Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Lesson 20. Familiars Can Be Copied? - 4
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Friday dawned.
The Rebellion team members gathered for breakfast, but today there was one extra guest.
A girl with striking sky-blue hair and silver eyes—Aire.
"I wanted to fight you."
"If you want to bully me, just say so."
Of course, Aire hadn't suddenly turned into a battle maniac. She was just talking about the comprehensive evaluation sparring match.
Everyone at the table held a spot in the first-year sparring rankings. Among them, Dokgo Yeon was ranked 1st and Aire 2nd, both having firmly proven they possessed power beyond the first-year level.
No, if unlimited grade battles were allowed, they could probably hang with the fourth-years, maybe even the fifth-years.
"If you bully Yu-won, I won't just sit by...! No matter how much of an apex predator you are!"
"It was a joke, so don't get hostile for no reason, Lucelle. ...Apex predator?"
"All your team members are weird."
"Don't talk like you're any different."
For reference, Lucelle was ranked 4th.
She had faintly smiled and forfeited right before her match against 3rd-place Lucien Ortima. Ban Yu-won had a scary hunch about why she'd done that.
The reason the once-hyped top first-year prospect Lucien Ortima was stuck at 3rd... was probably because he hadn't fully recovered from his injury and couldn't overcome Aire's ice magic.
"So why are you here?"
Light made his usual oblivious remark.
No, it almost seemed like he wanted to chase Aire away from the table.
But Aire remained utterly composed.
"We won't see each other over the weekend, so I wanted to see your face beforehand. We're friends, after all."
"Friends...! Come to think of it, this guy too."
Light jumped in surprise at Aire's "friends" comment (which Ban Yu-won figured was just a convenient excuse to get close to Light).
Ban Yu-won could see right through it.
He was clearly thinking back to the "friends" line she'd fed him yesterday (which Ban Yu-won saw as a pretext to dig into his secrets).
"Won't see each other over the weekend? Why not?"
As the two traded awkward glances, Dokgo Yeon—who'd seemed indifferent to Aire—suddenly asked while balancing her sorlongpo on the wide spoon she used for sipping soup.
Today's breakfast menu clearly evoked Earth's Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine.
Thin-skinned dumplings, chicken congee, stir-fried morning glory, assorted pickled vegetables, and stir-fried meat with a Sichuan spice kick that gave off huiguerou vibes—it was all putting Dokgo Yeon in a good mood.
"I'm heading into the Tower. Right after breakfast."
"...Solo explorations aren't restricted during exam period, huh."
A, and just like that, her good mood soured a bit.
She'd never seemed that attached to solo runs in the first place, but watching someone else enter the Tower while she couldn't apparently felt different.
"Yeah. No exams left, so I can go anytime. Though there were originally."
"There were? Ah."
He wondered why Aire was glancing at Ban Yu-won while saying that—then it clicked.
The exam originally scheduled for today was Magic Combat Studies, taught by Yumina.
Since it had been replaced with a paper, her whole day was free, making Aire a woman of leisure.
"...What's with that look you're exchanging? It's starting to annoy me, like you're flaunting your friendship."
"We are friends. It's something only friends from the same class would share. Jealous, Light?"
"Youuu..."
Aire chuckled at Light's grumpy retort.
Her fondness for him was plain as day, and Ban Yu-won couldn't help but laugh too.
Watching the exchange, Dokgo Yeon narrowed her eyes and turned to Ban Yu-won.
"Ban Yu-won, what did you say to this idiot yesterday?"
"He did most of the talking. Somehow, we ended up as friends."
"I see. A bit different from what I imagined... but looks like it worked out."
"Eh, maybe just first aid...?"
Different direction? Did she actually want him to hook up with Light?
"You should've pinned him down more firmly."
"Phew, what a relief."
Ban Yu-won felt a headache coming on as Dokgo Yeon pushed her Casanova theory about him and Lucelle sighed in genuine relief.
But come to think of it, he had something to tell the group too.
"Speaking of which, guys."
"What 'speaking of which'?"
"While resolving a little incident this time, I got solo exploration privileges too."
The World!
Time stopped.
Not exaggerating—even Aire aside, the entire team froze solid.
Aire, being expressionless by nature, didn't show it.
"So I'm thinking of going into the Tower alone today too..."
"What the hell?!"
And time resumed...
Light slammed the table in protest.
"Why'd you hide something that important till now? From a friend, no less!"
"That's why I'm telling you now, when all my friends are together."
"So this is what you were hiding yesterday!"
No, what he was really hiding was mostly the unexpectedly deep and dark turn his relationship with Mira had taken.
"You're entering the Tower? What about exploring with us?"
Dokgo Yeon, feeling a bit miffed at falling behind Ban Yu-won, asked a fair question.
"It's treated separately. Our team's at 23F now, but I can start over from 1F. Of course, next week when I go in with you guys, it'll be 23F again."
"Convenient system."
"C-Could I come with you?"
Ban Yu-won had seen this coming from Lucelle. He gently stroked her back to soothe her.
"Doesn't seem possible. Sorry, Lucelle. But I'll be back before our Sunday date. Ronica Central Square at 1 PM, right?"
