Chapter 151: I Hate Mobilization Training.
Chapter 151: I Hate Mobilization Training.
The state of the Training Ground laid out beyond the Great Barrier was disastrous.
Dust swirled from the haphazardly spread sand, and the ground, which hadn't even been leveled properly, was a mess of bumps and ruts.
To put it bluntly, there wasn't a patch of grass or even common urethane in sight; the lack of budget was palpable.
If you conducted combat training in a place like this, you'd be covered in so much grit that a shower would be mandatory. If you tried to perform a breakfall during hand-to-hand combat, the stones would surely shred your skin.
For the "flowers in a greenhouse" that were modern Heroes, wouldn't this be a point of contention?
…Or maybe not?
In the first place, they probably don't train to the point of exhaustion, and they rarely get into situations where their skin gets all scratched up, so maybe it doesn't matter.
I wasn't sure.
Ever since I heard A-bin’s assessment of the North Korean line, I’d felt like there was a significant gap in sensibilities between me and the younger generation.
That being said, there was one good thing about it.
“…It’s spacious.”
“It really is.”
“Chris! Want to run with me?”
“Yes! Big sister!”
Patter, patter, patter.
Clouds of sandy dust rose behind the idiot and the Magical Girl as they sprinted away.
A Hero training in the corner of the field got a face full of dust because of them, but after a quick, practiced glance, he went back to focusing on his training.
I bowed my head in apology to the Hero who had suffered because of my troublesome disciple, then watched the two Magical Girls as they began to shrink into the distance.
Two small dots cutting across the horizon where the brown earth met the blue sky.
“…There really is nothing here.”
“I know, right? Even in Hokkaido, there were abandoned buildings or guard posts.”
She was right. It was an endless plain with absolutely nothing on it.
I had just complained about it being bumpy, but that was only a comment on the state of the ground right in front of me.
When I looked up and scanned the surroundings, a sense of openness so vast it made my head spin dominated my vision.
If I had to describe it, it felt like they had just dropped a few buildings in the middle of nowhere and then built the Great Barrier.
Still, there was a reason they claimed this empty lot was a Training Ground.
There were stakes in the distance and rotting straw ropes. And the sign I’d just passed that said "Training Area."
At the very least, those were markers meant to distinguish the Training Ground from the surrounding plains.
Not that those markers seemed to hold much value.
Because….
“Where do you think they brought all this sand and dirt from?”
My internal monologue was cut short by Han A-bin’s question.
She was crouching down, touching the soil of the Training Ground as if she were truly curious.
“No, they probably didn't bring it from anywhere.”
I wasn't sure if I’d been to this exact spot before, but I’d seen many similar sights.
“Then that’s strange… Why isn't there a single blade of grass on this field?”
As A-bin said, there wasn't a single sprout of green on the Training Ground.
It was purely parched earth, as if to distinguish the field from the plains.
The contrast between the green and the dirt-brown was divided along a line, as if someone had done it intentionally.
Since it didn't look like a natural phenomenon, Han A-bin’s reasoning that it was man-made was valid.
In reality, it was the wrong answer. And I knew the truth.
“…This is a place where Otherworldly Power settled.”
“Pardon?”
“It means a power strong enough to warp the world was unleashed here. Consequently, it’s a place where all life has perished….”
It meant that some high-ranking Otherworld enemy had appeared nearby, or it had been a battlefield so intense that Otherworldly Power had become concentrated.
Just as I was finishing my explanation—
“Eek!”
Han A-bin let out a startled cry and scrambled to her feet.
She shook her hands anxiously as if she’d touched something terrifying, then coated them in mana.
Pfft.
The sight was quite cute, and a small laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
“….”
Perhaps sensing my laughter, Han A-bin wiped her hands on her clothes, lowered her reddening face, and spoke.
“…Then, isn't it dangerous…?”
She asked the question flatly, perhaps to hide her embarrassment, but she couldn't conceal the deep emotion bleeding into her voice.
