Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter: 150. Mobilization Training – Martial Arts Practical Class –

“Ah, the squads that have finished forming have free training until lunchtime. You can test each other’s powers or engage in small talk. If you haven’t finished forming yet, you have until the remaining time… As if to prove the tranquility of this area, a relaxed announcement flowed from the speakers.

…Ah. Additional information: If you belong to squad 1 or 2, a patrol is scheduled, so please gather at the command room.”

Even the announcement seemed a bit off, quickly followed by a correction in a panicked tone. …The unit is a mess.

“Senior, which squad are we in?”

“Squad 3.”

Good thing we can slack off for two hours.

So, what should we do?

First, I guess I should politely ask over there what they plan to do.

“Are you planning to train now?”

“Yes. As a martial artist, I must focus all my time on mastering forms and ki.”

“Then this time would be precious to you.”

With that, I casually hinted at something.

“Yes, then I shall excuse myself first.”

He seemed to have realized my intent and gave a brief nod.

“Let’s go!”

Creating a wind, he quickly vanished with his students.

“…Martial artists look like they have it tough.”

“There’s no attribute infusion like magical girls. They have to grind until they gain enlightenment.”

For us, outside of the special cases, it’s usually just a matter of being installed or receiving boosts.

Though I said that without much thought…

“Enlightenment?”

Han Abin, the one I was talking to, seemed genuinely curious about my remark.

“Why? Interested?”

…You mentioned you trained under a martial artist, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then wouldn’t there be something to learn from their methods?”

Ah, that was the meaning behind her question.

You want to gather more information to become stronger.

I can share that, but…

“I’ll tell you, so just wait a moment.”

But first, there’s something I need to do.

Ignoring Han Abin’s usual prompt responses, I approached Baek Sihyeon and Chris, who were doing something odd with their hands.

“Chris? Can I ask you something?”

“Ah! Haram brother, what’s up?”

Hmm, it’s nice to hear ‘brother’ after so long.

“I’m heading out for training now. Wanna join?”

“Yes! I love moving my body!”

Good, that’s a relief.

As I was about to talk to Baek Sihyeon next…

“Master! I also love moving my body!”

Baek Sihyeon jumped in with her usual high energy between Chris and me.

“Ah, okay… let’s skip that… Sihyeon, chat with Abin on the way too.”

“Yes! Master!”

Our student’s responses are always loud and clear.

No doubt she’ll end up saying, ‘I forgot!’ after hearing everything, but listening to her reply makes me think it might actually be fine this time.

Whatever my thoughts about Baek Sihyeon, the four of us started moving slowly toward the training ground, and I began explaining about martial artists to Han Abin as promised.

“Let’s see. You know that martial artists use forms to unleash Otherworld’s Power, right?”

“In theory, yes.”

“Yes! I learned that from Uncle Cheonha Ilgyeom!”

Uncle, huh? Looks like that guy has someone else he can be called that too.

“Sihyeon, be sure to call Jianpyung that next time you meet him. Hmm, about forms…

As I paused, patting my knee to gather my thoughts, I realized I should’ve prepared earlier.

But since this is a familiar topic, I could quickly recall the knowledge, though I paused for a moment, considering how best to explain it for my students to understand.

…Imagine expressing letters with your body. Wouldn’t that be difficult?

“That seems so.”

“I’ll give it a try! Shin!”

Ignoring the fool who stretched both arms to the sky and spread his legs…

“However, the technique of a martial artist’s form is a tool to achieve that. Hand gestures, posture, sword path, distribution of power. Each little movement functions like a magic circle.”

That’s why martial artists repeat their forms dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times.

To avoid the slightest mistake. So they can naturally adopt that posture while wielding their sword.

“Can’t it be a little different?”

“Well, it can be slightly off. The rigidity of a form isn’t that bad, to be honest.”

If the angle of the hand were determined to the hundredth of a degree, the martial artist would have already declined.

…Still, wouldn’t it feel uncomfortable? Even if you can naturally take a posture while swinging, what about when the enemy counterattacks and disrupts your stance?

“And that’s why martial artists are strong when they’re advancing but become significantly weaker when pushed back. However, that doesn’t mean they only have forms; there are martial arts techniques and bestowal techniques, so if trained properly, they won’t become overly weak.”

There are schools that drastically minimize forms as well.

The Thunder God’s style prioritized bestowal techniques and the power contained in a single blow.

Yet the irony is that the master of forms is the one calling himself Cheonha Ilgyeom.

“But still… Isn’t that a crucial weakness? Once you’re attacked, you lose one card to play…”

“That’s true for average martial artists. But there’s an exception to that.”

“An exception?”

“I told you earlier. When you obtain enlightenment, everything changes.”

Once you gain enlightenment, everything is smooth sailing.

To put it bluntly, even a small realization allows one to gain power that elevates them far beyond a low-level martial artist.

“What exactly is enlightenment?”

“Who knows? It varies from person to person. Some might suddenly realize it while walking down the road. Some might discover it in the heat of battle. Some might even come to a conclusion while eating.”

For reference, Cheonha Ilgyeom awakened after looking at a certain underground area.

“No, what I want to ask is how does it change once you gain that enlightenment?”

Ah, I misunderstood. Sorry, Abin.

