How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 79

Episode 88: Let’s Learn Magic (2)

I seemed to recall reading that even the simplest 1st Circle magic takes at least a year to master for someone who knows nothing.

“The first step is a mana circle? That’s quite sudden.”

I thought I’d be stuck in theory classes for days.

“If it’s you, you might master it in a few days if you do well. If so, it’s better to learn that first.”

“Is it that simple?”

“Not at all. It’s difficult.”

It couldn’t be simple.

Cruse stated firmly.

“But in your case, you can skip the hard part in the middle.”

“It’s because of the spirit…”

I could easily figure that much out.

“Yes. Most of the difficulty for those just starting to learn magic is that it’s hard to become aware of mana, which takes time.”

Although the fundamentals are different, I’ve already gotten the hang of handling mana, so it seems I can skip the beginner’s course to some extent.

Because I’m already aware of mana.

Wait? I tilted my head, bothered by something.

“Then does that mean a spirit master can become a powerful mage, and a mage can also become a powerful spirit master?”

Is there really a need to separate spirit masters and mages and plan separate routes?

“Not necessarily. Aptitude, theory… the way they’re used, and various other factors are different. Besides, it’s quite rare for someone like you to ask to learn magic.”

I’m aware that I’m a bit of an oddball, but judging from her tone, it seems to be a truly rare case.

Well, why would someone who commands spirits bother to dabble in magic?

At least, it might be an incomprehensible idea according to the common sense here.

After that, I heard various outlines of magic from Cruse.

Mostly basic magic theory.

I wondered if I really had to listen to everything one by one, but according to her, I had to be aware of the bare minimum.

It’s not about knowing or not knowing the knowledge, but about how well you understand the differences.

After teaching only basic theory for about two days, Cruse finally told me what I had been waiting for.

“Then let’s start refining how to create a mana circle.”

“I’ve been waiting for that!”

I shouted eagerly, waiting for her to teach me the method like a chick waiting for feed.

“You should have an idea of how to circulate mana, right?”

“I have some sense of it.”

I showed her by drawing up mana.

When I concentrated on my hand, I felt a moderate amount of mana gathering.

“Like this?”

However, Cruse looked at it coolly and shook her head as if it wasn’t enough.

“You need to adjust it more precisely. Creating a mana circle is, to put it metaphorically, like using your mana to weave a string.”

Like twisting a rope, I had to pour my mana in to create a circle, and then maintain and rotate the completed circle.

“Once a mana circle is established, it will be maintained by inertia, but the process of creating that flow will not be easy.”

“……Okay. I’ll try it for now.”

You have to taste the bitter medicine to know it’s bitter, and you have to experience hardship to know it.

I tried to adjust the flow of mana as she instructed.

But it didn’t work out well.

“Ugh…… Ummm…….”

I could circulate mana simply, but I couldn’t grasp the trick of concentrating on the heart to create the circle.

‘How am I supposed to surround my heart with mana and make a circle?’

More than anything, is it even okay to do that to a person’s heart?

As a modern Earthling with delicate senses, I couldn’t help but be afraid.

“Ummm…… Ugh…… Ugh…….”

Cruse, who had been watching me groaning, crossed her arms and tilted her head for a moment as if she was worried about something.

“……Eilon, wait a moment. Stay still.”

She turned around behind me.

When I reflexively tried to turn my head, her hand grabbed the back of my neck and stopped me.

“I told you not to move.”

Yes. I’ll stay still.

“Ah, it hurts?”

“It’s going to hurt more from now on, so stay still.”

Yes. Then I’ll stay…… Wait? What did you just say? It’s going to hurt more?!

Before I could ask again, Cruse suddenly put her hand on my back.

“……Hmm.”

She lightly applied something as if giving strength.

I didn’t have time to ask what she was doing.

I immediately realized the sense of discomfort and had to grit my teeth.

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, the flow of mana throughout my body fluctuated wildly.

To be honest, the feeling of the mana flow changing on its own was not comparable to the feeling of pain she had mentioned earlier.

Rather than physical pain, it was an indescribable pain somewhere.

At first, I thought this lady was finally trying to kill me.

“Stay still. Keep staying still.”

But after hearing her serious voice, I tried to endure it.

“Remember this flow. You don’t have to memorize everything. Just where it’s going and how it connects.”

It seemed she was trying to forcibly lead the direction by interfering with the flow of mana in my body for me, who couldn’t understand it with my head.

In the midst of discomfort, I barely endured and remembered the flow as Cruse told me.

And finally, one lap was over.

“Hoo…… Is it done?”

“I hope you remembered it. ……Shall we do it again?”

“Ah, no! I definitely got the hang of it!”

I didn’t want to experience it twice.

It’s more exhausting than painful.

Maybe the actual time wasn’t even a minute, but that alone left me drenched in sweat and exhausted.

