Romance (3)

In the Soul World, there are skills that can evolve into traits. First Aid lays the groundwork for evolving into Regeneration, and Compression turns into a trait as its proficiency increases. Like First Aid changing into Regeneration, when a superior compatible trait appears, the previous one disappears.

But it doesn't completely vanish. As I mentioned earlier, it's an evolution into a superior trait—cases where something just vanishes entirely are extremely rare.

You have to go through each step one by one to obtain the superior trait.

Take Boxing and Martial Arts as an example. If I learn various techniques from Kara going forward, Boxing will disappear and evolve into Martial Arts. That means Boxing is included within Martial Arts—it doesn't just vanish.

But my Compression just poof—gone. It's not like they gave it and took it back; I have no idea what's going on. Even searching my memories, I don't recall any cases like this.

If nothing had appeared from the start, I might've let it slide. The sticking point is definitely Red Mana. Since it's compatible with Red Mana, it might be deeply connected.

Gloria will teach abilities that require manifesting mana on the surface going forward, so everyone's likely to pay close attention.

"Now that things seem to have calmed down, it's time for me to teach you."

After the time passed where I might've mastered Compression—or not—Gloria's lesson began. She glanced at me with an uneasy expression; clearly, my behavior just now was the issue.

In fact, thinking I needed supervision, she'd placed Kara right next to me. So close that our skin brushed with the slightest movement. Luna was there too, but I couldn't fathom why Kara specifically—though there must be a reason. All I had to do was learn.

"What I'll teach you is similar to Compression. It's called Engraving."

"Engraving? Isn't that what you use when polishing jewels?"

"Exactly. Let me show you what it is."

Siiiing—Actions speak louder than words. Rather than explain, Gloria drew her sword. It was a thin blade suited for thrusting, revealing her style at a glance.

Woooong—Soon, a band of blue mana began forming around the thin sword. This happens when you infuse mana into a weapon.

"As you students know, infusing mana into a weapon grants various effects. The most representative ones are durability and cutting power. You know this much, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, what happens if you raise the mana to its maximum?"

"Doesn't the power increase?"

Luna tilted her head as she answered. That's correct, actually. The more mana you pour into a weapon, the stronger it gets. The question is whether the weapon can withstand it.

When living in the forest, I only had stone axes or stone spears—disposable at best. Ragnarok might hold up well, though.

"That's right too. But unless it's an exceptional weapon, it's hard to contain mana beyond a certain limit. Here's the problem."

Gloria, who'd been explaining gently, extended one index finger and posed a question.

"What happens if two weapons infused with mana beyond their limits collide?"

"They explode, right?"

Kara answered in a near-mumble, drawing from her wealth of real combat experience.

"Correct. They go boom! and explode. And if that happens, both sides take massive damage."

"Then can't you just use Compression to raise the limit?"

This time, it was Luna's question. Having just learned Compression from Chronos, it made sense.

But as Gloria explained first, Compression and Engraving are similar yet different. Anticipating such a question, she smiled and continued.

"You could, but Engraving isn't about that. The key is how sharply you refine the mana exposed on the surface. If Compression vastly expands storage space, Engraving finely shapes the mana itself."

"Hmm..."

Luna groaned, tilting her head in confusion, her face showing she hadn't grasped it yet.

To make it simple, think of modeling clay. Compression is kneading the clay as small as possible.

"It's easy to get confused. In fact, Compression and Engraving complement each other. Master Compression, and you'll get a feel for Engraving; master Engraving, and you'll understand how Compression works."

Engraving is sculpting shapes from that clay. That's why they complement each other.

One might think: why not just do Engraving without Compression? Bigger clay is easier to shape, after all. It works, but Compression maximizes storage, so it's essential. Plus, while larger clay is easier to work, the bigger volume makes it harder overall.

"Then can't you just learn one? I was taught that mastering one thing deeply leads to great success..."

Luna, still puzzled, tilted her head and asked.

"That's true too. But such cases are rare. Have you heard this saying? 'All rivers return to the sea'—it's from the East."

"Ah! Yes, I have. All streams flow together to the ocean, right?"

Luna responded unusually energetically. Her once dull eyes sparkled with excitement—enough to fluster even Gloria.

There's a reason she loves it so much.

'My master taught me that.'

In her settings, it's a saying her master taught her. She had no idea it was Eastern. Hearing something she knew, tied to her master, got ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her thrilled.

"So it was from the East. I had no clue."

