Chapter 17: His Foundation

The moment the resplendent starlight filled the room, Lilya froze in amazement.

She had once been a trainee witch herself, and she could still recall the starry sky that she herself had manifested during this test. The room had filled with the remarkable colors of space and the void, silent and mysterious, so beautiful it had been all but imprinted in her mind.

She also recalled her fellow trainees' expressions upon seeing her manifestation.

Some were envious, others admiring, yet others shocked and expectant.Her instructor looked gratified.

Everything was as they had expected.

She, Lilya, was the youngest grand witch of the cursebinding spire and renowned across the wizarding world as the "Sinister Spark."

Even so, she stared open-mouthed at the resplendence of the void that Avia had evoked.

Her own manifestation was like starlight competing against Avia's moonlight, pitiful and disparate.

Avia's stunning display made even a grand witch like her jealous.

Even so, considering that Avia was her own niece, that emotion was quashed by her pride. She expected great things from Avia, and would do the best she could to nurture her talent.

She skipped over Garcia, whom she knew well and was purely a warrior, and turned to Avia's supposed squire, Wang Yu, who was far less talented than either her or Avia at wizardry.

"Hm?" Unexpectedly, the emotion she saw in Wang Yu's gaze was undisguised shock—with no sign of greed or envy whatsoever.

He smiled as if appreciating the magnificent sight, for that was exactly what he was doing.

The beauty of the void had never been more apparent as in Avia's manifestation.

There were signs of Avia's incredible talent from the beginning. The shard of the god of terror and the old magician Egor had both coveted Avia's void affinity and strength.

Even so, all he had for her was admiration. Avia was no enemy, but rather an ally and a friend.

Shouldn't he be happy about her strength and talent? That was Wang Yu's viewpoint, at least.

The starry sky that Avia had manifested was gorgeous. This world was far more pretty than the dim night sky of his memories.

He couldn't help but smile. Just what did this world have in store for him?

"An excellent personality, at least..." Lilya murmured to herself as she inspected Wang Yu.

She didn't know how skilled or reliable he was, but his personality was commendable. He didn't envy those who were more talented, a precious blessing in her six decades of experience. Though she looked as if she were in her twenties, she was actually in her seventies, and was both a grand witch and mage.

The resplendent starlight slowly faded away as the room turned dim once again. Beams of weak sunlight filtered in from the windows, providing some warmth and illumination.

Lilya hugged Avia tightly.

"My dear niece, your talent is truly remarkable. Even I'm envious of the talent you possess! How do you intend to compensate me?" she joked.

"Ah? Is that so?" Avia had been fully within her mindscape during her manifestation and hadn't seen what the others had.

"Of course! You've made me very upset. You'll have to let me rub your cheeks so I can feel better!"

The dazed Avia allowed Lilya to do as she pleased.

When she was finally satisfied, Lilya stepped back and faced the now-disheveled Avia seriously.

"Avia, I'm going to tell you something important. Listen carefully and take my words to heart."

Avia nodded as she met her aunt's gaze.

Wang Yu knew that this conversation wasn't for an outsider like him. He bowed, stepped outside, and closed the door.

By then, it was evening. It had only been a few hours since he and Avia had entered the Forest of Fog, but so much had happened since then: killing the monstrous entity, discovering the fragment of the god of terror, being found by Lilya and Garcia...

The Forest of Fog would soon lose its name. The formation of fog that had served as a defense against the entity was no longer necessary, and would soon be stripped.

If he had the opportunity to do so, he would return to the village and tell the pastor that everything was dealt with.

Wang Yu smiled as he thought about the future. There didn't seem to be any surprises ahead; instead, he would be able to learn more knowledge and develop his strengths in a stable manner.

He knew that he needed to shore up his foundations and develop his latent ability further.

By now, Wang Yu had an assortment of scattered abilities after having unlocked his latent ability on the path of wizardry.

It didn't particularly help when he was facing human opponents, but he had far more tricks up his sleeve for dealing with monsters and entities of all sorts.

Wang Yu had always considered individual strength to be fundamental to his development.

He needed to continue progressing down the path of knighthood, strengthen his body and physique, and shore up his strength.

