Chapter 45: The Mana Onsen
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Steam rose up from the hot spring and into the air, letting out a relaxing and earthy aroma. The surroundings were all foggy.
In the middle of the water, I was sitting in the magical liquid, my eyes closed and my body relaxed. The hot spring water had an impressive emerald hue, and that light illuminated me with a soft glow. The smoke that erupted from the surface added to the mystical setting, while the tranquility of the scene contributed to a peaceful and calming atmosphere.
The spring's natural fog had a restorative effect on one's body and mind, and I too was no exception to that. It was relaxing.
The atmosphere wasn't just the tip of the magical iceberg, as the depth of it was the cycling process ongoing within my body. My Qi Pool was spinning like a vortex, and the [Heaven and Earth Purification Wheel] technique spun faster to dig my pool deeper, wider. It was growing deeper than it was growing wider; that was the specialty of the Heaven and Earth Purification Wheel. Even when I didn't have enough purity in my Qi to advance to [Underlord], I had more total Qi than a usual [Overlord], the rank after it.
The growth percentage of True Gold kept increasing quickly, and even though it's just been an hour since I killed the rat, I now stood at a 40% completion rate.
This is going great.
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[Third Person Point of View]
Aqua was busy cultivating on the male side of the hot spring, while the three ladies were chattering on the female side. They were submerged in the warm water down to their chests, which seemed to float in the water like soft marshmallows.
The air was thick with steam as three girls basked inside the onsen hot spring. Their bodies were glistening with sweat, their skin flushed from the heat. Each of the ladies was uniquely stunning, with her own brand of beauty that set her apart.
As they soaked in the warm water, their curves were accentuated by the steamy atmosphere. The first girl, Mai Sakurajima, had a voluptuous figure; her breasts bobbed softly on the surface of the water as she leaned back to relax. Her hips were wide, and her legs were long, giving her an irresistible hourglass shape.
The second girl, Mem-Cho, was lean and short, with a small waist and yet a big, round butt. Her chest was small but perky, and her legs wiggled on the water. Despite her short stature, she exuded confidence and strength, making her all the more alluring.
The third girl, Akane Kurokawa, was delicate and ethereal, with an elegant body frame that seemed to float on the surface of the water. Her breasts were larger than Mem-Cho, while her hips were curvy. She looked like a porcelain doll, with soft features and big, innocent eyes that seemed to gaze straight into your soul.
"You're serious?"
"I'm literally showing you right now."
Akane asked in a last attempt of disbelief, and Mem-Cho decided to summon her devil wings out of her back before she took off into the air. She may not know any spells, but she had used her natural devil powers in the past so it came off with ease.
Akane's expression brightened, staring up at the flying figure with stars in her eyes. In this day and age, which teenager wouldn't find it amazing learning that magic was real? That the supernatural existed?
"I-incredible," Vapor rose from the onsen, and beads of sweat trailed down Akane's cheek as she gulped.
Mem-Cho landed back in the water gently and stared at her. "Any other doubts?"
"No…" she shook her head. "So the others are really in a pocket dimension? Is Aqua a devil like you? Does everyone have pocket dimensions?"
"So many questions," Mem-Cho shook her head even as she was grinning. It was fun to bring in a new person to this side of the world, though she was extremely curious why Aqua chose to show her this.
"By the way," Mai chimed in, she looked at Akane. "I'm saying this just in case, but not all devils are as nice as Mem-Cho. No, in reality, no faction in this supernatural world can be painted under a single color. There are always exceptions though; even devils have good people, and even angels have bad in them. So be careful. And no, Aqua isn't a devil, he's a -kind of- human mage, from what he told me."
"I agree," Mem-Cho nodded. "I am a half-devil and I grew up with humans so I don't have any weird thoughts, but I heard devils can be really evil. But there are also good ones. The same goes with Gods-"
"Wait," Akane cleared her throat. "You just said devils and angels, now you're saying Gods in plural? Until now I was wondering if the Bible was right and we Japanese were praying to false Gods?"
"That's not true, I don't know if no religion is right or maybe if all are. What I do know is that most of the Gods, if not all, across the mythology exists. It's kind of common knowledge, I guess." Mem-Cho said.
Mai followed, "So if you are devoted to some Shinto God, don't feel bad, you don't have to switch religions. Just keep doing whatever you've been doing up to now."
"About that…" Akane smiled awkwardly. All of a sudden, she learned that magic was real, supernatural entities existed, and there were all kinds of gods, but she was told to live as she had been until now. Turn again, how could she not? What was special about that that'd make it so that she could live in a different manner?
Not that she wanted to, of course. She was fine with her acting career; this was her dream. Even Mem-Cho and Mai were doing human things, so it's not as if she'd form a crew and go in search of magical dragon balls just because she learned magic is real.
What she was curious about, though, was what Aqua implied when he labeled her different from the people he deposited in his pocket dimension. Just what was so magical about her?
"If you have any other questions you can continue asking us," Mai said.
"When will we be leaving though?" Mem asked, making Mai shrug and point in the direction of the male spring.
"Go ask him if you're so curious," she said.
"Nuh-uh," Mem-Cho raised a finger and shook it from left to right. "He said to not disturb him. He will get mad. Ugh, he switches so fast sometimes."
"Aqua gets mad?" Akane asked curiously, leaning forward as if to gossip.
"Yes! You didn't see him back then? When Sen was accusing him? His face looked calm, but… eek~" Mem-Cho shook as she got goosebumps. "It's as if the air around him grew needles. Then these last few nights, when he teaches me magic, he goes all weird as if he's a different person!"
