Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Lesson 7. Absolutely Not Because I Like You - 1
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'What was that just now? My internal energy... No, it didn't even feel like it consumed much magical power.'
Dokgo Yeon gaped in disbelief as she watched Ban Yu-won cleanly shatter the spider's leg strike with a counter.
"Grrrk, kyeng!"
"Thanks for the compliment, beast."
She flung her helpful friend (Lucelle), who had pointed out her unsightly state, all the way back to the wall. Then she turned her gaze to Ban Yu-won again.
Yes, there was no sign of magical power consumption.
The guy didn't even know how to properly handle magical power in the first place.
He was just at the level of activating his body with it.
'But how did he do that just now? That was...'
Dokgo Yeon recognized it as a technique embodying the principle of Counter.
But if asked whether she could do it herself... Well, she'd have to tilt her head.
The martial arts she wielded were thoroughly dominant and destructive—purely overwhelming with raw, brute force.
In contrast, what Ban Yu-won had just shown was a skill that required splitting time itself into fragments, seizing a fleeting 1/100,000th of a second to execute.
Regardless of whether she could do it, it simply didn't suit her martial arts.
'I've heard there are sects in the Central Plains that specialize in counter techniques... They might teach something like that.'
But such techniques belonged more to the realm of talent than training. Naturally, sects would have to select disciples carefully, making it hard to pass down properly and limiting the sect's growth.
That was why sects specializing in such skills never became mainstream.
Dokgo Yeon had always dismissed bouncing attacks or redirecting force as mere parlor tricks unworthy of attention. But after seeing Ban Yu-won's strike, her thoughts shifted a little.
'Maybe I should look into it when I get home. I probably can't use it myself, but...'
It piqued her interest.
And understandably so. The moment the weakling Ban Yu-won overpowered that monstrous force, she found herself clenching her fist without realizing it—it looked that cool.
Not that she had fallen for him. It was just that his graceful movements and profound technique were impressive.
"That's enough, Ban Yu-won."
"Huh?"
"Your growth is plenty... Hm?"
—Kkiiigigigigik!
Just as Dokgo Yeon, satisfied with the unexpected spectacle, was about to declare the task complete...
The giant spider, writhing in pain after losing a leg to Ban Yu-won's counter, suddenly swelled up massively and let out a grotesque wail.
"Oh no, an Irregular...!"
"Grrraaaargh!"
"This beast picks the worst time to get annoying!"
Dokgo Yeon sensed the anomaly and rushed to assist, but Lucelle, detecting the ominous shift, went berserk and blocked her path.
She couldn't just kill her for being a nuisance, so Dokgo Yeon irritably parried her while glancing at Light, letting out a sigh.
"What have you been doing without taking it down yet?!"
"This thing sprays silk everywhere, making it a pain to deal with...! My sword keeps getting caught!"
"You incompetent!"
* * *
The moment the spider began to swell, Ban Yu-won instinctively sensed an unpleasant change overtaking it due to the Irregular phenomenon.
'I need to cut it now.'
Sensing the crisis on instinct, he charged straight at it.
'The Flow and Counter I just realized won't mean much now. I have to stab or slash it dead. But piercing or killing that massive spider in one go with this sword is impossible.'
So, he had to slash.
Even if he couldn't with his current abilities.
Still, he had to slash it right now!
A bloody madness flowed along the instinctively raised blade.
Thanks to a bit of time passing, he could wield Blood Poison again.
But Ban Yu-won knew that alone wasn't enough.
'What more can I add? What?'
Using a magic bomb now would be suicide, and Eve's attacks had limits.
Adding speed via Lilith was pointless at this close range, and pulling back would make everything too late.
In less than a thousandth of a second, countless thoughts raced through his mind.
'...This could work!'
The sole realistic possibility he salvaged was the 'Wave' concept acquired in 3-Room earlier.
'I absorbed it into my body because humans could possess it. That means I can wield this concept somehow.'
The moment he focused on it, his sword vibrated intensely.
The Executioner's Longsword—among the golden strings floating within, Sever emitted a fierce glow.
Witnessing the resonance between separate concepts, Ban Yu-won intuitively grasped their 'combination method'.
'Ugh?!'
The instant he reached that conclusion...
The 'Wave' concept, carelessly tossed into his body, activated and began devouring his magical power.
Yes. It was sucking in the magical power he'd been mindlessly hoarding, only ever using it to activate his body!
—Wuuuuung
Saturated and swollen with magical power, the Wave concept began to vibrate, just like its name implied.
As if asserting its presence to Ban Yu-won.
'...I see.'
Babylonia Code.
The power to comprehend concepts through language and wield their true essence.
Ban Yu-won now understood what he could do with this concept.
—Kkiiigigigigi!
"Hah...!"
Trusting his instinct, Ban Yu-won stepped forward powerfully.
Just as he had realized and been taught by Dokgo Yeon.
Infusing the sword with the Wave concept saturated in magical power.
He slashed down vertically with full force!
—Kwaaaaa!
It was like beholding the sea god's wrath crashing through a sea of blood.
The Sever power, empowered by blood, was amplified to the extreme by the wave and surged forth.
—KkiheeEEEK!
It not only cleaved the giant spider in half as it tried to mutate but also propagated vibrations through its body, shattering it to pieces!
"Ha, haha... ha."
Watching the giant spider vanish without a trace, leaving only a single magic core, Ban Yu-won could only laugh.
A refreshing thrill from the flashy feat, a hollow exhaustion from his depleted energy.
