CHAPTER 138

Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter ****138

Lesson 28. The Flower Festival of Ruin - 5

The level of orcs born in an F-rank lower dimension is clearly limited.

According to the Union System's standards, they might reach level 10 at best.

If they are lucky enough to survive with a good weapon, gather a horde, and hunt all the monsters in the area, they might even reach level 20.

But beyond that, it's impossible.

With the strength of a level 20, there's a limit to how much they can expand their horde, and without consistently hunting strong monsters, orcs cannot grow.

―Until a star fell from the sky, the orcs of Uraha were no different.

―Boom!

"Quieeek! What is it? A star has fallen!"

The orc named Atura Aikedelle, meaning 'Child of the Star Born in a Hut,' found a 'star' just a few days ago.

During a monster wave, when all the monsters in the area were rampaging towards the nearest human kingdom, Papitar, without a clear leader, a massive 'star' suddenly fell from the sky into the middle of the orc horde, crushing hundreds of orcs and embedding itself deep into the ground.

“Run away! The sky is angry!”

“Quiiiiiii!”

While other orcs, momentarily freed from the wave of infection by the shockwave of the falling star, were panicking and trying to flee, Atura was drawn to it.

“Atura! You’ll die, stay away!”

“Atura!”

“Shut up! That’s mine!”

The moment Atura saw the star fall, he felt his destiny had come to him. His name was clearly given for this moment! Ignoring the orcs trying to stop him, he approached the crater, feeling his heart pounding louder and louder as if the star was resonating with it.

“A blade…”

The moment he saw what was half-buried in the pit, Atura was mesmerized. His heart felt like it would burst at any moment. Following his heart’s command, he reached out, grabbed the hilt of the blade, and pulled it from the ground.

―A massive and overwhelming power.

“Krk?!”

A presence overwhelmed him.

―Only it shall set me free.

“Krah, Kraaah!”

A presence far denser and more destructive than Atura’s insignificant life engulfed him without resistance. It was the moment Atura’s individual identity was completely erased. In his place, an orc lord was born.

“Massive… overwhelming power.”

In an instant, his body swelled, and destructive power coursed through every muscle. Wildness exploded, and thick magic power surged, enveloping his entire body and flowing into the greatsword. The crimson aura gathering at the tip of the greatsword was unmistakably an aura!

“Only it shall set me free…!”

Atura, who was once smaller than the two-meter greatsword, had grown into a three-meter giant capable of easily carrying the sword on his back. He turned around. The orcs in the area had all stopped moving, captivated by the intense aura wave that spread the moment Atura grasped the greatsword.

“Ah, Atura.”

“Atura has…”

“Massive, overwhelming power!”

The being who was no longer Atura grinned with a sinister smile resembling someone else and shouted in a booming voice.

“I, Atura, will show you! Orcs, follow me!”

“Lord!”

“He became a lord!”

“A lord has been born! Our ruler!”

The orcs, recognizing the change in Atura from the aura wave he emitted, immediately knelt and acknowledged him as their lord.

Soon, even the infection wave was altered by Atura's aura, transforming all non-orc monsters into orcs.

A massive orc army of hundreds of thousands was born.

As an orc lord, Atura instantly surpassed the limits of the lower dimension, reaching a strength equivalent to level 80 by the Union System's standards.

Although it was thanks to obtaining a relic, the fact that he could fully harness its power was due to Atura's exceptional aura potential, making it a destined event for him to grasp the relic.

The orcs affected by his aura also surpassed their limits, each gaining strength equivalent to at least level 30, a level that no kingdom in the lower dimension could withstand.

Moreover, with the altered infection wave, the more battles they fought, the more their numbers would swell—a terrifying situation.

No one knew who precisely threw the relic into the middle of the orc horde, but as Yumina said, this was a textbook example of a disaster's starting point.

If left unchecked, the orc army, having devoured an entire dimension, could hijack a spaceship and invade another dimension.

Once an orc wave gains momentum, it never stops until the lord is dead, and an orc wave led by a growingly powerful orc lord has the potential to destroy even higher dimensions…

"That greatsword, it wasn't just my imagination."

"Krrrk… Weakling, you're brave."

Atura bared his fangs and laughed as he looked at the human who suddenly descended from the sky and landed before him.

"But that's called recklessness, human. I'll tear you to pieces for blocking my advance."

The greatsword connected to his soul was still vibrating intensely, telling him that he was the strongest here.

It urged him to tear apart those unworthy of blocking his path.

"But you… female, I like you. I'll spare you and make you my wife."

"…"

Atura set his sights on a pink-haired human woman and aimed his greatsword at the men.

Ban Yu-won, the human blocking his path, sighed in disbelief at the reaction.

"When an orc grabs a relic, does it even inherit the original owner's tastes?"

"The original owner?"

"Ryu Cheol-myeong."

Ban Yu-won kindly provided the answer to Light, who seemed unaware.

