A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Chapter 207

I hardly had the chance to learn massage, but I did have the chance to learn something similar.

It was none other than during the afternoon training sessions. As you know, the academy provides opportunities to learn techniques useful in actual combat.

These are not limited to one area but can be learned across quite a diverse range of fields.

Only a few are useful enough to be included in the status window, but this depends on their depth.

The First Aid we learned during the first semester was overshadowed by Regeneration, wasn't it? When you obtain a superior skill, the previous one inevitably gets replaced.

However, if you have nothing at all, starting with the basics is the right approach.

"This semester, we'll learn about muscles. It's very important, along with First Aid, so listen carefully."

Yi Yeonhwa, dressed in Oriental clothing, began to explain the lesson.

In the first semester, it was First Aid; this semester, it's muscles. More precisely, it's about muscle injuries and treatment.

Perhaps it might even help with muscle pain. I listened attentively.

"Our body is made up of numerous muscles. Among them, the legs are the ones we use the most. And because of that, they carry a high risk of injury. Especially for those who engage in direct combat..."

Yi Yeonhwa said this as she slightly turned her body. Then she placed her hand on the back of her thigh.

It wasn't very visible due to being covered by her clothes, but thanks to her hand placement, a slight contour became apparent.

"Here, the back of the thigh. In the language of the West, it's called the hamstring. This area is the most dangerous. The more muscles you have, the greater the risk of injury."

Anyone who enjoys sports might have heard of it frequently.

News of a famous athlete being sidelined for weeks due to a hamstring injury.

Each sport has areas prone to frequent injuries, but the hamstring is a common one.

"A minor injury feels like the muscle is just stiff, but a severe injury can make it impossible to stand. Has anyone here experienced it?"

In response to Yi Yeonhwa's question, a significant number of people raised their hands. This included Kara and Luna.

Being born as a human and engaging in rough physical combat inevitably leads to facing this gate.

I, too, injured my hamstring while living in the Forest of Chaos.

Thanks to Regeneration, I recovered quickly, but there were definitely some nerve-wracking moments.

"Alright. The scary thing about muscle injuries is that they occur not just during training but also frequently in real combat. Even a simple cramp is painful, but if it tears, it's uncontrollable."

"... ..."

"So this semester, we'll teach you how to heal muscle injuries. It's easy to learn, but application is difficult."

In the Soul World, perhaps due to game mechanics, there were no muscle injuries.

Instead, accumulated fatigue would render you unable to move. This could be resolved with enough sleep.

While muscle injuries didn't exist due to game mechanics, reality is different. This means it's quite useful knowledge.

'I have to learn this.'

Even on Earth, athletes whose bodies are their greatest assets frequently suffer muscle injuries. They can't avoid it, even if they know about it.

Sometimes, if you're unlucky, you could even get a cramp while stretching.

When a cramp hits your ribs, it's excruciating. I've experienced it a few times.

"Is there anyone here who currently has stiff muscles or injuries?"

Yi Yeonhwa asked. Grace fit the description perfectly in this case.

However, Grace did not raise her hand. She previously mentioned she disliked others touching her body.

It seemed that even if it was another woman, it didn't make a difference. She remained as discreet and silent as possible.

"Me."

"Mr. Sivar?"

"I'll do it."

So, I raised my hand instead. Although I didn't have stiff muscles, no one else was stepping forward.

Yi Yeonhwa appeared slightly surprised but soon smiled gently.

"Alright. Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anywhere."

"Then?"

"I'm curious. Can you massage my muscles too?"

"Hmm. That's quite a good attitude."

I wanted to help others rather than myself. When I expressed such intentions, Yi Yeonhwa's smile deepened.

Although I couldn't learn it perfectly right away, I thought I could apply it by asking a few questions. Perhaps I could even use Divine Power.

Yi Yeonhwa asked me to come closer, then placed her hand on the back of my thigh.

"This is the hamstring for starters... Mr. Sivar?"

"Yes?"

"Could I ask what kind of exercise you do, if any?"

"Just a bit of everything."

I'm not someone who exercises systematically. If anything, I'd rather go to the forest and hunt.

Upon hearing my answer, Yi Yeonhwa nodded and spoke with admiration.

"Mr. Sivar, you seem to have almost no risk of injury. Your muscles look like they're made by intertwining multiple strands of steel."

"Really?"

"Yes. It feels as though someone put a lot of care into crafting them. Such muscles are incredibly rare."

I did put my heart and soul into building them. Otherwise, I would've been long dead.

I can't even count the hardships I endured while living in the Forest of Chaos. I almost died from snake bites too.

"We've chatted enough. Let me show you how it's done. First, the most important thing is to infuse mana."

I felt a refreshing sensation in my thigh. Yi Yeonhwa had infused her mana into it.