I should probably stop teasing her.
She looked so embarrassed, I had to quit.
“They would have purified it when they installed the Great Barrier. It’s just that bringing it back to life costs money, so they’re probably just using it as a Training Ground.”
“I see….”
Relieved by my explanation, Han A-bin nodded quietly and kicked at the dirt beneath her feet, scattering it. She still seemed bothered by the contaminated land.
Yes. That was the story.
It was simply contaminated land.
However, this soil likely contained a special substance.
The blood and flesh of those who died to protect the world.
I hadn't realized it at first, but while explaining it to Han A-bin, I could feel it instinctively.
That an immense number of people must have died in this place.
A vast plain with no terrain suitable for a defensive battle.
There was a Great Barrier now, but back then, there would have been nothing.
No military bases, no land to establish a foothold, no hills or mountains to slow an advance.
Just an empty plain.
How many people were sacrificed to protect this place?
How many died here just to hold onto a few inches of ground?
Who… were they?
“….”
“…Senior?”
“….”
“…Senior!”
I must have been lost too deeply in thought.
By the time I snapped out of it, Han A-bin had called my name and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“…What is it?”
“Oh, nothing… It’s just… never mind.”
Han A-bin’s pupils shook with unease as she spoke, but she soon stopped trembling and spoke up energetically.
“More importantly, you said you’d show me a Form! Please!”
“Ah. Right, the Form….”
Let’s see.
“Where’s Si-hyun?”
“…There’s no sign of her coming back. Should we wait?”
I looked around to find Si-hyun, but I could only see a faint trail of dust in the far distance.
“We don't know when she’ll be back… You can teach her later.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright. Now, stand back. You might get caught in it.”
“Yes!”
Though I said the same thing as before, Han A-bin backed away quickly, her voice sounding a bit flustered.
I slowly took a random stance and pondered what to show her.
Jingak… I already showed her that.
Since it was the Form I used most often, I could show her a clean flow of mana, but I didn't really feel like using it.
I’d already shown her that technique once. Besides, I didn't think A-bin, who was an archer, would find much use for it….
I didn't want to defile this ground.
Actually, it might just be my imagination.
It was possible the area was only this wide because they were making a Training Ground.
Or maybe they just ran out of budget during the purification process.
Regardless of the truth, once The Scales of my heart had tipped, I didn't want to use Jingak.
…Come to think of it, Han A-bin was weak in close-quarters combat.
Then this would be good.
“I’ll do it slowly, so watch closely. Focus on the flow of mana.”
“Yes!”
Well then. Shall we begin?
I spread my legs and slowly extended my right hand forward.
Naturally, as if I had already thrown a punch.
And then, I held that posture.
So that A-bin could see the flow of my mana.
Doing this consciously was actually quite difficult.
In the past, I would spend all day throwing punches just to perfect this one Form.
Now that it came to me naturally, I found it hard to break it down step by step.
Alright. Let’s retrace the steps.
The beginning is… Relaxation.
Whoosh.
The mana throughout my body vanished.
To be precise, it moved inside the Magic Staff within my body.
Next is… Foundation.
The mana that had vanished for a moment began to surge up from my lower body.
I snapped my slightly bent knees, straightened my body, and shot the mana upward.
Following that is… Acceleration.
I twisted my waist and swung my opposite arm.
To channel the strength and mana rising from my knees into a single point.
Since I was using mana, this shift in center of gravity was physically meaningless.
However, the most familiar way to control the flow of mana is to utilize subconscious focus.
Therefore, this too was a necessary action.
Finally… explode all the power.
The force generated from my knees and upper body.
The mana that rose according to my will.
Into the fist I had extended.
To mark the finale, I pushed it just a bit further.
Thump.
The fist, having moved about 1cm, gently struck the layer of air.
Magical Girl-style. Inch Punch.
BOOM!
With a massive explosion, everything in the vicinity was blown away.
To be precise, I didn't cause any damage to the surroundings.
I had only struck the empty air.
