Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Lesson 11. Apprentice Mage Ban Yu-won - 3
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―I…… I was human. I was a human!
Hearing the artifact's scream, Ban Yu-won felt oddly moved, despite how out of place it was.
"Feels like I've seen that line a hundred times in novels or comics."
―Those guys, those bastards! The people I trusted betrayed me and shoved me into this staff! They planted false memories in me, trying to reduce me to some worthless trinket!
The staff's ego screamed.
Meanwhile, having calmly sorted through the knowledge and skills that had briefly dwelled within him, Ban Yu-won faced her with a mind as clear and still as a bright mirror.
―This isn't some novel or comic! I really was a living human!
"Sure, then why are you only freaking out about it now, like you've just remembered?"
―Because I just remembered……! The core spells forming this staff were locks sealing my soul. If you'd messed up the structure, my sense of self would've been torn to shreds, but you skillfully removed only the sealing spells, so I……!
It was hard to follow, but Ban Yu-won grasped it intuitively.
"You became complete?"
―No, not fully yet. I've been sealed for so long…… Even with the door open, I can't recall everything at once.
That figured. Regaining all lost memories in one go wouldn't make for much drama or impact anyway.
The mere realization that she'd been betrayed and trapped in this staff was astonishing enough.
'No, focus. No matter how absurd this is, it's reality. ……Come to think of it, I felt uneasy ever since my Soul stat hit 200.'
Lucelle, who was said to have an innately superior soul compared to others, had barely reached 200 herself.
Considering that, a staff from just the 10th room having a Soul of 200 was no ordinary matter.
―Revenge, I'll have my revenge. I'll regain all my power…… and hunt them all down!
"Got it, got it, just calm down…… Huh?"
Ban Yu-won sighed and examined the staff again, only to be suddenly startled.
'It's changing……?'
Sure enough, something had been embedded in the staff.
After Ban Yu-won cleanly extracted the forcibly implanted concepts of magic language and elemental magic, the staff was reverting to its original function and form.
First, its length extended to a full 1.5 meters, making it impossible to call it a mere wand anymore.
Moreover, the pink color had shifted to a pure, unadulterated crimson bordering on blood-red.
―I'll kill them all! Rip them apart and burn them to ashes!
"……Feels like it went from kids' toy to teen edgelord in a flash."
The kind of design middle schoolers would love.
Was it reflecting her current soul's state?
The staff now had a cold, metallic sharpness overall, with a spear-like blade protruding from the tip, perfect for stabbing or slashing enemies.
At the head was an embedded crimson gem, where the Soul concept swirled in vast strings of text.
He hadn't even noticed the gem before extracting the concepts, so it might have been hidden within the staff.
But the real surprise was this.
The artifact had grown tremendously and even gained a name.
Originally, its Soul depth was 200, Magical Power 150.
The depths of 'Magic Language' and 'Elemental Magic' had been removed, fully boosting the rest!
Likely, as the Soul grew, the Magical Power had naturally risen with it.
―Ugh, I can't remember any more……. Not even their names. Just vague faces…… Guess this is my limit for now.
"And there's still room for more? At this point, it's already beyond beginner level."
―Beginner? Beginner! Don't talk nonsense—do you think someone like me is so pathetic I'd only teach basic magic language or elemental spells?!"
"So what are you, then?"
―That's…… That's! I can't say!
Ban Yu-won would've bet his entire fortune that even she didn't know exactly yet.
Her memories were a jumbled mess, and explaining herself to others when she didn't even know what to do next would be incredibly difficult.
Truth be told, Ban Yu-won had no desire to get dragged into some grand saga involving the artifact.
……Though acquiring it already felt like one foot in the door.
"Well…… Then, Celron? It says Celron's Tear, so I'll call you Celron for now."
―Celron…… Yeah. Hearing that name somehow calms me. You can call me Celron.
From her reaction, it clearly wasn't her real name.
Ban Yu-won was certain, thanks to his inference skills honed by mastering countless languages, but he didn't say it.
"Alright, Celron. Enough about your past—let's talk practicalities. What can you do? How can you help me?"
―What? Did I ever say I'd cooperate with you? I've got my own problems!
Ban Yu-won felt pity.
Some of her cooperation seemed to have vanished as her memories returned.
"Your opinion doesn't matter. I'll make it so."
―Hmph, underestimate this noble and elegant great archmage Celron at your peril. Unless I want to, you won't budge this staff an inch? If you don't promise to fully grant my wishes from now on……."
"Oh? Should I just put the concepts back? Or stuff it full of random ones for fun."
Magic Language had already fully assimilated into his body, making restoration impossible, but he had plenty of other concepts to pressure this soul with.
―……Sniff, huuu…….
The staff fell silent, then began sobbing in surrender.
―You cruel human, completely selfish from start to finish. What did I do to deserve being trapped in this cramped hell, then toyed with by a rascal like you? Waaah.
"Fool, you got the order wrong."
Ban Yu-won clicked his tongue.
"No matter my motives, you regained your memories thanks to me. Shouldn't gratitude come first? But you started making demands right away. How could I treat you nicely in that situation? Think about it."
―Huuu…….
Celron shut her mouth, clearly stung.
Whether she was truly a great archmage or not aside, her ego's mentality was clearly immature.
"Deals aren't done like that. You offer merit to the other side, prove it, and take merit in return. That's proper trading."
―Ugh…….
"But right now, you've unilaterally benefited from me. So instead of demanding more, you should first offer what you can give me before moving to the next deal. Got it?"
―Sniff, yeah.
She seemed convinced.
