Chapter 238
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Lesson 46. Union Founding Festival - 5
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The biggest reason Ban Yu-won had been able to overwhelm Ortima was the concept of Resonance.
And where had that resonance come from? None other than the Astraia First Star that Dokgo Yeon had crushed Ortima to obtain.
If Ortima ever found out, he'd probably want to tear Ban Yu-won apart, and Ban Yu-won would no doubt take great pleasure in seeing that...
――But since he couldn't exactly reveal that Dokgo Yeon had taken the guy's prize, Ortima would likely never uncover the secret of the resonance...
This time, he'd brought all twenty-four artifacts that made up the set, so to avoid any tracking functions on them, he quickly extracted the concepts to reconstitute Astraia before anyone else could see.
You have obtained Resonance 240, Division 240, Breakthrough 120, and Acceleration 24 from Astraia.
Resonance and Division are concepts humans cannot possess.
With all its concepts drained, Astraia vanished without a trace, leaving behind a cascade of golden concepts swirling around Ban Yu-won's hand.
Examining the rare concepts—each one incredibly hard to obtain from everyday life—Ban Yu-won muttered in astonishment.
'Last time, aside from Resonance, there wasn't much special... Did they upgrade it since then, or...'
Perhaps because he'd gathered all twenty-four orbs together, he'd unlocked a composite concept.
Whatever the case, this was one of the biggest jackpots among the concepts he'd acquired lately.
For now, he distributed Resonance equally not just to the Storm Sword but to all his subordinates as well, while channeling every bit of Division straight into the Storm Sword.
'The Storm Sword already had the concept of Unification. What if twenty-five swords moved in perfect harmony, sometimes merging into one and other times splitting into hundreds to assault the enemy? With both Unification and Division, it seems like the ultimate weapon...!'
Meanwhile, Acceleration was a concept he'd once held but had been absorbed by the Origin Sword. Since the Origin Sword could already generate Acceleration, there was no need to reabsorb it.
Breakthrough was a technique concept Ban Yu-won himself could wield, and it seemed like it could be absorbed into the Origin Sword too, so he peeled off 100,000 units and fed them in before operating the Origin Sword—and something unexpected happened.
Breakthrough 10 and Destruction 5 have been absorbed into the Origin Sword.
The Origin Sword's depth has increased to 1,180.
"Ah."
Focusing on the concepts within his body, he could indeed feel how the Destruction concept from his battle with the Descent of the Merciful North Wind had fused with Breakthrough into the Origin Sword, amplifying its martial potential.
Back then, with so much going on, he hadn't delved deeply into the concept's possibilities and had left it alone—but now it had merged all at once with Breakthrough.
Destruction was a top-tier concept nearly impossible to obtain anywhere.
Now that he could freely amplify it through the Origin Sword, combining it with Breakthrough could produce absurd results.
'That said, I guess there's no need to grant Breakthrough or Acceleration to the Storm Sword anymore.'
The Origin Sword might struggle to generate entirely new concepts he'd never touched, but it effortlessly manifested absorbed ones like this—an all-purpose martial art.
And through resonance with the Executioner's Longsword, he could bestow them on the Storm Sword anytime. In a twist, the concepts were now floating free.
[G-Give it to me!]
"Don't tell me you're aiming for lines like 'Atmosphere Breakthrough' or something."
[It's a perfect match for me! Oh, Acceleration too!]
In the end, he decided to give it all to Lilith, who shared the same dream.
Finishing up the concept reorganization quickly, Ban Yu-won looked up to find the other special match winding down, while Mira and Dokgo Yeon were locked in a staring contest beside him.
"Dokgo Yeon, junior. You've changed quite a bit lately."
"Have I? You seem the same as ever, though."
"What...?"
"Ha...?"
Mira might even be pissed that Ban Yu-won hadn't picked her as his special match partner—after all, she'd been glaring daggers at Aire earlier too.
Even after he'd fully explained why he'd paired with Dokgo Yeon and Aire, she was still like this. Apparently, even someone who could read emotions like Ban Yu-won couldn't fully decode a woman's heart.
Shati, finding Mira's behavior unfamiliar, poked Ban Yu-won repeatedly with her demand.
"Planning Chief, do something about those two."
"They'll get along eventually. That's how it always goes."
To put it in animal terms, both Mira and Dokgo Yeon were felines.
Cats fight for no reason, then suddenly they're stuck together. Those two would be fine.
Probably.
"Mira was always good at acting, but lately she's been too honest—it's becoming a problem."
"She still puts on a great show in front of others, doesn't she?"
"Enough, stop there! Match over! We'll start the next special match soon. Ban Yu-won & Aire pair and As Light & Ulrike Prominence pair, get ready."
Before he could chat more with Shati, his name was called again.
Glancing at the arena, it looked like the previous match had ended quietly compared to his clash with Ortima's pair—but the blood pooling on the floor said otherwise.
His expression soured at the sight, and Vegan, who'd been steadily watching the matches, explained.
(By the way, Ronica had vanished after their date promise, too embarrassed to show her face.)
"A Special Class student attacked a lower dimension student with clear killing intent. Luckily, Professor Xenon intervened before the kid died."
"If the roles were reversed, the gallery wouldn't be this quiet."
No, the audience was even complaining that Xenon had stopped it too soon, griping about the management.
