspiration, the battle raged on.
The mechanized bugs had clear strengths—and glaring weaknesses. The Rebellion party annihilated the horde that could overwhelm even senior grad parties, without a single scratch.
Thus, they cleared 85 Room painlessly and entered 86 Room.
All machines in this space possess 2.5 times their capabilities.
"Uh..."
"...How intriguing."
The unexpected twist on the condition—and the horrifying multiplier—left them speechless.
Corrosion and lightning would still work, but if it stacked 50% each time, what about the final chain room, 95?
Fighting machines boosted by 650%? Was that even feasible?
"S-see?! I really screwed up big time...!"
Lucelle trembled at the emboldened horde surging from 85 Room.
Ban Yu-won thought so too, but he couldn't crush her spirits here.
"It's fine. The stronger the enemy, the juicier the rewards. I'll figure out how to win—just fight hard."
"Yu-won...!"
"Do you guys have to make it all dramatic every time?"
"Rare agreement with Light... but focus on the foes at hand."
One silver lining: their power boost was mostly in ranged attacks.
Shells more varied and massive.
But with twenty-five storm swords blanketing the area, the odds of them hitting were zero.
"Tike, ready?"
Whirr!
Tike responded confidently, aperture whirring open and shut repeatedly.
"Good. Linking now."
The resonance among his familiars, centered on Ban Yu-won.
He redirected it deliberately, linking the twenty-five rain swords to Tike.
Concepts from absorbed shells flowed straight to Tike, whose seven barrels vibrated, amplifying them via 'projection magic' and firing back!
KRRRBOOOOM!
The front was getting obliterated.
Even more impressive before Lucelle's lightning or Ban Yu-won's corrosion spread.
BOOOOM!
"Huh?"
"What the—?"
The party, prepping to fight, gawked too.
Firing rate and destructive power dwarfed Tike's originals.
Partly from absorbing the bugs' potent magic bullets, but not only that.
"Ban Yu-won, no way?"
"Seems Tike counts as one of the Trick Room's machines too."
KABOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
"Ha..."
Dokgo Yeon sighed in disbelief at Ban Yu-won's quick deduction.
Machines were forbidden in the tower—dreams of using them were just that.
So the 'all machines enhanced' condition barely registered... but sadly for the bugs, Ban Yu-won was the one guy who could wield machines inside!
"And that means."
"Shiii-shi-shit!"
Eve shot into the air like it'd been waiting for this.
With its myriad forms, Eve could naturally transform into a machine!
Tricky for unfamiliar targets, but here? Endless blueprints, plus...
"Eat this, Eve!"
Shooo!
Ban Yu-won stole their concepts and imprinted them on Eve, deepening its grasp of machinery!
Shi-shit, shiii-shi-shit!
Eve ballooned and began transforming.
Meanwhile, Ban Yu-won and Cellon unleashed another corrosive gas blast amid the enemy, Lucelle lightning-clearing a path.
And.
"Go, Eve!"
Rumble-rumble...
Transformation complete: Eve emerged as a massive armored vehicle.
Clad head to toe in mantis-beetle-like plating from 84 Room, thorns protruded and retracted rhythmically from within.
The motor's roar mimicked endless thunder.
"Whoa..."
"...Impressively sturdy-looking."
Not as huge as Dokgo Yeon's stone giant pet, but no less intimidating!
Remade as Ban Yu-won's idea of the 'strongest machine,' Eve thundered straight into the enemy ranks!
"Smash 'em all!"
Rumblerumblerumble!
Already his strongest familiar, now 2.5x boosted by Trick Room—Eve trampled the weakened bugs literally.
Like 84 Room bugs, its plating spun rapidly; on collision, thorns pierced and exploded inside them.
And the speed? Engines copied from the bugs, Ban Yu-won-arranged for extra oomph—turning Eve into the battlefield's unique monster!
"So much to nitpick, but... follow Eve for now."
"I've thought it before, but doesn't just having Ban conquer the tower?"
"...Shut it."
"Dokgo Yeon, you think so too... Ow!"
Leveraging supercharged Tike and Eve, they cleared up to 89 Room (machines 4x enhanced) without breaking rules, then hit 90 Room: Eden, for extended rest.
They'd braced for no Eden mid-chain, but lucked out.
Still, not all smooth sailing.
"Even with corrosion and lightning stacked in 89 Room, they barely weakened."
"Think of it as weakened to that degree. Yeah, 91 onward's gonna suck..."
"Without Tike and Eve, we'd be retired for sure."
"Sorry, everyone."
"I said it's fine. More importantly, plan ahead."
Even double-debuffed by Ban Yu-won and Lucelle, the bugs were overpowering them.
No matter how buffed Tike and Eve were, two couldn't handle everything.
Five chain rooms left? Clear defeat ahead.
"Gotta hole up here long-term and strategize."
"Agreed."
"Extended expedition's a godsend."
Long stays risked conquest delays, but Eden had no time limit.
Blind rushing meant wipeout—better use expedition time wisely.
"Huh? Isn't that from 84 Room?"
"Gonna study it more. Was too hectic before... Anyway, their desperate charges are probably over this."
The core device powering the giant machine.
What if they hadn't smashed it?
No deathmatch like this, probably.
Meant it was crucial to them—and with five rooms left, something related was coming.
'Gotta exploit this somehow... If analysis yields nothing, maybe Restoration language magic. Hmm, possible, but my magic power's short.'
Draining Cellon's magic too, he barely restored parts to feasible levels—but for this beast, 4% of whole at best.
Not stackable via repeats; needed absurdly deeper restoration concept.
"Feasible, Cellon?"
—Maybe with twenty days straight, no sleep?
"Teasing me now?"
—Pushing beyond limits risks life. With my help, twenty days risk-free? That's high praise, inversely.
"Oh... right."
Still, couldn't commit twenty days here.
Ban Yu-won sighed, ate Eden fruit to recover magic, pushed to 10% total, then stowed the junk in inventory.
No key now? Brute force it.
Parts dropped from 84-89 Rooms piled up plenty, plus absorbed concepts galore...
"Alright, let's see..."
"B-Ban!"
As Ban Yu-won entered mad inventor mode.
Light's familiar voice rang, just like old times.
"Treasure chest here!"
"Artifact drop?!!!"