“First, you no longer need to obsess over forms. Every action begins to create forms spontaneously.”

“…What does that mean?”

How should I explain it…

Hearing the foolish sounds from behind, I lost myself in thought for a moment.

And by the time I heard a P sound…

“I can’t precisely express that enlightenment since I’m not a martial artist myself, but from what I’ve heard from a martial artist, ‘The mind moves as if it becomes one with the body.'”

“The mind becoming one with the body?”

“Yes. Others can’t see it, but the mind draws the form, allowing you to engage in battle without being bound by it.”

To frame it in gaming terms, it’s akin to a swordsman class transitioning into a magic swordsman.

That means casting spells and performing magical attacks even during battle.

…But even after hearing that, Han Abin simply wore a puzzled expression, unable to grasp it at all.

I had shared the hidden knowledge of martial artists, yet that expression was baffling.

“What seems so strange?”

…Isn’t it a waste?”

“What is?”

“It’s a power obtained after engraving the form onto one’s body. Before that, it renders all prior training useless…”

What do I say to that?

Then again, if one doesn’t actually witness martial artists in battle, it’s understandable to think that way.

“Alright, Abin, think about it. The mind draws forms, right?”

“Then does the body stay still?”

“No, in combat… Ah.”

Sure enough, Han Abin is sharp. To understand with just that little explanation.

“Exactly. If given the chance, both the mind and body can unleash forms simultaneously. Two entities acting together.”

And that explosive power exceeds what one can imagine.

Even the simplest form, channeling power along a sword path, when combined with continuous slashes or instant acceleration, transforms into a technique of tremendous explosive force.

What was once a simple result through the form can showcase powerful force depending on the combination.

“Ah, then the technique that Cheonha Ilgyeom used to chop off all the legs was also that simultaneous execution?”

“Ah, that’s a bit different. How could he not be the highest leader of martial artists?”

“How is it different?”

“It’s probably a 12-fold form.”

It could also be a 10-fold or 11-fold. Who knows the details about that guy?

Maybe not believing my words, Han Abin suddenly let out a blank sound, mouth agape.

“People can use dual swords, right?”

“Uh… Yes?”

“Just like that, depending on the training of the mind, one can increase the number of forms. Cheonha Ilgyeom was specialized for multi-forms.”

The Thunder God would probably laugh. He should focus on adding power to his sword during that time.

…Is that really possible?”

“There are actually those who can do it, what can I say? Just take it as it is.”

Just like when I was healed by Oxymoron.

Someone broke through their limits, and that’s how the current curriculum was structured.

The martial artists who were once underestimated were strengthened thanks to the curriculum created by Cheonha Ilgyeom.

Through training forms, gathering Otherworld’s Power in their inner centers, with enlightenment as the goal.

Thanks to that, some could achieve small enlightenment within 1 to 2 years.

Of course, those martial artists who grew following that curriculum are weaker defensively compared to the Thunder God due to their reliance on forms.

However, that’s just because the Thunder God was such an outstanding entity.

Rather than piling up dozens or hundreds of corpses to obtain one such being, we’d instead save dozens or hundreds to gather and enlist them as soldiers.

In fact, that curriculum positively impacted the strengthening of the martial artist collective, allowing those once treated like mere pots to stand tall as heroes.

…It was quite an interesting story, but…

There were no major gains.

“What gain? Didn’t you just ask out of curiosity?”

“I heard you learned forms, so I thought there might be something special about them. But it was all about martial artists.”

Han Abin let out a short sigh, as if she hadn’t obtained what she wanted.

And I replied to that.

“Weren’t you listening? I said you could definitely strengthen your skills.”

I splashed cold water on her.

…Where are you going?

“To train the forms. As long as you adopt the posture, power will be generated.”

…That’s right?

“That’s it. We can use it too. Watch.”

With a magical girl style, I focused.

Crash!

I softly swung down.

Kyaaaa?!

Boom.

Vibrations surged, shaking the wall as dust that clung to the ceiling scattered from the impact, gently landing on Han Abin’s head and over the fallen Baek Sihyeon.

“See?”

“What was that?! Is it an Otherworld attack?”

“I was disappointed! Sihyeon, you could’ve finished it!”

Is it an earthquake?!

Unni! Z~

“Ah, did you see it? Thanks, Chris!”

…These fools I’ve left alone.

“Oh, of course. It’s not as easy as a martial artist doing it naturally. If it were, forms would be included in basic combat training.”

“How is it different? Explain it to me, senior!”

Maybe she was filled with hope from my words, Han Abin sparkled her eyes and rushed toward me.

“First, step back. Hmm. If I do one more, I feel like the building might collapse, so I’ll show you in the training ground…”

I minimized my power, yet the entire wall shook.

Was it poorly constructed?

“As for the theory, first of all, controlling all the Otherworld’s Power flowing within oneself is essential. For martial artists, magical girls, superhumans, transforming heroes—whatever they are, for those who are not martial artists, their Otherworld’s Power spreads throughout their entire body.

But martial artists have a unique system in this regard; they send power evenly at uniform speeds, centered around their inner core.

“That’s why they can’t use complex forms, only simpler ones. They control all the power flowing through their body, forcing a single strike.”

Boom.

This time, I just stomped down without using any form, merely to show the ambiance.

“Easy, right?”

…Not at all.

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