Ch.16Mana Cultivation Method

Sae-rin struggled to drag a sword larger than her body. Though she had enhanced her body with mana, it ran out midway, making it impossible to lift properly.

Eventually, Theo and Flora stepped in to help her.

“Why on earth would you want to keep something this big…?”

“Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better…”

Despite their comments, Sae-rin refused to give up the sword. No, she couldn’t give it up.

The moment she gripped the greatsword, memories flowed into her through the point of contact. These brilliantly shining memories weren’t from this world.

How to breathe. What resided in the sword was a method of breathing. By controlling one’s breath, one could send the energy within the body throughout, activating physical abilities.

That was the basic framework. The details grew increasingly complex with conditions that made immediate use impossible, but if she could fully digest these memories and make them her own, she could obtain a much stronger body than she currently had.

What worried her was this: Sae-rin looked around at her surroundings. All the plants were dead. Her brow furrowed at the desolate mountain landscape, devoid of any sense of vitality.

***

After returning to the Cheong-ik headquarters, the trio including Sae-rin had to rush around frantically. They received supplies to replace what they had used and exchanged worn-out equipment for new items. Karnok handled the paperwork like mission performance reports on their behalf.

“Here, take this. That money is yours to use freely.”

Sae-rin opened the heavy pouch Karnok handed her. Inside were gleaming silver coins piled high.

“Cheong-ik provides a basic salary, but you get additional compensation when you complete missions like this. It’s a good job, isn’t it?”

Sae-rin just nodded. Since this was her first job, she had nothing to compare it to.

In truth, Sae-rin wasn’t very interested in the bonus. She just wanted to leave quickly and return to caress the greatsword she had tossed into her room.

Karnok looked at the three children with his hands on his hips. The intensive management period was now over. From now on, they would follow the same training schedule as the other members.

Interesting children. He wanted to keep them by his side for as long as possible.

‘I’ll have to adjust mission difficulty so they don’t die…’

After Karnok left, the three remaining people glanced at each other—or rather, only Theo and Flora did. Sae-rin simply turned and headed to her room.

“Hey, Sae-rin!”

“I’m busy.”

She didn’t stop despite Theo’s call.

Back in her room, Sae-rin immediately sat on the floor and placed her hand on the large sword.

As her fading memories were overlaid with vivid new ones, she sank deeper into them, revealing increasingly profound realms.

There was much to learn. New concepts she had never encountered before began to imprint themselves in her mind.

Spirit

Energy

Mind

Heart

Energy

Body

Incomprehensible, abstract words continued. But she didn’t need to understand them. The memories transmitted through the sword forced understanding upon her.

Natural energy entering through breath accumulates in the body. Moving this accumulated energy to stimulate the meridians throughout the body to strengthen it is called the heart method.

The sword’s memories that Sae-rin saw were about this heart method.

Undignified, violent, and direct. Most of the phrases that came to mind were like that. If one were to move energy while recalling such violent phrases, even one’s personality would become explosive.

Sae-rin’s expression twisted.

She needed to dig deeper. This wasn’t what Sae-rin wanted. She couldn’t learn the same techniques as the reincarnator. If she absorbed natural energy through breathing, others would inevitably discover this fact.

What she needed was a more fundamental concept.

She eliminated the unnecessary parts. The beginning wasn’t needed. The methods of storing energy in the body and accumulation fell away. The subsequent incantations were also discarded.

What remained was just the path for moving energy within the body. Only a shallow knowledge of the circulation route. Sae-rin grasped onto that.

Through her first mission, she had already grasped the basics of mana manipulation. If she could properly weave together these memories from the sword with those basics, something, something plausible might emerge.

But it remained out of reach. It felt like something was shimmering just before her, almost within grasp. Sae-rin concentrated harder, reaching for even deeper realms.

There’s an enormous difference between receiving complete memories and creating something from scratch. In the end, Sae-rin gained nothing by the time dawn broke.

She had essentially wasted a day sitting there struggling.

[Sae-rin!]

Flora’s voice came from outside the door. Seeing the sun rising outside the window, it seemed the training schedule would soon begin.

“Ah…”

Sae-rin sighed as she got up.

