106. Mana Extraction
The nurse’s voice cut through the haze. “Excess mana. When more mana accumulates than the body can hold, symptoms like fever, fatigue, nausea, and hallucinations appear… What? Pregnancy? Ehehehe! How could it be pregnancy! Of course, if you two had relations, it’s possible, but this is definitely excess mana. Look, the gauge is climbing, right?”
Voices drifted in, along with the faint scent of herbs. Blinking my eyes open, the nurse in a crisp white coat and Ryly came into view. I was lying on the infirmary bed.
“Ry…ly…”
“Sugar.”
As I called his name in a drawn-out whisper, Ryly took my hand without hesitation.
“Ah, you’re awake. Student, what happened recently? Students who follow a regular schedule rarely get excess mana.”
“It… It was a snake…”
Sugar’s voice faltered as I continued, “A snake bit me…”
“What? A snake?”
The nurse’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at me. Ryly’s eyes grew wide too, clearly hearing the story for the first time.
“Where? Where did it bite you?”
“My wrist…”
“The marks… two faint punctures… Wait a second!”
The nurse immediately pulled back the curtain and stepped out. “Teacher!” she called, sounding like she was rushing to fetch another staff member.
“Ah… This won’t do…”
“What won’t do?”
“It’s a venomous snake… The culprit…”
“A venomous snake? Hey, if a venomous snake bit you, you should’ve said so right away! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“It wasn’t… a venomous snake… When it bit me… it didn’t hurt…”
“What nonsense is that?”
Why did I always end up in these accidents or dragged into them? Ryly let out a long sigh.
My arms were limp. I’d gone to some place to “build up my mental strength” only to end up in a den of shady characters. This time, a snake had bitten me.
What on earth had I been doing at school to get bitten by one?
From the way things were going, it wasn’t a normal snake. It had to be the cause of the sudden physical checkup a few days ago. Being bitten by a snake and getting excess mana? Obviously not a normal creature.
…What do I do with this?
It was a troublesome type. Because of its unusual constitution, people didn’t let it near them. On top of that, it was curious, loved wandering around, and its personality was just like this. Having spent so much time only in Seongdo, its desires had probably piled up even more.
I couldn’t just lock it away somewhere.
Ryly held my wrist and stared at it for a long time.
Soon, the nurse returned with another staff member. The middle-aged woman who had examined female students during the physical checkup at the infirmary back at Seongdo.
“Student. Where did the snake bite you?”
“The bathhouse… underground…”
“The underground bath in the dorms? That’s unusual…”
For now, the other nurse was jotting notes on paper beside her.
“The symptoms are different too. It caused excess mana instead of deficiency…”
“It’s definitely strange… Student, you were bitten by a black snake, right?”
“Yes…”
“I’ve already contacted the professor, so let’s first deal with your symptoms.”
The nurse pulled out a small glass vial that looked like a syringe at first glance. It had no needle, just a blunt tip. She poked it near my arm, and transparent liquid began filling the vial.
“Oh my… It’s filling up so quickly.”
“The mana properties are unusual too. It seems like it’s pulling out pre-refined mana.”
The contents of the syringe were transferred to a special glass bottle made for holding mana. It was sized to hold about 200 ml of liquid.
We repeated the process—extract, transfer, extract, transfer—over and over.
“It’s not ending?”
“Just keep going…”
My groans grew louder. The expanding mana channels in my body brushed against the syringe, causing intense pain. Since it was supposed to come out in large quantities anyway, it should have been easier, but the repeated pokes made it worse.
Ryly, unable to watch any longer, spoke up.
“May I try?”
“I know you’re worried, but this is something for experts to handle. If you mess up, you might damage the student’s mana channels.”
“I have experience. I’ve personally given and received mana before. Back then, my channels were also full and expanded due to excess mana. So… I can do it.”
“Really?”
As Ryly wiped the sweat from my forehead with determination, the two nurses exchanged glances. Then the older nurse looked at Ryly.
“You’re Ryly? Cedric’s disciple.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you. Since you have successful experience.”
