Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: First Step, Successful
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“Darn it, I’ll explain this just once, so remember it well.”
The semi-automatic carriage rattled along.
There were four people in total.
Kaltz, Kang Geohan, Davis, and the driver.
Hiss—
The semi-automatic carriage was a machine that spewed steam to generate propulsion.
On its own, it moved slower than a person walking, but with a horse pulling it, it could outpace a regular carriage.
A carriage that could move by itself or be pulled by a horse.
Even amid the jolting ride, Kaltz sat perfectly straight without a hint of swaying as he continued his explanation.
“It’ll take five days to reach the selection training camp from here. We’ll cut straight across outside the zone.”
Kaltz explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
“The world outside the zone is brutal. A single misstep, a wrong touch on a branch or stone, and you’re dead. Follow my orders to the letter. Don’t do anything I haven’t told you to.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll train while we travel.”
Kaltz pulled out a box, set it on his lap, and opened it.
Hiss—
Click.
Inside the box was a Mana Stone the size of an egg. It was identical to the one he’d lifted during the previous test.
“Watch closely.”
Kaltz casually lifted the terrifying Mana Stone with one hand, gripped it with both, and raised it above his head, then lowered it, repeating the motion.
“Thirty reps overhead.”
Then he held it at chest level and repeated sitting and standing. The semi-automatic carriage was spacious enough that this much exercise posed no issue.
“Thirty reps of sit-to-stand.”
This time, he extended the Mana Stone straight out to chest height, parallel to the ground, bending his legs into a riding stance.
“Horse stance, hold for three minutes.”
Finally, he mimicked running in place.
“300-meter run holding the Mana Stone.”
Even after completing all these movements, Kaltz hadn’t broken a sweat.
He tossed the Mana Stone to Kang Geohan.
“Practice this steadily throughout selection training. If you’re lucky, you might pass.”
But there was no expectation in his eyes or voice.
‘In truth, this training is basic conditioning to sense and use the mana inside your body…’
He didn’t explain that far. Those who succeed will succeed, and those who fail will fail. And…
‘It’s not my problem.’
Kaltz Black had absolutely no interest in Kang Geohan—not even a fingernail’s worth. His explanation extended only as far as his assigned duties. Nothing more.
Hiss—
“Ugh…!”
Kaltz glanced indifferently at Kang Geohan, who caught the Mana Stone with both hands, staggered, and began sweating profusely.
“I’ve taught you the training method. Whether you follow it properly or not is up to you.”
With that, he sat back down as if truly disinterested, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.
But Kaltz couldn’t fall asleep just like that.
Roooar—
An enormous roar came from outside.
It sounded like a monster bellowing. The semi-automatic carriage trembled violently.
A acrid smell of smoke wafted from somewhere.
Clack.
Kaltz opened the window and peered out. Then he spoke in a bored tone.
“…Oh, that’s the Burjoji Mine? Nothing to worry about.”
But to Davis and Kang Geohan, it was far from nothing.
Davis gasped in shock.
“G-Good heavens…!”
Kang Geohan dropped the Mana Stone he was holding.
‘What the heck is that!?’
Kang Geohan and Davis pressed close to the carriage window. Before them loomed a mountain—not a massive one, just about the size of a local hill.
But…
Was it really a mountain?
‘The mountain’s moving!’
Rumble.
Fwoosh—
The mountain swelled up slowly like a colossal beast, then spewed out massive plumes of steam and subsided, repeating the cycle.
Even the trees growing on the mountain writhed like living creatures, exhaling wind and steam.
It looked less like a mountain and more like a giant rock behemoth lying down in slumber.
Seeing their astonishment, Kaltz sighed irritably.
“Sigh… Is it because you’re serfs that you know nothing? Don’t be surprised. It’s just an ordinary sight. If you’re freaking out already, how do you expect to handle the world outside the zone…?”
He pulled out a book with an air of annoyance and held it out. It was titled *The History and Everything of Laniakea*.
“…Don’t ask me. Read this. Once you finish it, you’ll have a rough idea of most things.”
Rumble.
Fwoosh—
Shivering at the steam and thunderous groans from the mountain, Kang Geohan took the book from Kaltz. He spoke in a slightly awkward voice.
