Chapter 6: Water Bullet (2/2)
Ughhh.
The pain was intense, but it kept me grounded in reality. The drowsiness vanished completely.
After ten minutes of enduring the excruciating sensation, things slowly improved. A soothing feeling spread through my torn pores, like cool water washing over wounds.
No pain, no gain, I thought instinctively, leaning closer.
Ack!
I spat out blood.
I could feel it entering my body—the Ghan—but there was a problem. There was no path for it to travel through. It was like water rushing through a pipe only to hit a blockage. That kind of pressure only led to stretching… then bursting.
For me, that meant death.
With so many pores open, even if I wanted to slowly carve a pathway, there were too many to focus on. Worse, the absorption was far too fast.
I don't want to die.
Forcing myself to focus, I began connecting the pores together—like gathering scattered needles into a single line. The pain was unbearable, but it was worth it. After more than an hour, I finally managed to form a pathway leading toward my chest. Then I concentrated on extending it down to my abdomen.
It hurt. A lot.
There were moments I nearly passed out, but I endured.
Eventually… I finished.
When I checked again, I noticed two areas where Ghan was densely stored. They looked similar, but I ignored them for now. The internal danger was gone—at least temporarily.
Externally, though, I was still a mess.
When I stood up, my body felt numb from disuse. I wobbled toward the shore and looked at my reflection.
Blood seeped from my skin—my nails, eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Where I stood, my blood had painted a vague outline on the ground.
I sighed and tried to relax.
That was a mistake.
The world tilted.
The next thing I knew, I was in the water—struggling violently.
I grabbed at anything, everything, but it didn't help. My strength drained rapidly, and I choked as water rushed into my lungs.
I knew how to swim.
Just not in this body.
Trying to apply the knowledge from my past life only made things worse. I was completely out of my depth—literally.
Whoosh.
Gurgle.
The pressure was overwhelming. When I looked up, I saw a massive column of water crashing down on me.
It felt like bricks smashing into my body.
I gave up.
It seemed like the world truly wanted me dead.
As I closed my eyes, the only thing on my mind was water.
Ferocious when pressured.
Calm when left alone.
And above all—versatile.
The spells I'd seen before had looked amazing. Their descriptions were elegant, powerful. That was why I'd chosen this path.
And yet here I was—about to be killed by the very power I tried to wield.
Dying like this… so boring.
Not my style.
I opened my eyes.
The sky was clear.
…Huh?
I turned slightly—and understood.
The pressure of the waterfall must have pushed me away. And because I didn't struggle, I drifted out instead of being crushed beneath it.
Wow.
I'm alive.
That realization felt strangely reassuring.
Pulling myself up, I noticed dawn had already broken. The sky had taken on a pinkish-purple hue.
Once I was out of the water, I stretched my stiff muscles and scanned my surroundings—this time by observing the Ghan in the atmosphere.
That broken-TV vision again.
The static.
The dots.
…Yeah.
I'd learned how to use it.
It wasn't hard to do—no different from how some people could blur their vision on command.
As I looked around, I noticed something strange.
There was a large concentration of Ghan gathering in the shadows.
My gaze shifted to the blood on the ground… then the blood diluted in the water.
Everything clicked.
Monsters.
As for the boy—he had finally awakened.
Unlike before, when his Ghan was barely noticeable, it was now strong. Dense. Like a huge sphere condensed within him.
He opened his eyes.
Deep green irises, lazy and indifferent.
He yawned and stretched his arm. The moment he did, his robes tore apart, a strange liquid corroding the fabric as if it were melting it away.
Standing upright, he rubbed his eyes. When he noticed me, his posture instantly changed—alert, guarded.
"Who are you?"
"Me?" I tilted my head. "I don't know. I don't have a name yet. You?"
"Me neither. But that's not what I asked." He frowned. "Which family are you from? Or are you stupid?"
He clicked his tongue.
"It's common knowledge that young demons aren't given names until they survive their first test. Named demons dying is a waste of resources. Ugh… you're such a pain."
With that, he turned and walked into the forest.
I didn't stop him.
I didn't have the time. And I didn't know where he stood.
Sitting back down, I focused on stabilizing my Ghan before starting a new experiment.
I stared at the water.
I imagined a bullet—compressed, shaped, focused.
I infused Ghan into my fingers.
Before I could adjust anything—
Boom.
A small explosion echoed.
Opening my eyes, I saw the tree opposite me had collapsed.
…It worked.
I succeeded.
And I did it without chanting.
From what I'd read, the process was:
Chant → Imagine → Input Ghan → Spell
But what I'd done was different.
Imagine → Input Ghan → Spell
The power was higher.
The accuracy was worse.
Still—this was good news.
It meant I had truly learned magic.
And more importantly, as long as I understood the effect, I could execute a spell.
Phew.
Entering the forest to deal with my enemies, I was greeted by the thick scent of blood—
And a trail of wolf corpses.