Chapter 17: His Cornerstone

The moment the room was flooded with brilliant starlight, Lilia stood stunned for a heartbeat.

She had once been a wizard’s apprentice, and she still remembered the faint, mysterious glow of the nebula she had imagined in her youth.

That light was serene and enigmatic, imbued with the distant, boundless hues of the void.

Even after all these years, she could not forget the beauty of that nebula.

She also remembered the intense emotions that had ignited in the eyes of her fellow apprentices.

There was jealousy, envy, blessings, and expectations, alongside the gratified gaze of their master.

And everything had unfolded exactly as they had envisioned.

She, Lilia, was the youngest Archmage of the Spellbinder Tower, known throughout the wizarding world as the "Trickster Spark."

Yet, as she stared blankly at the resplendent radiance erupting from Avia, she felt small.

Compared to this brilliance, her own light seemed as laughable and insignificant as a field of stars attempting to outshine the moon of magic.

The beauty of this starlight made even an Archmage like her feel a pang of envy.

But she was her niece, after all, and pride and anticipation soon outweighed the jealousy—a jealousy she felt even she was prone to, let alone others.

With that thought, she ignored Garcia, whose temperament she had already mastered and who was nothing more than a pure warrior.

She turned her gaze toward Avia’s so-called knight attendant, a fellow whose talent was far inferior to theirs.

"Hmm?" It was unexpected; the man’s expression was surprised, as anticipated, yet it held neither jealousy nor greed.

Instead, it carried a hint of a smile, as if he were simply admiring a beautiful view—wait, was he actually just enjoying the scenery?

Indeed, this beautiful void was truly easy to lose oneself in.

Wang Yu had anticipated that Avia’s talent would be extraordinary; both the fragment of the God of Fear and the old wizard Yegor had shown a desperate covetousness for her affinity with the void. Such talent was likely rare in this world.

But he felt only admiration. Avia was not an enemy, but a friend.

Naturally, the more capable and excellent she was, the happier he felt—this was Wang Yu’s simple and pragmatic philosophy.

This projected starlight was truly beautiful; compared to the dim night sky in his memories, this world was far more magnificent.

It was truly something to look forward to, and at the thought, Wang Yu could not help but curl the corners of his lips.

"A decent temperament, indeed." After observing Wang Yu silently for a moment, Lilia nodded.

She wasn't sure if he was reliable, but she approved of his character—not envying those more talented than himself.

To an Archmage and Master Mage who looked twenty but was actually over seventy, this quality was precious.

The brilliant starlight gradually faded, and the room returned to its original dimness, filled with the warm tones of sunlight filtering in from outside.

Lilia pulled Avia, who had just finished her meditation, into an embrace.

"My dear niece, I never expected your talent to be so outstanding; even your aunt is jealous! Tell me, how will you compensate me?"

"Eh? Is my talent that good?" Avia had been unable to see the outside world while meditating on the stars, so she was unaware of the splendor she had created.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. You've hurt your aunt's feelings, you little cutie—let me give you a good squeeze as compensation!"

Lilia pestered the bewildered Avia, reverting to her rowdy self and vigorously rubbing the girl's cheeks.

Only when she had bullied the little mage to her heart's content did Lilia turn serious, speaking to Avia, whose hair was now a tangled mess.

"Avia, I have important things to tell you now. You must listen carefully and remember them well for the future."

Avia nodded, her expression becoming earnest.

Wang Yu was a sensible man; he knew better than to intrude on such matters, so he consciously walked out and closed the door behind him.

...

It was nearing dusk outside. Thinking about it, it had only been a few hours since the fragment of the God of Fear arrived, yet so much had transpired.

The Foggy Forest would no longer need to be called by that name; the fog formation used to detect the god’s fragment was no longer necessary, and the area would no longer be shrouded in mist.

If he ever had the chance to return, it wouldn't be a bad idea to tell that pious priest that the matter was resolved.

Contemplating the future, Wang Yu felt quite good; his life should be stable for the time being.

Next, whether in terms of knowledge or combat prowess, he could enter a period of steady growth.

To refine his abilities and strengthen his foundation—that was the task ahead.

Wang Yu possessed many skills now, and the path of the wizard had made his power system complex.

But in truth, this did not significantly improve his ability to fight against humans.

