## Chapter 182 – Mana Man Kim Kat
“At first, I wasn’t sure what it was, but as I was cutting, I felt something creeping up… It’s a slightly foreign energy, but I’m sure. That was mana.”
Karin explained that I had mana, which left me bewildered.
I was just dumbfounded.
I’m still debating whether to draw my knife or not.
“Huh? Is this punk still frozen? Hey, it’s a joke, a joke. I’m kidding. Why would I kill my disciple? I was just spouting nonsense to liven up the mood.”
With those words, she plunged her sword into the ground and crossed her arms. It was a gesture that she wouldn’t attack. Only then did I realize I’d been tricked and let out a breath.
Wow.
I really thought I was going to die.
“…Seriously. No lie, that was fucking terrifying. Guild Master, you’re not secretly going somewhere to kill people like that, are you?”
A 100% reasonable suspicion arose.
The way I saw it, this woman was crazy enough to catch one person she didn’t like every night, slice them up, and dump them in the waterway. The killing intent from just now was practically real. Do you think I can’t tell the difference between a joke and the real thing?
“Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“Honestly? That was fucking terrifying just now.”
“I’ve been a mercenary for years, that level of bluffing is basic. Seriously, how can someone so timid kill people so well?”
No, seriously. A crazy bitch who always exudes the aura of a serial killer suddenly comes at me like she’s going to kill me, how can I not be scared? Especially when that person is a master who uses mana?
I sighed and answered.
“Yeah… well, I can’t die, so I’d rather kill the other person than die myself.”
“Ah, right. You’re soft-hearted, aren’t you? Anyway.”
After retrieving her sword, Karin approached and began to observe me, circling around me. I felt a heat on my back from her gaze, as if she was dissecting my very essence. It felt like I was being observed in my most primal state.
“Looking at you, it’s like that. Mercenaries are usually too ignorant to realize they’ve awakened mana. They just think it’s their grit. But after overcoming hardships like you, it suddenly starts to show. Looks like you’re the same.”
Her long explanation continued.
“You naturally awakened mana during combat and unleashed it momentarily. The reason you didn’t feel the mana was probably because it was so tiny that you used it up right away… If you think about it that way, it all fits.”
So that’s how it is?
Mana recovered by a tiny amount during the battle, and I momentarily unleashed it to deliver transcendent power? Karin grabbed my forearm again. And she groped, as if trying to feel my mana.
“Yeah, this is definitely mana… I heard you say you split the orc in half when you fought it, right? Was there anything particularly strange about that time?”
I think I need to provide a little more detailed explanation.
“Uh… there was.”
“Tell me.”
I explained to Karin about the manic symptoms I had experienced. I’m aware. I’m aware that I might have developed some kind of mental illness.
It’s only natural. After struggling like crazy in this other world, I needed to give up some of my existing common sense and humanity in order to survive.
But cutting off the common sense and values that I had built up over 20 years was impossible for anyone who wasn’t a complete psycho, and I thought that mental distortion was almost inevitable in the process.
Of course, there were many times when those things had a positive effect, so I didn’t really pay much attention to them. However, it’s been getting more serious lately, so I’ve been seriously considering it.
Anyway.
I didn’t know where to start, so I held onto Karin for about thirty minutes and poured out everything I wanted to say… From the changes in my inner world to my mindset when holding a sword. And the desire to become stronger and Claudie’s recognition… all of it.
“Yes. That’s exactly it. Oh, and in order to understand what I’m saying here, you need to know about the concept of macho…”
“Wow, this is.”
Karin, who was listening to me, gaped.
“That’s fucking serious.”
“So, what is macho… What? Ah, it’s a serious problem.”
“This guy was more of a psycho than I thought?”
“Huh? Why?”
Suddenly, she took a step back with a disgusted expression.
Wait.
This is the most important part right now?
I was about to explain about macho.
“I’ve been counseling kids on the battlefield, but this is a bit serious. Wait a minute. Let me sort out my thoughts… I don’t care what macho is, or the Precambrian era, Berlin. And Marx and Hitler? I don’t know what any of that is. So shut up for now.”
I got a little sidetracked while explaining, and I think that’s what confused her. But I can’t help it. There’s a saying that a burnt child dreads the fire.
I might be a little incoherent because I almost died just now.
Come to think of it, did I recover mana while sharing swords with Karin? It felt like the world was spinning, but at the same time, my senses were sharpened.
Just like when I fought the orc.
An unknown impulse whispered something to me… I couldn’t tell if the identity of this whisperer was Buddha or Hwanung.
“Hmm… there’s something called magic resistance. Usually, if an ordinary person like you suddenly generates mana in their body, they’ll have abnormalities in their body because they don’t have magic resistance. At the very least, some kind of delusion or obsession. At worst, hallucinations or auditory hallucinations. That’s why there are so many mercenaries who go completely crazy.”
Maybe it’s King David.
“And especially those who suddenly awaken mana. Those guys were completely obsessed with killing and were reborn as desirable new people. Um, now that I think about it, that was a good thing. If our combat power increases, our income increases… Let’s skip this.”
