Reincarnated User Manual - Chapter 190: Fire Is Originally Hot (2)

She might have had some quirky traits, like being antisocial, but Seira was an exceptional teacher of magic, far surpassing anyone else.

It might upset Demodras, who would currently be hibernating behind Dawn Castle, but unlike a mana pump (i.e., heartless dragon), there was a clear difference in capability between Demodras and Seira in teaching magic.

For example,

Demodras didn’t demonstrate magic himself, but Seira not only demonstrated it, she also adjusted the formulas to suit Shiron’s situation.

“Is this really okay?”

“Of course, it is. Mana is overflowing. If there’s a problem, just use a protective aura.”

“Really?”

“Sure, I might ruin my body by increasing the output this much, but you have high self-healing abilities, right? If something breaks, it’ll fix itself.”

Although it felt uncertain in his mind, Seira’s advice was indescribably apt.

Indeed, the fastest way to become stronger was to push forward, regardless of whether it tore his flesh or shattered his bones.

Kuwoong-

Below the training ground, in a deep place, an immense impact poured into a space that originally did not exist. Even the bedrock, pushed up from deep underground, could not withstand the shock. Thousands of web-like cracks formed, but the cavity never collapsed.

Hwaaak-

In the dusty cloud, bursts of mana light erupted. The flow of mana carved formulas into the air. Shiron’s right hand, pressed against the ground, repaired and reinforced the crumbling rock wall.

His fist also cracked. The Prient body, usually impervious to significant impacts, was problematic due to the explosive force (Explosive Heart) Shiron had just thrust into it.

An attack that would naturally burst his enhanced flesh.

Seira’s specially constructed magic was so ruthlessly efficient that it was unclear whether it was for Shiron’s benefit or if it was intended to hasten his demise.

“Damn tough.”

Shiron sweated profusely from the excruciating pain. He wanted to quickly employ divine power to heal his fractured bones, but he had to endure the pain while using reinforcement magic to prevent the cavity from collapsing.

Eventually, the dust settled, and the cracks on the wall disappeared. Shiron wiped the sweat away and encased his hand with a holy aura.

[This is too barbaric a method for training.]

The ethereal voice of Latera echoed in his head. She continued to oppose this rough training, fearing that Shiron might permanently injure himself.

[Why not just shoot fireballs from a distance? That way, you wouldn’t damage your hands and could perform more techniques…]

“It’s okay. I haven’t broken anything yet. And I always heal it with divine power, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

[But still…]

Despite Latera’s concerns, Shiron clenched his fist again. Kuduk- With a gathering of strength, mana from his heart imbued his fist. He didn’t stop there. If he allowed the mana to stagnate here, it would become an inner power technique, but Shiron intended to use it for magic.

The engraved formulas were of fire and explosion… The mana, imbued with will, inscribed phenomena into the clenched fist, as if writing characters.

Now, he was ready to thrust his fist forward. However, he couldn’t simply throw a punch. Merely punching would unleash fearsome power from [Explosive Heart], but Shiron’s intent was more focused on training than on using [Explosive Heart] correctly.

Hundreds of thousands of punches thrown.

He was slower than others. Therefore, he could only make up the difference with effort and repeated practice. If it was too late to start, then he just needed to do more and try harder.

Thus, Shiron repeated the process. Squeezing his heart, imbuing magic into his punches, and healing the burst wounds. He didn’t count the number. He continued until he collapsed, and when hungry, he solved it within this cave.

To Latera, who was watching by his side, it was incomprehensible, but Shiron found the process quite manageable. That was all.

Shiron stretched out his magic-imbued fist, stretching his legs and shifting his weight backward. Kwaaaang-! The whole bedrock shook. If it had been ordinary rock, it would have exploded into powder from the impact, but thanks to Seira’s multiple enhancements, it merely cracked like large spiderwebbed glass.

It hadn’t always been like this. Initially, when forming the explosive formula, only Shiron’s fist would break. But now? Even if his skin burst, his bones remained intact.

Thanks to either the Prient’s remarkable physique or the adaptability system of the Reincarnation of the Sword Saint, Shiron achieved excellent results very quickly.

[It’s impressive, but it’s too pitiful for a hero. I still think shooting flames makes more sense.]

“Cough, cough, cough!”