"...Anyway! Both Compression and Engraving ultimately lead to the vast ocean of mana. They're just processes—the endpoint depends on the individual. Got it?"

"Yes. I understand."

"One thing to note: mastering mana doesn't mean you're skilled in martial arts or magic. Remember that."

High mana understanding doesn't mean you can slice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠space like Lord. My mana rank is Ex, but my skills are empty. All hardware, no software.

"I've talked a bit long. Let me show you what Engraving is."

Woooong—Gloria infused mana into her thin sword again. It formed a faint blue band—ordinary so far. Just basic mana infusion.

"Now, if I use Engraving..."

Woooong! As Gloria trailed off and focused, the blue band shone brighter. The striking change drew amazed looks from Luna and even Kara.

Thud—Then Chronos silently dropped his axe onto the sword. The same axe he'd slammed down earlier.

This time, it fell slowly from the blade edge. Normally, it'd just clash and stop, but...

Shrick! It split cleanly in half. Engraving's cutting power demonstrated in one stroke.

Clunk—The halved axe rolled pitifully on the floor. No idea why, but it felt pathetic.

"As you see, cutting power increases dramatically. That's Engraving's power. Unlike Compression, it's hard to learn and master, but you all will surely..."

"Like this?"

While Gloria explained, Luna drew her sword. A clear blue band, not as refined as Gloria's, encircled it.

Gloria and Chronos's faces were priceless—pure bewilderment.

Luna's genius: absorbing by just watching. Kara, incredulous, asked:

"Hey. What the hell are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How'd you do that?"

"Just focused, and it worked? I used the Compression we learned earlier."

"... ..."

Kara let out a hollow laugh at Luna's cheeky reply. It highlighted Luna's genius—just like with Compression.

Gloria and Chronos were probably seriously debating recruiting her to their homeland right now. They'd even quarreled over it before. Water off a duck's back, though—they always made up.

"But this one's a bit hard. I had to concentrate hard to manage it."

"R-right? It's supposed to be a little... difficult to learn..."

Gloria sounded deflated. Engraving is indeed easier with guidance. Humanity isn't stupid—they figured out sharpening mana, but self-teaching is tough, so they brute-force raw mana. Luna's the abnormality.

'What do we do? This messes up the plan.'

'No idea. Compression was one thing, but Engraving too? Didn't expect that.'

For them, the schedule was thoroughly derailed. Their whispering showed it. My sharp hearing caught every word—their dismay reached me.

They'd planned sweet couple time under the guise of teaching us. Now shortened.

'It's fine. Sivar's still here, and Kara too.'

'True, but... what if they both learn it fast? Then what?'

'Teach something else. Heard Sivar's learning martial arts from Kara. Help with that.'

'Got it. That'll work.'

The secret couple whispered, overhauling plans. Masters at balancing work and love. That adaptability kept them hidden.

Impressive in many ways.

"Ahem. Luna? Even if you learn fast, mastery is hard. Especially Engraving—variance depends on personal aptitude, unlike Compression."

Gloria, composure regained, addressed Luna. As she said, Engraving is tough to master. And unlike Compression, it doesn't evolve into a trait.

One might ask: doesn't that make Compression less important?

"Then isn't Compression relatively less vital?"

"Absolutely not. Engraving consumes massive mana due to focus, and breaks if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠concentration lapses."

Strength suits Compression like gukbap; Agility suits Engraving like wanggui. Compression favors long fights but lacks punch; Engraving has decisive strikes but falters in prolonged battles.

Balance them, and raise Mana stats too. All interconnected.

'Agility build felt like Dark Souls.'

Strength builds ease games. Agility is glass cannon—speedrunners max it. I did too.

"Depending on combat style, invest in Compression for long fights and grapples, or Engraving for powerful strikes and evasion. Your choice, Luna."

"Then what should I focus on? I'm a faithful believer in Gulrak."

Kara raised her hand curiously. Unlike standard roles, she's faith-based. Even mages benefit: Compression boosts spell power, Engraving accuracy.

Faith chars are trickier. Faith trumps Mana.

"Kara... it's ambiguous. I've met many clerics, all varied except one thing."

"What was common?"

"Believing in their worshipped god. Beyond that, directions vary—hard to advise."

Faith influences all stats subtly. Look at Porori: smaller than me, yet strong and fast. Lightning made him faster. Same for Kara and Hector—stats soar with thunder aura.

Faith chars seem OP? Blind growth backfires. Weak early, jack-of-all-trades risks master-of-none. Tricky to raise.

