Mana Infusion: Bare Skin and Hidden Scars
Before the mana transfer, I'd confessed to Karen about my experience with Gula, and she'd pushed her mana into my body to scan me. That was the first time I'd felt mana up close, and at the same time, I realized the replication power I used was something entirely different from mana.
'Well, it served the dual purpose of deepening my understanding of Karen... and leading to that mind-blowing experience...' Ahem. Anyway, I still vividly remembered the moment she'd let her mana flow into me.
"So, how do I go about learning to handle mana?"
"The most common method is for an outsider to directly infuse their own mana, familiarizing you with it and stimulating the mana dormant inside you."
"Like when you scanned my body back then?"
"Exactly."
And now, as Karen offered to teach me mana, she was saying she'd repeat the same method she'd used before. But... stimulating the mana dormant inside me.
"Do I have mana too?"
"Not just you—everything in this world, all living things, harbor at least a tiny amount of mana. The key is whether you can move that power with your own will."
What I'd meant was, did even someone like me, transferred from another world, have mana? From what Karen was saying, it seemed I did. And since she'd scanned my body directly before, she was probably right.
"The method I'm choosing for you is this one. It's the most reliable and stable, especially when the teacher is skilled at handling mana."
"If that's the standard way, are there other methods?"
"There are. The main one is consuming spirit elixirs."
"Spirit elixirs...!"
I rubbed my sprained wrist as if nursing an old injury, listening to Karen with keen interest. Hearing terms like mana cultivation and spirit elixirs made my heart race in a whole different way from learning swordsmanship.
"Spirit elixirs—you mean the kind that boosts your mana or improves your constitution just by eating them?"
"...Yeah, that's right. But how did you know? They're incredibly rare; not many people even know about them."
Because I'd read about them in novels back on Earth. Thinking about it now, not just spirit elixirs, but elves, dwarves, beastkin—all those settings from Earth novels actually existed here. Maybe someone on Earth had been to this world and spread the info?
"Anyway, if you can get your hands on spirit elixirs, that's the best way. Each one has different effects, but they all contain immense energy, making them perfect for stimulating the mana in your body. The results are guaranteed."
"Ooh..."
"But hardly anyone actually uses that method."
"Why not?"
"Because they're rare. You don't find drugs that make you stronger just by eating them lying around everywhere, do you?"
"True... that makes sense."
Still, just knowing spirit elixirs existed in this world was enough to make my heart pound. A certain desire was quietly budding in my chest.
'If I can somehow get one, maybe I could replicate it?'
Of course, I might just be getting ahead of myself. I still hadn't succeeded in replicating that low-grade potion I'd bought last time, so something as obscure as a spirit elixir was probably impossible. But... if I kept developing my replication power, obtained an elixir, and deepened my understanding of it, then maybe...
"Other ways include using auxiliary magic tools crafted by high-ranking mages or consuming lesser supportive drugs—not quite elixirs, but helpful."
"What about you, Master?"
Listening to her explanations made me suddenly curious about Karen's own path. Come to think of it, I'd never heard anything about how she'd reached her current level. Did she have a master who taught her mana or swordsmanship?
"Me? I just swung my sword around on my own until I awakened it."
"...Pardon?"
"You know what an ogre is? Back when I was... C-rank? No, still D-rank then. In the forest as a D-rank, I ran into one, braced myself to die, and fought. Unconsciously, I managed to infuse the mana dormant in my body into my sword."
"........."
Watching Karen speak so casually, as if it were nothing, I vaguely understood why guys like Haren kept showing up begging her to teach them the sword.
"Um, Master. I never asked, but... who taught you your swordsmanship?"
"Huh? This? I didn't really learn it from anyone. At first, I just went to some place that taught swordsmanship, paid, and learned whatever. Then I mixed in whatever I figured out myself. It's my own derivative style."
"...Insane."
No proper master, just a mishmash from random teachers, and she forged her own swordsmanship out of it. And she awakened her mana on her own too? She'd always hyped me up as some once-in-a-generation talent... but maybe her talent surpassed mine.
"Ah, I'm not telling you to do the same. Awakening mana in real combat like that is extremely rare... No need for you to go through that danger, right?"
"R-right?"
"...Hmm. Or maybe not? To become like me, just throw you into real battles..."
"Master! I'll learn properly!!"
I'd let slip something stupid, and now Karen was seriously plotting to roll me in combat to awaken my mana. I hurriedly stopped her. Sure, I'd gained some confidence lately, but I wasn't about to face an ogre barehanded like her. Wait—ogres were monsters that even C-rank parties struggled to hunt, right? And she'd encountered one before having mana, survived, and awakened it?
