Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Reincarnated as the Plum Blossom Sword Master in the Count's Family
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The banquet had ended.
Ention stayed at the mansion for another week after the banquet before departing for Uthren Castle with Zent.
I monitored his every move. But all he did was occasionally handle some work around the mansion and quietly rest.
What surprised me was that he didn't have sex with Elrain even once during his stay.
'Does he maybe have a concubine stashed away at Uthren Castle?'
It wasn't impossible. Otherwise, it didn't make sense that he wouldn't touch Elrain.
'Ention didn't punish Baron Jukai.'
Ention generously forgave Baron Jukai's rudeness. It wasn't a particularly grave offense, to be fair.
'I made sure everyone knew of my existence at this banquet.'
Among the retainers, those interested in money approached me directly. They'd caught the scent of profit. I entertained them graciously. They might be useless later, but for now, it was necessary to stay on good terms.
'And the Helbritt Duke family suspects Yuria.'
A total of twelve people visited Yuria during the banquet. Eight were commoners—merchants or mages. Their goal was Yuria's cooking. They tried to scout her, but she turned them all down. Three even proposed marriage.
Four were nobles. Three of them caught sight of Yuria by chance, were captivated by her beauty, and suggested she become their concubine. Of course, Yuria refused.
The last one was a noble sent by Harioss. He asked Yuria various questions about her background before leaving. Yuria handled it well. Even if Harioss sensed something off about her, he wouldn't be certain.
'I can ignore the Helbritt Duke family for the time being.'
What I needed to focus on now was money.
I'd amassed about 20 billion ner. The cosmetics sold better than I'd expected.
The Mana Awakening Potion required 40 billion ner. I'd gathered half. Greed began to stir in my heart.
'I should sell perfume to the merchants.'
If I liquidated all the perfume I had, I could probably pocket around 5 billion ner. Bringing more would yield even better results.
'Ah, the Mana Awakening Potion! This is so exciting!'
I glanced at my stats and dismissed them. That wasn't important right now.
I pulled an item from my inventory.
A transparent glass bottle containing a faintly glowing blue liquid. The Mana Awakening Potion.
"F-Finally, I got it!"
I'd amassed money much faster in the Baekhwan world than I'd imagined. Yuria's help was huge. Without her advice, gathering 20 billion ner in three months would've been impossible.
She assassinated over ten merchants and nobles in the process... but whatever, their deaths weren't my concern. What mattered was that I'd obtained the Mana Awakening Potion and brought it back to reality.
I bought it openly from the Magic Tower. No reason to hide it. I even flaunted my wealth on purpose.
"Kuh~. Look at this color~."
I carefully caressed the Mana Awakening Potion bottle. No real need for caution—the bottle was enchanted to withstand a two-story drop. If this weren't reality.
"The only worry is if it loses effect here like the Illusiter and fails to awaken mana..."
If it didn't work, I'd be pissed. What I'd do in that rage... even I didn't know.
I started to uncork the bottle but paused.
'Maybe analyze it with modern science and mass-produce it instead?'
But I shook my head.
According to the Magic Tower, the potion used ultra-rare herbs refined through magic. Completing it required one top-tier mage and two advanced mages.
'Even if we analyzed the components, we couldn't replicate it.'
Reality had mages, but they weren't like fantasy novel ones. Impossible.
I let go of the pointless lingering thought and uncorked the bottle.
Pop!
The cork flew off, releasing a refreshing aroma. I sniffed the Mana Awakening Potion deeply. No matter how much I inhaled, it never got old. I wanted to slather it all over my body.
"Here goes! I'm no longer a mana eunuch!"
I covered the bottle's mouth with mine. Couldn't spill a drop. I gulped down the Mana Awakening Potion.
'Cool and sweet! It's like the ultimate refreshment!'
Gulp, gulp. The texture sliding down was perfection.
"Oh?"
I felt the potion settle in my stomach. It was exceptionally cool there. Soon, it spread throughout my body—arms, legs, head. It permeated every corner before vanishing.
"Whoa. Whoa...!"
A faint foreign substance tingled through my body. But it wasn't unpleasant. I adapted quickly; the sensation faded. It felt like it belonged there naturally.
I knew exactly what this was.
"This is mana...!"
I couldn't mistake it. It was what I'd longed for.
The Mana Awakening Potion worked perfectly in reality. I'd awakened mana.
