Chapter 118: An Incomplete Coating
That evening, Zac sat alone in the living room after four straight hours of mana-control training.
The prolonged concentration had left his mind dull and heavy, while sweat clung to his body from the strain. He sank deeper into the sofa and released a long breath.
"I think that’s enough Mana control for one day."
[Are you asking me or telling me?]
"Neither. I’m talking to myself."
[Wonderful. As far as I’m aware, people who regularly talk to themselves are commonly known as idiots.]
Zac pointedly ignored the remark.
He went to have a light meal, then returned and closed his eyes for a moment. Once his breathing had settled, he straightened his back.
"I’m going to practice mana coating now."
He waited for a response, but the system remained completely silent.
After several seconds, Zac frowned. "You’re not going to comment on that?"
[Why are you acting like a toxic wife?]
[When I speak, you complain that I never stop commenting. When I stay quiet, you complain that I’m not saying anything. What exactly am I supposed to do here?]
"You could encourage me once in a while instead of mocking everything I do."
[That’s out of the question.]
"Why?"
[Because I’m a sentient being, not some artificial assistant whose settings you can alter whenever the mood strikes you. You cannot simply dictate what I’m allowed to say, and what sort of personality I should have.]
Zac clicked his tongue. "Why couldn’t I have received a normal system?"
[And how exactly do you define ’normal’?]
"You know, the sort with a shop, missions, legendary rewards, and the good sense to speak only when asked a question."
[Reality does not revolve around your fantasy novels. Deal with it.]
Zac released another tired sigh and decided the argument was going nowhere.
He adjusted his position and focused on the Mana drifting through the room. With a slow breath, he drew it into his meridians, guided it carefully through his body, and directed the flow towards his right arm.
The Mana scattered unevenly across his skin.
Zac tightened his concentration and compressed it little by little, forcing the loose energy to gather into a stable layer.
When he opened his eyes, a faint, translucent coating of neutral Mana surrounded his arm. It rippled gently over his skin without breaking apart.
"I did it. I finally did it." Zac sprang to his feet and hurried towards the staircase.
He climbed to the first floor, an area of the house he had barely used since moving in. The entire floor had been converted into a private training space, with several metal dummies positioned along one side.
The walls and floor were reinforced with an unfamiliar dark metal capable of withstanding heavy impacts, explosive force, and the destructive abilities of variants.
Zac approached the nearest training dummy. Its frame was thick and heavily reinforced, built to endure attacks far beyond ordinary human strength.
He examined the Mana coating around his arm, clenched his fist, and planted his feet firmly against the floor.
Then he drove his fist into the dummy’s chest. A heavy metallic crash echoed through the room.
The dummy was hurled backwards with tremendous force. It skidded across the reinforced floor before slamming into the dummies behind it, sending several of them toppling into one another.
Zac stared at his fist, then at the result of his strike.
Under normal circumstances, he should have been satisfied. Yet something still felt off.
He slowly lowered his gaze to his arm, his brows drawing together as the faint layer of Mana continued to flow over it.
[What is it?]
"I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right."
[You successfully coated your arm and struck the dummy without any issues. What exactly is supposed to be wrong?]
"I already told you. I don’t know."
He flexed his fingers and examined the mana from several angles.
The coating looked almost exactly as Matilda had described it during class. There were no visible gaps, and the Mana flowed smoothly around his arm.
Still, the uneasy feeling refused to leave him.
[Since when did you become a master of instinct?]
"I’m not claiming to be one. I’m saying it feels incomplete."
Zac sat cross-legged on the reinforced floor and began examining his hand again, searching for any flaw in the coating’s flow or structure.
Even after a long while, nothing stood out.
Yet the nagging sense of dissatisfaction remained at the back of his mind.
"What am I missing? Why can’t I put my finger on it?"
[Perhaps you should practice further. Try coating your entire body. If there truly is a problem, it may become easier to notice once the coating covers a larger area.]
Zac mulled over the suggestion for a moment before nodding.
He took a short break and meditated until his depleted mana had recovered.
