Protagonist's Drift? (3)
Zeke placed his hand on Iriel’s back and carefully examined her mana road.
Its width was ordinary.
However, the path that flowed through her body was short, meaning the total amount of mana she could store was quite small.
“Ugh!”
Iriel let out a groan of pain.
Zeke’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Why is the flow so fast?’
The mana he poured into her flowed through her body with incredible speed, like a greased slope.
Sweat dripped from Zeke’s forehead.
He was controlling it as delicately as he could, like an experienced rider, trying not to touch the walls, but he couldn't help the pressure from building.
‘It must hurt terribly…?’
He glanced at Iriel. Despite dripping with cold sweat, she was enduring the pain.
‘She’s tougher than I thought, considering her impatient personality. Maybe she has good endurance?’
Zeke continued to examine her mana road, meticulously observing the parts he missed due to the fast flow.
Insufficient mana capacity, but an overwhelmingly fast mana transfer speed in inverse proportion.
‘She won't be able to handle a longsword.’
If she were to imbue a longsword with mana for an extended period, the mana stored in her body would be quickly depleted.
Of course, Zeke also possessed a small amount of mana, just like Iriel, but he used a baguette that was almost as long as a longsword.
However, that was only possible because he could compensate with the experience he gained in the dark fantasy world.
Zeke couldn't imagine Iriel being able to handle mana as delicately as he could.
‘Hmm. Then it has to be a dagger.’
A short dagger wouldn't be too burdensome to imbue with mana.
Suddenly, a particular swordsmanship came to mind.
Short Thunder.
If Selena's Heavenly Dance of a Thousand Swords was an all-rounder rapier swordsmanship with a balance of offense and defense, Short Thunder was a dagger technique that focused on lightning-fast speed.
It was perfect for Iriel, who had a fast mana rotation speed, as it prioritized instantaneous output over mana capacity.
A sword like a sprinter.
It had the drawback of quickly depleting stamina and mana, but its instantaneous attack power was actually superior to Selena's.
‘But, the Short Thunder training and its corresponding mana cultivation technique are really painful. I wonder if she can handle it?’
She was the type who needed to steel herself just to take off her top.
And she didn’t seem particularly interested in swordsmanship.
Even Zeke, who had become desensitized to pain, described it as agonizing, so the pain would be unimaginable for her.
“Iriel.”
Heave—
Heave—
She let out a shaky breath.
It seemed like she wasn't in a good state.
Zeke gently stroked her back.
“Hehhh!!”
Cold mana, infused with a chilling energy, touched her overheated mana road.
Iriel trembled, her body twitching.
“It’s the cooling down process.”
“Wh-What!!”
‘Hmm? Her temperature keeps rising?’
Stroke, stroke, stroke.
“Ahh!!”
Zeke continued to cool her down, stroking her entire back down to her waist, and finally, Iriel’s body temperature returned to normal.
“Huuuuuh—”
A languid sigh escaped her lips, like a contented cat.
Zeke removed his hand from her back.
“It’s over now. Does it hurt a lot?”
“Over…? Already?”
‘Huh?’
Iriel spoke without looking at Zeke.
“Th-That kind of experience… it was my first time! So…!”
“I’m sure it was. The burning pain must have been intense. The pressure on the mana road is quite difficult to bear.”
“B-But it felt… good…! It hurt, but th-then it felt…”
“Felt…?”
“It’s nothing!”
Zeke looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“So…. How was my mana road?”
Iriel asked, trying to change the subject.
“Small. But fast.”
“Don’t call it small… Is being fast a good thing?”
“Well, I can’t say it’s entirely good, but it’s not bad either. It’s like a double-edged sword.”
Zeke added an explanation.
“Having a fast mana rotation speed means it’s difficult to control, like a wild horse, but if you can master it, it becomes a huge advantage. Especially in terms of the speed and power you can generate instantaneously.”
“B-Better than Selena…?”
Zeke nodded.
“Assuming the same level of skill, you would be at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle, but you have the upper hand in a short, decisive confrontation.”
“!”
Iriel seemed pleased by his words, her shoulders lifting slightly.
“Anyway, with those characteristics, dagger techniques are suitable for you. Did I mention teaching you dagger before?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Hmm, I made a pretty good choice.”
However, Zeke didn’t immediately declare that he would teach her Short Thunder.
He knew how brutal the required mana cultivation technique and training were.
Even with the strongest willpower, it would be difficult. It was a swordsmanship notorious for its mountain of dropouts.
