Why Did I Have to Enroll

[Leadership 30, Charm 100, Honor 50, Dominion 35]

Ban Yu-won's expression turned intrigued as he observed the growth of these four concepts.

To be frank, these were concepts that hadn't shown much growth in the dungeon.

But in the few days he hadn't checked his internal concepts, they had grown steadily, with Charm even reaching 100.

'Is it all related to the retainers?'

No, Honor and Dominion felt somewhat different.

Honor seemed to grow naturally as his name became more famous, while Dominion probably hadn't grown because of his contract with Mira, but rather through the process of directly crushing the constellations' schemes.

Still, it was clear that these concepts were factors that placed him above others.

'That's good. Since I'll need to make plenty more...'

Tike, placed on the workbench, faced him while making camera sounds.

Though he couldn't tell where its eyes were, Ban Yu-won assumed the lens must be its eyes.

"Ready, Tike?"

―Whirr

"Are you actually having a conversation?"

Just as he was seriously facing Tike, like memorizing the last face of a girlfriend entering surgery for double eyelids, a comment came from the side that broke the mood.

It was Mira, holding a wrench in one hand and something like a crowbar—no, an iron lever—in the other.

Setting aside how these two tools seemed completely mismatched with someone who looked like she couldn't lift anything heavier than a fork, he wondered if these tools were even necessary for the work ahead.

"Senior, I don't want to criticize someone in their field of expertise, but."

"Mira."

"Senior Mira, is that really going to help?"

"If you prefer to call me 'honey,' that works too."

"Sorry, Mira."

"Good."

Nodding her head, Mira briefly explained the items in her hands.

"These two tools are artifacts created by Professor Campanella. They improve work efficiency and success rate, and can induce changes in objects according to the user's will."

"The professor's artifacts... did you receive them as his top student?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Mira snorted.

"I became Professor Campanella's proxy simply because among all the rejects, I was the only one who could understand his work. Calling me a top student is too much."

"..."

"Plus, I can erase minor mistakes in artifact creation with changeling."

"Wow, that's amazing."

Though that alone seemed like enough talent to be called a top student, after talking with her for the past few days, it was clear Mira had a tendency to undervalue herself, so whatever he said wouldn't get through.

Thinking he could work on that issue through future conversations, Ban Yu-won focused on the task at hand.

"So we just need to attach this barrel to the drone?"

"I'd like to keep the camera function working."

"That part won't be touched, so it should be fine."

―Whirr, whirrr

Leaving Tike, who was anxiously opening and closing its aperture, Mira picked up today's core component, the multi-barrel.

"This already seems like a mid-tier artifact... how did you manage to get something like this from Room 17?"

"Sorry for being too awesome."

"Have you ever been hit with a crowbar?"

"I'm sorry."

An elf using street slang like 'crowbar'—the five hundred million elf fans nationwide might be disillusioned.

While Ban Yu-won was lost in useless thoughts, Mira began her work.

First, she tapped the drone a few times with the hook part of the crow—no, iron lever, then made a motion like pulling out nails where there weren't any.

At that moment, Ban Yu-won saw surplus strings of concepts—meaningless waste concepts—flowing out of Tike.

Simultaneously, Tike's appearance began to change.

The somewhat clumsy, cumbersome parts where the drone and camera were combined either fell away or transformed, becoming more streamlined.

"What am I watching right now?"

"The crowbar is magic."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Though the process was different, modifying the concepts that made up the artifact didn't seem too different from how Ban Yu-won usually handled concepts to create artifacts.

Deciding not to interrupt further and quietly observe the process, Ban Yu-won soon understood why Mira had mentioned 'magic.'

The crowbar (he gave up and decided to just call it that) in Mira's hands truly manifested magic with each movement, transforming simple craftsmanship into magical engineering.

'Hmm, I'm guessing Professor Campanella directly performed various tasks with that crowbar, organized them into magic, and stored them in the crowbar, so that later these complex processes could be performed immediately. In simple terms, it's a universal tool.'

The wrench probably served a similar purpose.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say these two tools contained all of Professor Campanella's artifact creation expertise.

Through his all-seeing eyes, he could clearly see the vast years contained within the two tools.

These weren't just items with amazing abilities—they contained her life's work.

And she calls herself a reject after receiving something like that?

"Mira, this is an order."

"Hm? Suddenly want to kiss?"

"Apologize to Professor Campanella."

"..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting those words, and slightly furrowed her brow.

"If it's an order, I have no choice."

Finally, she nodded slightly in response and returned to focusing on her work.

Then suddenly she turned to look at him and said.

"So, should we kiss?"

"No."

"Okay."

Nodding and turning back around, Mira finally began working on combining the multi-barrel with the drone.

Without looking back while working, she suddenly blurted out another comment.

"You're kind of creepy."

"Should that come from someone who suddenly brought up kissing?"

"But honestly, if you give me three orders, shouldn't I get to give you one order in return?"

"You're trying to overturn the fundamental contract. Is that what changeling is?"

"It's done."

"What— oh."

On the workbench, there was Tike, beautifully integrated with multiple barrels as if it had been made that way from the beginning.

