LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 42
Chapter 43
It’s no easy task to enhance one’s physical body by letting magic and aura flow through it, despite how easy it sounds.
Among the feats performed by the Awakened, this was on the simpler side, but the ability to sense mana isn’t something one is born with. It’s almost common sense, really.
After all, you wouldn’t recognize your existence just because you suddenly sprouted an extra kidney.
Because of this, it typically takes a long time for newly Awakened individuals to recognize and manipulate their mana for body enhancement.
Of course, anyone in their right mind would feel apprehensive about injecting a force as unpredictable as mana into their veins.
In that sense, deciding to enhance one’s body using Elemental Mana could be seen as akin to a suicide attempt—especially if you weren’t like Darius, who had elemental mana from the conceptual realm.
Take flames, for example.
Fire was a fairly well-known case, even found in textbooks about attempting enhancements with elemental mana. Initially, it supposedly yielded tremendous results. However, the test subject found themselves on the brink of death as the mana coursing through their veins caused their blood to heat up too much.
And if we consider Baek In-hwa’s chill, there’s no need to mention that earth, wind, or most elemental type magic is deemed unsuitable for body enhancement… that’s the consensus in academic circles.
So, what about darkness?
To be frankly honest, Yeon-woo’s thought of enhancing her body with elemental mana sprouted because she possessed the dark element.
The nebulous and non-physical attribute that merely opposes light.
Unlike most elemental manas that can be summed up with a single word, the darkness element displayed a unique personality for each bearer. Though, not many people used it.
“Ready, Shar?”
[Of course!]
It was Dad’s Arani. Surely, it was proof that calling someone by a different name indicated he was becoming a father.
Yeon-woo, mumbling some nonsense in her head, took a deep breath and drew up her mana. With Shar present, she created an environment that couldn’t be safer, yet the nervousness couldn’t be helped.
The plan was simple. First, she would wrap the dark elemental mana in her aura and then just let the mana flow through as she usually did to enhance her body.
Then, when enhancing her physicality, she would simply withdraw the aura. Consequently, the only fuel left for enhancement would be the elemental mana, automatically resulting in physical enhancement through it.
Like stage separation in a rocket engine. They had nothing in common in principle, but she just wanted to make that analogy.
If a fitting analogy had to be found… endoscopic surgery? Maybe like removing kidney stones. Thinking about that evoked a strange ache in her veins.
Shaking her head to dispel distracting thoughts, Yeon-woo focused again. She gently pushed the mana into her veins, thinking of it like nuclear fuel.
A thread starting from her heart began extending. Following the flow within her blood vessels. The destination? Her right arm. She was only using her right arm for the experiment, as that’s the promise she made with Shar.
She halted the mana that flowed through her blood, feeling as if something solid had filled her arm.
“Well then… let’s do this, Shar?”
[I’m ready!]
She swallowed once. It’s natural to feel tense when taking that first step.
Huh, ha, huh. After repeating the inhales and exhales several times, Yeon-woo recalled when she had to inject herself and withdrew her aura in one swift motion.
“Ah…!!”
[Swallow…!!]
Her mana-infused right arm tingled. Shar was looking up at her arm with round eyes, as if all the mana in the training room was watching her arm too.
“Ugh…!!”
[Thump, thump…!!]
A tremendous tension and pressure…!
In a strange sense of oppression that felt like the whole world was watching her, Yeon-woo noticed her right arm had undergone a significant transformation.
The arm, which started turning black around the elbow, soon became completely black. It transformed into a colorless, glossy, and inorganic shine that resembled a shadow warrior or a doppleganger.
“O… oh?”
[Is, is it working? This easily?]
“Who knows?”
The essence of elemental enhancement wasn’t much different from the aura-assisted physical enhancement. Considering the side effects, anyone could attempt it. However, the typical side effects could quite literally kill a person, which is why no one tries it.
In contrast, aside from the black hue now emanating from Yeon-woo’s body, she felt no side effects at all.
“That’s kinda cool.”
[I know what that is! You’re in your ‘chuunibyou’ phase, right?]
“Yeah, you’re right… our Shar is clever….”
At that innocent query, Yeon-woo gulped slightly and responded in a strained tone.
When objectively considering it, there couldn’t be a word more fitting for her current self than ‘chuunibyou.’ The sight of her blackened right hand, and her own admiration of it… yeah, all she needed was an eyepatch to be perfect.
Ruler of dark flames, Dark Flame or whatever nonsense.
After briefly imagining that scene, Yeon-woo shook her head and dismissed it. Such a ghastly image shouldn’t exist in this world.
“On the outside, there’s a massive change, but I don’t really feel anything.”
The primary advantage of most elemental enhancements lies in their overwhelming output. If you ask why they possess such an advantage, it’s because elemental mana serves as a midway step to inherent mana.
Inherent mana symbolizes the distinct traits and concepts of an individual. It’s determined and expressed by summing up their values, personality, past, present, and future.
In other words, regular mana is off-the-shelf clothing, elemental mana is tailored clothing designed specifically for one’s body, while inherent mana is a custom-made product from start to finish.
So naturally, if one manages to complete elemental enhancement, tremendous output should follow.
