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Memorize - Episode 46
046 Preparations for Taking Flight
"Yoo-jung."
"Yes?"
"From now on, if a similar... unavoidable situation like earlier occurs, what will you do?"
"...I'm not sure."
Yoo-jung answered with a frown. She must be feeling quite frustrated too. Even if such a situation arose in the future, she currently knew nothing and could do nothing. If forced to answer, the only choice would be to just endure it as is. I was about to say words that would be like rain in a drought for the kids.
"Do you all know something about
Having pushed them hard, it was now time to soothe them a bit. The kids seemed to sense that my voice had softened, as I could see them slightly raising their heads to gauge my mood. Their appearance, like children who had been scolded by their mother and were now raising their heads again, made me want to laugh, but I swallowed it.
"What that woman used at the table just now can be considered part of Mana Release. It's not the manifestation of special or potential abilities, but part of Control Ability that anyone can use through controlling their own mana. To put it simply."
Come to think of it, sword ki and sword force were also abilities included as part of Control Ability. That's why I could see Yoo-jung's eyes change after hearing the term Control Ability.
"Control Ability...? Oppa. Does that mean we can use it too?"
"Yes. If you practice, you can use it. Furthermore, in situations like earlier, you can resist, defend, and depending on how you respond, even counterattack."
"Teach us."
Seeing the kids' faces gradually regaining life, I smiled gently. If they had remained dejected, I might have truly been disappointed. However, as a way out opened, Yoo-jung's eyes were starting to burn with enthusiasm as if nothing had happened.
First, I'll thoroughly teach the theory, then show an example, and then we'll enter training. At Yoo-jung's request, I nodded willingly and opened my mouth.
"Does anyone know into what stages Mana Release can be divided?"
"It can be divided into Sensing, Occupy, and Coercion."
"Oh... Correct answer."
Unexpectedly, it was Ahn Sol who immediately answered my question. She was looking at me with eager, burdened eyes full of longing. When I nodded reluctantly at her gaze, I could see Sol's face brighten. I wondered if the reason Sol's face looked strange earlier was because she was jealous that I only patted Hyun's head and not hers.
...Surely that's not it. Anyway, Sol's answer was almost correct. Of course, there were also Break up and Demolition, classified as higher stages than Coercion. However, those were such advanced techniques compared to the first stage of Sensing that it would be impossible to learn them yet. So I deliberately held back mentioning them.
"From now on, I'm going to teach you all a really powerful technique."
The introduction was over. Now it was time to enter the main topic.
There's a saying that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. It means that you can understand something clearly only by experiencing it yourself. I slowly raised my mana and turned my body halfway around to face away from the kids.
I slowly controlled my mana and let it flow across the entire floor of the room. I draw a circular shape on the floor filled with my mana, centered on my body. Having done this thousands or tens of thousands of times before, it was beyond familiar, almost like a part of my body. As I stood still, I felt the kids throwing blank stares at me. I closed my eyes and slowly opened my mouth.
"Hyun, Sol, Yoo-jung. From now on, don't say anything. And try to move anywhere inside the room while making as little noise as possible with your footsteps."
Hearing my words, the kids hesitated for a moment but then I could feel them moving quietly one by one. Even if they tried to move stealthily from their perspective, once I set up detection deliberately, they were in the palm of my hand. Soon, I could confirm that they had all completed their movements along with a creaking sound. I opened my mouth while still facing away.
"Ahn Hyun. Left side, 38 degrees southeast based on your left foot. In front of the wardrobe. Ahn Sol. Right side, 26 degrees southwest based on your right foot. Behind the central table. Lee Yoo-jung. 90 degrees from my body. On the bed."
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard the kids sharply inhaling. If they're already this surprised, it might be troublesome. I smiled slightly and continued speaking.
"This is what we call Sensing, the first stage of Mana Release. It's commonly referred to as invisible eyes, but in reality, it can be seen as connecting visible objects with your mana circuit. In other words, it's arbitrarily expanding the radius of thought you can accept using mana. You all were surprised when that woman suddenly appeared, right?"
"Come to think of it..."
"Y-yes. That's right. Then, hyung. Does that mean if we master sensing, we can know when that woman is coming?"
Hearing Ahn Hyun's voice, which seemed to have grasped something, I nodded while still facing away.
"Generally speaking. But sensing isn't omnipotent. There are ways to penetrate through sensing."
"Then..."
This time, I raised my mana strongly enough for the kids to clearly feel it. After surging invisible energy with fierce momentum, I spread my mana into the air this time. Like hot haze rising, my mana instantly occupied the entire room. Watching the kids turn their heads curiously, I made another request.
