Chapter 106: Mana Extraction

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“It’s mana overload. When more mana accumulates in the body than it can handle, symptoms like fever, fatigue, nausea, and hallucinations appear… What? Pregnancy? Hahaha! What pregnancy! Of course, if they had been intimate, that could be a possibility, but this is definitely mana overload. Look. Can’t you see the gauge rising?”

A conversation could be heard. The smell of herbs was also in the air. When Sugar blinked her eyes open, she saw a nurse in a white coat and Riley in her field of vision.

She must be on a bed in the infirmary.

“Riley…”

“Sugar.”

As Sugar called out his name intermittently, Riley held her hand as if responding.

“Ah, you’re awake. Has anything happened recently? Students who live a regular life rarely experience mana overload.”

“Happened…?”

Sugar blinked her eyes and continued.

“A snake… A snake bit me…”

“What? A snake?”

The nurse was startled and looked at Sugar. Riley also widened his eyes, hearing this for the first time.

“Where? Where?”

“My wrist…”

“The bite marks… Two faint dots… Ah! Wait a moment!”

The nurse immediately opened the curtain and left. Hearing her call out, “Teacher!” it seemed she went to fetch another nurse.

“Ah… This can’t be…”

“What can’t be?”

“So, Venom… was the culprit…”

“Venom? Hey, if you were bitten by a venomous snake, shouldn’t you have said something sooner? You just left it like that?”

“Venom… It’s not Venom… It didn’t hurt when I was bitten…”

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

How does she always get into accidents or get caught up in them? Riley let out a sigh.

Her arm was tattered when she returned. The place she visited to strengthen her mental power turned out to be a den of bad guys. This time, she says she was bitten by a snake.

What on earth was she doing at school to get bitten by a snake?

Judging by how things are going, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary snake. It’s likely the cause of the sudden physical examination a few days ago. Getting bitten by a snake and experiencing mana overload? Clearly, it’s not a normal creature.

‘…What am I going to do with her?’

She’s the type who can’t live peacefully. Her unique constitution makes it hard for others to leave her alone. Add to that her curiosity, love for wandering around, and her personality. Having lived only in the Holy City until now, her desires must have piled up.

He can’t just lock her up somewhere.

Riley held Sugar’s wrist and stared at it for a long time.

Soon, the nurse who had left returned with another nurse. It was the nurse who had examined the female students during the physical examination in the East Infirmary. A middle-aged woman from the Holy City.

“Student. Where were you bitten by the snake?”

“In the bathhouse… underground…”

“The dormitory’s underground bathhouse? That’s unusual…”

Another nurse beside her quickly wrote it down on paper.

“The symptoms are different too. It’s not mana deficiency but overload…”

“That’s strange… Student, was it a black snake that bit you?”

“Yes…”

“I’ve already contacted the professor… Let’s address your symptoms first.”

The nurse took out a small glass container. At first glance it looked like a syringe, but there was no needle at the end, just a blunt tip. She pressed it against Sugar’s arm, and something transparent began to fill the syringe.

“Oh my… It’s already full.”

“The mana’s nature is peculiar too. It’s like extracting refined mana several times over.”

The contents of the syringe were transferred to a special glass bottle designed to hold mana. It was large enough to hold 200ml of liquid.

They repeated the process of extracting and transferring several times.

“It doesn’t seem to end.”

“We’ll have to keep going for now…”

Sugar’s groans of pain grew louder. The mana in her body expanded through her mana channels, heading toward the syringe, causing her immense pain. It would have been easier if a large amount came out at once, but the slow, repeated process made it worse.

Unable to bear it, Riley spoke up.

“Can I try?”

“I understand your concern, but this should be left to the experts. If done wrong, the student’s mana channels could be damaged.”

“I have experience. I’ve exchanged mana directly before. Back then, the channels were also fully expanded due to mana overload. So… I can do it.”

“Really?”

As Riley wiped Sugar’s sweat and spoke resolutely, the two nurses looked at each other. Then, the older nurse turned her gaze to Riley.

“You’re Riley, right? Cedric’s disciple.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you. You said you’ve succeeded before.”