'What kind of monster have I taken as my master?'
"Let me see your wrist."
Stunned by Karen's unexpected exploits, she checked the wrist I'd been massaging.
"No bone damage. With your recovery speed, it'll be fine by tomorrow. To be safe, soak a cloth in warm water and apply it as a compress."
"Ah, got it."
"Still... with that wrist, sword training today is out."
My wrist had taken a beating blocking Haren's mana-enhanced sword earlier. Karen frowned, deeming today's practice impossible, and seamlessly continued from before.
"Well, let's call it good. Today's training ends with that spar against that jerk... I'll tell you how we'll proceed. Come here."
"Proceed how... mana training?"
"What else? Sit comfortably over here."
I hadn't expected her to start mana training right away like this, so I hesitated a bit before sitting cross-legged on the flat training ground floor.
"It's fine. People think mana training is some grueling ordeal, but surprisingly, it's not that ba—ah."
She started reassuring my slightly tense self, then suddenly remembered something and stiffened.
"What's wrong? A problem...?"
"No, um... it's nothing. Yeah..."
Uncharacteristically flustered, Karen mumbled vaguely, then muttered to herself in a small voice.
"...Come to think of it, I didn't consider that. I never used this method myself... Ugh. I know how, but..."
"Master?"
It didn't seem like a major issue, but she was fidgeting. Waiting patiently, she calmed herself, forced a smile, and approached cautiously.
"Um... Yuseong? For mana training, you need to be in an environment with as few distractions as possible."
"...? Yes."
I still didn't get what she was driving at, so I just nodded blankly. Then, steeling herself again, she made a shocking request.
"C-could you... take off your clothes? Down to the bottom."
".....Pardon?"
A request to strip.
......
It's cold.
Cool air brushed my unprotected skin.
"I-it's okay. It won't take long. Yeah."
Karen tried to act nonchalant, but she seemed more flustered than me, her words speeding up as she reassured me.
'At least I'm wearing underwear.'
Thankfully—or regrettably—her instruction to strip didn't include underwear, so I barely covered my vital areas and stood fully exposed before her. Even Karen, who'd glimpsed my body during spars, seemed awkward seeing me so bare; she kept averting her eyes.
'If she'd just act normal, I wouldn't be so embarrassed.'
Her agitation was making me feel weird too.
"Is stripping really necessary for the mana infusion? Last time, you just held my wrist."
"That was just to check for evil god cultist energy in you... For proper mana awakening, this is the surest way."
She sounded almost defensive, lightly slapped her cheeks, and regained her serious mentor expression.
"I told you the precautions, right? I'm going to place my hand on your back and flow my mana in. Don't resist it."
While undressing, she'd already explained the basics. She'd infuse her mana to awaken my senses and stimulate my dormant mana.
"External mana instinctively repels it, so you'll feel the flow more easily. Remember the sensation of my mana moving, and sense your own mana pushing back."
"Yes."
"For now, just focus on feeling your own mana. Don't try to control it with your will right away."
Once she started explaining, she regained her composure and focus. But one thing had been nagging me, and I couldn't hold back.
"Um, Master."
"What? Need the bathroom? It'll take about an hour, so go now if..."
"No, that's fine... but. Is it okay to touch my body?"
"........."
A question I'd harbored for a while. Pointing out how she'd deliberately avoided physical contact, her freshly composed expression wavered.
"...You've noticed, huh?"
"Hard not to."
No one but a fool would miss how she avoided contact—not just with me, but skin contact in general during spars. Even wiping sweat, she handled my body like fragile porcelain.
"It's fine. Just... personal reasons for avoiding touch. Nothing serious."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Don't worry. I held your wrist before, remember?"
Reassured by her words, I decided not to press and trusted her.
"Then... please do."
"Right. Like I said, don't resist forcibly. You could get internal injuries."
Reemphasizing the warnings, she slowly placed her hand on my back.
-Thud.
'Hm.'
Slightly warm, callused—Karen's hand rested on my back. Her body heat transferred directly, and her breathing sounded close behind me.
'Don't think weird thoughts.'
I cleared my head of budding impure ideas and focused on sensing the mana flow within me, as instructed.
-Szzzz...!!!
".......!!"
And soon after. Just like when she'd gripped my wrist to scan me before, an intangible energy slowly seeped from her hand into my body. Gritting my teeth to keep from gasping, I gradually accepted her mana.
'Sh-should be fine? Other stimuli are one thing, but from a man, it might hit harder... Still, just a hand on the back should be... Hm.'
I had no idea what thoughts were running through Karen's mind as she infused the mana.