The Path of a Mage (2)
Rune Clan survivor Rebecca. Iris Guild Master Isaac. Meeting those two, who were undoubtedly among the strongest in the world, gave me one overriding impression: they were on a completely different level from me.
If I'm a neighborhood hill, they're like Mount Baekdu. That was the vibe.
Probably the actual gap between us was about that big. But it's not the strong who win—it's the survivors who become strong. Since those two pursue different kinds of strength, I could twist my way into creating an opening if I played it right. Whether my attack would land was another matter, but I could at least make the chance.
Professor Im Sol was different. With my Mana Resonance, and since she was a mage like me, I could gauge her level far more accurately. If my mana was a lake, hers was an ocean. It had no end.
And worst of all, she pursued the exact same kind of strength. In the end, mage battles come down to mana speed, power, and sheer quantity. I was outmatched in all three against Im Sol. No wonder it was so hard to find an opening.
"That's all you've got?"
Boom—!
"Just how much do you expect from me…!"
I dodged the incoming mana while grumbling.
Thump-thump—
It had been quite a while since our spar began. True to her word that she wouldn't hold back, Im Sol had gone all-out from the start. To keep up with her, I had no choice but to pull out every trick I had.
My Combat Sense was already maxed out, pushing my body to its limits, and combining Clairvoyance with Blood Beat was putting insane strain on me. The spells flying at me were ridiculously fast, and she even threw in Acceleration now and then, leaving my head spinning.
It wouldn't be strange if I collapsed right now. I was barely hanging on through mental fortitude and combat instinct alone.
I glared at Im Sol, who was firing off spells with glee. Why was she grinning like she was having the time of her life? If she was so thrilled to meet another genius mage, she could at least throw a party…!
Whoosh—
Thankfully, Professor Im Sol hadn't forgotten her duties as a teacher. Even at full power, she was guiding me. She never repeated a spell once used—imposing her own penalty for the spar.
Of course, with an endless stream of spells I'd never seen before, it felt kinda pointless… She was probably trying to give me experience against all sorts of fights, since I'd said I wanted to get stronger.
"Professor, I'm seriously about to die here?!"
A mysterious black hole had just punched through the ground where I'd been standing. I leaped back in shock, creating a mana platform to escape it. If I'd fallen in, would I have been sucked into space or something?
"It's fine. I'll stop you right before you die."
Thump—
Im Sol said it like it was no big deal, but I could feel the strain building in my heart. Mana depletion. I hadn't felt it since my combat power reached a certain level, but now it was whipping my slackened body back into shape.
Just hold on a little longer.
I still needed time to set up my plan.
The next spell Im Sol constructed was, predictably, a new one. A mental magic that plunged the target into nightmares, leaving them unable to think straight. Nightmare.
Here it comes…!
Finally, the spell I'd been waiting for. Mental manipulation magic. Thanks to my Clear Mind perk, I was completely immune to mind-control spells. But most people didn't know that. They'd just think, He has strong mental fortitude.
Im Sol must have figured the same, giving me this opening. With her mana, she probably thought she could shatter my defenses easily.
I gritted my teeth and charged straight at her. With my remaining mana, this was my last shot.
Bind.
As I brushed past the Nightmare, I shot mana threads from my hand. The basic binding spell, Bind.
"…What?"
Im Sol seemed momentarily flustered seeing me dodge the spell, but she calmly dispelled the Nightmare and threw up a shield.
I smirked at her shield. I'd figured a professor like her wouldn't dodge. That's why I hadn't gone all-out on her spells until now.
My Bind hit her shield and fizzled harmlessly, but in an instant, I restructured my mana. My specialty: taking a completed spell and converting it on the fly.
"Wh-what is this?"
My mana clung to her shield, merging with it. I was certain the Bind had neutralized it. So I activated the next spell.
Reverse Ground.
Rumble—
Dodging her spells left and right, I triggered the magic circle I'd prepared underground. Im Sol's eyes widened as I manipulated my mana.
The mana I'd spread throughout the space dominated a massive volume of earth. That enormous mass converged on her in an instant, kicking up clouds of dust.
Compression.
The final double-cast spell. Crunch—
Crunch-crunch—
With a sickening sound, the ball of earth began to compress. Smaller. Even smaller. I swallowed hard, staring at the perfect sphere with no visible gaps.
That spell had used up every last drop of my remaining mana. From the secretly prepared circle to lifting and compressing this insane amount of dirt.
I glanced up at the sky with anticipation, but the training ground's score still read… 100 to 45. Naturally, I was the 45.
Full power, and I'd still failed.
"No way this makes sense… Gah?!"
Crack—
Lost in hollow frustration, I muttered to myself—and something slammed into my chest at speed I hadn't even registered. A mana bullet.
The thin mana film around me shattered with a pop, and I sprawled pitifully on the ground.
"…Fucking hell."
My final act of defiance was cursing at the sky. Even knowing the blue expanse was artificial, it felt depressing.
Crack—
A strange noise drew my eyes up. The dirt sphere I'd made was splitting in half from the top.
All that mana I poured into it…
It tore apart like it was nothing, mocking my efforts.
