Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 82

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 82

“Your Mana Eye is, if I had to say, similar to my interpretation.”

Valerie started to speak.

“But it’s a bit more high-dimensional. Your Mana Eye doesn’t read multiple things. Like all Mana Eyes, it only reads one thing.”

Mana Eyes are dangerous powers.

From the start, they contained supernatural mysteries that were hard to explain with any kind of learning.

They put a strain on the brain and optic nerves, and if control was lost, they would go berserk, leading to madness or even death.

That’s why people with Mana Eyes can only see one ability.

Or perhaps there were people who could see multiple abilities.

It’s just that all those people died without exception, so they can’t be used as samples.

“Your eyes read all the phenomena in front of you.”

Valerie had already finished organizing her thoughts, so she explained it step by step.

Lee Cheol’s Mana Eye doesn’t just see energy.

It doesn’t see hidden things, nor does it simply read what he wants to find.

Those things are just a part of the power that Lee Cheol’s Mana Eye possesses.

Lee Cheol’s Mana Eye reads the ‘present.’

The objects in front of him, plants and animals, and countless supernatural forces like mana or divine power.

It can see the ‘present’ of all that information.

It’s not an eye that sees the past, nor is it an eye that sees the future.

If I had to express it, since it reads phenomena, should I call it the Present Eye?

“Your naming sense is the worst!”

Lee Cheol barely dodged a fireball and screamed.

Valerie frowned.

“You have time to talk? Here! One more! Let’s go! Let’s go~!”

“……!”

Valerie lightly created another fireball and continued.

“Because it analyzes the current situation, it can predict a reasonable future. Similarly, it can infer the past.”

So Lee Cheol’s Mana Eye could predict the movements of living things in fragments and infer what had happened in the past.

“I think there was a good expression for it. What was it called… that… that…”

Kwaaaang!

Amidst the echoing explosion, Valerie blinked and uttered a word.

“That’s right. Causality.”

The phrase ‘reading causality’ suits it best.

“Anyway, you’re only seeing one thing, but since it’s so high-dimensional, it’ll be incredibly burdensome. You have to develop diligently. Your eyes are too alien and dangerous. If you don’t get used to them quickly, you might be swallowed by the Mana Eye in an instant, no matter how high your control is.”

And the next moment, Valerie gave a beaming smile with her pretty face.

“So this isn’t out of spite or for experimentation, but purely for your sake. So, here! One more, let’s go!”

Another mana sphere appeared, making a total of three floating in the training ground.

“Keuak!”

I gritted my teeth at the onrushing heatwave.

* * *

The Mana Eye training with Valerie’s help continued until the afternoon.

The moment the training ended, I collapsed to the ground and dropped my head.

“Hehe, look how black you are.”

My hair and clothes were burned, filled with the smell of scorching.

I glared at Valerie, covered in soot.

“Pfft! Did you go to a mine or something? Only your eyes and teeth are visible?”

“…….”

This state was ultimately due to failing to evade.

The moment there were three fireballs.

I managed to dodge for a brief moment, but soon reached my limit and was directly hit by one of the fireballs.

Fortunately, Valerie canceled the magic, and I also urgently activated my Aura Skill to avoid a critical hit, but there was nothing I could do about my clothes.

“Uh-huh, you have to open your eyes nicely. It was so hard for me to figure that out.”

“……I appreciate that, but.”

I dusted off the soot on my face.

Then Valerie crouched down and met my gaze.

“But there’s still something I haven’t figured out.”

“What is it?”

“The fact that you manifested your Mana Eye through that Soong Moo-i family ritual. Is it because it’s not a typical Mana Eye that the manifestation was late? Or were you just an exception?”

“…….”

I couldn’t answer either.

In fact, the method for designing the Trial Chamber had been revealed by the researchers, but the principle behind it was still unknown.

What process awakens the latent abilities in the bloodline, and why the Soong Moo-i family bloodline invariably possesses abilities was still a mystery.

I could only vaguely guess that it was due to ancient sorcery or some kind of secret art.

“Anyway, I don’t think I can figure it out. Sorry. …I think I could find out if I took detailed photos or opened up your body.”

Valerie mumbled in a voice barely audible.

It was such a terrifying thing to say that I wondered if I had misheard.

I subtly moved away from Valerie.

“……No. Someday, the day will come when we can find out.”

“Well, anyway, all that’s left is training. So let’s start by giving it a name. I don’t like Present Eye… Since it analyzes phenomena, Analysis Eye is good too. Hmm, it’s such a complex eye, it’s really hard to name. Causality Eye? Ah, too bland. Like you said, these are really bad.”

“The name is fine. There’s no need to give it one.”

What’s the point of giving it such a cheesy name?

In the case of Aura Skills or the essence of martial arts, names are given for clear visualization.

But not for Mana Eyes.

Isn’t it not a power that needs to be visualized in the head?

“What?! It’s a Mana Eye with great power, so you have to give it a cool name! Since it reads causality, how about God Eye? No, Solomon’s Eye? Since it’s Eastern, how about something cool like Four Heavenly Kings’ Eye? Or Yama Eye [Eye of Yama, a Buddhist deity of death and justice].”

“…….”

I felt it earlier, but her naming sense is truly terrible.

“I’ll say it again, what’s the point of giving it such a name.”

“Why! Every time you turn on your Mana Eye, you say, ‘This eye sees the darkness well…’ and shout Yama Eye! and open your eyes… Keuh!”

“Suddenly, what darkness… And I never said I would call it Yama Eye.”

I’m too tired to argue now.

From the beginning, I never understood those guys who shouted their technique names while fighting.