"This time, everyone express numbers with your fingers."
After giving them some time to see and feel, and to act according to my request, I calmly opened my mouth.
"Ahn Hyun. Two fingers. Index and middle finger raised. Ahn Sol, one finger. Index finger raised. Lee Yoo-jung. Four fingers. Index, middle, ring, and little finger raised... two, four, one, five, four, five. This kid."
Even though Yoo-jung quickly changed her fingers in the middle, disbelieving, I could answer everything without difficulty. Then I could feel Yoo-jung lowering her arm powerlessly, as if dumbfounded.
"Huh...?"
"Ha...?!"
"A-amazing...!"
After hearing the kids' exclamations, I finally turned my body back to face them. They all had their mouths wide open as if they had seen a ghost. While maintaining the mana occupying the room, I continued speaking.
"There are several ways to penetrate sensing. Using a speed that the opponent can't react to even if they detect it, entering through the air, and subtly mixing your mana with the opponent's mana are some methods. That's why to respond more surely, the stage that develops sensing further is called occupation."
"Oppa. Then was the ability that woman used earlier this occupation?"
I shook my head at Yoo-jung's question. Occupation was an ability that could be classified as the second stage. And the ability the woman displayed was Coercion, corresponding to the third stage.
"No. The ability that woman used was Coercion. Pressure. It's an ability corresponding to the third stage of Mana Release. It can be considered a somewhat advanced technique that goes a step beyond simply expanding the thought circuit to imbuing one's will into the mana. Of course, the power varies depending on the user... but if you master occupation, it's possible to perfectly defend against such pressure or at least partially resist it."
"T-then I want to learn pressure too. I want to learn pressure."
Looking at Yoo-jung speaking hastily, I smiled slightly and approached her. Then I lightly flicked my finger to hit her forehead. Watching Yoo-jung pout and rub her forehead, I spoke in a teasing voice.
"You can't even walk, let alone run, and you're already trying to fly? Unless you're a genius, pressure isn't a field that can be learned simply overnight. Even at the fastest, it takes three months of consistent training. Think about climbing one step at a time after perfectly mastering sensing first. Don't be too hasty."
"Hyung."
At that moment, I heard Ahn Hyun, who had been looking at me blankly, call me. When I turned my head to him with a questioning expression, he immediately spoke to me.
"I also want pressure..."
"You kids really. I said it's too early yet."
Hyun shook his head at my words and continued speaking.
"No, that's not it. I want to know a bit more in detail about pressure."
"Oppa. Me too. Earlier I was too shocked experiencing it for the first time to think of anything... but I want to see clearly what pressure is like at least. Okay?"
Looking at Yoo-jung backing up Ahn Hyun's words, I closed my mouth for a moment. The basis of Mana Release lies in how finely and effectively one can control mana. They didn't seem to understand yet how difficult the process of spreading it externally and imbuing will into it is, even if they might learn sensing quickly.
But in Hyun and Yoo-jung's eyes, I could glimpse a passion I hadn't seen before. For a moment, I was reminded of when I first started activities in the Hollow Plane. The time when I struggled to learn anything. The time when I gritted my teeth and climbed up somehow through self-study without receiving proper guidance.
Remembering those sorrowful times, I opened my mouth slowly as if entranced.
"The third stage of Mana Release is on a different dimension from the first and second stages. Not only efficient mana operation and finesse, but there must not be even a single mistake in deployment based on the circuit. But more than anything, what's most important and difficult about pressure is imbuing one's will into the mana."
"When you say will..."
"The essence is how effectively you can convey emotion. There's no need to even speak in this process. Literally, the mana imbued with your will says everything. Think back to earlier. Yoo-jung, what emotion did you feel then?"
Yoo-jung frowned at my question, thought for a moment, and answered.
"My body felt heavy... and I felt I was in danger. Like I might die..."
"In technical terms, that's called killing intent. That woman was saying she wanted to kill you, Yoo-jung. She conveyed her intention to you by imbuing her emotion without saying anything separately."
"..."
Yoo-jung didn't say anything in response to my words. But her face turning pale in an instant showed that goosebumps were rising all over her body. Ahn Hyun was still tilting his head as if he didn't understand yet. I sighed softly. Since I was still maintaining occupation, it seemed better to give them a taste, even briefly, to satisfy their curiosity.
I steeled myself and called Ahn Hyun.
"Hyun."
"Yes."
