Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enrol - Chapter 154

Lesson 31. The Last Spoonful is Always the Most Annoying - 4

“Agh, this is so awkward.”

The treasure chest that appeared in this room was entirely made of silver, both the box and the frame. It was the first time the frame wasn’t gold, though the material of the box was secondary. In fact, from Room 81 to Room 89, they hadn’t done anything particularly special other than crush all the enemies in front of them, so they were grateful just for the appearance of a treasure chest.

“Your standards have changed, Ban. It’s a silver chest. Even the current students rarely encounter silver chests, they say.”

“You’re saying strange things too, Light. Treasure chests themselves are rare to begin with.”

“Now that you mention it… Well, the chest probably appeared because we exploited the Trick Room’s rules.”

Everyone nodded at Ban Yu-won’s words. Enhancing machines or transforming followers into machines wasn’t something just anyone could do. Although their group had made some bold breakthroughs, this was the first treasure chest they’d encountered since Room 40.

‘I hope it’s something that will help us break through the remaining rooms… but things never work out that conveniently.’

Ban Yu-won took a deep breath, exchanged glances with his companions, and approached the chest. He then gathered all the concepts of Seal that were protecting the chest and opened it without hesitation. Inside was a single ring. It was a simple silver ring, matching the treasure chest, but the central part was flat, as if something was engraved on it.

“A dud, huh.”

“We don’t know yet. Maybe it has a power like ‘temporarily granting machine classification’…!”

“Just give it up, Ban Yu-won.”

Ring of Seal 500 [Seal 450, Amplification 50]

“Hmm?”

Even with the All-Reading Eyes, he couldn’t fully grasp the item’s abilities. One thing was certain: it wasn’t an artifact for machines. Ban Yu-won picked it up and examined it closely. He soon realized it was a signet ring, designed to stamp seals. In Western cultures, they often pour melted wax on a letter and press a ring or necklace engraved with a family seal onto it.

“Ah.”

“Huh? Why are all three of you making that noise at the same time?”

“Look at the ring, Yu-won.”

When Ban Yu-won looked down, he saw the engraving on the ring changing. His name was being engraved in Chinese characters.

“Could it be…?”

“It’s a bound artifact. I wasn’t planning on taking it anyway.”

“I don’t think I could use it well, so I’ll let Ban have it.”

“As for me… Oh! If you buy me a pretty ring later… Eek!”

Luciel, who was subtly expressing her desire, was subdued by Dokgo Yeon. Meanwhile, Light explained the artifact’s information to Ban Yu-won. By pointing the ring at a target you want to seal and infusing it with magic power, the target gets sealed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. If that’s true, this would be the world’s strongest artifact. It’s stronger than the One Ring.”

“There are limits, but that’s how it appeared in my status window. But what’s the One Ring?”

He didn’t seem to be lying. Now Ban Yu-won understood why everyone’s reactions had been ambiguous. It sounded impressive, but everyone knew it wouldn’t work out as easily as it seemed.

“Should I test it?”

In fact, Ban Yu-won had a deep connection with the concept of Seal. The treasure chest he just opened was tightly imbued with the concept of Seal. Even the talismans they frequently used contained the concept of Seal, and sealing was essential when making elixir jam. He had developed a habit of collecting the concept of Seal from various places to ensure he never ran short when needed.

“Let’s make a talisman.”

He created a talisman for storing magic power and lightly infused it with magic before stamping it with the ring. Surprisingly, the talisman was indeed imbued with the concept of Seal, just as when he usually infused it with concepts.

“Uh…”

Ban Yu-won was dumbfounded. The magic consumption was minimal, and the depth of the Seal within the ring remained unchanged while a new concept of Seal was created. It was a highly useful item for Ban Yu-won, even if its application was specialized!

In that case, there was no need to painstakingly gather the concept of Seal… Wait a minute.

“Can it also be infused?”

He infused all 200 of the Seal concepts he had just retrieved from opening the treasure chest into the ring. The depth of Seal, which was 450, increased to 455!

“Converting 200 to 5 is tough.”

However, the higher the depth of Seal, the better the artifact’s performance. He went ahead and infused all the Seal concepts he had, eventually reaching a perfect 500. But that wasn’t the end.

After a moment of thought, he used Soul Flame to separate about 10 of his soul, and infused it along with 10 Resonance into the ring.

‘Since my name is engraved on it, maybe it will be more effective if part of my soul is in it.’

It was a shallow idea, but the result was excellent. During the infusion process, a Mutation occurred, combining the soul and resonance into an enhancement with a depth of 50.

Ring of Seal [Seal 500, Amplification 50, Enhancement 50]

Combining soul and resonance into enhancement might seem strange at first glance, but the two concepts meshed well, enhancing the ring’s performance. Both soul and resonance were firmly included within the concept of enhancement, so there was no problem. As proof, when he slipped the ring onto his left index finger, it emitted a faint light and began to pulse rhythmically.

“Ban, that ring seems to be pulsing.”

