Void Princess's Gift #6
Void Princess's Gift #6
I got back to the room after sparring with my friends and eating a meal.
The moment I got back I didn't even wash—I launched straight into learning to control the blood energy running through me.
"This insight I've got now—I can't let it slip."
I, Kim Geun-cheol, am a man who thinks constantly about self-improvement. When I get my hands on a clue, I throw myself into it.
Earlier while I was training with Yu-ri, I'd definitely gotten a sense that something had clicked. She specifically said she could feel some kind of pushing force. She also said it was like some kind of force field had been generated.
Using Yu-ri's guess as a foundation, I conjured the shape of blood energy in my mind.
—Ssshhhak!
I thrust out my sword.
"Heh, perfect!"
That's it!
So that's what it was!
Blood energy was a power that generates something like a territory. A power that causes a specific phenomenon inside that territory. Yu-ri calling it a force field wasn't far off.
You could say I'm using blood energy to pour extra force into my sword-strike and cause the phenomenon of destruction. I can't explain it in more detail, but isn't this enough?
Create your own territory and cause a phenomenon within it. It's a characteristic clearly distinct from a skill that uses mana.
"Got it. An insight."
Once I grasped the general shape of the ability, the method of using blood energy started to resurface more clearly in my head and got reorganized. You just have to create a territory with blood energy. Fists, swords, whatever. You load the territory onto the swing trajectory and the point of impact.
"Kuh-hap!"
—Fwaht!
Expending blood energy again, I thrust my sword and, continuing into a sword dance, linked it into a fist-strike. Blood is the proof of existence. The power that flows from my blood is generating the territory of my own existence!
—Goooooo.
Much greater power rides my sword and fist. If I land a hit and trigger destruction at the same time...!
The moment I was concentrating on training.
—Poo poo poo.
From behind me came the familiar sound of a horn.
"No need to look, it's Kitty, right?"
"Pooooo."
When I turned, Kitty, who had just come out of a gate, was marching toward me, clasping a horn with both hands and going poo-poo.
"Poo poo poo."
Kitty, who had been blowing the horn so energetically, gave one final loud Poooo and laughed, hiding the horn behind her back.
"Geun-cheol. Did you get your insight okay?"
"Wha...! You little—! You figured that out and came to find me?!"
"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."
"What's that supposed to mean! Anyway, yeah. Guess I've more or less figured out how to wield this power. Look."
—Fwaht.
I immediately showed Kitty my new insight. This method of using blood energy that I'd pioneered by unleashing my full ability. A power that is, if I say so myself, the very epitome of pure badass—and look at her!
"Pooooo."
Kitty just blew her horn!
Don't you think that's too harsh!
"Hello, Kitty! I said look!"
"I was scoring it with the horn."
"Oh, really? What's the score?"
"A high score!"
Woo-hoo!
"Phew, a high score is nice. In that case, Kitty, give me a performance that lives up to the score. Got a piece you can play?"
"I'll play you the Kitty Special Medley."
She looked full of confidence.
I'm already looking forward to this.
"How many minutes does that one last?"
"I can keep going for hours. If Geun-cheol buys me omakase."
"I'll get you that braised boneless mackerel from the fridge. Found loads of little bones in it."
"Poo-poo-poo-poo!"
A clear refusal.
"All right, all right. Don't worry. I'll take you soon enough."
"Pooo."
Kitty, who'd been blowing the horn at full force with her eyes closed to register her complaint, smiled at last and began blowing softly.
"So anyway, music start."
"Poooo, poo."
With my back turned to Kitty giving it her all on the horn, I opened the fridge and got a simple home-cooked dish ready. Let's see. I was feeling peckish too. All right, soy-sauce egg fried rice it is.
"Heh heh heh."
I scooped up loads of lard with a spoon and spread it around the frying pan. While I watched the fat melt, I cracked in a whole bunch of eggs. I stirred them up like deep-frying them, then threw in finely chopped scallions and the leftover minced pork.
"Pooooo!"
