Mana Milk: The Inevitable Flow from the Pouch (1)
"Wah, gimme milk."
"Your balls."
This was a tale from the depths of hell once upon a time.
"You're demanding milk because you won. If you'd lost, you'd have just shut up, right?"
"That's insane talk. Why the hell should I give you milk?!"
To be precise, it was the story that unfolded after repeated training under Hell's Grand Duke Chang Yeom, culminating in the conquest of one of hell's seven dukes, the [Rusalka of the Snowy Night].
"The victor takes all. Isn't that the law of the demon realm?"
"Exactly. If you'd accepted defeat gracefully, you'd hand over the milk without all this lip. A long tongue's only good for one thing—sucking on something nice."
"Quit talking out your ass. Fine, whatever. The law of the jungle rules the demon realm, so I'll play along..."
Against this white-haired, blue-eyed, busty woman—the [Rusalka of the Snowy Night]—I'd claimed an overwhelming first-round victory.
"So, what is it you want?"
"Milk."
That victory had been so sweet, and the winner could claim everything from the loser.
"So what the hell is this 'milk' you're after, you dummy?"
"Who's the dummy? You understood 'milk' right away but now you're playing dumb—that makes you the dummy."
"You calling me a dum—ah, no. You're seriously asking for that..?"
"Of course. Do we look like we're joking?"
Chang Yeom and I made our demand of Seol-ya.
"We want the secret technique to extract mana from the mana pouch."
"Gimme milk."
One of the miracles the Rusalka of the Snowy Night had bestowed upon her followers during her time on the surface, a miracle that had spread to all living beings.
"Wait, hold on. Lady Chang Yeom? 'Milk' is just a metaphor like Seol-ya said, right? You're not actually asking for that."
"We have to squeeze it out to demonstrate the technique anyway—what's the harm?"
"Squeeze what?!"
There was one thing we absolutely had to extract from Seol-ya.
"Obviously, the miracle for humanity you possess—the technique for [Mana Milk]."
"Milk."
"...Chang Yeom."
"Got it, puhuhu."
It wasn't milk per se, but the method to draw mana from the mana pouch.
"Honestly, calling it 'milk' isn't wrong, is it? It's a miracle that's impossible for adults anyway."
"Oh, that's what you meant. I was wondering."
A technique not for adults, but for 'infants.'
For the Rusalka of the Snowy Night, whose essence was the water attribute, it was a miracle she wielded with her powers to protect the 'infancy' of all surface-born life.
"Breastfeeding passes mana along with the milk to the child, caring for them so they don't die until they safely pass infancy, right?"
"Spot on."
[Infant Protection].
"It starts with feeding newborns mother's milk from the body, granting [Miracle Protection] so they can overcome any illness until they outgrow infancy. That's what I heard. Right?"
"Right. Neither I nor Mother... back when we were on the surface, no infants ever died."
Seol-ya lifted her head proudly.
"Since you're feeding them milk anyway, infusing a bit of mana to care for the little ones isn't bad. Even if mana takes root that way, it doesn't mess with the food chain of survival of the fittest."
"It's a miracle that helps them recover if someone's looking after them when they catch diseases or plagues. If they're born with an illness, it at least ensures they can overcome it from birth."
"It blocked 99.99% of other diseases, but not every single one. There was only one thing it blocked 100%."
Seol-ya gnashed her teeth viciously and drew a circle above her head.
"To keep those angel bastards' angel powers from harming the kids. Those angel shits possess other souls for their so-called [Reincarnation], stealing the original soul... Why the long face? You an angel or something?"
"Not an angel—just a poor soul dragged here by even worse bastards after a similar experience, forced into this place. Puhuhu."
Thankfully, Chang Yeom gave an apt response to Seol-ya's question, letting it slide.
"Oh, really? You've had a rough fate. Anyway, why do you need this? Demon realm newborns all carry anti-angel power genes by default."
