Chapter – 06
The Intersection of the Mana Circle and Mana Hole
After dinner, Pirancheva slowly walked to the backyard as if taking a stroll and waited for Midorant and his gang to arrive.
After waiting a short while, Midorant’s gang approached, and one boy, upon seeing Pirancheva, recklessly charged forward and swung his fist.
It was an act to seize the initiative, but having somewhat anticipated this development, Pirancheva bent his waist to dodge the fist flying towards him, then drove his own fist into the boy’s abdomen.
With unbelievable force for a seven-year-old, the boy crumpled to the ground. Pirancheva raised his foot and forcefully slammed his knee down onto the boy’s face.
“Guh-huk!”
The boy’s head snapped sharply to the side, and he lost consciousness on the spot.
“If they fall down this easily, it wasn’t worth the wait.”
Seeing his trusted underling subdued so easily, Midorant gritted his teeth and ordered the other children to attack together.
“Waaaah!”
Shouting as if soldiers were charging the enemy in battle, the children rushed at Pirancheva simultaneously.
Seeing this, Pirancheva didn’t flinch or show fear; instead, he smiled.
“These guys remind me of my military days.”
Before possessing Pirancheva’s body, Kang Minsu was a sturdy young man who had completed his military service in a country called the Republic of Korea, specifically in the 707th Special Mission Group, a special forces unit, and moreover, he had served in the Special Assignment Team and been discharged after his full term.
He was proficient in Taekwondo as a base, as well as martial arts like Muay Thai, boxing, Judo, and Hapkido, making him quite skilled in fighting.
Utilizing the physical skills he learned here, he trained personally and practiced diligently in his spare time, so he wasn’t intimidated just because the children were older and larger than him.
Swish!
With light movements, Pirancheva evaded their attacks, then leaped forward and slammed his knee into one boy’s face.
Above all, Pirancheva’s body moved better than he had expected.
“Kuh-eok!”
Landing on the ground, he saw a boy reeling backward from the impact. He delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the boy’s abdomen, then shifted his gaze to the other children.
He spotted one boy charging recklessly forward with his body lowered. It seemed the boy intended to grab Pirancheva’s waist and take them both down.
Seeing this, Pirancheva took a step and jumped, leaping over the boy’s head. Twisting his body mid-air, he kicked the boy in the back.
“Uhhh…!”
Though the kick didn’t carry its full force, the boy, unable to control his charging momentum, plunged face-first into the ground and tumbled away, falling flat.
Whoosh!
Seeing a fist swiftly swinging towards his face, Pirancheva raised his arm to block it. As the attack was blocked, another boy quickly followed up with another strike.
He showed signs of having trained somewhat, but Pirancheva calmly dodged or blocked his attacks. Noticing the boy’s breathing becoming ragged, Pirancheva counterattacked.
They exchanged blows, almost like two actors in a movie coordinating an action sequence, until Pirancheva’s fist dug into the boy’s side. The boy crumpled from the impact.
Seizing the opportunity, Pirancheva swung his fist hard at the boy’s face. Unable to defend, the boy took a clean hit to the jaw and collapsed, seemingly knocked out cold.
In this way, Pirancheva took down Midorant’s gang one by one. Midorant, who had been watching from behind, seemed to decide he couldn’t just leave it to the other children and stepped forward to attack Pirancheva himself.
Midorant was twelve, not only stronger than his peers but also with a good physique and decent fighting skills.
As Midorant attacked Pirancheva, the remaining children naturally stepped back, creating a stage for just the two of them to fight.
“You’re pretty good for a runt,” Midorant said, attempting conversation while fighting.
“Join me, and I’ll treat you well.”
“I don’t serve under anyone weaker than me.”
As Midorant raised his leg high, aiming for Pirancheva’s face, Pirancheva spun his body in the opposite direction while sinking down, dodging the kick. Simultaneously, he swept his leg like a broom across the floor.
“Whoa!”
Midorant, who was balancing on one leg, was caught by Pirancheva’s sweep. His body lifted into the air and he fell to the ground.
Thud!
He seemed to have taken quite an impact from the fall, grimacing. Pirancheva aimed a soccer kick at his face.
Wham!
A loud sound, as if his skull had shattered, echoed. Midorant was knocked out cold by that single blow.
Seeing this, the other children hesitated, no longer thinking of attacking Pirancheva again.
Pirancheva looked at them and said one thing.
“Are you going to keep fighting, or not?”
As the children hesitated, Pirancheva, sensing they no longer had the will to fight him, spoke curtly and walked through their midst.
“Take the kids and go back to the dorm. It’s getting chilly; if you leave them like that, they’ll catch a cold.”
Pirancheva walked away, showing them his back, but no one dared to attack him.
Returning to the dorm, Pirancheva smiled with satisfaction at the day’s outcome.
“Clearly, this isn’t the speed and power a young child should possess. And it seems this body moves better than I thought.”
He realized his stats were similar to those of an adult male who had professionally trained in athletics.
“It would be more advantageous if the body were a bit bigger. It’s not a game, but if I think of this as a game world, the current situation might actually be more favorable for me.”
Even though his level and magic were sealed, it was unlikely they would remain sealed forever. As time passed and his stats increased, the seals would eventually break. When that happened, he would regain all his magical abilities. He thought that focusing on building his physical strength now would surely be a great help later.