[See? You’re coughing because of all the dust. What if you catch a lung disease from this…]

“…Then, I’ll infuse my chest with divine power.”

Shiron brushed off the scolding and dusted off the dirt.

She had been nagging loudly for days, but Shiron had never rebuked Latera.

Just as she said, the vast majority of magicians did not implement magic in such a brute force manner. If a sorcerer’s magical capacity was equal, it was much more efficient to measure distance and shoot magic at the opponent.

As the distance increased, there wa sa minor energy loss due to mana depletion, but it’s so negligible that it’s hardly a concern.

However, both Shiron and Seira insisted on this approach. The speed of completing the spell formulas and the advantages of close combat were too significant to ignore.

“And as you know, you can’t use the holy sword from a distance. To use as many techniques as possible, this is the best way.”

[But it’s really hard to watch your training, Hero.]

“Right, well said. As a hero, you naturally should wield and swing the most cutting-efficient sword in the world. Should it just be for decoration?”

Shiron spat out the dirt in his mouth and reinforced the cracked wall.

“And if you don’t like watching, you can leave first. Uncle probably has lots of snacks prepared upstairs?”

[You keep mentioning snacks, but I’m not that gluttonous, nor am I weak enough to pursue pleasure alone!]

“Really?”

[Yes! You and I are inseparable as a hero and guardian angel. We share joy, sorrow, and pain! I try to share the pain you feel as much as the Hero suffers!]

“…Should I stop training then?”

[Ahh!]

The scream echoed through the cavity. Shiron felt a resonance deeper than shaking the whole bedrock.

[That’s just a figure of speech! If I really shared your pain, I’d be screaming!]

“So…”

“But my heart! It hurts! All I can do is provide blessings to lessen the pain you’ve given earlier. It’s so frustrating that I can’t give you invincible and instant-death blessings!”

An angry face popped out of thin air. Shiron quickly lifted Latera, who had appeared from nowhere.

“Is there really such a thing? That invincibility blessing?”

“…Maybe?”

Latera averted her gaze under Shiron’s intense look.

“Who knows, maybe if I get promoted to archangel?”

“…You’re teasing.”

“Don’t be too disappointed! Hero, you really don’t have many demerit points left. Just a bit more good deeds and you’ll hit zero points!”

Latera frantically waved her arms as she spoke.

During the days he practiced Explosive Heart, Shiron wasn’t just training; he was also busy raising his reputation whenever he had the chance.

The outcome was less satisfying than during his expeditions, but as it also served to clear his debts, Shiron saw no issue with it.

“I’ll take only half of the money.”

“Thank you! Thank you!!”

He had even returned stakes several times after wiping out his opponents’ wallets.

“You fool, who told you to bet your limbs on gambling? Come here, I’ll attach them for you.”

He performed good deeds, like reattaching limbs severed by a guillotine with overwhelming divine power, without being asked.

With limbs thought severed reattached and half of the lost fortunes returned, the gamblers’ feelings for Shiron went beyond simple closure.

Adoration that surpassed gratitude.

To the gamblers, Shiron appeared as something greater than the gods they believed in.

Of course, Shiron did use tricks, like hiding and revealing cards within his body, and the ethereal Latera did tilt the dice in the cup in his favor! But since everyone was happy with the outcome, there was no greater heroic feat than this.

However, raising his reputation was a significant concern for Shiron.

“So far, no apostles have appeared.”

In “Reincarnation of the Sword Saint,” the higher your reputation, the more likely you were to encounter “Apostles” while moving across fields.

These encounters varied, like a hooded vagrant in an alley who turned out to harbor the seed of an apostle, or exploring a labyrinth that collapses into a hidden heretic’s altar gathering energy for an apostle’s descent.

Thus, Shiron stayed within the mansion grounds, dedicating himself to training. Encountering an apostle in the middle of the empire was a situation to be avoided if possible. Excluding Jaganata, five apostles remained, so after maxing out his reputation, Shiron planned his next move.

That was until an unexpected visitor arrived at the mansion.

“It’s been a while, Brother Shiron.”

“No, is that not Cardinal Deviale? What brings you here…”

Shiron couldn’t hide his confusion as Cardinal Deviale leaned in and whispered.

“It seems it’s time for you, the hero, to exert your strength.”

“…What?”

‘What is he talking about?’

Shiron had no clue what Deviale was referring to.