Chapter 95 — Physical Work is Tough, Even for the Smart
1
As usual, classes were ordinary.
The same old classroom, the same old curriculum.
Yet, Manus absorbed knowledge step by step, filling in what he didn’t know or had overlooked.
After lunch, the school day ended.
Manus shed his academy uniform and changed into more comfortable clothes for physical activity.
He donned a black tracksuit that still had the scent of the fabric, indicating it had never been worn before.
In this game world, it seemed similar in texture to modern-day materials.
‘I’ve really never worn this before, huh. I guess I’ve been doing nothing this whole time.’
“Laundry… Well, the maids handle that, so it doesn’t matter.”
Back when he was in the military or living alone, doing laundry, cleaning, and all the chores had been such a bother.
But here, with the maids taking care of everything, life couldn’t be more convenient.
Now it was time to hit the training grounds.
He had never been one for exercise, but if it was exercise with a purpose, he welcomed it.
Mastering both Martial Arts Magic and Elemental Magic to their limits would be beneficial in dealing with the tough adversaries that would inevitably appear later on.
“-Let’s do this.”
Manus walked confidently toward the training grounds.
It seemed Professor Jennifer had cleared the area in advance, as it was completely empty except for Melanie and Jennifer herself.
“Good, you’re here.”
“Did I keep you waiting?”
“No, third-year classes always end late, so it’s fine. Now, I’ll be conducting the necessary tests for Martial Arts Magic.”
Melanie swallowed nervously.
Professor Jennifer’s classes were notorious for being brutal.
Often, there were no students enrolled at all.
Even those who did enroll rarely lasted a year before dropping out.
‘I can do this, right?’
It hadn’t been long since she resolved to do her best, but the anxiety kept creeping back in.
With trembling eyes, she waited for Professor Jennifer’s instructions.
The professor pointed to the training ground and said,
“Run. Run until you can’t run anymore.”
“Run… around here?”
“I won’t repeat myself. Start running.”
Manus started jogging lightly.
Melanie hurried to follow suit.
With the Buckley mindset naturally kicking in, knowledge about how to breathe, move his legs, and swing his arms filled Manus’ mind.
He could even allocate his energy precisely.
The Buckley family had honed their physical prowess for generations.
There was no reason not to follow the knowledge they had accumulated over centuries.
“Huff—! Huff—!”
Meanwhile, Melanie was running aimlessly, with no sense of technique.
The only thing she could do was grit her teeth and push through with sheer willpower.
The spirits weren’t exactly equipped to provide biological insights on how to run more efficiently.
One lap, two laps—she was fine.
She managed to hold on through three laps.
But by the fourth lap, her form began to crumble.
By the fifth lap, she was staggering, unsure whether she was walking or running.
“Keep running! Don’t stop!”
Professor Jennifer forcefully pulled Melanie to her feet whenever she was about to collapse.
Gasping for breath, Melanie somehow kept moving.
When she reached her seventh lap, Manus had already surpassed ten.
‘What the heck is he…’
Sweat was dripping down his face, and his hair was soaked.
But his steady breathing and continuous running made it hard to believe he was a mage.
At that moment, he looked more like a well-trained warrior cadet.
Jennifer clicked her tongue in disbelief.
Indeed, that talent was too exceptional to waste.
He was eerily similar to her younger self.
But back then, she hadn’t received the kind of recognition he was getting now.
‘Times are different. In a way, that’s a blessing. What kind of monster is this Caesar family producing… Not even his sister and brother were like this, I’m sure?’
She had seen Caesar’s other children before.
Although she hadn’t taught them directly, she recognized their overwhelming talent as truly remarkable.
She had once thought that those who praised her would one day be singing the praises of Caesar’s offspring.
And now, what about this boy?
She was curious.
She wanted to see where the bottom of that seemingly bottomless well of talent was.
Her lips curled into a sly grin.
“Manus! Increase your speed!”
“Huff—!”
With a sharp exhale, Manus quickened his pace.
Responding wasn’t necessary.
He focused on each breath, each step, pushing himself to run faster.
Honestly, it was surprising.
He breathed through the pain and held back whenever he wanted to stop.
What did they call this?
The second wind phenomenon hit him multiple times.
‘So this is what it feels like to use your body.’
He glanced over at the other side, where Melanie was still moving.
She looked like she was half-conscious, staring at the sky, yet her body kept running.
The spirits were floating around her, spinning in circles, as if cheering her on in their own way.
It was unclear whether she was looking at the spirits or just staring blankly at the sky—.
“Run faster, no, sprint with all you’ve got!”
He thought he was already going fast, but now he had to go even faster?
Might as well go all out rather than dragging it out.
Manus exhaled again and sprinted with everything he had.
The wind roared past, scattering the sweat droplets flying off him.
His heart pounded like crazy, urging him to keep running, to go further.
He ran until he completed thirty-five laps.
That’s the distance he covered before his legs finally gave out and he collapsed.
“…You ran thirty-five laps around an 800-meter track?”
“Huff… Huff… I guess…”
“You’re crazy. In all my years, I’ve never seen someone like you. Melanie’s almost done too.”