Once he was ready, he spread the Mana across his body and tried to form a complete coating.
Whenever he managed to stabilize the layer around his upper body, the mana covering his legs weakened. The moment he shifted his attention downwards, the coating around his shoulders and arms began to collapse.
Time slipped by unnoticed as evening deepened into night.
Zac continued practicing without pause, repeatedly drawing mana into his meridians and spreading it across his body. By the time exhaustion finally caught up with him, another six hours had passed.
He did not even have the strength to return to his bedroom.
Instead, he lay down on the training-room floor, tucked one arm beneath his head, and closed his eyes.
[You do realise beds were invented for a reason, don’t you?]
"Too tired."
Within minutes, he fell asleep on the cold, reinforced floor.
The following morning, Zac woke with a stiff neck and an aching back. For several seconds, he remained motionless, staring blankly at the reinforced ceiling as he tried to remember why he had chosen the floor over an actual bed.
[Good morning.]
Zac slowly sat up and rubbed the side of his neck. "There’s nothing good about this morning."
[It was your bright idea to sleep here.]
As usual, Zac ignored the system and pushed himself to his feet with a quiet groan.
After washing up, he prepared a simple breakfast and ate in silence. Then, without wasting any more time, he returned to the training room.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the room and closed his eyes.
Zac drew neutral mana into his meridians and began spreading it outwards. A thin layer formed across his chest, shoulders, and arms before slowly extending over his waist, hips, and legs.
At last, the translucent coating covered his entire body.
Zac opened his eyes and examined the Mana surrounding him. Without breaking his concentration, he slowly stood and began moving his arms and legs, testing how long he could maintain the full-body coating while in motion.
The seconds ticked by.
After forty-three seconds, the coating finally dissolved.
[That’s an improvement.]
"Yeah. Yesterday, I could barely hold a complete coating for a few seconds. Forty-three seconds is a considerable step forward."
[It still isn’t very long. In a prolonged battle, forty-three seconds won’t get you far.]
"I know. But I don’t need to maintain a full-body coating throughout an entire fight."
Zac looked down at his hands. "I can reinforce only the areas that need protection, then shift the coating to my fists or legs whenever I attack. That should cut down my Mana consumption considerably."
[Correct. Used properly, forty-three seconds of full-body coating could translate into several minutes of partial coating.]
Zac’s expression brightened. "Then this is already a major improvement to my combat ability."
[If looking at it that way helps you sleep at night, then yes.]
Zac meditated again before attempting another full-body coating. However, as soon as the Mana settled around him, that same faint sense of discomfort returned.
He frowned and stared at the translucent layer surrounding his body. "Why does it still feel like something is missing?"
[There are only two possibilities. Either you’re being paranoid, or you need to ask someone with actual experience.]
"That’s a wonderful suggestion, but I already have you, don’t I?"
[Unfortunately, yes.]
"Then tell me what I’m missing."
[Before that, there’s something I need to tell you.]
Zac sighed. "Please don’t start talking about novels or those animated shows from before the apocalypse."
[They’re called anime.]
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
[As delighted as I would be to discuss them, this isn’t about that.]
Zac leaned back slightly and waited for the system to continue.
[You need to stop relying on me for everything.]
"What? Isn’t that the whole reason you exist?"
[Partly, yes. And I’m happy to answer your questions whenever necessary. Naturally, I’d be even happier if you paid a reasonable number of Info Points for the service.]
"There it is. It always comes back to Info Points, doesn’t it?"
[Would you stop interrupting and let me finish?]
"Fine. Go ahead."
[As I was saying, I’m willing to answer your questions. However, when you have the means to discover something for yourself, you shouldn’t immediately come running to me for the answer.]
Zac frowned. "And why would I do that?"
[Because finding the answer yourself gives you experience.]
"If there’s an easier method, why would I deliberately take the long way around? That would only waste time and effort."
[Do you know what turns a boy into a man?]
Zac gave the question serious thought for a moment and answered.
"When he loses his virginity?"
["..."]