4
Chapter 4
Awakening as a Martial Arts Type is essentially the evolution of the body.
At the moment of awakening, mana permeates the body and reconstructs the physical form. In this process, overall bodily functions are drastically enhanced.
Further strengthening such a body is an over-investment. It is like adding bricks to a wall that is already complete.
During the invasion of the Demon Realm, the physical gap between monsters and humans was immense, even for those of the Martial Arts Type.
In that situation, my friend had a realization.
— Instead of using mana to strengthen the body, I need to raise the capacity itself! —
A method to draw out capabilities dozens or hundreds of times greater than normal using mana.
That is the Engine.
"Now, I'll teach you about the Engine."
"En... *pant pant*... gine?"
Benny, sprawled out on the ground of the Empty Lot, struggled to lift his head. He was gasping for air, but his eyes remained sharp.
I felt bad for the exhausted Benny, but this state was actually perfect.
A vessel must be empty to hold something new.
"This is the mana accumulation method you'll be learning from now on."
At the mention of learning something, Benny's eyes sparkled as he bolted upright.
Tremble, tremble.
'His legs are shaking like crazy, though...'
"You don't have to force yourself to stand. Sit back down."
Plop.
As if he had been waiting for the order, Benny plopped his backside onto the ground.
"Cross your legs and rest your feet on your thighs. Good. Now close your eyes."
Benny took a cross-legged position and closed his eyes. He placed his hands on his knees and tried to straighten his back, but his strength failed, leaving him slightly slumped.
"Maintain a relaxed breath and gather mana in your heart."
Benny tilted his head while sitting.
"Teacher, how do I gather mana in my heart?"
'What are you talking about... You already accumulated mana in your Lower Dantian.'
"How did you gather the mana in your Lower Dantian?"
"I don't know! It just started gathering at some point!"
Good grief.
Benny's subconscious desire to gather mana in his dantian must have influenced his breathing, causing him to accumulate mana without realizing it.
In other words, he didn't understand the method; his body had simply learned it first.
"Then, while breathing, try thinking 'I must gather it, I must gather it' in your heart."
"Gather it, gather it. I must gather it in my heart."
Benny focused, frowning his brow.
'You should focus on your breathing, why is your mouth moving...'
"Gather! It! Must! Gather!"
Now he had gone as far as giving orders to the mana.
'Benny... do you really think the mana will gather just because you tell it to?'
"It's not working very well."
Benny scratched his head and wiped away sweat with his clothes. He looked completely wronged.
'Right... this is how it usually goes when you first learn.'
I must have gotten used to it because Edelyn followed along so well from the start. Edelyn shouldn't be the standard.
If words don't work, I'll have to help him with actions.
"Now. I'll help you, so let's try again. Focus on your breathing. Stop talking."
"Yes, sir!"
'He's always so spirited with his answers. That's enough. That's plenty.'
Benny closed his eyes again and began to steady his breathing.
'Focus. Focus. Focus.'
I have to gather the mana into my heart. Gather it.
Poke, poke, poke, poke.
Benny snapped his eyes open at the sensation of something mysterious poking his solar plexus.
Enoch was crouching there, poking Benny's solar plexus with his finger. He looked utterly serious.
"Teacher, what are you doing?"
"I'm giving your heart an external stimulus because you don't seem to be focusing. Now, stop thinking about 'gathering' it and just draw the mana in through your breathing."
"But isn't the heart in the left side of the chest?"
At Benny's answer, Enoch's frustration boiled over and he raised his voice.
"What do you mean? Do you think the heart is sitting right under the tip of your left breast??!!! It's just slightly offset to the left of your solar plexus!!!!"
It was strange.
Even though the teacher was yelling, he felt happy.
Perhaps it was because he had been ignored rather than noticed ever since entering F Class.
The thought that the teacher's anger was for his sake actually made him feel joyful.
The fact that someone was getting angry just to teach him felt incredibly warm.
"Hehehe."
Enoch, oblivious to these inner feelings, interpreted Benny's smile in a completely different way.
'Has this kid finally lost his mind? Why is he grinning like an idiot after I just yelled at him...'
"Stop smiling and let's try again."
"Yes, sir!"
Benny closed his eyes and Enoch continued to tap near his heart for about thirty minutes.
At first, there was no reaction.
Ten minutes passed. Twenty minutes passed. Enoch kept tapping in silence, and Benny kept breathing.
Edelyn watched quietly from the side.
That was when it happened.
Mana began to gather in a spherical shape near Benny's heart.
It started as small as a dot, but grew little by little.
"Good! Now wrap it around your heart!"
The sphere of mana slowly covered the heart.
"Now absorb it into your heart!!!"
"Hup!"
Benny inhaled sharply, as if holding his breath. The heart and the sphere of mana became one, emitting a blue light. Soon, the mana began to throb rhythmically in time with his heartbeat.
Thump— thump— thump—
""We did it!!!""
Benny and Enoch shouted simultaneously.
Benny was so happy he didn't know what to do with himself, jumping up and down on the spot. Edelyn smiled and clapped her hands.
Enoch's shoulders shook with similar excitement.