Thus, it was merely the sound generated by the impacted air dispersing.
That was it. About 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Hmm, it went well.
I was a bit worried since I was doing it consciously, but it seems I managed somehow.
“Alright. I’ll take questions now.”
I turned around to say that, but—
“….”
All I saw was Han A-bin, standing there with her mouth agape and a dazed expression.
“Han A-bin? No questions?”
“…Yes… I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“…What was that just now?”
“An Inch Punch.”
Magical Girl-style.
“That’s not what I meant….”
She really beats around the bush.
“What’s the problem? Just the main point.”
“…Didn't you empty all your mana at first?”
“I did.”
Actually, I don't have to empty it completely, but it’s stronger that way.
“How? How was the mana flow so natural…?”
“I’d like to say… effort. But I suppose that’s not very helpful, is it?”
I knew it.
As I told Han A-bin earlier, if everyone could control mana like I do, it would have been part of the curriculum long ago.
“Well, it’s only natural that it’s hard. It took me years to do this, too.”
So, I’ll show you something else.
I leaned down and picked up a stray piece of stone.
“This will be much faster than before. Watch closely.”
I tossed the stone vertically and let both arms hang below my waist.
A natural stance.
As the stone passed in front of my eyes and just before it hit the ground—
Without taking any specific stance, I simply flicked my right fist.
Bang! CRACK!
The air rang out once more, and the stone, now reduced to dust, flew into the sky.
“You’re familiar with this, right?”
She must have been hit by my fist many times during our sparring sessions.
“…Is it the same Form?”
Oh, she has a good eye. To realize that already. As expected of Han A-bin.
“Yes. It’s the same Inch Punch. Just much faster, and with less power behind it.”
“Even though the flow and the posture were completely different?”
“That’s the interesting thing about Forms. There are only two important points to this Magical Girl-style Inch Punch.”
Saying that, I took the stance again.
Arms hanging down, looking straight ahead.
Whoosh.
I threw a short right punch.
Pop.
The air split.
Whoosh.
I threw a short left punch.
Pop.
The air split.
“First, the direction you extend your hand.”
And.
“The flow of mana.”
You suppress all other mana flows, but you shoot the mana extending with your arm in that same direction.
That is the essence of the Form.
Everything before that is just fluff to increase the power.
“If the two directions are the same, it stands as a single Form. Simple, right?”
Because of that, it ended up having nothing to do with the Inch Punch it was named after.
If I had to categorize it, it had become something like a no-motion punch, or perhaps similar to a quick-draw or iaido technique.
“…It’s still hard.”
“You’d be shocked if you saw the Forms of other martial artists. This one is actually very simple.”
Well, the only effect you get from it is increased impact force.
But for a Magical Girl who has special abilities or magic, unlike a pure Martial Artist, that’s enough.
If it gets any more complicated than this, it becomes too difficult to use.
“Ugh… Stop the flow of mana… and only shoot it in that direction the moment you throw the punch…?”
Perhaps tempted by my words, Han A-bin immediately took a stance and began swinging her fists.
Mulling over the words I had taught her.
She really does have a good eye.
To grasp the main point after just one demonstration and explanation.
However, the problem was….
“It’s hard, isn't it?”
“…I can't even imagine it working.”
The flow of mana wasn't following her at all.
It was only natural.
Magical Girls are mana-based lifeforms. For them, it was no different than a human trying to control the flow of their own blood.
Still, because they deal with mana, they can control it to some extent, but to control the entire body’s flow in a single instant?
I’ve said it many times. It’s insane.
That’s why only someone like me, who had nothing else, would learn and use it.
“Now you see why I didn't teach you any Forms?”
“…Yes.”
Perhaps realizing the difficulty, Han A-bin’s face looked a bit dejected.
“Well, there’s no harm in knowing the theory, which is why I showed you. But don't get too obsessed with practicing this; focus on developing what you’re already good at. We’re Magical Girls, not martial artists.”
I’m the one who’s weird.