Volume 3 Chapter 47 Chasing The Shadow I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next day, Kian arrived at the training ground ‘sandy beach’ with Natra early in the morning.
”Sir Kian! Anytime you’re ready!”
A voice like a bell, reminding Kian of young Sarah.
Natra’s clear voice echoed high in the empty sandy cove, where only the two of them were present.
”Hah…”
The loud cries of seagulls and the crashing waves faded away, becoming quieter as Kian focused.
Slowly, he tensed his muscles.
Imagining warning each cell he was about to strain for his Secret Technique.
Especially his lower body.
The muscles in his calves felt like they were creaking in protest.
Natra raised her wooden sword high, signaling the start.
Kian gathered the last bit of magic power from within, setting up to unleash ‘Leap’ at any moment.
”――――.”
”――――.”
Almost no life force remained inside him.
In fact, he had left none.
After finishing a review of his throwing techniques, Kian intentionally cut passes with Natra and others and started firing ‘Shot’ towards the sea to reach a state of exhaustion.
The real event would begin with him using ‘Pursuit of the Shadow’ in this state.
Therefore, he had to practice using ‘Pursuit of the Shadow’ while already depleted, getting used to the recoil damage.
”――――.”
”Hah…!”
Natra’s hand shot up.
It was the signal.
As soon as he saw it, he wrapped his legs with the ‘Leap’ that pushed him past his limits, kicking the sandy ground behind him.
He leapt forward.
The target lay 15 meters ahead.
Accelerating, he closed in fast.
”…!”
Pain shot through his first step.
Of course, given he stepped out at a speed dozens of times faster than usual.
Bones creaked, and he felt his knee joints grating.
Pain shot through his hip, but he ignored it and pushed for the second step.
(I can do it──!)
But the moment he pushed off the ground with his left foot for the second step, a loud snap echoed from his calf.
Suddenly, Kian found himself tumbling headfirst into the sand.
The face hit the sand hard, rolling over and sending a sharp pain through the waist.
Vision blurred by sand, the momentum didn’t stop, and a strong metallic taste filled the mouth after the impact felt like a punch to the face.
”────…ugh.”
Unable to brace for the sudden muscle tear, rolling continued.
By the time the body finally stopped, only pain remained, making movement impossible.
It felt like jumping off a speeding carriage.
The pain was so intense that only groans escaped the lips.
”…ugh…”
”Sir Kian!?”
”……I’m fine. …cough, no problem…”
Looking up with a face full of sand, Natra, usually calm, rushed over with a worried expression.
She gasped softly at the sight of Kian’s feet.
The injury to his foot must be serious.
The sharp pain in his waist made it hard to twist his body, but the iron smell of blood told him he was bleeding from his foot.
Probably quite a lot of blood.
For a normal human, even healing magic might leave nerve or bone damage at this level.
But with vampire abilities, this kind of injury could heal.
Unlike a true vampire, who would heal on their own if left alone, for Kian, it was just a minor injury.
With healing magic, he should be able to recover without any issues.
”Natra, hurry with the healing!”
”Yes, right away!”
Natra shook her short hair and quickly crouched down.
She gasped again at the sight of Kian’s foot but quickly tightened her mouth and began to treat him.
After saying “Excuse me,” she felt something touch his foot, followed by a sharp pain.
She was probably washing away the blood from Kian’s lower legs with water magic.
Amidst the strong smell of blood, Kian grimaced at the multiple pains echoing through him.
”Ugh.”
”I’m sorry, but I need to wash away the sand.”
”No problem. Just keep treating me.”
”Understood…”
After washing his foot, a tingling healing sensation spread throughout his leg.
Natra’s healing was working.
True to his profession as a monk, Kian’s healing skills were nothing like the others.
In less than a minute, the function of his legs returned, which he felt through his vampire senses.
”Thank you. ──Here.”
Placing his hands on the sandy ground, he pushed himself up into a push-up position.
The wound was already sealed.
This body really is convenient.
Literally, it can be used and abused to the point of breaking.
Checking the condition of his ankle bones, Kian spoke to the girl still on her knees.
”One more time. Next time, I’ll approach without falling.”
”Yes, but… are you sure? The pain…”
”It’s fine. One more time. I have to keep trying until I can do it.”
”…Understood. Then, please return to that white line again.”
”Yes.”
Nodding, he went back to his designated position.
Natra also returned to her previous spot, 15 meters away, and readied her wooden sword as before.
”Go ahead!”
”Alright, here I go! ────Guh!”
This time, because he tried too hard to protect his muscles, he kicked off in the wrong direction at the first leap and blew away.
Again, he tumbled and landed in a bloody mess.
Natra rushed over to help and healed him once more.
”Sorry, next time.”
”Yes. ──Go ahead!”
”Here I go!”
Failed at the second step, and tried again.
Failed again, and tried once more.
Retry, retry.
He kept going faster and faster.
Like a golem, tirelessly.
Unlike Natra, Kian didn’t have the ability to steal techniques just by watching or to immediately apply taught movements in real combat.
Natra was a genius with extraordinary talent, while Kian had none compared to her – he was just a mortal.
Mortals have to stubbornly work hard and let it soak into their bodies.
Without the insight to grasp the essence in a moment or a genius intuition, Kian’s ‘mortal’s experience rule’ cultivated through a straightforward path became his greatest weapon.
It allowed him to fight on par with geniuses.
And if he reached that level, at least on the surface, the difference would be negligible.
He believed and repeated.
”────Healing is done.”
”One more time. Here I go!”
”Yes!”
”…Huff”
Waiting for Natra’s signal, magic power surged within him.
His exhausted body screamed in pain, but he ignored it completely.
The secret technique, ‘Pursuit of the Shadow,’ usually required self-healing and interference with physical laws to avoid tearing his legs apart.
However, young Kian lacked such magic power, and with a distance of 15 meters, there was no need to maintain his body at all.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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