Second day

Once out of the room, Mark walked through the hallway that would lead him to the kitchen. Along the way, he noticed two doors that he presumed were the children's room and Agata's.

'Now that I think about it, it's strange for an eighteen-year-old to still be in an orphanage.'

[That's true. In this world, people become adults at the age of sixteen, and in many cases, some orphanages try to remove the children even earlier. The case of the old owner, however, is slightly different.

From the memories I've managed to extract, he was raised by the human named Agata since he can remember. That's why I think he decided to stay to repay the favor he received.]

'Or maybe he just saw her as a mother figure and wanted to help her in any way possible.'

[It's possible. I'm not very good at understanding feelings caused by a relationship.]

'It seems like you don't understand any feelings.'

With that thought, he reached the kitchen, where he was surprised to see Agata. However, he quickly regained his composure as he was mentally prepared this time on how to behave.

"Good morning, Mark. I was starting to worry since you were still not awake."

The woman smiled at him while continuing to prepare breakfast.

"I was more tired than usual, but now I feel better."

Mark managed to force a smile that seemed quite natural, then sat at the table as Agata gestured.

"Dear, are you sure you want to continue doing that dangerous job? Also, you don't have to bear all the responsibility on yourself. Even though I'm old, I can still do some work."

Agata looked at him with concern as she held his hand.

Mark could feel her rough and slightly cold hand, but strangely, he had no sense of discomfort. When he looked into those blue eyes, he could see the affection a mother has for her child.

"Let's think about it another time, okay?" -Mark deflected the response.

He knew he wouldn't stay in that place for long, so he didn't want to take any responsibility. However, he also couldn't accept the offer she had kindly suggested. Perhaps it was due to his weakness, but every time he saw Agata, he remembered his mother's face, reminding him not to be indifferent to their situation.

'This is a problem; I have to be able to leave as soon as possible.' -He promised himself.

"Okay, dear. How about we eat now?"

Agata handed him a couple of plates that weren't much, mainly consisting of vegetable soup with hard bread. But in Mark's eyes, who hadn't eaten decently for a month, it was an ultra-sumptuous meal.

Seeing him eat so energetically, Agata joked that he looked like a person who hadn't seen a hot meal in a long time, making him almost choke as her words were so accurate.

Once finished eating, Mark began preparing to go to the canyon. He wasn't going there because of the previous owner of the body, but rather because, according to the Guide, it was the ideal place to grow quickly and find a source of income. So, he put on sturdier clothes providing some protection against both the cold and potential dangers, two pouches – one containing something to eat and the other for things he might find – and finally, a water bottle.

Once ready, he was about to leave when he heard Agata calling him.

"Mark, wait a second."

Mark turned towards Agata, who handed him a cloth containing something. Mark opened it, confused, only to find a rough-looking dagger with a well-sharpened blade.

"This..."

"I wanted to give it to you yesterday, but I didn't have time. I heard that the number of monsters has increased lately, so I want you to keep it for safety. If something were to happen to you, I-I..."

Seeing her trembling, Mark tightly gripped the dagger's handle and then concealed it in his clothes. He wasn't foolish enough to display it, considering how the "guards" scrutinized any signs of wealth one possessed.

"I'll be fine. See you later."

Agata glanced at him momentarily before nodding. Seeing her calmer, Mark left the house and, after distancing himself a bit, he sighed tiredly.

'Hmm.'

While walking towards what he thought was a market, he became curious about a mirror, or rather, the reflected image.

'It might seem arrogant, but I'm handsome. With this kind of face, I could easily become a model.'

About 1.75 meters tall, with slightly wavy black hair, a perfectly proportioned fair face, and stone-gray eyes that initially made him seem colder. According to Mark's opinion, the body he had must have won the lottery for the best genes. The only negative thing was that he seemed thinner than necessary, probably caused by a lack of food.

After admiring his new image enough, he headed towards the city gates where two guards glanced at him for a moment before ignoring him, probably because they were used to people trying their luck in the canyons.

Once outside, he was greeted again by the disastrous state of people who couldn't afford to live in the city. Mark decided to ignore them, as he was starting to understand the kind of world he was in, and he had no time to waste worrying about others.

During his journey to the canyon, there were several people, but the closer he got, the more these people distanced themselves from each other, afraid that someone might try to rob them or discover their secret spots.

Mark didn't care about any of them; at the moment, the only thing he wanted was to follow the Guide's advice. Once near the chasm, he descended from the same point he had climbed the day before. Perhaps because he was going down, or maybe because of his core, he didn't feel tired at all.

[I would suggest the Host focus first on collecting items to sell.]

Mark agreed with him, knowing that without money, there was no way to ensure a tomorrow.

With the help of the Guide, he navigated the rocky corridors effortlessly, finding ideal spots to search for medicinal plants and learning the best ways to harvest them or simple minerals that could be obtained even by hand. In less than half a day, he managed to fill his backpack, realizing once again how useful the Guide's support was.

"With all this, how much could I make?" -Mark wondered.

[Making a precise estimate is not easy, considering various factors. However, it's sufficient as a start, and you could still donate a portion to the orphanage, as it seems to be what you desire.]

"More than something I desire, I think it's something I have to do. I indeed promised to keep a certain distance from them, but it's also true that the body I possess has been under their care for a lifetime. If I didn't repay the favor, I'd feel like a piece of shit."

