Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enrol - Chapter 158

Lesson 32. The Pace is Too Fast - 2

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] is furious, destroying everything around. It screams, unable to comprehend why you wield more influence over the Tower than they do.

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] declares it will cease its support for you. Yet, realizing it cannot reclaim its power from you, it cries out in despair.

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] curses you for having stolen its power and vows to gift you with a perfect death next time.

―You have discerned that the Constellation [Breath of Life] has a hidden name, [Conductor of Death].

―The Constellation [Clock of the Toy Legion] begins to ponder which side to take.

Ban Yu-won’s prediction that a Constellation might be interfering in this Chain Room was spot on. To be precise, the fact that a key component of the Chain Room was buried inside an elite monster in Room 84 was evidence of such interference. However, the Constellation’s influence ended there. What Ban Yu-won did against the armored insect legion, which was strong enough to retire even Dokgo Yeon, a possessor of absolute power, was something else entirely. And how about controlling the discharge from Room 94 according to his will?

‘So, there was a Constellation involved. No wonder something felt off…’

He hadn’t expected one of them to be his sponsor, but it was something he could easily accept. After all, Breath of Life had shown a steadily escalating reaction of surprise, shock, suspicion, and anger regarding the handling of power. The decisive blow was, of course, Celon’s liberation in Room 90, but even without that, Breath of Life was already sufficiently hostile towards Ban Yu-won.

‘And the Clock of the Toy Legion, this guy is…’

It’s a bit ambiguous, but its reaction when Celon’s Seal was lifted was equally unsettling. Since they discovered that he could manipulate their powers at will, there was no need to let them observe him any longer. Ban Yu-won mercilessly severed the connection with both Breath of Life and the Clock of the Toy Legion. Perhaps other Constellations would learn of this incident? It was a bit disappointing, as he hoped to gain two or three more sponsors.

“Oh, ohhhh…! Ban, the base is going berserk!”

“No, it’s not going berserk. This is…”

But now, there was no leisure to ponder over the Constellations. The moment the mechanical egg, or Lilith, which had swallowed the core component of the broken base, was buried in the mechanical plaza’s object, the object contracted in an instant, enveloping the mechanical egg――and at that moment, vibrations began to ripple throughout the entire base!

“Ban, that thing! Shouldn’t we rip it out?!”

“No need. Let’s get out of here first!”

Ban Yu-won interpreted the golden strings overflowing from the object. Merge, fusion, absorption, and finally, hatching. It seemed like it was finally making up its mind after all the trouble it caused by not hatching.

“If we stay here, we’ll be merged too!”

“What?! You, you, that’s harassment!”

“You idiot, now’s not the time for that!”

Ban Yu-won grabbed the blushing Light, who seemed to have misunderstood something, and started running. The wires buried in the ground couldn’t withstand the object’s gravity and sprang out from all directions, causing the metal plates to be swept up and whirl around. And since everything was discharging, even a single touch would lead to a chain reaction and bloodshed!

“Hold on tight――no, that won’t do.”

“Kyah!”

Ban Yu-won lifted Light into his arms. Like a groom carrying a bride at a wedding!

“Ban?!”

“We’re going fast.”

As Ban Yu-won declared this and took a step forward, the scenery around them changed. They were still inside the base, but they had moved several hundred meters… almost to the ‘limits of their vision.’

“Space transfer! This is it!”

“Yeah, it’s Blink.”

Among the concepts absorbed by the Origin Blade is Space Control. Since the Origin Blade perceives everything around and exerts influence outside the body, its compatibility with the concept of Space Control was perfect. And what became possible with the completed Origin Blade was short-range space transfer, or Blink.

He had heard from Yumina before about how difficult Blink was. It was said to be so challenging to grasp spatial coordinates and perform teleportation magic in combat that it was considered the exclusive domain of telekinetics――. Since Ban Yu-won, wielding the Origin Blade, was essentially perceiving the spatial coordinates of everything within his sight at all times, there was no reason he couldn’t perform Blink with the added concept of Space Control!

“You, you this――.”