He strongly believed in a quote he recalled from a cultivation novel he had read in his past life: "A true physical cultivator ought to have such an overwhelming physique as to be able to beat someone else senseless even when unconscious."

This was Wang Yu's goal. The paths of wizardry and of magic appealed to him, but one drew from natural mana and the other drew from the void. Their fundamental nature disagreed with Wang Yu to some extent.

Of the paths he was aware of, only knighthood allowed him to grow stronger on his own, without relying on external sources.

Swordsmanship, footwork, combat techniques; strength, defense, physique—everything came down to his body.

Even his aura, which seemed almost magical in origin, derived from the fighting spirit born in his body.

Wang Yu firmly believed in the need to develop his own strength.

Of course, he didn't intend to pursue knighthood to the exclusion of all else, but his body would be his foundation in everything he did. Regardless of his other skills and other paths down which he embarked, he would never neglect strengthening his body.

Wang Yu nodded to himself. There was no better time to start than the present. Now that his situation had stabilized, he would begin physical training immediately.

Over the last few days, he had been rushing through the forest with Avia, and he had focused entirely on running. Though running was particularly effective for training his stamina and leg muscles, it was hardly a full-body exercise, and they hadn't been traveling at a particularly punishing pace. He would need a suite of exercises and routines to strengthen his entire body simultaneously.

He found his rucksack, which had simple training equipment within. First were a few cloth sacks, not unlike those in which he stored his own belongings.

Wang Yu found a few suitable rocks scattered throughout the forest and placed them into the cloth sacks.

He tested their weight and added more rocks as necessary until his muscles were tightly bunched up. Then, he tied the two sacks to his hands.

He drew his sword and began to swing it about. "1, 2, 3, 4..." His muscles ached in pain; he could sense his muscle fibers were starting to tear, but he knew that this was what it took to have them grow stronger and stronger. His regeneration was particularly strong, and he could heal from wounds multiple times more quickly than an ordinary person.

As long as he could bear with the pain, this was the best technique he had come up with for strengthening his own body.

"557, 558, 559..." Wang Yu exhaled and allowed sweat to drip down his body. He untied the cloth sacks from his weakly trembling arms.

He was exhausted, and his arm muscles were at roughly 50% of their original strength. He was at his limit for the day. Any further training might risk permanent damage to his arms.

Next, he would focus on other parts of his body. He found a tree whose trunk was just wide enough for his needs. He climbed up, locked his legs around its circumference, and bit down on one of the cloth sacks from before with his teeth.

Then, he lowered his body until he was hanging upside down from the tree. With his arms curled around his head, he used his abdominal strength to pull his body up—an advanced form of inclined sit-ups.

Ordinary sit-ups weren't strenuous enough for Wang Yu. This modification, on the other hand, had demonstrated good results in the past.

"397, 398..." Wang Yu counted his repetitions as he bore with the ache radiating from his abdomen.

Just like before, anything he could overcome with willpower, he would.

Before he could reach his limits, however, the trunk gave out. It cracked and toppled over as Wang Yu fell to the ground back-first. Since he wasn't particularly high up, he didn't suffer much damage.

"I'm just about finished, anyway. I'll rest a little and start my endurance training." He relaxed his tightly clenched abdomen and began to stretch to allow excess heat to dissipate from his body.

He drained his canteen of water, then lay on the ground and pulled off his shirt, revealing his honed body.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He panted. On this relatively cool summer day, his breath was visible in white puffs, testament to the extent of his training.

By the time he finished resting, two hours had passed. The sun dipped below the horizon, replaced by the gradually rising moon.

The moonlight was particularly bright. The moon of this world was about twice as large as that on Earth, and significantly brighter as well. The moonlight seemed to drape the world in ethereal beauty.

Wang Yu smiled. Ignoring the bandits and void entities, this world really was wondrous.

He returned to his training, piling all the cloth sacks on his back as he bent his knees and started to hop. "1, 2, 3..."

He maintained a steady rhythm as he counted under his breath.

This was his final exercise of his usual regimen: repeated frog hops until the point of exhaustion.

Wang Yu would only perform this exercise when he was in safe territory.

