Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Mana Training (4)
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That night.
"Haa... haa..."
Ah-young wiped the sweat dripping down her cheek.
Cross-jumps: 100 reps.
A training exercise to boost instantaneous evasion and stamina.
The absolute basics that any academy cadet aspiring to become a hunter had to go through.
"Again."
"...Haa... W-wait a sec..."
"Hurry up. No slacking."
Ah-young slung on the bag loaded with 20kg dumbbells.
She repeated sprints through two one-meter sections at her maximum speed.
A great workout that improved not just evasion but basic stamina too.
This was a training method I'd honed over 22 years.
It paled in comparison to the Yoon Family's Mana Manual, but I was pretty confident in it.
Yoon Ah-young's stamina level was just a bit above average for a regular person.
At this rate, she'd fail the first tournament.
If she flunked, she'd take back my 'Mana Manual,' and I had to prevent that at all costs.
"You'll always train with this on for stamina work. Now, ukemi rolls."
"Haa... haa. Just a... little break..."
"No. Once you rest, it'll only get harder after. Get up."
Of course, while Yoon Ah-young was doing her stamina drills, I trained right beside her with a bag twice as heavy.
The first exam was divided into three main parts.
First: Practical dungeon.
Second: Physical verification.
Third: Written test.
Failing even one meant expulsion from the academy.
That's why cadets trained and studied late into the night.
It was the reason the academy's nights stayed lit.
And to add a unfortunate fact...
Cadets who studied and trained this hard became official hunters as early as age 20.
But those combat hunters rarely lasted over ten years before perishing.
Hunters who survived as long as I had in my previous life were rare.
They sacrificed their lives solely for the honor of being humanity's shield.
"Enough. Now grab the knife."
The mana dagger issued to cadets.
Its sharp blade glinted under the fluorescent light.
Ah-young gripped the dagger without knowing what was coming.
Her body was drenched in sweat.
Her eyes were unfocused, and her hand trembled around the hilt.
She'd probably never pushed her stamina to the limit like this before.
No matter how much of a prestigious family kid she was, she wouldn't have gone this far.
Stamina's no big deal.
Once you hit your limit and push just one more time, it grows.
"From now on, come at me like you want to kill me."
"Huh...?"
Training with goblin hunts in mind.
If a hunter couldn't even take down a single goblin with martial arts, they didn't deserve the title of hunter.
"N-no way. You'll get hurt."
Ah-young said worriedly.
I smirked at her words.
"I guarantee you won't lay a finger on me."
"..."
Ah-young's eyes changed.
The look of someone who'd eat their words for underestimating me.
Good eyes.
I rolled up my sleeves.
I gathered mana in my hand.
"Fire."
Fire
Roaring flames erupted from my hand.
To maintain the skill, mana had to be continuously consumed.
Keeping Fire in my hand turned it into the 2-circle spell Ignition.
- Remaining Mana: 30%
I flinched.
The flames flickered as if about to die out, then stabilized.
'Down to 30% already...'
The mana flow had stuttered from anxiety over how little was left.
Smack!
In that instant, Yoon Ji-yeon smacked my forehead with her palm.
The Ignition I'd held for 30 minutes snuffed out in a flash.
Before I could sigh, Yoon Ji-yeon nagged and taunted me.
"Mana wobbling just from a notification? Why not turn it off entirely? You're losing focus."
"...Yes."
I immediately closed the Hunter Network.
- Closing Hunter Interface 'Notification Window'.
"Aigoo. You'd beg monsters for time to cast skills too."
"...No, ma'am."
"No my foot. What is this, a cartoon? You the hero? Monsters gonna wait while you cast?"
"N-no..."
She circled me relentlessly, picking on me.
Then she cast the same 1-circle spell, Fire.
"Such a fail. Total flop. Thought clearing Level 5 meant something big. What a fraud."
"Tch...!"
She beckoned me.
A signal to attack.
"If you can stop my skill... hmm..."
Yoon Ji-yeon pondered briefly before continuing.
"I'll give you a Yoon Family grimoire."
"Grimoire...?!"
"Yeah. But conditions."