As the cooking got fierce, Kitty started a rhythmic motion and blew the horn even more powerfully. Savoring the rhythm, I added more lard, added rice, added soy sauce, added seasoned salt, and stir-fried the living hell out of it. Done.
Finished.
"I'm eating this by myself."
"Don't be like that, Geun-cheol."
Kitty had already settled into a seat and was speaking with a serious face, a spoon in one hand, the horn in the other.
"Give Kitty some too."
"Am I the kind of person who hands over anything he's asked for?"
"I wanna eat toooo."
"Well, can't be helped, then."
So I shared the fried rice with Kitty. Saying I wasn't going to give her any was a joke in the first place. I sat right down opposite Kitty and we ate the fried rice.
"This is so good!"
Kitty, who'd taken a bite of the special fried rice dripping with oil, shouted with an expression of total worldly happiness.
It honestly feels like feeding an undernourished kid.
Was this how Leona felt when she looked at me? Watching Kitty, I took a bite as well. Fried rice definitely needs loads of lard. And you've got to fry it over high heat to blast off the moisture. No half-assed oily rice—not on my watch. Fried rice gets tastier the more labor you put into it.
"Kheu. But Kitty, do these sorts of different powers exist per each otherworld? There've got to be powers other than the one Lady VP gave me this time, right?"
"There may be power. Using it is a different matter, Geun-cheol."
"A different matter?"
"Everything must be processed. Accepting it and using it comes with all kinds of bother."
Well.
Fair enough.
"Anyway, it seems my sister's mind is at ease because Geun-cheol is handling that power well."
"Her mind's at ease? She thinks about me that much?"
"Mmmm, you've got a lot of work coming up, right, Geun-cheol? It'll be a help."
"I mean, I guess that's true."
Whatever the case, I'd gotten new power and my combat strength had risen. The things I can do have probably increased accordingly.
Kitty once again devoted herself to the operation of wolfing down fried rice.
"Ah, right. Geun-cheol."
And then, as if something had occurred to her, she daintily wiped her mouth with a tissue and called to me.
"What."
"There's something you've not been keeping up lately, isn't there?"
"Something I haven't been keeping up?"
"Yeah."
"Is there something like that?"
Something I haven't been keeping up?
I've been training hard, though.
"It's good to use everything frequently."
"What are you talking about?"
"There's something. Kitty'll be heading back now."
"Do the dishes before you go!"
"Poooooo."
Having scoffed down all the food, Kitty didn't do the dishes. Leaving behind only the sound of her horn, she vanished through the gate.
"..."
Something I haven't been keeping up much lately.
There is one thing.
"Status Window."
I opened the Status Window.
--------------------
[Status Window — Kim Geun-cheol]
「Strength: 32」
「Skill: 30」
「Stamina: 31」
「Endurance: 18」
「Mana: 29」
[Coin Balance: 1,923]
[Skills]
- Weapon Enchantment (E)
- War Cry (D)
- Mana Shield (E)
- Mana Helm (E)
[...]
- Bloodline (C)
--------------------
It reflects my growth well over this period. And this new, unidentified something-or-other, Bloodline. I don't know what it is, but this is bound to be the thing Void Princess did for me. Anyway, whatever happens inside my body gets reflected uncannily fast.
What on earth is sizing me up in real time?
"..."
I'm still curious, Status Window.
"Just what the hell are you?"
I actively use the thing when it comes to Fragments, but I haven't been using the Status Window much. It's just, it's a bit weird, you know.
"..."
Status Window.
Whose gift could this thing possibly be?
* * *
"Hoooh."
Lee Si-hoo was feeling deeply refreshed.
"Geun-cheol is getting stronger too."
Hadn't he said he'd made a new skill? Lee Si-hoo could feel that Geun-cheol's power had grown to a surprising degree. Not sure exactly what he'd done, but his technique had definitely increased.
"He's working hard with me in mind. Idiot."
He empathizes with Lee Si-hoo's problems and seriously thinks about them. As if to prove his words about getting stronger together, Geun-cheol had once again reached a new level.