The nurse smiled. The wrinkles around her eyes reminded Riley of a certain bearded man.

“He’s my brother’s disciple, so he’s trustworthy. Come here and stand by me.”

“Your brother?”

“I thought you knew. Anyway, we’ll talk later. Here, take the glass bottle. Fill it with the excess mana from her body. You know how to do it, right?”

“Yes.”

Directly exchanging mana with someone is dangerous, so using tools like they did earlier is the norm. Mana from different people repels each other.

But Riley and Sugar had mixed their mana when they were younger, and given Sugar’s mana properties, it’s not too dangerous. Just like back then.

Moreover, for some reason, their mana compatibility is excellent. When he holds her hand and projects his will, her mana willingly changes its nature.

“Sugar. Can you hear me?”

Sugar nodded silently.

“Remember when we were kids? When I intentionally caused mana overload to awaken your mana channels. I’ll extract the mana like that, so bear with the pain. Relax your body and trust me.”

Riley placed his hand on Sugar’s stomach as he spoke, right below her navel. Female mages tend to accumulate mana there due to their physical characteristics.

‘It’s better than the arm since we need to extract a large amount. Let’s finish this quickly.’ Riley took off his cloak, crumpled it, and handed it to Sugar. Sugar hugged it tightly, burying her face in it.

“Let’s begin.”

Riley immediately visualized absorbing the mana. In response, Sugar’s mana began to flow toward Riley’s body. It entered his body and blended. Riley then channeled the blended mana into the glass bottle he held in his other hand. The bottle quickly began to fill.

Sugar bit her lip and panted. The pain spreading through her body from her stomach was two or three times stronger than before, making her eyes water. She gripped Riley’s cloak tightly, enduring and enduring, but eventually screamed.

“Ahhhhhh-!”

The pain spreading from within her body was vividly etched. It was a chilling scream, entirely different from one of embarrassment.

Reacting to this, Riley clenched his teeth but calmly regulated his breathing, not slowing his pace. ‘Focus. Don’t let Sugar get hurt.’

Despite the pain, Sugar gradually relaxed her body. Focus on Riley’s hand. Riley’s trying hard so she should respond too. The more she relaxes, the easier it will be for him.

And so, screams continued in the infirmary for a while. The noise only subsided when about three bottles had been filled.

“Feeling better?”

“Mhm…”

“Just a little more to go.”

Sugar breathed heavily; her eyes watery as she looked up at Riley. She had sweated profusely, but her condition seemed better than before.

Riley gently stroked Sugar’s stomach. She did well. It must have hurt a lot, he seemed to ask as he softly rubbed. The sharp pain gradually subsided, she must have grown stronger since childhood.

“But what kind of snake bit you to cause mana overload…”

As Riley muttered while pressing her stomach, Sugar made small noises in response. The amount of mana being extracted had decreased, so he was pressing harder.

But the sensation of her thick flesh being pressed while mana was being drawn out felt strange to Sugar. A deep, resonating feeling inside. It was unbearably painful before, but now… Is it because of Riley’s hand?

Sugar bit her lip, her face buried in the cloak. The groans of pain had subtly changed into something else. A slightly suppressed sound.

Riley paid no mind. He gently rubbed Sugar’s stomach, then used four fingers to press firmly on the lower part.

“Haa…”

His hand relaxed, and Sugar exhaled.

Then, his four fingers slowly pressed another spot, moving up and down slightly. The pressure made Sugar tense her body.

“Relax.”

“It hurts…”

“What can you do? You have to endure.”

It’s different from pain. It feels strangely different, but she doesn’t know how to describe it, so she said it hurts. But as he said, what can she do? Sugar took deep breaths to relax her stomach.

Then Riley pressed her stomach gently, as if praising her. Squish, squish. Her waist trembled, the heavy stimulation making her twitch repeatedly.

“Ahh… Haa, ah…”

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

Her shorts gave a firm feel, but inside, her flesh was soft and plump. Each press drew out mana, filling the glass bottle.

