Chapter 2: Growth

"Komer, none of these pieces of information provide any insight into the horrors of Damarlinsk Castle; it seems that each Lord's cause of death is different, yet somehow, every death is more or less connected to the eerie Damarlinsk Castle. Based on what we can glean from these documents, it's difficult to make any valuable judgment. I think we were a bit reckless to decide on going there."

Puber was a very pragmatic and stable person. The two years of study at the Phoenix Elite Academy had made his personality even more mature and stable, and his ability to think deeply and broadly about problems far exceeded that of his peers. Even Komer had to admit that his friend had an exceptional talent in administration and finance and having him around was indeed a huge help.

"Didn't you say you've been there before? What are your feelings and views on it?"

Seeing that Komer did not want to answer his question, Puber became somewhat annoyed and stared at Komer intently.

"Puber, don't overthink it. Anyway, we've already reached the point of no return, whether we like it or not. Let me handle the matters concerning Damarlinsk Castle. No matter how much more you think about it, it won't help. You'd better think about how we're going to live once we get to Caucasus, how to solve the food problem, and how to develop this piece of broken land we've got. We can't stay in that godforsaken place for the rest of our lives, devoting our beautiful youth to a bunch of swindlers, thieves, and rapists, can we?"

Komer laughed and patted Puber's shoulder, "I have my ways, but we need to get there before anything can be settled."

Puber cast a suspicious glance at his boss. He didn't understand why Komer took such a relaxed stance on an issue that should have been a priority. He was starting to find it hard to understand his childhood friend, who he had grown up with.

The deaths of the former Lords seemed to have little impact on him; where others were struck silent with fear, he was oddly enthusiastic. It was almost inconceivable. Could it be that his childhood friend possessed unknown abilities? For a moment, Puber couldn't figure it out.

However, he knew well that although his friend was unruly and wild from a young age, he never spouted nonsense or made empty promises. With this thought, Puber felt somewhat at ease.

The following period was spent waiting for the Coming of Age Ceremony for Puber and Ilot, which was equally helpless. Besides receiving a small amount of money, Puber also got a box of books from his father, and Ilot received a set of weapons and armor for a novice knight from the family, plus two war horses and a servant.

This was already considered generous treatment. In typical noble families, those kicked out to fend for themselves were all too common, usually with just enough funds to subsist for a year or two. As for life thereafter, that was on them to strive and fight for.

This was also a method of natural selection. Just think about those slums and back alleys in Cyprus City—how many of the commoners there could have close or distant blood relations to the Duke's family that ruled Cyprus City?

But Komer wasn't idle. With Puber handling the arrangements for their future in Caucasus, he set his mind at ease and refocused his attention on his own cultivation.

Each advance in his Yoga Technique brought Komer to a new awareness, whether it was an improvement in spiritual sense, a deepening of perception, or an enhancement of physical qualities. This period was the calmest and most peaceful days in Komer's life, giving him enough time to delve into the endless exploration of magic.

Although it was only a short year, his teacher had taught him so much. Much of it Komer had to swallow whole. At the time, he didn't understand the meanings behind it. His teacher told him that many things would gradually show their value to him during his cultivation and exploration of magic, and they couldn't be explained clearly at the moment.

At that time, Komer only partially understood. However, now in his current practice, Komer had already started to vaguely feel the setups his teacher had left for him.

The tranquility of his mind seemed to create more opportunities for him to practice his Yoga Technique. Sometimes it was in the early morning, sometimes late at night, sometimes at noon. Komer couldn't predict when the best time was for him to train, but he could always keenly sense some inner need of his body and mind, a yearning for the enrichment of spirit and vitality.

Besides focusing on his own training, Komer was even more engrossed in studying the precious corpse he had acquired. It seemed that with each study session, Komer would gain something new.

