Chapter 203

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 203

Chapter Title: Lesson 40. No Alien Allowed - 3

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The orc captain wasn't some lightweight disposable part that Ban Yu-won had initially imagined, something that could be swapped out at any moment.

If relics resonated with orcs that easily, the universe would have been overrun by orcs long ago.

The orcs capable of resonating with relics were limited, and as such, the re-selection process took far longer than Ban Yu-won had anticipated.

"That's not it, Lucelle. The orc wave is still holding."

Though the relic was splitting apart from Eve's fantastical infiltration followed by Abyss's drill attack, it was hard to imagine it being nullified that easily.

Even if they tried to press the attack now, the orc ships were desperately swarming to protect the relic, making it tough to find an opening.

I wonder if Eve is okay in the middle of that mess.

Can she escape safely with Abyss...

'Well, with Eve's resourcefulness, she'll probably manage somehow...'

Ban Yu-won had those thoughts, but he focused on what he could do right now.

First, he recovered Abel, whose activity time had run out, and fed Lilith an elixir candy to restore her.

"That's why I said the drill is the best. Good work, Lilith."

He fully cleaned up the results of a battle whose clean conclusion he still couldn't quite comprehend.

Ferocity and the other concepts extracted from the orc captain.

Nothing particularly special or new.

That was only natural, given all the orcs he'd faced so far.

Even after sharing a substantial amount with Lucelle beyond Ferocity, the haul was immense.

Ban Yu-won's Life had been creeping up agonizingly slowly into the 800s, but just by beheading and harvesting the captain, he'd broken through to 900 in one go.

'Come to think of it, Judgment and Rebellion helped make killing him easier.'

Judgment, the concept that boosted his abilities only against villains.

Rebellion, which enhanced his power solely against foes of higher rank.

With both active at once, it was no wonder his final sword strike traced a fantastical path.

'Still, it's hard to swallow. It wasn't enough to outright devour a constellation's authority. And above all, even the Origin Sword couldn't fully grasp the type of authority at work... authority?'

Ban Yu-won's eyes narrowed.

Was what had just affected him the power of an authority?

Probably not his own ability.

Then...

"Yu-won!"

Just as Ban Yu-won was piecing together an answer in his mind, the reinforcements' ship approached their position.

Ban Yu-won reverted the exhausted Lucelle to her human form, cradling her in one arm, and faced the group emerging from the opening hatch of the spaceship.

Two women, two men.

And none of them wearing space suits, as if it were the most natural thing.

"Have you been well? Yu-won, you seem to get more charming every time I see you!"

"It hasn't been that long since we parted."

Ban Yu-won replied with a wry smile to Aneri, the woman at the front of the group, unchanged as ever.

"Anyway, thanks for coming, Aneri. I'd love to chat with everyone else, but the situation's too urgent, so first we need to focus on stopping that orc wave..."

"Hold on."

One of the two men, a pale-faced young man, raised a hand slightly and stepped forward.

Dressed in plain clothes with no distinctive features, a sword sheath hung at his waist, but he exuded an oddly ethereal aura... almost like an illusion without substance.

"You're Ban Yu-won."

"Yes? Uh, yes... You're from Level Force, right?"

"I am, but you're not the one I'm rooting for."

The young man replied coldly, eyeing Ban Yu-won and the Lucelle in his arms with clear displeasure.

He snorted, then fixed his gaze on Ban Yu-won, scrutinizing his face as if scouting an enemy rather than a fan.

There seemed to be some intent behind it, but they really didn't have time for this!

"This is Level Force's No. 2! His name is... what was it again?"

"Nameless."

"Right, Mr. Nameless!"

That's just a fake name, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠idiot...

For a moment, Ban Yu-won and Nameless both turned to Aneri with incredulous looks, but she just beamed innocently.

No, she probably knew and said it anyway.

Ban Yu-won sighed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Aneri continued without losing her smile.

"The situation does look urgent. If even a halved relic is maintaining its sanctity, who knows how big the orc wave will get... Mr. Nameless, since we're already introducing, let's finish the greetings. Could you go ahead and hold those off?"

"Hmph."

Nameless snorted at Aneri's attitude, as if treating him like a subordinate, but aware they'd wasted time bickering with Ban Yu-won in the crisis, he naturally drew his sword and stepped into space.

The next instant, he clashed with the vanguard of the orc fleet.

"?!"

Since completing the Origin Sword, Ban Yu-won had never failed to track anyone else's movements perfectly.

Even against the orc captain earlier, though he'd been pushed in pure level, he'd grasped and countered every move.

But just now... he hadn't read that man's movement at all.

It was as if he'd perfectly vanished from his perception in an instant.

