Path To Enlightenment

It's been over a week since I resumed my training with Alvida, and despite all my efforts, I still haven't broken into the fifth stage of intermediate magic. No matter how hard I push myself—expanding my Mana pool, practicing spells, or even consuming beast cores—nothing seems to change. Yet, I know I haven't hit my limit. I can feel it—my Mana pool has the potential to grow even further.

In this world, increasing one's proficiency in magic isn't as straightforward as some believe. The way magic works is both complex and simple if you pay close attention. Unlike the common belief that killing beasts or adventuring automatically boosts one's magical abilities, the reality is much more complicated.

There are many steps to becoming a great mage—learning spells, intense training, consuming beast cores, and gaining real-world experience. That's why the path to the top is so difficult; what works for one person may not work for another. Many dream of mastery over magic, but only a few actually achieve it.

In truth, every mage must find their own path—what some call gaining enlightenment. It's only through enlightenment that one can continue to grow without hitting a ceiling. And enlightenment is anything but easy. That's something I learned from reading about Agus, the strongest human mage who ever lived.

Right now, I'm sitting in my room, feeling depressed as hell. Even though I might seem like the type who chases after women all day, I actually care a lot about my personal growth. Being weak? It sucks. It means always settling for less. Sure, thanks to my mom, I've managed to secure two somewhat powerful women.

But that's not enough... I haven't gotten a single woman on my own, without someone else's influence. (Fufu, and yeah, I only want to get stronger to attract badass women—not because I'm a muscle-head or anything.)

I look like a mess right now—my clothes ragged, my hair unkempt. I've been in seclusion for two days straight, telling everyone not to bother me. In front of me are a bunch of dull, lifeless beast cores, their radiance gone from me draining them.

*BRRGHHHHHHH*

My stomach growls painfully, forcing me to clutch it in discomfort.

'Sometimes being human sucks. Our stomachs are our biggest weakness.'

A sudden thought crosses my mind, and I glance at the small ring on the side table. I pick it up and focus my Mana inside the space ring, summoning four jars filled with white content to the brim.

On the jars, stickers with names are glued. Two jars on the left are labeled "Lana" and contain a pale, creamy white liquid. The two jars on the right are labeled "Alvida" and contain a somewhat thick, shimmering liquid.

These jars are filled to the brim with Lana and Alvida's milk, and I labeled them for identification.

This began when Lana and Alvida complained about their excess lactation. They suspected it had something to do with me and confronted me. Alvida even took a pregnancy test out of fear and confusion when the lactation didn't stop. To address this, I bought manual breast pumps for them and convinced them to store their milk in the jars. Sometimes, I would milk them myself, and surprisingly, they got used to it.

Anticipating this situation, I sent Walter to buy many jars.

Staring at the jars, I pick up one containing Lana's milk, open it, and gulp it down in one go.

The jar remains in the air as Lana's milk bursts down my throat with a sweet, vanilla-like flavor and a lactonic aroma.

Without hesitation, I pick up the second jar of Lana's milk and gulp it down too.

Dropping the jar with a small thud, I feel very full, my stomach stretched to its limit. However, I'm far from done. I reach for a jar of Alvida's milk but suddenly stop.

I feel a sudden, uncomfortable churn in my stomach, a familiar warning that nature is about to take course. The pressure builds, tightening like a coil, and I realize I need to go to the bathroom as fast as possible. My heart races as I get up quickly, dashing to the bathroom at high speed.

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"Haa~ Haa~ Haa~" I let out quick huffs, clutching my stomach in pain. Nature called, but it felt more intense than usual. I had visited the bathroom over ten times in a row, and I'd rather not elaborate on the gory details—it wasn't a pleasant experience. It reminded me of those times in my past life when I had Taaco Bell.

'But in this case… it was caused by something else.' I glanced at the empty jars that once held Lana's milk. People often say human milk can cause stomach upset if consumed in excess; I guess those statements were true after all. In my past life, I had neighbors with the same peculiar interest as mine. They often claimed that their breastfeeding wives' milk made them sick, but I never believed them. I thought they were just joking and eventually stopped talking to them before I died a few months later.

'Wait… I think I noticed some notifications while I was in the bathroom.'

"Open System interface."

[Interface Opened]

"Open notifications."

<<Notifications >>

<<One Unread Message>>

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