Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Lesson 34. Free Servitude - 5
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I admit it—the intention was blatantly obvious from the very start.
Anyone from the younger generation who’d seen Ban Yu-won building his mechanical familiars would have thought of it right away.
Five robots, each with distinct forms and traits, merging into one ultimate combiner robot!
Of course, Light Bird wasn’t here right now, but with its massive wings, it was designed from the outset as an add-on part for aerial combat—literally just wings.
Even without it, ground combat posed no issues at all!
‘Of course, I also planned for partial combinations, like two or three merging to shine in specific situations.’
And the complete form was born the moment Lilith, serving as the core, slotted into the center.
Having devoured all the electrical energy and cores overflowing from Tower Room 94, Lilith’s abilities leaned more toward supplying energy to bolster the other robots than raw offensive power from her main body.
But of course, Lilith also doubled as the cockpit—the pilot’s seat—alongside her role as the core.
Ban Yu-won himself would pilot this colossal robot!
‘...To be honest, she could move it on her own without me, if she wanted.’
With Ban Yu-won in the cockpit, it could maneuver far more nimbly, amplified further by his magic power and authorities. Above all, placing him at the heart of the combiner ensured his safety.
“I don’t know what kind of magic you’re using...”
“Showing such a huge opening right in front of the enemy? Freshmen are such pushovers!”
“Let’s snag one of those arms first!”
The foes charged in, spouting lines straight out of a villain playbook.
Each one surpassed Ban Yu-won in the depth of their Life—put bluntly, they were higher level.
Third-rate thugs in role, maybe, but their strength was undeniable.
Even one-on-one, victory wasn’t guaranteed.
That was why he’d pulled out his trump card—the ‘combination’—without hesitation, one he’d been saving.
—Crackle!
“Guh!”
“Electricity... lightning?!”
In tokusatsu shows, magical girl anime, or mecha series, transformations generally fell into two categories.
One: the type that fails if interrupted midway.
The other: invincible during the process itself.
Ban Yu-won’s design was, naturally, the latter.
He had zero interest in staging some pathetic failure from a minor interruption!
Transformation robots had to be invincible!
Especially not some ridiculous plot where the robot gets hijacked mid-combo and turns against him...!
“Break through, damn it!”
“I can pierce it, but my arm’ll burn off.”
“If it were Master, he’d shrug off puny magic like—Kuhaha!”
The instant Ban Yu-won declared the combination, Lilith generated a unique spherical electric field shared only with the mechanical familiars.
Inside it, the familiars activated their pre-installed transformation functions, merging into a robot centered on Lilith.
The field itself doubled as offense and defense during the process.
Right now, a lightning sphere dozens of meters across protected the exposed Ban Yu-won and his familiars.
The attackers rode unknown floating devices, but the branching lightning shattered them, sending everyone crashing to the ground.
“Damn it all!”
“Use the bugs, the bugs!”
“No good—the curse ritual’s control has been hijacked by someone else... A freshman?! He’s not even a curse major!”
“Don’t panic. Pull back for now. He can’t sustain a massive spell like that forever. Prep for attack.”
“Yeah, makes sense? The trash is putting on a show to scare us... Freaked out the second he saw us. What a coward.”
Regardless of the outsiders’ chatter, the combination proceeded swiftly.
First, Lilith transformed into a sleek oval cockpit-cum-head, cradling Ban Yu-won within.
The tank-like robot with the massive cannon barrel, Vast Heavens Heavy Cannon, latched on first.
Attaching below the head to form the torso, its central chest cannon gleamed menacingly.
Frost Fortress followed as the right arm, gripping a shield that could freeze and block anything.
Hell Awl became the left arm, clutching a massive sword spinning like a drill.
The upper body was complete in seconds.
“Wait a sec—didn’t this thing already have a drill? Why not just assign digging to it here?!”
[This is a greatsword that gains piercing power through rotation, Master. It’s not some earth-boring machine.]
Lilith coolly retorted to the tsukkomi that slipped out unbidden.
No, a spinning blade is a drill! What was the point of naming it Hell Awl in the first place!
But apparently, neither Lilith nor Hell Awl wanted anything to do with the drilling concept.
Nothing to be done about it. Concepts had affinities, after all.
Like how slapping a blunt weapon concept onto a spear would just ruin it.
Or how you couldn’t impose giant or shapeshifter traits on humans.
Hell Awl was a sword in name only despite its awl label—a weapon incompatible with drilling.
‘Tch, yeah, time for my robot dreams to take a hit around now.’
Ban Yu-won, mid-realization of manly dreams in real time, had no intention of dwelling on it.
As those idle thoughts flitted by, Black Wolf attached below the torso, forming both legs.
The humanoid robot form complete, the field compressed instantly, absorbed into the whole body.
Lilith’s released energy coursed through the combined robot, amplifying every function.
Code Name: Abel
Combination Complete.
Naming the combined robot—core’d by Lilith—Abel was some twisted taste, but Ban Yu-won was quite pleased with his own naming sense.
Especially for not cheaply settling on Cain.
Crackle-crackle. Sparks flying, the mechanical giant landed on the earth, eyes flashing.