In reality, the Soong Moo-i family treats those things as third-rate.

What could be less practical than shouting ‘Sword of Such-and-Such Form!’ several times during a fight?

It’s better to hide the Mana Eye if you can, so why would you bother revealing it and fighting?

“Valerie. Are you teasing me right now? Tell me honestly.”

“No? No, isn’t it really cool?”

“Didn’t you tell me to get rid of useless habits before starting training?”

“Oh, that’s true, but…”

“Change Valerie’s eyes or name, then. I don’t want it.”

I dusted off my seat and stood up.

My clothes were completely burned, so they crumbled and scattered every time I dusted them off.

…I should go buy some spare clothes.

“I think I need to wash up first. Valerie said she’s going to do interpretation work in the afternoon instead of helping with my training, right?”

“……Ah, what a shame. Really not possible?”

“It’s fine.”

I appreciate her helping with the training, but Yama Eye? No way.

Valerie twisted her long hair and clicked her tongue.

‘Ah, it would be nice to have a cool name to use when writing the paper.’

Wait, but can’t I just make up my own name?

Well, this kid isn’t going to show his face in academia anyway, so it’s okay to just make up a name.

He looks a bit smart, but there’s no way a kid who lives by the sword would look up a paper.

In the first place, he wouldn’t have known the nature of his Mana Eye if I hadn’t helped him.

Why, isn’t that right?

Even if it already existed, the first discoverer has the right to name it.

‘Four Heavenly Kings’ Eye… Yama Eye… Hmm, Demon King Eye… Or should I go with a French style?’

Thus, Lee Cheol was unaware that a secret naming attempt was continuing.

* * *

The Mana Eye adaptation training started as soon as I woke up early in the morning, after finishing my meal.

Rest periods were given just before mana depletion occurred, but the real meaning of the rest period was more to replenish the depleted mana.

“Hey! I know you’re good at using your body, but rely more on your eyes! Your Mana Eye turned off, but you dodged with your body!”

Valerie shouted and simultaneously floated six types of magic in the air and sent them flying at me.

At first, I couldn’t even dodge three fireballs, but now I could dodge different types of magic to some extent.

“Damn it.”

I gritted my teeth and kicked off the ground.

Now, I had surpassed the level where I could only dodge by using the Mana Eye well.

Among the flying magic, there were fireballs that suddenly exploded, poison-scattering smoke, lightning attacks, and ice magic.

The properties were all different, and they suddenly disappeared or changed shape.

I had to predict all those changes with my Mana Eye and evade appropriately.

‘This is the first time I’ve trained only for the Mana Eye like this.’

Even on Mt. Cheonwi, I trained my Mana Eye while training my sixth sense, but I never focused solely on Mana Eye training like this.

All the Mana Eye training I had done so far was to try to find something as much as possible or to distinguish what I wanted to see.

Prediction, analysis, selection, and concentration.

By training using all the parts that my Mana Eye could do, growth was rapidly occurring.

As I dodged another fireball.

Tring-.

Suddenly, an alarm rang from somewhere.

“Hee-eum, it’s over. What a shame.”

Hwaak! Bang!

Valerie waved her water pipe in the air, and all the magic disappeared like bursting balloons.

“Heok, heok……”

I wiped away the sweat flowing like rain.

“It’s already 2 o’clock. Ugh, I’m tired.”

Valerie put the water pipe she had been shaking around in her mouth and stretched.

The Mana Eye training with Valerie wasn’t something that continued all day.

It usually lasted from after breakfast until 2 PM.

“Are you going to go straight to the interpretation work?”

“I have to. There’s a magical contract on it, so I can’t just do it sloppily. Well, it’s fun too.”

Valerie chuckled.

I trained like crazy with minimal rest, but the same was true for Valerie.

Helping with my training and doing interpretation work.

Besides, she seemed to be continuing her personal research without letting go.

“Are you going to train again?”

“I will when my mana recovers a bit.”

“Heum, the training with me is pretty intense, why don’t you take a break?”

“Valerie isn’t resting either.”

“That’s true.”

The Mana Eye itself had grown tremendously, but that was only the Mana Eye that had grown.

I had to do other training without skipping it.

“If it were someone else, I would force them to rest while doing it… but you’ll be fine.”

Valerie added.

“Your body’s recovery is really not normal. Is everyone in the Soong Moo-i family like that?”

“Everyone is generally healthy. But recovery… what does that mean?”

I hadn’t used recovery magic separately since entering the workshop, so why was she suddenly talking about recovery?

Valerie explained to my puzzled expression.

“Didn’t you know? The recovery of your mana system, the recovery of your Mana Eye or brain. It’s quite bizarre.”

I thought for a moment.

Maybe it’s because of the Soong Moo-i family’s body or the help of the Amethyst Stone… but when I think about it, even considering that, my body’s recovery is particularly fast.

“Valerie, don’t overdo it yourself.”

“I’m taking care of myself.”

“It’s already been quite a while, is the interpretation quite difficult?”

Valerie frowned at my question.

“No problem in this world is difficult for me.”

“Ah… yes.”

I couldn’t understand where that endless self-love came from.

I sometimes thought it would be nice if she mixed half of her personality with my aunt, who falls into self-loathing because of her trauma.

‘No. If that happens, the eccentric parts will be doubled.’

It was a terrible thought.

Having such wicked thoughts brings bad luck.

“Huh? Why are you making that face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You make that face sometimes.”

Valerie scoffed as if it were absurd and crossed her arms.

“It seems like there’s not much left, so wait. Once I finish the calculation, I just need to check if the interpretation is correct, and then it’s really over. At most… three days.”

Valerie smiled and left the training ground.