Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Lesson 12. Monster Wave - 5
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To talk about the volcano, we have to rewind time a little.
Two days ago, Thursday, after Ban Yu-won declared the formation of the Rebellion Assembly.
Everyone had gathered in one place, roughly set their action guidelines, distributed all the supplies, and were about to head back to the dorms for some sleep when Yumina grabbed Ban Yu-won and said this.
"Ban Yu-won, you're having special lessons with me starting now."
"Special lessons...?"
The ears of the rest of the group, who were about to leave, perked up.
"N-No way. Already the two of them...?"
"Grrrrowl!"
Light and Lucelle's reactions were especially intense.
Just like adolescents, huh.
As Ban Yu-won glared at them, realizing what they were imagining, Yumina continued.
"It seems today's class wasn't enough to help you, Ban Yu-won. I thought I'd teach you various spells you can use in special activities."
"Oh, magic."
"We'll be waiting eagerly."
"Kyaang, that's suspicious..."
Once they realized it wasn't what they'd imagined, Light and Dokgo Yeon quickly backed off, while Lucelle stubbornly kept her suspicious look until Yumina shooed her away.
Now alone in the doorless classroom, Yumina opened her mouth with a "Well then."
"Magic can be broadly divided into two types. What do you think they are?"
"Hmm... Unique magic and general magic?"
"Not a bad answer."
Meaning it wasn't correct.
As Ban Yu-won pondered, Yumina held out both hands.
A magic circle made of countless magic characters floated above her left hand, and a small fireball rose above her right.
"The precise answer is this: rationality and sensibility."
"Huh?"
It was completely unexpected.
She extinguished the flame on her right hand and floated the magic circle from her left into the air. "First, let's start with rationality," she began explaining.
"There are those who claim magic is the discipline of reason. Over thousands, tens of thousands of years, complex magic systems developed across dimensions... You must study and research them step by step, ultimately establishing your own theory to compose rituals unreadable by others, unleashing powerful and profound magic."
The floating magic circle split, gradually engraving more complex magic language within.
In the blink of an eye, the overlapping circles formed a sphere—and Ban Yu-won narrowed his eyes at the perfectly intertwined magic strings inside.
The information overload felt like it would split his head, but even so, ecstasy came first.
You have completely interpreted and absorbed the advanced magic language constituting the magic ritual. Soul depth has become 525.
All-Reading Eyes depth has become 170.
The moment he finally deciphered what that magic was.
His Soul and All-Reading Eyes depths each deepened by 5.
To induce such change from just one glance showed how extraordinary the magic Yumina casually displayed was.
Seeing his eyes sparkle, Yumina asked in surprise.
"No way, did you decipher this ritual?"
"Flame Explosion magic, right?"
"Correct... Makes my claim that it's unreadable by others sound ridiculous."
Yumina looked stunned, then nodded in realization, muttering.
"Well, you have to be at that level to casually tamper with the spatial coordinates on a student ID."
"Uh, I couldn't decipher it instantly either. Normally I'd grasp it right away, but the structure was so complex."
Yumina giggled at Ban Yu-won's blatant excuse.
"It's fine. A disciple's talent makes the master happy. Ahem, anyway, I should demonstrate the completed magic in action, right?"
Snap— Yumina crisply snapped her fingers.
The next moment, they were no longer in the doorless classroom but on a vast plain.
"What just happened?"
"I teleported us outside the Academy to show real magic. This is a field-type dungeon."
This is a dungeon? Looking around at her words, Ban Yu-won indeed sensed monster presences from all directions.
Having only experienced cave-type dungeons so far, he was amazed to learn dungeons outside the Tower came in various types.
"Now, watch closely."
Yumina unleashed the magic circle without warning.
The spherical barrier shattered, golden strings scattering as it expanded massively, enveloping the entire dungeon in a veil.
Like onion layers peeling away, the circles dissolved one by one, imposing new rules on the space repeatedly.
—Groooaaar...
Ban Yu-won could see monsters flocking—no, being drawn—toward their location.
"I see why they say reason governs magic."