Sugar looked at Riley with half-lidded eyes, then hid her face in the cloak. She inhaled his scent and twisted her lower body.

“Stay still.”

“But… Ah… It’s hard to stay still…”

Riley’s hand movements made Sugar’s thighs quiver. Her legs, encased in semi-transparent fabric, moved seductively. The sound of her thighs rubbing against each other, smooth yet rough. Her toes wriggled, expressing her frustration.

The air was hot. Sugar panted heavily. Her head felt light. Was it because the mana was being drained? On the contrary, her lower abdomen felt heavy, asserting its presence.

‘It felt so strange.’ Sugar shook her head. ‘This is just a process to heal mana overload. There’s no way it should feel good.’

Ah, ah, she made sharp noises while observing Riley through the cloak’s gap. Riley, sweating and focused. Riley, pouring his heart into absorbing Sugar’s mana.

“Ah…”

Sugar liked seeing Riley so focused, whether on studying, magic, or anything else. Seeing those deep blue eyes become so serious stimulated her heart. Of course, she liked him no matter what he was doing—eating, spacing out, or sleeping—but if she had to choose, this was her favorite. Is this familial love? It must be.

‘…What about Riley?’

What does he find most appealing about her? What does he find most impressive?

Sugar relaxed into the warm sensation while continuing to gaze at Riley. Then their eyes met.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

“No, it’s just…”

She hesitated.

“Do you like big or small?”

Her body was heating up, and she wasn’t in her right mind. She had been in so much pain earlier, and now she was enveloped in a sweet sensation. Her brain was in a daze.

A disjointed question. Conflicting choices.

“What are you…”

As Riley rubbed below her navel with a questioning look, Sugar trembled.

“Ah, not that… I asked wrong… What do you like most about me?”

“Your appearance? Suddenly?”

“I’m curious…”

Despite panting from mana overload, she asked such a question. Her body was overly sensitive, and she couldn’t think straight. How did she end up thinking like this? She’s such a strange girl.

But it wasn’t a difficult question, so Riley answered immediately.

“Your smile.”

His sanctuary since childhood.

A smile as warm as spring sunlight, deeply etched in his memory.

At that answer, Sugar smiled brightly. As always, she lifted the corners of her mouth and beamed.

If he likes her smile, she’ll gladly smile for him anytime.

Her bangs, damp with sweat, framed her relaxed eyes filled with joy and affection. Her flushed face looked up at him so endearingly. Riley leaned down and kissed her cheek.

.

.

.

Five bottles were filled in total.

“Wow… Amazing… That’s a huge amount.”

“It feels highly concentrated. Looks sticky.”

The nurses each held a bottle of mana, shaking and observing it. They were fascinated by the mana extracted from Sugar’s body and shared their impressions.

Riley was also curious, so he picked up a bottle and examined it closely. At first glance, it looked like a liquid. A transparent liquid with a faint pink hue. When tilted, it flowed slowly. It didn’t feel like a liquid; more like a heavy gas flowing.

“Oh.”

As Riley exclaimed in admiration, Sugar covered her cheeks and lowered her head

“Don’t stare so much.”

“It’s fascinating. You should look too.”

“I’m fine…”

As Riley continued to examine the bottle, he opened the lid. The mana quickly began to dissipate into the air as Riley brought his face closer.

It smells like Sugar. A faint but distinct sweet scent unique to her.

Is there a connection between body odor and mana scent? As he muttered, Sugar snatched the bottle and closed the lid.

“What?”

“It’s mine.”

“I extracted it.”

Sugar glared at Riley, then fiddled with the bottle.

“Do you want it?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Hesitating, she handed it over as if offering something precious, and Riley gladly accepted. His collection had grown by one.

Meanwhile, the infirmary door swung open, it was Professor Trace, the Demonology professor.

“Where’s the student with mana overload symptoms? …Ah!”

As he looked around the infirmary, he saw the nurses and students holding mana bottles.

“Five bottles?! Did multiple people get affected?”

At his stunned question, Sugar simply hid her face in Riley’s cloak.

“You should be proud of such a large amount.”

“Be quiet…”