The nurse smiled, her eyes crinkling. She looked a lot like an uncle with a beard.
“Since you’re my brother’s disciple, it’s fine. Here, roll up your sleeve. Come here, be gentle.”
“Is it your little sister?”
“I knew it, but I didn’t realize. Anyway, we’ll talk later. Here, the bottle. Put the overflowing mana from this friend’s body in here. You know how, right?”
“Yes.”
Directly giving and receiving mana was dangerous, so using tools like they did earlier was the norm. Mana from different people would clash.
But Ryly and I had experience mixing mana since childhood, and given Sugar’s mana properties, it wasn’t dangerous. We just had to do it like before.
Moreover, for some reason, my mana blended perfectly with Sugar’s. When I held her hand and willed it, the properties changed easily.
“Sugar. Can you hear me?”
I nodded silently.
“Remember when we were kids? The time I deliberately gave you excess mana to wake up your mana channels. Just like then, extract the mana even if it hurts. Relax your body and fully trust me.”
Ryly placed his hand on my belly, just below the navel. Female mages tended to have mana accumulate there due to their body’s characteristics.
Since we had to extract a large amount, the belly was better than the arm. We’d finish quickly. Ryly removed his cloak and bunched it up, then tucked it around me. I hugged it tightly and buried my face in it.
“Then I’ll begin.”
Immediately, I visualized mana being absorbed. In response, my mana moved toward Ryly’s body. It entered him, mixed. The blended mana was then pushed out by Ryly into the glass bottle in his opposite hand. The bottle began filling quickly.
I bit my lip and panted. The pain was twice as strong as before, spreading through my entire body via my belly, making my eyes water. Clenching the cloak tightly, I endured and endured and endured until I finally screamed.
“Aaaahaaaah—!”
The pain spreading inside my body was so vivid. It was nothing like the embarrassed scream I tried to make. It was a eerie sound.
Ryly gritted his teeth but calmly adjusted his breathing and didn’t slow his pace. Focus. I didn’t want Sugar to get hurt.
Even as I hurt, I gradually relaxed my body. Ryly’s hand. Ryly was holding on. I had to respond too. The more I trusted, the easier it would be to work.
For a while, screams echoed from the infirmary. The noise finally quieted when the glass bottle was about halfway full.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Mmm…”
“It should be almost done now.”
I breathed out heavily, sweat dripping as I looked up at Ryly with teary eyes. Having extracted so much, I felt much better than before.
Ryly gently stroked my belly. “You did well. It must have hurt a lot.” He stroked it softly, as if asking. Thanks to that, the sharp pain slowly faded. It was probably because I’d become stronger than when I was a kid.
“But what kind of snake bit you to cause excess mana…”
Ryly pressed firmly on my belly while muttering. I responded with a soft “Huu… huu…” The amount of mana being extracted was less now, so pressing hurt less.
But squeezing the thick flesh while mana flowed out at the same time felt strange. It was like something inside was deeply throbbing. It had been insanely painful before, but with Ryly’s hand, it felt different.
I buried my face in the cloak and bit my lip. The groans of pain had changed to a different feeling somewhere. It was a slightly suppressed sound.
Ryly didn’t care. He stroked my belly with his whole hand, then used his four fingers to press the lower part firmly.
“Huu…”
Soon, the hand relaxed. In response, I exhaled.
Then his four fingers slowly pressed another spot. This time, he pressed my belly and moved up and down slightly. The pressure made me tense my body.
“Relax.”
“Ah, it hurts…”
“Even if it hurts, you have to endure.”
It wasn’t exactly pain. It was strangely different, but I didn’t know why, so I said it hurt. But what could I do? I took deep breaths to relax my belly.
Then Ryly gently pressed my belly as if praising me. “Kuuuuk… kuuuk…” It felt like my waist was trembling. The heavy stimulation made me flinch repeatedly.
“Uuu… huu…”
“Just a little more.”
The shorts hugged my body, giving a firm texture on the outside but soft and thick inside. Every time I squeezed that flesh, mana flowed out, filling the bottle.