"That greatsword belongs to Ryu Cheol-myeong. Of course, he never showed it to us, but I'm sure."

"Is that so?!"

"The aura is just as ridiculously large."

Unlike Light, Luciel seemed to have noticed.

Ban Yu-won sighed in disbelief as he looked at the enemy before him, who seemed like a downgraded version of Ryu Cheol-myeong with an orc skin slapped on.

How did Ryu Cheol-myeong's greatsword end up with an orc… thinking about it seriously would be a waste of time.

Could they report it to the academy if they retrieved it?

No way, Ryu Cheol-myeong wasn't an idiot; he would have prepared an escape route.

It was also likely that he wasn't the one who brought the greatsword here, and if he claimed it was lost long ago, how could they pursue it further?

“Ban, are you sure about this? That guy’s annoying, but his skills are real. The aura that orc is emitting now, even I wouldn’t be confident without the holy sword…”

“I’m not confident either. That’s why I have to try.”

Ban Yu-won drew the Executioner’s Longsword. His inventory naturally opened, and two streams of light emerged, circling around him.

“Light, Luciel, I’ll leave it to you. Even if I look like I’m in danger, don’t interfere unless I ask for help.”

“Ban…”

“Got it, Yu-won. Good luck.”

Luciel nodded firmly, trusting Ban Yu-won, and stepped back to deal with other orcs.

Light, unable to stop Ban Yu-won, drew his spear and moved away from him.

With just three of them, they blocked the advance of the orc army of hundreds of thousands.

Like trying to block the spout of a hose spewing water, the orcs were rampaging from all directions.

This was thanks to Dokgo Yeon, who was tearing through the battlefield, crushing orc hordes with golems, reducing their numbers.

"Krrrrk! Who dares block our advance!"

"It's humans! Kill the men and capture the women!"

"Ha."

"Where do you think you're going…!"

Each of them boasted a strength equivalent to Life 300, easily trampling over someone like Erecto from the time of admission.

It was a testament to how absurd the orc lord was and how terrifying the orc wave could be…

Fortunately, for Luciel, who was emitting lightning from her entire body, and Light, who was awakening to the power of a dragon, the orcs were like ants to be easily crushed.

However, even ants could threaten humans when gathered in millions, so they had to capture the orc lord as quickly as possible.

"Female, where do you think you're going!"

"I told you to fight me."

Ban Yu-won once again blocked the path of the orc lord, who was trying to chase Luciel.

"Blocking me again, you worm!"

"Hmph―!"

The enraged orc suddenly charged, attempting to cleave Ban Yu-won in half with a vertical slash of his greatsword, but Ban Yu-won quickly raised his blade to block it.

―Boom!

At the moment of collision, the streams of light flying from both sides joined in to help absorb the impact.

'It's definitely tough, damn it…!'

There's no way to win with strength alone.

Ban Yu-won used the Flow concept with all three swords.

It was natural to use the Executioner's Longsword to perform Martial Arts, but the fact that he could momentarily manifest the same technique with the two streams of light in an urgent situation was proof that Ban Yu-won had become that accustomed to performing martial arts with a sword.

“You pesky fly, I’ll crush you!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The orc lord repeatedly slammed down his greatsword with brute force.

The blade was now imbued with a crimson aura.

'Ryu Cheol-myeong's aura, damn it!'

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In a situation where the sword might be cut, Ban Yu-won gritted his teeth and focused his energy on the sword, repeatedly deflecting the orc's attacks.

Although the noise was terrible with each clash, most of the impact was deflected, so the shock Ban Yu-won received wasn't that severe.

'If I keep deflecting, he'll eventually show an opening.

I'll pierce that opening!'

The repeated clashes of strength and flow, Ban Yu-won could endure it because he already knew the origin of the sword and aura the orc was wielding.

Ryu Cheol-myeong, who summoned Ban Yu-won under the pretext of teaching him aura, swung his sword wildly.

Ban Yu-won remembered the strength and path of the sword he wielded vividly.

'A strong upward diagonal from left to right, the concept of Ascend.

Immediately change direction to press down with the concept of Suppress and Heaven!

With this flow, the next move is surely… Yes!'

Knowing the fluid concepts and movements of the sword, he could predict how the orc lord, merely a degraded version, would swing his sword.

And a sword with a predictable path, no matter how powerful, could always be deflected.

"Kuh?!"

Finally, the awaited moment arrived.

He successfully deflected the greatsword, which was coming down from above, with the concept of Rebound, leaving the orc's chest wide open.

Ban Yu-won instinctively activated the concept of Acceleration, accelerating his thoughts and movements.

'Pierce!'

Language magic was activated.

Using only the power of thought, he moved the energy within his body to complete and manifest the concept.

And with the Executioner's Longsword in hand, followed by the two streams of light, he thrust forward with the power to pierce through everything!

"Kuhh!"

―Clang!

A fierce metallic clash resounded.

