Demonstration Class (2)
The training ground was empty.
Zeke sat down, closed his eyes, and began to observe his body.
It had been a month and a half since he had fallen into this romance fantasy world.
During that time, Zeke hadn't trained at all.
He felt exhausted after catching mere goblins, and even using a little bit of mana put a strain on his body to the point where he passed out.
He hadn't bothered to check or figure out the state of his body.
Training meant using the sword.
He had been consciously and unconsciously avoiding building up his strength.
Moreover, he had questioned whether such foreign power was even necessary in this romance fantasy world.
However, Zeke had now come to take his position as a teacher seriously.
He had also found something to replace the sword.
‘Yeah, it's weird to keep avoiding this. Just because I'm teaching these kids doesn't mean I can be weak. Who's going to learn from me if their instructor passes out like an idiot?’
He felt the need to accurately assess his condition rather than leaving his body as useless as it had been before the class.
His consciousness gradually sank deeper, dropping like droplets.
All the sounds that entered his ears disappeared, and a state of quiet silence settled in.
Gradually, the scenery faded away.
*Thump.*
*Thump.*
*Thump.*
Air passed through his nose, down his throat, into his lungs, and back out again as he breathed.
The process of inhaling and exhaling.
His chest rose and fell gently, repeating the cycle.
Along with it, his heart beat.
The flow of blood circulated throughout his entire body.
Large and small muscle fibers.
He felt the vibrancy of each and every one of them that made up his body, wriggling.
And then, the mana road.
The path through which mana flowed in and out.
Something that naturally developed in a world where mana existed.
Zeke's eyes fluttered open.
‘Holy shit... So that's why... it was like that...’
After the entrance ceremony,
Zeke had thought about finding a wizard to learn how to use mana in this world.
He had concluded that the strain on his body was due to the scarce mana in this place.
Objectively, the physical specs of this body weren't bad.
He seemed to have kept up with his training, perhaps because of his past life as a soldier.
Well, he had cursed while dealing with those thugs yesterday, but the fact that he could still clumsily imitate the combat skills of Zeke from his dark fantasy days probably deserved some praise.
However, there was one big problem.
This body, its ability to accept mana was premature.
‘Damn it. This body is completely useless. No wonder I kept passing out.’
Scarce mana and a body that couldn't accept mana.
The two combined to create a miraculous collaboration that overloaded his system.
If he continued like this, even if he learned how to use mana in this world, his body would eventually break down.
Zeke's veins bulged on his forehead.
Ten years in that dark fantasy world.
All the mana techniques that Zeke had learned through experience in actual battles, farming hidden pieces and empty houses that only he knew about, and even shaking down his enemies,
He saw a vision of them waving goodbye with bright smiles as they left him.
‘No, I can't let this happen...!!’
If this were a world like Earth where mana didn't exist at all, it would be one thing.
But to not even be able to use what he already had and could utilize?
Emotionally, Zeke couldn't accept that all his hard work would go to waste in an instant.
‘Calm down, calm down.’
*Whew*
Taking a deep breath, Zeke wondered if there was really no other way.
‘This body can't handle raw mana. This… I'm lucky it only ended in fainting.’
As expected, no matter how much he looked around, the mana road of this body was so narrow that he wondered if even a single drop could pass through.
‘Reconstructing the mana road… Well, I'd need an elixir or something for that. Like that kind of thing exists here. And not just any ordinary elixir. Damn it, this… It would have to be at least high-grade to even attempt it. Otherwise, I'm guaranteed to be half-crippled.’
*Ugh.*
He shook his head inwardly.
Just then, a thought suddenly crossed Zeke's mind.
‘…A filter! What if there was a filter?’
A narrow mana road meant, that when drawing in external mana, it would be like trying to force something too big through a tiny hole.
If that happened, he might be able to manage circulating mana lightly or using a couple of big techniques, but his mana road would eventually become tattered and useless.
‘And then I'll pass out again from overload.’
But what if he used a filter to remove all the impurities from external mana and only let in the pure essence?
In the first place, the pure essence of mana was such a small amount that it could pass through even a narrow path.
And because it was pure, there would be almost no pressure on the mana road.
The downside was that he would have to use a tiny amount of mana for his techniques, but the efficiency would be different for the same amount of mana.
And if he wasn't using any techniques, he wouldn't pass out like before.
‘Speaking of filters, it's basically mana purification. It's something that needs to be engraved on the body.’
Zeke rummaged through his mind for the most stable purification method.
He thought of the blonde-haired woman who always had the word "shit" on the tip of her tongue.
‘The Saintess, the one she used would be the best.’
Actually, back then, he could just draw in any kind of external mana, demonic energy, divine power, or mana stones, store it in his body, use it all up, recover with a quick meditation, and use it again.
His body back then could handle any kind of abuse without any problems, so he had thought, what's the use of learning something like that?
But now, nothing could be more useful.
‘+1 point for being helpful this time. But you still have 999 points to go, you bitch.’
Of course, that didn't mean he could just whip up a mana purification method out of thin air without any medium.
‘Hmm, there are monsters here, so there must be mana stones, right? I'll have to use those. I should also look for places where mana is concentrated.’
Zeke opened his eyes.
‘Mana stones… I wonder if I can buy them. If not, I have plenty of time, I can just go hunting myself.’
He stood up, dusting himself off.
He had finished assessing his body, and he had a plan.