"Oooh…!"
"Why are we talking about a guy while we are naked and wet?" Mai said and then quickly frowned.
"You should rephrase that, you just made it weirder now." Mem-Cho looked at her.
"Erm… then can we just return to the QnA?" Akane suggested an alternative, and the three girls exchanged looks before bursting out laughing.
Despite the rough start earlier, filled with blood, it felt oddly enjoyable to be alone in this world, in the middle of the night and soaking in the warm water of the hot spring.
As they continued soaking together, their bodies slipped against one another in the water, and it would be hard for any man to not get lost in the eroticism of the moment. The heat and sweat only served to heighten their beauty, making them so much more irresistible than before.
* * *
[First Person Point of View]
I waited until the dawn of morning, when [True Gold] reached 50% completion. This hot spring was good, but what if there were something better down in the forest?
I got dressed and walked out of the onsen, going to the tea house where the girls were now gathered. They could only stay in the onsen for so long. However long they had stayed, though, it had a cleansing effect on their skin. They looked gorgeous now, more elegant than they were before.
"Guys. Get ready, we're leaving to check things out below," I said and watched the girls turn to me.
Some of their expressions suggested they expected me to say something about their glistening skin, their beautiful change, but I didn't entertain that. I had other, more important things to do. Once they realized I had nothing else to say, they got up and walked over.
"Where to now?"
"When will we be leaving?"
"Isn't it dangerous out there? Aren't there any more beasts?"
Mem-Cho, Mai, and Akane spoke one after another. I took in their questions and nodded at them.
"You'll see where to, and no, we won't be leaving just yet. I'm receiving some benefits from being here. I'll see if I can help you guys with anything, too. Maybe we'll find a magical artifact or something, who knows." I looked at Akane. "Yes, there are other beasts here, monsters. Dinosaurs, even. But they won't bother us, don't worry."
"Oh," the girls nodded, surprised and taken aback.
"Who can fly among you?" I asked. I would have explained more usually but no need for that right now.
"Me," Mem-Cho said, and Mai just raised her hand. "Wait, you can fly?"
"I can hop on the air, basically." She explained.
"Erm," Akane fell silent.
"Akane, it's alright. Do you mind if I pick you up? Since you can't fly." The wind blew my hair to the side as I looked at her and asked.
She opened her mouth slowly, most likely to ask why the others couldn't do it instead of me, but she closed her mouth again. She didn't want to be a burden. She just nodded.
"Alright." I walked near Akane and put a hand behind her knees and another behind her shoulder, and then lifted her from the ground and into my hold. I lifted her close to me, her face inches away from mine as she quickly turned away. She shyly put her arms around my neck for safety.
Mem-Cho and Mai stared at me. I looked back. "What? You two follow me."
I kicked the ground and appeared in the air. Mem-Cho also took off along with Mai. Like Mai who followed, I too was mostly kicking the air instead of really flying, but I could just gently shove the air beneath my feet to propel me metered ahead. In truth, I was neither flying nor walking in the air, I was gliding on my feet.
…Half a day later, my group would meet a wildly unexpected situation.
* * *
[Third Person Point of View]
Goddess Sakuya-hime was feeling sad. She sat on top of a rock located on top of her living quarters, which was a divine copy of Mount Fuji in the mortal world. There was an underground cave-type city built within the mountain, circling around the lava that was in the middle of the mountain.
She was staring up at the evening sky, watching the clouds float across the multicolored sky.
"He didn't even say goodbye," she sighed as she complained to nobody in particular. "Haah, maybe he forgot? I shouldn't be too mad at him, he must have his situation. Still, what a rude child… Oh well, at least he sent me a prayer a few days ago."
Something told him she'd see him again one day, maybe soon. Then she'll ask him for his name and also about that training that he did these few days. She didn't like to pry too much, but it piqued her curiosity.
Though, it was kind of odd that he had suddenly vanished. Her senses didn't reach that far in the mortal world, but she could at least feel some type of feedback from his presence. Last night, she sensed him in that resort, and she decided to take a nap. When she woke up, his presence was gone.
"Hmmm," she looked away from the sky and into the forest below. "Could it be that he accidentally or maybe intentionally went to the Middle Shore?"
In official supernatural terms, the Near Shore was generally referred to the realm of the living, while the Far Shore referred to the concept of the world of the non-living and divine. The most common examples of beings of the Far Shore include gods, loose spirits, Yokais, and Devils.
There was a gap between these two shores. That's the Middle Shore. Usually, there was nothing there, like an empty pathway, but sometimes, like in this case, there were rich pocket dimensions filled with resources located in this middle place. Some human mages and many others would call these places [Dungeons] too, though the official name used was Middle Shore.
"Let me peek into it just in case," Sakuya muttered and decided to check it. Just as she gathered the energy to do so, something in her senses warned her about something else.
She stood up. A large man ran toward her right then. He was a subordinate of hers, a minor divinity, known as a [Regalia].
"My lady," the burly man kneeled and said. "There is bad news. We are being attacked."
"I noticed," her lazy expression shifted as an enraged one replaced it. Her gentle pink hair transformed, painted red as if blazed by the volcano's magma. "Filthy devils have such audacity? Prepare to counterattack right now."
The burly man sweated from his brows even as he nodded seriously, before running off and calling for the fighters to gather.
From then onwards, a war broke out.
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