“Still a secret. Honestly, I’m not skilled enough to use it in battle yet.”

However, there was a momentary lapse in spatial perception right after executing Blink, which he hadn’t corrected yet, making it difficult to use in actual combat. But for escaping a collapsing base, it was more than sufficient!

“Now, let’s go consecutively.”

“Wah! Wah, waaaah!”

Light’s adorable cries every time the scenery changed with consecutive Blinks were quite endearing. But now wasn’t the time to pay attention to him. Calculating the gaps between the structures like metal plates and wires erupting from all directions, and the electric storm spreading like a spider’s web, and performing space transfers was already overwhelming!

Yet, this dramatic and urgent escape came to an abrupt end.

“How much is Lilith planning to swallow――Whoa!”

“Kyah!”

With a sudden crash, something massive fell through the base’s ceiling without warning! However, Ban Yu-won, seeing the blue sky revealed beyond the broken ceiling, brightened his eyes.

‘It’s outside… now!’

In the next moment, Ban Yu-won and Light were floating in mid-air. Having successfully exited the base, Ban Yu-won looked back to see a gigantic armored centipede half-buried in the ground, having torn through the base.

―Screech! Screeeeeeech!

It seemed it wasn’t dead yet, but the moment it touched the base, it was finished. Lilith’s fusion had extended its grasp to it as well. The creature, seeing Ban Yu-won and Light appear over its head, spewed venom in a fit of resistance, only to be torn apart by gravity and sink into the base.

“Ban Yu-won!”

“Yu-won, I’m glad you’re safe… Light?”

The party members who had been driving the centipede out quickly approached Ban Yu-won and Light, who had escaped outside. Even amidst the chaos, Light, who had been clinging tightly to Ban Yu-won’s neck with both arms, realized Luciel’s blade-like gaze and hurriedly disentangled himself to stand on the ground.

“Hmm…”

“……”

However, Luciel’s gaze did not soften. With Ban Yu-won present, she couldn’t react too harshly, merely sending a jealous look. But Light, instead of offering excuses for the various happenings, was calmly meeting Luciel’s gaze. Naturally, it escalated into a fierce staring contest.

“What’s the situation, Ban Yu-won?”

Ignoring the somewhat hostile exchange of glances between Luciel and Light, Dokgo Yeon spoke up. Her gaze was fixed on the mechanical base, collapsing as it drew in the giant centipede. Ban Yu-won also distanced himself from the two and joined Dokgo Yeon, responding.

“The battle’s over. We’ve conquered the secret hidden in Room 95.”

“Is that the result? To be honest, it feels like a giant monster might emerge from there.”

“It’s on our side, so it’s fine.”

“Our side?!”

Even as the group conversed, the dreadful gravity emanating from the base’s core was gradually expanding its range. The entire mechanical field that made up Room 94… no, Room 95, was contracting and compressing toward the center of the base. The surviving armored insects couldn’t escape this fate either. Due to the gravity acting solely on the machinery, the insects’ bodies were torn apart, writhing on the ground in a gruesome display.

“Ah, you all should go in.”

Ban Yu-won stored Tike and the five mechanical minions into his inventory. Eve, who had transformed into a massive armored tank, changed into a wide-backed wyvern, carrying the entire party and soaring into the sky.

“Can this be uploaded?”

“Why ask now? It’s already a montage since you sent out the mechanical minions.”

“True enough.”

The fact that Room 95 was excessively large was no longer surprising. But the scene of the vast room compressing into a single point was simply unbroadcastable. “How incredible is it going to become?”

“Siss…”

Eve pouted at Ban Yu-won’s muttering. She was certain that Lilith, who had been inferior to her, would reappear as a definite superior after devouring everything. “It’s okay, you’re still the first.”

“Sissit.”

“Yeah, yeah, good girl.”

While comforting Eve by stroking her neck, the moment finally arrived. As everything in Room 95, covered entirely in metal and wires, condensed into a single point within the base, a burst of light exploded, painting the world white! And what emerged from within was――. A gigantic spaceship.

