Chapter 223
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: Lesson 44. The Strike That Pierces the Gap - 3
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Lucelle, who had lost her chance to share a bed with Ban Yu-won due to As Light's unexpected cut-in—which she hadn't anticipated at all—was in a foul mood from the morning.
"I never imagined it was all an act to lower my guard up until now."
"There's no way that kind of foolishness was all fake. It's probably her original will unconsciously seeping through."
Of course, As Light hadn't done anything particularly indecent with Ban Yu-won.
He had simply insisted that it was natural for two guys to share a tent, holding him back that way.
It matched the behavior As Light had shown since the start of the semester, but there was an inexplicable mix of stubbornness and coquetry that couldn't be fully explained by that alone.
Sure enough, As Light's will was still resisting the damned soul that had taken over her body!
"No, maybe this is all part of some advanced acting to get ahead of me...!"
Ban Yu-won sighed at Lucelle's unusually blind and impulsive judgment whenever it came to him.
"If As Light had that kind of acting skill, she wouldn't have gotten her identity exposed to us so quickly. Stop whining and have some soup."
"Uuu..."
Lucelle took the bowl with a pouty face but obediently sipped the soup.
Ban Yu-won ate his share of soup while lowering his head to the book in his hand.
It was a kind of ability research journal that Grandfather Ban Ji-won had entrusted to him when he left home.
He had awakened to Word Weaving, the power to materialize the force of language, which was closely related to Ban Yu-won's own abilities, so the journal held considerable value for him as well.
'No, that's not all.'
Ban Ji-won was the one who had fully inherited the Ban family's power and secrets.
When Ban Yu-won entered the academy, he had helped him absorb concepts from all sorts of artifacts, but he also possessed a vast private collection of relics beyond that.
This journal had been written using one of those relics, and it had the effect of enhancing the reader's comprehension and concentration.
Perhaps it even had the effect of assimilating the reader with the journal's author—while reading it, Ban Yu-won could vividly feel Ban Ji-won's thought processes from back then and his sensations in handling his abilities.
'Word Weaving... It's vulnerable in terms of speed since it requires voicing it out loud, but its effects are absolute. Plus, a deep understanding of language could aid my overall authority.'
He recalled how, when he first awakened his ability, he had desperately combined various language concepts to defeat higher-level enemies and create mystical outcomes.
The miracle of infusing ghostly energy into a simple club to form the prototype of the current Eve was still astonishing in hindsight.
But after growing to a certain point, the concepts available around him were limited, and combining them didn't yield dramatically effective results.
The most recent success might be Lucelle's Wild Heart Core.
'Devouring this journal might create more such opportunities.'
Thanks to diligently collecting language concepts whenever major events occurred, rare ones still slumbered in his Code Core.
From the Giant concept obtained in his first solo exploration, to Corruption and Death from summoning demon realm creatures with Shati's help, Concept Conversion from Kettra, and finally Mythification and Synthesis from his last solo run and finishing the Orc Wave.
Each was too precious to use alone, but surely there were dramatic ways to utilize them, even if not immediately feasible.
'In that sense, the concepts I got this time were a bit unexpected.'
Finishing the journal, Ban Yu-won created a small 'blue-tinged' vortex in one hand and his eyes sparkled.
Not only Destruction from shattering the Descended Avatar of the Merciful North Wind, but also Divine Wind, which seemed to be his unique authority.
Surprisingly, it was a concept even the current Ban Yu-won could wield directly.
Among them, Divine Wind was a wind-attribute concept similar to Prominence's unique authority, Crimson Flame. Thanks to it, his elemental magic depth deepened once more to 520.
"You, that wind."
Dokgo Yeon's eyes narrowed as she watched Ban Yu-won test Divine Wind.
Having gone through Room 149 with him, she couldn't miss its origin.
"You noticed."
"It's only natural that the constellations are desperate to take you down, stealing their authorities so easily."
"It's nothing impressive. Compared to what that avatar wielded, it's just a feeble breeze."
"The magnitude of power doesn't matter. What matters is that the quality is the same. And you have Yu-won Gong. You could amplify it further."
"Probably, in time."
What if he mixed in Crimson Flame, which was also from the same constellation?
It would likely become a compound attribute no one else could handle.
And if he succeeded in incorporating even imperfect Holy Light?
That would transcend the boundaries of elemental or photon magic.
Since things had come to this, targeting other constellations' powers over elemental forces didn't seem like a bad idea.
'Creating Yu-won Gong, which isn't limited to martial arts, was definitely the right choice.'
Martial arts.
Sharing the same thought, Ban Yu-won and Dokgo Yeon's gazes simultaneously turned to the opposite side.
There stood As Light, who had finished eating earlier than the group and was swinging his sword.
His sword strikes now carried a depth different from before.
The spear techniques he had learned from Dokgo Yeon were subtly emerging.
His unwavering sword swings almost felt like he was trying to erase traces of martial arts.
The cause was obvious without deep thought.
Just like his sudden actions yesterday, the members had succeeded in stimulating As Light's inner self.