A notification appeared before my eyes. From the Playful Life app. It rarely popped up directly like this instead of on my phone.
"For real?"
I hurriedly checked my smartphone.
It was real.
A Mana stat had appeared. I could apparently raise mana as a stat.
"As expected of the Playful Life app. Never lets me down."
Good thing I hadn't dumped points blindly.
I was about to invest my remaining points into Mana but stopped.
'Hold on. My Mana stat is 1 right now. How strong is that?'
I didn't know how to manipulate mana yet, but I had the Yeongcheon-ryu trait. When Yeongcheon-ryu reached level 7, I'd naturally learned Yeongcheon Qigong. I used that.
Following Yeongcheon Qigong, I circulated mana to strengthen my body. I clenched my right fist. Visually unchanged, but reinforced with mana.
'Punch the air...'
I froze.
The faint mana inside me had vanished. Mana stat 1 was nothing.
'Invest all points into Mana!'
The moment Mana hit 25, it felt distinctly different.
The small, faint mana in my body now felt substantial.
I used Yeongcheon Qigong again to manipulate mana and reinforce my fist. I punched the air.
Bam!
A shockwave erupted, knocking me backward from the recoil. I hadn't expected it at all.
'W-What is this power?'
Far beyond my imagination. Who knew hitting air could generate enough recoil to send me flying? This must be why mana-awakened Hunters were the real deal.
'...But that just used over half my mana.'
Not permanently gone. Think of it like a game. Skills deplete mana, but it regenerates over time. The total capacity doesn't vanish.
Reality worked the same. Mana recovered with time. Yeongcheon Qigong sped it up.
'Huh? Because of the Mana stat? It's easier to control than at 1.'
Mana stat might not just mean quantity. Maybe control, natural regen, etc.
This hypothesis seemed plausible. Virility affected semen production and ejaculation control too.
'This is fun.'
I began manipulating the mana inside me freely.
Then a ridiculous idea struck. Seemed idiotic even to me... but I was already acting on it.
I dropped my pants and pulled out my magnificent member.
Concentrated mana into it. It hardened as it erected.
"Haha! Mana-reinforced dick! This is mana batting!"
I thrust my hips.
Bam!
"Gah?!"
My upper body folded, knees hitting the floor. The recoil and shockwave from hitting air slammed straight back into it.
My mind went white. Overwhelmed by pain I'd never felt before, I couldn't think. Drool spilled from my open mouth.
A man stood before me. Black robe, pale face, black hat. He stared down silently.
'F-Fuck. Complete Recovery!'
In my daze, I activated the skill.
The pain vanished.
The man before me disappeared too. A hallucination, apparently. No reaper in reality.
Checking my body, I was shocked. The spent mana had recovered. Complete Recovery apparently restored mana too.
"I-I need to learn how to handle mana."
I contacted Jin Se-young.
She saw me as a once-in-a-millennium genius. Even if I suddenly said I'd awakened mana, she wouldn't question it.
'Being a genius has its perks.'
People usually want to try out new toys. Even if not strictly necessary.
And that's me right now.
Having just awakened mana and learned usage from Jin Se-young, I wanted to test its power immediately.
Hunt monsters in an E-rank dungeon?
'Those weaklings are chumps I can crush instantly without mana.'
Using mana on E-rank monsters would be an insult.
D-rank required a D-rank dungeon, which meant preparations: risky solo, or time-consuming public party. Pass.
'I've got the Playful Life app.'
Vampire Detective. Convenient in many ways. I bring modern items there and sell them in the Baekhwan world.
'No worthy opponents in the Vampire Detective world.'
No monsters there. Not ideal for mana combat testing.
The Baekhwan world was too risky oppositely. Monsters existed, but what if I got done in? No returning, no seeing Yuria, no more potions.
'No need for dangerous adventures in Baekhwan. Death would be a huge loss.'
Luckily, I had a third slot open. No need to test mana in Baekhwan.
The world was decided. Goal was just to use mana, but I'd gathered basic info.
'It's like a tutorial. Just do the tutorial and leave. Grab some mana elixir as a bonus.'
Anything beyond tutorial would be tough.
And mana-boosting elixirs. Exactly what I needed.
I opened the Playful Life app and selected the predetermined creation.
"Greetings, citizens of Earth AL-401. I am the Star Spirit of Earth AL-401. You may call me Ael."