There was nothing more to gain from contemplation now.
‘Now, shall we start training this body? If I can't use mana, I'll just have to work my body harder.’
***
Zeke had told him not to come, saying he would train alone, but Eric couldn't disobey the Principal's orders.
He hid himself at the entrance of the training ground and observed Zeke's actions.
‘Meditation training…’
He had been sitting in the corner of the training ground with his eyes closed for an hour now.
He had heard that for a swordsman who had reached a certain level, it was essential to spar in their imagination or confirm their enlightenment through meditation like that.
But Eric still couldn't believe it.
When he had gone to see Zeke at the Principal's behest, his first impression of him had been that of an extraordinary ‘boy’.
His way of speaking and his cold expression were like that of an adult, but
He was probably about the same age as the students at Ramielli Academy.
He had to try hard to hide his surprised expression.
How skilled could he be at that age to be an instructor at Ramielli Academy?
Honestly, he would have come here out of curiosity even if the Principal hadn't ordered him to.
He, too, had been a swordsman who used a sword in the past.
He had injured his leg while fighting monsters, and at the suggestion of the Principal, who was his teacher when he was young, he had become Zeke's assistant.
But he still had a heart for the sword.
‘Is this attachment?’
Suddenly, Zeke jumped to his feet and started running.
One lap, two laps… Zeke ran around the vast training ground at full speed for over thirty laps.
Beads of sweat ran down his hard face, and he let out rough breaths as if he was out of breath.
He looked exhausted, but he didn't stop running.
‘…He's amazing.’
Finally, after running fifty laps, Zeke caught his breath with a few gasps.
Then, he turned his cold gaze towards Eric.
“Eric.”
“….!”
‘Oh no, was I staring too blankly?’
He had already been noticed and called by name. He couldn't not answer.
“…Yes.”
“Where are the training equipment the students use?”
However, Zeke spoke in a casual tone as if he didn't care at all that Eric had been secretly watching his training.
“They’re in the training ground warehouse. The wooden practice swords that the students use are also kept there.”
“I see.”
Zeke nodded and headed towards the warehouse.
He took out various training tools.
He frowned as he picked up a few and examined them.
“Looks like the freeloading geezer’s got more work to do.”
With that, he started to strap sandbags to his arms and legs.
As if that wasn't enough, he tied the remaining bags to his waist with a rope.
And then, he started running again.
* * *
Rosnante Leonine.
Thick eyebrows. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and slightly wavy hair.
On the surface, he was nothing more than a handsome young man, but he was the Second Prince of the Empire.
He was currently sparring with the son of a Count.
*Clack clack!*
*Clack clack!*
*Whoosh! Clack!*
The Count's son's sword couldn't reach Rosnante, and his wooden sword touched his opponent's neck.
The Count's son raised his hands in surrender.
"I yield."
"How boring."
The Emperor had not yet chosen a crown prince from among his sons.
Therefore, he was also one of the leading candidates for the next Emperor of the Empire.
His older brother, the First Prince, himself, and his half-brother, the Third Prince.
The three brothers competed in various ways to keep each other in check and achieve results.
The First Prince possessed versatile intellectual abilities in all areas of administration,
the Second Prince excelled in swordsmanship, and the Third Prince excelled in the rare art of magic.
Each had their own strengths, but the Second Prince valued his own abilities the most.
He believed that true military might be the symbol of the Emperor's authority.
"The Third Prince won't be coming to the academy after all."
Rosnante said as he put away his wooden sword.
"Yes, it seems he believes there is no point in learning magic here."
"The fool. To think that all the connections of the Empire are here. He's lost his mind to magic and made a grave miscalculation."
"Indeed."
Those words meant that one of his competitors had already been eliminated from the race for the throne.
Rosnante smirked.
Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he said,
"Today is the day of the swordsmanship class, isn't it?"
"Yes, Your Highness. That's correct."
"Everyone is equal here. Refrain from using honorifics."
"How could I possibly do that, Your Highness? It is out of respect that I address you as such. Please, withdraw your words."
The Count's son replied with a bright smile.
‘Damn it, then stop acting like a prick.’
Of course, he cursed inwardly.
"Hmm, I've already had the opportunity to witness Instructor Dios' swordsmanship several times. It was quite orthodox. But, Zeke... Cli... Clitoris, was it?"
"It's Zeke Clayman, Your Highness."
"Yes, that man. He didn't even show his face at the entrance ceremony."
Veins bulged on his forehead.
At that time, the two daughters of the Duke's family had also left the banquet hall before he arrived, citing illness.
Rosnante had expected all the new students to be gathered and to receive a welcome before his arrival,
so that day remained a rather humiliating memory for him.
As he had not yet been officially appointed as crown prince,
he couldn't afford to offend the daughters of the Duke's family.
If he happened to incur their displeasure and they sided with the First Prince, it would be a headache for him.
So, all his frustration and resentment were directed at Zeke.
"Yes, I'm curious to see just how arrogant his skills are to warrant such behavior. I shall attend that instructor's class first today."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Rosnante headed to the second training ground where Zeke's class was being held.
Access 5 advance chapters with the 'Pebble' Tier ($10).
For every $10 collected on Ko-fi, I will release a bonus chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button!
Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel.
Join our discord server for the latest release updates and novel discussions.
Ah yes, Zeke Clitoris
ReplyDelete