"From now on, I'm going to want to kill you."
"What? What do you..."
Ahn Hyun, who was questioning my sudden words, soon closed his mouth. He seemed to think I would demonstrate something like when I showed sensing and occupation. He firmly closed his mouth and stiffened his face, seeming to prepare in his own way. Of course, from my perspective, it was a completely useless act.
I closed my eyes and entered mind training. From now on, I set and remembered Ahn Hyun as an enemy to fight to the death with me. After composing myself to some extent, I opened my eyes and explosively raised my mana for an instant. And then...
"Ugh! Aaaaah!"
The reaction was immediately visible.
My energy, which was initially vague like a cloud, changed in an instant to an energy imbued with thick killing intent. A clumpy murderous intent that seemed like it would tear apart any being filled the room. Deep murderous thoughts well up from deep inside. And I poured all those emotions onto a single target: Ahn Hyun.
It was only for 5 seconds. If I maintained it any longer, even I might be tainted by the past murderous intent, so I forcibly suppressed it at an appropriate point. As soon as I withdrew the spread energy and gathered it internally, I saw Ahn Hyun sitting on the ground trembling, his legs having given out. Yoo-jung and Sol were also looking at me with trembling lips, seeming to have been indirectly affected by the killing intent.
I slowly approached Hyun. As I got close, Ahn Hyun unconsciously flinched and pulled his body back. Then soon after, he stared at me blankly with a face as if he had realized something. I reached out my hand towards him, intending to help him up.
"No matter how firmly you steel your mind, it's useless against pressure using mana. It literally shows human instinctive emotions unfiltered. Anyway, good job."
Ahn Hyun shook his head hard, as if his mind was blank. Then, as if he had come to his senses, he hesitantly took my hand. He seemed to struggle quite a bit to stand up, suggesting the shock hadn't completely passed yet.
However, as he fully stood up and we exchanged glances, I could discover one interesting fact. Though it was just for a moment, I thought I saw the emotion of competitive spirit flash in Ahn Hyun's eyes. Perhaps because he was male, Ahn Hyun clearly had a special bellicosity different from Yoo-jung or Sol.
After helping Hyun up, I continued speaking while looking at the three users who still hadn't averted their gazes.
"Anyway, pressure is still far off for you all, so just know what it's like for now. Sensing is the priority now. If you can't even do this much, it'll be all for nothing even if you go outside, right? So don't even dream of going outside unless you can maintain sensing for at least an hour."
When I mentioned maintaining sensing for over an hour, Yoo-jung looked at me and asked urgently.
"But oppa. When on earth did you learn these techniques? We all received similar classes, didn't we?"
At Yoo-jung's question, I felt a pang inside but maintained a calm face outwardly. I couldn't just tell them the fact that I learned it before regressing, so I needed to respond appropriately. I raised my hand and showed my index finger to the kids.
"I utilized the personal maintenance time outside of training bit by bit. I also received a lot of help from the instructors. For reference, it took me a day to master sensing. Occupation took about 2 weeks. I was able to learn pressure almost at the very end."
"Ah. So that's what hyung was doing when you sat in that strange posture before going to bed every night? It was all sensing training?"
Ahn Hyun chimed in with good timing, increasing the credibility of my words. As I just smiled, Ahn Hyun tilted his head saying, "I thought you were just meditating." I continued speaking, regardless of the kids' reactions.
"Anyway, that's how long it took me. See if you can surpass that. I'm a bit curious who will master it first."
Although my words contained a slight hint of provocation, the effect was clear. I meant for them to try to surpass me, but as soon as I finished speaking, Hyun, Sol, and Yoo-jung looked at each other's faces and suddenly started burning with enthusiasm.
"Well. I think I'll succeed first. Just watch, hyung."
"Hohoho. It sounds like you're saying your magic ability score is higher than mine?"
"Ah, no... kids..."
Watching the two glare at each other, I couldn't help but break out in a sweat. I couldn't shake off the feeling of siblings competing in front of their mother to see who has the best grades. Somehow, I felt more and more like I was becoming the kids' mother.
The theory was over. The demonstration was also over. What remained was the full-fledged start of training.
Whatever the circumstances, it was undeniable that there had been a change in the kids' attitudes. They entered training right there as soon as they made up their minds. After some time passed, I added detailed explanations while watching the kids quietly adjusting their mana with closed eyes in motionless postures.