After the Chain Room lost its existential core and collapsed neatly, the exploration proceeded very smoothly. Even though there were mechanical minions, compared to the fierce battles up to Room 95, from Room 96 onwards, it was like child’s play. The Rebellion Party, having broken through to Room 100 without rest, took a sufficient break in Eden before resuming exploration, setting a record of breaking through 30 more rooms in just ten days. Considering that the rooms became larger and the shifts took longer as they ascended the Tower, their exploration speed was overwhelming.

“How much longer?”

Dokgo Yeon, occupying the center of the king-sized bed in Eden of Room 130, crossed her legs and spoke. Holding a bunch of grapes in one hand, she leisurely ate them one by one, resembling a lazy and arrogant predator. Ban Yu-won thought that such a haughty demeanor suited Dokgo Yeon perfectly and replied.

“About 12 hours left. We spent quite a bit of time in the Chain Room.”

“…That’s why it’s even more baffling. I expected a treasure chest in Room 100.”

When a silver chest appeared in Room 90, everyone anticipated that Room 100 would naturally yield a treasure chest with a gold or platinum trim, but there was none. Ban Yu-won speculated that Lilith’s absorption of the elements composing Room 95 might have caused the reward in Eden to vanish, but he didn’t bother to mention it.

“You don’t care much about treasure chests anyway.”

“But still.”

Dokgo Yeon, rolling a grape in her mouth, replied with a sulky expression. Ban Yu-won knew well that, no matter how indifferent she pretended to be, her eyes would sparkle just like the others when a treasure chest opened. But he didn’t bother to mention that either. Because he would get beaten to death.

“Whooo…”

If Dokgo Yeon occupied the bed, Light had claimed the sofa. Having enjoyed a pleasant bath in the bathhouse of Room 130 and wearing pajamas that revealed his skin, Light lay on the sofa, letting out a languid sigh, looking quite alluring.

“Hmm? What, what are you staring at? You see this all the time in the dorm…”

Noticing Ban Yu-won’s gaze, Light shyly smiled and spoke. Immediately, Ban Yu-won’s vision went dark. Luciel, who was giving him a lap pillow, covered his eyes with one hand.

“Looking at things like that will ruin your eyes, Yu-won.”

“Things like that?! Luciel, did you just say things like that?!”

“Why are you getting so worked up, Light? Were you planning to show off? …A washboard?”

“You, you! That’s not true! I used to be much――!”

This won’t do, these guys. They’re ignoring the fact that Light is supposed to be a guy and are happily going berserk. But just as Light was about to go berserk and even reveal his identity, a dazzling light began to pour out from his chest.

“What, another seizure?!”

“Kyah! Light, I’m sorry, it’s my fault for saying unnecessary things…!”

“You idiots, you’re causing a love triangle when you should be resting, that’s why this is happening!”

Everyone jumped up and gathered around Light, but he shook his head, clutching the necklace on his chest.

“It’s not a seizure. It’s… a distress signal.”

“Distress signal?”

“Yeah. A distress signal from our world.”

At Light’s words, everyone paused in unison. They remembered hearing that his dimension was always under external threats.

“Sorry, guys. I don’t think I can make it to the special activity…”

“Light.”

“Sorry, Ban.”

Light spoke without lifting his head, even at Ban Yu-won’s call.

“I invited you, but I can’t take you.”

“…We’ll go next time.”

“Yeah… I’m really sorry.”

Light’s figure vanished. The remaining three exchanged brief glances and sighed before getting up.

“Shall we head out too?”

“At least it didn’t happen at the beginning.”

“I wonder what’s going on. I hope he returns safely…”

Though 12 hours remained, proceeding without Light would result in immediate retirement. It would be foolish to waste the remaining time. However, when the three exited the Tower, Yumina was waiting for them.

“Professor, Light…”

“That’s been approved, it’s okay. But that’s not the issue right now.”

Yumina, with a hurried expression, pointed to their student IDs.

“The special activity location has been decided, but…”

Ban Yu-won checked his student ID.

―Thud, a sound of someone collapsing beside him was heard.

It was Dimension E-1.

