Chapter 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Mana Training (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clang!
As a crack formed in the mana stone, a hush fell over the training ground for a moment.
The cadets arriving one by one read the mood and kept silent.
They all stared at one man.
"Haa... haa..."
His sweat-soaked training uniform clung transparently to his body.
A well-cut physique without excess fat.
Just the necessary muscles, so he wasn't overly bulky.
Anyone could tell he possessed tremendous muscular power.
Tae-hyun grabbed the water bottle beside him and chugged it down in one go.
Unaware of the attention focused on him, he gulped it down noisily.
"What's this? Not going in?"
Instructor Ha Dong-hwan, who had come to the training ground, pushed through the crowd.
"...!!"
He couldn't hide his astonishment upon seeing Tae-hyun.
It wasn't the body that surprised him.
Honestly, bodies like that were a dime a dozen even among A-Rank Hunters.
What held his gaze was the mana stone.
It clearly had a small crack in it.
'...Hoo.'
Ha Dong-hwan's lips twitched.
"...This is truly impressive..."
Ha Dong-hwan kept admiring the cracked mana stone.
"No, it's not."
"No, it really is. You can be proud of it."
Ha Dong-hwan had called me over and was looking at me with a pleased expression.
"It's been three years since we started this, but breaking a mana stone on the first trial is only the second time in our history."
Ha Dong-hwan patted my shoulder.
The second time in history since founding.
I never dreamed I'd be the one.
When I first started hitting the mana stone, I was half-doubting it.
Eventually, after over five hours, I just thought of it as part of the training.
In fact, I benefited from the stat boosts and gained quite good growth experience.
Effort paid off.
Ha Dong-hwan couldn't hold back his grinning lips and burst into laughter.
"Puhahaha! To think such a gem came from my cadets. I guarantee no one like this for the next ten years."
"Th-thank you!"
Ten years? Wrong.
Someone who breaks the mana stone on their first training would appear soon.
He was rated as having the greatest talent in human history.
He broke the mana stone faster than Aphren and earned the S-Rank Hunter title even quicker.
That would happen just a year from now.
'...Before facing that monster.'
I felt like with my current self, I could surpass even his talent.
"Here. A mid-grade mana stone."
A blue-glowing mana stone emerged from his pocket.
Mid-grade mana stone...!
In my previous life, I never even got a low-grade one.
And this was worth over ten million won.
I swallowed hard.
"Thank you!"
I took the mana stone and gripped it with both hands right away.
I was about to absorb it immediately.
"Huh? You're going to absorb it?"
"Y-yes. I feel like I'll lose it if I keep it, so I'll absorb it now."
"Hoo. Really?"
His reaction made sense.
Most cadets would sell it rather than absorb it.
A mid-grade mana stone only gave about [Mana +5].
That much could be gained through two months of normal training for a wizard.
But ten million won was money a kid couldn't earn in two months.
'Hoarding leads to ruin.'
Old sayings are never wrong.
At least, that's what I believe.
Flash-!
As I squeezed both hands, the mana stone reflected blue light and spread out.
Absorption had begun.
Absorbing 'Mid-Grade Mana Stone'.
Absorption in progress.
Absorption complete!
Kang Tae-hyun's Status Window is being displayed.
Mana 10 → 15
'...Good. Pile up more, pile up.'
I couldn't hold back the grin.
Mana that never rose even a '1' despite a lifetime of training had gone up by 14 in just three days.
I wanted to burst out laughing.
The more growth stacked on growth, the more exclamations escaped me.
"What? Hit the jackpot or something?"
"N-no. Sorry."
I ended up laughing in front of the instructor.
Instructors were very strict and got offended if cadets laughed during training.
Even so, Ha Dong-hwan laughed along.
"Alright. Return to your ranks now."
"Y-yes!"
Ha Dong-hwan smiled, pulled his cap low, and headed back to the cadets.
I closed the status window and returned to the training ground.
'This is just the beginning.'
This much wouldn't fill the 20 years of hunger.
I craved more experience and growth.
For that, training upon training.