“Um, but… I can’t read those letters.”
At that moment, Kaltz’s eyes flickered. He seemed to be weighing whether teaching letters or just explaining verbally would be more hassle.
After a brief internal struggle, Kaltz sighed in resignation.
“Sigh… Fine, I’ll teach you to read. I’ll explain it just three times, so listen well and remember.”
* * *
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In the beginning, there was the Great War.
Shattered earth.
Broken skies.
Mountains and rivers that breathe.
High-gravity zones, storm zones, earthquakes, lightning….
As we explore the world, we inevitably encounter remnants of the Great War.
And we realize. This world is built upon the corpses of gods, demons, and dragons.
The Mana Stones, Miranium, Power Water that enabled humanity’s progress—all were once the flesh of the gods. Perhaps magitech is the discipline of inheriting the divine, and we humans tread a pilgrim’s path chasing the gods’ traces.
Of course, the Celestial Clan have always…
*The History and Everything of Laniakea*
From the Origin Volume
========================
Fortunately, Laniakea’s script was phonetic like Hangul—once you learned the sounds, reading wasn’t too difficult.
Kang Geohan mastered it in less than half a day.
“My word… my eyes are going dim. How can you read that so fluently…?”
Despite learning the same way, Davis struggled with reading comprehension due to his poor literacy. But for Kang Geohan, with his Earth experience, it wasn’t hard.
“Keep at it steadily even if it’s tough. You’re a squire now, Uncle—you need to be able to read.”
“Yes, yes. My eyes are just sore right now.”
Davis, who’d lived illiterate his whole life, had clear limits to his focus.
‘Well, time will sort it out.’
Kang Geohan gave a wry smile and dove back into the book alone.
Now he understood.
‘Even the local hill spews steam and breathes… because it’s fragments broken off from ancient gods, demons, and dragons? What a ridiculous world.’
A world made from the corpses of gods.
It brimmed with special powers.
‘No wonder mechanical engineering advanced so much…’
It made sense. With power sources scattered everywhere that moved on their own and emitted infinite energy even when left alone, mechanical tech had no choice but to explode forward.
But the real surprise was just beginning.
‘And this is… the world outside the zone.’
Kang Geohan closed the book.
Crunch.
Suddenly, from moments ago, his whole body felt crushed under pressure. His chest tightened as if clogged.
“Urk. Hm… Wh-What is this…?”
Davis, sitting beside him, voiced his confusion through ragged breaths.
Gravity felt doubled at least. But Kang Geohan wasn’t surprised.
“This is… a High-Gravity Zone.”
Kaltz’s eyes gleamed at the words.
“You read the book properly.”
“Yes. I read that outside the zone, there are all sorts of anomalous phenomena uninhabitable by humans. High-Gravity Zones are among the most common.”
“Correct. Until the ‘core’ causing the anomaly is dismantled, it’s no place to live. That’s why they remain outside the zone.”
“So that’s… why Gigant Riders are so crucial.”
This time, Kaltz looked at Kang Geohan with genuine surprise. It was insight far beyond that of an illiterate serf.
‘I noticed when teaching him letters earlier, but… he’s pretty sharp?’
Kaltz nodded.
“That’s right too. To pierce the anomalies outside the zone and destroy the cores, Gigants are essential. But not just anyone can be a Gigant Rider.”
He fixed Kang Geohan with a cold stare.
“So if your curiosity’s satisfied, stop asking questions and get to training. If you want even a sliver of hope, that is.”
“That’s exactly what I planned to do.”
“…Good.”
Kaltz frowned as if displeased, then closed his eyes.
Gigant Rider.
Just uttering the words had suddenly stirred Kaltz’s heart.
‘Greenhorn kid. Even with training, he’ll probably wash out. Controlling mana in such a short time isn’t for just anyone.’
Mastering mana control at will was the bare minimum to pass selection training.
Kaltz didn’t expect Kang Geohan to achieve it. No… truthfully, he secretly hoped he wouldn’t.
‘You need to taste despair like I did.’
But immediately, Kaltz flinched at how petty his thought was.
‘Did I just… get jealous of a mere provisional candidate? Damn… how far have I fallen…?’
Bitter self-mockery clawed at his chest.
