Chapter 63: Training
Having power is what allows you to do what you want.
Whether it's physical strength, the power of knowledge, or the power of skill — only by having these can your goals not seem so distant, and the things you want to protect can actually be protected.
Originally, after the game ended, Natsuki Subaru thought he wouldn't need physical strength anymore.
But he came to a world like this. He intended to find a way home, but due to various reasons, he encountered two incidents.
Because of these experiences, it looked like Subaru didn't want to possess the power to protect, but he secretly kept that long sword.
Seeing through this, Puck wanted to teach Subaru magic. Of course, this wasn't the only reason.
As Subaru's friend, Puck clearly understood Subaru's personality — so he needed to teach him power.
Otherwise, if the day came when Subaru wanted to protect something again but ended up sacrificing himself and protecting nothing, that would be too tragic.
That's why Puck was seriously teaching Subaru how to use magic.
However… Puck's plan seemed to be failing.
Puck looked at Subaru lying on the grass with a thoughtful expression.
"Subaru, how should I put it, your aptitude isn't great… And your affinity attribute is Yin. I'm not very familiar with Yin magic, so I can't help you much. I can only teach you a simple magic veil."
A slight look of disappointment appeared on Subaru's face. He sat up and looked at Puck, saying,
"I thought I'd be a once-in-a-century genius, but… I guess I'm really not the protagonist after all…"
Puck stopped on Subaru's shoulder, his voice filled with helplessness next to Subaru's ear.
"Well, I wouldn't say your aptitude is that bad.
It's mainly because your 'gate' is poor quality — I explained that to you earlier.
Subaru, your mana amount is like two ordinary people's, and the quality of your gate is also at the strength of two ordinary people.
But the curses left by those magical beasts on you, although they no longer activate, are like spider webs tangled around your gate. If you force magic usage, your mana is intercepted by those webs. To make the magic succeed, the mana will break through the webs with greater force, causing all your mana to rush out of your gate.
At the same time, the gate in your body will be struck by the huge mana and get a big hole that can never be repaired. The consequence is that your vitality will also be drained away."
"…In simple terms, if I use magic, no matter what kind, I'll instantly die?"
"Yes, that's your body's current condition."
Seeing Subaru's depressed expression, Puck smiled and said,
"Of course, it's not hopeless.
The main problem is your gate's quality — it can't withstand a full mana burst.
If your gate becomes sturdier and larger, then when you use magic once and consume all your mana, the gate won't be damaged.
After your mana naturally recovers, you can use magic again."
"Really! Then how do I make my gate better?!"
"Well… maybe if one day you find some legendary herbs…"
Hearing this, Subaru's smile stiffened.
He understood Puck's meaning — there wasn't much way to improve the gate's quality except with some legendary herb.
Since it was labeled "legendary," whether it really existed was a mystery.
Subaru's gaze turned dissatisfied toward Puck. He had been teased and given no solid answers, no useful guidance.
Still, Subaru didn't feel regret. The system had mana and gate stat points.
If he died a few times and strengthened those two stats, then the problem bothering him would no longer exist.
Sitting on his shoulder, Puck didn't know what Subaru was thinking. He thought maybe he had angered Subaru and quickly said,
"Of course, Subaru, you could also sign a contract with a great spirit like me and become a Spirit User.
That way, you don't need to use your own gate because the spirit will extract mana from your body to use. It's like another kind of gate."
Smiling, Subaru looked at Puck and asked,
"Then, Puck-sama, where can I find a great spirit?"
"Well… how should I say this… I know some great spirits, but their personalities…"
"..."
"Not necessarily a great spirit, a lesser spirit is fine too. Really! This time it's absolutely doable. Also, spirits really like you, Subaru. If you want, I can help you sign a contract with a spirit right away."
Subaru thought about it, then shook his head, stood up and said,
"Not now. I'll wait and see after some time. Maybe later I'll be able to use magic. For now, I'll focus on training my body.
That way, in the future, I can wield magic with one hand and swordsmanship with the other, and make everyone who stands in my way disappear."
"If that's your decision, then so be it." Puck looked at Subaru's smiling face.
Although he didn't understand why Subaru refused to become a Spirit User, it actually matched Puck's own wishes.
"Though I don't know much swordsmanship, I can still help you train your counterattack and evasion skills. So get ready, Subaru."
"Oh! I'm fired up! Train me well, master!"
After Subaru took out that sword from his room, the training officially began.
Puck floated in the air, arms crossed, continuously attacking Subaru.
Watching Subaru dodge left and right on the grass, Puck was increasingly pleased.
Whether at work or training, Subaru was always serious and hardworking, easily winning people's favor.
Actually, if Subaru agreed, he could already be a Spirit User now.
But Puck thought this current state was best. Because if things continued like this, someday Subaru, wielding that longsword and smashing through ice spikes he couldn't dodge, would definitely be able to sign with a great spirit—and also rescue that great spirit from that place.
"I've found the trick! Am I a genius?"
"That's too easy, Subaru. Now let me use 10% of my strength. Good luck, Subaru, I'm looking forward to your performance."
Subaru blinked, not understanding Puck's words at first. The next moment, he felt the longsword slip from his hands, and an ice spike was stuck in his abdomen.
"What's wrong, Subaru? Can't do it now? Can't even hold the sword?"
"Such nerve! Bring it on again!"