I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 60: No Pain No Gain...?
*** Academy Training Grounds - Private Sector
Before I knew it, late night had already arrived in the academy, but surprisingly enough, the private sector’s training rooms were still filled with students.
Each one bypassing the need for sleep and rest using recovery magic from their own attunements.
It looked like they had the same idea as me.
The academy didn’t even bother to set up curfews in the private sector; students who were allowed to enter it should already be smart enough to know the consequences of their own actions.
That meant I could continue without a care in the world.
Besides, if Evelina needed anything, she would call me using the transceiver.
"Come on!"
I forcefully tried to heal a wound on my palm, one caused intentionally by slitting myself with a dagger.
Can’t master light magic without a target after all.
CLICK!
CLICK!
The flesh began to reknit itself, the glow from the light magic contrasting nicely with the light bulb on top of the room.
"Finally..."
I laughed; it had taken me far longer than I expected just to finally close a small wound.
THUD!
I collapsed to my knees on the ground, sighing a fresh air of relief.
But it was definitely good progress, I could already notice the difference pure light magic recovery had compared to profaned or chaos.
And while I had divine attunement as well, if I couldn’t even cast light magic, pure divine magic was still way out of reach.
Although basic divine manipulation was also possible, just like light, that was it.
It made sense that all the shortcuts I took would start to get the best of me.
But I’d make sure it wouldn’t take long for me to adapt to it.
[Bottomless Daggers (S)]
[Eye of the Profaned (Unique)]
I slit my palm again and once again used basic healing magic.
[Minor Healing]
"It’s still hard to solve, but it’s easier at least..."
I grunted, focusing on solving the spell formula. My special eye turned something that felt like rocket science into something more basic.
CLICK!
"Yes!"
Finally! Another wound sealed.
I was starting to finally get used to casting healing magic.
[Chaos and Divine Attunement]
[Subtypes: Dark and Light]
[Light Mastery Increased]
[Apprentice: Lvl 1]
"I even got a breakthrough for it...!?" I wiped the sweat off my face using the academy uniform’s coat, controlling my breathing as I prepared myself for another run.
Rinse and repeat.
That was all I needed to do.
Consistency was key after all.
And this was essentially just like exercising, and in that case, I was already accustomed to the grueling and relentless pace I was about to exert on my mind.
"Another..."
I slit my palm again, this time a bigger wound, something harder to close. It was time to intensify my training.
The blood flowed more freely this time, dripping onto the floor in steady drops.
Pain flared sharper, enough to force my focus whether I wanted it or not.
"Alright... don’t rush it."
I slowed my breathing, forcing the light magic to follow the exact path I wanted instead of flooding the area like before. Thin streams, precise circulation, reinforce first, regenerate second.
The glow under my skin flickered.
CLICK.
The spell destabilized.
"Damn it."
The wound partially closed, then tore again as the flow of magic collapsed. A sharp sting shot up my arm, stronger than before.
Even with photographic memory, solving a damn formula while in pain was still a shitty feeling.
I clenched my teeth and adjusted the formula, trying to overcome the sheer incompatibility with the attunement by overlaying light manipulation on top of the healing magic.
It was certainly unconventional, but at this point, trying to understand purity after getting a kill count of over a hundred was impossible.
I needed an easier way.
[Minor Healing]
The glow returned, steadier this time.
CLICK...
CLICK...
The flesh pulled together slowly, painfully, but it held.
Solving two formulas was definitely hard, but at least the manipulation was easier, and even if I couldn’t cast the healing magic fully.
My light manipulation was able to finish the job.
"Hah..."
I exhaled, shoulders sagging as the wound finally sealed, leaving behind nothing but a faint scar that quickly faded.
That did it.
I didn’t even feel relief anymore, just confirmation.
"This is workable."
Light magic demanded purity. Dark rewarded, well... something I was already good at. Chaos bent to will and my eye. Divine answered after mastery of light.
No wonder people specialize instead of mastering different elements.
Guess I really underestimated how difficult it was; it was foolish of me to think that I’d be able to master two opposite elements as easily as a late novel Marcellus did.
I flexed my hand, watching the faint residual glow fade from my skin.
[Light Mastery Increased]
"...Good."
Not fast, but stable.
I stood up, rolling my wrist once more before reaching for a water flask and downing it in one go. My head still throbbed slightly, mental exhaustion, even using profaned recovery to refresh my mind was starting to take its toll.
But that was fine.
Mental fatigue meant growth.
I glanced toward the barrier humming quietly around the room, then toward the clock mounted high on the wall.
Late.
Very late.
"...I feel like shit." I laughed.
I wiped my face with my sleeve and leaned back against the wall, letting my spine slide down until I was sitting on the floor.
Cold stone. Quiet hum of the barrier. Distant echoes of other students training far away.
This was fine.
This was familiar.
Back when I was still a beginner hitman, this was how improvement felt: pain, repetition, and the constant question of when the next break time would come.
Except now, I had magic to ease the pain.
I stared at my palm again, turning it slowly under the light. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
No scar.
Not even discoloration.
Light magic really was absurd when it worked properly.
"...Talk about overpowered," I muttered.
Guess even sheer power from a demon prince couldn’t outmatch the healing power of light magic.
"Still better for pure offense though..."