'If Chaos gets involved...'

Horrifying. Faith route's basically abandoned.

Long live Chaos!

'Whew...' I sighed inwardly at the heaven-hell rollercoaster. Not even on faith route, yet managing it? I didn't ask for this world. Kinda pisses me off.

"Sivar? Shall we have Sivar try too?"

As I inwardly lamented, Gloria called me. After Kara, my turn. Good chance to learn about Red Mana.

I subtly raised my hand at her call.

Woooong! Red Mana flickered in my hand, shaping like a beast's claw. Lord had Ragnarok; other weapons might explode. Hands it was.

"...Red? Why's the mana red? Does he kno—"

"Ahem! Cough!"

Gloria nearly slipped in shock. Chronos's loud cough covered it, but suspicious.

"Red, huh? Red Mana exists?"

"Dunno. Me neither."

Kara was oblivious, thankfully distracted by my Red Mana. Seems no one here knew much. Disappointing.

"Gloria... ma'am. Isn't human mana all blue?"

"Generally, yes. But colors change sometimes—mostly green or violet."

"What cases?"

"Green for those with mental defects—intellect issues, hard to think normally. Smart monsters too; they speak a bit."

Mana ties to intellect. Problems alter color. Humanity's high-grade blue proves it. Gods helped, but civilization shows intellect.

"Violet for those grasping heavenly principles—like Lord. But red..."

Red means beyond defective—no intellect, per logic. But I'm no idiot.

"Me."

"Huh?"

"Not. Idiot."

I protested. Mana's weird, not my brain. Damn faith makes language hard, but I understand fine.

"Ooh? Really? My Sivar got mad at being called dumb?"

Ignoring my protest, Kara pinched my cheeks, doting. Protesting more would just amuse her, so I stayed still—but kept a sulky face.

"See... my hunch was right."

Why the confident look, Gloria? What'd you see? Question aside, she clapped!

"Red Mana's not the point. Can you use Engraving? Try, Sivar."

"Mm..."

Compression easy, Engraving harder. Not Luna-level instant. Red Mana's power needs caution.

I turned to empty space, not them.

'Using the sense from Compression...'

I gathered mana from hand to fingertip—more Engraving than Compression. Butchering in forest used raw mana; plenty power without finesse.

'Compression shrinks clay; Engraving shapes it finely.'

Perfect analogy. Mindful, I focused. Condensed mana to fingertip, Engraving simultaneously. Luna-level needed focus; overflowing power hard to control.

Whiiiing—Red Mana gathered at fingertip, smooth sphere thanks to Engraving.

"...Isn't that dangerous?"

"It's fine. Failed Engraving just disperses—no splash."

"That applies to us. Sivar's is red. Feels ominous..."

Luna and Gloria chatted behind. Luna anxious from my antics. Ignoring, I focused.

When red mana formed a perfect orb:

First break in focus.

Second break, like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with Compression.

Normally, Engraving should disperse on lost focus. But high Mana—or Red Mana issue?

"Uh, uh?"

Red Mana at fingertip didn't scatter. It thrashed to escape. Instinct screamed: fix or disaster.

No time to panic—I thrust hand skyward, finger pointed up.

Pew! Red Mana shot from fingertip like laser, red trail streaking ceiling-ward.

"Wha..."

Everyone looked up in shock, like me. Private training room smaller than public, but same high ceiling.

Why mention? Kaboom!!! It hit ceiling and exploded. Flashed red, massive blast—ceiling gone.

Crackle—

"... ..."

"... ..."

"... ..."

Huge hole in private training room ceiling. Staring amid falling debris, all speechless, baffled.

"Phew."

I sighed in relief at the open sky. Close call. Rooms built sturdy for accidents—ignored, ceiling shattered. I'd throttled output fearing mishap; full power? Chilling.

Ceiling only—higher, deadly. Now reason to control mana.

'Got a poke too.'

Bonus: poke move. Previously, only throwing weapons. Mana cost snag, but better than nothing.

What to call it? Recalled, shouted softly:

"Death! Beam!"

I gained romance today.

"...Dunno what Death Beam is, but President's gonna chew you out bad."

"How do you cause accidents daily..."

Lost trust again. Mishap sorted somehow.

"Arms straight up! Don't lower till I say!"

"Heavy..."

"No whining! I know you're fine!"

Lord made me kneel, arms raised. First punishment from him.

"Hands off wall! Scheming already?"

"Hng."

Really heavy.