------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 3
-"Bormian, how many times must I tell you?"
-"I’m sorry, my lord..."
He felt guilty.
-"Haa... How do you not understand this?"
-"Ah, Father..."
-"Can’t you feel it just by breathing? The mana flowing in?"
-"...I’m sorry, Father."
He felt sorry for all those he had taught until now.
-"Elias. If you can’t even grasp this, we can’t proceed. I’ll inject mana into you—feel its flow."
-"Understood."
And he felt regret.
-"Your Majesty, an orc horde has appeared in the Ekiten region."
-"Your Majesty, the northern monsters are behaving unusually."
-"...More problems are piling up. This won’t do. Caius, I’ll directly inject mana into your body. Feel its flow."
-"Yes, Father."
Pressed for time, he had resorted to directly injecting mana to teach them.
Had he known he would end up in Kaylen’s body, he never would have done it.
Now, the result of relying on the easy method of mana injection was—
"...Mana won’t come in."
Kaylen was experiencing hardship for the first time in his life.
His mind knew everything.
How to move mana.
How to manipulate Infinity.
Yet, there was no mana.
There was no controllable mana to move Infinity and forge his Mana Path.
'My previous body was too good.'
Before his possession, Ernstine had possessed the body of the first-ever Grand Swordmaster in human history.
A body beloved by mana.
With every breath, mana naturally flowed in. Even while staying still, the energy of nature gathered around him.
So, in his youth, Ernstine assumed it was the same for everyone.
'I knew my body was exceptional when teaching my subordinates and son…'
But back then, he had thought enlightenment in mana utilization was more important than physical aptitude.
After all, the obstacles they faced weren’t bodily limitations but a lack of understanding.
But now, he realized—
'The body is more important.'
The body is the foundation.
Without mana entering, nothing else matters.
In his previous body, mana entered naturally with every breath. But in this body, it barely trickled in.
'And the little that does come in is used just to stay alive.'
A body bloated with excess fat.
Compared to that, his mana reserves were abysmal. So, whatever tiny amount of mana entered through breathing was immediately consumed to sustain his body.
Even when he tried to forcefully gather it into his Mana Heart, his body rejected it..
The body was forcibly stealing mana just to stay alive.
For Kaylen, it was a frustrating situation.
‘Even the ones I taught… they all had talent.’
They only seemed untalented when compared to Ernstine, a Grand Swordmaster.
But compared to this current body, they were nothing short of geniuses.
At the very least, they had started at the starting line.
This body, on the other hand, couldn’t even begin.
Growl—
"Did I starve too much?"
Despite dedicating an entire day to training, there was barely any progress.
Meanwhile, the growling in his stomach became more frequent, to the point that it rumbled every five minutes.
‘I should eat something quick and train outside.’
Perhaps being cooped up in the dormitory was making it even harder to gather mana.
Kaylen decided to look for a place where the natural energy was stronger.
Forgetting that Thursdays were when the academy’s main building served good food, he trudged downstairs.
Having gone a full day without food, his legs were trembling.
Thud. Thud.
Creak— Creak—
Each step down the stairs made an unstable, vibrating noise.
Kaylen struggled to keep his face from flushing red and made a firm resolution.
‘This body has no talent anyway. Instead of just focusing on absorbing mana, I should also train my body.’
He needed to lose weight for the sake of survival.
Originally, he had planned to shift Infinity to his stomach and then start exercising, but given the situation, there was no choice.
Thump. Thump.
As soon as he stepped into the underground dining hall, Kaylen’s heartbeat quickened.
Gulp—
Saliva pooled in his mouth.
His body, which had been sluggish and exhausted during mana breathing, was now filled with energy.
His mind slowly turned blank, his rationality fading away.
"…Hah!"
When he came to his senses, he was already seated.
With a plate of food in front of him.
A simple meal of bread, meat, and soup.
Instinctively, his hands reached for the food.
The way he moved was so reckless, it seemed like he would scoop the soup with his hands next.
Kaylen felt an intense alarm from his body’s instincts.
‘This isn’t right.’
He needed to eat to survive.
