Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Lesson 34. Free Servitude - 4
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"Slottie, you have to come right away the moment you think it's time."
"Secret rendezvous? Right after mating with the eldest―― Ow!"
It was starting to feel ominous, like if someone didn't shut their mouth soon, news of his intimacy with Lucelle would spread across the entire universe.
...
No way, was it already too late?
"Remember this: I hit women and men equally."
Even at this very moment, he could sense countless worms' 'concepts' crawling through the soil underground.
If there really was a sorcerer on the enemy side who could control Forest Worms, then all the sweating he'd done this afternoon yanking out trees had been nothing but a pointless waste.
As long as the worms followed them, the enemy could walk barefoot without issue, while the Wolf Fang tribe would be at a disadvantage.
'But replanting the trees right now would be the worst option.'
Weed out all the worms first, then replant the trees before the beastmen swarm in.
Timing was everything.
"All the worms? Is that possible?"
"Of course."
Everything he'd prepared before leaving on the special activity wasn't for show――it was precisely for emergencies like this.
Ban Yu-won replied with a confident expression and climbed onto Lilith.
A final glance at the sky revealed Dokgo Yeon summoning a mountain giant from above in a surprise attack, smashing a massive flying ship flat before deftly dismissing it.
―Yeah, why would I worry about her?
Meanwhile, Lucelle was glued to her mother, learning the fox spirit's sorcery in real combat――for her sake if nothing else, Ban Yu-won resolved to turn this war into a victory as he launched Lilith.
[Aren't you taking Gwangjo, Master? You'll need it for the complete form.]
"Dokgo Yeon will need it. And it's not time yet."
―You're really keeping it under wraps.
"The enemy hasn't shown themselves yet, so of course."
Chatting with Lilith and Ceron as he prepared for battle.
He pulled out all twenty-five Storm Rain Swords and infused them with magic power.
Ever since completing the Origin Sword, he no longer needed the Executioner's Longsword to resonate; he could freely manipulate all twenty-five sword-lines at will.
If he could evolve the Manifestation Technique on top of that, he might achieve the same majesty as wielding each of the twenty-five swords personally...
'No, that's coming soon too.'
True to its role as the foundational martial art that shaped the current Dokgo Yeon, it had taken ages――but ever since arriving on this planet, Ban Yu-won had sensed signs of change.
'The direction to step forward feels set.'
This too was thanks to Lucelle...
A sudden smile crept up.
He'd been playing it cool amid the chaos until now, but alone like this, he couldn't hide the emotions surging inside.
Pride, emptiness, self-satisfaction, fulfillment, happiness, anticipation, affection for Lucelle――all of it.
―Feeling good? Happy?
"Tch, can't we act a little childish when it's just us?"
Ban Yu-won tried to straighten his face in response to Ceron's teasing ambush, wiping away the smile, but he failed.
Even knowing a major battle awaited, he just couldn't...
―He manages his expressions so well in front of that girl... Men are hopeless.
[It means he's honest with us.]
―True, it's cute.
"You two, enough... Ow, Eve?"
At that moment, Eve bit Ban Yu-won's hand a bit painfully.
The Forest Worm's concept moving underground was intensifying, and she'd noticed first, alerting him.
"Tch, did clearing the path make them more active... Go."
The twenty-five sword-lines shot up simultaneously and plunged deep into the ground.
Like earthworms burrowing through soil, they reached the end of their trajectories, severed the Forest Worms' lives, recovered only their concepts, and soared back up.
Ban Yu-won, who'd crammed all the Drilling into a single hand drill to instantly hit depth 100, grinned proudly.
"The deeper the depth, the harder it'll be to raise, so let's aim for around a thousand."
[I'm never using that thing.]
"You're too pitiful, not appreciating the drill's coolness."
Ban Yu-won soon passed through the forest into a clearing.
This planet was all forest, so the 'clearing' was just the empty space he'd created earlier by uprooting trees en masse.
A massive swarm of Forest Worms was wriggling there now.
"Appetite killer..."
―There's definitely a Gu sorcerer somewhere. See? It's a Gu Poison curse.
Gu Poison was an Eastern curse where multiple venomous insects were sealed in a jar to kill each other until one survived.
But hearing Ceron explain it felt strangely out of place for Ban Yu-won.
―Did you forget I possess curse concepts too? I grasp all magic, no matter the field.
"Right, you did."
―Good thing we came early. Once Gu completes, it's game over. Let's end it quick.
Ban Yu-won nodded and picked up the staff just as the swarming Forest Worms underground lifted their heads to stare straight at him.
Immediately after, a spell shot from somewhere clashed against Ceron's barrier and ricocheted away.
―Sniping from afar. Guess they chickened out on a frontal assault.
"Eve, mind disrupting them?"
"Shishit."
Eve bit his hand once more and melted into the air.
Sniping continued, but Lilith dodged effortlessly.
Resonating with Ban Yu-won, she'd read all surrounding concepts and detected flows the instant they appeared, executing evasion maneuvers on his intent.
"Still not enough. It needs to respond perfectly to every situation."
―Reflection's good, but won't you deal with that first?
"What works best?"
―Light magic's good. Holy Light magic's even better.