Why Did I Have to Enrol - Chapter 158

Lesson 32. The Pace is Too Fast - 2

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] is furious, destroying everything around. It screams, unable to comprehend why you wield more influence over the Tower than they do.

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] declares it will cease its support for you. Yet, realizing it cannot reclaim its power from you, it cries out in despair.

―The Constellation [Breath of Life] curses you for having stolen its power and vows to gift you with a perfect death next time.

―You have discerned that the Constellation [Breath of Life] has a hidden name, [Conductor of Death].

―The Constellation [Clock of the Toy Legion] begins to ponder which side to take.

Ban Yu-won’s prediction that a Constellation might be interfering in this Chain Room was spot on. To be precise, the fact that a key component of the Chain Room was buried inside an elite monster in Room 84 was evidence of such interference. However, the Constellation’s influence ended there. What Ban Yu-won did against the armored insect legion, which was strong enough to retire even Dokgo Yeon, a possessor of absolute power, was something else entirely. And how about controlling the discharge from Room 94 according to his will?

‘So, there was a Constellation involved. No wonder something felt off…’

He hadn’t expected one of them to be his sponsor, but it was something he could easily accept. After all, Breath of Life had shown a steadily escalating reaction of surprise, shock, suspicion, and anger regarding the handling of power. The decisive blow was, of course, Celon’s liberation in Room 90, but even without that, Breath of Life was already sufficiently hostile towards Ban Yu-won.

‘And the Clock of the Toy Legion, this guy is…’

It’s a bit ambiguous, but its reaction when Celon’s Seal was lifted was equally unsettling. Since they discovered that he could manipulate their powers at will, there was no need to let them observe him any longer. Ban Yu-won mercilessly severed the connection with both Breath of Life and the Clock of the Toy Legion. Perhaps other Constellations would learn of this incident? It was a bit disappointing, as he hoped to gain two or three more sponsors.

“Oh, ohhhh…! Ban, the base is going berserk!”

“No, it’s not going berserk. This is…”

But now, there was no leisure to ponder over the Constellations. The moment the mechanical egg, or Lilith, which had swallowed the core component of the broken base, was buried in the mechanical plaza’s object, the object contracted in an instant, enveloping the mechanical egg――and at that moment, vibrations began to ripple throughout the entire base!

“Ban, that thing! Shouldn’t we rip it out?!”

“No need. Let’s get out of here first!”

Ban Yu-won interpreted the golden strings overflowing from the object. Merge, fusion, absorption, and finally, hatching. It seemed like it was finally making up its mind after all the trouble it caused by not hatching.

“If we stay here, we’ll be merged too!”

“What?! You, you, that’s harassment!”

“You idiot, now’s not the time for that!”

Ban Yu-won grabbed the blushing Light, who seemed to have misunderstood something, and started running. The wires buried in the ground couldn’t withstand the object’s gravity and sprang out from all directions, causing the metal plates to be swept up and whirl around. And since everything was discharging, even a single touch would lead to a chain reaction and bloodshed!

“Hold on tight――no, that won’t do.”

“Kyah!”

Ban Yu-won lifted Light into his arms. Like a groom carrying a bride at a wedding!

“Ban?!”

“We’re going fast.”

As Ban Yu-won declared this and took a step forward, the scenery around them changed. They were still inside the base, but they had moved several hundred meters… almost to the ‘limits of their vision.’

“Space transfer! This is it!”

“Yeah, it’s Blink.”

Among the concepts absorbed by the Origin Blade is Space Control. Since the Origin Blade perceives everything around and exerts influence outside the body, its compatibility with the concept of Space Control was perfect. And what became possible with the completed Origin Blade was short-range space transfer, or Blink.

He had heard from Yumina before about how difficult Blink was. It was said to be so challenging to grasp spatial coordinates and perform teleportation magic in combat that it was considered the exclusive domain of telekinetics――. Since Ban Yu-won, wielding the Origin Blade, was essentially perceiving the spatial coordinates of everything within his sight at all times, there was no reason he couldn’t perform Blink with the added concept of Space Control!

“You, you this――.”

