episode_0052

The ability of regression boasts remarkable effects.

Having both experience and knowledge, going back to the past and repeating the same time is a morale-boosting ability like no other.

I, who have no talent whatsoever, am now pretending to be a warrior. Enough said.

But regression is not an all-powerful ability.

If you have filled up your experience, knowledge, and a certain level of proficiency, you can even bring your traits back to the past.

However, your body will return to its initial state.

The muscle mass you painstakingly built up and the trained bones will be reset.

Of course, in a world filled with various tricks and deceptions, building muscle and training is a foolish act because the output is ridiculously small compared to the time invested.

So, for now, I focused on obtaining high-end mana stones or enhancing stat-boosting traits.

But even those tricks have their limits.

And now, that limit has been reached.

If you have reached the maximum strength through tricks, there is no other way but to get stronger through honest training.

Thud! Crash!

A dead tree trunk rises in the center of the training ground.

Every time I punch into its massive base, wood splinters fly and a loud noise erupts.

“Phew…”

I take a moment to catch my breath and examine my fist.

The skin on my knuckles is already torn, blood flowing, and my fingers trembling.

The bark, devoid of life and twisted, is even sturdier than steel plates.

It’s only natural that punching it with bare fists would lead to this result.

“Wow. When will I ever train like this again?”

The finger strength that ensures I never drop my sword in any situation.

And the sturdy finger bones that prevent my fist from shattering in combat.

The importance of these cannot be emphasized enough.

But holding onto a numb fist makes me sigh deeply.

One thing I never got used to even after repeating the 12th cycle.

That is pain.

Perhaps because it’s not a death regression.

I still can’t stand the pain.

Naturally, I really don’t want to train with pain that much.

“Phew… But I have to.”

Even if I don’t like it, I have no choice.

My life is at stake.

I have to face the Four Kings of the Underworld, Kali, either today or tomorrow.

In the near future, I have to defeat the final boss, Draken.

I can’t afford to be dramatic.

Moreover, Elvengard, where I am now, is a place where mana fills the air just by breathing, specializing in training.

Resting is a waste of time.

“Huh?!”

As I grip my fist again and prepare to strike the tree, something suddenly flies from behind.

In an instant, my face is covered, and I fall backward.

“My stomach… hungry.”

“Hey.”

Lick, lick.

Opening its mouth, the impulsive Mijung, who was about to bite my neck, discovers the blood on my fist and eagerly licks it.

His breath is rough, his body is restless, and he can’t hide his excitement.

Seeing his eyes shining brightly in red, he is clearly in a frenzy.

When Mijung uses mana excessively, instead of mana exhaustion, this phenomenon occurs.

“Did you use up all your mana?”

“Uh.”

“How about your stamina?”

“Weak, exhausted.”

To check Mijung’s stamina and mana levels, I make the training ground spin at full speed.

It’s been 20 minutes already.

Mijung’s stamina and mana limits seem to be around 20 minutes.

“Mana… not, replenished.”

“Really? Doesn’t it replenish even when you’re still?”

“Uh.”

Mijung continues to twitch my fist, his eyes gleaming like a beast’s.

Elvengard is a place where mana replenishes faster than it is used, even while waiting.

But it seems that Mijung, being a monster, cannot replenish mana through ambient mana.

Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.

We’ll have to manually replenish it.

“······Ugh. Magic. Charging, in progress.”

Swish swish swish swish.

Quickly stroking Mi-jeong’s head, scratching her chin, and touching her cheeks.

It seems like Mi-jeong has developed a technique for filling magic this way.

The key point is to stroke both hands evenly without resting.

Then, it is possible to fully charge in about 10 minutes.

For some reason, if you only stroke one spot, the charging speed drops significantly.

“Oh, I’m co······ ugh.”

Crack.

The door of the training ground opens, and Alicia peeks in.

“Excuse me······.”

“Why are you standing there? Come in.”

“Did I interrupt something?”

“No, come in.”

Seems like another misunderstanding.

But that’s fine.

The more Alicia sees me as a weird person, the less likely she is to meet Yuri and Man-na.

“What were you doing?”

“Charging her magic. She has a stopped heart, so I have to manually inject magic into her.”

“Oh… But do you have to stroke a vampire like that to charge her magic?”

“It seems like it.”

I don’t know the exact principle.

I’ve never heard of capturing a monster, raising it as a companion, and charging magic throughout the 12th episode.

Just by stroking, magic gets charged.

But the efficiency drops if you only stroke the same spot.

That’s all I know from experience.

“Can I try it too?”

“Go ahead.”

“Hehe.”

With a creepy smile, Alicia slowly approaches Mi-jeong.

Mi-jeong seems a bit scared and tries to hide behind me.

But Alicia quickly grabs Mi-jeong.

“Wow. Cold and soft.”

“······Ugh.”

Mi-jeong’s cheeks droop.

It seems like Alicia has completely lost herself, touching Mi-jeong’s head and chin.

I understand.

Once you get into that touch, it’s hard to get out of it. I know that well.