The solitude ritual still raged, but the bugs had lost interest in anyone else.
They just tore into each other, offering their blood and flesh to the central hand drill as tribute.
‘Better than expected. Overall depth... around 1,500?’
Abel stood about 12 meters tall—a size not uncommon for monsters.
Dokgo Yeon’s mountain giant was far larger, for instance.
“What, a golem? After all that fuss? It’s big, sure.”
“Probably wrapped it around himself for protection instead of armor. I’ve seen mages do that. But Master said he’s a swordsman, not a mage...?”
“Lightning’s gone either way. Our chance!”
“Smash that golem flat!”
Perhaps because of that, the black-robed assailants didn’t panic or cower at Abel emerging from the field.
But if they knew how much effort Ban Yu-won had poured into this combination, its potential...
—You know, the idea of making multiple familiars at your limit strength, then combining them into something even stronger? Honestly brilliant. Not something just anyone could copy.
“Right? Right?”
—But why does it have to be humanoid?
The curse-wielding mage manifesting dark magic.
The swordsman charging straight with a ridiculously huge greatsword, evoking Ryu Cheol-myeong.
The warrior armed with sword and shield, blocking protectively like a guardian.
The presumed leader, coolest and a step back, hand extended toward the ground.
“—Hoo.”
Ban Yu-won activated his Origin Sword, claiming the area as his domain, exhaled, and replied coolly.
“...Because in the end, humans are the strongest form.”
—You okay there?
No, he knew.
In this vast universe, finding stronger races than humans was easier than weaker ones.
What Ban Yu-won meant: the human form was most perfect for manifesting his abilities.
“Lilith.”
[Sharing it now.]
Her reply was curt but reliable.
Instantly, every enemy froze.
“—?!”
The mage about to unleash his curse.
The swordsman thrusting his greatsword with mountain-crushing momentum.
The tense warrior raising his shield.
Even the mage pretending nonchalance while subtly infusing magic into the ground for a rear ambush on Ban Yu-won.
Maybe they hadn’t stopped—perhaps Ban Yu-won’s perception had spiked so high, his speed so fast, that subjective time stretched, making them seem frozen.
Just like Star Platinum stopping The World!
“One shot—let’s end it.”
Truth was, the magic drain was massive; fail to finish in one go, and he’d be in trouble after.
Lilith’s full magic resonated with Ban Yu-won.
Perceiving all pre-kill intel on the foes, inputting the optimal next move.
Boom— Abel charged, stomping the earth.
Dull compared to his overwhelming perception, but to the enemies? A monster straight out of nightmares.
‘First one.’
Vreeee— Hell Awl spun viciously, Lilith’s magic flowing in to form a vortex of blue lightning.
It screamed “drill,” but since the parties denied it, he’d let it slide—thrusting it to grind the lead swordsman’s head.
“Wha—”
No chance to finish his words.
With full grasp of the greatsword’s power, angle, authority—no way it’d graze Abel.
The ownerless blade fell limp, but before it hit ground, Abel took its second step.
Not for a leap—for building power.
—Kaboom!
Stamping a True Step, as taught by Dokgo Yeon.
Abel’s humanoid movements matched human principles perfectly.
The instant its foot hit earth, it redirected the runaway kinetic energy that could topple its frame straight to the arms—and hurled the greatsword.
‘Two, three.’
The blade pierced shield-warrior and curse-mage in one go, momentum still carrying as it spun on.
Trailing lightning etched a gorgeous blue arc.
“—Run?!”
The last member, prepping earth magic, barely reacted, shifting to a protective barrier.
But the already-dual-piercing sword smashed the rising wall, boring through.
—Shwick, shwick.
Only after penetrating did the greatsword lose steam and halt.
Dazed by its overwhelming might, he missed Abel’s third step.
“Ah.”
Wall crumbling, clear line of sight.
Under the moonlight, the mechanical titan filled his vision.
No time for spells—the descending ice shield crushed his spine, chill spreading to slowly kill.
“You kept calling him ‘Master’ earlier.”
No time to retrieve the sword, so he’d smashed with shield instead—seemed effective, Ban Yu-won thought, then asked.
“That Ryu Cheol-myeong? Has to be. That warrior’s greatsword swing earlier was spot-on. Not Dimensional Pirates, but his personal hunting dogs, huh?”
“Ha, haha. To think... we were the bait.”
“What’d you say?”
He’d planned to let the dying man vent more insults on his way out.
“You got played...”
But those last words felt unnervingly off.
“Master said you’d come here.”
Even without knowing Ban Yu-won’s authority exactly, Rebellion channel videos showed its basics.
Uprooting or planting trees.
Sensing superior to anyone.
If the enemy planned knowing those two, this artificial clearing’s solitude ritual was clearly bait to lure him.
And the key fact:
Ryu Cheol-myeong’s target from the start was Lucelle and Dokgo Yeon.
“Damn it all.”
“Those bitches... all...”
“Nah, you’re done.”
“Gahk!”
Hearing more would just piss him off—Ban Yu-won smashed the shield down, ending him.
With that, the combination解除解除.
Maybe he’d used his ace too soon, he couldn’t help thinking.