Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Wow, It Kills!
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There was such a thing as atmosphere.
That was why people went to study rooms to do homework they could just as easily do at home, or gathered in groups to go running.
When people with the same goal came together, the vibe they created was like oil poured on the flames of passion.
In that sense, the gym aboard the kingdom train Mimir boasted the absolute best environment and atmosphere.
“Huff! Huff!”
“Haah! Haaah!”
The kingdom train Mimir served as a transport shuttle crossing the border regions. Most of its passengers were soldiers and knights, which meant the gym was absolutely sweltering with intensity.
‘I want to work out…!’
Sweat and passion! Strength and challenge!
Right in the thick of it, Kang Geohan felt more alive than ever.
Compared to the ultra-convenient 21st-century Earth, Raniakea had its share of inconveniences and barbarism… but with gyms like this around, he could definitely live happily here too. It was a realization that hit him all over again.
“This way.”
Kaltz led the boyishly excited Kang Geohan to a pillar on one side of the gym.
It was a massive cylindrical pillar so thick that even spreading his arms wide couldn’t encircle half of it, wrapped tightly in tough, dark-red monster hide.
With more than ten similar pillars lined up nearby, Kang Geohan quickly grasped their purpose.
‘Whoa… what kind of sandbag is this insane?’
This was a world where supernatural mana existed, after all.
Boom!
Kwaang—!
The knights hammered the sandbag-pillars with ferocious force, and the sturdy pillars surprisingly flexed and dented before springing back to their original shape with unexpected give and elasticity.
Kaltz stood before one and began explaining.
“To become a proper knight, you must learn to alter the properties and form of your mana essence. It’s normally a skill learned much later… but I believe a master like you can handle it.”
Mana essence transformation.
A way to wield far greater mana power even with the same essence.
That was why Kaltz’s duel with Saksen Silver had been so spectacular.
Kang Geohan’s eyes gleamed as he focused on Kaltz’s explanation.
“The first truth you must grasp is that mana essence is transcendental. In other words, it has no limits. We channel it through our bodies, which do have limits, but the essence itself is boundless. It can become anything and take on any property. If you truly internalize that and attune your mana essence…”
Sizzle—!
Steam and heat haze rose from Kaltz’s shoulder. A swirling vortex wrapped around his fist, contracting before exploding outward in expansion.
Kwooom—!
Kaltz’s punch slammed into the sandbag. The dark-red monster hide trembled and quivered as if alive. The pillar jiggled and vibrated.
For a moment, silence fell over the gym. Knights deep in their workouts paused and glanced their way.
“That’s one hell of a knight.”
“A Gigant Rider…?”
Murmurs drifted past his ears.
Against that hush, Kaltz spoke.
“This is how you draw closer to true transcendence.”
A shiver ran down his spine.
Kang Geohan swallowed hard and asked,
“What do I need to do?”
“First, let’s start with the simplest transformation. Make your mana essence more flexible and elastic. Then twist it—like winding a bowstring tight, then releasing it. Like this.”
Siiiizzle—!
Steam rose from Kaltz’s body once more. But this time, it didn’t just waft up; it spun in a whirlwind around him, radiating outward before scattering.
Kang Geohan nodded.
‘Make the mana essence flexible and elastic, then twist it…!’
He closed his eyes. Activated his full-body mirror ability and observed the slender mana essence threading through his body’s core.
‘In this state… twist the mana essence!’
But it wasn’t easy. The mana essence was rigid, like a body that had never stretched.
Hard as iron wire, attempts to twist it only brought excruciating pain like flesh ripping from bone, while the essence refused to budge.
“Urk! Ngh…”
As Kang Geohan squeezed his eyes shut, sweat pouring down, Kaltz offered calm advice.
“It’s natural pain. Changing the properties and form of mana essence can’t be taught—it’s something you must discover yourself. The grueling trainee drills with no breaks were meant to push mana essence to its limits, kneading it more pliable. Most need at least three years of that to even qualify for transformation basics.”
Even as he said it, expectation gleamed in Kaltz’s eyes.
“But… I believe you can do it, Master.”
That faith bordering on blind trust drew a wry smile from Kang Geohan.
‘Do they think I’m some freak of nature?’
Expecting him—a newbie with less than half a year under his belt—to master a technique that took three years of prep…
But,
‘I’ve got a feel for it.’
Kang Geohan didn’t have the freak talent to leap from zero to a hundred.
What he had was the ability to figure out exactly what effort would get him there.
The skill and experience to stack ones into twos, up to a hundred—the optimal path!
Bodybuilding was exactly that.
In a world where people assumed big, beautiful muscles and superhuman strength were innate like with Guan Yu or Zhang Fei, he’d proven anyone could sculpt godlike power through training and diet!