"You didn't forget...♡"
"..."
Lucelle's affection skyrocketed once more—she was the easiest person in the world to win over that way. Meanwhile, Aire, who still looked like time had stopped for her alone, spoke up with a serious expression.
"People with solo privileges can climb together. If I retire right now..."
"No, I'm climbing alone. Just me."
That was new info.
Pondering something that nagged at him from her words, Ban Yu-won suddenly realized Mira also had solo privileges. He hurriedly messaged her: No retiring on purpose.
His mirror immediately blew up with notifications, but he ignored it.
Probably nothing important.
"So what about the footage, Yu-won?"
"Keeping it secret for now. Since it's a solo challenge, I wanna run some experiments."
Ban Yu-won grinned at Lucelle's question.
Aire seemed bothered by his mention of "experiments," but he had no intention of revealing his secret weapon yet. He just smiled back.
I wanted to start over from 1F with you too. You said you'd take everything from me, but was that a lie? Am I not helpful for exploration? You're such a cruel man. Building up my expectations and then pretending nothing happened—you're just like Kettra.
"Ah... this woman is such a pain."
Apparently, Mira had genuinely planned to retire and climb with him.
Babel Tower normally only allowed same-year teams, but solo runs were an exception. Good thing he'd warned her not to retire.
After all, Mira's high academy rep came from solo records rivaling student council VP Kettra's team achievements!
I have stuff I want to try solo. And for your growth right now, solo exploring beats restarting from 1F with dead weight like me. You said you'd be useful to me—gonna ruin your career yourself? Also, don't use Senior Kettra's name like a curse.
You're right. Sorry, I didn't understand exactly how you need me. I'll focus on self-cultivation for a bit. And scratch the 'like Kettra' part.
Ban Yu-won was satisfied with the reply and pocketed his mirror—only for it to vibrate again.
Still, I wanted to see the downpour.
Not a downpour—a deluge.
He chuckled softly.
Right now, Mira was the only one who knew about the "experiment" he planned.
Simple reason: she'd been there when he made the equipment.
"Alright, if I tweak the student ID like this..."
Friday morning, still exam season—Babel Tower entrance, devoid of other students' shadows.
A place he shouldn't even approach, yet the barrier parted naturally as Ban Yu-won manipulated his student ID to reveal the blank space.
"Shh."
"Yeah, let's go."
—Whiiiing
Eve, back in its designated spot on his right arm after two weeks of long business trips, purred happily.
Tike followed, dramatically changed from the last Tower run.
Of course, if his experiment went as planned, they wouldn't get their turn this time...
—Thud
The moment Ban Yu-won stepped inside, the entire Tower shook with a shift.
Seemed like a bigger fuss than even with the group.
He gave a wry smile and quietly drew the Executioner's Longsword.
Once the shaking stopped and the dust settled, visibility returned.
"Huh...?"
What entered Ban Yu-won's eyes was an empty wasteland.
If he had to describe it: ridiculously—vast.
"...No way, really from 1F?"
"Shhhit."
Honestly, he'd half-expected this.
He knew Babel Tower better than anyone at the academy. Entering alone...
Maybe the Tower would show him a unique vista permitted only to him.
"Even so, the scale's insane. Right, Eve...? Whoa."
"Shit?!!"
Peering at his student ID with Eve, Ban Yu-won was speechless in shock.
Where the number 1 should have been displayed...
Numbers 1 through 9 flickered irregularly, scattering like mad.
"What the heck is this."
The very concept of "rooms" crumbling so casually.
No, maybe this space was already beyond the Chancellor's definition of Babel Tower?
Maybe everyone who'd entered so far had no idea of the true Tower?
"Ahh—this ain't helping."
Ban Yu-won decided to forget the student ID existed.
For now, he sharpened his mind, focusing on the sword in his hand—ready for whatever came.
What Dokgo Yeon had drilled into him wasn't just qi circulation or body movement, but his sword stance too.
'No matter how much qi you have or supreme arts you learn, a swordsman must forge their own unique sword. Slicing (斬), piercing (貫), flowing (流), countering (反)—all good, but the tool is the sword. When you grasp that meaning, your martial arts are established.'
Even with his language mastery, Ban Yu-won couldn't fully grasp her words on martial fundamentals at once.
But thanks to her steady lessons and sparring, he was finally getting a feel for the sword.
Lately, he'd pondered: purify it into pure swordsmanship, or mix in other elements for broader martial arts...?
Watching Light struggle with spears, he realized mastering many weapons wasn't easy. He resolved to focus on his first weapon: the sword.
Dokgo Yeon's sword mastery influenced that too.
—Hummm
"What? Is the sword reacting to my will?"
That sword cry (劍鳴) from wuxia novels?
Nope.
It wasn't the sword shaking—it was the ground.
"Ground? Don't tell me enduring an earthquake is this room's goal... Nah."
Thruuum.
Thruuuuum.
Amid the intensifying tremors.
Ban Yu-won watched part of the earth rise up.
If he compared it to manga from his Earth days...
"That day, humanity remembered..."
A golem over 50 meters tall.
The earth-born giant loomed over Ban Yu-won.