Two week passed... or two weeks and four days in this world's time. Honestly, getting used to this will probably take a while.
During these two weeks, not much really happened. The only notable thing was that I got satisfied with my face expressions, and started working on my body language.
I was finally starting to work on having a nasty body. (That still sounds wrong)
This didn't mean that my face expressions were perfect, quite far from it. I just judged that having good control over my body language comes before perfecting my face.
I was having... pretty good success, actually. Which, honestly, shouldn't have been surprising. I mean, my parents forced me to go to dancing lessons. I already have good control over my body because of that, so this wasn't anything new for me.
I didn't go hunting at all. Without the assurance of Angelica's healing, I didn't want to risk getting hurt. This meant that I didn't get any hands on experience, which is a bummer.
On a more positive note, I am now capable of sensing mana and seeing at the same time. Controlling it was still outside my reach, but my progress is steady, so I don't complain. Baby steps, as they say.
I have also been slowly doing more and more outrageous things at the same time as mana sensing, not just trying to see. Now I could work on my body language and sense mana at the same time.
It was still better to sit down and meditate, the progress that way is faster, but being able to do those two things at once is huge.
In fact, I have slowly been training to be able to mana sense while doing... everything. I wanted to be able to sense mana for every second that I was awake, no matter what I was doing.
I wasn't sure if this was a correct direction or not. Maybe I should've just focused on, well... focusing, instead of going for a more general approach, but eh. I was going to do things my way.
I also slowly started talking with more people. Most of them were hunters, but I managed to make a friend my age too.
On another note, it started snowing right after the storm passed.
But this wasn't good news. In fact, from what he picked up in conversations, it wasn't supposed to be snowing at all in this region. This world didn't seem to have any seasons, only different regions where there was the same weather all the time.
So yeah, the fact that it was snowing was highly unusual.
Jagon noted some weird movements of mana in the sky... or, more accurately, in the world.
I couldn't understand that. How could a movement of mana be wrong? And how bad was it if something was wrong with the world itself?
Turns out, nothing too bad. The snow only lasted five days and everything became normal again. Nobody put much thought into it and just moved on with their lives.
I didn't put much thought into it too. What was the point in thinking? It was an event completely outside my scope of capabilities.
So I just continued with my normal, worrying life.
***
I was eating soup once again, but this time, it was different.
I liked it ― which was a good sign ― but the more important part was whether Jagon and Angelica would like it.
And the answer was―
"It's certainly interesting. I like it... but I don't think I can really describe the flavor, which is a pretty weird quality for a food. Most dishes have at least one taste they lean on, but this soup isn't sweet, isn't salty, isn't spicy. It just... is."
Angelica liked it. Her analysis was a bit too deep though. Was she a food critic or something?
We both looked at Jagon as he silently contemplated. After a long silence...
"...I like it!"
He smiled from ear to ear and started eating the soup with enthusiasm.
'Right. Of course he wouldn't go deep into thought like Angelica did.'
I sigh in relief.
"I'm glad you like it. It's a dish from my mother's homeland. And yes, its taste is very unique. There're no words you can really use to describe it."
It was surprisingly easy to make, actually. The ingredients didn't differ much between this world and my old one, so I could wip up something like this with minimal effort. Especially considering my mother had cooked this so much for me that I practically grew bored of it.
"What's its name again?"
"Ah, the name is Borsch."
Angelica seemed to be very interested in the soup. No surprise there, considering how much she dissected the taste.
'I... shouldn't have made it, probably.'
Yes, both Angelica and Jagon liked it, but... it hurt just to see it. All of the memories I associated with this soup were being brought into my mind, and I couldn't help but get nostalgic. It took my all to not cry.
With a sigh, I continued eating the soup. Next time, I would cook something up that wouldn't involve so many memories.
***
I raise my dagger and position my feet. Jagon just continued standing leisurely, not getting into any kind of proper stance and twirling a dagger around in his hands.
I wait for his attack... but it never comes.
"Come on, what are you standing there for? There's no way your opponent will always be the first to attack. You have to learn how to initiate the battle yourself."
My grip on the dagger tightens due to fear, but I quickly calm myself down.
Then, I move in to attack.
As soon as I get within reach, I make a pretty obvious attack. It was a very bad attack, all things considered. I telegraphed it and made it too wide, but Jagon didn't comment on that.
Jagon easily dodges and retaliates with a strike of his own. I blocked and ― while closing the distance even further ― tried to disrupt his balance with a leg swipe.
My strike hits true, and Jagon slightly frowns and twitches, but doesn't budge. With my balance now compromised, I tried my best to jump away to recuperate, but Jagon was faster. His fist was already closing in on my stomach.
Instead of blocking with my hands, I instead put my dagger in the path of his punch. His fist stops and his dagger comes forward instead, but that maneuver bought me enough time to jump back to safety.
At the end of it all, we ended up in the same position we started in.
"Not bad. But, your goal is to win, not to stall. Attack again, and this time, actually win."
