Chapter 22: If Only I Had a Little More Time and Budget... (1)
Chapter 22: If Only I Had a Little More Time and Budget... (1)
Two Magical Girls stood in the center of the training hall. One held a gray Magic Staff with an anxious expression, while the other was simply beaming, swinging a Silver Hammer around with a rhythmic whoosh.
"Baek Si-hyun, you go practice your Amplification. I'll deal with you after I'm done with A-bin."
"Yes, Master!"
Baek Si-hyun gave a spirited reply and began her training, seemingly unbothered by the fact that it was the same routine as yesterday.
A bizarre sound—best described as pew-pew—filled the training hall. Watching silver rods continuously pop out of thin air, it looked like she wasn't going to succeed anytime soon.
It would take a while if I left her to her own devices, but Han A-bin was the priority right now, so I let it be.
Now, back to the main point….
"Have you gotten used to the Magic Staff?"
It had been three hours since I handed her the staff I’d crafted myself. While it was a short time to truly make a staff one's own, the raw material I used was concrete from the Lord of Infinite Castles.
Since it was a pure substance devoid of any Otherworldly Power—something impossible to find in today's world—A-bin should have had plenty of time to imbue it with her own mana.
"For now, I've been holding onto it tightly just like you said, Senior…."
Right. She held it so tightly that she’d even stuck it into her rice instead of a spoon.
Even now, looking closely, her hand gripping the staff was white from the sheer force she was applying. I started to think that following my instructions too well could also be a problem.
"Let me see it for a second."
When I reached out, Han A-bin opened her clenched hand and handed me the staff.
Zap!
the moment the staff touched my hand, a short spark flew out in rejection.
"Kyaak!"
Han A-bin let out a startled scream along with the sound of the spark.
"It’s finished nicely."
The Magic Staff in my hand began to struggle, continuously emitting lightning in an attempt to escape.
It was the source of mana, struggling to flee from the hand of someone who wasn't its master.
As if wanting to protect its purity, the staff spewed pink mana and kept sparking.
"Stay still, you brat."
It seemed to be successfully completed.
I had worried that Han A-bin’s weak mana might not even be enough to awaken the staff's ego, but fortunately, it seemed to have sprouted just fine.
"Take it."
Feeling a bit miffed that it didn't even recognize its own creator, I tossed the staff over Han A-bin’s head.
The staff was sturdy, and the floor was covered in soft mats, so there was no worry of it breaking. I threw it with the petty intent of making it roll on the ground.
However, the staff corrected its curved trajectory with mana and landed perfectly in Han A-bin’s hand.
Han A-bin picked up the staff with a dazed expression, and the staff fell silent again, seemingly satisfied to be back in its master's hand.
Its ego is stronger than I thought. Maybe I should have been more careful choosing the base material.
If the ego is too strong, there’s a chance A-bin could be manipulated by the staff. I considered breaking it and making a new one, but since it settled quietly in her hand, it seemed to have accepted her as its master. Besides, I couldn't get those materials again, so I decided to let it slide.
Plus, I was personally curious to see how strong Han A-bin could become after receiving that Magic Staff.
"Did Baek Si-hyun explain what a staff is before you came here?"
"Yes. Some parts of the explanation were a bit vague… but I got the gist of it."
Even if she heard it from Baek Si-hyun, it probably wasn't a normal explanation.
Actually, it didn't matter if the explanation was a mess. Whether it was correct or not, Baek Si-hyun’s level of knowledge had little to do with what was about to happen.
"It’s like this. Since your original Magic Staff was weak, the fastest way is to create a new foundation."
"Then do I have to swing a stone staff instead of a bow?"
As she spoke, Han A-bin swung the staff with a precarious posture.
It didn't look like she was swinging the staff; it looked like the staff was swinging her.
"You have to put it inside your body. Do you plan on carrying that heavy thing around?"
"Inside… my body?"
"Yeah. You put the staff inside your body and use it as your source of mana."
This thing is going inside me?
Han A-bin stared blankly at the concrete staff in her hand with an expression that practically screamed those words.