That’s why Zeke decided to ask beforehand.
Was she really ready to learn this dagger technique?
If she said no, he planned to give up cleanly and teach her basic self-defense techniques.
“…The dagger technique you’ll be learning is called ‘Short Thunder’.”
“Short Thunder?”
“Yes, it means a short burst of lightning.”
Zeke looked at Iriel with a complicated expression.
“…This swordsmanship is truly dangerous. Especially the pain that comes with the learning process. It’s horrific.”
“That painful…?”
“Yes, it pushes your physical limits to the extreme. It doesn’t take a long time to learn, but it’s like enduring ten years' worth of pain crammed into one year. And the method is quite… primal. It involves me hitting you… a lot.”
“…H-Hitting?”
For a moment, Iriel’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes, there’s no other way.”
“Th-Then… after that… will you… stroke me again like you did just now?”
“…It seemed unpleasant. But that’s also unavoidable. Your mana road will overheat, so the process of returning it to normal is essential. You’ll probably need a long time to cool down at first.”
Zeke decided to give up.
No matter how many scenarios he ran through his head, he couldn't picture her mastering this swordsmanship.
“I’ll do it!”
However, as soon as Zeke finished speaking, Iriel immediately responded.
‘Hmm?’
Despite his warnings, Iriel was determined to learn it without hesitation.
Zeke was taken aback.
‘Hmm, does she want to defeat Selena that badly? Even though she hates my touch…’
Perhaps this competitive spirit could motivate her even more than her own willpower.
He was pleased, but….
She hadn’t experienced the actual pain yet, so her words were just youthful bravado.
“You’ll regret it.”
“…I won’t regret it.”
Sigh—
Zeke let out a sigh.
“Then it’s best to experience it firsthand. I’ll ask you again afterward.”
Zeke placed his hand on Iriel’s back.
The pattern on the back of his hand glowed blue.
‘Alright, just a minimal level for now. If she can’t even handle this, she’ll never be able to learn it.’
Crackle—
Mana transformed into a blue electrical current.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!!!”
Her mouth flew open, and a piercing scream filled the room.
Iriel’s body convulsed as she thrashed about.
‘Oh no!’
Zeke quickly withdrew his mana and caught her as she collapsed to the floor, holding her tightly.
“Iriel, Iriel!”
Zeke looked at her with an urgent expression.
As expected, it was a rash decision.
It was a situation where even a slight shock could have been dangerous for a girl who had never experienced such pain before.
Even though he had used the bare minimum, he had failed to control his power.
“Ugh!”
Blood trickled from Iriel’s tightly clenched teeth.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open.
“Gasp!!!”
Iriel took a deep breath, as if she was hyperventilating.
“Are you alright?!”
“Ugh…”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Zeke gently wiped them away with his hand.
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake trying to test you.”
He apologized immediately.
Iriel shook her head.
Then, she hugged him tightly.
Burying her face in his chest, she mumbled,
“I-I’m okay! Zeke! I’m okay! I-It was just a bit of a shock! I-I can do it! I will!”
‘This is… okay?’
*
Iriel, her face buried in Zeke's chest, thought to herself, ‘I can’t let Zeke see my face right now.’
It must be a sight to behold, a mixture of laughter and tears.
The sensation that had pierced through her entire body was incredibly painful, but she also felt a sense of relief, like something that had been blocked was finally cleared.
Tears streamed down her face, and the pain, which she felt she could never get used to, made her teeth chatter in fear just thinking about it.
But at the same time, a strange excitement and pleasure she couldn’t understand spread through her.
‘It hurts, it definitely hurts… It hurts so much I think I’m going to die… It’s so scary…’
This was on a whole other level from the heat she had felt when he was examining her mana road.
Even that had been difficult to endure because of the strange excitement.
‘Oh no. This is dangerous…’
Iriel wriggled, trying to calm her heated body.
She thought maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.
Her body was drenched in cold sweat, and….
Gulp.
Iriel swallowed hard.
Heave—
Heave—
She clung to his warmth as if she would never let go.
She looked up slightly, and her eyes met Zeke’s, his face creased with concern.
“…..”
Seeing Zeke’s usual stoic expression crumble made Iriel’s heart pound.
Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Heave—
Heave—
Excitement, so intense it felt like she might lose consciousness, overwhelmed her, and she instinctively met his gaze.
Her tongue darted out, lightly licking her lips.
And in that moment—
“Instructor?”
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