Chapter 476
Chapter 476
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 476
Chapter Title: Sword Aura Man Kim Katt
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"That fearless demon bitch."
That's why people—no, demons—end up meeting their doom when they let lust blind them and throw all caution to the wind. Even the evil spirits from South American jungle legends usually met their ends that way.
But Hildegart was a powerful succubus.
She seemed smart enough to think straight when she wasn't consumed by lust, so she was definitely plotting something to mess with me.
The way she operated so boldly in a city crawling with religious folk, and the fact that she'd crossed over from hell itself—it all pointed to her being no ordinary demon. She had some real edge to her.
Which meant taking her down wouldn't be easy.
She knew my strength after getting hit with the Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon last time. She even seemed aware of my mana situation, which is why she probably approached me while I was running on empty. If I'd had mana? She would've just bided her time for an opening.
This was gonna be a real pain in the ass.
But I was Kim Katt of the Bodhi Tree.
Just as Gotama Siddhartha vanquished Mara’s three daughters beneath it and ultimately attained enlightenment, I had no doubt I'd follow a similar path. A succubus's temptations couldn't snap a sturdy bodhi tree. Bend like a willow, but stay resilient, Kim Katt.
Anyway, I'd come out to do some shopping.
I'd run into Mariel along the way and then bumped into Hildegart, which derailed me completely, but now it was time to grab the rest of the stuff and head home.
I wondered if Claudy and Karin had gotten back by now.
If Karin was home, I'd want to spar with her right away. We trained once a day without fail. Of course, I still couldn't match her skill.
It'd take me a long time to catch up to Karin. Still, she kept praising my progress... Though without real combat lately, it was hard to say for sure. All I could do was pour everything into it and keep grinding.
I'd have to get back to work soon.
If Winia could break through what she'd been stuck on, I'd be able to head out then. She was working as hard as I was training, so I hoped she'd see results soon.
I finished shopping and headed home.
"I'm back."
Claudy and Karin were already there. As I took off my backpack, Claudy came over and grabbed it for me.
"Katt's back?"
"Yeah, just did the shopping. But what were you two up to? You left with Karin this morning."
"Hmm? Girl talk? Katt, hug me quick."
"Heh heh heh, c'mere. What'd you talk about?"
I asked as I wrapped my arms around her waist.
What on earth had they been chatting about?
"It's a secret."
Claudy rubbed her face against my neck playfully.
"Oh man, our Claudy's keeping secrets now? Should I interrogate you and find out?"
"Hee hee, a mama's lips are sealed tight?"
Looking at Claudy's tempting face, I was reminded once again that my wife was the best. Her genuine beauty stole my heart every time—no succubus could ever compare.
Anyway, I spent the day surrounded by my wives as usual.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Kyaaah! I did it!"
A few days later, as I finished training in the backyard and came inside, Winia was jumping around in excitement, cheering at the top of her lungs.
"I did it! I did it!"
Her massive breasts bounced up and down with every lively hop, putting on quite the lewd display. What incredible bust morphing. Men often heal their hearts just watching a woman's chest jiggle like that.
Training had worn me out pretty good, but seeing her like this made my body's vital energy recover like magic, leaving me refreshed.
"What's up, Winia? Some progress?"
"Progress? This is success!!! C'mere, blackie, quick!"
I approached as she ordered, and Winia, bursting with joy, yanked my head into a tight embrace.
Squish.
My face collided with her breasts.
The insanely soft sensation choked off my breath. What a delightful pressure. Her overwhelming tits comforted me just by existing. Winia kept hugging me tight, letting out whoops of joy nonstop.
I surrendered to the comfort for a good while before she finally released me.
Looked like her magic research had finally paid off after all that time. Winia was a woman who delivered when it counted. A mage who'd built serious skills at a young age, younger than me even.
"Blackie, quick! To the backyard! I'll show you my new spell!"
"Heh heh heh, so you nailed it after all? Knew you would, Winia. No surprise there!"
"Of course! Who do you think I am? C'mon, blackie!"
Winia giggled wildly as she grabbed my hand and dragged me along.
Mages got that ultimate rush from mastering new spells. Her excitement was contagious—I started feeling great too. When Winia was happy, so was I.
We headed straight to the backyard.
"So, what spell is it?"
"Hee hee hee. Watch closely. Gotta pay attention, blackie?"
Winia raised her staff and, before demonstrating, gave me the rundown.
"Blackie, up till now, I didn't have any spells I could cast instantly, so I'd either chant or use memorized ones. Right?"
"Uh... yeah, now that you mention it, no instant casts."
Winia mainly used fire and lightning magic, and chanting was always required.
Most spells worked that way.
For example, Fire Blast, which unleashed a barrage of fireballs, or Chain Lightning, which zapped multiple enemies at once—both got stronger the longer you chanted. Spell power usually scaled with chant time.
A fatal flaw for mages.
Chanting created openings. Without protection, you were screwed. That's why mages used 'Memorize' to store instant-cast attack or defense spells.
