I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 14. Mana (3)

Self-forgetting.

It was not a state that one could reach simply by having high concentration.

A state where one forgets even oneself and observes the self from an objective perspective.

If one could freely control this self-forgetting state, they could enter the realm of mental imagery.

Through imagination, it would become possible to train without spatial constraints.

‘And if this mastery reaches its peak and pierces the spiritual hole, one could manifest mental imagery externally.’

This was one of the many methods to embody the Avatar.

Of course, if that were easy, the world would already be overflowing with Masters.

Even if one somehow entered the state of self-forgetting, it took a long time and arduous training to control it artificially.

‘Of course, even if I taught the method to enter the state, most would be unable to do it.’

But Yuri was different.

Even though no one had taught him, he had found a way to immerse himself in the self-forgetting state on his own.

Even though it might not be a deep self-forgetting state, to do it on his own was no easy feat.

‘What kind of a guy is he?’

At the mere age of seven, he had awakened the Avatar.

A body symmetrically shaped to a bizarre degree.

Moreover, despite no one teaching him, he had an intuition that allowed him to grasp self-forgetting.

The more he got to know Yuri, the more he thought he was born to master martial arts.

That’s why it was all the more regrettable.

‘The heavens have taken the most important talent from him. Tsk.’

If he had even an ordinary person’s talent for sensing mana, he would have become the second Sword Master.

Such regrets came to mind repeatedly.

Johan silently cheered for him, continuing to release mana.

He hoped that Yuri would get up at any moment and shout that he had succeeded in sensing mana.

But contrary to Johan’s wishes, Yuri’s silence dragged on.

Time passed like that.

One day, two days, three days, four days.

On the 25th day of the voyage.

As the four-week journey neared its end, the storms that had raged for a while disappeared like a mirage.

The voyage had caught a fair wind, but Yuri still couldn’t grasp mana.

‘I don’t understand at all. What is mana?’

Even when he tried to erase his senses and feel mana, there was no significant sensation.

‘What could be the problem?’

Johan had said that although he couldn’t feel mana, his body was accepting it.

Even without him intending it.

‘Then shouldn’t I at least feel something?’

But he felt nothing.

While Yuri was lost in such thoughts, Johan’s voice flowed in.

“Let’s stop.”

“Stop? I can still do more.”

“Idiot, who said to quit? I’m saying to take a break. Do you know what you look like now? You look like you’re about to drop dead. Tsk.”

Yuri, who had consistently entered the self-forgetting state since the first time, was quite emaciated due to the significant mental exertion required to maintain it for long periods.

“Eat something, sleep a bit, and cool your head. Concentration is good, but overdoing it is worse than being just right. Go get some fresh air.”

“…Why are you suddenly caring?”

“Haha, even when I show concern, you complain.”

“Alright. I was hungry anyway. I’ll go get something to eat.”

Mumbling like that, Yuri stood up.

As he stumbled from dizziness and leaned against the wall.

Thud-.

“Ah!”

Yuri exclaimed as if realizing something.

‘Hungry? Empty stomach?’

Yuri’s eyes sparkled.

‘Yes, that’s it. Emptying… I need to empty myself.’

If trying to feel what’s already there doesn’t work, then he should remove it.

If the mana around him was zero.

If he could sense the difference between when there was mana and when there wasn’t.

‘With this, I might be able to grasp what mana is!’

Yuri hurried back to Johan.

“What is it?”

Johan made a grumpy face at Yuri’s sudden action.

Yuri conveyed what he had realized.

Johan nodded in response.

“Oh? That’s a reasonable idea.”

“Right? It is, isn’t it?!”

“I’m sure I’ve heard of some place that trains in that manner to enhance mana sensitivity.”

“…And you just remembered that now?”

“Why would I remember such things when I don’t even know what it’s like not to sense mana? Besides, such training is only for those with low mana sensitivity.”

“…”

“My sensitivity was nearly perfect without such crude training. Ahem.”

“…So annoying.”

It was evident that someone with the talent to reach the rank of Master wouldn’t be average.

Thus, he had never deeply thought about how those who couldn’t sense mana should train.

Moreover, although Johan was undoubtedly a Master, when it came to teaching someone else…

‘Hmm… Teaching someone is more complicated than I thought.’

He was excellent at learning and mastering things but was a beginner in teaching others.

He would probably teach martial arts better than anyone, but in all other areas, he lacked finesse.

‘Teaching fills in the gaps… That saying was true.’

Johan inwardly gave a wry smile as he spoke.

“Shall we start right away?”

“Of course!”

Yuri promptly sat cross-legged.

His heart pounded lightly.

‘If this method works…’

No, it had to work.

Resolutely determined, Yuri closed his eyes and focused.

Seeing this, Johan immediately manipulated the mana.

Instead of spreading mana around Yuri as usual, he absorbed the mana around Yuri, lowering its density.

‘There’s no need to lower it gradually.’

A drastic change would be more noticeable.

With that thought, Johan quickly sucked in the mana around Yuri.

