Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 157

Lesson 32. The Pace is Too Fast - 1

Crackle, crackle!

As resistance formed in the flow of electricity rushing into the dome and its direction began to twist, the rest was simple. By supplementing the lacking Magic Power and completely redirecting the flow, a massive current surged into Ban Yu-won’s followers!

“Oh, ohhh…”

“The brightness is annoying. When will this end, Ban Yu-won?”

“Probably by the end of this Chain Room!”

Ban Yu-won gritted his teeth and shouted as he focused all his energy on controlling the current. Now that he had successfully altered the flow, it wasn’t wise to just recklessly unleash concepts. So, he simultaneously activated Elemental Magic and Photon Magic to perfectly seize control of the current, and… the attempt was quite successful.

―I was going to tell you, but you figured it out on your own. That’s a relief.

‘The Origin Blade fundamentally uses everything available.’

It was called a vessel because it utilized all concepts, but in truth, the Origin Blade had no fixed form. It was a martial art that gathered everything, both oneself and others, into a single vessel to wield. There was no need to limit the form of the vessel crafted to contain everything.

He had thought so since conceiving the Origin Blade, but this might be the first time he truly realized it.

‘――This feeling. It’s the same as when I first used the Origin Blade.’

Even when activating multiple magics simultaneously, there was no sense of blockage, and even when manifesting authority at the same time, there was no headache. After envisioning the desired result in his mind, he found himself unhesitatingly pioneering the fastest shortcut towards it.

At that moment, when his resolve became firm, a brilliant explosion of light erupted from within him.

[You have succeeded in collecting many concepts and mastering the best way to handle them. The concepts of Swordsmanship, Pierce, Cut, Flow, Counter, Wave, Acceleration, Space Control, and Spiritual Power have merged into the highest concept, the Martial Art Origin Blade. The depth of the Origin Blade has reached 1,005.]

[The depth of Life has reached 800, Body has reached 20, and Soul has reached 880.]

[You have created a perfect vessel to contain Qi. The depth of the Mysterious Body Technique has reached 249. The depth of Mysterious Qi has reached 515.]

[The conversion of the Body concept is complete. The depth of Body has reached 1.]

The martial art he had named long ago, the Origin Blade, was finally complete. Concepts he expected to integrate and those he hadn’t anticipated merged into a massive single concept.

‘I thought maybe Super Strength or Magic might merge too…’

Was it due to a lack of proficiency that he couldn’t encompass them? No, if that were the case, it wouldn’t be strange for all concepts except the core ones forming his body and mind to be absorbed into the Origin Blade. It was more accurate to interpret that highly independent concepts remained unabsorbed.

However, even excluding those concepts, the depth of the Origin Blade surpassed 1,000. This wasn’t a mere sum of numbers; it indicated the immense power of the Origin Blade.

‘Still couldn’t surpass the wall of the Mysterious Body Technique… But I’m almost there. Life has grown significantly too.’

The torrent of blue lightning flowed into Ban Yu-won’s followers, further amplifying their already formidable strength. Meanwhile, the current was cut off from the other Armored Beasts, weakening them and creating a significant power gap, which they didn’t miss, pushing them back instantly.

“It’s opening!”

With Luciel's brief shout, Ban Yu-won, while effortlessly controlling the infinite current with her completed Origin Blade, suddenly thought.

'By now, they should have realized I've drained their energy.'

Thus, the Armored Beasts were desperately charging at Ban Yu-won. They were all frozen, blocked by the ice walls created by the Frost Fortress. But if they had lost their trump card, wasn't there a better way than just trying to kill him? For instance, increasing the current to escape Ban Yu-won's control. Or simply giving up and cutting off the current altogether.

'Was I wrong in my thinking?'

Ban Yu-won had assumed the current flowing through this space was controlled by the enemy. But what if it wasn't? What if the current was just flowing, uncontrollable? If the current state wasn't normal from the start…?

'Could it be…?'

The answer became clear.

'Isn't this situation caused by the critical component Luciel destroyed?'