Once, he’d been an official Gigant Rider candidate, brimming with ambition to soar to the heavens.
But now, he was a knight with clipped wings.
His Rider dream snatched away right before his eyes, and despite bearing the Black surname, he’d never pilot a Gigant again.
And yet, here he was, pathetically envying a fledgling provisional candidate who still had a shot.
That was Kaltz.
‘Damn it… just focus on the mission. The mission.’
He muttered to himself, sealing his lips and crossing his arms.
It was a magic incantation to suppress the blaze in his chest.
* * *
‘Alright, time to train.’
Kang Geohan set the Mana Stone on the carriage floor and caught his breath.
‘Overhead lifts, 30 reps. Sit-to-stands, 30 reps. Horse stance, 3 minutes. 300-meter run.’
Kaltz’s standards were brutal. For someone barely surviving one overhead lift, demanding all that in sequence?
But thanks to it, Kang Geohan grasped the knack.
‘Sheer willpower won’t cut it. It’s about awakening the mana essence and using it.’
That was why.
‘Let’s sense this mana essence properly while we’re at it.’
Just as you must precisely feel a muscle’s location and stimulate it for efficient growth…
‘How different could mana essence be?’
Kang Geohan resolved to properly sense the 1-pindem mana essence somewhere in his body.
The environment was perfect for it.
‘High-Gravity Zone. Nice, even pressure all over.’
Sometimes it happens.
After intense workouts, when muscles fatigue and heat up, you suddenly feel muscles in your ears or scalp that you never noticed before—even move them.
The same principle.
A High-Gravity Zone fatigued the body just by existing, resisting the weight, generating heat and sensitivity everywhere. Perfect for sensing the unknown “mana essence.”
Kang Geohan gripped the Mana Stone he’d set down, holding it with both hands.
‘It’s not just conditioning. Observe your body closely while doing it.’
With that mindset reaffirmed two or three times, Kang Geohan lifted the Mana Stone.
“Hup—!”
He spread his legs wide, inhaled deeply, let his arms hang loose, and tensed his core, legs, and glutes.
‘Deadlift!’
Not overhead. Just to hip height.
“One.”
It stung. A single rep brought agony incomparable to any barbell, wracking his body.
But Kang Geohan ignored the pain.
‘Where are you? Mana essence…!’
Bypassing muscle and joint pain, he focused solely on something transcending the flesh—the “mana essence.”
It was as hard as reading a book with your body on fire.
“Two.”
Hiss—
Steam began rising from his thigh and glute muscles.
His legs felt buried in lava, hot and heavy, cold sweat streaming down his back.
No matter how grueling…
‘No backing down!’
Kang Geohan lowered the Mana Stone fully, then lifted again.
“Three…!”
On the third rep, his body trembled uncontrollably. Heart pounding madly, vision flickering—he felt on the verge of blackout.
Breath caught in his throat. Terror crawled up from his chest’s depths.
Not lack of strength, but crumbling will—enough to drive him mad.
[Mana: 0.1/0.1]
[Willpower: 1.3/18]
But Kang Geohan slowly squatted once more.
Thud!
He slammed the Mana Stone into the floor and stood. In that instant,
‘This is…!’
He felt it—a thin thread from both thighs, up the spine, to his arms.
He distinctly sensed that thread stretching taut, hoisting the heavy Mana Stone.
“Four…!”
[Mana: 0/0.1]
[Willpower: 0.4/18]
At the same time, his first depletion of 0.1 mana.
Thud!
Kang Geohan reeled with dizziness. He pitched forward with the Mana Stone.
“Hah… haa… hngh…”
Breath ragged, heart racing, body shaking, vision blackening.
Even so, Kang Geohan smiled.
‘I felt it.’
The mana essence. He’d clearly sensed its presence.
Like stretching a long-stiff muscle for the first time, a thrilling coolness swept through him.
“Heh, heh…”
Kang Geohan let out a faint laugh, closing his eyes on the carriage floor.
[Ding! Used mana to its limit. Willpower +1! Mana essence growth accelerates.]
[Ding! Sensed mana essence for the first time. Mana essence growth accelerates further!]
Sweet notification chimes clung to his ears like a lullaby.