Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Lotus of Jolryeop Village Blooms Twice
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‘I’ve heard how it’s done, but I just can’t get a feel for it.’
Mana transfer was no easy technique.
It required shifting the mana used for Endurance straight to the spear tip and merging it with the mana for Mini Shockwave—a process where every single step was a challenge.
‘At least I’ve passed stage one.’
Stage one was sensing the mana used in Endurance. Stage two was consciously moving that mana, and the final stage was combining the two flows into one.
The problem was figuring out how to move that massive, clumped-up blob of mana. I’d asked my master, but the answer had been incredibly vague.
“Well, I’ve been controlling liquid mana for nearly five years now, so it felt easier than I thought?”
‘This is exactly why you don’t listen to lectures from successful people.’
The saying that great players rarely make great coaches fit perfectly. They couldn’t understand why others couldn’t do what came naturally to them.
Sure, my stats helped me pick it up faster, but even so, mastering a skill my master had honed over five years in one go was impossible.
‘Still, just keeping the power from splitting between the two has helped a ton.’
Before, I’d been thrusting my spear while still under Endurance even after the shockwave faded. Now, I released Endurance right before unleashing Shockwave to boost its power.
Boom!
Thanks to that, Mini Shockwave hit harder. What used to punch fist-sized holes now gouged out skull-sized craters.
‘If I can add Endurance’s mana to it, I could match a real Shockwave…’
I trained whenever I could catch a break, but it still felt distant. Training time was just too scarce.
‘Hmm. I need to get stronger before tackling the labyrinth. What to do? Practice in real combat?’
I’d already learned Meteor Strike through live battles, and Minos no longer posed a threat, so there was no real risk.
Thud!
“Guh!”
But testing techniques in combat wasn’t just tough—it was dangerous.
Releasing Endurance too soon left me rattled by the shockwave. Too late, and the attack weakened.
On top of that, botching the mana shift caused minor internal injuries. Mana burn.
“You okay? Looked like a mana burn mid-fight…”
After the battle, my master approached with a worried look.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Training a new skill is great, but isn’t it risky in combat?”
“Real fights are the best practice. I’m not gonna die from this, so don’t worry.”
My master tilted his head but backed off with an “If you say so.” I hated worrying him, but it couldn’t be helped. Tauros was coming up soon.
‘Just a bit farther and we’ll hit the stairs. After that, no more combat practice even if I want to. Tauros won’t be easy.’
Alone, I could’ve Illusioned it into stupor and one-shot it with a sneak attack. But that would expose my mental magic.
‘Secret weapons stay secret.’
Luckily, I’d learned to amp up Shockwave, so I could win without Illusion anyway.
‘Yeah. Master’s a 4-star now too, and worst case, I can use that jerk as bait.’
I shot a glare at the sullen-looking Hongcheon Branch Chief, then resumed practice.
‘Guh. How do I get the mana to move where I want?’
* * *
‘Damn bastards.’
Hongcheon Branch Chief ground his teeth watching Park Byung-su and the Lizardman Hunter train like some master-disciple duo.
Before entering the labyrinth, he and Park had been evenly matched.
Park was way more skilled, sure, but they’d both been level 30.
Yet in just three days, that balance had shattered.
Park was now one of the elite 100 nationwide 4-star hunters, while he was stuck at 3-star.
‘That punk. If they’d pushed me like that, I’d have ranked up ages ago. Whining about some porters getting risky—total bullshit.’
What grated even more was those two porters huddling up and chatting away.
He felt like an outcast. A misery he hadn’t known since becoming a 3-star.
Yet he couldn’t rebel. That monster kept shooting him chilling glares now and then.
Like he was saying, ‘I’m watching you. Give me an excuse.’
So Hongcheon Branch Chief meekly stuck to the porters’ side.
‘Does that guy never run out of mana? How’s he spamming that skill nonstop?’
Even to his grudge-filled eyes, Mini Shockwave packed a punch. What stunned him more was the nonstop use without breaks.
It was possible because Cha In-hyeok’s Intelligence outclassed everyone.
Cha’s Intelligence was 88. Hongcheon’s barely topped 20. That gap meant mana regen differences.
Hongcheon took over 13 minutes to recover 1 mana. Cha did it in about 8.
So Cha could fully regen just from walking, no rests needed.
To the clueless Hongcheon, the Lizardman Hunter seemed like a freak.
