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Episode 15: Mana (4):
Yohan’s expression changed as he witnessed the shift occurring around Yuri.
‘This brat… finally…?’
The mana change taking place now wasn’t something Yohan had caused.
It was Yuri himself who had triggered it.
And that could only mean one thing:
‘He’s awakened to mana!’
But that wasn’t all.
Unlike before, Yuri was now gathering mana through his own will.
The unstable and irregular rate at which he was absorbing mana proved it.
Anyone could tell at a glance—it was the clumsy technique of a complete beginner who was absorbing mana for the first time.
Yohan let out a small sigh.
‘He’s passed the critical point.’
While most people could sense mana, only a select few could consciously draw it into themselves.
In other words, anyone could perceive mana, but only the chosen could actually absorb it.
Of course, from Yohan’s perspective, absorption was still only the preparatory stage.
The real training began now.
Looking at Yuri—who still had his eyes closed—Yohan spoke calmly.
“From this point on, listen carefully to every word I say.”
Yohan’s voice flowed steadily, almost like still water.
“By nature, mana is easily scattered. Even if you draw it into your body, it disperses quickly. That’s why the next step is to condense it within your flesh. In martial mana arts, this is called… the ‘Core.’”
The Core (核).
The act of forming this tiny seed was the true first step of martial mana training.
“The properties of the core vary greatly depending on the type of martial mana art you learn. More accurately, the way the core is used depends on which martial mana art you’ve mastered.”
Heart, solar plexus, head, arms, legs, feet—
Depending on the martial mana art, the composition, location, and even number of cores could differ.
The place where Yuri’s seed would be planted—the foundation for the martial mana art Yohan would pass down to him—
was none other than the navel.
The center of the body, where mana flow reached perfect balance and could be directed freely.
In the martial mana art of House Redner—the one Yohan had mastered, as well as the one he himself had created—the core was also formed at the navel.
“Don’t be surprised.”
As he said this, Yohan placed his hand on Yuri’s back.
“From now on, my mana will guide yours. Remember this well—this will be the path of mana you’ll hone for the rest of your life.”
At the same time, Yohan released his mana and pushed it through Yuri’s back.
Using one’s own mana to observe and guide another person’s body—
This was something that only someone with deep mastery of mana could attempt.
Soon, what was happening inside Yuri’s body was vividly projected into Yohan’s mind through his hand.
And Yohan was startled.
‘Fast!’
He had sensed it before, but Yuri’s mana absorption speed was abnormally high.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just absorption speed.
‘Accumulation rate, penetration rate, transfer rate… all of them are excellent!’
The so-called “three great efficiency metrics” of mana were far beyond average.
‘Comparable to me… no, maybe even greater.’
Comparing Yuri’s current state to his own childhood, Yohan was convinced:
Yuri’s talent with mana was at least on par with his own—or perhaps even greater.
It was absurd.
‘Heh.’
At first, he’d thought Yuri was a hopeless brat who couldn’t sense mana.
But when he peeled back the surface, a monster had jumped out.
Yohan’s lips curled into a faint grin.
It was the same smile he’d worn when he first saw Yuri use Manifestation.
‘Monster brat!’
Excitement welled up in Yohan’s chest once more.
He wondered what this little monster would show him next.
What new surprises awaited.
With that anticipation, Yohan began moving the mana.
Cool, clear mana started carving a path through Yuri’s body.
‘Come on, follow me!’
There were countless martial mana arts in the world, each with their own distinctive Mana Road.
If one followed a secret Mana Road, the corresponding core would be formed.
And the Mana Road Yohan was passing down to Yuri now was a creation born of pure, unyielding determination—
the desire to one day defeat the Swordmaster.
After years of research, he had never actually formed a core using this road.
It was a new system—one even Yohan himself had not mastered—being inscribed into Yuri’s body for the very first time.
Yuri’s mana followed Yohan’s guidance smoothly, flowing along the road without hesitation.
‘That’s it!’
Though it was the Mana Road’s debut, Yohan had no doubt it would lead to the formation of a core.
He had spent more than a decade developing this. Failure was not an option.
‘Consider it an honor! You’re becoming the owner of this Mana Road!’
As he expected, the Mana Road etched itself more and more clearly into Yuri’s body.
The mana surged forward without hindrance until it finally reached its destination—
the area near Yuri’s navel.
Where the core was supposed to be born.
‘Finally!’
After all these years, the first fruit was about to form.
‘Show yourself!’
It should have happened.
The core should have formed…
‘…?’
