Chapter 71
“I see.”
I nodded slowly for a moment, as if understanding. It wasn’t that I didn’t already know something like that; it was simply a relief that she had spoken about it herself.
“So, did you also come to think that way about yourself?”
Shin Yerim slowly nodded her head.
That can happen. If you hear things like that over and over, it’s only natural. But the issue is how much you accept it. Looking at Shin Yerim now… it seemed like she had accepted it very thoroughly.
“Since when did you start thinking like that?”
If I directly asked when the stuttering began, it would trigger her, so I asked in a roundabout way. Usually, it starts in childhood. Most of the time, neurological factors play a big role.
Stuttering that begins in childhood often resolves naturally within a few years. If it doesn’t, it means other factors are directly affecting it as well.
If it develops during adolescence or adulthood, it’s usually due to psychological factors like stress.
“S-s-since… I was l-l-little…”
“I see. Since you were young.”
Since she was young.
“Do you mean since you were a student?”
“Hic–ah… th-that’s…”
“I’m sorry. Let’s take a deep breath again.”
I helped her steady her breathing and thought for a moment. Was the problem the ‘stuttering’ itself, or was it ‘being a student’? I rolled the thought over slowly in my mind.
In the end, digging into everything today seemed like a bad idea.
‘This case is different from Lee Hoin or Lee Hyun.’
It seemed like I’d need a different approach. For now, rather than counseling…
“It seems like your breathing keeps getting tangled. Would you like me to teach you a breathing technique? Let’s practice together.”
Shin Yerim slowly nodded.
Basically, diaphragmatic breathing.
“Sit straight against the back of the chair, inhale slowly through your nose so your lower abdomen rises… then exhale gently through your mouth so it flattens.”
I demonstrated first.
“If you place your hand on your stomach while doing it, it’ll help you get the feel. Shall we try?”
Shin Yerim attempted it awkwardly. I didn’t say things like “that’s wrong” or “try again.” I just quietly demonstrated the correct form of diaphragmatic breathing in front of her… more clearly this time.
Her initially awkward posture gradually corrected itself as she focused on following me.
“That’s good. This is diaphragmatic breathing. Shall we keep doing this together for about five minutes? It actually helps more than you’d think.”
I smiled lightly and continued demonstrating for five full minutes without stopping. Shin Yerim quietly repeated the breathing technique along with me.
Five minutes. One minute left of the session. Time to wrap up.
“If you try this two or three times a day for about five minutes, it’ll help with stress management. If it feels unclear or difficult, you can come back to me. Then we’ll do breathing exercises and meditate together again in this space.”
Naturally, I set up the next session. If she felt burdened and didn’t come back, then that was that.
The session ended. We returned to reality.
***
After that, daily life was similar.
I continued learning magic while getting beaten, and in my spare time, I occasionally checked Lee Hoin’s synchronization percentage and practiced breathing exercises with Shin Yerim. Even without activating the counseling skill, whenever we met, I taught her new breathing techniques or repeated previous ones while meditating together.
Eventually, Leon gave up on teaching me multiple types of magic.
“You don’t need variety, you damn hopeless lump of flesh… Just learn how to use it. There’s no time. A dullard like you, I’ve never seen one in my life!”
Usage methods. How to handle mana. That’s what I started learning.
What I could use was still primitive, things like light spheres or fireballs.
But I finally gained something: the ability to hold mana longer and use it more efficiently… earned through getting beaten.
—
[Wow, finally.]
[Traits] Misfortune(-), Possession(-), Amateur Counselor (1), One Who Walks the Defined Path (1), Strength (2), Agility (3), Core (1)
—
Core.
Literally, a “core.”
Something like the mana container that mages have, similar to a dantian. It can only hold mana, but…
The fact that something capable of containing an intangible force had formed inside my body… that alone was meaningful.
—
[Core (1)]
You have gained a pouch to store power.
Well, the problem is, its capacity isn’t even as big as a pocket!
※ Grants [Mana] slot
※ If destroyed, it cannot be regained
—
It was basically like a dantian. And just like a dantian, once destroyed, it couldn’t be restored.
And just as it said, the capacity was tiny.
—
[Not that impressive, honestly. But everyone starts somewhere. You’re not a genius, after all!]
[Mana] 15/15
—
15.
I tested it, creating a small light sphere consumed 2.
A decent one costs 2, a full-power one costs 5.
That meant one “decent by Leon’s standards” sphere would eat up a third of my mana. I didn’t bother telling him. He’d probably smack me.
At this point, I’d reached a level where I got hit whether I did well or not. If I did well, I got hit for doing well; if I didn’t, I got hit for doing badly.
“Hey, so are you a mage now?”
Lee Hoin stared at my light sphere with sparkling eyes.
‘…Calling me a mage is a stretch.’
Mage (魔術師 / Majutsushi)
The suffix “shi”(師) means teacher or master… someone highly skilled in their field; an expert, master, or even grandmaster.
I was none of those. So instead of “master,” maybe “user”? Someone who merely ‘uses’ magic…
“…If I keep trying, maybe?”
I gave a vague answer since he looked so hopeful, then shifted my gaze to his body.
“…Are you turning into a bear?”
His muscles had bulked up noticeably. He’d already had a sturdy build, but now he was massive, like a full-grown bear.
That definitely wasn’t just the winter uniform.
I’d worn one too. It didn’t make me look like that.
He was just bulking up like crazy.
‘Even if the rations are high in protein…’
Can a human grow like that? Like fluffing up fur?
It was practically a miracle of biology.
As I stared in disbelief, he grinned.
“Hey, I’m learning greatsword techniques now. Got a skill too. When I asked, they gave me personal training. Even taught me how to manage my body.”
Looks like he found himself a mentor, too. That was good. Especially if it was Johanna.
Then the words “body management” made me blink.
“…Since when did you start personal training?”
“About ten days ago?”
That lined up perfectly with when his body started exploding in size.
I went silent for a moment, then let it go. Good was good.
At least he looked lively.
‘Running around and clearing your head sometimes matters.’
Yeah. Everyone was growing in their own way.
Shin Yerim, too… she started coming to find me several times a day to meditate together. We didn’t talk about anything major. At first, she couldn’t handle silence and tried to say something, but eventually she got used to quietly drinking tea, staring out the window, practicing breathing, and finding what suited her.
Today was the same.
A short counseling session.
She had grown comfortable entering the counseling space. We were quietly meditating while looking at the light.
“S-s-so… Mu-Muyeong… were you… originally a c-counselor…?”
Her sudden question was unexpected. We hadn’t really talked about our pasts.
I hesitated briefly, then answered.
“Something like that. I majored in psychology to become a school counselor. You know School Counseling Class, right?”
“Ah, ah, ah…!”
She nodded as she understood.
“T-that’s… i-interesting… I-I also… went to School Counseling C-Class… often…”
“Me too. I usually just stayed there.”
“M-me too…”
The conversation faded again.
We quietly returned to breathing and meditation for a while.
Then, after some time, Shin Yerim spoke again.
“F-friends… were uncomf-comfortable… and… t-teachers… said it was h-hard to listen…”
She was talking about herself.
About why she started going to the School Counseling Class.
There were many reasons people went there.
Some went because they were given snacks.
Some because it was cool inside.
Some because there was a water dispenser.
Some need help.
Some because they had nowhere else to go.
In a vast school, with not a single place to stand.
So they went there.
Shin Yerim was one of those people.
And so was I.
Comments (0)