‘If he keeps getting stronger, he might become a problem for Black Bears someday.’
Hongcheon lived off Black Bears’ power, so he was hypersensitive to threats.
Even without that, he harbored plenty of ill will toward the Lizardman Hunter. Same for the chummy Park Byung-su.
‘Gotta take them both out when I get the chance.’
As Hongcheon seethed, Park Byung-su was eyeing the Lizardman Hunter intently.
‘Learning a new skill through live combat? Gutsy.’
It felt familiar. Like his youngest disciple, who’d mastered Meteor Strike in battle…
‘Come to think of it, that voice earlier sounded just like the kid’s.’
A startled slip—probably his real voice. Not that strained fake one.
‘Suspicious. Endurance style, build, posture, voice—all match. Sure, the skill gap’s insane…’
One was a fresh academy grad 2-star. The other, a mystery 4-star who one-shot Minos.
‘Nah, no way. I’m overthinking. Plenty of people sound alike.’
Even so, Park eyed the Lizardman Hunter suspiciously.
* * *
Swish—
‘Huh? Something just moved?’
After three straight days of combat practice while traveling, it finally started clicking.
Like a thread unraveling from a ball, a strand of mana peeled off the clump.
‘Got it. I’m starting to get the feel. Keep this up, and it’ll happen eventually.’
A tiny amount, but finally grasping it lit up my face.
By then, we’d pushed ahead to the open space before the stairs. Problem was, everyone seemed set to camp and wait here.
“Not hunting Tauros?”
“We can’t take it alone. Let’s wait for people from the other passage.”
My master pointed down the opposite passage as he unpacked.
Others would join—three or four hunters—and we’d take it together then.
“Even if we hunt it solo, we can’t head down till the other side joins.”
They’d planned to merge groups each time passages widened, bulking up the party.
Even if we succeeded, we couldn’t go first.
That’d waste the other side’s time waiting for no-shows.
Better to wait, team up, and hunt safely.
I hated wasting unknown time, though. Especially since I’d beaten Tauros before.
“Let’s just do it ourselves. I think we can.”
“…You can be a bit reckless sometimes.”
“R-Really?”
The pointed tone made my voice waver unwittingly. I quickly switched back to my Setsumaru impression.
“Fine, I’ll solo it.”
“Huh?”
“This’ll prove it’s confidence, not recklessness.”
With that, I headed out toward Tauros.
Its head and chest encased in thick shell resembled a medieval heavy infantryman.
Targeting head or heart would demand dumping all my body’s mana, like before.
‘But thanks to Master, I know that’s not the only way.’
Master excelled at mana control, but his hunting skills were just as sharp.
‘Step by step.’
Dodging Tauros’s attacks, I carved small wounds into its flank with Mini Shockwave.
At first, just shallow scrapes. But hammering the same spot tore it open, exposing bone and muscle.
Mana left: 6. I’d scrimped, but still short. Normally, too low for real damage.
But I wasn’t aiming for thick skull or chest. Just the flayed-open flank.
‘Now!’
Dodging, I closed in. Its strike slammed the floor, unleashing a massive shockwave.
My body trembled. Up close, it hit harder.
Even with Endurance, I shook, balance crumbling. A smirk crept onto Tauros’s face.
But it vanished faster than it appeared. I’d recovered and burrowed into its guard.
Mana left: a measly 4. I’d poured 2 more into Endurance against the shockwave.
‘Attack power might fall short…’
Worries aside, habit kicked in—I pulled mana up from my feet.
Swish—swish—
The clump unraveled like thread. But more than in practice.
Before, one strand. Today, three or four bundled together surged up.
Whummm—!!
White airflow trailed from the spear blade like smoke. Success at last in the technique I’d slaved over.
‘Why…? Don’t tell me, because I upped the mana in Endurance?’
A blessing in disguise.
The intense shockwave forced more mana into Endurance, swelling the clump for easier control.
‘Doesn’t matter why. Time to unleash this power.’
I slammed the white-flowing blade into Tauros’s flank.
Boom!
A roar, and its ribs shattered. But sadly, the blast didn’t reach the heart.
‘A bit… weak. Failure?’
Then, secondary explosion.
Bang!
Smaller boom. But enough to burst the unprotected heart.
‘Phew. The lotus of Jolryeop Village blooms twice.’