"The basic operation of mana starts with imagery. The fundamental principle of sensing originates from ripples and waves. Imagine it: a calm sea, and a single drop of water falling onto its surface. Then envision the circular ripple that arises. Alternatively, you can think of dropping a single drop of water onto dry paper. Create an image that feels comfortable and familiar to you, and use that image to guide your mana along your circuits."
To be honest, the operation of sensing itself is relatively simple. Unlike advanced applied techniques required for abilities like Coercion, Break up, or Demolition, sensing operates on a comparatively straightforward principle as part of Control Ability.
The key to mastering sensing lies in how cleanly and consistently one can maintain it over time. Efficiently distributing one's mana and maintaining a steady flow is crucial.
Watching Hyun and Yoo-jung earnestly attempt sensing, I could see their faces gradually showing signs of difficulty. Initially, they succeeded in drawing out their mana and forming a circle beneath their feet. However, judging by their expressions, maintaining it for the condition I set—over an hour—was clearly beyond them. As time passed, the circles they had formed began to distort in shape. The longer they tried, the more irregular their mana flow became.
At first, they wore confident smiles, but as beads of sweat started forming on their foreheads and their lips tightened in frustration, I couldn't help but smile faintly.
The reason I chose to teach sensing first was deliberate. Sensing alone can serve as a measure of a user's capabilities—it's not for nothing that this ability is often used as an indicator of potential. Moreover, sensing is an ability that will be repeatedly useful in the future.
The advantages of sensing are numerous. From a training perspective, it can be practiced anytime and anywhere. Not only does it contribute to mana growth, but it also pushes one's physical limits internally, potentially enhancing other ability scores as well.
Furthermore, I suspect that my latent ability Clairvoyance (Zen) was significantly influenced by sensing practice. Constantly observing myself and my surroundings while maintaining composure during battles helped me anticipate enemy attack patterns and strive for optimal combat strategies. In other words, sensing might even aid in the manifestation of latent abilities suited to oneself.
Additionally, practicing sensing instills the habit of maintaining a steady mana flow at all times. This prevents unnecessary mana wastage when using Control Ability-related techniques. For these reasons, mana sensing training offers triple benefits.
By now, over 10 minutes had passed since they started practicing sensing. Ahn Hyun and Yoo-jung's appearances were quite telling—they were sweating profusely and breathing heavily as if they might collapse at any moment.
Observing them closely, I decided to activate my Third Eye briefly to check their progress in ability score growth.
User Information (Player Status)
Name: Ahn Hyun
Abilities
[Strength: 59] [Endurance: 57] [Agility: 74] [Vitality: 61] [Mana: 49] [Luck: 61]
User Information (Player Status)
Name: Ahn Sol
Abilities
[Strength: 16] [Endurance: 21] [Agility: 24] [Vitality: 29] [Mana: 84] [Luck: 100]
User Information (Player Status)
Name: Lee Yoo-jung
Abilities
[Strength: 48] [Endurance: 52] [Agility: 64] [Vitality: 50] [Mana: 68] [Luck: 56]
Ahn Hyun's strengths lie in his balanced physical ability scores and high agility. All his stats other than mana and luck showed consistent growth rates. Especially his high agility works favorably for spear users; if he continues to grow steadily, he has significant potential to become strong.
Although his mana score was slightly concerning, with remaining points and proper training methods moving forward, it could be sufficiently improved.
Yoo-jung's overall physical abilities were either above average or exactly average. While her strength, endurance, and vitality left something to be desired, her agility and mana showed promise. Most notably, having a mana score of already 68 as a close-range user was both an exceptional advantage and a blessing.
If I were to compare Hyun and Yoo-jung objectively at this stage, I'd lean towards Hyun due to his well-rounded stats. However, given Yoo-jung's choice of Mercenary—a versatile profession—it will be interesting to see what potential she demonstrates moving forward. Although I still have some regrets about her not choosing Assassin, Mercenary isn't necessarily a bad choice either.
Sol had the lowest growth rate among the three when comparing overall stats. However, I was focused solely on her mana score while disregarding other stats entirely. Since she chose Priest—a support-oriented class—there was no need for her to prioritize strength, endurance, vitality, or agility excessively. Her high mana score combined with her exceptional luck made her stats perfectly suited for the Priest class.
From her initial score of 75 points in mana to its current level at 84 points (+9), I felt satisfied seeing her progress. While her growth rate might not compare to Han-byeol's (Jewel Mage), it's important to consider that once stats reach the mid-80s range or higher, their growth rate significantly slows down overall. Given that she had just entered the Hollow Plane yet already reached an impressive score like 84 in mana—it made me curious about how far she could go before hitting her limits.
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