'To be honest, since I'm not a Martial Arts Type, I don't really know what it feels like to manipulate mana this way. I just passed on exactly what I heard from a friend I fought alongside on the battlefield.'
He felt proud that Benny had followed along so well.
#
Before they knew it, Edelyn had stepped closer to Enoch and grabbed his robe.
"Teacher, do you think Benny will really be okay?"
"Of course, of course. Don't worry!"
Benny was circling his arms in front of a boulder much larger than himself.
His eyes were more than just serious; they were filled with determination, and his lips moved as if he were reciting something.
'What is that troublemaker planning now...'
Edelyn grew worried that Benny might cause some sort of accident.
She quietly stole a glance at Enoch's profile. He was looking at his student with a mixture of worry and anticipation.
Seeing her teacher, she felt that everything would be alright.
'He had this same look when he watched my lessons.'
During class, the teacher looked at them warmly, as if he were proud, as if he believed in them.
She loved that look.
It felt as if the void she had felt for six months was being filled in a single day.
'I think I can keep trusting a teacher like this.'
Edelyn gripped the robe a bit more tightly.
"Teacher! I'm going to try it now!"
"Alright! Hit it with confidence! Confidence!"
Benny took his stance. He spread his feet, pulled one fist back to his waist, and narrowed his eyes, glaring at the rock.
"Megaton Punch~!"
He always wondered if Benny's naming sense was tacky or just overly grandiose.
Huh? Wait a minute...
Something was wrong. He should have used the Engine before throwing the punch, but Benny's sequence was—
"Wait!—"
Before anyone could stop him, Benny's fist slammed straight into the rock.
—Thud.
—Crack.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
Benny clutched his fist and tumbled backward. The boulder didn't budge an inch.
"You idiot!!! You're supposed to use mana before you swing your fist!!! What did you learn the Engine for!!!!"
"Hehe... Teacher..."
Drip
Benny looked at Enoch with a longing gaze, tears streaming down his face.
"I just got too excited and forgot..."
"You absolute moron!!!!!!!!!"
With Edelyn's help, he hurriedly hoisted Benny onto his back and headed for the Infirmary.
Even while being carried, Benny asked, "I can actually break the rock now, right?"
#
A peaceful afternoon.
Vice-Principal Vincent was leaning against the window sofa, basking in the evening sunset. With a teacup in his hand, he looked utterly satisfied as he gazed out the window.
"Since I can finally deal with those eyesores in F Class..."
F Class.
A bunch of eyesores with less mana than a passing goblin, yet taking up all the Academy's support.
It stung every time he saw the budget being spent. Nothing was more wasteful than money spent on something useless.
'These leeches are sucking me dry!'
But since he left it to the blunt Teacher Enoch, the students would probably give up any vain hope and leave the Academy soon. Just as planned.
"Hehehe. Perfect!"
He smiled as he set down his teacup.
Then, he suddenly tilted his head.
"But... Teacher Enoch has been acting strange lately."
He had refused F Class before, so he expected the same this time. He had intended to use that as an excuse to abolish F Class altogether.
'It's just a slight change in direction. As long as F Class disappears, I don't care.'
The plan was to scrap the money-draining F Class and gather sponsors to create a class even more special than S Class.
The only criterion: how much they could sponsor. With a professor in charge and a few noble students, the justification would be sufficient.
Once it had a fancy name, the sponsorship funds would just roll in on their own.
"The day I sit on a mountain of gold is not far off! Hahahaha!"
Knock, knock.
'Who dares interrupt my blissful moment?'
"Come in."
The person who opened the door looked as if a snake had taken human form. He had long eyes and a low, quiet voice. The kind of face where the eyes didn't smile even when the mouth did.
"Teacher Saphent of B Class. What brings you here?"
"I have something to discuss with you, Vice-Principal Vincent."
He didn't like a mere teacher, not even a professor, barging into his office, but since he was the person in charge of B Class, he decided to listen.
"Please, have a seat."
Teacher Saphent sat quietly on the opposite sofa. His posture was excessively prim.
"Actually, something happened yesterday."
.........
'So. Teacher Enoch is teaching the F Class students? And there was a clash between F Class and B Class over the use of the training ground?'
Vincent listened in silence. He could roughly guess why Saphent had come to see him. He wanted him to put F Class in their place.
"Therefore, I would like the Vice-Principal to mediate."
Oho. Quite a move.
'He wants to drag me into this to humiliate either F Class or Teacher Enoch. Well, there's nothing in it for me to lose.'
If things went well, he could dispose of F Class even faster.
'Just when things are going my way, this happens.'
"I see. And how would you like to resolve this, Teacher Saphent?"
"In my opinion..."
Whisper, whisper.
The corners of Vincent's mouth slowly curled up.
A wide smirk.
"Proceed as you wish."
Having received the Vice-Principal's permission, Teacher Saphent gave a brief greeting and left the office.
The moment the door closed, Saphent's eyes narrowed.
'That Orc bastard agreed so easily. Did he smell money?'
It didn't matter. As long as he could be used, that was enough.
There was only one thing left for him to solve.
"Just you wait, Enoch. I will prove that I am a far superior wizard than you."