"Even though you're holding back, that's a tall order and you know it! Do you really think I can beat you like this?!"
He smirks.
"Yes."
'This bastard...!!'
My teeth clench in anger.
I raise my arms and go in to attack again.
***
'Three laps.'
It was my usual 'new' morning routine. I decided to add a bit of physical exercise, so right now I was running laps around the village.
Of course, that wasn't all I was doing. I was also sensing my mana at the same time.
It was a workout heavy on both the physical and mental aspects, but that's exactly what I wanted. The more occupied I was, the less I could worry.
"Already working out, Faun? Don't mind if I join in!"
That was Samar, one of the hunters. He was a training freak. Honestly, I could not for the life of me understand how he could train 13/5.
'13/5 sounds so weird to me. I understand that it's thirteen hours every day, since a week is five days here, but it just sounds so wrong. I'll never get used to it...'
Just like what Saral said he would do, he joined me on my morning run. We didn't talk much ― we didn't have any topics or shared interests ― but just our presence alone was enough. We have already made it a sort of ritual to train in the morning together.
I felt... awkward. Truthfully, I actually had social anxiety. It might seem surprising considering how I interact with Jagon, but at my core, I am an introvert.
I could force myself to make friends or to talk with strangers, but most of the time, I just can't help but worry about doing something wrong or saying something wrong and upsetting the person in front of me.
Even now, when we weren't even talking with each other, I was still worrying.
Was I, maybe, holding him back? If I wasn't here, he wouldn't have to adjust to my pace, and his training would go better. Was he actually thankful for my presence, or was he just enduring it?
'Of course he is thankful. If he wasn't, he would've just ran off already or he wouldn't join me in the first place.'
Logically, he truly did appreciate my presence, but human emotions weren't logical. I could easily list off all the reasons on why I shouldn't feel bad, but that didn't mean I would actually stop feeling bad.
Which is why I just kept silent. I understood, but my heart didn't accept. So we continued running in our somewhat awkward silence.
***
"Do I really have to do this? I'm so bored..."
Angelica looks at me with an 'are you serious?' expression.
I wince.
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry, I know that this is important. It's just... it's so boring. Can't you give me a book or something?"
I look up at Angelica with pleading eyes, but she just shakes her head.
"Books are still too advanced for you. You can't even write a single word without it looking messy, how do you expect to read a book? Besides, there are no books in this faraway village. Books are expensive, you know?"
"So I have no choice but to practice the alphabet by writing in the dirt like this all the time?"
"Until you familiarize yourself with it, yes."
I visibly deflate.
What exactly was I doing? I was learning how to read and write this world's language. I may be able to understand when it's spoken, but when it's written it's a completely different beast.
And since I don't want to waste any precious paper on these excersises, I have no choice but to write letters in the dirt with a stick.
I would've loved to use my notebooks for this...
'But that's way too wasteful. I'm not so shortsighted that I can't see how that's going to bite me in the butt later.'
But godDAMN was this boring. I was almost at the point of stopping censoring my words with pancakes.
"ffs."
I grumble and run my hand through my hair. Learning this was going to be a slow and painful process.
***
"..."
...
"...?"
...!
"!!!"
***
I was on my morning run once again. This time though, something was different.
It was so different in fact, that even Samar couldn't help but start talking.
"You seem to be doing way better today. Did something good happen?"
I smiled at him. There were a lot of emotions in that smile, but the most prominent one? Boastfulness.
"Nothing much. You know, I just finally managed to understand."
He waited for me to finish my sentence, but I never did.
"You managed to undertsand... what?"
I smirk.
"How to control mana."
He cocks his head to the side.
"Can't... everyone do that?"
"I couldn't. Now that I can though, I can use Body-Strengthening."
"I see. ...Wait, WHAT?!"
His jaw practically hits the floor.
'That's... a bit too intense of a reaction.'
"Why are you so surprised? Is me learning Body-Strengthening something so shocking?"
He shakes his head so fast it blurs.
"No, that's not the shocking part. You mean to tell me, that you haven't used Body-Strengthening before this, at all?"
"Yeah."
"So you were able to keep up with my morning routine... without Body-Strengthening, which I regularly use, while also being much shorter than me?"
"Uh... yeah, now that you say it, that does sound shocking."
'Now that I think about it, of course Samar would use Body-Strengthening while training. So he must've thought that since I could keep up with him, I also used Body-Strengthening. But now that he knows I didn't... yeah, I can see how his reaction makes sense.'
Samar looks ahead with a contemplating expression.
"If you were that strong without Body-Strengthening... just how strong will you be with it?"
For some reason, a smile started creeping up on Samar's face. I didn't like that smile, it made me get goosebumps.
In fact, that smile was so unnerving that all of my pride and boastfulness went away, replaced by reluctance.
"Now, come on, don't get overexcited. I'm not sure you know this, but I have a constitution where my Body-Strengthening is weakened."
Samar frowns. I breathe an inward sigh of relief upon seeing that frown.