Komer had already thoroughly examined the corpse from head to toe, stripping off the night garment infused with strong wind magic and a set of magical beast armor with remarkable toughness and resistance. Even now, Komer couldn't figure out from which magical beast the skin had been taken, but there was no doubt about its property to resist physical attacks from metal objects. Inside the corpse's hair bun, Komer also found a sharp double-edged hidden needle.

This was an extremely harmful hidden weapon, its blue, faintly glowing tip immediately alerting Komer to its danger. A chemical test revealed that the needle had a potent corrosive poison capable of reducing a cow to a skeleton within the time it took to eat a meal.

Though time seemed abundant, as he slowly recalled the vast knowledge his teacher had imparted to him, Komer felt the shortage of time.

From magic knowledge to spiritual cultivation, from the enhancement of Dark Arts to martial art skills, from the principles of being human to the ever-changing paths of fate, many seemingly unrelated things were perfectly integrated in his enigmatic teacher. Even Komer couldn't fathom how such a learned and skilled magician could live out his life in obscurity in the countryside.

Had he suffered a great setback, or had he seen through the vanity of fame and fortune? Even after a year of interaction, Komer still couldn't grasp his teacher's thoughts, and his teacher seemed unwilling to speak of his past.

Intent on systematically categorizing the knowledge and skills his teacher had given him, Komer had to abandon this idea after several attempts at analysis and synthesis. It was difficult to draw clear boundaries, as many teachings were the synthesis of multiple areas of knowledge. Komer could only deeply engrave these teachings in his mind for slow digestion, waiting for a breakthrough with future training and experience.

The verdant Stone Mirror emitted a chilling aura; its smooth edges felt exceptionally fine under Komer's fingers. He even felt as if numerous secrets were hidden within the mirror, secrets he was momentarily unable to discern.

Komer had now grown accustomed to keeping the Stone Mirror close against his chest, the cool touch helping to clear his mind and soul, and even his subtle spiritual sense seemed to become more tangible.

Pursuing magic and magical practices had always been a focus for Komer. Thinking of the various possibilities mentioned by his teacher regarding Damarlinsk Castle made Komer feel an inner urgency. Although he had appeared confident and assertive in front of Puber and Ilot, the difficulty was his to know.

What mysteries lay within Damarlinsk Castle, only those who had ventured inside truly understood. Unfortunately, these individuals were either dead or mad. However, Komer could vaguely guess, as his teacher had suspected, that something unusual existed within the castle, possibly some anomaly or non-organic cause. Without personal experience, no one could assert the exact nature of it.

The only way was to seize every moment to enhance his abilities, especially since as a mere baron, to firmly establish himself in the Caucasus swiftly, the sole method was to move into Damarlinsk Castle safely and for the long term. Only this approach would enable him to effectively control the indigenous inhabitants made up of bandits, thieves, swindlers, exiles, and their descendants. Otherwise, he feared he might be sent to hell by those unruly mobs even if he managed to stand his ground in the Caucasus.

To avoid the fates of previous lords, the primary issue was resolving the mystery of Damarlinsk Castle, a solution largely dependent on his own power.

Komer had seriously analyzed the previous lords; aside from the original lord whose time was too distant to verify, without exception, the successors were arrogant fools who went in unprepared.

Viscount Burke, who had brought knights and mages with him, had no personal skill and did not anticipate any issues. He brought his entourage purely to flaunt his power to the natives, utterly disbelieving in any anomalies at Damarlinsk Castle.

Yet, he died in horror in his own bedroom, and the exact reason for his terror remained unknown. The Duke's sent mages and knights found no clues despite spending considerable time at the castle and surprisingly, none were affected. The reasons for this remained elusive.

One thing was clear, the unprepared would inevitably meet misfortune. This was a driving force behind Komer's efforts to seize every opportunity to improve his abilities during this period.

As for its effectiveness, that wasn't within Komer's control. Many things required luck – if fortune was bestowed by the heavens, even lacking in some areas, one might still escape danger unscathed. But if fate wasn't on one's side, one could only blame the lack of blue smoke from the family ancestors' graves. However, as long as one has tried their best, there should be no regrets.