That’s how much of a burden it is.

“How did you even think of teaching like this? ……Controlling the flow of mana of the other person at will, that’s dangerous, right?”

More than anything, it’s dangerous.

Wasn’t that a method that sometimes appeared in the original work when torturing or assassinating without external wounds?

It’s a method that’s difficult to even attempt without expert guidance.

“Yes. That’s true. Was it dangerous……?”

“……Cruse?”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure it won’t kill you. ……Actually, there were times when I almost messed up.”

It seems like it was a really dangerous method.

Is she being reckless…… or is she just full of confidence?

Okay. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that. The important thing is the result.

“And if you can’t get the hang of it again, we’ll do it again. That thing from earlier.”

“I’ll definitely remember it.”

This woman’s standards for teaching others are subtly harsh.

The people who will formally become disciples in the future will suffer quite a bit.

I mourned in advance.

Anyway, let’s quickly put what I remembered into practice and master it for sure.

I hurriedly tried to recreate it as it was, recalling the feeling from earlier.

First, the first goal is to create a ring of mana circle.

But it won’t be easy.

Even taking the first step into the path of magic is not so simple.

I have to seize this opportunity.

So I started to concentrate seriously.

* * *

The training continued.

Thanks to Cruse’s violent guidance, I had learned the direction to some extent, so I wasn’t in a situation where I couldn’t even try like before.

Still, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Already on the 4th day.

I was still struggling to establish a mana circle today.

I keep listening to the theory, and even in the time she doesn’t teach me, I try to check the handwritten copy she gave me and try to remember it.

There’s nothing wrong with the theory, but the problem is the practice.

If I can’t create the ring of the first circle, which is the very first step, I can’t even practice.

I tried to succeed as soon as possible.

And today, I repeated failures.

“Damn…….”

I closed my eyes and concentrated, then soon clicked my tongue and opened my eyes.

Paat!

The mana I was controlling was about to draw a circle, but the flow was released and scattered.

I couldn’t make a proper ring this time either.

“……I thought I was going to succeed this time.”

I gritted my teeth at the feeling of throbbing inside my chest and the self-reproach when I failed.

You could say it’s similar to the feeling of punching your heart outright.

Well, it’s only natural that it hurts because the mana you were controlling loses control and spreads.

When I sighed as if exhausted, Cruse nodded as if understanding, saying, “I guess so,” and gave me a mana potion diluted to more than two-thirds with water.

The undiluted solution has too much recovery, so it is diluted to reduce the burden.

“I’ve been thinking about it since before, but isn’t this dangerous? It feels like my heart is pounding every time I make a mistake?”

“It’s dangerous. However, in your case, it’s just about engraving one circle, so the burden is weak.”

The amount of mana amplification according to the increase in circles cannot be compared at each stage.

Especially in the case of high circles, the difference is considerable.

Naturally, the burden when failing is also great.

In the case of high-circle mages, it seems that it is not strange for their whole body to be shattered into pieces if they make a slight mistake.

Well, at that level, their skills also increase, so such things rarely happen.

“But Eilon, you don’t have to feel burdened. It’s only the 1st circle, and at best, your heart will stop if you’re unlucky.”

“……That’s the biggest problem?”

Does this woman think people live even if their heart stops?

Is the common sense here that strange?

I shuddered at the ignorance here.

“Cruse, people die if their heart stops.”

I die if my heart stops.

When I spoke as if giving serious advice, she gave me a look as if I was saying something stupid.

“I know that too. I mean I can handle that kind of accident. So don’t worry.”

She confidently said, spreading her shoulders wide as if to be believed.

“That’s why I’m watching over you, right? Above all, the current training is only attempted when I’m here.”

“…….”

But I already know because I’ve experienced it.

Actually, once when I failed, she kept urging me harshly, so I jokingly grabbed my chest and pretended to be in pain.

“Ugh! I’m dying!”

As soon as this sound came out, her actions were swift.

She immediately put her mana on my chest and slapped her palm down.

Honestly, I thought I was going to be killed.

Later, she explained that it was a kind of emergency measure.

That’s also a method listed in the Magic Tower textbook.

“……I thought the rampaging mana was blocking the blood vessels at that time. It’s your fault for playing strange pranks.”

“Well, that’s true.”

It’s my fault for pretending to be in pain for no reason.

“Oh, my! Come on! If you recover quickly, let’s do the next practice! Time is running out. If you don’t establish at least the 1st circle soon, you won’t be able to do the next class.”

“Yes~ Yes~.”

Actually, I know it too.

It’s a process that others barely take in a year.

I have to do it in a few days, so it’s natural that I have a hard time.

It’s my own fault.

“Then I’ll try the next attempt right away, so please watch.”

“I know.”

Anyway, I have to succeed as soon as possible.

I started to concentrate again.