By Zephyria 
As declared at the start, exactly three hours later, I emerged from the crystal cave.
The air density inside and outside the cave felt distinctly different. There were no grand devices inside or outside the cave, nor was any magic cast. It was truly wondrous that such a space could form naturally, and even more so that it was used for this mana adaptation training.
Benjamin and I each helped Ruben and Marianne, who were catching their breath and regulating their bodies.
Seeing us, Elvin took four water bottles from the bag he was carrying, handed one to each of us, and opened his mouth.
“Drink half, and rinse your mouth with the other half before spitting it out.”
“Uh… why?”
It was a puzzling question, so I couldn’t help but ask. Hyoo answered instead of Elvin.
“People who aren’t accustomed to spaces with high mana density often can’t breathe properly through their noses and end up breathing through their mouths. Eyes blink constantly, and if someone shows strange symptoms, the person next to them can tell immediately. But even if your tongue becomes a little numb, you might not notice. This is just a way to check if you’re okay while rinsing.”
“Ah, I see.”
With a satisfactory answer, all four of us drank the water and rinsed our mouths. Hyoo asked again.
“How is it, are you okay?”
“Aeiouuuae. Um, I’m fine. Except my jaw is a little stiff from clenching my teeth so hard earlier.”
“I’m fine too.”
“…Mmm.”
Marianne and Benjamin answered immediately, but Ruben tilted his head, looking unsure.
Was something wrong? Worried, I gently pressed the tip of the child’s chin. His bright red tongue looked fine at first glance, but… what could I tell just by looking? I could only worry.
As I held the child’s mouth open to look inside, Marianne grabbed my forearm and pulled me back.
“Why?”
“No, no. I think it’s a bit dangerous right now.”
“Huh?”
My gaze turned to Ruben.
As soon as my hand fell away, he covered his face with both hands and bowed his head low. Seeing the tips of his ears turn bright red, I admitted that I had just been… a little too close to him.
Hmph, I coughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed for no reason.
Ruben swallowed a pained sound and replied,
“…Yes. I’m fine…”
“Oh. …Uh, right. Everything’s fine then…”
Hugh Benson looked at me and Ruben with a displeased expression, then turned around, saying, “Let’s go.”
As I walked behind his back, my face felt hot and my throat was dry, making it impossible to say anything. Marianne, leaving us behind, chattered away next to Hyoo, asking all sorts of things.
“Do other teams do this training too? Are there many mana caves like this?”
“Uh… there are about eight, I think? A few more, but about eight to ten are comfortable and safe like this. The caves we go to for new recruit training are usually chosen based on the seniors’ preferences, so we come here alone.”
“Even though it’s this close and the path here was easy?”
“Well, you’ll find out if you go further in. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Elvin, walking at a moderate distance, handed me another water bottle, which I gratefully accepted.
❖ ❖ ❖
We came to the same place the next day, and the day after that.
However, on the second day, we walked about ten minutes deeper than the first, and on the third day, we went about ten minutes deeper than that.
Hyoo walked cautiously. Every five steps, he would make a ‘click, click’ sound, checking his artifact and observing the children’s complexions.
And then, we stopped.
My eyes narrowed slightly at the sudden brilliance ahead.
It was brightly lit all around. Dense spiritual energy, no, mana, clung like mist and dripped from the crystals. An indescribably refreshing scent tickled my nose.
I took a deep breath. My fingertips tingled, so I clenched my fist tightly.
Here, there was a clear lake.
The liquid filling the lake shimmered with a silver light. Its surface was smooth, reflecting our party’s faces like a mirror. I couldn’t gauge its depth or width at a glance. It simply glittered.
Within about five paces of the lake, several small puddles held liquid of the same color.
Curious, I reached out, but Hugh Benson grabbed my wrist and stopped me, preventing me from touching it.
“From here on, do not touch that liquid, or anything where these droplets have formed. Be careful.”
“…What is this?”
“Do you know how mana stones are formed?”
“…No.”
“Mana stones have a mana concentration of 97mp. Mana stones are called mana stones when mana gathers persistently and crystallizes onto dust or minerals. When you use that mana and its concentration drops below 30mp, you can no longer extract mana, so the shell breaks. Then, it’s discarded.”
“Ah…”
“And these liquids… are between 75mp and 82mp. If you touch them with your bare hands, you’ll get burned, or suffer mana poisoning, or both. In any case, you won’t end up well.”
Yet, everyone’s eyes remained fixed on the lake.
It was a light that captivated people. As we gazed at the brilliant light, which was both enchanting and divine, for a long time, a rainbow shimmered before my eyes.
As we stood there silently, enduring the dazzling sight, Hugh Benson whispered with a proud voice.
“How is it, isn’t it damn cool…? Hah, I wanted to show you this. If you touch it even a little wrong, it’s all over, so we don’t usually bring new recruits here. We pretty much have it to ourselves this season.”
“…Yes. It’s truly… truly amazing.”