While maintaining its sleek aircraft-like drone form from before, the somewhat cumbersome camera section had been cleanly removed, replaced by lenses neatly overlaid above the barrels.

At first glance, it looked like someone had simply cut off the muzzle of a double-barrel shotgun and attached it to a drone.

"Are you sure this is enough? I keep telling you, I don't have any ability to create artifacts from manufactured goods."

"It's enough. It's excellent."

Ban Yu-won praised Mira generously as he looked at Tike, which had been reborn in aesthetically perfect form.

Mira, who could tell he was sincere, blushed slightly and handed Tike to him.

"Since I'm yours, my failures are yours too. Don't blame me later if you regret it."

"Then the successes are mine too. At least keep that much for yourself."

"No, it's all yours."

Well, can't be helped then.

Ban Yu-won took Tike.

The thing whirred and clicked, trying to curry favor with Ban Yu-won.

"It's not over yet. Just wait a little longer."

Above his hand stretched toward Tike, golden strings of text swayed like long threads.

These were concepts he had already prepared and extracted from the code core.

Shooting with a depth of 100 (extorted from goblins who shot arrows), Gun with a depth of 100 (since guns and artillery were originally ambiguous concepts, they were naturally compatible), and finally Magic with a depth of 100.

Since it was originally an artifact with its own consciousness, this much should be sufficient without needing to consider additional combinations.

"What is this? It's beautiful..."

Though she couldn't read the text strings without the All-Seeing Eyes, Mira could still see the golden mana.

As Mira watched with somewhat dreamy eyes, everything was sucked into Tike's interior, where it attached one by one to the concepts that had been floating around without properly mixing, forming rules—and finally connected into an unbroken flow.

A dazzling light burst forth.

[You have successfully reborn it as a higher artifact by adding excellent craftsmanship and harmonious concepts to rather unremarkable materials. This self-thinking and acting armament will always observe and protect its master from the closest position. The depth of Life has become 460, the depth of Mysterious Qi has become 295, and the depth of Soul has become 655.]

[A mutation ability has manifested, adding the power to detect weaknesses in photographed targets, slightly slow their movements, and make them easier to target. The depth of Mutation has become 20.]

Tike[Seven-fold Magic Cannon 120, Life 120, Projection 80, Soul 80, Resonance 25]

"Oh, ohh."

—The constellation [Clock of the Toy Army] applauds the birth of an ability that has never existed in the world. However, it still thinks something is strange.

Mutations are the best! I have no intention of repaying you, but thanks, constellation!

Projection Art (the technique of shooting what has been photographed) was born from the combination of Tike's original concepts, the new concepts Ban Yu-won added this time, and the concepts added due to mutation.

If the constellation's words were to be believed, this wasn't just a concept but apparently an ability that could be called a power!

'Well, it's not strange to call it a power, since concepts that are so complex that even their roots are hard to find are much stronger than concepts I can easily find and combine nearby.'

Tike seemed to realize it had obtained a powerful weapon, moving beyond being a simple camera operator, as it whirred and clicked happily.

"That's right, if anyone makes fun of you for being an underpaid cameraman now, just shoot them. Got it, Tike?"

—Whirr!

As it was reborn as a perfect higher artifact, Tike's appearance changed once again.

Not only had its overall size grown slightly, but its body, which had been silver since it was first purchased as a drone, was now colored in a metallic black.

Both the seven-fold barrel and camera had become longer and more solid, transforming into something more threatening.

No one could deny that Tike was now an excellent artifact and armament.

"What... what did you just do?"

Mira, who had watched the moment when the concepts were absorbed and Tike's grade clearly rose by more than one level, asked in a dazed voice.

Ban Yu-won shrugged and replied.

"We made an artifact together, didn't we?"

"Don't push your success onto me."

"Why are you like this after we made it together, Mira?"

Though Mira remained too excited to speak properly for a while after that, she eventually had to acknowledge that she had played a part in the artifact's creation.

"This is different from Ketra, so different... That guy wasn't worth it..."

"Mira, you just said something an elf should never say. And stop comparing yourself to Senior Ketra. It makes me feel like I'm the current boyfriend being constantly compared to an ex."

Startled by those words, Mira retorted in a slightly timid voice.

"It's fine since you're better in every way."

"And don't try to subtly pretend like you had a boyfriend in the past."

"...Want to get hit with the crowbar after all?"

"You can put the tools down now."

Ban Yu-won chuckled and gently pushed Mira aside (though cold sweat ran down his forehead) before approaching the workbench.

He opened his inventory and poured out twenty-five longswords, then separately pulled out the Executioner's Longsword and placed it beside them.

"Swords... how do you plan to process manufactured goods that are already complete?"

"Now that I've seen your and the professor's methods..."

Ban Yu-won spread both hands.

Life 3,000, Magic 2,250, Sword 2,000, Swordsmanship 225...

Though their purity was desperately low, these were concepts that Eve and Lilith had desperately gathered over two weeks.

Plus the Resonance 55 shared from them, and even 25 soul fragments with a depth of 1 created from Soul Flame.

"I'll show you my method."

In an instant, overwhelming strings of text undulated like golden waves.

Mira silently pulled Tike closer and began filming the scene.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!