There's no way a Chain Room would start without any cause and effect. And there's no way an important trick determining the outcome of a battle in a Chain Room would appear without any sign. And now, the elite monster appearing from the slowly opening dome. If its purpose wasn't to utilize the current to strengthen itself, but merely to gather the indiscriminately released current?

'Yes. The opponent I was competing with for control of the current wasn't some unknown enemy, but that guy now revealing itself.'

Of course, Ban Yu-won had won that battle and was now perfectly controlling the flow of electricity. The creature was probably aware of that too.

―Boom!

The dome's ceiling, which was halfway open, shattered completely, revealing a giant centipede. Simultaneously, a green beam shot precisely at Ban Yu-won!

""Aaaah!""

Luciel and Light screamed in unison upon seeing it. Ban Yu-won redirected part of the controlled current to block the beam and smirked. Even with mechanical parts, a bug was still a bug. It wasn't a pure Magic Power entity but a venomous liquid fired with intense pressure. It even contained a strong Acid capable of corroding steel instantly, but… There was no need to block it next time.

―Screech!

"Of course, it's infuriating… Guys, take it down!"

With the infinite current supply and the Chain Room's correction, the mechanical followers, nearly ten times stronger, all leaped at the centipede! The creature, too, shrieked, swinging its tail and spewing venom at the followers, but when Ban Yu-won extracted the concept of Poison, all that remained was a mere water cannon.

Each follower was already at a level that overwhelmed the centipede, and soon it was brutally torn apart and fell under the dome.

"Great, once we take that down, we'll tie up the Armored Beasts and take a break before entering Room 95… Huh?"

While feeling a sense of refreshment from the centipede's miserable state and issuing instructions to his party, Ban Yu-won noticed the electric flow intensifying and widened his eyes.

"Ban Yu-won?"

Dokgo Yeon, who noticed the anomaly almost simultaneously, looked at Ban Yu-won with a hopeful expression, wishing it wasn't what she thought. But Ban Yu-won had reached the same conclusion as her.

"Shift…?!"

"Ahh!"

The ground trembled. Various machines and wires danced and rose from the floor, and the hidden world revealed itself, expanding rapidly in an instant. It was the first time a Shift occurred with monsters still in the room.

"So that's how it is."

The debris of mechanical structures, destroyed by rampaging giant machines, clung to the half-dead centipede, reconstructing its body. Simultaneously, its power increased, instantly drawing in electricity.

'Of course, I have no intention of giving it back.'

Instead, Ban Yu-won was observing the massive mechanical structure rising from beneath the dome with shining eyes. He had finally found the source of the electricity. The core of this Chain Room, likely the key to clearing it.

"Pull that centipede out!"

At Ban Yu-won's sharp command, his followers moved in unison. Eve, having transformed, was the first to ram into it, followed by the Frost Fortress, which charged and pushed it out.

―Screech!

The centipede, which had barely reached Room 95 and completed its enhancement, was pathetically flung away. Perhaps it was a stronger foe. Maybe it wasn't something that should be so easily discarded. But Ban Yu-won didn't care, and neither did his followers who followed his orders.

―Screech!

"Secure that spot!"

"Got it!"

"I'll change the path!"

As the structure fully emerged, the naturally occurring Armored Beasts around it let out horrific cries and charged at Ban Yu-won. But Dokgo Yeon, wielding a short sword wrapped in Death, and the rampaging Luciel pierced through them all, opening a path beyond.

"Can we finish this here?! Please, let's end this quickly and move to a room without bugs…!"

Light, half in tears, swung a spear enveloped in Aura, breaking down the high walls protecting the structure. Ban Yu-won, as if waiting for this, swiftly leaped into the structure's interior. It was a temple of machines. Various machine wires tangled complexly, blocking the path, but strangely, as Ban Yu-won advanced, they unraveled, clearing the way.

"How did you do that, Ban?"

"Well, if I had to say, hacking…?"

"Sorry for not understanding even when you made me say it, Ban."