Class C's classmates, lined up in three rows, held their at-ease stance.
Instructor Ha Dong-hwan, who stepped onto the platform, wore a somewhat solemn expression.
"As you know, the academy consists of two years total. First year is basic training, second year focuses on actual subjugation drills. The first competition is coming up soon. Since it's a major event watched by the whole world, give it your all."
"Yes, sir!"
The classmates responded in unison to Ha Dong-hwan's words.
"The first competition tests the talents you've built since age ten, so don't overdo it... Well, that's what I say, but you're all staking your lives on it."
"Yes, sir!"
Ha Dong-hwan scratched the back of his head and let out a short sigh.
"Anyway, you've learned combat skills for eight years, not just here at the academy, so I'm not too worried. Just do well. There'll be written classes this afternoon, so don't sleep through them."
"Yes, sir!"
"Dismissed."
Ha Dong-hwan ended basic training and announced lunch time.
The first competition.
It was a test where the world's children granted hunter qualifications proved their talents.
I might worry a bit, but not to the point of fear.
I headed to the changing room for lunch.
Mitsuda's group was blocking my locker.
"...You. What trick did you pull?"
"What?"
Mitsuda blocked my locker and wouldn't budge.
He probably thought breaking the mana stone was a cheat.
I snorted.
"Bark all you want."
As I approached him, he flinched and stepped aside.
The difference in strength was already clear.
Mitsuda glanced back as he left the changing room.
"...You. Look forward to the competition."
"..."
I didn't even bother replying now.
Drenched in sweat, all I wanted was a shower.
I attended the afternoon written classes.
All familiar content, so time passed without gains.
Cadets return to their dorms after classes.
A high-rise apartment complex with 22 floors.
Looks like a normal apartment, but it's practically a massive fortress.
No ordinary missile could scratch its walls.
-Cadet ID 2341 confirmed.
I boarded the elevator to the 22nd floor.
The academy sponsored by the whole world.
Facilities were top-notch.
For a school gathering global talents, this treatment was par for the course.
Room service, massages, medical staff, personal training rooms—all available on request.
Of course, better grades got better services.
As I walked the hall, Class C classmates glanced at me.
The mana stone rumor had spread already.
I ignored them and headed to my room.
'Man, I missed this.'
To reiterate, this place is survival of the fittest.
Strength measures everything.
Click.
Lights came on as I entered the hall.
A girl was dozing in front of my door.
The academy dorms don't separate genders.
So visits between boys and girls are free.
But dating is grounds for warning.
'Who's this? No close classmates.'
Standing at my door meant she was here for me.
The only classmate who'd visit... just one now.
"What's up?"
"Huh...? Tae-hyun? Y-you're late?"
Yoon Ah-young.
She wiped drool and stood up.
I passed her and opened the door.
-Cadet ID 2341 confirmed.
I turned to her.
"Come in. I'll make tea."
"O-okay...!"
I don't avoid bonds that come to me.
Ah-young nodded and entered my room.
I brewed my usual tea.
Welcoming someone felt so long overdue.
Ah-young sat, looking around the room.
Not long since enrollment, so sparse furniture.
But I had essentials for living: workout gear.
Dumbbells from yesterday were scattered.
Ah-young's eyes sparkled.
"Ah. Thanks."
She smiled brightly as I served tea and picked up her cup.
She blew on it before sipping.
"So? What's this about?"
No business, no visit.
I wanted to wrap it up quick and send her off.
"Uh, yeah... well..."
She hemmed and hawed, unable to continue.
I waited patiently.
"Th-that... umm..."
"Yeah."
"Hmm... uh..."
After agonizing, Ah-young pulled a book from her bag.
I wasn't interested at first, but the title made my jaw drop.
"Mana Manual...?"
Mana Manual.
The Yoon Family's Mana Manual.
Left by Yoon Ji-yeon, one of the 20 heroes who sealed Great Demon 'Salamas' when First Gate opened.
The Yoon Family's—Korea's famed wizard clan—beginner mana training manual.