What if Ban Yu-won's Storm Sword had pierced Lucain Ortima's throat? He probably wouldn't have made it through winter break unscathed.
Ortima's family might hold a grudge just for a lower dimension kid beating him, but it could turn the entire upper dimension against him.
'I already knew about the discrimination based on origin. This performance is to shatter it.'
Indeed, after Ban Yu-won and Dokgo Yeon crushed their opponents, no one—not even the haughtiest—could casually insult or dismiss them.
They'd blatantly ignored the 'limits of lower dimensions' that the elite had always assumed.
...In truth, Ban Yu-won had Prominence blood from one of the Ten Great Families, and Dokgo Yeon's dimension was questionable as merely 'lower'—but surprisingly, that didn't matter now.
What mattered was the frame.
As long as Ban Yu-won and Dokgo Yeon were seen as lower dimension products, every feat they pulled shifted perceptions of the lower dimension special admission track!
'And in this match, we'll use that frame in another way.'
"Yu-won."
Aire appeared behind him, tapping his shoulder.
The familiar entry—like Dokgo Yeon's—gave him déjà vu, but turning around, she held out a mask.
It was silver, shaped like dragon scales.
"Didn't you say you were hiding your identity?"
"Identity? No idea what you mean."
"So you are trying to hide it, huh... That's why..."
Ban Yu-won took it readily and swapped his mask.
Aire wore the exact same one. As the masked pair entered the arena side by side, the entire venue erupted in commotion.
"That kid... no way."
"The Dragon's Proxy...?"
"The rumors of her hanging out with lower dimension students were true."
"I saw it on YoutTube too. But seeing it like this is a shock..."
Occasional sub-channel appearances were one thing; pairing up at a masked ball was another.
Especially with their matching masks flaunting intimacy...
"Ha, seriously... Kinda hurts."
"...Hmmm."
Not great that it was affecting people beyond the upper dimension crowd.
Feeling the women's stares stabbing his back, Ban Yu-won sighed and looked across—where two figures approached.
As Light, whose masculine features had sharpened over the past month, now looked like nothing but a handsome man.
And Ulrike Prominence, whom Dokgo Yeon had knocked out instantly earlier, barely showing her skills.
She should be deflated after that embarrassment, but astonishingly, she strode in with utter dignity, as if the fiasco had never happened.
"Wait, isn't that the guy from Rebellion Channel?"
"What's going on...? Did Prominence recruit him?"
"But why that student? No offense, but... he's the least impressive?"
"He really is handsome. If he weren't from a lower dimension, he'd make a fine groom."
"That sword in his hand? Some kind of contract magic. Can't wrap my head around how a lower dimension has such an amazing artifact."
Just like with Ban Yu-won and Aire's entrance—perhaps even more so—the gallery's reaction was huge, leaving Ban Yu-won unable to hold back a sigh.
Considering the image hit Rebellion was taking from Light standing there, allying with Aire barely balanced the scales...
'What an enemy.'
Setting aside factions like Rebellion or Class 11, Light—now facing him in the special match—gazed at Ban Yu-won with quiet battle intent.
Surprisingly, there was no hatred or murderous urge from him.
He simply wanted—purely—to remove the obstructing Ban Yu-won and move according to 'will'.
Whether that will was truly As Light's own was unclear.
"Ban Yu-won, junior. I have a favor to ask."
As Ban Yu-won and Light exchanged a gaze only they understood, Ulrike Prominence stepped forward and addressed him.
"How about we wager an extra Wish Ticket for this special match?"
"If you win this time, should I take it as you want to cancel the one I got earlier?"
"Exactly. Not a bad deal, right? You already beat me once. It's a high-odds bet, and if you win, you can demand another wish from me. Will you accept?"
Indeed, insurance in that sense.
She'd clearly thought of it before, but Ban Yu-won couldn't shake his curiosity.
Two changes from the first special match: their partners.
If she saw this as insurance, it meant she thought her win odds were higher now.
Which implied... As Light was stronger than Lucain Ortima, and Aire weaker than Dokgo Yeon?
[Constellation.]
Sellon—whose mind spun fast whenever constellations were involved—sent him her will.
(She was currently in bracelet form wrapped around one arm; same performance as staff form, and she could blast magic at will, so he'd probably never switch her back.)
[She's definitely borrowing a constellation's power. The Ten Great Families have disposable artifacts that summon their patron constellations temporarily. I sense it. A massive flame aura...]
'If she had that, she should've used it earlier.'
[No chance back then.]
True enough.
Realizing Ulrike Prominence was scheming, Ban Yu-won nodded readily.
"Sure. Gaining an extra Wish Ticket from a match I'm winning anyway is pure profit for me."
"Your confidence is so appealing. Even if you lose this time, it's not a lack of skill on your part, so don't feel bad."
Intimidating.
Her genuine delight was intimidating!
What was she thinking to believe they could still build a good relationship?!
"Yu-won, per our deal, I'll take Light."
"Don't outright finish him."
"Got it."
"Ha, you two chattering on your own, but I'll decide the victor."
"As Light, just handle your role properly."
"...Hmph."
As the four faced off, Xenon approached and silently signaled the match's start.
A masked ball of upper and lower dimension origins intertwined.
The moment the chaotic match—confusing even the gallery—began.