"Listen up. Or better yet, want me to explain directly?"
"We're planning our return to the surface."
I told Seol-ya about the [Demon King Descent]—the normalization of the middle realm.
"...So you want to block angels from hiding in surface newborns?"
"While protecting the kids, we'll also teach middle realm humans how to extract [Mana Milk]."
"Damn, that's serious. Those angel bastards even erased the mana-infusion milk method? While they suck and fuck each other up in heaven."
Seol-ya was furious that her miracle no longer reached the middle realm.
"Fine. I'll teach you as much as you want. But you're a guy? Wait, Chang Yeom, you want me to demonstrate extracting mana milk from your body?"
"What are you talking about? We need a live demo from the original creator of the technique first."
"......Did I hear that wrong?"
"Nope, you heard right. Here goes."
Chang Yeom grabbed Seol-ya from behind.
"Y-you crazy bitch! Let go!"
"Winner takes all, right? It's fine— I was nervous at first too, but it feels kinda good once you try it."
"Wh-what?!"
"Kyung kyung."
"Yaaaaah!!"
Seol-ya flailed to escape Chang Yeom's grasp, but having already lost to her 'subordinate'—me—in raw power, she couldn't break free.
"Seol-ya."
"Y-you too...!"
"I'll be as gentle as I can."
"G-gentle my ass..."
And so Seol-ya...
"It's my first time, so I don't know how—"
"Here."
"Kyaa?!"
...became a member of the grand plan to eradicate angels and normalize middle realm faith: the [Kyung Kyung Project].
And from her, I learned the technique.
Mana Milk.
The phrase "drawing from the mana pouch" was from a mana drain perspective, she said.
Mana Milk was a technique to properly condition the body so the mana pouch's owner could let mana flow out naturally.
Of course, whether with help from another or squeezing it out yourself, there were ways to 'release' the mana in your body.
Any being with mana in their body could expel it outward somehow.
Once outside, mana reverted to its natural state and dispersed, but specific techniques could transfer it in material form.
Crystallized. Or liquefied.
Solid or liquid—with the right method, any mana user could pass their mana to another.
That was—
"The power of milk, right? Puhuhu."
"The power of kyung kyung."
"H-hey, you admitted it!"
"........"
The power of kyung kyung.
[A short while later, academy dormitory.]
-Hmmm, got it. I don't know what you'll offer next, but I'll look forward to it and call it a night.
After dangling the [Mana Milk] bait to Yurha Silverstar, she looked reasonably satisfied as her hologram avatar began to fade.
-See you again soon? Hehehe.
...She left with some cryptic words, but thankfully, the worst-case scenario with Yurha didn't unfold.
Trade suspension.
In-game, if Yurha deemed you 'lacking investment value,' she'd vanish as the golden carriage NPC, severing contact. Even after she became the protagonist's business partner, she'd keep signaling to cut losses if you treated her like a 'caught fish,' building other deals or piling on losses for her.
Once you lost an merchant's trust, no more trades.
Then she'd turn full enemy, forcing deals with the Castor-Alhena siblings or new contacts.
The game still let you buy essentials, but you'd lose access to her high-efficiency gear, consumables, and S-grade [artifacts]—a serious blow.
Thankfully, that didn't happen this time.
Yurha would be a great trading partner ahead—and a prime source of good 'mana.'
'She'd sell her own mana if the price was right.'
She'd probably agree if I asked.
If I sold mana from her at 1 gold per ml, she'd flip it for a hefty markup.
"......."
I lightly winked one eye.
Triggering a bodily response, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them.
Drip.
Water-attribute mana flowed from my eyes like tears, and I wiped the droplet with my finger.
A clear bead gathered on my fingertip.
By my magic, it turned milky white, then solidified into a milky crystal.
"......."
Feed this to kids, and they'd gain resistance to angel powers.
'If Bust Academy values bustiness, then the bustier, the better the price.'
Great tits come with great responsibility, after all.