"Exactly."
The magic circle's activation accelerated further.
Rituals defining the spell's area.
Rituals targeting and guiding the subjects.
Rituals amplifying power.
Rituals further enhancing fire's might.
Countless laws were unleashed across the dungeon, altering the very quality of mana in the air.
Ban Yu-won felt his body grow heavy, as if submerged in water, and barely managed to speak.
"...This is real magic."
"Precisely, magic as the discipline of reason."
Soon, all monsters constituting the dungeon were pinned to the ground, writhing helplessly.
And as the magic circle's core oxidized in radiant light, they all ignited.
Probably including the dungeon's magic core.
Could you even block such a massive, large-scale spell if you deciphered it beforehand? Ban Yu-won thought with a hollow laugh.
"Did you see it well?"
"Yes..."
"Then on to the next."
Snap— She snapped her fingers again, and they were in a similar dungeon.
"Now for magic of sensibility."
A small flame had already flickered to life above her right hand, and all Ban Yu-won could read from it was deep, blazing fire.
"The elemental magic you handle is this type, right?"
"Yeah, you knew without me saying. Watch closely? Hya!"
Without the tedious layering of rituals interfering with the world, Yumina simply tossed the flame into the air.
It swelled massively, splitting to fill the dungeon.
After burning grandly and spectacularly, nothing remained.
Ban Yu-won was overwhelmed, merely watching.
—Snap!
Yumina snapped her fingers once more.
They returned to the doorless classroom.
"What did you see?"
"I saw it, but..."
Ban Yu-won paused, pondering.
He had read concepts like fire, amplification, guidance within the swelling flames.
But were there any laws? Not at all.
Yet the magic manifested perfectly—faster, larger, more reliably than the circle-based one, annihilating enemies.
"But... I can't explain it."
"That's magic governed by sensibility. No theory, hard to acquire and master, but equally hard to read and incredibly powerful. Mana efficiency is higher too."
She added that the magic he'd learned was exactly that.
"I can't create such flames."
"If mana and imagination support it, you can. A firm image is key."
"Image..."
"What you showed in class was amazing. You built an image instantly and completed perfect magic. Just develop that further."
Ban Yu-won recalled how he'd used elemental magic in class.
He'd envisioned air, constructed a vortex form.
Even wielding magic, he'd unconsciously centered it on language, his ability's foundation...!
Suddenly, everything clicked for Ban Yu-won.
'Language can become an image.'
And vice versa.
For him, who understood all phenomena as language via All-Reading Eyes, the distinction between language and image was irrelevant.
Perhaps ultimately, even reason and sensibility would merge.
'Oh, right, perfect timing.'
He pulled the Code Core, quietly slumbering in his inventory.
[Volcano 14]
A concept acquired by pure chance radiated brilliant light within.
[Elemental Magic 90]
Ban Yu-won grinned at the Elemental Magic concept, which had surpassed even his Swordsmanship depth somehow.
The insight gained from Yumina that day wouldn't just affect his magic—it would greatly influence how he handled and developed his language abilities.
—Finally fighting?
'Yeah. Let's drop a big one.'
—Bragging like you're something when you've barely started the basics.
'That's why I need your help.'
The ego of the self-proclaimed great archmage dwelling in the staff, Cellon, rang in Ban Yu-won's mind.
Ban Yu-won gripped the staff with both hands and headed to his assigned building.
Aneri Dedota, his guide, followed behind.
Even with Light around, they'd chosen him specifically.
'Surely not planning to stab me in the back here?'
As he narrowed his eyes and glanced back warily, Aneri, now close enough for him to feel her breath, asked.
"Seeing you with a staff, are you planning to use magic? Did you have magic abilities from the start?"
"I just started with magic recently."
"Amazing...!"
Aneri clapped with exaggerated expression.
Too close.
Thinking she might sacrifice herself to stab his back, he put some distance and said.
"Why are you following me?"
"Since you're using magic, I'll protect you from monsters approaching, just in case!"
No, I don't want you near because you might stab me.