Winia did the same.
Her casting speed was fast, but it still took time. Memorize was for emergencies—saved for the last resort.
Fighting while guarding a mage like that guaranteed high win rates.
Protected mages could chant freely.
"So that's why I've been holed up at home with books, trying to fix that weakness."
"Oh? So you perfected a spell that shortens casting time?"
"Bingo."
Just like I'd obsessed over minimizing my sword aura activation time, Winia had been gunning to slash her casting time.
And she'd cracked it.
Huge win.
Faster attack speed was always good.
"Winia, couldn't you already cast Fire Bolt pretty quick?"
"Fire Bolt's basic magic. Casting that fast is beginner stuff. Anyway, watch."
Whoosh!
Winia aimed her staff, focused for a split second, and a magic circle flared up at blinding speed. I knew this one.
Flame Arrow.
A powerful spell that fired explosive arrows.
Normally took some chanting time, but she'd prepped it in a blink.
"Holy shit, that's Flame Arrow, right? It just... worked? It used to take a bit. This is instant."
"Right? Way faster, huh? Even you could tell it was instant, blackie?"
"Finished in a flash. Anyway, fire it off. How's the power?"
"Don't wanna set the house on fire?"
"Oh, right. Heh heh heh."
"Hee hee hee. I can launch it anytime now. Power's the same."
Sizzle.
Winia canceled the cast, and the circle vanished. Even to a magic noob like me, the difference was obvious.
Honestly, I still couldn't draw my sword aura that fast.
I'd halved the time through training, but it wasn't battle-ready yet. Couldn't pull it off mid-fight when I needed to.
"You might not get it, blackie, but shortening cast time is essential for mages to reach higher levels. You need to cast lower-tier spells faster to squeeze in the room for advanced ones. Magic mastery boils down to layering and blending formulas."
Winia puffed out her chest, bragging away with a magic lecture. I listened happily, kneading her shoulders.
"Dunno the details, but sounds awesome anyway."
No way I'd understand, but it felt like doing basic math super fast let you tackle higher-level spells.
"I agonized over it forever, but that book Lishia-unnie gave me helped a ton. What I just showed you burns mana like crazy to drastically cut cast time."
Sacrificing huge mana for speed?
"What?"
Useful in a pinch, but run dry on mana and you're done. No better than using a memorized spell.
"Isn't that kinda bad then?"
Fast spell's useless without mana.
"Nah, not really. Refine it enough, and you can dial back the mana cost."
"Hmm."
"Key thing is, it works right now—so I can train it right now. Mages break through walls like this to level up. Invent a promising method, dig into it, and climb higher."
I didn't fully get it, but it made sense.
"Sure, it might flop... but mages grow through trial and error anyway."
"Ah, so no cookie-cutter growth path—mages research personally to shatter limits and scale walls?"
"Yeah, you nailed it, blackie. That's the vibe. You're so cute."
Swordsmen and mages weren't so different after all.
My mana awakening, sword aura manifestation—all down to personal life, talent, enlightenment, effort, experience. No standard path. You grind, err, and suddenly it clicks.
"Oh, blackie, and while I was at it, I tweaked Shield's durability a bit. Wanna test it quick?"
"Test your Shield?"
"Yeah. You're the best for it."
"Obviously. Sword slash? Or fist?"
"Sword."
"Got it."
I drew my sword. Winia stepped back, focused, and chanted without the speed boost this time.
Poof.
A translucent barrier formed around her.
Shield, the basic defense spell.
Durability varied wildly by user—some shattered easy, others tanked anti-divine nukes like Hildegart's barrier.
"Blackie, hit the edge here."
Winia pointed at the barrier's rim with her staff tip. It was compact, like a slightly oversized umbrella for two.
"Leave it to me."
I raised my sword, targeting the exact spot. Sword strikes were my specialty.
"Mana? Or raw?"
"Hmm... Your strength alone first."
"Alright. Here we go full power!!!
Thwack!!!
All that training wasn't for show. Winia's breakthrough was great, but here I had to give it everything!
Scree!
The blade fell like lightning.
No mana needed—the muscles forged in battle for superhuman rebirth were always with me!
Crack!
The sword plunged into the ground.
My fierce slash shattered Winia's Shield in one hit.
"Whoops. Winia?"
"Oof, your sword work just smashed my Shield. Needs tweaking. Good job, blackie."
Winia grinned wide, standing on tiptoes to pat my head.
"Heh heh heh. Not that your Shield's weak, Winia. I'm just strong."
"Sure sure, blackie's right. Hee hee hee. Ah, perfect. You sweated, so wanna bathe together?"
"Hell yeah!"
Winia glowed with joy over her magic milestone. Guess I needed to fully master sword aura pronto.
"But Winia, doesn't this mean we can finally get back to quests?"
"Yeah... Gotta field-test the new spell. D-rank or C-rank?"
"Let's do it."
People gotta work to live—lazing at home rots the body.