I Became the Younger Sister of the Game's Villain - Chapter 17.1
The Great Sage was visibly irritated but restrained herself due to pride, simply staring me down intently.
made a show of leaving without looking back.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
One step, two steps… and then three.
“Wait.”
She lived up to my expectations.
I deliberately turned around with an even more nonchalant expression.
The sage was clenching her fists, her lips twitching.
Her face, now redder than before, was awkwardly twisted into a smile.
“Those Taoist bastards? More traditional, you say? You think?”
She began a strange appeal.
“Om, Garte, how long will you keep chanting such archaic spells, sensing ‘Qi’, or fretting over a missed talisman pattern causing a different spell… And about those talismans. Drawing them takes time, then you have to redraw them, if you’re going to do that, might as well just paint, why bother the evil beasts?
Not to mention the waste of paper and ink… A true citizen of Earth should consider the environment. The environment.”
“……”
“See. We mages don’t have that? Just memorize a formula, cast it in your mind, and bam, it’s done.
Just cast, and there you go. Easy, so convenient. Oh, such a relief.”
“……”
“So, what I’m saying is…”
She muttered in defeat.
“I’ll teach you. Mana Wave.”
Okay.
A smirk almost broke through, but I composed my expression.
It wouldn’t do good to appear too triumphant now.
When one side has lowered their pride, it’s only proper for the other to respond in kind.
I bowed respectfully, as if folding myself in half.
My tightly tied ponytail brushed against my cheeks as it swung.
“I’d be grateful, sage.”
***
She led me to a wide sandpit located to the east of Jongyeonggak (Hall of Honor).
It was a hexagonal arena.
Surrounded by dense trees, the area would make a crashing wave sound with just a slight breeze.
‘This place is usually for training…’
I had frequented this spot as a playable character whose profession was a Taoist, treating it almost like my own room.
I’d beaten those wooden dummies at the back countless times.
But why here?
Glancing questioningly at the sage, she crossed her arms defensively.
“I said I’d teach you, but not just like that. Don’t worry, though. I won’t give you impossible missions like before.”
Guess she acknowledges giving ridiculous missions before.
I raised my eyebrows in acknowledgment.
The sage tapped the ground with her foot a few times.
“It’s just to see if you can properly learn this skill. We can’t just teach anyone who says they can use mana; it would tarnish our reputation. Especially since you… are not officially registered with the Mana Association.”
“I see.”
“Let’s begin. First, create a mana sphere.”
Creating a mana sphere was as natural as breathing for mages.
It was too basic to be considered a test of skill.
Besides, I had received tips from ‘that’ sage, Joo Seo Yoon. There’s no way I couldn’t manage this.
Closing my eyes and focusing, I quickly felt a spherical shape forming above my hand.
Mm. Voicing her pleasure with the result, she commanded again.
“Next, roll the sphere. Try to make it as tall as me.”
Rolling the sphere.
Rolling the sphere wasn’t about physically rolling it but about absorbing more mana to increase the size of the sphere in your hand, similar to rolling a snowball.
It was about how much mana you could contain and for how long.
This test of the two most fundamental and crucial qualities served as a measure of potential among mages.
But this…
‘It doesn’t seem feasible.’
Scratching my head, I somewhat knew the process but had never really attempted to create a proper mana sphere, and for Lee Moa, there was a significant impediment.
‘Mana capacity.’
That’s where the challenge lay again.
You need a certain amount of mana to begin using any skills or techniques.
‘If I knew this would happen, I would have focused on increasing my mana capacity before getting a weapon.’
I regretted pointlessly.
But the sage before me wouldn’t be sympathetic to my situation.
Watching her expectant gaze, I sighed inwardly.
‘But, let’s give it a try anyway.’
I was curious about what the current state of Lee Moa could achieve.
After a deep breath, I finely tuned into the airflow.
Having learned the basics from Joo Seo Yoon, the application was up to me.
Gathering the threads of mana scattered around to form a concrete image above my hand…
Woosh.
Although I felt no difference in weight, the volume of mana touching my palm was increasing.
It was a fluttering, tingling sensation.
It seemed possible.
I think I can do this.
My confidence was fleeting.
Unknowingly, I furrowed my brow in concentration, feeling my body absorbing mana like a sponge, muscles relaxing as if dissolving into thin air.
However, despite this relaxed state…
“Gak.”
A sudden, crushing pain dispersed the gathered mana.
A flash.
‘It’s over.’
Energy drained from my body.
My hands began to shake uncontrollably, likely from overexerting myself with mana usage.
Dizziness overwhelmed me. I felt like I might faint.
The warning bells in my head urged me to frantically search for a mana potion.
Ignoring the presence of the sage before me, I hastily gulped down two bottles.
“Phew.”
I felt like I would live.
My vision, which had been doubling and tripling, finally cleared.
And then…
“…..”
“…..”
“What are you?”
The sage’s bewildered voice echoed in my ears as she watched my frantic actions.
I had no response.
This was the stark reality of Lee Moa’s current state.
Far from matching the size of the sage, I couldn’t even gather mana to the size of a head.
I gently rubbed my chest that stung as if suffering from reflux esophagitis.
The sage, with a genuinely puzzled face, began to scrutinize me.
She propped her fist under her chin, mumbling with a serious expression.
