ALL NOVEL Chapter 10 - Talent 4
After a brief hesitation, Doyun ended up displaying the trait information.
[Vow of Purity]
(The innate power of the mystical beast unicorn. Purity is your identity. The moment you offer your purity to a male someday, you will be bound to that male for life…)
“Um…”
Doyun deliberately acted startled, dismissing the system window and looking at Sophie. He had been so focused on reading her status window that he had forgotten the current situation.
“So…”
It didn’t seem like she had more to say, yet she tried to continue the conversation. Was she bored?
“…Will you… use javelin arts… in the tournament…?”
Again, the topic she brought up was completely random.
Sophie herself seemed to realize it after speaking, blushing. The more he saw her, her reactions and behavior were… how to put it… so pure and delicate. No matter how many times he saw her, it clashed with her lewd physique.
“So, sorry… I overstepped… by asking something so personal… when we’re not even close…”
Doyun inwardly chuckled. Her fidgeting was quite adorable. It seemed he had already taken a liking to this coveted talent.
In any case, his original plans had been derailed by the unarmed combat instructor, so Doyun decided to indulge this fresh, cute talent for a bit.
“Well… if I were to participate in a tournament, I would likely use swordsmanship. But what tournament are you referring to?”
“Huh? You don’t know about the tournament next week? Oh, but… swords, you say?”
Despite bringing up the topic herself, Sophie flustered again at Doyun’s unexpected response.
“Ah…! You skipped all classes in the second week, that’s right…!”
Sophie’s eyes widened, her pretty pink irises sparkling. Realizing she could share information Doyun didn’t know, she chattered animatedly.
“There’s going to be a tournament at the Cradle soon. Ah, the tournament is just a formality, it’s actually for grading… Um… but, swordsmanship, you said…?”
Doyun and Sophie chatted for a while after that.
Although Doyun didn’t enter the conversation with any particular aim, he unexpectedly obtained useful information. There would be a tournament for grading at the end of the 4th week.
“Ah, so swordsmanship was your main focus… Then the fist style you showed during the test was…?”
“Something I learned to prepare for extreme situations without a sword.”
“That, that was a backup?! Impossible, with that level…”
The conversation with Sophie was enjoyable. Her personality was as good as her talent. She gave off a very feminine and graceful vibe, putting those around her at ease.
Sophie also seemed to enjoy talking with Doyun, showing a gentle, dimpled smile.
Before they knew it, the break time was almost over.
“Ah… the time…”
Sophie softly lamented. Despite seeming to enjoy conversing like this, she was always quietly alone during classes. Was she very shy?
“Then… I’ll be going!”
“Yes. Let’s chat again next time. Thank you for the helpful information.”
She bowed slightly in farewell and trotted away down the corridor. The more he saw her, the more refined she seemed.
…Her zebra-like lower body kept swaying, constantly drawing his gaze until the end, but Doyun tried his best not to look.
‘She must have… circumstances regarding underwear.’
The cleft he had initially seen was no illusion. When he had glanced at her status window, he had confirmed the cleft, and now the pronounced buttock crease was visible through her tightly clinging uniform.
It seemed… there were circumstances that prevented her from wearing underwear. That must be it.
Doyun shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts.
Instead, he focused on the information he had learned from Sophie.
‘A tournament…’
The corners of Doyun’s mouth curved up in anticipation.
It seemed he would have a chance to wield a sword soon.
+++
[Mana] class.
One of the most crucial lessons at the Cradle, teaching mana theory, accumulating mana in the body, and mana applications.
But for Doyun, it was merely self-study time.
“Fundamentally, mana is accumulated in the heart. Controlling mana through willpower requires tremendous concentration, making detailed control impossible in combat situations – you can’t sit in lotus position and meditate on the battlefield. That’s why mana must be stored in the heart.”
Completely contrary to Doyun’s case of storing mana in the dantian, but a very common approach.
“There are only three ways for mana users to manipulate mana. First, inhale mana and accumulate it in the body. Second, circulate the mana stored in the heart throughout the body. Third, construct spells with the mana stored in the heart to cast magic.”
The second was the combat method for those using their bodies. The third was for magic users.
“Methods like concentrating mana in the arms to enhance physical strength are impossible. Even mana accumulated in the body cannot be controlled so easily. There have been theoretical papers published claiming it’s possible, but actual cases are extremely rare and considered 100% talent-dependent… so it’s essentially an abandoned theory.”