When someone else's mana enters your body, your body instinctively resists. Think of it as blood from a different blood type.

However, if you relax or accept the mana, it won't be a problem. I chose to accept it in that way.

"Focus on the muscle area, then press firmly to release the tension in the muscle. Mr. Sivar, you don't have stiff muscles, but you can try it on someone else."

"Seems easy."

"Hehe. Even infusing mana is tough, you know? Focusing it only on the muscle is just as challenging. Next..."

Using my body as an experimental subject, Yi Yeonhwa tried various things. Starting with how to release stiff muscles and even dealing with various injuries.

She specifically explained that when muscles are torn, it's only temporary First Aid.

It's like stitching torn muscles with threads of mana to forcibly get them moving.

This applies to Achilles tendons and ligaments as well. Injuries to these areas are critically dangerous, so it's essential to learn them.

"The most important thing is to move mana according to your will. Who's going to help you during a battle if you get a cramp? So, infuse mana into the cramped or spasming area and release it as you wish."

"What if I make a mistake?"

"If your purpose is healing, you don't have to worry. Would you tear someone's muscles while trying to help them?"

Despite her words, something worried me. It was my Red Mana.

If even blood of a different type is dangerous, what about mana? Since the colors were different, I couldn't help but be cautious.

Thinking of this, I approached Yi Yeonhwa when practice started. She smiled brightly as I came closer.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Yes. About the mana color."

"The color of mana?"

"Is it okay if the colors are different?"

Yi Yeonhwa blinked a few times at my question, then looked upward.

After briefly contemplating, she answered somewhat ambiguously.

"I think... it won't be a problem. Navy-Colored Magic is of a higher grade than Blue Mana, so it'll just override the lower one."

Is it similar to how the crafting and condensation we learned earlier were overridden by my Red Mana? If so, that's a relief.

My Red Mana has high output but is weaker than Blue Mana. There seems to be no risk of harm.

"What about the reverse?"

"The reverse would actually make penetration easier. When Navy-Colored Magic enters with an output of 1, I had to resist it with mana of about 5."

"Thanks. No, thank you very much."

"I'm the one who should thank you for asking. If you want to learn more, feel free to come to me."

Yi Yeonhwa even waved her hand as she sent me off. I also politely bowed and returned to my seat.

After returning to my seat, I immediately went to find Grace. Not just her, but the usual group of acquaintances was all there.

"Grace."

"Yes?"

"Lie down."

"???"

Suddenly being told to lie down, Grace widened her eyes in surprise. The others were no different.

Did my mouth turn into Luna's for a moment? Before any misunderstandings arose, I added an explanation.

"What we learned today. I'm going to use it."

"Ah. You're going to release my muscles?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Let's try it once."

"W-Wait a moment!"

Grace was just about to lie on her stomach when Lee Yeonju urgently intervened as if sensing some kind of crisis.

Grace glanced at her in an awkward posture. Everyone, including me, turned their heads to look at her.

All attention was instantly focused on Lee Yeonju. She seemed to take a moment to choose her words before cautiously proposing.

"W-Well, just in case, why don't we try it on someone else first? If it goes wrong, the muscles might tense up more and become dangerous."

"Hmm... That's true."

It was a fairly reasonable point, and everyone agreed. Certainly, jumping straight into practice could be risky.

Moreover, I am a user of red mana. Grace might end up as the only one suffering unnecessarily.

"Then who should go first? Should I start?"

"I-I'll go first. I'm the weakest here anyway..."

Lee Yeonju subtly steered the turn toward herself. Timid yet assertive, she made her stance clear.

Kara, looking doubtful, turned her gaze toward her. She seemed to sense something unusual.

"Why all of a sudden? What does being weak have to do with this?"

"Didn't the professor explain earlier? Muscle injuries are more frequent and dangerous the more muscles you have. Doesn't Kara have the most muscles among us?"

"Well, that's true."

Kara spoke while slipping her hand inside her clothing. It seemed she was touching her solidly defined abs.

Excluding me, Kara was the tallest and most muscular among us. It was convincing enough.

Thus, the remaining candidates were Lee Yeonju and Luna. If one knew the truth, they would pick Luna, who was the weakest here.

Lee Yeonju had undergone rigorous training in the past. Naturally, her stats would be far superior to Luna's.

'This isn't Luna being weak; it's just that Lee Yeonju is exceptional.'

From the beginning, Lee Yeonju had hidden her past and enrolled in the academy.

As of now, aside from me, no one else knows the truth about her.

"Yes, so I'll do it. I am the weakest among us."

Lee Yeonju spoke, wearing an expression close to relief. If things continued like this, it would naturally be her turn.

However, there was an entirely unexpected variable...

"Ms. Yeonju? You're stronger than me."

"...What?"

