Why Did I Have to Enroll

The structure of the bracelet analyzed by Ban Yu-won is as follows.

First, all the information that can be checked through a typical climber’s status window is dummy data. The bracelet doesn’t have any functions to create a protective shield or enhance attack power. It was merely the elite wearing the bracelet putting on a convincing act. However, the Magic Power contained within the artifact was real, and it was entirely used to activate teleportation.

‘To be precise, it’s not Magic Power but telekinesis. It’s spatial movement executed through telekinesis, not magic.’

Therefore, the coordinates were quite abstract compared to magic, but even so, they couldn’t hide their identity from Ban Yu-won, the master of the Babylonian Code.

Now, what Ban Yu-won intended to modify was the method of teleportation. Originally, the artifact was designed to teleport the moment it was equipped, but he changed the condition so that teleportation would occur just by touching the artifact. While doing so, he also modified it so that the artifact wouldn’t move along with the teleportation.

"Ta-da! Now, just throw it and hit the target, and it becomes an infinite power weapon that directly transports the enemy to the Constellation Yergel! By adding the concepts of Return and Control, retrieval and re-throwing are simple. All this for the amazing price of just thirty-nine thousand…"

―You’re having way too much fun using the Constellation’s power…

The core reason Ban Yu-won called this ‘infinite power’ was because the Constellation was bearing all the Magic Power and causalities consumed in spatial movement. It was impossible for ordinary Magic Power or telekinesis to handle the task of ignoring the tower’s shift and leaping over the spatial wall.

In other words, this bracelet was nothing short of a terminal extracting the power of the Constellation Yergel!

―He must have been sure you’d activate spatial movement by touching it in Room 34. He never imagined you’d bring it to Room 39, change its function, and use it…

Celon seemed to sympathize with Yergel, who was once a fellow Constellation.

―I wonder how many you can send. It can’t be infinite.

No, she seemed filled with a spirit of experimentation.

―Ding-dong-dang—!

Just as Ban Yu-won tucked the completed ultimate weapon into his pocket and grabbed Celon, the great bell installed in the towering watchtower rang loudly. The Carapace Beasts had finally entered visible range. It was literally a wave of monsters. The sight of the Carapace Beasts tearing through the forest of trees that densely covered the hill leading up to the city’s mountainside was enough to make even Ban Yu-won, who was confident in battle, hesitate.

"Don’t be scared. We’re on top of a high wall! Look at this damn wall!"

"Monsters, you can’t kill us! We’re on the wall!"

"Land, get lost! We’re on the wall!"

The soldiers, trying to boost morale before a battle close to death, deliberately used rough words to lift the atmosphere. Everyone was clinging to bows and arrows, ballistae, or boiling cauldrons of oil, or piling sharp stones like mountains on top of the wall.

‘Feels like I’m in a real war movie. I think I understand a bit of what Light said.’

Although he had burned the letter with the thought of skipping the quest, it wasn’t a lie when he told Light he wanted to reduce unnecessary sacrifices.

The fewer people died, the better the rewards would be.

‘Honestly, Rooms 31 to 33 were smooth. …Compared to other teams, maybe not, but for our team, it was smooth. But overcoming the Constellation’s intervention and seeing through the trick in Room 34 would have earned us a good evaluation, and burning the letter instead of delivering it was a decent attempt. If we break through Room 39 with a good score…!’

Ban Yu-won took a deep breath and raised his staff.

"Time for a big one."

―Light is good.

He intended to strike the center of the Carapace Beasts with the volcanic eruption technique he had mastered through Yumina’s diligent training… but Celon’s voice, which came flying in before that, stopped his movement.

―Light magic is the way to go for monster waves. There’s a reason those who handle light magic are favored.

"Why…? Don’t tell me, a wave?"

―Exactly. Light magic suppresses the activity of the infection wave. It eliminates the unique monster enhancement phenomenon that occurs only in waves, so it’s best to strike the center with light magic infused with maximum Magic Power.

Light magic wasn’t called the superior magic of elemental magic for nothing!

Ban Yu-won momentarily thought, ‘Then what about dark magic?’ but he folded that thought away. If he said it out loud, it would surely become some kind of foreshadowing!

"Alright, then with light."

A sphere of light materialized in the air. He couldn’t blind the soldiers guarding the wall, so he first temporarily Sealed the sphere’s exterior with a faint shell of light. Then he filled the interior with intense light.

―You’ve increased your Magic Power a lot, haven’t you?

‘Compared to when?’

Ban Yu-won smirked as he focused all his current Magic Power—mana—into the sphere of light. And when it reached its critical point, he hurled it without hesitation at the Carapace Beasts.

"Light… light magic!"

"My God, the mercenary is a mage! And a light mage at that!"

The soldiers, who finally recognized the nature of the magic Ban Yu-won had cast as the massive sphere of light descended into the midst of the monster horde, were astonished. But it was too early to be surprised.