But no matter how desperate he was, eating with his hands?
If he gave in to his instincts here, controlling his diet would become impossible.
If he lost control like before and devoured dozens of plates, he might end up like the original owner of this body—on the verge of death.
‘I have to endure.’
Grab.
Clutching the spoon and fork tightly, Kaylen closed his eyes.
‘I have to endure…’
Both hands trembled violently, and sweat trickled down his forehead.
‘One at a time. Slowly.’
He slowly lifted the fork, pierced a piece of bread, and gently chewed on its outer layer.
And then—he tasted heaven.
‘…It’s delicious!’
A flavor surpassing any delicacy.
A powerful urge to swallow it whole surged within him.
‘The effect of having Infinity lodged in my stomach is this strong…?’
It was even more tempting than the seduction magic of the Succubus Queen during the Demon King subjugation.
‘…If I give in here, it’s over.’
He adjusted his senses.
To block out the sight of the food’s allure, he closed his eyes.
To dull his sense of taste, he tried to ignore the flavor as much as possible.
Instead, he focused on his hearing.
Listening to the sounds around him.
“Ah, I have to eat next to that pig? Lost my appetite.”
“Hey, didn’t you say you were on a diet? Isn’t this perfect? Just looking at that pig is enough to kill your hunger. Hahaha.”
The usual jeers that Kaylen had long ignored reached his ears.
But perhaps because he was still a nineteen-year-old young man, being called a pig by the female students made his appetite wane slightly, and Kaylen welcomed it.
‘Go on, insult me more.’
If it could suppress his appetite, he was willing to endure even worse insults.
However, the girls’ conversation soon took a different turn.
“Anyway, what do you think about that guy from the Knight Academy?”
“Hmm, not interested.”
“Why? He’s tall, good-looking, and has a great body. Perfect for a short-term fling.”
“What’s the point? The way he worships that Dragon Knight statue in front of the preserved drake is just… weird.”
‘Drake…?’
Kaylen sharpened his focus.
Drakes—beasts known for their violent nature and innate power, said to be untamable by humans.
The first person to ever tame one was none other than Ernstine.
‘That’s why I was called the Dragon Sword Deity.’
With his strength, the Meier Empire established the Dragon Knights and, thanks to their exceptional mobility, unified the vast continent in just fifteen years.
“He was stroking the stuffed drake while praising the founding emperor like he was reading a biography. It was such a turn-off. That guy’s from ages ago.”
“Tsk tsk. For knights, that era was the golden age.”
“Still, it was kind of amazing. They say the drake’s body is warm, even though it’s been preserved.”
“You too? I went to the Knight Academy to see the dragon, and when I touched it, it was warm.”
“If it weren’t the founding emperor’s drake, they would’ve dissected it for research already. What a waste.
I heard it’s been like that for a year now.”
“Really? But how? Do you think a mage secretly casts Heat magic on it every morning?”
“No way. If that were the case, there’d be rumors by now.”
A preserved drake—yet its body was still warm.
Kaylen sprang up from his seat.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He strode toward the two female students as quickly as possible.
"Where is the drake?"
"…Huh? What?"
Swish. Swish.
As Kaylen’s massive frame approached with an intense gaze, the two girls instinctively pushed their chairs back and shrank away.
They had mocked him from a distance, calling him a pig, but now that a bear-like figure was stomping toward them, the pressure was overwhelming.
"The drake with the warm body. Where is it?"
"Ah… In the central plaza of the Knight Academy…"
"Thank you."
Kaylen gave a short bow and exited the cafeteria.
Stunned by his abrupt appearance and departure, the two girls resumed their conversation.
"Ugh, that scared me."
"Wow. I knew he was fat from a distance, but… up close, he’s so huge it’s terrifying."
"Wouldn’t he be better off as a knight rather than a mage? He looks like he should be standing in front, acting as a meat shield."
"His shield range would be wide, but… ugh. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him—he reeks."
The gossip reached Kaylen’s ears.
But he had no time to care.
A drake that was still warm despite being dead.
Hearing that, something clicked in his mind.
‘I need to check it out immediately.’
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