"Are we doing surgery? No matter how you look at it, putting something like this inside…."
Why would I do something so tedious?
"I'm just going to shove it in so it touches your insides. It’ll find its place on its own."
"Huh?"
Judging by the pitch of her voice, she didn't seem to understand, but what did it matter?
"Magical Girls have a space inside their bodies for a staff, and it’s designed to fit perfectly once you put it in."
"Pardon? What?"
For some reason, Han A-bin’s face turned bright red as she backed away from me.
"Are you going to put the staff in or not?"
Of course, the act of inserting a staff could be uncomfortable, but I didn't realize it was something so terrifying that she’d look that paralyzed with fear.
"Wait, just a moment. There must be another way. Medically speaking, carrying a large rock like this inside your body will definitely cause problems—"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
I grabbed Han A-bin as she rambled with a flushed face.
"Wait! Senior! I'm not mentally prepared! Help me!"
Seeing her continue to struggle, I realized staying like this would just be a waste of time.
I immediately swept Han A-bin’s leg, knocking her down onto the mat.
"Senior!"
Ignoring her desperate cry as she hit the mat, I climbed onto her back and pinned her down.
Han A-bin continued to struggle as if she were terrified of something, but once I took the staff and pressed down on her head, her screams subsided.
"Now, I'm putting it in."
Whispering that into her ear, I positioned the concrete Magic Staff over her spine and poured all my strength into it.
As if rejoicing at finding its place, the staff didn't reject me despite my touch. Instead, it transformed into mana and began to coil into Han A-bin’s interior.
The gray body turned into mana with pink particles, slowly burrowing into her body.
Unaccustomed to the sensation of her body being encroached upon by mana, Han A-bin let out a strange cry and squirmed.
As the staff delved deeper, her strange cries gradually faded.
After some time, the screams turned into shallow breaths. Her squirming body went limp, like someone falling into a deep sleep.
She was likely dreaming. A dream where she meets the version of herself submerged within the staff.
Although I hadn't used her original staff, since this one was made using its fragments, her essence would still remain.
After adjusting the sleeping Han A-bin into a more comfortable position, I whispered into her ear.
"What you are facing now is a Hero of the old era."
An old Hero who once ran across the battlefield with me.
"A tragic Hero who was disappointed in the world, yet still strove to save it."
That was why her life was miserable, and why she was abandoned by everyone.
I was the only one there at the end.
I was the only one who collected her belongings.
I was the only one who killed her.
And so, I made off with her remains.
So that they wouldn't fall into anyone else's hands.
"Her erased name is Lisa Dahlgren. Her Hero name was Happiness Drop."
I pulled my lips away from her ear.
"Now, have a good dream."
* * *
"What's wrong with A-bin again? She was knocked out yesterday, too."
"Don't worry about it. She's just getting used to her new Magic Staff."
Her personality might change once she’s done, but that wasn't particularly important.
It would be nice if her timid nature improved, but unless she saw something incredibly harsh in her dream, such a drastic change wouldn't happen.
The only other change would be the possibility of awakening to a new power.
"Don't worry about Han A-bin. How's the Amplification I assigned you going?"
"To some extent."
As soon as she finished speaking, a whistling sound cut through the air, and a Silver Hammer appeared in Baek Si-hyun’s hand.
Baek Si-hyun gripped The Hammer that appeared in mid-air and began to spin it around.
From behind her back to her front, The Hammer in her right hand moved to her left.
As if playing a trick, Baek Si-hyun’s hammer rotated in the air, and I could feel mana accumulating in The Hammer with every rotation.
The faster The Hammer rotated around her, the more the mana amplified inside it.
"It is indeed Amplification, though the method is a bit unusual."
Was it her own arrangement?
There were many cases where people used self-hypnosis to amplify their power, but using the act of swinging a hammer itself as the trigger was unique.
While it had the drawback of narrowing the applications of Amplification, it wouldn't be a big problem if the offensive act of swinging The Hammer itself served as the trigger.
