As Mortis waited for Lethis to wake up, he thoroughly reviewed their fight in his mind.
'Hmm…looks like my physique is really as bad as it can be. I'm completely exhausted after just this small duel.'
'But to my surprise, even with this weak body, I can still perform all the martial art techniques I learned in my previous life. They're just executed a little slower—my body isn't used to them, and my reactions are sluggish. It's like my mind decides to act, but there's a noticeable delay between the decision and execution, something I never experienced before.'
'Well, that's not a big problem. With consistent training and regular sparring, I should be able to fix it.'
'Over the next few days, before we arrive at the location of testing grounds, I should train as much as possible… and with Lethis I even have the perfect sparring partner for me.'
A devious grin spread across Mortis's face.
|>>======|✦|======<<|
Right after Mortis finished reviewing their fight, Lethis finally regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked at Mortis, slightly flustered, as if he didn't know what to say after everything that had just happened.
After a moment of silent eye contact, Lethis finally spoke.
"I should apologize. All this time, I thought you were just a weak crybaby who couldn't do anything on his own. But it looks like I was wrong. You're actually pretty strong."
When Mortis heard that, he thought to himself in disdain. 'Well, you weren't necessarily wrong… Until yesterday, the owner of this body was someone else. And he really was exactly as you saw him—probably even worse. Just a worthless worm with no future ahead.'
Pushing aside his thoughts, Mortis put on a fake, gentle smile and replied, "You don't need to apologize. After all, you were right until not long ago. But from today onward, I hope you'll think of me as someone better."
Lethis nodded with smile and asked. "How about another round?"
Mortis was slightly surprised and thought. 'Huh… this is different from what I expected. I thought I'd have to convince him to train with me again, but he's the one offering it—right after our duel, no less. Well, for once, things are actually working out in my favor.'
With a grin, he said, "No problem. But to be honest, I'm still pretty tired from our last fight. My body is in terrible shape, so you'll have it easier this time. You might even win this time. Haha."
Once again, they stood opposite each other, swords in their hands, ready to charge at any moment.
They continued sparring several more times, taking breaks to rest in between.
In the end, Mortis won all of their fights except for the last one, which resulted in a draw—both of them were simply too exhausted to continue.
|>>======|✦|======<<|
By the time they had finished all their fights and cleaned up the room, night had already fallen.
Without wasting time, they headed straight to receive their food rations. After finishing their meal, they exchanged words under the pale moonlight shining through the carriage windows.
"Goodnight, Mortis."
"Goodnight, Lethis."
After bidding farewell, Mortis turned toward his room.
The dimly lit corridor he took had only him inside. A faint, unpleasant odor lingered in the air—a mix of mustiness and sweat. When he smelled that, he remembered the conversations he heard. Many of the other Magi Candidates traveling with him frequently complained, grumbling about how they should have already reached the testing grounds or how they regretted leaving home at all.
No surprise there, Mortis mused. 'After all, even though they have magic in this medieval age, most of the things used for mortals isn't maintained at all. Who in their right mind would waste precious resources, magic, or manpower on existences like mortals which includes even us. We're in the end still just a mere mortals who might not even become Magi Apprentices?'
As he walked, he sighed. 'Who would've thought that along with this weak-ass body, I'd even inherit his overly sensitive sense of smell?'
Just breathing in this place irritated him.
Still, something had changed for better. After those duels with Lethis, he finally felt more in sync with his new body. Before, it was as if he were controlling a puppet—one that lagged behind his every command. But now, after fully exhausting himself, he could feel the difference. It was no longer just a body he had acquired and was trying to control—it was becoming his.
It had only been two days, but he was already adjusting.
Upon reaching his room, he opened the door. The same dimly lit space greeted him—a single bed and a candle flickering weakly beside it on the table.
Crossing the door's threshold, he sat on the bed, but unlike the night before, he didn't immediately collapse into sleep.
Instead, he thought. 'Is there any way to make my body stronger, faster?'