***

The training regimen was grueling. By the time their bodies were pushed to the limit and about to collapse, lunchtime approached. The trio of Sae-rin, Flora, and Theo naturally moved to the dining hall to eat.

Sae-rin took the most food.

And Sae-rin finished eating the fastest.

Having devoured her meal combatively, Sae-rin immediately stood up. Whenever Theo and Flora wanted to chat, she would abruptly rise like this.

Watching this, Flora asked:

“Hey Sae-rin. What’s so urgent that you’re always rushing off these days?”

“I have urgent business…”

Sae-rin’s voice trailed off. Rather than urgent, it was more of a frustrating matter. She had grasped the framework. She could now intentionally move mana. However, the effects weren’t as expected. The energy circulation path she had learned through the sword’s memories didn’t exist in this body.

No, it did exist. It was just slightly different from the memory. If the reincarnator’s memories Sae-rin had seen were recent rather than from long ago, the results might have been different.

‘The body structure is different. Things that should be there aren’t, and things that shouldn’t be there are.’

The reincarnator had come from another dimension. The memories Sae-rin received were the same. It might be natural that the physical structure of humans there differed from humans here.

Suddenly, Sae-rin’s gaze fell on Flora. Flora, who had been skillfully using mana since they first met, might know the solution to this problem.

Sae-rin sat down next to Flora.

“Um… Sae-rin?”

“Hurry up and eat. I’ll wait until you finish.”

Sae-rin had learned about table manners. She remembered reading that one should minimize talking during meals.

So she intended to wait until Flora finished eating.

“Ah. Um…”

Flora found Sae-rin’s stare too burdensome. At first, she thought Sae-rin coveted her food. That would make sense, as Sae-rin was usually quite greedy when it came to food.

But that wasn’t it. She offered a piece of bread, but Sae-rin didn’t take it.

Eventually, uncomfortable under Sae-rin’s gaze, Flora stood up before finishing her meal. Sae-rin then pressed down on Flora’s shoulders, forcing her back into the chair.

“W-wait… Sae-rin?”

“You shouldn’t waste food. Finish it.”

“But… I don’t want to eat anymore…”

“Then I’ll feed you.”

Despite Flora shaking her head in refusal, Sae-rin was relentless. She grabbed a spoon and began shoving food into Flora’s mouth.

She was familiar with children’s food tantrums. Sae-rin recalled old memories. Back then, she would also catch children who refused to eat and force-feed them.

“Ugh…”

“Chew thoroughly.”

Flora was only allowed to stand after emptying her plate. Theo looked at Flora enviously, but Sae-rin didn’t show the slightest interest in him.

Having finished their meal, the two girls immediately went to a room. They closed the door and sat around a small table.

Sae-rin spoke with a serious expression.

“Flora. Do you know if there are any books showing human anatomy?”

What Sae-rin needed now was an anatomical diagram.

“Books on human anatomy…? Are you practicing mana cultivation techniques?”

“Mana cultivation techniques…? What’s that?”

“You don’t know about mana cultivation techniques? They’re…”

Flora briefly explained mana cultivation techniques. They were a type of training created to use mana more efficiently. By circulating mana along predetermined paths, one could exert greater power. Moreover, by imbuing this mana with special energies, other effects could be achieved.

That was Flora’s explanation.

Sae-rin gaped blankly. The mana cultivation techniques Flora was describing were this world’s version of the heart method Sae-rin was trying to modify. Though it lacked the part about accumulating energy in the body through breathing, it was identical.

‘It already exists…?’

What she had been conceptualizing already existed. And in a far more advanced form.

The shock Sae-rin received was indescribable. Drained of energy, she slumped in her chair.

“Um, Sae-rin?”

“Flora. I’d like you to teach me these mana cultivation techniques.”

“Ah, that’s difficult. Family cultivation techniques are forbidden from being leaked.”

“…Similar to swordsmanship, I see.”

“Oh, if you haven’t learned any cultivation techniques yet, try the basic ones provided by the Imperial Knights. They’re also excellent…”

Sae-rin abruptly stood up. She wanted to see for herself just how good these mana cultivation techniques were.

If they were far inferior to what she was conceptualizing.

‘Then I’ll create my own.’

Sae-rin’s eyes burned with determination.