Ban Yu-won struggled not to show his displeasure and landed on the building's rooftop.
His defense point was a four-story building; soldiers with shields and spears held the ground, while a few on windows and roof aimed bows forward.
Not as massive as yesterday's battlefield, but the monster numbers far exceeded humans all the same.
"Gasp!"
"Sir!"
"Ah, ignore me."
He waved off the soldiers approaching upon noticing his landing.
The areas assigned to Rebellion members weren't high-priority anyway. Low chance of breach.
Just watch without interfering was fine.
"Though that's not why I'm here."
"What are you going to show us...!"
"I need to concentrate now, so could you step back a bit?"
"Yes, sir!"
Ban Yu-won pulled out Tike, the sentient camera, from his inventory.
He planned to record their exploits and edit highlights to upload back at the Academy after special activities.
'Best angle to make the magic look cool...'
As he set recording, Aneri Dedota crept close again, eyes sparkling.
"Filming? Normal machines would break down quick...!"
"It's custom-made."
"A unique technique no one else at Union Academy can replicate? Impressive!"
Ban Yu-won inwardly scoffed at her overdone admiration.
Trying clumsy honey trap to extract camera-making secrets?
Even if he told her, Ortima couldn't actually produce artifacts.
Plus, she'd casually dropped knowledge of Academy internals.
Idiot or looking down on him?
Didn't matter. He'd deal with her soon enough.
He pushed away the clingy Aneri again and raised the staff.
'Let's begin.'
—Late! How long you gonna make me wait?
'Just prepping to capture our cool moments on film.'
—...Fine, can't argue with that. Whatever magic, just manifest it properly. I'll back you perfectly!
Easy, right?
He smirked and focused mana into the staff's core.
The basics of sensibility-based magic were firmly grasped thanks to Yumina.
Elements: fire and earth.
Form: erupting volcano.
Origin: naturally the ground, beyond the city where shadow ferrets swarmed.
Scale: maximum their mana allowed!
'Image is solid. I've fully internalized the volcano concept via Elemental Magic.'
A smile hung on his lips.
Matching his incantation, Cellon wove and amplified the core's mana into his spell—an immense boost befitting a great archmage.
—Vwoooom
"Wh-What?"
"Magic... He's casting magic!"
"Ban...!"
Perhaps sensing the massive mana gathering? Soldiers, Rebellion members on nearby roofs, Yumina watching from behind, even Class 1 students far off—all turned to him.
Makes sense. With the artifact, his mana was beyond any first-year's capacity!
But.
—Hm? Interference incoming.
'Interference?'
—From over there. Someone weaving counter-rituals into our structure. Ice magic?
Turning, he saw Class 1's Untouchable Princess, Aire, clutching a round magic orb, staring and chanting at him.
Anyone would think she was trying to kill him.
Her mana slyly, surely mingled with his.
'Does she think it's undetectable?'
—She's trying to dismantle our spell, steal the mana to boost hers. Success means justification.
'Hmm...'
—So we'll counter.
Cellon declared.
—Steal her mana too and complete the spell. You focus on magic. I'll handle disruption.
'Ooh, now you sound like a great archmage.'
—I am one!
Ban Yu-won trusted Cellon and continued incanting.
Not verbal—just envisioning the volcano and focusing mana, but as the image solidified, the magic strengthened undeniably, so "incantation" fit.
—Got it... Manifest now!
"Volcano!"
Volcano
The instant Cellon spoke, Ban Yu-won unleashed the gathered mana.
Aire's mana tried slyly unraveling his, but couldn't interfere with his firm image.
And thanks to Cellon, it backfired—her structure collapsed, absorbed into his spell.
The thrill was indescribable.
—Reversed her interference ritual. Trying to outmaneuver me with mana finesse? Centuries too early!
'Don't get it, but...'
The colossal—truly colossal—mana splendidly struck the target.
—KABOOOOOM!
Cataclysmic Eruption
The ground where thousands, tens of thousands of monsters clustered flipped entirely, magma surging in a massive explosion!
"Look at that awesome magic!"