Chapter 2: Growth

“Komer, none of this information mentions anything about the horrors of Fort Damansk. It seems the cause of death for each lord was different, but every death seems to be related in some way to that eerie castle. Based on this information alone, it’s hard to draw any meaningful conclusions. I think it was rather reckless of us to go there this time.” Pube was a very practical and steady person. Two years at the Phoenix Elite Academy had made him more mature and composed, with a deeper and broader perspective on analyzing problems than his peers. Even Komer had to admit that his friend had an excellent talent for administration and finance, and having his help was indeed a huge advantage.
“Weren’t you saying you’ve been there before? What are your feelings and opinions?” Pube grew annoyed when Komer refused to answer his question and kept staring at him.
“Pube, stop overthinking it. Anyway, we have to go now—there’s no avoiding it. Let me handle matters related to Fort Damansk. No matter how much you think about it, it won’t help. It’s better to think about how we’ll live in the Caucasus, how to solve food problems, and how to develop this miserable territory of ours. We can’t stay in that hellhole forever and waste our beautiful youth on scammers, thieves, and rapists.” Komer smiled and patted Pube’s shoulder. “I have my own plans. We’ll see what works once we get there.”
Pube glanced at his boss suspiciously. He didn’t understand why Komer took such a casual attitude toward what should have been the top priority. He really couldn’t figure out his childhood friend anymore. The deaths of the previous lords seemed to have no significant impact on him, and he seemed excited about a place where outsiders stayed silent. It was almost unbelievable. Could his childhood friend really possess some hidden abilities? Pube was confused for a moment. But he knew that although his friend had been unrestrained and indulgent since childhood, he never lied and always kept his word, so he felt somewhat relieved.

The time that followed was one of waiting patiently for Puber and Ilot’s coming-of-age ceremonies, an equally frustrating experience. Aside from a small sum of money, Puber received a box of books from his father, while Ilot got a set of weapons and armor given by his family for use as a trainee knight, along with two warhorses and a servant—already a generous treat. In ordinary noble families, those who were cast out to fend for themselves were common; families would usually only provide enough money to last a year or two, leaving one to rely on their own efforts for the rest of their lives. This was also a form of survival of the fittest. Look at the slums in the narrow streets of Cyprus City—who knows how many among them might have some distant blood relation to the grand ducal family that ruled Cyprus?

However, Komer wasn’t idle. With Puber taking care of future arrangements after arriving in the Caucasus, he could relax temporarily and focus again on his own training. With each advancement in yoga, Komer would experience some improvement—whether it was heightened intuition, deeper perception, or better physical condition. This period was the calmest and most peaceful Komer had experienced in years, giving him ample time to delve into the endless mysteries of magic.

Though it was only a short year, the teacher had taught him so much, much of it in a way that Komer had to absorb without fully understanding it at the time. The teacher told him that many things might only become useful to him in the future as he practiced and explored magic, and couldn’t be explained clearly now. Komer had only a vague understanding back then, but through his current training, he could now faintly sense the hints the teacher had left for him.

His calm state of mind seemed to provide Komer with more opportunities to practice his yoga techniques—sometimes in the early morning, sometimes late at night, sometimes at noon. He couldn’t predict when the best time to train was, but he could always keenly sense an internal need, a desire to enhance his energy, spirit, and vitality.

Apart from training himself, Komer was even more obsessed with studying the precious body he had obtained; it seemed that every investigation yielded something new for him. Komer had already examined the body in its entirety, removed the nightgown imbued with strong wind magic, as well as a set of highly durable beasthide armor. To this day, he still couldn’t figure out which beast the armor came from, but its ability to resist physical attacks from metal objects was undeniable. Even in the corpse’s hair bun, Komer found a sharp double-edged hidden needle—a truly sinister weapon. Its blue-tinted tip made it immediately apparent just how dangerous it was. Tests with potions revealed that the needle possessed a highly corrosive toxicity, capable of turning an entire cow into a skeleton in just one meal.

Although time seemed unusually abundant during this period, as Komer gradually recalled the vast knowledge his teacher had imparted to him, he began to feel short of time. From magic and spellcraft to mental cultivation, from advanced dark arts to martial skills, from the principles of being human to the laws of fate and destiny—many seemingly unrelated things were perfectly integrated by his teacher, a mysterious figure. Even Komer couldn’t understand how a mage with such profound knowledge and skills could spend his life in obscurity in the countryside. Had he suffered a major setback, or had he rejected fame and fortune and seen through everything in the world? After just a year of interaction, Komer still couldn’t fathom his teacher’s thoughts, and it seemed the teacher also didn’t wish to talk about his past.

Komer wanted to systematically categorize the knowledge and skills his teacher had taught him, but after several attempts at analysis, he had to give up on the idea. It seemed difficult to draw clear boundaries for classifying what the teacher had taught, as many things were the result of combining various types of knowledge. Even Komer couldn’t break them down further. He could only engrave these concepts firmly in his mind, slowly digesting them, waiting for breakthroughs through future practice and training.

The green stone mirror emitted a cool aura, its smooth, rounded edges feeling exceptionally delicate to the touch. Komer even felt as though countless secrets lay hidden within this mirror, though he couldn’t discern them for now. Now, he had grown accustomed to carrying the mirror close to his chest. Its slight chill helped clear his mind and spirit, and even made those faint, otherworldly senses seem more accessible.

The cultivation of magic and spells had always been Kommer’s main focus. Thinking of the various possibilities mentioned by his teacher when introducing Damansk Fortress, Kommer felt anxious. Although he appeared confident and strong in front of Puber and Ilot, he knew well the difficulties he faced. Only those who had actually entered Damansk Fortress could truly understand its mysteries. Unfortunately, those people were either dead or insane. Yet there was one thing Kommer could vaguely guess, which was also what his teacher suspected: there must be something strange about Damansk Fortress, likely caused by some kind of alien or non-living entity. Without seeing it firsthand, no one could be sure. The only solution was to hurry up and improve his own abilities. As a mere baron, the only way to establish himself in the Caucasus quickly was to reside in Damansk Fortress—safely and permanently. Only then could he truly subdue the local population, made up of bandits, thieves, fraudsters, exiles, and their descendants. Otherwise, even if he managed to establish himself in the Caucasus, he would eventually be sent to hell by those unruly mobs.

To avoid repeating the mistakes of his predecessors, the first task was to resolve the issue of Damansk Fortress, and solving this problem largely depended on his own strength. Kommer had carefully analyzed his predecessors. Aside from the first lord, whose circumstances made it impossible to verify, the subsequent lords were almost without exception arrogant and unprepared fools. That viscount, although he brought knights and magicians with him, had no real skills of his own and didn’t think there would be any problems. He brought them merely to show off his power to the locals, never believing there could be anything unusual about Damansk Fortress. Yet he died of fright in his bedroom, and the exact cause of his death remained unknown. Later, the grand duke sent magicians and knights to investigate, but they found no clues. Moreover, these people stayed in Damansk Fortress for quite some time without any adverse effects, and the reasons for this were difficult to determine.

One thing is for sure: those who are unprepared will surely encounter misfortune. This is the main reason why Komer seized every opportunity to improve his abilities in various aspects during this period. As for whether it will work, that’s beyond Komer’s control—many things depend more on luck. If fate favors you, even if you have some shortcomings, you can still turn danger into safety. If fate isn’t on your side, then you can only blame yourself. But as long as you’ve tried, there’s nothing to regret.