[Maybe it’s because it’s not Dad’s element.]
“Looks like it. So… does this mean I succeeded but it’s utterly pointless?”
Yeon-woo lifted her fist and lightly punched the ground.
Zzzz—
A pain coursed through her fingertips, akin to an electric shock. It was clear. She hadn’t strengthened at all this time.
Struggling with pain, she grasped her right hand as Shar spoke.
[Hmm… it’s a bit ambiguous. No matter how you analyze it with the dragon’s eye, all that shows up is the element. Surely, there’s something there…?]
“Hmm… I hope so.”
Gazing at her blackened right hand for a moment, Yeon-woo soon recalled her elemental mana. Her arm gradually returned to its original color without any visible changes.
Except, perhaps, for a bit of a reddish tint.
“Then for now, we should hold off. Shall we move on to magic, Sensei?”
[Ahem!!]
Light erupted from the wolf’s body and transformed into a blonde girl.
Second Period: The Basics of Dragon Summoning Magic.
Taught by the top instructor of dragon summoning magic, Arkisarre!
Just hearing this, you too can become a dragon!!
*
Though it was called ‘Second Period’ and ‘teacher’, such serious content was far from the reality.
Dragon summoning magic was something that naturally came to dragons, so there was no need to learn it systematically like human root magic.
Initially, the fact that Yeon-woo couldn’t use root magic was half the reason why she enrolled in this basic magic course: part to disguise her magic as root magic, and part to prepare for fights with mages.
Back to the main topic, the greatest enemy of dragon summoning magic was a rigid mind. An adult mentality, bogged down by reality, limits the imagination.
“And I happen to fit that bill.”
“How unfortunate.”
Shar had climbed onto Yeon-woo’s shoulder. This was what they called a ‘piggyback ride.’ Such was the social agreement.
A tiny hand was poking at the top of Yeon-woo’s head.
“What are you doing?” If one were to ask, “It’s a massage…!!”
It was originally a procedure meant for the entire body, but due to her small size, she could only do it on the head…!!
“Oh— that feels good.”
Of course, it was just a massage. Whether it was a massage or anything else, there wasn’t much of a difference, so they settled on calling it a massage.
Joking aside, not being able to properly handle dragon heart magic as a half-dragon was a major issue.
She might be the only being among humanity capable of wielding both magic and aura simultaneously, yet being able to use it only half-heartedly felt like a huge loss.
“But how could I break this hardened mindset?”
“With a hammer?”
“Did I do something wrong, Shar…?”
“That’s a solution, though.”
It was a valid point, but wasn’t it too extreme and physical? As she pondered this briefly, Yeon-woo finally said, “Are you suggesting that if I almost die from not handling it properly, I’d instinctively learn how to handle it better, like in those shounen manga?”
“Oooooo.”
It seemed that wasn’t the case. Seeing Shar’s mouth agape in awestruck cuteness, dark thoughts began to fill Yeon-woo’s mind.
This could mean game over for her.
If she could at least correct the ingrained habits, it might be manageable, but overcoming the limits of her thinking was something even her adorable Shar’s pokes couldn’t achieve.
“Unless I encounter a miraculous opportunity that leads to a monumental transformation….”
“Then we just have to go and find that opportunity, right?”
“…Huh?”
…Well, why not? That would work!
*
“Sensei, which of these do you think is good?”
“You idiot, what nonsense is this at such an early hour? What even is this?”
Inside the neat and orderly Department Head’s Office.
Amidst it all, Yeon-woo placed a sheet of paper on the large office desk where Yuri was seated. It was a random list of things written down. Yuri glanced over it with astonishment.
It looked somewhat like a product catalog, listing items like ‘Thousand-Year Ginseng’ and ‘Dongja Sam.’
“What is this? A list of elixirs?”
“I can spot that at a glance! What I’m asking is what this list means! Elixirs don’t just magically appear by skimming through a list!”
Even low-grade items would receive some attention, but what was listed here was everything at least of mid-grade quality.
“The elixirs that even renowned families would rush to get their hands on, how do you think you’re going to get your hands on them?”
“My, my dear Sensei, you’re missing the point!”
When it comes to low-grade items, they’d pay them some attention, while high-grade ones would be something they’d want to get at any cost. Mid-grade items, on the other hand, many preferred to mine themselves. The price was somewhat awkwardly high to buy at a fair rate.
Looking at her confident student who claimed she could obtain such items, Yuri wore a baffled expression.
With a click of her tongue, Yeon-woo waved her finger gracefully. For a moment, Yuri thought, “Should I smack her?” But for now, she decided to let her finish her story.
Since it was a mid-grade elixir, it was worth listening if she claimed she could obtain such a thing.
“Do you think I’m foolish enough to attempt this without a plan?”
“Were you not? I thought you were a total fool for ten years, just swinging down blindly.”
That was a striking comment.
But that was my foolishness over ten years ago; it doesn’t reflect my current self. I’m innocent, I tell you!
Yeon-woo desperately rationalized to herself.
“But now, I’m different. Comparing then and now, it’s a world apart. You know what I possess, right?”
[Ahem!!]
Just as she spoke, a voice echoed from above her head.
(To be continued)