In his previous life, he had spent years researching ways to strengthen the human body. After all, his ultimate goal was true immortality—not the hollow kind offered by transhumanism, where flesh was discarded for metal and circuits, but something greater. Maxhumanism.
He didn't want to lose his human body. Even with Earth's advanced technology, there were still too many mysteries surrounding it. No sane person would willingly discard such a treasure trove—no, such a miracle of existence.
And if someone wanted to attain true immortality while keeping their human form, they would, of course, need to strengthen it first. That was why he had wasted years of his past life pursuing countless dead-end theories before finally discovering a few genuine methods.
Most of them were impossible to implement in this world due to the lack of high-end technology. However, there were some that might still work. Even if the effects were minimal, they would still be beneficial. The only real question was whether he could find the necessary resources and ingredients.
'There are three methods I can think of right now that might be possible here. Fortunately, their ingredients are relatively easy to acquire. And all three of those methods are essentially something like potions so they should be easy to make when I acquire necessary ingredients.'
First Potion – Enhanced Perception & Reaction Time
Ingredients: Peppermint, ginger root, honey
Preparation: Boil water, add peppermint and ginger root, let it simmer while stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, then add honey and boil for another 5 minutes before letting it cool down.
Effects: Ginger root increases blood flow and improves reaction speed. Peppermint sharpens alertness and refreshes the mind. Honey acts as a natural energy booster and stabilizer.
Second Potion – Strength Enhancement
Ingredients: Beetroot juice, cinnamon, ashwagandha, maca root powder
Preparation: Blend beetroot juice with maca root powder and ashwagandha, then add a dash of cinnamon and mix thoroughly.
Effects: Beetroot juice enhances oxygen use in muscles. Cinnamon boosts blood flow and metabolism. Ashwagandha reduces fatigue and aids muscle growth. Maca root powder increases stamina and strength.
Third Potion – Body Toughness & Resilience
Ingredients: Nettle leaf, ground oats, black pepper, bone powder
Preparation: Grind and divide all ingredients into the smallest possible pieces, then mix water with nettle leaves, add the ground oats and black pepper, stir it slightly and then finally add bone powder before drinking.
Effects: Nettle leaf strengthens bones. Oats fortify skin and skeletal structure. Black pepper enhances absorption and amplifies effects. Bone powder supplies calcium and collagen for durability.
'There is substitute for bone powder, but bones are much easier to acquire… After all, there are plenty of humans around me' Mortis noted with a devious smile.
After listing out the options in his mind, he came to a realization.
'Even though all three potions could theoretically be made here, the only one I might be able to create right now is the third—body toughness and resilience.'
'I could ask for raw oats instead of prepared ones in our rations. That might actually save them some effort, so they'd probably allow it. Black pepper could be acquired the same way. The real issues are the nettle leaf and bone powder.'
Killing other candidate wasn't an option—at least not yet. He had no means of covering up such a deed. As for the nettle leaf, they would likely pass through forests on the way to the testing grounds, but he couldn't be certain.
'And this is all assuming that the herbs and plants of this world are similar to Earth's. If they're not, then none of this will work at all.' Mortis sighed.
'For now, it's still best to do daily workouts and daily training fights with Lethis. Other than that, I'll just collect some ground oats and black pepper from his food rations. The other ingredients will depend on my luck.'
'After all, I can't force it—I'm not strong enough to do anything I want without real repercussions.'
'If I was strong enough. I would right now be grounding the bones of other candidate to powder and dissecting the magus apprentice or magus who is with us in the carriage. I don't know which one is he. But I'm sure that his body must be fascinating.'
'If I were strong enough, I'd be grinding the bones of the other candidates into powder right now and dissecting the mysterious guy traveling with us in this carriage.'
'I don't know if he is magus or just an apprentice for magus... but I'm certain he can use magic and thanks to that his body must be fascinating.'
'Maybe I could even get some ideas for immortality if I'll dissect him, but that's for later.'
With that final thought, Mortis lay down and wrapped himself in a rough blanket. Sleep quickly overtook him and he fell asleep.