episode_0071

“Reinforcing the body with mana comes with more pitfalls than simply releasing it.”

Frederick sat me down in the auditorium and began a short lecture.

“That’s because the human body is far more delicate and sensitive than inorganic objects like swords or arrows. If someone who knows nothing moves while letting mana flow, they could damage their organs, tear muscles, or ruin nerves. Blood vessels could even twist.”

The instructor carefully lifted my hand and placed it palm up.

“Therefore, what’s important in body reinforcement training is helping each individual find the appropriate channels and understand the process of how much mana to flow and how. Now, I’ll send mana through, so feel it slowly.”

“Um, Instructor-nim. That’s… my fr… no, people I know have all done that for me before.”

It was strange. It felt like what the instructor was trying to do was just a repetition of trials and errors I’d already experienced.

Advising me to calmly sit down, send mana into my palm or back, and then feel it, was something even my friends had done at least once.

“I don’t know who it was, but they probably tried to force-feed you tricks that only apply to themselves, or spouted off complex and incomprehensible theories. If you listen to that and follow it, you’ll never get it, not in a hundred days. An awakened person’s mana only moves in their own unique way and path.”

“So, what should I do?”

“It’s simple. Do as you please.”

“Pardon?”

“Inner peace? Enlightenment through meditation? I don’t know about that nonsense. You need to start by meticulously observing the mana in your body before anything becomes possible. You might not understand it now, but doing it your own way is the answer. Let’s begin.”

An unfamiliar sensation of mana began to flow into my palm. A current of mana, like a stream of water, traced its way up from my wrist and then vanished.

I felt like I almost understood it, yet didn’t, so I repeated it a few more times.

“Now, try to move your mana. Breathe slowly, there’s no need to do a lot from the start. Just imagine you’re going for a stroll.”

I started moving mana as the instructor directed.

“Now, close your eyes. Discard visual information to understand faster. Focus on your sense of touch. Don’t spread it throughout your entire body; first, try to concentrate it in one place. Start with your left arm, little by little, try to use mana as if detaching it in small pellets.”

“Ugh… it’s not working.”

“That’s basic! Don’t tell me you’ve been recklessly using mana as it flows until now? What a waste…”

Even after that, I moved mana as the instructor directed. After about 30 minutes, I started to grasp something. I felt an unfamiliar sensation in my left arm. It felt like an extra bone was there. Like having an extra arm attached.

“Slowly, slowly. Move it.”

The instructor’s guidance was different. My perception changed.

Power, I gained power!

“Whoa! The power!”

“What? Already? How long has it been since you started?”

Frederick’s eyes widened. He seemed surprised by the tone of his voice. Why?

My left arm felt like it was about to burst. Below my elbow, it was hot. Could I break a brick with my bare hands right now?

It moves. Power surges…!

“Stop!”

“Eek!”

While I was deeply focused, the instructor slapped my head. Then, he grabbed my wrist and sent mana through it. The power I had felt earlier vanished.

“Why did you do that…”

“You idiot! Were you trying to burst your arm?”

Listening to his scolding, I looked at my left arm, and to my surprise, it was swollen below the elbow!

“How ignorantly did you pour mana into it? Your arm could have been ruined. How many times did I tell you to go slowly?”

This must have been truly dangerous. When I tried to move my left arm, it wouldn’t budge, as if it had been punished.

“Fortunately, it only swelled. It should go down quickly. This is maddening. Why is your learning speed so fast…?”

After that, I repeated the attempts a few more times, but they were halted due to the judgment that it was dangerous.

“That’s all for today. I have an appointment, so I’ll be leaving.”

“Can I come again tomorrow?”

“…Fine.”

I stepped outside into the setting sun.

***

I reviewed today’s training. Regarding the body reinforcement training, the instructor said my progress was fast, but I wasn’t as satisfied as I thought I’d be.

「It would be better if it were faster!」

「Is there no way to improve my skills in just a day or two?」

It was frustrating. Those wicked guys’ plans were only three months away, and I was still stuck in place.

The sparring was the same.

“Violet, looking at you now, it’s not that you lack fundamentals… but you’re too aggressive.”

“I told you. I don’t die. My wrist or arm has been blown off a few times, you know?”

Irene’s expression crumpled upon hearing my reply.

