Sparring (3): Mana's Might
Mana. A mysterious and mighty power. Depending on how it's wielded, it can manifest all sorts of magic to produce phenomena, or simply reinforce the body. Mana holds boundless potential, and it's said that an unbridgeable gap exists between those who can harness it and those who can't.
A stark example: no matter how much a mana-less ordinary human trains their body, they can't beat a beastkin with superior physique. But a human who reinforces their body with mana can surpass even a beastkin. Beyond that, you can concentrate mana in your senses to sharpen them, infuse it into a weapon to boost cutting power or unleash something like sword aura. Mana creates miracles that raw physical prowess alone can't achieve.
Mages, sure, but this is my first time seeing a swordsman wield mana...
Watching Haren begin to use mana, I recalled what I knew about it and ramped up my tension.
"Why don't you charge in like before?"
Regaining his composure, Haren sneered at my tense expression and casually raised his wooden sword, pointing it at me.
"Why don't you wipe that nosebleed first? Pretending to be cool while dripping blood isn't impressive."
"...Hmph. Enjoy your cheeky mouth while it lasts."
He tried to play it cool, but I must've gotten under his skin—he barely suppressed his provocation, his hand trembling ever so slightly on the wooden sword hilt as he growled low.
Thud!!
The talk ended there. After a brief probing phase, Haren charged at the same insane speed as before, swinging his sword without mercy.
"Grk...!!!"
I barely managed to react to his attack, raising my wooden sword in defense. But the moment our blades met, I felt a wave of dismay.
Creaaak!!!
An ominous sound emanated from the clashing swords, and seeing my wooden blade bend to its breaking point, I yanked it back and leaped away.
Ow!!
My wrist...
A sharp pain shot from my sword-grip wrist, and the wooden blade screamed with a slight dent on its surface. Rikar, the beastkin I'd fought before, had once marveled at my strength, wondering if I was using mana. I'd thought my power was on par with mana-reinforced bodies...
This is on another level entirely!
Haren's physical abilities, now boosted by mana, easily surpassed mine—even after my body had evolved through the golem cores, I'd never felt lacking in strength until now.
...No, maybe I should be grateful I could even react to those movements without mana.
"What's wrong? Your face is pale as a ghost."
No time for deep thoughts. Haren, fully at ease now, pressed his assault relentlessly. I could only desperately raise my wooden sword to block.
The situation had flipped completely from before. Previously, my superior physique had let me dominate Haren. Now, he was overwhelming me with raw power.
"Haha! No more cheeky remarks? Oh, wait—no breath left to talk?"
"......"
Feeling the ache in my wrist, I kept my breathing steady, staying as calm as possible while tracking Haren's sword with my eyes.
He kept taunting me, rampaging wildly, but...
His sword movements have gotten more predictable.
Up until moments ago, Haren's swordsmanship had been decent enough. But once he started using mana, it noticeably simplified. No finesse—just brute force swings. Fast and strong, sure, but that's it. If I stayed calm and watched closely, I could angle my blade at the right timing to deflect the impact without clashing head-on.
"Huff! Haah!!"
His breathing's getting ragged too.
A body swung wildly by overwhelming power tires quickly, and perhaps there was a limit to the mana reinforcing it—Haren's breaths started to falter bit by bit.
"You bastard...!!"
He kept up his smug offense, but his face twisted as he realized I'd been deflecting every impact so far. And psychologically, it was shaking him too.
This guy... is he really using mana?
The fight dragged on, and even after he'd started using mana himself, no flow of mana emanated from Yuseong. Anxiety crept in: maybe he couldn't overwhelm an opponent who wasn't even using mana.
...No way!!
Convinced a mana-less human couldn't withstand a mana user's power, Haren desperately kept swinging. But his immature mana control combined with mounting anxiety made his movements sloppy.
Clang!!!
Growing impatient, his swings became more frantic. I deflected one hasty strike, and my eyes gleamed.
Now.
Ditching pure defense, I switched to offense. As he overextended with a wide swing, exposing his torso, I lunged in, stomped his ankle to halt his kick, and froze him in place.
I'd dived deep too, so no room for a full swing. Instead, I folded my elbow, pulled my deflecting arm inward, and slammed the hilt of my sword into his solar plexus.
Crack!!!
"Guh!!"
"Ugh!!"
Groans escaped us both. Haren staggered from the vital hit; I felt the recoil aggravate my wrist's accumulated fatigue.
So tough!!
Mana-reinforced, his defense exceeded human limits too. Despite no proper armor, his body felt as leathery as the orcs I'd faced. He barely staggered from the solar plexus strike, then roared in rage, bringing his sword down to split my skull.
Thwack!!
"Gah!!"
Too deep in, my defense lagged. I raised my wooden sword to deflect but couldn't angle it perfectly—the unabsorbed shock slammed my body, crushing my wrist as I barely ducked.
It's gonna break.
The instant the impact hit, I knew my wrist would snap if I held on. Haren's face lit with sadistic glee as he drove his blade down.
"......!!!"
Time seemed to slow. His ecstatic expression, the swing aimed to crush my wrist—it all burned into my vision. The optimal move flashed in my mind.
So I...
Whoosh!!
"...!!"
Let go of my sword entirely.
Crunch!!!
Abandoning it, I sidestepped in my crouched stance. His descending strike, meant for my wrist, smashed the now-ownerless wooden sword into the ground, shattering it into flying splinters.
