Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Temu Mountain Sword God (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Don’t mess around—teach me already.”
“I’m not messing around. Nothing in this world is free. You play hard to get on Clam all the time, but you can’t even show a little affection to a friend?”
No way, is this girl for real?
To dare utter such blasphemy in the Pharaoh’s very presence—this mortal knew no fear.
“Come on, do it quick. Time’s a-wasting~”
“...What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Dance for me. Something cute and adorable.”
I shot her a half-contemptuous glare, and Temu Mountain Sword God smirked before crouching down a bit and thrusting her face toward mine.
“Or a kiss on the cheek.”
“...?”
“I’ll let it slide just this once. Big sis is going easy on you.”
I toddled over to her all cute-like, then swiftly delivered a headbutt right to her forehead.
Thwack!
“Ow! What the hell, you jerk!”
“Kiss on the cheek? As if. I don’t even do that to Chan-joo—why should I for you?”
“You do it to your cousin all the time... Ugh, fine, whatever. You’re such a cheater.”
She crossed her arms with a pouty scowl, but when I held firm, Temu Mountain Sword God grumbled as she stood and finally got down to business.
“You’re a mage, so you’re used to the feel of drawing up mana, right? Have you tried circulating it through your whole body?”
“I tried, but it didn’t work...”
“Guess we start from there, then.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected much, but Temu Mountain Sword God turned out to be surprisingly skilled at teaching.
Was this something she’d done before?
Her movements had a seasoned polish that made me wonder without thinking.
“Alright, right here.”
Poke.
She suddenly jabbed a finger between my breasts, and I met her eyes with utter bewilderment.
“Hey, it’s not weird or anything. Use this as your first focal point—draw up your mana and plant it there like a dot.”
“A dot?”
“Baby steps for dropouts. If you can’t even nail this, might as well quit.”
I focused my mana on the spot she’d indicated, but it just wasn’t clicking.
Temu Mountain Sword God passed the time swinging a wooden sword nearby, and only after a good while did the first success hit.
Whoooosh.
“Got it.”
“Oh, for real? At this rate, you might pull it off in days.”
She poked my lower abdomen next, marking the following point, and after more trial and error, I managed to plant the mana dot there too.
From then on, it was repetition. Just finding points and dotting them, over and over.
Squish.
Knead, knead.
“...Where? I can’t tell exactly.”
“Huh? I was just groping this time. Feels like sticky rice cake—nice.”
“...?”
She’d throw in random antics now and then, giving me headaches, but the actual instruction was top-notch.
Once I’d mastered all the points she’d assigned, Temu Mountain Sword God gave me the next task.
“Now, circulate your mana through them in sequence. Second goal. Slow is fine—just keep the tempo steady so it doesn’t break flow.”
“...Not happening today.”
“Yeah, figured. Wanna head home and come back?”
It felt like I was this close to getting the hang of it, so leaving now felt regrettable.
Reading my mood, she grinned and made an offer.
“Or crash here. I’ve got a break room nearby.”
“...Think I will.”
I hadn’t expected clear progress in a day or two, but with how smoothly it was going, it was kinda addictive.
Is this the thrill of training?
I could sorta see why Chan-joo holed up in the training room every day.
“Alright, let’s head in. Oh, wanna see my new technique?”
“That Fierce Dragon Crescent Slash thing?”
“Yeah, that one.”
I remembered her bragging about it on the channel, so curiosity piqued, I nodded.
Something like 7.3 out of 10, right?
She was obsessed with bringing Action & Fighter skills to life, so yeah, I was personally interested too.
“Okay, I thrust this way?”
“...”
Shing.
She drew the real sword from its sheath—one she’d kept sheathed till now—igniting it in crimson mana as she assumed position.
Her flawless stance carried the refined elegance of a true master.
‘Whoa...’
No way, I’d doubted her, but she was the real deal?
Even a newbie like me could sense the extraordinary aura; my expectations soared.
Like a bird spreading wings, Temu Mountain Sword God lifted off the ground, stepping in mystical footwork before unleashing her single stroke.
Screeeeech!
Slash—!
“Aw, didn’t activate.”
“...?”
It was like watching a tokusatsu fight scene missing its CGI—the mana storm just vanished.
The swordplay itself was flawless, drawing an unwitting gasp from me, but aside from that, it felt like red bean-less sweet buns: oddly off.
“...What?”
“It’s RNG. There’s a failure chance built in.”
What the hell does that mean?
But thinking back, I recalled classes that imposed self-handicaps for corresponding boons.
“Ah, got it.”
Whoosh!
Kaboom boom boom—!
Startled by the sudden blast and mana torrent, I focused my senses on the sword’s path.
What is this? Why’s the power insane?
Fierce Dragon Crescent Slash, my ass—it carved a dragon’s trail right into the clearing.
“How’s that? Pretty killer, right?”
“...You’re not top-tier hunter material?”
“C-rank for now. Haven’t ranked up properly—don’t really care. Not planning a serious hunter career anyway. Just wanna develop techniques and keep the dojo going.”
She traded practicality for dream skills via constraints, hence the weird nick, huh?
I’d thought she just drifted aimlessly, but turns out she lived fuller than anyone.
For some reason... it made me a little envious.
Snap!
Sweep.
Sweep, sweep.
“Come help with this. Way more annoying if the ground hardens later...”
“...?”
Goddamn, Temushi.
We finished flattening the clearing side-by-side with brooms, then left the training ground for her handmade break room.
‘Hm.’
It was pretty spacious inside, with three beds no less.
And why’s there a computer?
I tilted my head curiously, and she caught on.
“Gotta do what I gotta do. You got grinding homework? Do it here.”
“...”
She fired up her PC and logged into Action & Fighter so naturally that I pulled out my laptop and set it on the bed.
Top-of-the-line, bought with Full-time Farmer’s cash.
More than enough juice for Action & Fighter on max settings—no issues there.
“Whoa...”
“Told ya—gotta do what I gotta do.”
We logged in side-by-side, knocked out our homework, and after her shower, Temu Mountain Sword God plopped on the bed with a beer.
Pop.
Hiss.
“Want one? Looks iffy visually, but you’re an adult, right?”
“Hm...”
“Plenty here—don’t hold back. When else we gonna drink together?”
I wasn’t much of a drinker before, and hadn’t touched booze since the body swap, but... why not?
The night sky out the window was gorgeous, stirring some sentimental mood in me.
Hiss.
I took her up on it, cracked a can, savored the aroma a bit, then gingerly tipped it to my lips.
Gulp.
Gulp, gulp.
“...Pffft.”
A hint of grain, mild alcohol bite, crisp carbonation tickling the throat.
‘Hm.’
Tastier than I thought.
Life of leisure changing my palate? Or the new body’s influence?
Either way, the beer slid down smooth, bringing a pleasant buzz, and soon the can was empty.
“Pfft, you downed it good. Another?”
“...Yeah.”
How much could the old me handle?
Average, I think—but the buzz hit fast, so maybe less now.
“...”
Chatting idly with a fellow channel mate flew by the time, adding another empty can.
Regrettably... that was my last memory.