“You little lizard, just wait. I’ll definitely pluck out all your scales, strip the flesh from your bones, and make bear stew to eat.”
Burning with anger towards the dragon Artiranth, who had sent him to this world, the flame of Pirancheva’s resolve shone through his eyes. He was determined to do exactly that.
“Pirancheva fought with the children?”
Viscount Eastern received a report from the knight captain, Foren, about the incident that happened in the evening.
Even though he was training alongside commoners, he was a noble, and the son of a Count family at that, so Viscount Eastern couldn’t help but pay attention.
“That’s correct. Young Master Pirancheva fought quite well. He subdued Midorant’s gang with clean movements, almost as if he had enjoyed such fights before.”
“Is that so? I heard he had some experience with street fights in the slums.”
“They weren’t just street brawls; his movements suggested he had trained in some martial arts.”
“Hmm. The Count family said they built his physical strength for swordsmanship, so he must have learned it then. Was he badly hurt?”
“No. He subdued ten children without taking a single hit.”
Viscount Eastern looked at Foren with surprised eyes.
“Without taking a single hit?”
“That’s correct. He knocked out four children, and the others gave up fighting after Midorant fell.”
“Midorant?”
“The eldest son of Viscount Rommel’s family.”
“Ah, you mean that stout fellow.”
“Yes.”
Viscount Eastern nodded, thought for a moment, and then asked Foren.
“In your opinion, does Pirancheva seem to have talent for swordsmanship?”
“It’s hard to say at this point. But what is clear is that Young Master Pirancheva seems to have been born with the talent for effort.”
“Effort… That’s a rare talent in a mage’s family.”
Viscount Eastern let out a short, amused laugh, as if he found it ridiculous.
“What is it, my lord?”
“It’s just astonishing. It’s as if these great geniuses made a pact to each learn something different.”
Foren thought of Viscount Eastern’s daughter, Elina.
“Perhaps geniuses think of things we don’t. So, to achieve their ultimate goals, they might be trying approaches that aren’t the orthodox methods, but different ones.”
“There’s some truth to what you say. The orthodox method takes too long to become a Master. If one could definitely become a Master, they might endure and wait that long, but only a select few with heaven-sent talent can reach that realm. So, trying a different approach isn’t bad. The problem is that if it’s an unverified method, it comes with risks.”
Since the continent’s creation, after dragons taught magic and demons taught swordsmanship to humans, humanity had continuously researched, created, developed, and advanced both magic and swordsmanship.
Throughout this process, numerous past geniuses, like Pirancheva and Elina, sought their own methods of training instead of the orthodox ones. Through such training, some reached higher levels.
Mages who found their own methods established their own schools to spread their magic, and knights opened dojos to pass on their swordsmanship, which had been inherited and developed to this day.
However, these methods weren’t necessarily safe.
There could be unknown side effects, and in the process of pursuing only strength, it was common for humanity—one’s character or personality—to be eroded.
Whenever that happened, the continent suffered because of them.
The probability of so-called geniuses finding their own method and becoming stronger was around 10%. The rest often suffered from some unknown side effects.
Perhaps because of this?
From some point on, more people chose to take the safer path, even if it took a bit longer, rather than seeking their own way to become strong. Others researched already verified safe methods to find slightly faster and safer ways.
Over a hundred years had passed like this. So, it felt quite ironic that now, two children known as great geniuses were striving to become stronger faster through their own methods.
“Young Master Pirancheva and Lady Elina have been called geniuses since they were young. And since they have excellent mana sensitivity, they will probably find their own methods.”
If it turns out as Foren said, the Empire’s military power would greatly increase in the future, and the kingdoms opposing the Empire, as well as the other Empire, the Olphros Empire, would have no choice but to be wary of the Barda Empire.
“I hope so. What is Pirancheva doing now?”
“He is training in basic swordsmanship with Knight Ranggard.”
“One would think a child would find it difficult.”
“Perhaps that is Young Master Pirancheva’s advantage and talent. He doesn’t show any sign of difficulty; on the contrary, he pushes himself until his body is completely exhausted.”
“As a mage, recovering from physical exhaustion shouldn’t be too hard for him.”
“Even with magic, if the body’s balance is broken, one should feel tired, but he shows no sign of it. I’m worried he might push himself too far.”
“Tell the knights to look after him properly. As you know, Pirancheva is the beloved youngest son of the Count Ilya family.”
“I will relay the order to keep a close watch. But, Viscount?”
“Speak.”
“Do you intend to continue tolerating the children’s gangs?”
“Why? Does them forming groups seem dangerous?”
“The children are ganging up to intimidate others and force them into their faction. If they learn such political maneuvering from a young age, they likely won’t change much as they grow up.”
“I know. They are essentially here to gain my attention—no, our family’s attention—and form connections. I don’t want them becoming my knights.”
“Then why…?”
He was asking why, knowing they were nobles’ children, they were selected and accepted as trainees.
“Because I want true knights like you, Sir Foren, who can overcome injustice and possess a strong sense of responsibility and pride.”
Foren slightly bowed his head at the compliment.
“Most of them will likely end up as soldiers in the territory or become mercenaries. If so, the Viscountcy and its affiliated territories will benefit, achieving a small purpose in itself.”
“Ah…”
“Just know that. And tell the knights to intervene as little as possible in the children’s affairs. However, while injuries among the children may happen, there must be no deaths.”