“Hehe. Is the magic charged?”

“······No.”

“What? Not at all?”

“······Not at all.”

Huh.

Even though she stroked her so much, the magic isn’t charged.

Something’s strange.

I set Alicia aside for a moment and stroke Mi-jeong’s head.

“Now?”

“Charging. In progress.”

“What?! Why only me?”

Now it’s charging perfectly fine.

What’s going on? Wasn’t physical contact the charging condition?

There seems to be another condition.

“Is this how you do it? Yujin! How did you shape your hand earlier? Show me again!”

“Enough. Let’s move on.”

“No! I want to give Mi-jeong some magic too!”

“Hey, Alicia. Teach her some magic.”

It’s not that important.

What’s more important is that Alicia is learning magic too quickly.

Once I decide to entrust the Elvengard, I need to prepare to enter the dungeon right away.

During that time, I need to learn magic or whatever to become as strong as possible.

“Hehe. Alright. Do you have a magic tool? Skilled users can use magic without a magic tool, but it’s good to have a magic tool that suits your body when you first learn.”

“Of course I prepared. Mi-jeong, did you bring a ring too?”

“······Yes.”

“Really? Is she learning magic too?”

“As a side thing. You can try it once. If it doesn’t work, it can’t be helped.”

The more people who know how to use magic, the better.

Mi-jeong doesn’t know how to use magic without a magic stone.

So she probably can’t use magic at all······.

But you never know.

Let’s learn together just in case.

“Okay. Both of you seem to have some control over magic. Can I confirm it once more?”

“How do we confirm it?”

“Use magic control as usual. I’ll touch the flow of magic in your body directly and feel it.”

Alicia, who had returned behind us without us noticing, places her hand on my and Mijung’s backs.

It seems like business as usual.

I close my eyes for a moment, borrowing the power of the mana stone to control the flow of magic.

Alicia steps back in surprise.

“Wow. What are you two? Both of you seem to focus on close combat. Your mana control is on par with Unni’s, right?”

“Is that good? For a knight, this level is basic.”

“It’s really good. Normally, it takes more than half the time for beginners to learn mana control. You’ve saved a lot of time.”

They say that the beginning is half the battle.

It seems like we’ve already gone more than halfway from the start.

Suddenly, my enthusiasm surges.

“Have you learned about magic before?”

“I’ve learned a few.”

“Oh! What are they? Show me!”

As Mijung nods her head,

I showcase the magic I had learned before one by one.

Ignition magic, unlock magic, and clairvoyance magic (up to 1cm).

These are spells optimized for avoiding traps and surviving in dungeons.

“And this is the last one. Concealment magic.”

“Huh? That’s concealment?”

“It makes your footsteps sound quieter.”

“Ah, I see…”

After demonstrating all the magic I know,

Alicia’s expression becomes subtle.

Hesitantly, she purses her lips for a while before speaking.

“Can I be honest?”

“Go ahead. I’m tired of beating around the bush.”

“Your magic is a useless mishmash. But seeing how proficient you are, it seems like you’ve put in a lot of effort… The problem is that the useless spells are all you have when it comes to learning high-level magic.”

“… ”

A harsh judgment is passed.

I knew it, that stubborn old man.

Teaching useless magic.

“In magic, there are concepts of attributes and hierarchies. Of course, there are powerful spells that don’t fall into any attribute, but they are rare. Most spells are derived from the basic 1st-level spells of each attribute. The highest level is 10th. At that level, it’s magic that can change the world.”

A serious lecture begins.

Alicia explains that there are five attributes of magic: fire, water, ice, lightning, and wind.

Each attribute has a 1st-level spell, from which various spells branch out like a tech tree.

But the spells I demonstrated have no hierarchy or attribute.

In simple terms, I climbed a tree with no roots or branches.

“Usually, a person can only master one attribute in their lifetime, one branch of that attribute. It’s possible to learn several branches up to the 2nd or 3rd level, but beyond that, it’s a matter of whether you can focus on just one branch. Of course, there are geniuses who master 8th-level spells of a completely different attribute.”

Getting a bachelor’s degree is like getting a degree in anything with enough time, but getting a master’s or doctorate is like focusing on one branch for a lifetime.

Sometimes, there are crazy people who get two doctorates in completely different fields.

“Let’s try casting the basic spells of each attribute. This way, we can see which attribute suits you best.”

It’s time to choose the attribute of magic I will handle.

Might as well go with lightning or fire.

Water and wind seem unimpressive.

Ice reminds me of sharpness, so I don’t like it.

“Hmm. Why is it like this? You shouldn’t be blocked at the 1st level. I’ve never seen someone like this before.”

“Huh?”

And then, at that moment,

I realize that I was drinking kimchi stew.

Blocked at the 1st level?

“Oh.”

“Wow! Mijung seems to have an affinity for fire and lightning attributes, right?”

As flames and electricity flicker in Mijung’s hands.

Suddenly, a sinister thought crosses my mind.

Me. What if I have absolutely no talent for magic…?