'Anyway, I've got a rough sense from this exploration. I just need to create a situation that brings out the real As Light.'
It might be the friendship he held for the Rebellion members.
Or his competitive spirit toward the tower.
Or perhaps the fairly deep feelings he harbored for Ban Yu-won.
Frankly, the last one seemed easiest to provoke.
If he asked Lucelle and Mira for cooperation, they'd gladly join in and surely elicit a reaction from As Light...
'No, that makes me sound like a real playboy.'
Wronged, he wasn't some thug who chased after women!
For a moment, a dark history flashed in his mind, bringing back nightmares of reflexive playboy mode, but he shook his head to dispel it.
Just then, As Light sheathed his holy sword and walked over.
"Still planning to rest more?"
"No, let's head out now. Seems like chain rooms are continuing, so everyone brace yourselves."
Chain rooms grew harder the longer they continued.
Already over 20 rooms in, uploading this footage would surely cause another uproar on the Rebellion channel.
The problem was how long the irregularity from Room 149 would last.
It was a highly dangerous exploration, but the concepts and info gained were invaluable, impossible from normal runs.
'When As Light first messed up, I thought this exploration was doomed and we'd retry after retiring, but forcibly breaking the trick room might have been the right call...'
Even fulfilling the tower's demands would just make them dance on its finely laid board.
To delve deeper into contact with the constellations or uncover the tower's secrets, unexpected choices might be needed ahead.
"Let's go."
"At this point, we'll wrap up the exploration quickly and..."
The group packed up, chewed their last reserves of Eden's Vitality, and opened the door to the next room.
A dark world astonishingly devoid of light.
A fierce battlefield unfolded there.
A few humans were barely holding against monsters swarming from all sides with makeshift barricades, on the verge of collapse.
"Ah! The Savior has come!"
Familiar faces greeted the group enthusiastically.
Ban Yu-won, who hadn't expected his ties with NPCs to last this long, felt burdened seeing their faces light up at his arrival.
"......"
Meanwhile, As Light wore a slightly uncomfortable expression upon confirming the NPCs' hearts had fully turned to Ban Yu-won.
If that stimulated him, playing leader with the NPCs for a bit wouldn't be bad, he thought, smacking his lips.
Suddenly, a question struck Ban Yu-won.
'Wait, if the tower cuts and pastes parts of existing worlds to make rooms... then these NPCs?'
Of course, he had already judged with All-Reading Eyes that they weren't real people, but in the unpredictable tower, over-relying on his judgment...
Ban Yu-won decided to stop thinking further for now.
There was no basis, and it wouldn't help him.
"What's the situation?"
"After the tower collapsed and the Savior vanished, monsters suddenly started pouring in. Perhaps... this place is the only safe spot from annihilation."
"It's a monster wave!"
"We can't feel the gods' power lingering in the land anymore. We must overcome this with human strength alone...!"
Why was a chain room dragging on in this situation?
With chances to contact constellations who seemed to know the tower's secrets gone, there was nothing more to gain from chain rooms.
Poor NPCs suffering, Ban Yu-won inwardly grumbled but immediately created a barrier to reinforce their barricade.
As As Light raised his holy sword to reclaim leadership and head to the NPCs, Dokgo Yeon inexplicably stood still, scanning the surroundings.
"...They're trying to teach us in a most disagreeable way."
"Teach? What?"
"A specimen of punishment. Ban Yu-won, you saw it in Room 149 too. How presumptuous the constellations were, from the tower's perspective."
"I see... So this is a reenactment of history."
The constellations' attempt to mimic Babel Tower was detected, and the tower's power severed it at the root, exiling it inside.
What happened to the world that tower originally came from?
This was probably the conclusion.
Not exactly the same, but this room depicted the world after the tower's fall.
Looking at it that way, the chain of events from breaking the trick room condition aligned with the tower's will.
"Of course, the monsters and people are tower creations. That shoddy fake tower was the lesson. A warning not to stray."
"Then... this room is also the tower's reward for us."
Ban Yu-won clapped, having reached a clear conclusion thanks to Dokgo Yeon.
She nodded reluctantly, not denying his words.
"The real world perished like this, but we'll hunt all these monsters and claim the chain room rewards."
"As reward for smashing the constellations' will and toppling the tower, it extended the chain rooms—a warning and a gift."
Suddenly, this dim world looked like a treasure trove.
The main cause of irregularities, the constellations, couldn't intervene anymore, and rewards only grew with continuation.
No better chance to boost his stagnating Life depth.
But the situation itself was a bit amusing.
Punishing constellations for a false tower and toppling it mirrored the Babel story in scripture too closely.
'So in the end, who's the villain?'
Would he know upon reaching the tower's top?
Ban Yu-won shrugged off the unanswerable thought, drew his sword, and joined the battlefield.
The chain room, extended to 159 through shifts and multi-shifts, ended that afternoon with the tower's reward boosting Ban Yu-won's Life by a whopping 30.
All the NPCs survived.