Yohan’s mind froze.
‘Huh?’
All that was left was for a tiny core to appear near Yuri’s navel.
But…
‘Wha— Where is it?!’
No core formed.
Worse—the mana that should have remained inside Yuri had completely vanished.
‘Th—this can’t be happening!’
Panicked, Yohan tried again, sending mana down the road.
Having carved the path once, the mana now flowed even faster and more precisely.
And after the second attempt—
‘It’s gone again?!’
Same result.
The mana followed the road, but vanished without forming a core.
Over and over Yohan tried, but the core stubbornly refused to form.
Time passed.
Yohan pulled his hand from Yuri’s back and muttered blankly:
“It was there… and now it’s gone? It was there… and now it’s gone!”
Yuri tilted his head innocently.
“What’s gone?”
“The mana! Where the hell did you stash all that mana just now?!”
“Oh, that?”
Yuri understood the question immediately.
Of course he did—it had happened inside his own body.
Yohan had shown him the way, but Yuri had moved the mana himself.
So naturally, he knew.
The problem was…
“I dunno. Hehe.”
Yuri himself had no idea why the mana had disappeared.
He’d just felt it evaporate.
Scratching his head with a grin, he looked utterly unbothered.
Yohan pounded his chest in frustration.
“Why, WHY can’t you just be normal for once?! Is it so hard to make a damn mana core like everyone else?!”
He’d only wanted to teach the kid mana—but this brat kept throwing up unpredictable variables no one else would even imagine.
Yohan looked exhausted.
Yuri, however, puffed out his chest proudly.
“There’s an old saying, you know.”
“……”
“Trials are the companions of geniuses.”
“Genius my ass! Shut up and tell me where you hid that mana, you lunatic!”
“How am I supposed to tell you if I shut up, idiot?”
“Just do it!”
Yohan grabbed Yuri by the collar and shook him.
Yuri looked genuinely wronged.
“I really don’t know!”
“How can you not know?! It happened inside your body!”
“How should I know?! Maybe the way you taught me to move mana is wrong?”
“You brat—do you even understand what you’re saying? If the Mana Road were wrong, your limbs would have twisted off already! Proof? The fact that you’re still alive is the proof, you little punk!”
“You crazy old man! You should’ve warned me before shoving something like that into my body! What if it killed me?!”
“Why would I?”
The two of them bickered heatedly.
Eventually, they agreed to keep repeating the process until they figured out where the mana had gone.
And so, they sat down and began repeating the Mana Road circulation again and again.
As time went on, Yuri’s control over mana improved dramatically.
Yet still, there was no sign of a core forming.
After more than ten attempts, Yohan realized one thing:
‘The mana isn’t being expelled outside the body.’
Which only made the mystery deeper.
If the mana wasn’t leaving the body, then where the hell was it going?
‘It’s been a while since I felt… this fired up. Heh.’
A vein bulged on Yohan’s forehead.
If the mana was disappearing somewhere inside Yuri, then he would find it.
He focused every ounce of his senses.
He hadn’t concentrated this hard in over a decade.
And finally—
‘Got you, you little bastard!’
After dozens of circulations, just as Yuri began to mentally strain,
Yohan found the trace of the missing mana.
In the next attempt, he managed to follow the vanishing mana like chasing a mirage.
And finally, he discovered its destination.
Both were exhausted—Yuri from circulating mana, Yohan from analyzing it.
But the result was invaluable.
Yet Yohan didn’t rejoice.
He was shocked.
The place where Yuri’s mana had disappeared—
‘Th–th–this crazy—?!’
It was the Spirit Well (영혈).
And inside it was the reason Yuri couldn’t form a core:
The Spirit Well itself had devoured all the mana before the core could form.
‘Ha… haha…’
Yohan let out a hollow laugh, like someone on the verge of losing their mind.
‘…Unbelievable.’
Because inside Yuri’s Spirit Well…
a core already existed.
‘A core… inside the Spirit Well?!’
This was unprecedented.
A core should never exist there.
No one had even imagined it was possible to form one in that place.
‘Is this… even possible?’
But the evidence was right before his eyes.
All the knowledge and common sense Yohan had built over his life crumbled in an instant because of Yuri.
His gaze twisted as he stared at Yuri, and his honest thoughts slipped out.
“…What kind of freak are you?”
It was a statement full of pure, unfiltered sincerity.
Then he added one more line:
“Should I… dissect this brat?”
Yohan’s eyes glinted ominously.
Yuri shivered under that intense, serious stare.