In a desperate attempt, the orc moved his greatsword to block all three swords with its broad blade.

In his hurried movement, his joints creaked and were crushed, but it was a much lesser wound than having a hole pierced through his chest.

"You…!"

"It's not easy, huh."

Ban Yu-won clicked his tongue and retreated.

At any rate, with the strong penetration of the three swords, he had shattered the orc's arm joints, making it easier to deal with him from now on…

"How dare you, youuuu! How dare youuuu!"

Or so he thought.

The recent skirmish with Ban Yu-won must have been so humiliating for the orc lord that he let out a monstrous roar and swelled his body even more.

The injured joints were covered with grotesque muscles and armor, recovering.

The greatsword he held also emitted an unusual vibration, growing to more than 1.5 times its size.

At the same time, the orc's once dark green eyes turned blood-red, reminding Ban Yu-won of Luciel's berserk mode.

'Berserk? So, it's not just a degraded version of Ryu Cheol-myeong.'

From now on, the orc was an unknown enemy, a fusion of Ryu Cheol-myeong and the orc's wildness and madness.

Yeah, it had been too easy until now.

Tension filled Ban Yu-won's eyes.

"Kraaaah!"

The orc charged.

As expected, the greatsword imbued with the orc's explosive wildness had changed from Ryu Cheol-myeong's swordsmanship, losing depth but gaining overwhelming killing intent and pressure.

And these two elements harmonized quite well with Ryu Cheol-myeong's swordsmanship, making it difficult for Ban Yu-won to handle.

"I'll kill you! Right now! You!"

―Boom! Boom! Boom!

The orc lord slammed his greatsword down with force in every word.

The sword's movements had lost their regularity, but the violent sword intent remained, making it difficult to deflect the sword as before.

'Damn, it's really strong…! Should I summon the Living Armor? No, not yet. I can still do more.'

Ban Yu-won moved frantically to avoid the orc's sword strikes, accelerating his thoughts once more.

Ultimately, in every moment of attack, the orc couldn't help but imitate Ryu Cheol-myeong's swordsmanship.

So, if he could read the flow of the fluid concepts within the orc's movements.

If he could match the exact moment of attack!

'Yes―.'

Engraving every movement of the opponent in his mind, desperately swinging his sword and controlling the two streams of light, Ban Yu-won suddenly thought.

'In the end, everything, whether it's swinging a sword or a trivial movement, can be expressed in the concept of language.'

That applied not only to the enemy but also to Ban Yu-won's movements.

It was a very obvious fact, but it felt strangely fascinating.

So why?

Ban Yu-won could interpret, create, and control all languages, so why had he―.

Why had he been handling his body so inefficiently until now?

'I can conceptualize all my movements in language, so why did I try to handle just a moment with concepts like Pierce or Cut?'

Thanks to observing Ryu Cheol-myeong's swordsmanship and analyzing it as a continuous occurrence and flow of concepts.

Thanks to facing the orc lord, who transformed and wielded it, trying to read the opponent's movements.

Ban Yu-won finally found the direction his swordsmanship should head.

'Dokgo Yeon emphasized the meaning contained in the sword.

For her, it was probably death.

But I don't have to think the same way.

Surely, the meaning contained in the sword is important― but there was no need to contain just one thing.'

Why?

Because Ban Yu-won could handle all concepts.

Therefore, what he needed to achieve wasn't a plausible content but to create a perfect vessel that could contain any content.

That would be his swordsmanship, his martial arts.

'If I can read the opponent's concept, it's easy to create a flow of concepts that can break it.

And― if I create a swordsmanship that can do that at any time, it becomes invincible.'

Realizing this, Ban Yu-won's swordsmanship changed instantly.

He broke away from the familiar way he had been accustomed to while swinging his sword.

It became freer and more powerful.

His intensely accelerated thoughts adjusted his every movement at a minute conceptual level, allowing him to effectively counter the orc's sword.

―Clang! Clang! Clang!

Handling the two streams of light became even easier.

He didn't think of it as swordsmanship but instead imbued it with concepts to move most efficiently at every moment.

It was like constantly using a somewhat weakened form of language magic, and if he hadn't been initiated into language magic, he wouldn't have been able to mimic such a system of movement.

And finally, in the moment when the opponent's movements showed a gap, when the flow of fluid concepts was at its weakest.

"Khat?!"

One of the streams of light flew in like a ghost and successfully knocked away the orc lord's greatsword.

As if it were one with it, the other stream of light followed, piercing the orc lord's remaining hand, stopping its movement.

"――!"

In the moment when all fluid concepts vanished from the opponent.

Ban Yu-won's sword, imbued not with a dark aura but with a brilliant golden aura, swiftly severed the orc's thick neck.

The concepts contained within were Slash and Judgement, but even if the content changed, the color and power of the aura (vessel) wouldn't have changed.

It was the moment Ban Yu-won realized his own aura.