"What do you mean by that?"
I lower the pace of my running a bit and continue talking. Samar matches me.
"I have been blessed with a strong body, but weak Body-Strengthening. At the end of it all, it gets canceled out, and I'm about as strong as a normal person is."
He raises his brow. Not in a genuine way, but in an almost mocking one.
"Are you sure?"
'That's... why did you have to say it like that, Samar?'
I sigh.
"Okay, maybe I end up being a bit stronger than the average person, and..."
"And...?"
I grumble and utter a few curses, most of them get censored by pancakes.
"...and my growth will be faster than the others around me. There, you happy?"
He smiles widely. Once again, I really don't like that smile.
"Yep."
We continued running, not another word said.
***
I had once asked Jagon how does it feel when you get better at Body-Strengthening.
He answered that you get better at it at a steady pace. You progress on it is always the same, and it only differs depending on how much you train Body-Strengthening.
"That was not the question I asked. Answer my question." ―I said.
He said that getting better at Body-Strengthening felt like becoming a certain amount of times stronger than your normal self.
For example ― this is just an example, not the truth, and actual Body-Strengthening works completely differently, but I'm simplifying here ― if you train Body-Strengthening for one month, you'll get two times stronger. If you train for another month, you'll be three times stronger. Another month, four times.
This means that while the progress is steady, the actual benefit of training Body-Strengthening goes away with time. There's not much of a difference between being a hundred times stronger and a hundred and one times stronger.
―Or at least, that's what it means for a normal person. For me ― a person who hasn't been using Natural Body-Strengthening their entire life ― that meant that I would grow at a very fast rate and at the end would be the second strongest, due to my naturally strong muscles.
Since everybody around me is already about three times stronger than their normal selves, while I'm only at about 1.1 times stronger than my normal self, I would grow faster than those around me.
I was currently at a disadvantage, but in about a decade, I would be stronger.
'...I don't like this.'
This felt... way too strong. Yes, I understood that right now I was weaker, but the idea of growing faster than anyone else was bothering me.
I was worried. I had already seen numerous times how much this new world hates me. There was no way it would just give me something equivalent to an EXP boost and not give me a downside.
My luck wasn't good enough for this, and I was worried what flaw the world would come up for me.
I sigh and rub my temples.
'Stop being so negative, Faun. Stop thinking about this, Faun.'
I forcefully change the topic in my mind to my next training session with Jagon and a smirk appears on my face.
I couldn't wait to see Jagon's reaction to how fast I managed to learn Body-Strengthening.
***
I punch Jagon straight in the gut with speed he didn't expect.
He takes a step back from the recoil and looks at me with narrowed eyes.
"You... that was Body-Strengthening, wasn't it?"
"You betcha. I managed to learn it in only twenty days while also doing other things. Is that not impressive?"
'Come on. Praise me, praise me.'
I lifted my chin in anticipation.
"Yeah, it is. I gotta give it to you, you tried really hard and it paid off. Congratulations."
I waited for him to say 'but'... and waited... and waited...
'...Wait, he is actually praising me? And not only that, there was no snark comment at the end?'
I look at Jagon with a poker face.
"Who are you and what did you do to Jagon?"
At that, Jagon chuckles.
"That's a funny sentence, I'm gonna use it in the future. Now then, since you can now sense your mana, let's start working on how to use it properly."
I nodded and Jagon conitnued.
"So, first of all, you might've already realized this, but Body-Strengthening your whole body is pretty wasteful. When you want to deliver a punch, you'd only want to enhance your arm and maybe your torso if you're feeling spicy. But that's still a bit too complicated for you. For now, let's focus on timing. You'll use Body-Strengthening only at moments where you need it, and at others you will stop to conserve mana."
Jagon got into a fighting stance, to which my eyes widened. Never before did Jagon ever get into any kind of stance. Did he judge that it would be necessary now that I have Body-Strengthening?
I also got into a stance. With Jagon now taking this so seriously, I was starting to get wary.
"Jagon, just so you know, my Body-Strengthening is really weak. So please go easy on me."
Jagon had that all too familiar smirk on his face.
"No way in hell."
I sigh.
'I am regretting every single decision I have ever made in my entire life.'
***
"Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough."
I grunt from the pain in my gut while laying in my bed.
"Pancakes... it hurts so much. Why'd Jagon... have to hit it so hard."
'That bastard. I will remember this. Even if it'll take me years, I'll get my revenge.'
I will also knee him in the gut when I get stronger. That was a promise.
"Still, timing wasn't too hard. I just had to sync up the moments my muscles tensed and the moments I used Body-Strengthening. That pretty much took care of the entire timing problem."
Even Jagon himself said that that was a smart solution. One that he didn't expect me to realize on my own. He probably wanted to come off as smart and tell me that himself.
'It hurts so much... and I still have training in the evening. Will I even be able to move properly with this pain?'
With a frown and a grim outlook, I was about to start my training on Body-Strengthening.