Chapter 82: Suck Harder Because It Feels Good That Way
Usually, I avoid exposing my private life, but Tacchia was an exception.
After all, she had given me an Ego Weapon made of mithril, a thing of astronomical value, for free.
I had no qualms about detailing my activities, as I couldnt refuse if asked to return the weapon or even offer up an organ in its place.
Didnt you bring your weapon?
As I shared my recent happenings while she smoked, she casually threw out the question.
I stopped talking right away and prepared to answer her query.
The weapon, you mean?
Yeah, ego weapons usually have a strong attachment to their owners. Youve felt that too, havent you?
Um, Im not sure. I havent really felt that
Although I heard such things when I first received the Ego Weapon, Ive never felt any threat or hostility while using it.
Instead, it vibrated pleasantly when maintained, and had protected me from danger, even acting on its own before I was aware of it.
No signs of attachment? Dont tell me you left it neglected at home?
No, no, I havent neglected it. Its just that things have turned out this way
It seemed better to show rather than explain.
With that decision, I swung my hand through the air, and the weapon emerged from the distorted space along the trajectory and landed in my hand.
Vrrrm.
The shaft vibrated pleasantly as soon as it was in my hand.
The blade, reflecting the sunlight, appeared well-preserved, just like usual.
A pocket dimension?
Yes. About two months after receiving this from you, Tacchia, Ive been able to develop it. Its more like putting it inside my body rather than expanding a space
Was it like a space within my body where this weapon could be stored?
Thanks to this feature, I could summon the weapon at any time without carrying it around, allowing me to have at least some combat ability even when unarmed.
Even after autonomously awakening the pocket dimension feature and carrying it around, youve had no issues?
However, what Tacchia was really concerned about wasnt the weapons growth but my safety.
It seemed like things werent going as she expected, as she frowned and rested her chin in her hand.
Uh, Tacchia?
Any other peculiarities?
What? Oh, yes. Ill explain right away.
Though it was a bit concerning, she was the expert on this weapon, not me.
Deciding to cooperate for my sake, I went on to explain various things related to the spear.
Before, it would only return to where I was, but now it can move autonomously as long as its not too far from me. Also, perhaps due to this weapons influence, my self-taught spear skills have improved faster Oh, and with this weapon and the help of a mana core, I can even form circles.
So, you, who couldnt handle mana until recently, can now use circles?
Yes, although I cant do it alone.
Creating circles was a skill that marked a level of expertise for mana users who handled and utilized mana.
Considering that this skill was usually only possible for those skilled enough to enter a mage tower, achieving it even with the aid of a tool was quite remarkable.
Can you demonstrate it here?
That would be difficult. Unless I have the armor with the mana core inserted, Im not well-suited to manipulating mana
Considering those naturally endowed with magic or aura take years to master it, how could a newly settled adventurer like myself manage to control mana independently?
Of course, I could go back home now and put on the armor, but Tacchia seemed not to like waiting and just casually suggested something else.
Just open your mouth for a moment.
What? Open my mouth Ugh!
As I opened my mouth, Tacchia swiftly removed the cigarette from her mouth and put it in mine.
Realizing what she had done, my face flushed, but she simply pressed her finger against my chin and bluntly instructed me.
Smoke it quietly.
Uh, uh
Dont worry. Its nothing strange.
No, it was certainly strange.
She had given me the cigarette she had been smoking, and it wasnt even a new one.
Cough!
However, my embarrassment was short-lived.
The pain that stabbed into my lungs with an involuntary breath caused me to collapse to the ground.
Cough! Cough!
What? Youve never smoked before?
No I have in the past Cough! Cough!
Coughing, trying to rid myself of the discomfort, it felt like needles were stuck in my lungs, the tightness not easing.
I had smoked for a few years in my past life, but this was far more potent than anything I had smoked back then.
Its quite strong.
Well, anything less wouldnt even be noticeable.
Saying so, Tacchia took back the cigarette she had put in my mouth.
Despite it having been in my mouth, she showed no hesitation in putting it back in hers.
Anyway, that should be enough. Try doing what you usually do to that scarecrow over there.
Um, Tacchia
Why?
That cigarette, you put it in my mouth
What about it? You want to smoke it more?
No, its nothing.
Right, when I thought about it, Tacchia had always been like this.
Embarrassing as it was, she had her reasons for giving me the cigarette she had been smoking.
I immediately grabbed the Ego Weapon and prepared to create a circle against the scarecrow set up in the backyard.
Normally, I just needed to exert the will to use it, and this weapon would align itself, and all I had to do was activate the armors mana to link its power.
Thump.
In that moment, having smoked Tacchias cigarette, I felt something within me take the place of the armor.
My heart pounded violently, and beyond the vivid sensation of blood circulating through my body, something seemed to emerge, blurring the boundaries of flesh and skin.
Ziiing!
Utilizing that sensation as a substitute for the armors mana core, a mist formed on my arm, solidifying into a translucent ring shape.
This was the circle. When a mana user concentrates mana excessively at one point, it coalesces into a ring shape.
Since mana itself could be converted into physical force, forming a circle meant that excessive output could be generated at that specific point.
Ziiing!
But why was this happening?
The circle felt stronger than usual Was it because it formed through my body, not just the armor?
Swing it with all your might.