Just as reliable as ever.
"I can't afford to sit still either."
Back to training again until bedtime.
Lee Si-hoo took up sword and readied a stance.
Lee Si-hoo also possesses a secret technique.
"Rapid Strikes."
To release several sword-strikes in a single instant.
Many heroes boast of fast rapid strikes, but cutting three times in one strike—that may truly be called a special art.
"...Time acceleration."
This is a kind of time acceleration.
—Fwaht!
The instant the sword was thrust, Lee Si-hoo perceived that time was flowing very fast inside, and very slowly outside. In time accelerated to the extreme, Lee Si-hoo layered three strikes into a single sword motion.
—Fwaht.
Once the acceleration ended, three trajectories clearly materialized.
Three strikes had been loaded into a single sword.
"Heh."
A thrill ran from Lee Si-hoo's fingertips at the sensation of having perfectly unfurled the art. At the same time, a thought.
That this is a very special ability.
A power distinct from Warrior-type heroes strengthening the body and using mana to produce superhuman force, and from Mage-type heroes using mana to deploy all manner of bizarre spells.
Can't exactly pinpoint and explain it, but this was Lee Si-hoo's own strength.
"Acceleration, huh."
Is this my ability?
Thinking that, Lee Si-hoo was currently using time acceleration several times in daily life to cultivate the sense for it. Naturally, because it accounts for barely the length of time needed to thrust a sword, it's useless outside of combat.
What Lee Si-hoo does with it now is no more than scuttling around behind Geun-cheol anyway.
But in the end, what Lee Si-hoo wants is strength.
Anything else is irrelevant.
Calling Kim Geun-cheol's face to mind, Lee Si-hoo steeled resolve.
* * *
"Good morning, everyone. I'd like to skip the usual morning briefing and start class immediately, but there's an announcement, so pay attention."
Standing in front of the lectern, Instructor Lee So-ra held up what looked like a memo and spoke.
Thank you, announcement.
"As you know, the festival is scheduled for next week. Given the unsettled atmosphere inside and outside the school lately, there was talk of scrapping it, but it is precisely at times like these, according to the Chairwoman, that we should bring the hearts of tomorrow's heroes together through an event like a festival. The festival will proceed as planned."
Ooh, nice.
The festival day is finally close.
"But Instructor, what do we actually do at the festival?"
"It's simple. You lot show off your martial arts a bit. You get a look at your seniors' skills. Sing some songs, dance some dances. Active-duty alumni come and say a few encouraging words. That sort of event. In easy terms, you can picture the kind of thing done in the military... Though you lot probably wouldn't know about that. Anyway, think of it as more or less that."
What the hell, who runs a school festival military-style!
But then again, thinking back, a high school festival was truly no big deal. There was a sports day rolled in, maybe? You messed about at weird booths then listened to a singing contest in the afternoon, stuff like that.
"Full and active participation is therefore recommended. First off, dance and song... It'd be nice if some of the more visually blessed among you got up and sang or danced as a talent showcase. Volunteer of your own accord before I start forcing participation. I'm taking a tally now, so speak up."
"Ah."
"Aah."
"Ah."
At the word 'force,' my classmates immediately started groaning their regrets. So in the end, we all have to do something together, is that it?
"Ooooh! In that case! Instructor! I, Brian, shall take part in the dance category!"
No way, Brian, you son of a bitch...!
"Positive, proactive participation. Very good. Brian will be doing Superhuman Dance, then."
"Yeeeess!"
Did this bastard actually have a performer's disposition? His expression turning entirely blissful, Brian was fixing his hair with a comb and having a grand A-ra old time.
"Next participant, then?"
The classroom went quiet in a flash.
"None? If there's nobody, then Leo—"
Right at the moment Leona was about to be designated.
"Instructor!"
Leona sprang to her feet and shouted!
"I'd like to nominate Kim Geun-cheol! For the song category!"
"Hey—! What are you nominating me for!"
"Kim Geun-cheol will take part in the song category, then."
"Why are you writing that down!"
Leona, you devil!