It was a long story, so I didn’t really understand it, but the main point seemed to be that my mind was going back and forth not because of some kind of mental illness, but because of the side effects of the sudden surge of mana.
That’s a relief.
I was worried that I had become mentally ill, but I felt relieved when she reassured me that it wasn’t the case by giving me such kind counseling.
“I felt that way when I first felt mana, but I don’t know because I wasn’t as serious as you, and anyway, I think you went a little crazy because you didn’t have enough magic resistance. Maybe that’s why you awakened.”
Thinking about it that way, the pressure that had been weighing on my mind disappeared. That’s right. There’s no way that a truly honorable great warrior with a steel mentality like me would suffer from such a trivial illness.
Confidence welled up.
As always, I am Kim Kat.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, it’s all just my speculation. Anyway, congratulations on awakening mana. It’s rewarding to teach my disciple diligently. I told you? You’ll become a great killer. I was a little embarrassed because your mental state was a bit serious, but when I think about it again, a great killer doesn’t need to be bound by common sense.”
“I’ll just ignore the postscript at the end. So, the conclusion is that I still feel mana from me now? It hasn’t disappeared?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
ㅡThrill.
I went crazy and jumped around.
The explanation was long, and I didn’t really know what was going on, but anyway, I have mana! Then I should be happy! Thinking about it that way, I felt energized again! I ran around in circles for a long time and stood in front of Karin.
“Haa… haa…”
“You’re a really unpredictable guy.”
I took a moment to catch my breath.
I have mana.
Whatever the reason, it’s fucking great.
Then, if I increase this mana, can I become a fucking overpowered macho man?
ㅡBbangbbangrehu.
The future me, who became the king of macho, seemed to be saying that.
My motivation began to sprout.
If I have mana, I can increase it through training. Then a D-class adventurer is nothing more than a pushover. C-class is just around the corner!
You. I like your mana pool.
Wasn’t I a hard worker in the first place! I started to see something similar to hope! Maybe I was born with the power of a hero. I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure of it. I, Kim Kat, was a hero!
Good.
This is an opportunity for Kim Kat to be reborn as a sword master.
I took a deep breath and asked Karin.
“Guild Master. Then how do I train this?”
“I don’t know. You have to figure that out on your own.”
Huh?
“My system is different. So I can’t really say anything. There’s no way but to do it yourself.”
“Huh? No, how can I train if I don’t know anything? Is there anything, anything like a tip from an elder?”
“Elder?”
“No, no! I misspoke! Is there anything! Is there any helpful advice! To a disciple! I’m really desperate right now!”
No matter how much of a fucking genius I am with the talent of a hero, I can’t learn something I don’t know on my own. If I don’t get some help, I’m afraid I’ll lose even the clue I’ve managed to grasp.
“Hmm, I don’t really know… But if I had to pick one representative method, it would be meditation and endless combat review. Recall the feeling of using mana in your head and think back to the fight at that time. Then maybe you’ll get a flash of that feeling.”
I don’t feel anything flashing.
“…Is that all?”
“I gave you a really kind explanation, what?”
“Oh, uh… no. I thought there would be some special method.”
“Then learn a professional training method.”
“…”
I guess.
In this other world, mana is something beyond professional skill, it’s ‘something’. It’s a concept that can lead to superhumanity, so there’s no simple way to train it. Even if there is, it’s not something I can find.
“Well, now that I think about meditation, there’s also a way to borrow the power of tools.”
“Tools?????”
Doraemon?
Karin explained.
The tools were magical tools that helped with meditation or recalled old memories.
If you use such things, you can more easily get clues about recalling old sensations or inner enlightenment.
“Well… there’s that, that. Risha. You’re familiar with her, right? It would be a good idea to go and consult with her.”
“Ah, Risha…”
“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that? Did something uncomfortable happen?”
There’s a lot.
I was raped.
It was literally a drug rape.
It’s not a place I really want to go. But when I think of Risha’s sad face, I feel uncomfortable even though it’s not my fault, and I said I’d come back again sometime before I left.
“Sigh, well. Thank you for the advice. There’s no one as reliable as the Guild Master.”
“Right? Then come and register again while you’re here. It’s 5 silver.”
“Okay. Ah, but I’ll do it from tomorrow. I’ll come to register tomorrow.”
“Just give it to me now. I’ll count the time from tomorrow. I don’t have any cash right now.”
“Uh… here you go.”
“Hehe, that’s why you’re an excellent guild member!”
Karin patted me on the back. It was a force that felt like my internal organs would burst. I followed her in, half retching, greeted her, and came out of the guild.
“Magic tools…”
Should I go back to the accommodation today?
No, that’s not it. Even if I go now, there’s a high possibility that I’ll waste my time mainly in a sexual sense… Should I go to the black magic shop once? I’m confused.
Is the path of the sword master long and arduous?
I hesitated in front of the door for a long time and made up my mind.
“Fuck it.”
This kind of opportunity is not common. In order to train mana and become stronger, I need to endure some discomfort. I’m not going to do anything else anyway, I’m just going to look at the magic items.
That’s okay.