The temple of machines was filled with numerous traps, and space distortion magic was also in place. But against Ban Yu-won, who had acquired the Origin Blade, they couldn't buy even a second and were shattered. He was moving in a straight line, but to Light, it seemed like he was creating a path where there was none.

―Boom!

Another heavy vibration echoed from outside. The centipede was probably the guardian of this temple. From the moment Ban Yu-won and Light entered, its resistance had become more intense, so it was likely certain.

"Of course, it's desperate."

"Should I go out and help?"

"Stay by my side just in case."

"…Okay."

The exploration wasn't long. When Ban Yu-won placed his hand on an unmarked wall, it opened as if a door had always been there, revealing a space.

"How would we have found this without you?"

"If it were Dokgo Yeon, she might have found traces of Magic Power and broken through the wall… Light, step back!"

Light jumped back without a word. Immediately, Ban Yu-won skillfully controlled the torrent of lightning rushing from the empty space to block it. The lightning, forming into a blue plasma sphere, sparked in all directions. Even now, it was growing larger with the constant flow of lightning from within.

"What is this? Should we have brought everyone? Isn't there something really strong inside?!"

"No, there's only this inside, so don't worry. And… it probably won't last long."

"…What?"

What happens when a well-conducting circuit suddenly breaks, or when a wire is faulty and insulation fails? Electricity leaks. In other words, a short circuit.

"This has been leaking all along. Probably because of what Luciel broke on the 84th floor."

"The chaos was because of a short circuit?!"

"Yeah. The only reason we couldn't control the electricity was that."

Ban Yu-won firmly controlled the flow of electricity, gathering it in one hand as he proceeded down the passage. As expected, the interior was a complete mess. Here and there, it was burnt, melted, and on fire… Ban Yu-won used the Origin Blade to grasp all external concepts, layering Elemental Magic and Language Magic to purify the air and extinguish the flames. Finally, he created a sphere of light using Photon Magic, illuminating the entire temple.

"What is this?"

A wide open space. Apart from the peculiar object formed by a mass of machinery in the center, it wasn't particularly special. It was just very spacious.

"The centipede was probably here. The reason electricity didn't leak out until Room 93 was that the centipede was desperately controlling it from within."

"So the sudden flow of electricity in Room 94 was because…"

"Because the centipede left this space. In many ways, the order was reversed."

Ban Yu-won, holding a plasma sphere filled with terrifying energy in one hand, approached the object in the center of the mechanical plaza. Though it sparked threateningly, it couldn't withstand Ban Yu-won's control, which had formed a massive flow, and he easily made contact with it. Finding the spot where the mechanical component had been was also easy. Learning the Origin Blade had made the task of finding 'conceptual voids' easier. And the moment he saw the empty spot, he thought it would be easy to fill it.

'Though I'll need the fundamental component… Once I have it, creating and filling the missing parts temporarily won't be a problem. Long live the Origin Blade.'

If the Mysterious Body Technique had evolved, he might have solved it with just the Flow concept without needing the component. But thinking about that now was meaningless, and since there was a proper component despite the malfunction, there was no problem.

"Simply killing the centipede outside would clear the Chain Room, but… clearing this hidden element here would yield much greater rewards."

"Ban, was there no point in me following you here?"

"Honestly, I expected a Constellation to intervene and interfere, so I brought you. And that possibility hasn't disappeared yet, so stay alert."

"R-right! So that's what it was!"

Light perked up, feeling rejuvenated after Ban Yu-won's words of reliance. Ban Yu-won chuckled at the sight and opened his inventory. He sighed.

"Lilith, please…"

The component was missing. Instead, the mechanical egg gleamed with a sheen, clearly having devoured the component. At this point, Ban Yu-won thought he had no choice but to complete the key himself, whether he succeeded or failed. Just then…

"…?!"

The mechanical egg popped out of the inventory, instantly devouring the plasma sphere Ban Yu-won held. Then it charged towards the object and embedded itself in the spot where the mechanical component had been missing. After that… well, it's obvious.

Light exploded.