That unique gift and bodybuilding know-how was something no one in this world possessed.
“Stretching…!”
First priority: loosen the rigid mana essence into flexibility.
Not through brutal exhaustion, but optimal stretching methods.
Grrrrrind!
Kang Geohan cranked his full-body mirror to max and began twisting his body every which way.
He experimented to find what maximized the mana essence’s stretch and bend, channeling mana until steam billowed from his whole body.
Drip, drip.
Sweat drops trailed down his chin, one, two.
Kaltz’s gaze deepened as he watched.
‘It’s begun.’
He didn’t know exactly what Kang Geohan was doing. Without the full-body mirror ability, he’d never seen mana essence with his own eyes.
So he’d never thought to loosen it through stretching like this.
He couldn’t imagine why those bizarre poses helped. But he knew one thing.
‘Master always delivers results.’
Even back at the training camp. Kang Geohan had ditched standard drills for his own inscrutable methods.
Everyone mocked him, but he proved them all wrong in the end.
Whenever he threw himself into sweat-soaked focus without asking anyone—that’s when Kang Geohan achieved terrifying growth.
All he had to do was watch.
‘This monstrous master will find the way again.’
Kaltz watched Kang Geohan’s training, filled with awe and anticipation.
Five hours passed like that.
“Done…!”
Kang Geohan, eyes closed, sweating and twisting, snapped his eyes open.
Of course, it was pathetically meager.
Just a single thread, barely twisted at the tip.
Thanks only to five hours of stretching—temporary at best; he probably couldn’t repeat it by dinner, let alone tomorrow.
But Kang Geohan had twisted his mana essence. And released it.
Siiiizzle—!
The gushing steam spun ever so slightly counterclockwise.
Then once more, barely twisting the tip, he unleashed it through his fist.
Kwoom—!
Kang Geohan’s fist buried into the sandbag. Not the electrifying strike of Kaltz’s, but a solidly heavy blow.
Like a boy discovering a fun new toy, Kang Geohan kept punching.
Thud!
A standard punch left a short impact sound,
Kwoom—!
A twisted-essence punch left a deep, resonant boom.
He repeated it dozens of times, imprinting the mana transformation sensation into his body.
Kaltz, watching, spoke up.
“You’re still far off.”
Kang Geohan turned to him. Kaltz’s face was stern.
“You’ve only just cleared the simplest step. You’re nowhere near my level, and even further from the special noble transformations.”
But slowly, a bright smile spread across Kaltz’s lips.
“Still… impressive as always, Master. I think that’s enough for today.”
Kang Geohan grinned back at him, refreshed.
“Thanks to you!”
But Kang Geohan wasn’t satisfied yet.
“Still, just stretching today feels kinda lacking. No heavy-duty equipment around here?”
Kaltz shook his head helplessly and led him to one wall.
“We’ve got some. Something truly insane.”
At those words, a sunbeam-bright smile lit Kang Geohan’s face.
* * *
‘Ahh… that was truly the best.’
Kang Geohan was happy today.
He’d learned a new technique and feasted on perfect high-weight gear for growing his mana essence.
‘That thing was incredible…’
Lost in the afterglow, Kang Geohan counted the days ahead on the train with his fingers. Four days, right?
‘This place is the best. Better take that nutrient from the heavenly folk today.’
The golden nutrient that massively boosted mana essence growth for three days.
He’d planned to save it until after assignment, when he had a proper setup… but no need now.
Prime facilities, undisturbed life—the next three days on Mimir were perfect.
‘My heart… it swells.’
Aboard the massive train charging toward a new world, he’d sweated to his heart’s content, trained hard, and showered.
Now he stood in the hangar storing the Gigants. A forest of colossal machines.
Security kept him from getting close, but he could gaze down from afar.
Ending the day here, special emotions welled up in Kang Geohan.
Solid steel.
Gracefully interlocking armor plates.
Best of all: they moved with blasts of steam.
And he could move them with his own power.
His chest pounded.
‘Whoa… it kills.’
Why did just thinking about it make his heart race?
This moment made up for 21st-century Earth, for his unhappy past life.
‘I wish every day could be like today.’
Lost in those thoughts while admiring the Gigants’ majestic forms, Kang Geohan suddenly realized he wasn’t alone.
A petite woman was gazing down at the hangar too.
Her murmur reached his senses.
“Whoa… it’s killer!”
The tremor in her voice carried her pure excitement. Feeling an odd kinship, Kang Geohan looked closer—and started.
He knew that face.
The one who’d left the training camp a day before him.
Gigant maintenance team chief Ren Engineer stood there, face alight with dreams.