I looked at Ryly with half-lidded eyes, then hid my face in the cloak again. Sniffing his scent, I squirmed my lower body.
“Behave.”
“But… ah… it’s hard to stay still…”
As Ryly’s movements continued, my thighs twitched. The straight legs wrapped in semi-transparent fabric wiggled naughtily. Every time the two legs rubbed against each other, a smooth yet rough sound came out. Wiggling my toes showed my longing.
The air felt hot. I panted heavily. My mind was floating. Was it because mana was leaving? Conversely, my lower belly felt heavy, clearly present.
It was too strange. I shook my head vigorously. This was just treating excess mana; there was no reason to feel good.
Ah, ah, even as I let out a shrill sound, I peeked through the cloak at Ryly. Ryly was sweating, focusing on his movements. Ryly was pouring his heart into absorbing mana for me.
“Uuu…”
I loved seeing Ryly so focused—whether studying or casting magic, completely immersed in something. Watching those deep blue eyes grow more serious stirred something in my heart. Of course, I liked him eating, zoning out, or sleeping, but if I had to choose the best, this was it. Was this maternal love? It had to be.
…What would Ryly think of me?
What would catch his eye the most? Which appearance would he find most impressive?
I gave in to the spreading sensation and kept staring at Ryly. Then our eyes met.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
“No, it’s just…”
I hesitated, opening my mouth.
“Ryly, do you like big things or small things?”
My body was boiling, so my mind was in a mess. I’d hurt a lot earlier, and now I was wrapped in a sweet sensation instead. My brain was hazy.
Random questions. Conflicting options.
“What is that…”
Ryly rubbed my navel below with intent, making me tremble.
“Ah, this isn’t it… I asked the wrong question… Ryly, which appearance of mine do you like the most?”
“Appearance? Suddenly?”
“I’m curious…”
While huffing from excess mana, why was I asking such questions? My body was extremely sensitive, yet I couldn’t control my mind. How had I reached this thought? This strange woman.
Still, it wasn’t a difficult question, so Ryly answered immediately.
“Smiling.”
Ryly’s unchanging sanctuary since childhood.
A spring-like smile deeply etched in my memory.
At that answer, I smiled back. Just like always, I lifted the corners of my mouth and laughed brightly.
If you like me smiling, I can smile anytime.
Under my sweat-dampened bangs, my eyes were full of joy and affection. With my face flushed red, looking up at him was so endearing. Ryly lowered his posture and kissed my cheek.
.
.
.
Five glass bottles came out in total.
“Wow… Amazing… It’s an enormous amount.”
“It has a very concentrated feel. It looks sticky.”
The nurses each held a mana-filled glass bottle, shaking them to observe. They commented on the mana that came out of my body, finding it fascinating.
Ryly was no different, curious, so he picked one up and examined it closely. At first glance, it looked like liquid. A transparent liquid with a faint pink tint. Tilting the bottle made it flow slowly. The shape wasn’t like liquid. It felt like thick gas flowing.
“Oh.”
When Ryly exhaled in admiration, I hugged my cheek and lowered my head. I just wanted to do that for no reason.
“…Don’t stare too hard.”
“It’s amazing. Come look too.”
“I’m good…”
Ryly, who had been examining the bottle from different angles, soon opened the lid. The mana began to evaporate into the air. Ryly brought his face close to it.
It smelled like Sugar. A faint but unmistakable sweet scent unique to me.
Was the scent and mana scent related? Muttering, I snatched the bottle and closed the lid.
“What?”
“It’s… mine.”
“I gave it to you.”
I glared at Ryly for a moment, then fiddled with the bottle.
“…Do you want it?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Hesitantly, I held it out like I was giving something precious. Ryly gladly accepted it. A collection had grown by one.
Meanwhile, the infirmary door swung open. It was the monster studies professor Truyes.
“Where is the student who caused excess mana symptoms?! …Ah!”
As he looked around the infirmary, he saw the nurses and students holding mana bottles.
“Five bottles came out…! Were many people affected?”
While laughing, he asked. I just hid my face in Ryly’s cloak.
“There are many. Cherish them proudly.”
“Quietly…”