And above all, astonishment at himself for unleashing destructive power beyond ordinary human limits.
Of course, the price of expending blood and magical power all at once left him collapsing on the spot, but the helplessness didn't last long.
You have realized how to temporarily synthesize internal and external concepts to create a more powerful concept. The depths of All-Reading Eyes, All-Hearing Ears, and All-Speaking Lips each deepen by 5.
The depth of Life becomes 195, Body 160, Magical Power 170, and Soul 420.
The depth of Swordsmanship becomes 55, and Sever becomes 20.
The depth of Wave becomes 15.
A upheaval rocked his internal code.
Insights into Martial Arts like Flow and Counter were important, but he naturally realized that mastering his innate abilities was even more crucial.
But one key thing remained: the massive golden strings spilling from the giant spider he had just slain.
You steal Life 15, Body 13, Demon 16, Carapace 12, Resistance 2, and Division 10 from the Tower Spider with Compound Eyes.
"Hm?"
As his core internal code depths surged, restoring and strengthening his body in real time, Ban Yu-won narrowed his eyes at the Resistance 2—unlike other elite monsters—and the subsequent Division.
'Was that what it was trying? It gave up everything else to boost resistance and buy time to split... Makes sense.'
But it couldn't overcome Ban Yu-won's all-or-nothing concept combination, Severing Wave.
If it had merely been bisected, division might have occurred, but Sever's power rode the wave, dissecting and exploding the spider's body from within.
Who would have thought the trap concept he mindlessly absorbed under Eve's urging would birth such a finisher? Truly unpredictable.
'Right, since I activated it with magical power, let's call this an active skill... no, an active concept.'
Unlike Martial Arts, Riding, or Resistance—which exerted power passively without needing magical power—Wave required a massive infusion to unleash its might.
Honestly, he'd forgotten about status windows and skills for a while, but wielding Wave made him think, 'Huh, isn't this like a skill?'
Following his newfound inspiration, Ban Yu-won categorized his codes. And so...
'Good, satisfying.'
Tremendous growth achieved in just one day since entering the tower.
Of course, he still couldn't reach Irecto... but mastering Flow and Counter, and above all, witnessing his own Severing Wave, gave him conviction.
This was worth a shot.
'If I grind in the tower Saturday and Sunday too, that conviction will deepen.'
But it looked like he'd have to skip the tower for the rest of the week.
As Ban Yu-won picked up the spider's magic core with a wry smile and turned around, he saw As Light, panting heavily after finally fending off his spider.
"B-Ban..."
Light, covered head to toe in spider silk, couldn't even move and pitifully called his name.
How is this super-powered guy struggling like this? Ban Yu-won sighed.
A disastrous outcome in the exact opposite direction of his initial worries.
"What's your deal? You're strong and good with a sword."
"Spider silk! Once it sticks, I can't draw out my magical power properly from the sword...!"
Ban Yu-won had vaguely noticed the special debuff in the elite monsters' silk.
He'd brushed it off before it affected him, never conceptualizing it.
But Light had clearly suffered from it.
"Got it, just stay put so you don't trip trying to move."
Ban Yu-won reached out, extracting concepts from the giant spider Light had slain—and all the scattered silk around him.
The area cleared instantly, freeing Light at last.
"So, shall we decide how to handle this beast now?"
"Ah."
"Grrrror...!"
Dokgo Yeon spoke in a weary voice, still facing Lucelle.
She'd been anxious about not helping Ban Yu-won, and seeing him solo the spider had drained her further.
"Doesn't this thing ever tire?"
"Can't just knock it out either..."
"Shruk."
Ban Yu-won had gained insight into handling emotional and active concepts, but interfering with others' was another matter.
Just then, Eve tapped his back again, conveying intent.
"You want the spider silk?"
"Shiiik."
It was a concept he couldn't use anyway, so he generously handed all the Web concepts to Eve.
Not just lumped together—he split them as requested: Spider and Net.
Eve's depth in妖獸 becomes 25. Absorbs Net 16.
Since it wasn't an ordinary spider, the妖獸 depth rose significantly, but the key was Net.
After absorbing, Eve morphed into a clump of iron chains mid-air and hurled itself at Lucelle.
"Gruk?!"
Lucelle, just tossed by Dokgo Yeon and rolling on the ground, swung her hand at the approach, but Eve unfurled right on cue, wrapping around her.
Then astonishingly, it split into dozens of strands, forming an iron net that bound Lucelle's entire body!
"Kuh, grrr...!"
"Should've done that ages ago."
A net tightens the more you struggle to escape.
As Lucelle thrashed, Eve constricted harder. Ban Yu-won watched...
"...Light? Why are you covering my eyes?"
"Y-You can't look."
"What about you? You!"
"I'm fine!"
Doesn't seem like she's hiding her identity at all!
"Whew, anyway, it's over. Shifting to 5-Room... doesn't seem to happen."
"Grrng, grrruk..."
"Ah, the student ID seems to channel mana normally now... Should I activate it?"
"Stop covering my eyes."
"Right. Then right now—"
—We'll go out and complain to the principal or whoever.
As Dokgo Yeon spoke, a voice interrupted, echoing through the space.
—Children who overcame the trial.
"...Hm?"
"Huh?"
"Th, is."
"Khn?"
From the supremely arrogant Dokgo Yeon to the reasonless Lucelle, all froze in unison.
—I shall bestow rewards upon you.
The absolute presence that halted even their breaths.
—I grant you the chance to become contractors of I, the Observer of All Eyes.
From the empty air, it addressed them once more.