A book money couldn't buy.
No, impossible to obtain at all.
Perfect for Yoon Family trainees at elementary level, just starting mana.
My mana level exactly.
Elementary or not, I needed it desperately.
"How did you get something this precious...!"
I was genuinely shocked, eyes wide.
Come to think of it.
Yoon Ah-young.
Yoon surname.
But in my previous life, I wouldn't overlook a top-20 family daughter.
Yoon might not mean Yoon Family—other clans too—so I didn't notice at first.
"...I could give you up to mid-grade Mana Manual if you want... high-grade is too secret... uh... I mean..."
"Yeah. I get it. Hard to get."
I realized my innate lack of talent when mana wouldn't rise.
I tried every method to train mana.
Of countless ways, one I never tried: Yoon Family Mana Manual.
"Here... I'll lend it to you..."
"R-really?"
As I reached for it, she pulled back.
"But."
She emphasized the last word.
Ah-young clutched the Mana Manual to her chest, staring at me.
She looked ready to say something huge.
I swallowed.
For Yoon Family Mana Manual, I'd do anything.
"PT me."
"Huh?"
"PT me. I'm in real danger right now..."
PT?
The PT I know?
"I'm congenitally really weak physically... So after midterms, I might get expelled in the fitness test. Th-that can't happen. I can't betray my sisters' expectations..."
"Ah..."
I sighed in relief.
She was the complete opposite of me.
Top-20 family talent in mana and magic, but lacking in stamina.
So she came to me, overwhelming in physicals.
I remembered why I didn't recall her pre-regression.
Originally, she got expelled after the first competition.
So no encounters in previous life.
Who'd imagine a top-20 family heir expelled from academy at first competition?
"So... will you?"
Yoon Ah-young blinked expectantly.
"...Haha."
What luck.
Yoon Family Mana Manual.
Truly the ultimate beginner mana book.
Legend says even a wizard who couldn't cast Fire suddenly wields Hellfire with this.
Of course, jumping from 1-circle to 7-circle magic needs steps.
'Ah-young must've been really anxious.'
This was a trade.
Mana Manual for me, top PT trainer for her lacking strength.
After 20 years, confident in muscle growth.
I picked up the Mana Manual.
Opening the first page, her earnest warning echoed.
'Never open without prep. At least fill mana to 30+. Got it?'
Pre-regression, I'd heed it. Now? Different.
I swallowed and turned the first page.
Flip.
Suddenly, wind swirled.
Entering Yoon Family's training ground.
"Wh-what?"
Light burst from the book.
It filled the room instantly.
I was sucked into the book in a flash.
Yoon Family's Mana Manual.
A quiet wasteland of rocky mountains.
I lay there.
I pushed up from the ground.
"...No wonder it's legendary."
Who'd expect dimension creation magic in a manual?
Wind blew, tousling my bangs.
Even weather simulated.
Anything could pop out.
This got interesting.
Dimensional shift, creation.
Worth the blood and sweat of Yoon Family's founder.
Even breathing in carried rich Yoon Family mana scent.
"So. What do I do?"
??? has entered.
CHAPTER 1: Proof of Qualification.
Then, an alert appeared in the sky.
It displayed my status in sequence.
Generating quest based on stats.
First quest.
Goblin Extermination (0/10)
📍 Condition: Must defeat using only magic.
"Ooh."
Flash-!
As the alert ended, goblins appeared everywhere.
"Kek, kiik!"
"Kikikikik."
Armed goblins hissed.
"Good. Time to warm up?"
I drew my sword.
Shing-.
Suddenly, the sky turned red.
"What!"
Physical strike detected. Removing.
Flash!
My sword vanished instantly.
"Huh? Wait."
Must defeat target using only magic.
"Kiiik! Human!"
"Human!!"
"Kill! Kill!"
Goblins charged from all sides.
I panicked, cold sweat dripping.
Kill monsters with magic only?
No, I'd never killed a monster with magic in my life.
"...This is bad."
Current mana: barely 15.
Thus began my serious mana training.
(Continued next chapter)