But thanks to that...
"Wide open."
"...!!"
His biggest, most forceful swing yet left him exposed, sword plunged into the earth.
"You...!!"
He twisted desperately to create distance, swinging his grounded sword sideways at me. But I sidestepped with his turn, diving into his side.
Crunch!!
"...!!!"
I stomped the top of his foot as he tried to retreat, sealing his mobility. His body jerked to a halt; his swinging arm twisted off-course.
Swoosh!!!
His strike cleaved only air above my head. With his foot pinned, I crouched low to dodge, then sprang up like a coiled spring, thrusting my fist.
"Grit your teeth."
"Wai.....!!"
Bam!!!
My upward fist nailed his jaw perfectly, a clean uppercut. His mouth snapped shut mid-word; his mana-toughened body blocked the punch, but not the brain-rattling shock. With my weight still pinning his foot, he floated slightly, absorbing the full impact.
"Gurk...!!"
His demonic glare rolled back; he lost balance and face-planted again.
Right into the dirt, smack on his face—like before.
Crunch!!
"Hah...hah...!!"
My body screamed from the frantic sequence; sweat-drenched and wobbling, I looked down at Haren.
"You...fucking...bastard...ugh..."
Nose bleeding anew, he glared murderously, trying to rise as if the spar weren't over.
Wobble!!
"Gack...!!"
But the jaw strike had shaken his brain—he couldn't stand no matter how he tried.
"That's enough."
Karen, who'd watched it all approvingly, stepped into the arena, ending the match.
"W-wait... I can still fight..."
"Can't even stand, and you call that fighting?"
"...F-fine. The sword! He dropped his first. That's my win..."
"Who says losing your weapon means defeat? Did my disciple drop his and surrender?"
"That's...!"
"And."
Squatting down, she fixed Haren—sprawled like worthless trash—with a cold glare and barked.
"You used mana and still got wrecked by a mana-less guy. Still yapping?"
"........!!!!"
Haren's eyes widened in disbelief at her words, confirming the truth he'd denied. He stared at me from the dirt.
Meeting his gaze, I...
"Sigh. Petty little shit."
"...!!"
Exercised the winner's rights fully. Hey, teabagging's a victor's perk, right?
......
Soon after, once Haren recovered enough to move, he begged Karen for another shot. She mercilessly booted him out. She'd only accepted his pushy challenge as a stepping stone for my growth, after all.
"Good work, Yuseong."
"I broke the wooden sword, though..."
"No big deal. Wooden swords are consumables anyway. More importantly..."
After shooing Haren away, Karen approached me as I rested with water, a proud smile on her face. She placed a hand on my head.
Pat.
"You did great, Yuseong."
"......!!"
Unbelievable from Karen, who shunned physical contact. She initiated a head pat, praising me lavishly.
"Toppling a mana user without mana yourself is rare. Especially as a human, not some variable-spawning beastkin."
"You knew, didn't you, Master? That he'd use mana."
"Of course. Told you it'd be good experience."
As expected, Karen had anticipated mana use mid-spar, kept the rules vague, and let it play out.
I clutched my still-aching wrist, shooting her a mild glare, but she grinned cheerfully.
"Don't look at me like that. It was good experience, right?"
"...Can't deny that."
Before Haren used mana, I'd dominated. The instant he did, the tide turned. I learned firsthand a mana user's strength and mana’s utility.
And at the same time...
"Mana isn't invincible, huh?"
"Yeah. I mean, I won."
Beating a mana-using Haren proved mana’s power wasn't absolute.
"How'd he strike you once he started using mana? That guy... what was his name? Anyway, tough opponent?"
I felt a twinge of pity for Haren—desperate to be her disciple, yet already forgotten by name.
Tough? Sure, in a way.
"His power and speed jumped, no doubt... but his movements got kinda..."
"Clumsy all of a sudden?"
"Yeah."
As Karen said, mana boosted his strength, agility, even durability massively. But his motions simplified, making him easier to handle. He only seemed overwhelming due to the speed/power gap. I never took a solid hit.
"Classic for those who learn mana too fast. Swordsmanship isn't ingrained yet, so mana drops its finesse."
Karen dissected Haren's flaws in detail—more talkative than usual. Mostly on mana use and not over-relying on it.
Her repetition clued me in on her intent.
"Master. You don't mean..."
"Yeah. Talked too much, huh? Caught on?"
Eyes sparkling with hope, I looked at her. She sighed, a bit annoyed but confirming it.
"Time to teach you mana."
"...Mana!!"
Hearing it, I forgot the spar's fatigue—my heart pounded wildly.
Mana! How thrilling!
Dropped into this fantasy world, I'd secretly yearned to wield mana, spew sword aura from my blade!
"Originally, I'd wait till your sword basics were rock-solid. That guy shows rushing mana ain't great."
Now committed, Karen sighed repeatedly, displeased. Without solid foundations, grabbing mana—a superior power—leads to ignoring swordplay, shaking hard-earned skills.
But her attitude sparked joy and curiosity.
"Still... watching your spar, I figure you won't crumble even if you learn mana now."
"Then why change from 'take it slow'?"
"You seem like the type to tangle with those End-Beast cult freaks anywhere. Gotta teach you so you don't die out there."
"......."
Huh. Why couldn't I deny it? Her words rang too true.