"Conditions?"
"One: You only use magic. Two: I won't use any magic. Three: Exactly one week from now."
A grimoire was a treasure among treasures, dropping at ultra-low rates even in Level 7+ dungeons.
Reading one granted immense knowledge and instantly usable skills.
A national treasure so rare most never saw one in their lifetime—just seeing it was enough.
"For real?"
"Of course. Think the Yoon Family head would lie?"
Yoon Ji-yeon looked down at me arrogantly, full of confidence.
Somehow, my motivation ignited.
Of course, Yoon Ji-yeon believed she'd never lose.
Her flames wouldn't extinguish unless her arm was severed.
Day three of the bet.
Tae-hyun's fire magic cleaved the sky.
The 20th Fireball.
Thanks to all the mana used so far, my mana capacity had surged.
Now at 30.
But just 30 minutes into training, remaining mana dipped below 50%.
"Whoa~ Burning through mana this fast already? What'll you do later?"
The Fireball split into three mid-flight toward Yoon Ji-yeon.
Transformation.
Magic warped wildly based on mana usage.
That was my aim.
At that moment, Yoon Ji-yeon's face twisted briefly.
Boom! Bang!!
The Fireball slammed into the ground and exploded.
Smoke billowed with spreading flames.
But she wasn't in the fire.
She'd circled behind me, whistling leisurely.
"Haa... haa... Still no good, huh."
"Yup~ Nope. Give up."
The mana just used was 20% of remaining.
Skill transformation guzzled mana.
My head was starting to spin.
Charging solo was impossible, as she'd said.
The level gap was insurmountable from the start.
So today, I'd aimed to disrupt her mana flow with multi-attacks.
The plan failed spectacularly.
That day, I returned after being toyed with by Yoon Ji-yeon all day.
Academy Class C.
The Monster Studies professor was delivering a passionate lecture on the board.
"So when facing an ogre, target this first: the Achilles tendon to throw off its balance. But slice too shallow, and it'll counter easily. Got it?"
Class had started, but none of it registered.
I knew it all anyway.
Right now, I was solely brainstorming ways to beat Yoon Ji-yeon.
'Not enough time to learn non-Fire attribute skills... What now.'
Single shots didn't work.
Mass attacks didn't either.
Yoon Ji-yeon looked human but was a total mana monster.
'I just want to win somehow.'
Especially that condescending gaze of hers.
It pissed me off.
Ding-a-ling~.
The lunch bell rang.
"Ogre hide is... Ah, that's it for today. Cadets, stay seated a moment."
Everyone stayed put at the professor's words.
I perked up my ears and watched him then.
"One week left. First tournament."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!"
Two weeks had flown by since entering the academy.
This place held a 'tournament' once a year.
Cadets proved their strength there.
The first one was the most crucial for all cadets.
Because it assigned initial ranks and standings.
They could change in later tournaments, but rarely did.
As the saying goes: In an elite group, no matter how hard you try, you stay put.
Blocked by the wall of innate talent, maintaining rank.
That made the first tournament vital.
'Last time, second to last.'
Even grabbing top scores elsewhere, I flunked mana.
Unlike Yoon Ah-young, special judgment spared me expulsion.
But the 'dead last' label stuck through graduation.
"Work hard. I know you will without me saying. This tournament's got the world's eyes on it."
The academy tournament was one of the world's top three spectacles, alongside the Olympics and World Cup.
Drawing tons of reporters, hunter insiders, knight orders, and top global guilds.
All to scout standout rookies.
This class especially, packed with 20 Great Families' heirs, royalty...
Big-name rookies made it huge.
"Class dismissed. No salute."
The Monster Studies professor left the room.
Classmates immediately dove into reviewing the lesson.
Intense study fever.
A total study warzone.
"Ugh...! Review done. Ah-young, coffee in my room tonight?"
Cadet 1450, Lucy.
She was close with Ah-young.
Lucy approached Ah-young with her bag.
Ah-young glanced at me subtly, alternating looks between us.
"...Got plans today."
"...You're always with him lately."
I could tell Lucy was glaring at me without looking.