Mark would ensure they have some stability once he left. He owed that both to the body that allowed him to live and to the woman who considered him her son.

[Feelings are complicated.]

"So true, but now let's focus on me. I think you know, but I have no combat experience; so, in addition to that, do I have to do that strange breathing to become stronger?"

[Yes and no. Like food, the energy you absorb needs to be metabolized by using it. Now, since you're at the first core that deals with strengthening your body, you don't actually have to use that energy, as it will naturally meld with you as you train.

As for combat, leave it to me. I'll provide you with various information on how to fight, but first, I would start with the basics. Considering you have a dagger, you can already practice agility in handling a weapon.]

Once finished explaining, Mark felt his mind weighed down by all the various information he received. It was a strange sensation, but Mark didn't complain about being able to know things so easily, even though he had limitations.

Having all that information didn't make him a martial arts master. At the moment, he only possessed theoretical knowledge that he needed to consistently practice to truly make it his own.

'But I have to say that it would have been very useful during my college years'

Feeling a bit regretful, he began training. He started by running, climbing, or lifting rocks until exhaustion, all while making sure nothing approached him.

After the physical part, it was now time for technique. He didn't start training with the dagger right away but with basic boxing, the best method given by the Guide to lay foundations, as it taught you how to move, dodge, and attack, principles applicable to all weapons.

It must be said that throughout the training, Mark felt clumsy. His mind told him how to move best, something his body still couldn't follow, resulting in wrong and embarrassing movements. Even so, he continued to practice without saying a word, with the sole goal of improving.

Meanwhile, the Guide watching him from within had a different opinion.

From the perspective of many people, it would be easy to notice that Mark was a complete beginner, but to a more experienced eye, there was a noticeable improvement at a terrific speed. This could be attributed to the information he possessed, which allowed him to easily understand where he went wrong. However, finding a mistake and correcting it were two completely different things.

['What is behind all this change?']

According to the Guide, Mark's soul was so special that it greatly influenced his mind and body. As Origon explained, these three elements were connected, but here lay the main problem.

In his past life, Mark's talent could be considered just above mediocre, which made no sense with such a unique soul. The only alternative was that reincarnation had dissolved something limiting him, causing all his potential to be released together. However, such a thing had never happened, making Mark an extremely interesting case study.

['I wonder what his limits will be?']

And so, the Guide, an entity incapable of feeling emotions like Origon, began to nurture curiosity about the peculiar human he was guiding.

(Several hours later.)

/Heavy breathing/

Breathing heavily, Mark sat with his back against the wall as he contemplated.

'This isn't working; I still make too many mistakes. I need to train more so that my body and mind are perfectly aligned.'

Mark was not one to dwell on small successes but aimed for continuous improvement. He would correct his mistakes step by step until he was satisfied and now that he had an idea of his situation, it would be much simpler. He decided that in the morning, he would deal with money, in the afternoon with physical training, and in the evening with energy absorption.

"For today, it's enough."

Once rested, he began to climb the wall without too many problems, reaching the top where the night was beginning to cover the sky. Fortunately, it didn't take much to return to the city, but before passing through the gates, he stopped to think.

'If I try to pass with a bag full of stuff, I'll definitely attract the attention of the guards, and fighting with them at the moment would just be stupid. What to do...'

Scaling or digging under the walls seemed impossible since they were guarded. Maybe there could be some breaches in the walls, but he didn't know. So, only one alternative remained.

'Desperate times call for desperate measures.'

He took off his cloak and, after a deep breath, dirtied it enough with sewage. Just the smell made him almost vomit, but he clenched his teeth and put it back on.

Once done, he headed towards the gates where the same guards from the day before recognized him immediately. They tried to approach, but the moment they smelled the odor, they backed away immediately.

"For all the Gods, disappear from here!"

"...I think I'm about to vomit."

They didn't even try to stop him, and he entered calmly. As soon as he was far enough, he threw away the cloak as far as possible.

"I still stink of shit..."

Mark was convinced that he had truly hit rock bottom that day.

[You could have simply used the roots of some plants you have. They secrete a very unpleasant smell, but it can be removed with a bit of water.]

'...Could you tell me, for what devious reason, you didn't mention it?' -Mark had to use all his patience not to explode.

[You didn't ask, and I was curious about the solution you would choose.]

/Inhales/

'Next time, if I don't know there's a better alternative, could you point it out? Thanks.'

[Affirmative.]

After insulting him a couple of times and tired of everything, he decided he would sell everything the next day since the plants he had collected could easily stay exposed for a day or two.

He headed to the orphanage where he gave himself a good wash. The well water was cold, but he didn't mind, and this time the Guide had been so kind as to inform him that he possessed aromatic plants to remove the smell from both clothes and body.

When he entered the orphanage with wet clothes and body, Agata immediately approached, concerned about what had happened, so Mark explained what had occurred. The children there burst into laughter, so Agata scolded them while trying to console Mark, only ending up making him feel worse. In the end, he ate something before heading to his room.

'God, and this is only the second day.'

Discouraged by the realization, he lay on the bed and began the breathing exercise the Guide had taught him. It took him some time to reach the ideal state, but once done, he would try to maintain that state for as long as possible, as it was a perfect method to replace sleep and make him stronger.

Thus ended one of the many long days ahead of him.