The rapidly approaching sphere withstood the attacks of the Carapace Beasts, who tried to intercept it in advance, without exploding, and safely reached the center of the horde… and then it exploded!

―Saaaah

It was as if the sun had exploded. The sight of a sun descending to earth, shattering into tens of millions of fragments and engulfing the area, would have seemed like a god had descended there, even with a bit of exaggeration.

―Now you can create such a spectacle… No, this is strange! A kid who hasn’t even been into magic for two months! Even with my help!

‘You’re busy being moved and then shocked.’

―Kuaaaah!

―Guaaaah!

The screams of the Carapace Beasts overlapped several times, as if listening to a chorus. But Ban Yu-won was more astonished by the disruption of the infection wave emanating from the Carapace Beast horde than by the direct destructive power of his area magic.

The infection wave was the core phenomenon that induced the monster wave. With it disrupted, the monsters’ movements began to show abnormalities.

‘It’s real…’

―Would I lie? More importantly, hurry up and recover your Magic Power through meditation or something. There’s no time to relax."

Celon, who must have stood on many such battlefields during her human days, urged him to act with calm words after briefly marveling at his magic. Ban Yu-won nodded silently and sat down to begin meditation.

―Slash

―Kiiiii!

Of course, he wasn’t doing nothing during that time. The twelve rain swords floating in the air were moving in his stead! Although there was a restriction that he couldn’t move well during meditation, controlling the swords connected to him through Resonance wasn’t difficult since the difficulty level itself wasn’t high!

"The swords are flying… Is the mage controlling them? He must have modified the wall too!"

"Archmage, he’s an archmage. I never imagined such a person would come to save our city…!"

"We can’t just stand by. It’s our duty to protect Eraton! While the monsters are disoriented, let’s reduce their numbers as much as possible!"

"Uoooooo!"

The soldiers, filled with morale, launched an attack on the Carapace Beasts. Although each Carapace Beast was far stronger than the soldiers due to the monster wave, they were now weakened by the light magic, and the arrows that wouldn’t have pierced them were now finding their mark, making the situation increasingly favorable for the humans.

"The swords wielded by the archmage protect us. Don’t be afraid, face them!"

"Land, get lost! We’re on the wall!"

Are they going to keep doing that?

The situation was the same on the other wall where the Rebellion party was stationed. Even though the difficulty had significantly increased due to the multiple shifts, the Rebellion members’ strength surpassed it. After all, they had already defeated a divine incarnation last week. Even considering the difference between individual and group, they were more than strong enough. Moreover, Luciel had gained even greater power after acquiring the Thunder Beast, yet―

"A mercenary? Such a delicate girl? She might just waste her life…"

"Wow, she’s quite a looker. What a waste."

―It seemed she didn’t appear that strong on the outside. It was a rare occurrence in the Union, but… perhaps this place still harbored primitive prejudices that judged people by their appearance. Feeling that she didn’t need to blend into this space, Luciel jumped over the wall.

"Hup!"

"Wha, whaaaat!"

"Is she trying to commit suicide!"

The wall was already heightened by Ban Yu-won’s concept granting. Seeing Luciel jump without any safety measures, it wasn’t unreasonable to think she was attempting suicide. But during her fall, she tripled her size in mid-air, quickly transforming into a half-beast form and landing gracefully on the ground.

―Giiiii

―Guooooo!

Naturally, the Carapace Beasts advancing towards the wall saw her as a tasty prey. Luciel, drawing out her Wildness to not lose to them, let out a loud howl, summoning blue lightning claws on her hands and feet.

"Awoooooo—!

The battle howling of the beast race raises one’s own Wildness and lowers the enemy’s morale. Although she had howled to inspire herself before battle, it was the first time Luciel had succeeded in a real battle howling.

‘It’s all thanks to Master.’

Not only had she learned to control her mind through her connection with him, but she had also gained the power of a giant. Thanks to that, she could now perform partial beastification, which she had long given up on, and no longer needed to be ashamed of herself.

‘So― I’ll dedicate this battle to Master!’

Kraaaang―! She howled again, kicking off the ground. She charged fearlessly into the midst of the Carapace Beasts, who had been intimidated by her howling, and swung her blue lightning claws!

―Crackle

―Kyaaaah!

"Kyahaaa!"

The Carapace Beasts, capable of demolishing a house with a single paw and withstanding bombardments with their hard Carapace, were being shredded like paper by Luciel’s claws. Not just one or two, but every monster that attacked her was being split in half and killed in less than a second. With her sitting right in front of the gate, the entire wave of monsters advancing towards the gate was halted.

"A, a monster?"

"Could she be infected? No, seeing her fight the monsters, maybe not…"

"Anyway, now’s our chance! Attack, attack!"