In an instant, Yuri’s surroundings became a mana vacuum.

And at that moment.

“Hup?!”

Yuri’s face turned pale in shock.

“Guh!”

Awakened from his focus, he clutched his throat and gasped.

Seeing Yuri’s reaction, Johan quickly returned the mana.

“What happened?”

“Gah!”

Yuri couldn’t breathe.

Johan lightly pressed several spots on Yuri’s chest and back, and only then did Yuri take a desperate breath.

Thirty seconds later, as Yuri regained his composure, he snapped with an angry face.

“Are you crazy, old man?”

“…?”

“I told you to remove the mana, not make me unable to breathe! Are you trying to kill someone?”

“What are you talking about? When did I…”

“Just now!”

“What nonsense, when did I…”

Johan, about to protest his innocence, suddenly froze.

He seemed to have realized something.

With a hardened face, he spoke.

“Let’s… try it again.”

“Do it right this time, don’t kill me!”

Ignoring Johan’s reply, Yuri sat cross-legged again.

Johan stared at him blankly.

‘Could it be…’

After confirming Yuri was in the self-forgetting state, he extended his hand.

This time, he carefully adjusted the mana.

He slowly lowered the density around Yuri.

And immediately, Yuri’s face twitched.

‘He noticed already?!’

Johan’s eyes gleamed.

He gradually increased the speed at which he absorbed the mana.

Yuri’s face changed by the moment, as if feeling frustrated.

Johan was convinced.

‘So, he wasn’t unable to sense mana!’

Simultaneously, he was amazed.

‘He’s been sensing it all along?!’

Since he had always felt it, he probably didn’t realize what he was sensing was mana.

Like how people breathe air.

You only notice it when the air is gone, just as Yuri only noticed mana when it was removed.

Realizing this, Johan’s face was astonished.

‘This guy…’

He looked at Yuri with disbelief.

‘How old was he when he started sensing mana?!’

How long had he been sensing mana without knowing what it was?

‘He must have been sensing mana since he could think.’

If that assumption was correct, Yuri’s mana sensitivity would be unimaginable.

While Johan was in constant awe, a question arose.

‘But with such sensitivity, he should have noticed when the mana density increased.’

Given Yuri’s sensitivity, he should have sensed the mana flow around him, even without training.

In fact, he was sensitive to the decreasing mana density around him.

But he had no reaction to the increasing density.

Then a thought quickly crossed Johan’s mind.

‘Come to think of it, this guy always absorbed mana when the density increased, like adjusting it.’

With that, Johan formed a hypothesis.

‘Maybe that’s related to why he can’t sense mana.’

What was happening to Yuri was unprecedented for Johan.

So, he decided it was better to watch a bit longer before making a judgment.

When Johan came to this conclusion, Yuri was also deep in thought.

‘Why is this happening?’

His chest felt stuffy, and he was short of breath.

As if the air around him was gradually disappearing.

‘It’s suffocating.’

Even after taking a deep breath, the stuffiness didn’t go away.

The longer it went on, the more suffocating it became.

At that point, Yuri realized this wasn’t just a breathing issue.

Yuri’s eyes snapped open.

He looked at Johan, who had a peculiar expression, and asked with a slightly tense face.

“Old man, is this…?”

“It’s what you think.”

“This suffocating feeling… Is this mana?”

“That suffocating feeling isn’t exactly…”

“…?”

Seeing Yuri’s questioning gaze, Johan explained what he had figured out.

After hearing it all, Yuri’s face went blank.

“I’ve been… already sensing mana?”

“Yes.”

“But I still don’t know what mana feels like.”

“Don’t worry. Since you haven’t been unable to sense mana, with a little effort, you’ll soon grasp the sensation.”

“Really?”

“It will. I can guarantee that.”

At Johan’s assurance, Yuri’s face brightened.

Though he didn’t show it, he had been deeply troubled by the issue of mana.

Relaxing his tense gaze, Yuri returned to his usual self and grinned.

“Alright, effort is nothing! Without effort, Yuri Holland might as well be dead!”

“Your mouth never stops, tsk. Stop messing around and start right now.”

“Okay!”

Nodding, Yuri closed his eyes.

Silence resumed.

Yuri focused to sense the mana.

Johan continued to manipulate the mana flow.

No words were exchanged, but they were more dedicated than ever, each performing their respective tasks.

Thus, the mana in the room repeatedly emptied and refilled, wildly fluctuating.

And at the center of this mana density change was Yuri.

‘Ah…!’

In the midst of it, Yuri grasped a realization.

He caught the peculiar sensation of mana disappearing and reappearing.

‘Is this… mana?’

It felt oddly familiar.

Yet at the same time, it was an awkward feeling.

Like discovering a new side of a friend he had always known.

‘Oh, right. I don’t have friends, do I?’

Laughing to himself, Yuri welcomed this long-lost acquaintance.

‘Anyway, nice to meet you!’

And in response to Yuri’s greeting, the mana reacted.

As if asking why he had only now recognized it.

Hooom-.

Mana around Yuri surged even more intensely.