“Still a secret. Honestly, I’m not skilled enough to use it in battle yet.”

However, there was a momentary lapse in spatial perception right after executing Blink, which he hadn’t corrected yet, making it difficult to use in actual combat. But for escaping a collapsing base, it was more than sufficient!

“Now, let’s go consecutively.”

“Wah! Wah, waaaah!”

Light’s adorable cries every time the scenery changed with consecutive Blinks were quite endearing. But now wasn’t the time to pay attention to him. Calculating the gaps between the structures like metal plates and wires erupting from all directions, and the electric storm spreading like a spider’s web, and performing space transfers was already overwhelming!

Yet, this dramatic and urgent escape came to an abrupt end.

“How much is Lilith planning to swallow――Whoa!”

“Kyah!”

With a sudden crash, something massive fell through the base’s ceiling without warning! However, Ban Yu-won, seeing the blue sky revealed beyond the broken ceiling, brightened his eyes.

‘It’s outside… now!’

In the next moment, Ban Yu-won and Light were floating in mid-air. Having successfully exited the base, Ban Yu-won looked back to see a gigantic armored centipede half-buried in the ground, having torn through the base.

―Screech! Screeeeeeech!

It seemed it wasn’t dead yet, but the moment it touched the base, it was finished. Lilith’s fusion had extended its grasp to it as well. The creature, seeing Ban Yu-won and Light appear over its head, spewed venom in a fit of resistance, only to be torn apart by gravity and sink into the base.

“Ban Yu-won!”

“Yu-won, I’m glad you’re safe… Light?”

The party members who had been driving the centipede out quickly approached Ban Yu-won and Light, who had escaped outside. Even amidst the chaos, Light, who had been clinging tightly to Ban Yu-won’s neck with both arms, realized Luciel’s blade-like gaze and hurriedly disentangled himself to stand on the ground.

“Hmm…”

“……”

However, Luciel’s gaze did not soften. With Ban Yu-won present, she couldn’t react too harshly, merely sending a jealous look. But Light, instead of offering excuses for the various happenings, was calmly meeting Luciel’s gaze. Naturally, it escalated into a fierce staring contest.

“What’s the situation, Ban Yu-won?”

Ignoring the somewhat hostile exchange of glances between Luciel and Light, Dokgo Yeon spoke up. Her gaze was fixed on the mechanical base, collapsing as it drew in the giant centipede. Ban Yu-won also distanced himself from the two and joined Dokgo Yeon, responding.

“The battle’s over. We’ve conquered the secret hidden in Room 95.”

“Is that the result? To be honest, it feels like a giant monster might emerge from there.”

“It’s on our side, so it’s fine.”

“Our side?!”

Even as the group conversed, the dreadful gravity emanating from the base’s core was gradually expanding its range. The entire mechanical field that made up Room 94… no, Room 95, was contracting and compressing toward the center of the base. The surviving armored insects couldn’t escape this fate either. Due to the gravity acting solely on the machinery, the insects’ bodies were torn apart, writhing on the ground in a gruesome display.

“Ah, you all should go in.”

Ban Yu-won stored Tike and the five mechanical minions into his inventory. Eve, who had transformed into a massive armored tank, changed into a wide-backed wyvern, carrying the entire party and soaring into the sky.

“Can this be uploaded?”

“Why ask now? It’s already a montage since you sent out the mechanical minions.”

“True enough.”

The fact that Room 95 was excessively large was no longer surprising. But the scene of the vast room compressing into a single point was simply unbroadcastable. “How incredible is it going to become?”

“Siss…”

Eve pouted at Ban Yu-won’s muttering. She was certain that Lilith, who had been inferior to her, would reappear as a definite superior after devouring everything. “It’s okay, you’re still the first.”

“Sissit.”

“Yeah, yeah, good girl.”

While comforting Eve by stroking her neck, the moment finally arrived. As everything in Room 95, covered entirely in metal and wires, condensed into a single point within the base, a burst of light exploded, painting the world white! And what emerged from within was――. A gigantic spaceship.

