I Became the Younger Sister of the Game's Villain - Chapter 17.2
“The flow of mana around the body is not lacking at all. In fact, it’s more than enough… It doesn’t make sense for this level of energy to be at this grade. The amount of mana is sufficient even for mid to high-tier circle skills, so why suddenly, the vessel that contains it…”
Even if I only half listened, it sounded like a discussion about the same issue as Manager Oh. Something was blocking Lee Moa’s mana.
‘But it affected the mana capacity too?’
This new piece of information deepened my seriousness.
I knew about the golden lines, curses, and such affecting skills, but not that it impacted everything related to mana and awakening as well.
And as for the sage, seemingly equally intrigued by this incomprehensible situation, she drifted into her world of thought, forgetting I was even there.
Was it this reason? Or that?
I silently listened to her flow of hypotheses for five minutes.
I kept watching, hoping to catch some clue, but it was all talk beyond my ability to conclude.
Listening to such conjectures* was a waste of time.
(T/N: The original term used is 카더라, which is romanized as ‘kardera,’ which means ‘baseless rumors’ in the Gyeongsang dialect.)
Making up my mind, I suddenly grabbed her hand.
That wasn’t what was important.
“So, that’s that.”
“Huh? What’s… what about…?”
“The test. Should we do something else?”
Assertively taking the lead despite failing the test, the sage seemed taken aback.
Her eyes wavered with uncertainty, though she tried to conceal her unease.
After a heavy sigh of contemplation, she finally spat out,
“You can’t learn it this way.”
“…..”
“I’m not saying this to discourage you, but attempting to force-learn the skill in your current state would be a waste of time.”
Noticing my crestfallen expression, the sage hurriedly added more.
Acknowledging her resolution, I nodded slowly.
I had known this would be the outcome since the sphere formation flopped, so it wasn’t exactly shocking.
But I wouldn’t have come here in the first place if I intended on giving up so easily.
“No. I need to learn this, no matter what.”
I clung to the sleeve of the sage’s robe, pleading.
“No, I mean…”
“Give me another quest. Honestly, there are plenty of other ways to test my abilities, right? Like fetching a few monsters, or acquiring some loot.”
“Wait, just a mo- moment…!”
“I won’t leave until I learn this skill.”
I spoke with every ounce of sincerity I could muster.
Perhaps sensing my determination, the sage stopped struggling and locked eyes with me, swallowing nervously.
Her discomfort was almost contagious, almost making me smile.
▷ Achieve ‘Mana Sensitivity (P)’, Lv.7. ― Category: Sub ― Time remaining: 2 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds Successful acquisition of the skill ‘Mana Wave’ upon completion. Failure results in inability to acquire.
“Fine, just let go now.”
I adjusted my clothes, looking at the newly appeared mission window.
The sage watched me with eyes as if she had seen a ghost, now that I had calmed down so quickly upon getting what I wanted.
I shrugged my shoulders lightly.
“You have 3 days. If you can raise your Mana Sensitivity to level 7 within that time, I’ll consider you capable enough to learn the skill. I will then proceed to teach it to you.”
It’s going to be challenging.
Even without saying anything, I knew the sage thought the same.
Lee Moa’s passive skill, Mana Sensitivity, is currently at a mere level 1.
As a passive, it isn’t something you can actively use to increase its level; instead, its proficiency accumulates naturally as you perform actions using mana.
Facing higher-grade beasts doesn’t necessarily earn more proficiency, nor does facing lower-grade ones earn less.
In a nutshell, it’s all about grinding—a real know-how built only through repetitive training.
Despite that…
Grinding was always the easiest part for me.
Lightly accepting the quest, the sage’s eyes widened slightly.
Now, it’s a battle against time.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
I bowed my head lightly and quickly left Seonggyungwan.
“… Tomorrow?”
Leaving behind the sage muttering to herself and scratching her head.
***
“How’s Moa doing?”
In the heart of the Hwarang Guild, the top-floor master’s room.
Lee Gyeom, unable to hide his fatigue, slumped into a leather chair and asked.
It had been almost a day since completing the dimension, and barely five minutes since he arrived at the guild after dealing with various unofficial duties.
Truly, there was no rest for him.
Gu Seo Bok, trying his best to hide his fed up expression, replied with as much decorum as he could.
“Today, for some odd reason, she’s quietly staying in her room. Just when I thought she’d gone out for a bit, she suddenly dove into some crafting, making all sorts of noise.”
“Crafting?”
Thud.
The sound of Lee Gyeom putting down the pen he had been fiddling with resonated.
The gaze staring ahead was icy.
The backlit silhouette made the shaded face even more intimidating.
A sharp sense of dread surged up his spine.
Lately, any mention of Lee Moa triggered this response in Lee Gyeom.
Any story he wasn’t privy to had him bristling like a rose with thorns, sensitive to touch.
Even though it’s summer, it’s not the time for horror specials.
With taut nerves, Gu Seo Bok quickly added more details, feigning nonchalance.
“Yes, out of nowhere, she started bringing in brass in bulk. I thought we had regressed to the Bronze Age, you know. I never knew the lady had such craftsmanship skills.”
Lee Gyeom, who had been silently listening to Gu Seo Bok, fiddled with his lips as if pondering deeply.
An indicator that he had questions.
With the intuition honed from years of serving as his aide, Gu Seo Bok clamped his mouth shut, waiting for the shift in Lee Gyeom’s gaze.
“Did you see what she was making?”
“Of course, I did.”
Gu Seo Bok responded as if it was obvious.
Lee Gyeom waited quietly for the answer.
A strange tension filled the air.
With a slight, victorious smile, sensing Lee Gyeom’s curiosity, Gu Seo Bok, hand on his waist, proudly announced.
“…..A boomerang?”
“… What?”
Lee Gyeom’s gaze wandered to the ceiling.
“Or a boat? A crescent moon? Anyway, it was long and sort of resembled a seagull. Her aesthetic sense is a bit off, yes.”
“…..”
“Sorry.”
Shrinking under the silent gaze, Gu Seobok stiffened in his formal posture.
As Lee Gyeom turned away, a deep sigh circulated in the master’s room.
I just….
“Keep me updated on any peculiarities.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Thud. Thud.
The sound of the clattering of the pen resumed.
In the deadly silence, Lee Gyeom, the guild leader of Hwarang armored in his usual cool demeanor, remained seated.