Extremely rare cases. 100% talent-dependent.
That was Doyun’s story.
“The only way to enhance the body with mana is to circulate the mana stored in the heart through the bloodstream. Therefore, the minimum unit for mana-based physical enhancement is necessarily the entire body, which is why mana must be stored in the heart.”
However, even as the instructor explained, Doyun was concentrating mana in his eyes to enhance his vision.
The eyes had very few blood vessels and channels, making mana-based enhancement extremely difficult. Yet Doyun’s vision was now enhanced to the point of clearly seeing the instructor’s pores on the podium.
‘Indeed, this body handles mana exceptionally well. A perfect vessel for unleashing my techniques.’
He concentrated mana in his fist.
The pure mana pooled in Doyun’s dantian. Instead of spreading throughout his body, it was fully concentrated in his grip.
From the rock-hard fist, a might far exceeding his strength stat of 5 levels burst forth, viciously compressing the air with a crackling sound.
Localized Acceleration Control.
The ultra-precise mana manipulation technique of rapidly concentrating mana in localized parts of the body rather than the entire body.
Over the span of hundreds of years, facing countless geniuses, it was a skill innate only to Enoch that no one else could replicate – his unique forte.
The explosive output and overwhelming efficiency from concentrating mana that should have been evenly distributed instead in localized body parts.
It might seem trivial, but this technique was essentially what enabled Enoch the hero to exist.
“Thus, the knack of extracting only a portion of the heart’s mana and circulating it throughout the body is essential. Dispersing all your mana throughout your body every battle would be an excessive waste.”
One reason why Doyun stored mana in the dantian.
Unlike the stagnant dantian, the heart constantly pumped. This caused unnecessary waste.
Storing mana in the dantian was advantageous in every aspect – mana density, control, efficiency.
But others had to borrow the heart’s pumping to use mana in combat, making Doyun’s method absolutely impossible for them.
“This will be the content covered in today’s lesson.”
Keeping his gaze fixed on the podium, Doyun focused on circulating his bodily mana. Lessons about mana were completely unnecessary for him.
During such classes, Doyun would cycle his mana cultivation method, accumulating mana in his dantian.
No need to close his eyes or assume a lotus position. Just natural mana manipulation as effortless as breathing.
A near-miraculous feat only possible for Doyun.
[Mana stat has increased by 1 level.]
Doyun smiled contentedly.
Not even a week since unblocking his channels and reaching mana level 1, Doyun had already achieved level 2.
The level itself wasn’t high, having started with the [Mana Deficiency] trait, but his growth rate was unparalleled.
Doyun briefly closed his eyes, gauging the amount of mana accumulated in his dantian.
‘As expected. My mana has increased rapidly.’
He circulated the mana throughout his body. Doyun trembled at the surge in output from the momentary mana increase.
The sensation of his mana rapidly increasing was akin to being doped, a thrilling feeling he had only experienced when consuming high-quality elixirs.
‘My increased mana amount isn’t just reflected in the stat number. As the stat rose, my mana surged dramatically.’
Truly. No matter how many times he experienced it, this System was a blessing worthy of being called divine.
“…That concludes today’s lesson.”
While Doyun was absorbed in his mana cultivation, the class had ended.
Next was mealtime, greatly helpful for stress relief – a particularly meaningful time for Doyun.
As the students rose from their seats and headed to the cafeteria, the moment Doyun stepped out of the classroom…
“Um… Student Doyun.”
A voice pleasantly tickled his ears from behind.
It was Sophie.
“Would you like to have lunch together…?”
While Doyun and Sophie were in different combat classes, they shared the same general education classes.
Until now, they had been distant, but after chatting in the corridor previously, they frequently stuck together – mostly with Sophie approaching Doyun first.
“Sure.”
As always, Doyun readily agreed. A meal tasted far better when shared with good company than alone.
The male students looked at Doyun enviously, while the female students, for some reason, regarded them with warm smiles.
But then, an unwelcome guest intruded.
“Human.”
A gruff, crude voice. Also a familiar situation. Doyun sighed at the incoming annoyance.
Doyun and Sophie turned to look behind them. A giant over 2m tall was standing there.
“…What is it?”
The minotaur, Torn.
“Piss off. That female is mine.”