Under ordinary circumstances, if he had a free morning, he would train during the day as well—to a lesser, but still shocking, extent. Then, he would nap around noon and continue training in the afternoon.

The old knight Reynard frequently tutted at him for working too hard. He suggested chatting with the ladies at the pub and downing a few mugs of beer instead, then socializing with the rough-and-tumble men there. That was the animus of life.

Wang Yu demurred. He was more than happy with his training regimen and daily structure. In the end, Reynard, somewhat embarrassed at his own indolence, would frequently join Wang Yu, only to taunt Wang Yu with his superior physique as an advanced knight-in-training.

In truth, after joining Wang Yu for exercise, Reynard would frequently clutch his waist and retreat to his room before collapsing onto the bed and moaning about the aches all over his body.

Wang Yu couldn't help but smile at the fond memory. "784..." Wang Yu huffed. He had hopped forty-odd times more than his previous maximum, a clear sign of improvement.

He would train more if time permitted, and he'd have to schedule a few more lessons on general knowledge with Avia as well.

If Headmistress Lilya were amenable to the idea, he would ask about wizardry training, and he wanted to learn from Garcia as well.

He lay on the ground, his limbs stretched out around him, as he gazed at the brilliant night sky overhead, no longer shrouded in fog.

The moon was full and beautifully round. Moonlight spilled over Wang Yu's body as the night wind caressed his cheeks, a moment of surprising comfort.

The last time he had been so comfortable was back on Earth, the night after his university entrance examinations. He had headed to the sports field at school with his friends, celebrating the end of their high school careers with a night of fun and games.

Suddenly, Wang Yu heard footsteps approaching. He was too exhausted to move. He turned his neck to see Avia, dressed in new clothes that her aunt had given her. Her head was downcast, her hands clasped behind her back. She was slowly walking over.

Wang Yu waved a hand. "Is your discussion over?"

Avia sat down beside Wang Yu and nodded. "It is."

She glanced up at the moon hanging in the sky, somewhat at a loss for words.

Wang Yu didn't know what Lilya had talked about with Avia. He couldn't tell quite how Avia was feeling.

Wang Yu remained silent. At the very least, they could look at the night sky together. The scenery was beautiful, after all.

Avia began to talk. "My aunt sent word back home saying that I was still alive, and the situation in my household has stabilized—but I learned that my younger brother has also perished on the battlefield. I thought my uncle was responsible, but that doesn't seem to be the case. My grandfather reclaimed the title of viscount and our titled lands, preventing my uncle from making a move. It's for the best, but it means that my childhood home is gone. My grandfather's looking after my mother as well. He made her a baroness and furnished her with two small manors close to the capital. My mother's living there right now."

Wang Yu nodded. Avia had been visibly upset when she spoke of her brother's death, and tears glimmered in her eyes.

He didn't know quite what to say. He wasn't very good at consoling others, and there were plenty of problems with his pep talk with Avia at the bandit encampment.

In the end, he nodded again in commiseration.

He couldn't help but pity the nobility.

They fought over land and titles to the point where they could easily lose everything. Life as a wandering knight like Reynard had become was far more freeing.

"I don't care much about the money or the land, but I'm going to miss my childhood home and memories—that peach in the yard with a wish I secretly carved into it, the hole in the wall by the kitchen stove where I loved to read, Cook Maggie, who would always chat with me and light up the kitchen when I holed up in there to read, who would secretly bring her daughter Angela to accompany me... And even my brother... The thought of not being able to see any of them again—oh, I can't bear it!"

Avia began to cry. Wang Yu lay beside her, wanting to console her but not knowing where to start.

Avia really was unlucky, wasn't she? She was a noble, but the rest of her life seemed to have gone downhill from there.

Her father was dead, her brothers dead, her title and lands gone, and now even her childhood home and memories... Wang Yu shook his head in sympathy.

He understood why Avia was talking to him rather than Lilya. Her aunt was her only family member present, and she had grown close to Wang Yu as a traveling companion.

Her aunt had been the one to tell her the news, and it would be a burden to have her commiserate with her as well. She didn't know Garcia at all. Wang Yu was the obvious choice.