“It’s proof that it’s resonating properly with me. This was a great find… even if it has nothing to do with machines.”

―Hey, Ban Yu-won.

‘Hmm?’

Suddenly, Celon asked him a question.

―If it seals, could it also be used to break seals?

‘Life isn’t that simple.’

―You really don’t understand the principles of magic yet. Powerful forces of the same type tend to repel each other. What do you think would happen if your sealing power collided with another’s seal? They’d struggle for dominance and cancel each other out.

Ban Yu-won imagined two enormous forces bickering over who gets to seal a target and replied.

‘Wouldn’t Solomon have to judge?’

―Stop talking nonsense and try it on me… I mean, on this staff!

He didn’t expect Celon to make such a suggestion. But as he listened, it made sense. Even though the staff itself didn’t have the concept of Seal, considering that Celon was the result of a seal on the staff, it was worth trying.

‘If I mess up and you get more sealed, it’s not my fault.’

―You’re my partner, so put more effort into it!

That’s true. Feeling a bit guilty for not giving her the Ever-changing earlier, Ban Yu-won didn’t argue and obediently infused the ring with Mysterious Qi.

―It would be better if there’s no magic left in the staff. Take my magic too.

‘Okay.’

Neither of them expected to completely break Celon’s seal. That’s why they could burn all their magic without hesitation. Ban Yu-won even tore several magic talismans, absorbing the vast magic into his body, converting it into Mysterious Qi through the flow of Mysterious Body Technique, and infusing it into the Ring of Seal, which shone brilliantly.

‘Not sealing, but unsealing Celon.’

The moment he brought the ring close to the staff, he felt something he hadn’t noticed before fiercely resisting it. This was the force he had to overcome!

With his target confirmed, Ban Yu-won pushed the ring harder. The magic imbued with the form of Seal was amplified and enhanced, then released. It collided with the enormous force and oxidized.

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] is wide-eyed with shock, demanding to know why you’ve met that witch.

―The Constellation [Clock of the Toy Legion] is aghast, urging you to stop immediately.

Oh, so these guys were still around. Could they have been involved in Celon’s seal? But that’s not important right now. Focus on burning away Celon’s seal as much as possible!

―Ah… Aaaah!

Celon let out a sound that could have been a groan or a scream. The Ring of Seal vibrated, resisting the pressure that was closing in. It was truly fortunate that he had enhanced the ring before attempting this. Otherwise, he might have used up this precious artifact as a disposable item!

“Ugh…!”

The limit soon approached. Astonishingly, a massive shadow extended from the ceiling of the room, not from the staff, attempting to engulf both Celon and Ban Yu-won.

“What the――!”

As the shadow tried to swallow them both, Ban Yu-won, sensing the limit of the seal’s power, quickly grabbed Celon and retreated.

“Huff!”

Dokgo Yeon, who had been watching from behind, swiftly stepped in and slashed the shadow, ending it all.

“In the future, it’s better to do things like that outside the tower, Ban Yu-won.”

Dokgo Yeon, sheathing her sword, advised him with a sharp look.

“The moment you started doing something with that staff, the tower began to shake like crazy.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely do that…”

―…It has to be the tower.

While Ban Yu-won was apologizing, thinking he had made a mistake, Celon spoke in a more mature voice.

―Since the seal was placed by the tower, it should be undone by the tower. It’s dangerous, but that’s the way it is.

‘So, was there any progress?’

―To some extent… But sorry, I don’t think I can tell you about it.

‘You asked me to avenge you, didn’t you?’

―That’s fine. Our enemies are the same.

She sure knows how to leave a lingering feeling. As if to appease the frustrated Ban Yu-won, Celon said.

―Thanks to you, many of the ability seals have been lifted. Check the staff.

‘That…’

XXXX [Soul 800, Mysterious Qi 600, Curse 300, Star Light Magic(星光魔法) 200]

Following her instructions, Ban Yu-won examined the artifact with the All-Reading Eyes and narrowed his eyes.

‘I have two questions.’

―The artifact’s name is broken because my rank has increased, and Star Light Magic is my unique magic. It’s a higher-level magic than Light Magic Power, and it’s a slightly different system from Photon Magic.

Unique magic, like Ban Yu-won’s language magic or the plant magic Yumina uses, refers to special magic.

‘So I can’t learn it, huh.’

―With your absurd abilities, you might be able to mimic it, but it won’t be the same. There’s no need for that. I’ll use magic for you.

‘…Have you changed a bit?’

―I’m just trying as hard as you are for me.

Despite her words, Celon’s personality had indeed matured. There’s no need to delve further. The important thing is that Celon’s power has more than doubled. She’ll be a great help in the exploration from Room 91 onwards and in the next special activities filled with uncertainties. Perhaps due to Celon’s changed personality, the staff’s appearance seemed more refined. Ban Yu-won stored it for now and finally began the task he had intended to do earlier. He would create mechanical followers using all the mechanical parts and concepts obtained from the battles with the Armored Beasts starting from Room 84!