In truth, Ban Yu-won had no intention of offering her merit, so it wasn't much of a deal, and pressuring her after the staff's dramatic growth from concept extraction felt a bit unfair.
But words were all about framing.
And situationally, he wasn't wrong.
What artifact presumes to make preemptive demands of its owner?
―So…… If I help you well, you'll grant my requests?"
"Remember you're in the red right now. You'll have to work hard. But if your support truly benefits me greatly, I might consider your requests then."
―……Got it. Sniff, then I'll do my best.
This fool.
And so, Ban Yu-won gained free use of a self-proclaimed great archmage's ego—one with a hidden past, foolish but with a solid soul tier.
The long-awaited Thursday afternoon arrived.
The other three members of Rebellion finished all their classes and headed to Classroom 11's training room to optimize their physical condition for tomorrow's special activity.
"Yu-won, are you sure you can't come? Even just staying by my side……."
"Yeah, no can do. Dokgo Yeon, take her away."
"I've been annoyed with her these past few days anyway. Beast, come quietly."
"Yuuu-won!"
Lucelle wailed piteously, like a husband conscripted to war, as Dokgo Yeon dragged her off.
Ban Yu-won gave a wry smile and waved energetically at As Light following them, then walked the corridor alone.
'This should be far enough that no one's watching.'
The four together drew stares anywhere in the academy due to their strong personalities, but alone, Ban Yu-won blended in.
Objectively, he looked the most ordinary of the four, with the weakest aura to boot.
'Hmm, alright then. Let's see…… the teleport structure in the Student ID.'
Touching his Student ID, the dense strings of text within flowed into view.
Ban Yu-won pinpointed the space-transfer related concepts.
Specifically, the variable element: coordinates.
Once he understood how the Chancellor and Yumina had set them, inputting new ones wouldn't be hard.
'Especially since threads mesh well with all concepts.'
This would probably be his first magic-like act.
Ban Yu-won's extended threads formed magic-language characters, inputting memorized coordinates.
Simultaneously setting the space-transfer trigger and activating.
The next instant, he stood outside the classroom hosting Magical Combat Studies.
"……!"
A presence beside him—he turned to see a woman with sky-blue hair staring wide-eyed.
Her eyes were a pure silver, nearly indistinguishable from the whites, the complete opposite of Dokgo Yeon's all-black ones, exuding an almost sacred aura.
Who was she? She seemed familiar.
'Ah, Special Class.'
Classroom 11 shared most lectures with others, including Tuesday's 'Practical Combat Synthesis' with Special Class, Classroom 1.
Like other classes, their rejection of Classroom 11 there was vicious.
Without Dokgo Yeon defeating Ortima head-on, ugly incidents would've happened multiple times.
'The class is mostly sparring, so it's still tense.'
This Tuesday had been brutal.
Associate Professor Entel tried to be fair, unlike before, but couldn't fully prevent Classroom 1 targeting Classroom 11, as sparring was the point.
Fortunately, Classroom 11 outclassed them.
Dokgo Yeon aside, Lucelle had grown enough to maintain reason with Ban Yu-won nearby and crush several Class 1 students solo.
Even Ban Yu-won solidly beat Irecto, a Class 1 standout, so they weren't easily defeated—just annoyed.
The problem was As Light.
He could handle anyone with his holy sword, but couldn't draw it without mortal peril, and he'd only recently taken up spear…….
This Tuesday, he was the only Rebellion member to lose.
His opponent, knowing his main weapon was sword, couldn't fully pressure spear-wielding As Light, and left frustrated and humiliated.
'Right, and amid that, she was left alone without sparring or anyone approaching— that's what stuck out.'
She was strikingly beautiful, but that's not why he remembered her.
Throughout the lecture, no one approached or spoke to her.
It wasn't bullying.
Ban Yu-won sensed Class 1 held her in awe.
Similar to their regard for Ortima, yet qualitatively different.
'But no way…… she's a mage.'
Running into her here confirmed it.
He didn't even try reading her internal concepts.
Her Magical Power aura marked her as superior, and the greater the tier gap, the harder to read.
"Spatial transfer?"
A slender, clear voice.
Lost in thought, Ban Yu-won realized a beat late she'd spoken to him.
"Yeah. Student ID function."
He replied casually, but her expression didn't flicker.
"You changed the coordinates?"
"……Yeah."
"How?"
"With Magical Power, obviously……."
"Read every massive code in the Student ID, parsed it, and precisely altered only the space-transfer coordinates? You? How? You interfered with the Chancellor's code?"
Scary.
Not just intense—this girl was Dokgo Yeon-level!
As she thrust her doll-like perfect face forward with rapid-fire questions, Ban Yu-won recoiled in alarm, only for something soft to cushion his back.
A soothing, sweet scent tickled his nose.
"You found it well, Yu-won…… Student Ban Yu-won!"
"Professor Yumina!"
Realizing he'd used her chest as a pillow, Ban Yu-won jumped away in shock, but Yumina smiled warmly, as if to brush it off.
Someone of her caliber wouldn't fail to dodge unless she intended to step in.
"Student Aire's here too. Come on, let's go in."
"……Yes."
Called Aire, she stared piercingly at Ban Yu-won, then entered with a dissatisfied face under Yumina's urging.
"Shall we go in too?"
"Professor, your, uh, speech."
"Oopsie."
Yumina tapped her lips with a delighted laugh, gently pushing Ban Yu-won inside.
Only then did he realize the class had fewer than ten students.
Learning this was all the first-years handling magic made Ban Yu-won want to flee, but alas, Yumina had firmly blocked the exit!