There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 753

Chapter 753: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 36

Just like what he had told Byul, Kar took his final basic exam before the summer break. He still had to take the final practical exam--which had to be taken before he climbed the tower for the first time to get his license--but he was free to do what he wanted before then.

Still, as a student, he had to submit his self-study plan--otherwise, leaving the school grounds would be counted as a violation. So, he was busy making schedules and arrangements during the summer break. After all, a signed letter of agreement from the coaches and the guild for his internship had to be submitted for his official academic leave.

But of course, he could get everything done smoothly in no time. After all, one must know how to use their privilege well--or so his Uncle Dia said. And so, after the summer break, he did not return to the dorm in Projo but packed his bag to Althrea.

"I don’t understand you father and son," Han Joon crossed his arms while watching Kar doing warm-up.

It was their first day of official mentorship, and while he had agreed to teach his godson personally, he hadn’t talked about it extensively with the boy.

Kar looked up from the floor where he was doing his stretching. "Why, Uncle?"

"You have a mana pool that makes all magicians envious, but why do you keep training to fight close combat?"

"Well...because it’s your specialty?" the boy shrugged with a grin.

It wasn’t a secret that Bassena and Kar adored Joon. Both of them loved following the man all the time. If they lived in the same city, Kar would probably ask to go over every day. Even in the Academy, when he was asked about his role model, he would tell everyone about the former Mobius Captain Han Joon.

People had always thought he was strange for it, especially having Bassena Vaski as a father. But, so what? The man was also the role model of the Bassena Vaski. In fact, Bassena approved of this choice wholeheartedly.

If there was someone out there the Saint class agreed to teach his son, it would be Han Joon.

"A pair of weirdoes," Joon shook his head and sighed.

"Who love you very much, Uncle."

"Thanks," the man rolled his eyes in response. "But serious answer now."

Kar chuckled and finished his last stretch before standing up. "Well, I don’t know with Dad, but...for me, it’s survival and flexibility."

Han Joon arched his brow. That reasoning sounded like Zein instead of Bassena. But then again, for Bassena, close combat was a necessity--not an option. To survive the beating from his cousins, he had to strengthen his body. And then, when he met Joon, the kid thought it was cool--even with the enormous amount of mana he had.

Kar didn’t have to do that, though. He didn’t need to put his body in strenuous training to survive. Even if he only did what those in the magician path did, he would still be on top of his generation. Simply by his innate mana and raw talent.

Something Han Joon did not have.

"I don’t want to find myself getting ambushed or limited because I have to stay in a certain place," Kar explained. "In the first place, every esper has mana, right? Not just magicians. I heard magicians become magicians just because they have more mana."

"Right..."

"But I talked to Dad, talk to Grandpa Yu, Uncle Cohen, and the teachers..." the boy frowned. "In the end, everything is about mana application."

Having a lot of mana didn’t mean he had to take the magician path only. If every position’s skills used mana, it shouldn’t matter what path he choose. Rather than seeing it as he had to be a magician, shouldn’t he be free to be anything because he had a lot of mana?

"What I want is to understand the mana application itself. Whether as a spell or imbued into weapons..." he opened up his hand, flowing the unsullied mana inside his system and manifesting it on his palm.

At first, he couldn’t even maintain a sphere. But now, he could make any shape he wanted, just like how his father shaped the darkness. But he didn’t want to be limited to just one field like that. Only darkness. Only ice. Only fire.

How boring. The boy who had been playing with magic before he could even walk couldn’t be satisfied with merely following what the tower would give him in the future.

"I want to know how other espers use it and how I can use it."

"So, essentially, you actually want to be the purest of magicians," Han Joon chuckled.

Kar tilted his head. Well, that may be so. To manipulate mana without relying on the skills that the patron deity gave them during the trials--shouldn’t that be what magicians try to achieve?

"And everyone said you have the best mana control in the Eastern Federation, Uncle," Kar pointed at Joon with a grin. "Even more than Dad."

Unlike Bassena, Han Joon wasn’t blessed with a lot of mana. And yet, his skill repertoire--such as stealth and swift step--was heavy with mana usage, and he chose a weapon that needed a delicate control of mana. To be able to do that, he had to be very calculative and make use of every drop of mana he had without letting any waste.

But he wasn’t very talented, never had been. His talent was on persistence and perseverance. He looked for a way by himself, found it, and trained it until he became so proficient even magic users thought he was more talented than them.

He could no longer use mana, but the knowledge he acquired by himself did not disappear.

"So it’s not about the close combat?" Han Joon tilted his head.

"Oh, that too," Kar clenched his fist to scatter the mana rabbit on his palm. "I just want to be good at everything."

Han Joon scoffed. "Cocky boy."

"I need to know this much to protect my family, no?" the boy grinned.

"What a frightening family."