It was none other than our protagonist. Luna's words left Lee Yeonju visibly flustered.

Regardless, Luna scanned her up and down and tilted her head in confusion. She seemed genuinely unable to understand.

"Even if I don't know much about it, Ms. Yeonju is in better shape than I am. I'm sure of it."

"...How do you know that?"

Lee Yeonju's voice lowered noticeably. Those with sharp awareness would have noticed her subtle change.

After all, Lee Yeonju was currently wearing clothing that completely covered her body. Even in summer, she insisted on wearing long sleeves.

Overall, her petite frame might suggest otherwise, but her strength undoubtedly surpassed Luna's.

"Well... Intuition? Maybe even Ms. Yeonju doesn't know it herself. It could be a natural talent, you know?"

Of course, Luna, knowing absolutely nothing, was speaking offhandedly. She had probably confirmed Lee Yeonju's stats through her eyes.

From her perspective, Lee Yeonju might seem like someone wasting her physical abilities.

If she could also see skills, not just physiques, the story would change. But unfortunately, she only knew about their bodies.

"...Wait a moment, Ms. Luna."

"Yes?"

"Could you follow me for a moment? I've got something to say."

"?"

In the end, Luna was dragged off by Lee Yeonju. I had never seen such an event unfold in this manner.

In the peculiar atmosphere left behind, the remaining people were Grace and Kara. Among them, Kara scratched her head and made a request to me.

"I don't know what's going on, but let's move on. We can do it ourselves."

"Are you going to go first, Ms. Kara?"

"Why not? First, I..."

Kara trailed off as she sat down. Then she turned her back and tapped her shoulder.

"Start with the shoulders. I've been training recently, and they've been getting stiff often."

"Isn't it not just because of training?"

"You too?"

"Yes."

I didn't know what the two of them were talking about. Still, it was clear that their shoulders hurt for some reason.

Anyway, I had to get into practice. I placed my hand on Kara's shoulders.

The moment I did, I could immediately feel how tense her muscles were.

'Ah, come to think of it...'

Kara also had a fairly large chest. This wasn't a lewd thought but a pure realization.

Women with large chests often suffered from neck and shoulder stiffness. It was like carrying sandbags.

Thus, women inherently carried a significant penalty in battle. In Kara's case, it would probably be worse.

'Yeonju and Luna are relatively fine.'

They had bodies optimized (?) for combat as women. Luna might still be okay, but Yeonju, well...

I cleared away unnecessary thoughts and began performing as I had learned. First, I infused mana into the muscles.

"Wow... It feels refreshing already. What is this?"

"?"

All I did was infuse mana. Though puzzled, I continued steadily.

I meticulously infused mana into her tight muscles and kneaded them with my hands like dough.

Remarkably, the tense muscles began to loosen little by little. I could clearly feel the mana moving according to my intent.

'Is it supposed to loosen this easily?'

I wasn't sure, but judging by Kara's satisfied groans, it seemed to be working.

Once I had loosened up her shoulders, I moved on to the next area. Kara, seemingly getting into it, lay down completely.

"This is great... Even among the Tatars, there was nothing like this..."

"Does it feel that good?"

"Yeah... What is this? Why does it feel so good?"

I didn't know what it was, but since Kara was happy, I worked even harder. Through this, I also learned how impressive Kara's physique was.

Not in a lewd sense, but in terms of being a warrior, her body was remarkable. Her muscles weren't bulky but compactly arranged.

Both aesthetically and functionally, it was outstanding. There wasn't a single place without muscles.

"Uhng... Haah..."

"...Ms. Kara? Your sounds are a little strange."

"Really...? Hngh!"

But when I pressed the area behind her waist and thighs, her groans... sounded a bit strange.

I couldn't tell if it was because she felt refreshed or for another reason. I just kept pressing diligently.

Finally, after finishing with her calves and soles, I was done with her back.

Next was Grace's turn, but...

"It's not... over yet."

"Huh?"

Kara turned her body and looked at me. She said it wasn't over yet.

She stared at me with a slightly flushed face and gave her characteristic refreshing smile.

"The front is still left, isn't it?"

"... ..."

"Focus on my abs. They feel a bit tight right now."

Could I legitimately touch Kara's abs? Just as I began to entertain such thoughts.

"Stop! Stop! That's enough! How far are you planning to go?!"

"Hey. I'm in pain too. Cut me some slack, will you?"

"What do you mean cut you some slack?! Get out of the way!"

Feeling a sense of crisis, Grace firmly intervened. Kara reluctantly stepped aside.

"Next time, start with my stomach. Got it?"

Of course, she didn't forget to whisper to me as she got up.

"By the way, it's fine whether it's above or below. After all, it's just a massage, isn't it?"

"... ..."

It was so blatant that I felt embarrassed myself.