Okay!
Whatever it was, this was definitely a new opportunity.
I immediately channeled the power of the circle in my hand into the spear and thrust it powerfully towards the scarecrow.
Then there was a tremendous roar, Kwaang!
The unleashed force not only destroyed the scarecrow but also collapsed the wall behind it, devastating the area.
Wh-what?
Indeed, it was much stronger than usual.
The force that blew away an area over ten meters from the point of impact surpassed even considerable offensive magic.
Moreover, if it could be deployed instantly after forming a circle without casting, it could even instantly kill a hero if used in a surprise attack.
Are you okay?
Yes, Im fine. The recoil is strong, but I can handle it.
But the scariest part was that such a powerful technique came with little to no risk.
Usually, powerful techniques come with significant dangers Or was it that circle users commonly wielded such power as if it were normal?
Had I experienced this, albeit temporarily, with Tacchias help?
Was that some kind of doping just now?
Yeah, well. You could say its something like that.
Something like that?
It was too powerful to be casually dismissed. If it wasnt doping, what had caused such an increase in output?
The circle formation is done; now swing the spear more. I need to see how much youve improved with that technique.
Ah, yes.
I had my doubts, but given that it had been a while since we met, there were more important things to confirm.
Following her instructions, I practiced with the spear against a scarecrow without using mana. Tacchia, while smoking her cigarette, occasionally asked questions as she observed.
That spear seems to have helped you a lot with learning techniques?
Yes, it corrects me immediately if I assume the wrong stance.
Thanks to the class system supported by the guild, I had mastered the basics of spear handling.
But what really made me capable of holding my own against heroes was the spear guiding me to the correct posture.
Initially, it felt awkward as it forcefully corrected my posture, but once I got used to it, I could handle it as if it were my own skill.
Its fascinating. The spear automatically adjusts the users movements.
Well, the soul that became its material has its own legacy. Even without memory, the instinct remembers it.
The soul as material?
The material of an Ego Weapon is based on a human soul.
There was a moment of silence.
Seeing my reaction, Tacchia quickly removed the cigarette from her mouth.
Did you not know?
No, its not that I didnt know I just hadnt given it much thought.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
An Ego Weapon, as its name suggested, was a weapon imbued with a soul, and that soul couldnt have been created from nothing.
So, the soul in this weaponwas it once a great warrior or something similar?
Alright, Ive seen enough to gauge your level, so lets skip the test for today.
While I was lost in thought, Tacchia, who had declared the end of the test, approached me.
Open your mouth for a second; theres something bothering me.
What? Again?
Its not about the cigarette this time. Just open your mouth.
Okay, sure.
Although a bit worried, I couldnt refuse given the various ways she had helped me.
Fortunately, what Tacchia put in my mouth wasnt a cigarette this time.
It was her finger.
Eek?!
Stay still. Dont bare your teeth.
Eek, eek.
Yeah, lick it with your tongue and suck harder. That way, youll feel it better.
No, Miss Tacchia. That sounds a bit risky.
I know there must be a reason for this, but please be a bit more self-aware.
Others might misunderstand and think youre breastfeeding a grown man.
You, are you cursed?
But her following words completely eradicated such worries.
A curse, huh?
Yes, and it feels like particularly venomous energy. Did you accidentally encounter a walking undead or something?
A curse laid by a walking undead. The first thing that came to mind upon hearing this was one of the Four Knights I had encountered three months ago.
Gorgon Zola, the Knight of Famine.
The one who might have killed me on the spot.
Is it serious?
Now that I think about it, I have often experienced hallucinations and impulses since then.
Wondering if that might be the effect of the curse, I asked, and Tacchia answered amidst a puff of cigarette smoke.
Depending on the person, it might incapacitate them, but if youve had no problems for several months since being cursed, you can just live with it.
What? I can just keep a curse?
Its just a curse of someone whispering in your head. There might be impulses, but those impulses can also be a driving force for growth.
A curse as a driving force
It was a bit bizarre, but maybe those whispers made me feel impatient, and that was why I had been more eager to defeat corrupted heroes.
Well, if it feels like its driving you mad, you could get a priest to take care of it. Otherwise, just consider it like carrying an extra sandbag, and its fine.
So, to you, Miss Tacchia, a curse is just like a sandbag.
Itd be strange if I, with all my experience, were frightened by a curse cast by an undead.
Ah, I see. Youre quite old, contrary to your appearance.
Indeed, I had faintly guessed that she could be a Transcendent who could twist Airis prophecies.
I didnt know why she moved to this secluded area for recuperation, but I had guessed she was no ordinary person.
The weapon in my hand alone was something not just any craftsman could make
That way, I can kill the mother who abandoned me with my own hands.
Wait.
That reminded me that I had such a dream today.
A dream where Gorgon Zolas curse, as Tacchia said, was eroding me, and it even affected that child in the dream.
Um, Miss Tacchia.
As I belatedly remembered it and felt a chill, I presented the Ego Weapon in my hand to Tacchia and asked.
Could an Ego Weapon also be cursed?
Thud.
As soon as I asked the question, the cigarette fell from Tacchias mouth.
In the ensuing silence, Tacchia just stood there, staring at me, seemingly unaware that her cigarette had fallen.
Actually, she was staring not at me but at the spear in my hand.
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