Amplification that sacrificed versatility to focus solely on offense.
It was a bit of a shortcut, but this genius disciple of mine had reached this level in just two days.
I glanced briefly at Han A-bin, who was collapsed in the corner of the dojo. A Hero who hadn't even reached the starting line because she had to rebuild from the basics, and the genius before my eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh.
My bitter musings were interrupted by the sound of The Hammer cutting through the air, and I looked back at Baek Si-hyun.
"It took much longer than I expected."
"Two days is plenty fast."
This is why geniuses are so annoying. They don't even realize how incredible their achievements are.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Between our words, the sound of the continuously swung hammer kept intruding.
Why wasn't she stopping that hammer?
"Why aren't you stopping The Hammer?"
"Uh… Master? What happens to the mana if I stop this…?"
"What do you mean? Since there's no target to hit, it'll just dis—"
Wait.
What happens if that mana is released?
Even now, the mana accumulated in The Hammer was growing in real-time.
As if reflecting Baek Si-hyun’s straightforward nature, the mana was swelling at a terrifying rate.
"Master… what should I do?"
I hadn't said a word, but Baek Si-hyun seemed to have realized something, as a tearful expression appeared on her face.
My own disciple is about to blow up the training hall in her first week. No, at this rate, she might bury the entire place.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Regardless of my escapism, Baek Si-hyun’s mana grew even further, and the speed of her hammer swings increased accordingly. The Amplification was accelerating even more.
"Master…?"
Even the usually easygoing Baek Si-hyun had realized she’d caused a major accident, and a hint of a plea entered her voice.
I guess I have no choice.
"It’s going to hurt, so bear with it. It’s your own fault."
I pulled a weapon out of thin air.
I felt the weight of a Golden Hammer in my right hand.
This is what a weapon should feel like.
The Pry Bar was too light. It allowed for quick movement, but it felt more like a tool for work than a weapon.
Matching Baek Si-hyun’s rotation speed, I also began to rotate my hammer.
Feeling the weight of The Hammer as it grew heavier with mana, I adjusted the amount of mana.
Once the amount of mana in the hammers became similar and the trajectories of the two hammers overlapped.
I thrust my hammer into the rotation of mana my disciple had created.
BOOM!
A roar that was impossible to believe came from metal clashing against metal echoed through the training hall.
I had adjusted it to be as similar as possible, but complete cancellation was impossible, so the resulting shockwave spread out.
However, only one Magical Girl bore the brunt of that shockwave.
The Magical Girl with The Hammer, having lost the contest of strength, was sent flying through the air.
"Master!"
And that Magical Girl was me.
I thought to myself as I surrendered my body to the air.
I did it for my disciple, but losing on purpose feels like absolute crap.
It wouldn't have been hard to crush my disciple with even greater force, but who would take responsibility if she got broken in the process?
I’d rather be the one sent flying.
Because I had absorbed all the impact with that thought, my right hand was numb, but nothing else on my body hurt.
If I had to find a place that hurt, would it be my pride? That kind of pain.
Thanks to that, irritation began to well up.
Do I really have to do this at my level of seniority?
It was exactly what I’d heard a soldier say once.
As that thought ended, the levitation that had been keeping me afloat also ended, and I twisted my body.
To avoid looking pathetic rolling on the ground, I kicked off the air, twisted, and landed on the mat.
"Master!"
Baek Si-hyun came running toward me, looking worried.
"Si-hyun."
"Yes!"
Startled by my serious tone, Baek Si-hyun stopped in her tracks and straightened her posture.
"Why do you use a hammer?"
"Because you use one, Master!"
I figured it was something like that.
There was no other reason for her to go out of her way to use a hammer.
"Then what is the advantage of a hammer?"
"Uh… is it that it can deliver a high impact because of its heavy mass?"
It was a common-sense answer.
Yes, at a common-sense level.
"Once you reach our level of strength, mass doesn't mean much. So why use a hammer anyway?"
Even if you increased the weight to the extreme and swung a hammer weighing tens of thousands of tons, it wouldn't match a single focused strike from the Heavenly Demon Sword God.