“When the mana concentration is this high, even magical creatures don’t come around much. It’s completely empty, but where else can you find a place this full? …Well, let’s just look at this for today.”
While everyone else remained silent, Marianne alone managed to utter a sound akin to an amazed exclamation.
But Hugh Benson didn’t press for more. Perhaps seeing our expressions was enough to convey his intended impression, as he simply grinned mischievously. Then, he sat down in a suitable spot, propped his chin on his hand, and gazed at this peculiar lake.
After glancing at him once, I looked again at the liquid pooled at my feet.
Was this what Clearstone Oil looked like? It was a liquid so fragrant and beautiful that it brought to mind the wondrous spiritual medicine, said to be formed drop by drop in precious Spirit Wells by gathering all the natural energy.
Half-intoxicated, I lost myself in the moment, but I couldn’t bear to let this moment pass without doing something.
“Hyoo Senior.”
“Yeah, what?”
“There’s something I’d like to try…”
“What is it? I told you, if you touch it, you’ll burn up. Fire made of mana doesn’t go out. You’ll regret it if you just stir it once.”
“That’s not it… I want to try Circulating Qi.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
Instead of me answering immediately, Marianne quickly added an explanation.
“It’s one of the new Mana Cultivation Methods that Professor Douglas Mustang and Michael recently developed. It involves purifying the surrounding mana and storing it in the body… Since it filters out impure energy before it accumulates inside the body, perhaps natural mana might also be okay…”
“Whoa, what kind of crazy stunt is that? How many people have lost their arms trying to store mana in their bodies!”
“It was successful, and they’re publishing a paper on it this time.”
“…Ah, tsk, this is making me uneasy…”
Hugh Benson, whose face had been peaceful all along, furrowed his brows and stared intently at me, then scanned me up and down.
However, as he cultivated his aura differently from me, he couldn’t immediately read my realm. After staring for a long time with a puzzled expression, Hugh Benson let out a sigh.
“What are the precautions?”
“During Circulating Qi… no matter what happens, as long as you don’t touch me, I’ll be fine.”
“Even if you collapse?”
“Yes. I… I can overcome it.”
Half of it was conviction, and the other half was bravado.
I had never tried Circulating Qi in such a dense natural energy environment. But I didn’t want to miss this serendipitous opportunity.
As I stood there, gazing earnestly, Hugh Benson ran his hands through his hair for a long time before granting permission.
“If you die, you fucking die, understand?”
“Yes.”
“First, since I don’t know how the mana will erupt… Marianne, you can cast a shield, right?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll Memorize it.”
“I’ll watch from over there. Well, can you scream while you’re doing it?”
“…”
Marianne shook her head instead of me, unable to answer.
Ruben’s gaze never left me. I didn’t look at him, thinking he might try to dissuade me because I was acting cute. I just stared intently at Hugh Benson.
He let out a deep sigh, rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, and kicked the ground once with his toe.
“I thought I found a decent sucker, but damn, it’s a glittering bomb. You’ve done all the stability tests on that, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll trust you.”
I moved the children back to a safe distance and slowly approached the lakeside.
Then, I sat down and assumed the Lotus Position.
If I had my way, I would have scooped up a handful of this silver liquid and drunk it, but I couldn’t risk doing something I was told not to. I certainly couldn’t do that in front of the children. I was afraid they might watch and learn, so I absolutely couldn’t.
Instead, I lightly cupped my hands, like unopened lotus buds, and placed them on my knees. I lifted my chin and straightened my back.
Following the newly learned method, the Hip-Circulate Method, it was good to slowly let the naturally seeping mana engrave itself into my body, but could it compare to the Mind method of Namgung, which I had honed and etched into my body for my entire life?
I took a deep breath.
I opened all my senses.
Since coming to the North, I had not tired. It wasn’t that I had no reason to push myself, but rather my body welcomed the new mana. All kinds of mana from the Yuil Mountains suited me very well.
The natural spiritual energy gently permeated my vibrant body. It was like scooping water from the lakeside and filling a vast, empty sky, or like placing the sky into a clear lake. The energy seeping into my body was crystal clear.
It was a refreshing, gentle, warm, sweet, and sometimes hot energy.
But even if I tried to fear it, I wasn’t afraid. The certainty that I had found where I truly belonged guided me. My robes billowed out, but the resolute mana held me firm, unmoving.
How much time passed like that?
When I opened my eyes, my Dantian had expanded by half a gapja. I couldn’t help but laugh. I laughed heartily. The loud laughter echoed through the walls, resounding everywhere. I looked almost like a madman. The laughter didn’t stop.
I had obtained the ultimate spiritual medicine, something I had never possessed even once in my entire past life.
Shaking my sleeves, I stood up abruptly. Hyoo and Elvin were the only ones around. I strode forward, stood before Hugh Benson, bowed with a fist salute, and bent my waist deeply. I couldn’t contain this joy. With a heart full of gratitude, I bowed respectfully.
“Thank you. I will never forget this kindness, even if it takes my entire life.”