“That was the problem. I understand why your movements are so reckless and hasty. Try to move as if you’re preserving your body a bit. What’s the point if you don’t die and don’t feel pain?

You have no way to land attacks. To properly utilize your unique ability, you need to be able to hold onto your opponent for at least a little longer. For that, you need to pay attention to defense!”

After hearing her criticism, I understood why I was pushed to the brink of defeat in the last duel.

All of her points were valid. Lying down, we earnestly pondered.

However, realistically speaking, there was no way to improve skills in just a few days.

No, thinking about it, there was one way.

We are many, aren’t we?

「Right, why didn’t we think of this?」

「Let’s try it right now!」

The Violets, who had been resting in their respective places after dinner, quickly stood up.

“First, let’s try body reinforcement training.”

Dozens of clones in the lodging outside the school sat down and began to flow mana into their limbs and move.

Our idea was simple.

Careless use of mana is dangerous. One could die.

But we don’t die. Any injuries can be undone through de-creation and re-creation.

Therefore, dozens of us will simultaneously use different methods to find the optimal body reinforcement technique!

Just a few minutes into the training, casualties immediately occurred.

Clone #78’s arm swelled strangely and then twisted.

“Ah! My arm!”

Soon after, several clones began to contort and collapse. The causes were simple: shortness of breath, body paralysis, heart attack.

“Ugh…!”

Clone #89 bled from their eyes, nose, and mouth, then collapsed and died.

“Wah! I can’t see!”

Clone #23, who had mismanaged their mana, went blind.

「My arm burst!」

Furthermore, mana was poured in too quickly and in too large quantities, causing parts of the body to explode.

But it’s okay.

It doesn’t hurt as much as expected, because it can be distributed among others. Even if we die, we come back to life.

We endlessly repeated, summoned clones, de-created them again, and repeated. We practiced simultaneously and trained simultaneously.

***

And we repeated that for about a day.

“Ah…! It’s moving!”

Through dozens of sacrifices, we finally began to gradually grasp the know-how of moving mana.

When we sent mana into our legs, we could move faster than usual. When we sent mana into our arms, we felt stronger than before.

24-hour learning through the repeated activities of multiple clones was effective.

To be precise, “25 hours” might be a more fitting expression than “24 hours.” Because newly created clones don’t feel sleepy. We can train day and night.

After about two days, our repetitive learning through clones now extended to the realm of swordsmanship.

“What, Violet. You fixed it quickly. How did you do that?”

“Yeah, Irene was right. It works when I concentrate.”

“…?”

Whenever two Violets swung their swords and moved in the school gym and private training ground, the Violets at home imitated those movements exactly.

Outwardly, it looked like they were swinging a sword through the air. But I could feel it. Something was quickly accumulating within me. Very faintly, but gradually, the movements became more precise.

「Ouch! My leg swelled again!」

「The sensation below my waist…」

Now, the duration of body reinforcement through mana gradually began to lengthen. Instances of getting injured by accidentally mismanaging mana also decreased.

If one person’s practice time wasn’t enough, then ten people could practice. If ten weren’t enough, then a hundred could practice at once. From those hundred, we extracted the most optimal results, then imitated, refined, and repeated.

Three days passed like that.

***

“Look at this!”

“…?”

Before Instructor Frederick, I moved the mana throughout my entire body.

Mana rapidly spread throughout my entire body, moving into muscles, joints, to where it needed to be. It then permeated into necessary body parts, supporting and holding up deficient areas. Aether flowed into major organs and sensory organs like eyes and ears, stimulating them.

As I took a step, the world slowed down. When I turned my eyes, I could see things I hadn’t noticed before. My entire body felt like it was about to explode, but I managed to hold it together.

“Whoa!”

I ran at full speed. Only then did I realize that I had succeeded in full-body reinforcement.

The moment I excitedly turned my head.

-CRASH!

“Ugh!”

I crashed straight into the wall. I had misjudged my strength and collided rapidly.

Oh, I messed up.

I braced myself for a scolding and turned around, but for some reason, Instructor Frederick’s mouth was wide open. Anyone would think his jaw had dropped.

“Ugh… I’m sorry!”

His eyes stared at me blankly.

“J-Just three days…!”

“…?”

Did I do something wrong? His reaction was strange.