Of course, if that sword came for him, it'd be different, but for now, it was clear this was an opponent Ban Yu-won couldn't yet challenge.

"He's full of secrets. He's one of our original members, though."

"How'd you bring him along?"

"The chairman arranged it. We picked him up at Dimension Terminal 3 in C-grade dimension."

He wasn't sure what a dimension terminal was, but he guessed it was like a rest stop for dimension-hoppers who lurked in space.

"Spot on! You know how dimension barriers intersect endlessly, right? There are plenty of tiny spaces in the splintered dimensions that can't form independent civilizations. We classify and number them by nearby dimension grades, creating terminals as rest areas for those who cross dimensions often."

"Thanks for the textbook explanation. But like I said, we can't afford to chat like this..."

"Look."

Aneri grinned and pointed ahead. Ban Yu-won narrowed his eyes and turned.

There, dozens of orc ships were being brutally shredded.

"What... is that?"

It made their own struggles feel foolish.

Of course, without them taking out the orc captain, even a powerhouse like him might not have cornered the enemy so easily, but Ban Yu-won was convinced he'd handle the captain without issue.

Aneri puffed out her chest proudly, as if she were the one fighting.

"He's strong. I knew it the moment I saw him."

"He really is. Looks like I didn't need to come after all."

Chiming in, another woman stepped forward.

Presumed to be from Level Force, she wore a deep hood. Her voice and speech were pure grandma, but the power emanating from her was profoundly vast, beyond what Ban Yu-won could fathom.

"She doesn't want to reveal her name, so I'll hide mine too. I joined Level Force ninth. Call me Honey Nine."

"Nine... ma'am."

"Just call me Granny if it's easier."

Her demeanor screamed grandma, sure...

But as with 500-year-old Mina noona, transcendents often treated age as decoration.

And with types like her, they often turned out to be peerless beauties underneath...

Ban Yu-won wasn't one to judge before the box opened.

He'd stick with Nine for now.

"Nine was the first to volunteer. Joined at A-grade Dimension Terminal! At A-grade, fragments are scarce, so just one terminal."

"Thanks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for the straight-from-the-book explanation."

"Master."

As Ban Yu-won felt a bit dazed amid the surreal scene of greeting fan club members in the heart of space, Lucelle called to him.

Her eyes were fixed on the middle-aged man, No. 2, massacring ahead.

"That's not his real body."

"What do you mean, Lucelle? You saying that guy slicing ships with one sword swing is fake?"

"Yes. My eyes can't be fooled. It's a sort of clone made with massive magical power. I can do something similar once I grow a bit more, so I know."

Ban Yu-won with his All-Reading Eyes hadn't noticed a thing?

But Lucelle's eyes, shimmering with mystical light, held no lie.

To create such a clone brimming with power... how strong was No. 2's true body...?

"For real...?"

"Ho, I just noticed. Impressive, missy."

"Pardon? No. 2? ...Of course, I knew from the start!"

Nine blinked in sudden realization, nodding vigorously, while Aneri feigned ignorance.

From their reactions, Ban Yu-won realized something crucial.

His All-Reading Eyes could read everything, but they had limits.

Not a cap on what he read, but dependency on his own power.

Against someone vastly superior, it didn't work well.

'I'd forgotten that obvious fact.'

Even with Yumina, after all this time, he could only read surface emotions. The chancellor and Xenon were out of reach.

He'd only recently glimpsed Dokgo Yeon's feelings faintly.

No matter how strong the authority, without his own growth, it meant nothing.

Good thing this humbled his growing arrogance.

"...Huh?"

After a moment of reflection, Ban Yu-won tilted his head at the man standing apart, acting uninvolved.

"Then who's this? Not a fan club member... don't tell me."

"Right, our newbie!"

"Tch...!"

The burly man clicked his tongue openly at Ban Yu-won.

"You killed Ketra, huh? I get there were issues between you two... or three. But he was my comrade. Think I'll lend my power just like that...?"

"Newbie, charge."

"Sis, I'm talking here!"

"Charge. At those orc ships."

"Damn... you bastard!"

The man gripped his weapon and bravely charged into space without further protest.

Aneri sure doesn't pull punches with her subordinates.

Ban Yu-won thought with a wry smile.

"Alright, let's go too. Even if Nameless is strong, one guy can't handle the whole fleet..."

"...Huh? Look at that."

Nine, casually dropping formalities despite just meeting, pointed ahead again.

Had No. 2 smashed the flagship? As Ban Yu-won turned, expecting that,

he saw fragments of a shattered asteroid glowing red-hot.

The problem was the thousands of orc ships glowing red too.

"The constellation... is sacrificing power to unleash something."

Nine spat.

"Those damn pests."

And then it began.

A meteor shower targeting Earth.