While the giant beast Luciel rampaged through the enemy lines like a storm, the soldiers also launched their attacks. Although each individual wasn’t strong, as a group, they could kill the Carapace Beasts. Moreover, with Luciel rampaging on the battlefield, as long as there was movement to keep the Carapace Beasts in check, she could perform two or three times better.

"Awooooooo—!

Luciel howled again, enlarging her claws. Crackling, the blue sparks were infused with her Wildness-filled Magic Power. ‘When the weapon completely aligns with oneself, it can draw out the aura of lightning…!’ Remembering Dokgo Yeon’s words, she bounced off the ground again. Her figure, burning and cutting through everything she encountered on the battlefield, was already like a streak of lightning.

Meanwhile, what was Light doing?

―Dududududu

―Kuaaaah!

"You seem too excited, Eve…"

He was chasing after Eve, who was excited to finally have a chance to shine, battling the Carapace Beasts. Right now, Eve had transformed into a machine gun form, with four or so extended and thickened barrels from Tike’s cannon, madly firing magic bullets and sweeping through the Carapace Beast horde.

―Kuwaaah!

―Keeeek!

―Sssit, sssissit!

Having devoured several concepts obtained by Ban Yu-won and further able to mimic concepts unique to him through Resonance, Eve’s transformation ability had reached its peak. With core concepts like Life and Phantom Beast at 400, Eve’s attacks were always critical, and the Carapace Beasts’ attacks couldn’t even graze Eve.

‘Even if the level is similar, it doesn’t mean the strength is the same. Being a Phantom Beast, it’s naturally different. It’s a different breed.’

―Slash

Reflecting on this thought, Light realized it was something only residents of a higher dimension would say. But then again, Eve started as a mere club, so it felt like a self-made success… Ultimately, without Ban Yu-won, Eve’s transformation wouldn’t have happened.

Turning an ordinary object into an artifact, granting it the concept of a living being, and finally evolving it into a Phantom Beast. Eve was practically a symbol of Ban Yu-won’s miraculous authority.

‘While Eve started as a mere club and became a Phantom Beast, I’m still struggling despite having dragon’s blood.’

―Crash

Perhaps that’s why he felt more stimulated by Ban Yu-won’s abilities. Thinking that he might change his lacking and inferior self―.

‘No, that’s not it. That would make it seem like I’m only trying to be friends with Ban because of his abilities. What if Ban misunderstands? We’ve just started to open up and become friends…’

―Boom!

It’s natural to be drawn to someone with outstanding abilities. But saying it out loud feels awkward, and it feels like admitting one’s inadequacy, which is embarrassing―.

Most of all, he didn’t want to be disliked by him.

‘After all― it’s better not to mention my dragon’s blood. It would seem like I’m asking for help. I’ve already received so much help…’

―Crackle! Boom!

‘Yes, Ayre is helping me too. Once I fully awaken the power of the dragon, then I’ll tell him. As for handling the holy sword… he said he’d help from the start.’

―Slash! Ssssss―!

Light sighed. In the end, he was just receiving help from everyone. Not only that. Even in this matter, he had been questioning Ban Yu-won’s actions as if he were something, so he couldn’t blame him if he lost interest. Since it was only Light’s rebellion, Ban Yu-won could have dismissed it more coldly, but he seriously thought about it and answered him, making Ban Yu-won a truly admirable man… He really didn’t want to be disliked.

‘But this can’t go on. A proper friendship should be debt-free… Yes, so I just need to give Ban as much as I’ve received, right?’

―Boom!

Swinging a spear imbued with terrifying Magic Power, slicing through the Carapace Beast horde blocking his path, Light thought. So, what should one give to a friend?

"That young mercenary is incredible. How many Carapace Beasts has he cut down alone?"

"While the artifact that shoots Magic Power on its own is amazing… I guess that’s how someone like him becomes the owner of an artifact."

Lost in deep thought, swinging his spear reflexively, Light had forgotten the battle situation, but fortunately, Eve, moving ahead of him, guided him properly, allowing him to clear the Carapace Beasts at a speed comparable to Ban Yu-won and Luciel.

Dokgo Yeon opened her eyes, which had been gently closed, and stood up. She felt the heavy vibrations resonating through the ground.

―Thud, thud

Indeed, their exploration of the Babel Tower was on a level incomparable to others. The mountain, always standing tall behind the city, rising sharply into the sky, was now gathering Magic Power at its core, creating a nucleus. ‘Infecting inanimate objects with the monster wave… It seems the power of the Constellation is at work here too…’

What do you call an inanimate object that harbors a magic core and becomes active? A golem. ‘If it collapses as it is, the situation will end in an instant… I hope my level increases a bit this time.’

Watching the mountain, hundreds of meters high, gradually change its appearance and evolve into a golem suitable for movement, Dokgo Yeon silently drew her short sword. Challenging the achievement that the tower would surely recognize―.

"Thinking that the inanimate can’t be killed is a big mistake."

The girl exuded death with her entire being.