"I don't know!"
Right, I expected you to say that, Baek Si-hyun.
"It’s because it’s a weapon that unifies offense and defense, capable of surely destroying even the internal structure."
As I poured mana into The Hammer, the mana-imbued weapon grew to the size of my own body and began to vent steam.
Thud. The heavy hammer dropped onto the mat.
"Now, let's begin weaponry training."
I swung The Hammer just like that.
Then, my light body, unable to withstand the massive weight shifting, threw itself in the direction The Hammer was extended.
Unlike my usual style of planting my feet on the ground and putting all my strength into it, it was a strange sight where I was being swung by The Hammer.
"Master?!"
She dodged it.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Baek Si-hyun dodged The Hammer without counterattacking.
"We’re starting a duel now. I’m only using enough mana to swing this hammer, so try to block it with everything you’ve got."
No matter how irritated I was, I had no intention of ruthlessly crushing my disciple.
I suppressed my mana, leaving only enough strength for Baek Si-hyun to be able to block.
What I was performing was an attack method that relied entirely on weight and rotation for all its power.
Since I had to twist my entire body to attack, there were many openings, so Baek Si-hyun should be able to counterattack.
CRASH.
The floor bulged where The Hammer struck after I rotated my entire body.
"Eek!"
Contrary to my expectations, Baek Si-hyun didn't even think about counterattacking; she just let out a strange noise and ran away.
"What are you keeping that hammer for? Block it. Is your hammer just for decoration?"
I spat out the words with a hint of irritation.
Perhaps provoked by my words, Baek Si-hyun looked me straight in the eye.
That’s more like my disciple.
To reward my disciple's courage, I rotated The Hammer behind my back.
At a certain moment, the rotation stopped. The muscles that had been twisted by the rotation uncoiled like springs, and The Hammer, receiving the accumulated power, was launched forward.
I also didn't resist that force and twisted my body. A rotational strike with all my might.
Seeing such a strike coming her way, Baek Si-hyun grabbed The Hammer handle with both hands and raised it above her head.
A block.
Clang!
The Hammer and The Hammer handle collided, and Baek Si-hyun was sent reeling back by the force.
"The true value of a hammer lies in its rotation. If you just want to block, use a sword or a staff."
I threw advice at my flying disciple.
What is a hammer?
A symbol of power that crushes the opponent by drawing a trajectory with all its might.
It is a simple, straightforward power.
The act of blocking only hinders it.
A hammer used by a Magical Girl is a weapon solely for offense.
"That doesn't mean you should neglect defense. Rotate and swing The Hammer for the sake of the attack, and imbue it with the power to deflect the opponent's attacks."
The seemingly useless rotation and the bizarrely heavy mass were all for the sake of overwhelming with such power.
Along with the metallic sound of the two weapons clashing, Baek Si-hyun was sent flying far away once again.
"Your rotation is weak. It was obvious you were trying to aim for an opening in my vitals just now, but such techniques only come after you have equal strength."
I wasn't ignoring technique or defense. However, this was a fight between hammers. Technique and defense only mattered after winning the contest of strength.
Right now, my strength was exactly at Baek Si-hyun’s level, and because I was repeatedly performing large movements, I was full of openings.
Clang!
And yet, Baek Si-hyun was sent flying again. Even though equal forces were clashing.
Because she wasn't putting all her strength into it, because she was preparing for the next move and aiming for my openings.
She still didn't understand.
That my current attack was a defense, a technique, and a setup for the next move.
And that this was how I handled a hammer, and how her enemies would handle a hammer.
If she didn't understand this, she would only continue to lose.
And so, the defeats continued dozens of times. In the midst of it all.
"One more time, please!"
She smiled brightly and lunged at me again. As if she were enjoying this exchange itself.
She certainly has plenty of persistence.
* * *
In the end, Baek Si-hyun failed to block my hammer even once, and the training ended with me continuously rotating and Baek Si-hyun being sent flying whenever we clashed.