Given light magic's effect on suppressing monster waves, the same principle applied here naturally.
But Holy Light was a concept Ceron had reclaimed upon awakening, one Ban Yu-won couldn't wield...
"I can't use Holy Light magic. That okay?"
―Just infuse light magic power. I'll handle the rest.
Ceron was getting more reliable by the day――trouble.
Ban Yu-won unhesitatingly poured light magic power into the staff's crystal.
The instant over half his magic power drained, Ceron channeled it all skyward.
―Meteor Shower!
"Straightforward name, I like it."
He muttered while refilling his depleted magic via Manifestation Technique circulation.
But the spell's effect was no joke.
Light shot into the sky, then exploded like fireworks, dyeing the heavens brilliant.
Brilliant enough for anyone on this planet to see.
―Holy Light magic is powerful for generating a planet's power itself, but even more so for borrowing other stars' power. You can't wield it without deep insight into celestial movements and their light.
"I see... Different from what I imagined."
The sniping had stopped by now.
Stunned by the sky's glow? Or Eve effectively blocking them?
Didn't matter anymore.
Meteor Shower was raining down.
―Kuiieeeeeeeek!
Light orbs filling the sky plummeted like pulled noodles, piercing the Forest Worm swarm.
Each beam released holy energy on impact, causing the disgustingly fused worms to shriek and decompose.
Soon, beams multiplied and merged, forming pillars of light linking heaven and earth.
"Impressive..."
―My soul's rank is 800 now. Can't call myself an archmage without this level of magic.
She supplemented his lacking magic from him, he her lacking rank from her; together, they borrowed miracles from the star-filled sky impossible alone.
―Enchant before the effect fades. I used all my magic; no more spells.
"Got it."
Though not resonating, their shared magical knowledge let him grasp her intent without explanation.
He sent all twenty-five sword-lines into the light pillar; Ceron modified the spell, infusing starlight into the Storm Rain Swords.
―Not all done yet. You know that, right?
"Of course."
The Holy Light-enchanted Storm Rain Swords burst from the pillar just as it lost power and collapsed.
Over half the Forest Worms were dead, half the rest crippled and twitching――yet survivors cannibalized each other, bulking up.
"Not on my watch!"
Ban Yu-won ruthlessly recovered overflowing golden concept strings from the ground, sent Storm Rain Swords for finishing blows on the living, and conceptified their flesh before others could eat it, recovering those too.
The hand drill, now a dedicated core, ceaselessly raised Drilling's depth toward 800.
Just from that, you could tell how many Forest Worms he'd slain.
―This thing's reaching its limit soon?
[I'm not eating it, Master!]
Objects able to hold deep concepts were naturally limited.
His artifacts balanced soul, magic, body concepts for endless growth, enduring it――a normal hand drill couldn't.
"Alright, let's widen the vessel a bit..."
He'd plundered plenty of magic power and tough shells from the worms for structural integrity alongside Drilling.
After cramming unneeded concepts into the drill, it stabilized.
―Kuaaaaaak!
A massively enlarged Forest Worm erupted from the ground, targeting Ban Yu-won.
But as he aimed the hand drill and triggered it with magic, its head shredded mid-air, body exploding!
"Still hate Drilling?"
―Stack 800 concepts, anything gets strong.
Even the real-time-growing Storm Rain Swords' core Magic Sword depth was around 300.
Boosting twenty-six swords' depths that much might be more impressive.
But now, it felt like every Forest Worm on the planet was gathering here――if all combined...
"Wait."
―What?
"This is basically Gu Poison itself."
―...You're right.
Ceron surveyed the collapsing area under the worms' weight and began calculating.
―The Gu ritual hasn't stopped. Good, let's steal it.
"Can you?"
―Like I said, I have curse concepts.
The plan was simple.
Infuse Ban Yu-won's soul fragment into the drill absorbing most Forest Worm concepts via Soul Flame, add resonance for self-absorption.
Then use Ceron's curse to focus the Gu ritual on the drill.
Toss it into the swarm after.
"O, ooooo."
―Our joint magic.
Ceron said proudly.
The furiously spinning hand drill drew Forest Worms like moths to flame, sacrificing themselves.
They dwindled faster than Ban Yu-won killing with Storm Rain Swords.
Despite using every worm on the planet for grand sorcery, he claimed all results――far better than brute-forcing!
"What―――are you doing?"
Finally, the enemies appeared.
A group hooded, faces hidden, riding bizarre floating boards.
The Gu sorcerer was surely among them.
"Shishit."
"Good work, Eve."
Eve, who'd disrupted and blocked with illusions till the end, seemed sorry for failing, but he'd never expected her to solo them.
Thanks to her buying time, he'd smoothly hijacked the Gu――gratitude only.
"This the one Master mentioned?"
"Unbelievable, how did he interrupt the ritual mid-way..."
"Not too late. Kill and reclaim it."
"Kill him!"
They charged, spouting eerie words.
Mooks would be quick, but Ryu Cheol-myeong must've invested heavily――all outmatched Ban Yu-won in presence.
But he had no intention of losing.
Ban Yu-won sneered and summoned his mechanical retainers.
And shouted.
"Lilith, combine!"
[Yes, Master!]