Training and learning

Mortis opened the door to greet the maid. When she simply handed Mortis his equipment and said that he needed it, Mortis' dreams were shattered. Depressed, he closed the door and put on his gear. His hoped-for vacation had been dashed.

Dressed and without any drive, he and Helga went to the training grounds, where they were already met by the Baron and their two new group members.

The Baron explained to Mortis that he was to complete an obstacle course together with the other two, every morning for about two hours. After that would be sparring, followed by learning to ride after lunch. He would also be given a teacher who would instruct him in botany, flora, animal lore, and Arda, the world they were in.

Mortis accepted the lessons with thanks. Knowledge meant power, and he knew he could learn a lot. Only riding was not something he was looking forward to; horses had never been his thing.

Helga, on the other hand, was to study meditation and deepen her connection to mana. While the others were sparring, she was to help set up protective spells for emergencies and heal injuries. In the process, she was to learn to use her mana in a way that was sufficient with her regeneration. After lunch, an adventurer priest would come to teach her further.

The next few days passed. No more adventurers came, and the Baron wanted to give the group rest, especially since his niece was not yet with them.

A herb witch taught Mortis how to brew small potions himself, and which plants could bring good money from alchemists. The teacher introduced him to the various dungeons and trials that awaited him. Mortis absorbed everything like a sponge. It was a time of learning and improvement.

Helga became more adept at using her healing shield spells. She could now better judge when healing was necessary and when it was not. Only fighting with the staff still caused her difficulties, but here too she made steady progress.

One day, Mortis received a new update to his system: Partner Enhancement. It helped to optimally match stats to get the most out of individual classes. Mortis wondered how Luxia would react to this update, but he was confident she could handle it.

Mortis managed to clear the obstacle course from time to time, but he was not yet satisfied with his progress. Therefore, he took every opportunity when he didn't have to ride to continue working on his skills.

Finally, on the 10th day, the Baron's niece arrived to join the group. She was to complete the training and go on dungeon adventures with them as a unit of five.

The niece, Marina von Tannenburg, was a tall, slender woman with an impressive bust. She had dark brown straight hair and a sharp face with light brown eyes as piercing as those of a hawk on the hunt.

Marina made no secret of the fact that she considered the other group members inferior. She took it for granted that everyone else was supposed to work for her and that she was the only one who knew valuable magic skills.

Mortis tried to ignore her at first. He was convinced that the group of four could easily handle dungeons on their level. But Marina made a mistake when she insulted Helga's outstretched hand and belittled her. This made Mortis angry, and he decided that Marina should bleed for it.