## Chapter 196 – The Pathless Way
I gather the mana surging from within.
My true power, which I can now fully control. I channel that transcendent, lethal energy to strengthen my entire body. Simultaneously, I manipulate the mana at will, focusing it at my fingertips, and with utmost concentration, I unleash the sword technique.
—Truth (眞).
Limitless power erupting transcendentally.
Absolute power capable of cleaving even the mightiest orc in a single blow.
—Practical Swordplay (実裝劍法).
The reason why the Heavenly Demon is the Heavenly Demon.
Because it is the pinnacle of “strength.”
First Secret Technique (第一秘傳絶技).
“Practical Slash.”
Infusing it with that power, I unleashed a lightning-fast strike.
—Thwack.
The sword was a blur, the trajectory invisible.
The blade, launched with impossible speed, sliced through space itself, ignoring obstacles in its path. No resistance… —Thud.
And with that, a small tree was split in two.
—I cut down a tree.
The tree was young.
Young and weak, unable to withstand me.
But in the world of combat, age is irrelevant.
The tree was weaker than me.
Therefore, it fell to my defeat.
“—Sheathe.”
The severed tree falls.
Standing before the fallen sapling, I quietly sheathed my sword. —Whoosh. The ultimate power, drawn out for a mere second, devoured all the energy in my body and vanished. The mana accumulated within me drained away in an instant.
I felt a severe dizziness and lightheadedness.
But I couldn’t show weakness.
“What do you think?”
Forcing strength into my faltering legs, I turned to face Claudia and Winia, who had been watching me from behind.
“Of this ‘Kim Katt’s’ form.”
And I spoke heavily.
—Screeeeeeeech!!!!!!!
Claudia, clasping her hands together and with hearts in her eyes, rushed towards me with all her might and embraced me. “You did so well, you did so well, you did so well, you did so well, you did so well!!!” It felt wonderful as she showered me with praise and rubbed her face against my neck.
“Seriously, this darkie is putting on a show with such pathetic stuff. Showing off like this with that tiny bit of mana? You’ve lost your mind.”
Winia, arms crossed, grumbled as she approached.
“Hey, hey. Seriously, it’s the first time I’ve used mana, can’t you just praise me? I cut down a tree with a single strike. That’s pretty amazing.”
“I would have if you hadn’t been acting like such a jackass. Ugh, you pathetic darkie. Proud of cutting down a tree? You think you’re a lumberjack? And you used up all your mana with just one strike? Seriously, just looking at you makes something inside me seethe and explode.”
The confidence that had overflowed to transcend dimensions deflated like a punctured balloon at Winia’s sharp rebuke.
“Claudia-sama is the best, jyaaaaat!!!”
Enraged, I buried my face in Claudia’s cleavage and vigorously rubbed my face against it. “Kyah♡” Claudia, overflowing with affection, simply accepted me gently as always.
But.
“…”
Winia was right.
I was acting all high and mighty, calling myself the Heavenly Demon and Kim Geuntae, but to be blunt, I’m just a newbie who ‘just now’ stepped into the world of mana. Of course, that’s still pretty strong. Compared to the entire population of this world, I’d be in the upper ranks.
However.
That’s all it is.
A tiny, insignificant amount of mana.
Using the Practical Slash, the secret technique of the Practical Swordplay, even once drains not only my mana but also all the stamina in my body. It’s just like having one hidden card.
Still, my basic strength and stamina have been enhanced.
Though my physical abilities are still inferior to an orc’s. If I train my mana further, I’ll eventually surpass the orc’s strength as well.
Well, starting is half the battle.
I can work on that slowly from now on.
What’s important now is that I can use mana at will. Even if the amount is pathetic, being able to use an attack of this power even once is a significant achievement.
After all, even a young tree can’t be cut down with a single strike. You can’t fell it without sawing or chopping it down.
But I cut it down with a ‘single strike.’
Though I used up all my mana as the price.
“Hmph.”
I inhaled the scent of Claudia’s cleavage like a drug.
I always think this, but it smells so good. A natural scent. Is it a racial difference? The scent of a half-elf, at least, feels so captivating that my brain trembles.
As I was doing that, Winia said.
“Still… well. You did good, darkie. You used to be a total scrub. You’ve worked hard for a darkie.”
“Hmph… haa… hehe, yeah. Just say that without adding anything else. How great is that? Praise me a little more. I’m a tree that grows when praised.”
“Here you go again. More importantly, sis. Move aside already. I want to do it too.”
Winia, her face flushed, put her hands between Claudia’s armpits and started trying to pull her away from me. Claudia hugged me tightly, as if not wanting to let go.
“Hmph… I want to do it more too? Katt. Hold me tighter. So tight I’ll break.”
“Ah, move aside already. That’s enough.”
“No way.”
“Seriously! The darkie is mine! Move!”
“Oh? What are you mistaken about? I may have conceded, but Katt is mine, isn’t he?”
“He’s mine! I’m the one conceding!”
The two women began to bicker.
Winia, who had already given her body to Claudia, was really just being tsundere. The two of them came to a temporary agreement, and as a result, I ended up burying my face in Winia’s breasts.
I could see Winia’s mood improving rapidly.
“Darkie. It’s so comforting to be like this. Even though you’re a moron, you look really cute to me.”
Still, Winia seemed happy too.
“Yeah. I feel comfortable too…”
She pressed my head down and stroked it as if she were going to shove me completely between her breasts. The soft sensation of overwhelming bustiness. How great would it be if Claudia’s breasts were like this too? They’re a bit too big, but I think that’s great.
This was a swamp of breasts.
Impossible to escape.