Actually, Torrent wouldn't have been a bad idea either. It didn't know how to talk, but it could and would listen to her, and even nuzzle her with its head. Compared to Wang Yu, Torrent did seem like a better idea.

"I wonder how my mother's doing now... She must be terribly upset, but I'd only cause more trouble if I were to return now. What's more, considering how weak I am..."

Avia shook her head. "I've only caused you trouble. That entity was targeting me, too..."

Wang Yu shook his head. Avia, drag him down? Hardly. She had saved his life! And her incredible talent would surely allow her to grow rapidly.

Wang Yu felt as if he had to say something.

He thought back to when one of his friends had been heartbroken after a failed relationship and had come to him in the middle of the night. Though he had never been in a relationship of his own and had no plans to, he handed his friend a can of juice and they played computer games all night long as he sobbed and cried.

(Later that night, while playing a game, they had been grouped up with a particularly mediocre player. His friend, quickly overcome with anger and frustration, had forgotten all about the heartbreak thereafter.)

"Avia, what do you want most?" Wang Yu asked, glancing up at the night sky.

"What I want most?" Avia blinked away her tears.

"To grow strong, to protect what my mother and I care about, and to deter those annoyances from bothering us again..." Avia murmured, after a pause.

"Then you still have time to achieve those goals, don't you? You just have to work hard starting from now on. Do you really care for your title, lands, and riches?"

"No, not quite." Avia shook her head. It really wasn't a concern to her at all.

"As for that Cook Maggie, can't you just hire her? Baronesses can easily afford the expense."

Avia's eyes lit up. "You're right! I don't care about the other servants, but we can certainly still hire Cook Maggie."

The other servants cared little for her, and she for them.

"And don't you think you'll be able to grow stronger quickly with your ridiculous talent? Once you surpass the level of a mage, you'll have whatever title and riches you want. You can reclaim your castle, and you'll have the power to protect your mother then."

"Y-You're right! My aunt told me not to reveal my talent to others. I may be stronger than anyone else I know... I'll definitely grow strong. I will, I will! I'll protect my mother and reclaim our castle!" Avia exclaimed, more and more loudly as she regained her confidence.

Wang Yu smiled in relief.

He'd have to be careful not to reveal Avia's secret, too.

"What about you, Wang Yu? What do you desire most?" Avia lay down on the ground emulating Wang Yu. She stared up at the night sky, at the bright moon and twinkling stars.

"I'd like to grow strong too." Wang Yu shot a glance at Avia. He was lying down because he couldn't move; why was she?

"Oh? Why?"

"It's normal to want to be strong, isn't it? I'd like to feel powerful and have fun with my abilities."

Those were Wang Yu's true thoughts—what else were you supposed to do after transmigrating into a foreign world? Train and grow stronger, of course. The classic progression fantasy.

"Is that it? No other reasons?" Avia couldn't help but suddenly admire Wang Yu.

"I suppose I do. I haven't told you before, have I? I come from a faraway land. I'm having fun, but I'd still like to return one day. I expect it'll be difficult. I'll likely need to secure the help of an extremely strong magician, but who would help someone like me? That's why I need to grow strong, strong enough to pay for someone to help me or to become a powerful enough wizard myself to return home. I do admire your talent, haha."

Given his lack of void affinity, he supposed he couldn't rely on his own abilities as a wizard—not when compared to Avia, at any rate. She did seem like the type who could perform interdimensional travel.

Wang Yu couldn't help but laugh weakly.

For some reason, Avia joined in. She was still laughing even when Wang Yu's laughter faded away. She wiped at her face and stood up.

"Thank you, Wang Yu. I'm feeling much better. I think there'll definitely be more opportunities for us in the future!" She nodded gratefully at him and then turned to head back into the wooden house.

Wang Yu scratched his head. What did she mean? He wondered if he had a place to stay. Had they forgotten about him?

The clearing wasn't so bad, and the scenery was great. The grass underfoot was soft, and there were no mosquitoes in the vicinity. He was pretty comfortable where he lay.

"I suppose I can just sleep right here and continue training tomorrow." Wang Yu closed his eyes and fell asleep in the clearing in front of the wooden house.