After the Chain Room lost its existential core and collapsed neatly, the exploration proceeded very smoothly. Even though there were mechanical minions, compared to the fierce battles up to Room 95, from Room 96 onwards, it was like child’s play. The Rebellion Party, having broken through to Room 100 without rest, took a sufficient break in Eden before resuming exploration, setting a record of breaking through 30 more rooms in just ten days. Considering that the rooms became larger and the shifts took longer as they ascended the Tower, their exploration speed was overwhelming.

“How much longer?”

Dokgo Yeon, occupying the center of the king-sized bed in Eden of Room 130, crossed her legs and spoke. Holding a bunch of grapes in one hand, she leisurely ate them one by one, resembling a lazy and arrogant predator. Ban Yu-won thought that such a haughty demeanor suited Dokgo Yeon perfectly and replied.

“About 12 hours left. We spent quite a bit of time in the Chain Room.”

“…That’s why it’s even more baffling. I expected a treasure chest in Room 100.”

When a silver chest appeared in Room 90, everyone anticipated that Room 100 would naturally yield a treasure chest with a gold or platinum trim, but there was none. Ban Yu-won speculated that Lilith’s absorption of the elements composing Room 95 might have caused the reward in Eden to vanish, but he didn’t bother to mention it.

“You don’t care much about treasure chests anyway.”

“But still.”

Dokgo Yeon, rolling a grape in her mouth, replied with a sulky expression. Ban Yu-won knew well that, no matter how indifferent she pretended to be, her eyes would sparkle just like the others when a treasure chest opened. But he didn’t bother to mention that either. Because he would get beaten to death.

“Whooo…”

If Dokgo Yeon occupied the bed, Light had claimed the sofa. Having enjoyed a pleasant bath in the bathhouse of Room 130 and wearing pajamas that revealed his skin, Light lay on the sofa, letting out a languid sigh, looking quite alluring.

“Hmm? What, what are you staring at? You see this all the time in the dorm…”

Noticing Ban Yu-won’s gaze, Light shyly smiled and spoke. Immediately, Ban Yu-won’s vision went dark. Luciel, who was giving him a lap pillow, covered his eyes with one hand.

“Looking at things like that will ruin your eyes, Yu-won.”

“Things like that?! Luciel, did you just say things like that?!”

“Why are you getting so worked up, Light? Were you planning to show off? …A washboard?”

“You, you! That’s not true! I used to be much――!”

This won’t do, these guys. They’re ignoring the fact that Light is supposed to be a guy and are happily going berserk. But just as Light was about to go berserk and even reveal his identity, a dazzling light began to pour out from his chest.

“What, another seizure?!”

“Kyah! Light, I’m sorry, it’s my fault for saying unnecessary things…!”

“You idiots, you’re causing a love triangle when you should be resting, that’s why this is happening!”

Everyone jumped up and gathered around Light, but he shook his head, clutching the necklace on his chest.

“It’s not a seizure. It’s… a distress signal.”

“Distress signal?”

“Yeah. A distress signal from our world.”

At Light’s words, everyone paused in unison. They remembered hearing that his dimension was always under external threats.

“Sorry, guys. I don’t think I can make it to the special activity…”

“Light.”

“Sorry, Ban.”

Light spoke without lifting his head, even at Ban Yu-won’s call.

“I invited you, but I can’t take you.”

“…We’ll go next time.”

“Yeah… I’m really sorry.”

Light’s figure vanished. The remaining three exchanged brief glances and sighed before getting up.

“Shall we head out too?”

“At least it didn’t happen at the beginning.”

“I wonder what’s going on. I hope he returns safely…”

Though 12 hours remained, proceeding without Light would result in immediate retirement. It would be foolish to waste the remaining time. However, when the three exited the Tower, Yumina was waiting for them.

“Professor, Light…”

“That’s been approved, it’s okay. But that’s not the issue right now.”

Yumina, with a hurried expression, pointed to their student IDs.

“The special activity location has been decided, but…”

Ban Yu-won checked his student ID.

―Thud, a sound of someone collapsing beside him was heard.

It was Dimension E-1.