“If milk came out, I’d let you drink it, darkie.”
“Wh-what! Really!”
“You want to drink my milk, darkie?”
“Of course!”
“Too bad, it doesn’t come out.”
I despaired!
I despaired that milk didn’t come out of Winia!
“But I’m letting you suck on them anyway, even if it doesn’t come out.”
“That’s true.”
I suck on them passionately every night.
Anyway, I had no strength in my body. If I were in battle, I would have forced myself to muster energy, but now I had come out to the nearby forest to show off the true power I had acquired. There were no enemies nearby, so I was relaxed.
Just enjoying the breasts with a comfortable feeling made me feel like I was falling into a sweet sleep, as if I were being embraced by a warm breeze in spring.
We went back to the city.
“Hehe, hehe… heehee? Hehehe. Katt. Yeah. You’re my warrior after all. Even though it’s weak now, being able to manipulate mana is a really amazing thing. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart? I’m so happy I can’t stand it.”
Claudia, clinging to me, whispered seductively, scattering a rich fragrance. Actually, I personally liked Claudia being happy more than being able to manipulate mana.
That’s what I wanted.
But at this rate, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.
“Your smile is the greatest reward!”
I said hotly. Our eyes met. We’re still outside, but a kiss would be okay, right? I was very disappointed that Winia’s iron fist had thwarted it.
As always, as soon as we entered the inn, all three of us spent the night having passionate sex until we were all satisfied.
I really feel like my lifespan is being drained.
“Ah.”
The next day, I took the circlet and went outside. A month had passed, so it was time to return it. The time was just before noon. For the first time in a while, I skipped training and everything else and slept in.
I won’t extend the period.
I have already faced my true inner self.
Then it’s no longer necessary.
I vaguely realized that there would be no point in trying to do more. I had already become one with Kim Geuntae. Well, I also need to let Risha know this good news.
After all, her help in providing the circlet was the greatest.
I entered the alleyway in the slums.
The senses, sharpened by mana more than usual, showed me a new world. Even just looking at them, I could faintly feel the assassins hiding in the shadows sending me murderous intent.
No, is it just paranoia?
It doesn’t matter.
The fact that these weaklings are glaring at me is murderous intent.
It would take me 3 seconds to slaughter these guys.
—Explosive realization.
The training in the inner world was a great help. Once I knew how to do it, I grew rapidly. Although the amount of mana I had was small, my skill was so great that I was able to create a secret technique right away.
Now all I have to do is train and increase the amount of mana.
Then becoming a Sword Aura user won’t be such a distant dream.
“What are you looking at?”
“…”
When I spoke to the assassin who was sending me murderous intent, he turned pale and ran away. It would be better if they attacked me… I’m not evil enough to kill them for picking a fight.
I’m a macho.
It’s not a lie.
I stood in front of Risha’s shop. I was about to knock on the door, but it opened automatically as if she knew I was coming. “Hmm…” I guess I’ll go in. There’s nothing uncomfortable now.
A macho doesn’t agonize.
“Are you there, witch? I’ve come to return the circlet.”
“…Hmm, it’s today.”
Risha, who appeared from inside, looked very tired. Messy hair. Dark circles under her eyes. I felt a sense of everyday life from her as she rubbed her eyes, which made her look cute.
A girl worn out by fatigue.
She was just in loli mode now.
I was wondering if she would appear as a busty woman like she did when she changed her appearance last time, but thankfully she was in her usual form. A comfortable appearance that doesn’t feel burdensome… After all, looking at a girl like that is something only sex offenders do.
However, loli-busty is an exception.
Having breasts means she’s gone through secondary sexual characteristics.
It’s not sophistry.
It’s not rationalization either.
It’s not a double standard, and it’s not deceiving myself either.
This is a clear truth.
By facing my inner self, I acknowledged loli-busty.
Breasts are proof of adulthood.
So, no matter what the appearance, if she has big breasts, it’s like she’s legally an adult. I don’t know, but I feel like there was probably such a clause in international law on Earth.
It sounds like nonsense when I say it, but I’m just saying that I like big breasts.
“Ah, I hope I didn’t wake you up. Were you sleeping?”
“Today, well… yeah, you came to return it? Did you achieve anything?”
I handed over the circlet.
Of course, I achieved something.
“It’s faster to show you than to tell you… Dejaaat!”
I immediately took a stance and manipulated the mana in my body. It’s a very familiar feeling. I let the mana that spread to my body flow to my arms. If I unleash the power here, I can use the secret technique, Practical Slash.
Of course, the moment I use it, not only my mana but also all my stamina will be consumed, and my body will become sluggish.
Without using mana, I extinguished the flame.
—Chaaak.
The mana sinks back into the depths.
It’s a fairly complicated task, but this is easy now.
It’s what I did all the time in the inner world.
“…What do you think?”
“Hoo, it seems it was a great help.”
“Right?”
I told Risha how the circlet helped me, the process of confronting the monsters I summoned in the materialized inner world. And how I was finally able to face my true self and gain enlightenment, and I thanked her.
All of this would have been impossible without the circlet.
“…The circlet shouldn’t have had such effects?”
“Huh?”
“No, the words are true… I can’t understand it well, can you explain it again?”
Risha didn’t seem to understand what I was saying. As I said before, you can’t understand others after all. Only yourself can understand yourself.
“Anyway, thank you so much for the circlet.”
“…Well, it’s best if you’ve achieved something. I should say congratulations, right?”
“I’m just grateful that the witch is congratulating me. When you think about it, it’s all thanks to the witch.”
“I’m glad you said that.”
Risha smiled.