"That last one surprised me. In a real fight… even an academy professor-level opponent might've gone down. Really good attempt."
Step-step—
Im Sol emerged, a massive magic circle blooming behind her. It glowed like it was congratulating the victor.
"If your opponent hadn't been me, that is."
"…You call that full power?"
Each of her spells had been serious, but not lethal. No repeats, no double-casting. She'd handicapped herself massively and still crushed me. Then pulling out the real deal at the end? Kinda bruised the ego.
"That was a bit much even for me. What I showed earlier was my serious side."
"Almost felt insulted there."
I chuckled dryly at her words. Still, drawing out full effort from one of the world's top powerhouses? That was satisfying enough. Even if the odds had been heavily in her favor… I'd grow stronger.
Im Sol approached with a refreshed expression. As a fellow mage, I got that feeling. But was it right for a professor to wreck her disciple like this and grin about it? Food for thought.
"Get up. No whining."
She smirked, tapping my side. A total little devil smile.
"No, I really can't move. I pulled every doping skill I had…"
Inspired by Ellis's mana massage, Blood Beat hadn't lasted long, but the overclock had wrecked my body. Not as bad as the Shin Dong-min fight, but I needed rest.
"Oh?"
Whoosh—
My body floated into the air. Im Sol lifting me with mana.
"Let's head to the lab. How long till you can move?"
"Uh… two, three hours?"
Normally it'd be half a day, but with my improved regen, maybe that.
"Two or three hours… perfect."
"Huh?"
"Recharge."
That one word sent chills down my arms.
"…Professor. At least wait till I can move?"
Getting edged while paralyzed was torture. Not just hard—pure agony. Suppressing the male instinct to thrust.
"It's fine. You said you almost felt insulted. I'll make it up to you."
"…Well, that part sounds good."
Yeah. Screw feeling insulted. Useless in life. I floated along helplessly to Professor Im Sol's lab.
*
"Feel good?"
"…Yeah."
Receiving Im Sol's fellatio, I circulated mana through my body. Please recover faster. Body, come on. The frustration of not thrusting was killing me.
Maybe considerate of that, she sealed her lips and bobbed faster. Slick saliva enveloped my glans and shaft. The sticky, hot interior and wrapping tongue were perfection.
Body heated from battle, it felt even better. Or… today's blowjob carried a different emotion. Like love, maybe.
"Professor… faster, please."
"Mmph… faster than this?"
"Yes, please."
Without hesitation, she gripped my thighs and buried her face in my crotch, pistoning away. Even immobile, her lips sliding rapidly over my cock satisfied me. The slippery saliva pleasure beat skin friction any day.
"Gonna… Professor, I'm cumming…!"
I couldn't hold back, erupting into her mouth.
Slurp—
Mmph—
Like always, she sucked every drop. Licking my glans during climax to milk me dry—left me thinking of nothing but release.
"Good meal."
She seductively licked semen from her cheek.
"…Yeah."
I sprawled on the sofa, starfished. No strength, no mana, no cum. She'd wrung everything from me.
Im Sol lapped at my exposed cock with her tongue.
She's really into it today.
Always sweet, but today was next-level. The receiver could tell.
"Professor, you okay? Not tired?"
"Tiring, but tasty, so fine."
"Uh, okay."
But how to say it? Today's fellatio was even better. Too lame.
"You know what I like, right?"
"What's that out of nowhere?"
"…Just that I like you."
I mustered courage. We'd kissed before, Professor.
She pulled off my cock and met my eyes.
"What, want a kiss?"
"Please."
I begged earnestly, but she shook her head.
"No."
"…Why?"
"You didn't meet the bar. Honestly, disappointed."
"…?"
Current Status: Still, you were stronger than I thought? Moreover, that mana manipulation at the end… needs more research…
Stronger than thought… bar…
With those clues, a hypothesis clicked in my head.
"Professor, is that bar… something like, 'I can't date a guy weaker than me'?"
She lit up, clapping. "My disciple's sharp!"
She petted my head like praise. Pretty girl petting? Nice, but…
"It's so high, it's demotivating."
Big trouble. How many years to beat Im Sol? Seemed impossible. Too lofty a goal sapped my drive. Hitting 50 from 0 is easier than 100 from 95—and she's like 105. Need to impress the grader for bonus points post-perfect score.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Need a compromise—mmph?!"
Smack—
Mid-serious proposal, soft something sealed my mouth. I blinked slowly. Im Sol's face filled my vision.
Not a quick peck like before. Her soft, moist lips devoured mine; arms pulled my head close. Aggressive outside, but her tongue knocking shyly inside—like a virgin acting bold.
I let her ravage my mouth. We swapped saliva, shared ragged breaths, conversed in silence.
Our lips parted after an eternity, the warm embrace vanishing.
"Ah…."
A sigh escaped. I regretted its end.
She stroked my cheek, licking her lips.
"High goals mean higher effort. You can do it, right?"
Her smiling face was unfairly beautiful. Irresistible charm. One of her magics, maybe.
Feeling my cheeks heat, I nodded, a bit recovered.
"…Yeah."
From today, magic training joined my daily schedule.