Jennifer was genuinely impressed.
800×35 was 28,000.
He had run 28 kilometers without stopping.
It was, frankly, an unbelievable feat.
She had never seen such a well-trained body in someone his age.
If he had picked up a sword or a shield, he would’ve become a master.
“You both did well. My judgment wasn’t wrong after all. Both of you have incredible mental fortitude. You should be able to keep up with my training.”
“…”
The two of them lay on the ground, staring up at Professor Jennifer.
Normally, this would be considered rude, but she had used mana to pin them down, leaving them unable to move.
Jennifer opened her pocket watch to check the time.
“We have a little time left, so let’s spend it studying theory.”
She began explaining Martial Arts Magic.
Rather than delving into its origins, history, or why the discipline was created, she went straight to teaching practical methods to start training.
Martial Arts Magic was like the hand-to-hand combat you’d find in other games.
Like the [Nen Master] or [Qi Master] from certain games, combined with what we might think of as an ‘original martial artist’ class.
“The core of Martial Arts Magic is to extend your body. Others rely on swords, shields, and manifested magic. But Martial Arts Magic relies solely on the body.”
The body can be a weapon.
A body trained to the extreme is more efficient than any weapon.
In this game, or rather, in this world, that rule didn’t apply.
The iron that made up the body couldn’t be turned into a sword.
The calcium that made up the bones couldn’t pierce the armor made from a monster’s bones.
A human with nothing was just a weak creature.
“You have to use mana to create an invisible weapon. That’s the essence of Martial Arts Magic.”
“An intangible force, then.”
“Exactly. There are various stances and methods. Even in the stance you showed the other day with your punching technique—.”
Boom!
Jennifer lightly threw a punch.
But what exploded was the sand five meters away.
It wasn’t about launching a projectile; it was about expanding using mana.
Manus vaguely understood the concept and nodded internally.
Melanie seemed to grasp the basic idea as well and nodded along.
Jennifer added one final note.
“Now that you understand the principles, do your own research. You’ll be very sore tomorrow. How you handle that is also part of your training. Tomorrow will be tougher, so be prepared.”
“Yes, ma’am—.”
“If you still have the energy to respond, tomorrow shouldn’t be a problem. Good job.”
With that, Jennifer disappeared.
Melanie, her limbs trembling, couldn’t do anything.
Manus cast a healing spell on himself and then on Melanie.
After she managed to get up, Melanie bowed her head deeply.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“You did well. You held up better than I expected.”
“Hehe… Do you think… I’ll get stronger?”
She still seemed uncertain.
Manus looked at her quietly.
Seeing that she had gained a bit of confidence, he decided she didn’t need to worry.
“You’ll get much stronger.”
“Yes, definitely—.”
After nodding with renewed determination, she slowly walked away.
Manus used magic to remove the sweat from his body and then left the training grounds.
He had found something new to focus on for the time being.
Someone once said something along these lines:
If you’re not smart, your body will suffer.
He knew this wasn’t exactly the same situation, but this wasn’t something that could be solved by being smart either.
In fact, being smart might just mean you end up pushing yourself down a much harder path.
‘Still, I need to learn Martial Arts Magic.’
To deal with any unforeseen challenges, it was best to gather as much power as possible.
Plus, a massive boss fight was looming on the horizon.
One that was a mage’s natural enemy, making Martial Arts Magic a necessity.
‘And…’
There was so much to do.
So many things to fix.
#2
“Is Melanie not coming today?”
“I don’t think so—. She’s got a lot on her plate. Does she even have the energy to climb the tower? If she gets more exhausted over there, she’ll probably get sick. Healing magic might not even help.”
“Then should we go without her?”
Nia glanced at Guillermo and asked.
The golden-haired guardian nodded.
He never hesitated when it came to climbing the tower.
Nia also wanted to gain strength inside the tower.
If you were willing to take a bit of risk, it was the fastest way to become stronger than any other mage, so there was no reason not to climb.
“Then, let’s go up with whoever can join today. Leave those two to their busy schedules.”
“Sounds good. Who’s going to lead?”
“Alano, and Kael can do it. Right?”
Everyone nodded.
Lately, Alano had been solidifying her role as the leader.
Her command skills were second to none.
Alano, seeing this as a good experience, nodded in agreement, and Kael didn’t mind either.
They agreed that when they climbed together, Alano would lead, and when they split up, she and Kael would share the responsibility.
From the club room, they had a clear view of the training grounds.
Today, the two of them were running, rolling, and training their limbs.
“Oh, by the way, isn’t it time for the first-year student council president election?”
Nia suddenly clapped her hands as she remembered.
Everyone exchanged glances.
That’s right.
Once they had adapted to the semester, it was time to elect class representatives.
“Do any of you plan on running?”
The atmosphere shifted with Nia’s question.
Student council president.
Coincidentally, the students most likely to win that position were all gathered in this room.
Nia’s face turned mischievous.
“This is going to be interesting to watch.”
The thought of them competing, hurling mana at each other… It was something she was looking forward to seeing.
–TL Notes–
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