Ah-young smiled awkwardly, making excuses.
"Ahaha... Got reasons... Anyway, not today, sorry. Let's study after the tournament."
"...Don't tell me you like him, Ah-young?"
"Huh?"
"Come on, you skip study group. Always with him. Kinda hurt?"
"No, it's..."
Study group.
Academy had groups centered on prestigious heirs and top students.
Seemed like casual study sessions, but hugely influential.
Like Ivy League networking.
Building connections from here.
Scrape.
I stood, tired of listening.
Another day without cracking Yoon Ji-yeon, class over.
Ah-young eyed us both nervously before standing.
"S-sorry! I'll explain later."
She hurried to my side.
I spoke first, before she could.
"Why? You could rest one day."
A leading question.
"No way I can."
Yoon Ah-young gripped her bag strap tight.
She looked up at me beside her, beaming.
Tenacious one, for sure.
"Please take good care of me today too."
"...Yeah."
I smiled back at her.
The final day of the bet with Yoon Ji-yeon.
"Ah, you can fight in your sleep now. Right?"
Fire Spear.
The third 2-circle flame skill I'd mastered.
The blazing spear sliced only air.
Flames trailed its path.
Yet even those didn't touch her.
"Just using mana like this, you'll tire quick. I told you: Mana sustain is hunter basics. Collapse today, bet's totally over?"
I ignored her taunt, swinging spears relentlessly.
30 minutes of the same motions.
Every space but where we stood filled with flames.
Whoosh!
I charged her front.
Finally cornered the evader into the flames.
"Oho. Nice idea. Kept up that much Fire to trap me, huh? Gotta admit, good plan."
Even facing a guy charging to kill, this woman grinned.
Grinning a Yoon trait?
I thrust the spear forward.
"But too bad."
As spear tip neared Yoon Ji-yeon, she leaped skyward.
No magic, pure insane jump power.
Fire Spear cleaved air again.
"Closest yet, but still a miss. Booo~."
"..."
That infuriating face.
How was this woman humanity's hero?
But I wanted her shocked expression.
Craved it madly.
I squeezed out my last mana.
"Grrraaah!!!!"
An inescapable trap.
Transformation technique.
"Whoa?!"
In that instant, lingering sky flames ballooned.
Maintain Fire, then dump all remaining mana at the end.
As she said, skills change with mana use.
Even tiny Fire explodes into massive blaze on mana burst.
Fire Spear
Countless flames spread through the air.
No matter the hero...
She couldn't dodge this.
"Raaagh!!!!"
Drip.
Nosebleed trickled.
My body had hit its limit.
"Ugh... ugh..."
I knelt, just breathing.
Not a finger could move.
My final attack.
Remaining mana: 1.
Barely clinging to consciousness.
As dense flames faded, her figure emerged.
I held my breath, watching.
Yoon Ji-yeon's mana... unchanged, unflinching.
Despite that barrage, she hadn't canceled her skill.
"Aigoo! So close~~ Guess I win."
A blue barrier enveloped Yoon Ji-yeon.
Even using everything, I couldn't break her mana sustain.
But it wasn't without lessons.
Mana transformation, sustain.
And flow.
Handled overall mana use in real combat.
I'd approached this training with true intent to kill her.
Didn't land a scratch, but gained insights.
The Yoon Ji-yeon mana I desperately wanted to sever... she cut it herself.
She bent down, looking at me.
Poking my forehead with her finger.
"Still impressive? Didn't expect you'd corner me like this. Too bad, grimoire next time~"
"What're you..."
"Huh?"
Yoon Ji-yeon grinned, then looked at me.
I mustered strength to point at her.
"You... used mana. Barrier. Forgot the rules?"
"Eh?"
Of course, I won the bet.
Scattering meaningless flames from the start was bait for this.
Even a hero couldn't sustain mana without a single skill, I figured.
And it worked perfectly this time.
Her carelessness, sure, but...
"Ugh... ugh... ugh...!"
"Hehe..."
And honestly, right now, that twisted Yoon Ji-yeon face was worth more than any grimoire reward.
(To be continued in the next installment)