Instead, he had gained many ways to deal with all sorts of strange demons and monsters.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but Wang Yu had always believed that one's own strength was the foundation of everything.

He would unwaveringly continue down the path of the knight, strengthening his body and his power.

He deeply identified with the words of Qin Yang, the protagonist of the novel "First-Class Immortal Cultivation" he had read in his past life.

"A true body cultivator is one whose body can crush others into dust even without the mind's direction."

That was his current mindset. Wizardry and magic were fine, of course.

But one relied on the power of spells, the other on the power of the void; anything that required "borrowing" did not fully align with Wang Yu’s heart.

Among the extraordinary paths he knew of, only the knight’s path allowed one to grow strong through oneself.

Whether it was swordsmanship, footwork, combat tactics, strength, defense, or physique, all were derived from his own being.

Even the battle aura, which resembled magic, was born from a seed within his own body.

For him, only the power he truly mastered himself was what he desired.

He would not be so pedantic as to pursue only the knight's path while ignoring other useful abilities.

But he was certain that his foundation was the body he drove; no matter what other abilities he gained, he would never neglect the strengthening of this vessel!

With that thought, Wang Yu did not remain idle. Since things had settled down, his training should continue.

The past few days had been spent traveling with Avia, and all his exercise had been running—while good for endurance and leg muscles, it lacked versatility and comprehensiveness. More importantly, the intensity was insufficient; he needed more rigorous and varied training.

He found his pack, which contained simple training equipment. First were some cloth bags, looking no different from those used for luggage.

In essence, they were just that; he had modified them himself. He searched the surrounding forest for suitable stones to place inside.

He tested the weight, adding more until his arm muscles were perfectly taut, then tied the two bags to his wrists.

Gripping his knight’s sword, he settled into a horse stance and began to swing. "One, two, three, four..." Feeling the soreness and stinging in his muscles, he knew it was the pain of muscle fibers tearing.

But muscle training was inherently such a process, and his cell activity was high, with a recovery rate several times that of an ordinary person.

As long as he could endure the pain, this intensified training was the best method he could conceive.

"Five hundred fifty-seven, five hundred fifty-eight, five hundred fifty-nine... whew..." He let out a long breath, letting the sweat drip freely, and released the bags from his trembling arms.

He gauged his strength; his grip and arm power had dropped to less than 50% of his peak due to the heavy training. He had reached his limit for the day; any more would cause injury.

Next was the training for other parts of his body. He found a sturdy tree, hooked his legs over a branch, and bit down on one of the cloth bags.

Hanging upside down, he clasped his hands behind his head and used his core strength to pull himself up, performing sit-ups in the air.

For Wang Yu, ordinary sit-ups were far too ineffective; this method, however, yielded decent results.

"397, 398... crack." Wang Yu cradled his head, counting calmly as he worked, his core burning with that familiar, dull ache and prickling fatigue.

It was all the same, though; as long as he could endure it with sheer willpower, Wang Yu could hold his ground.

But before he could reach his limit, the branch gave way with a sudden snap, sending him tumbling to the ground; it wasn't a high fall, and he remained uninjured.

"Close enough to the limit. Time to rest and prepare for endurance training." He let his taut abdominal muscles relax, releasing the heat generated by the relentless exertion.

Replenishing his fluids from his canteen, Wang Yu lay on the ground and stripped off his shirt, his lean, hardened torso steaming in the cool air.

He exhaled heavily, his breath forming white mist even in the cool summer night—a testament to the sheer intensity of his training.

Two hours had passed since he finished his rest; the last glow of the sun had dipped below the horizon, replaced by the slow, steady ascent of the moon.

The light was brilliant; the moon in this world was larger and far brighter than the one he remembered from his past life, casting a hazy, ethereal beauty over the world.

Crouched on the ground, watching the landscape draped in a veil of silver, Wang Yu exhaled in satisfaction; setting aside the demons and monsters, this world was truly something else.

He resumed his workout, shouldering his gear, and with a flex of his knees, he began: "1, 2, 3..."

Keeping his breathing in rhythm with his rhythmic counting, he started his weighted frog jumps.

This was the final item of his daily regimen: jumping until he could no longer move a muscle.

Only in a place he deemed safe would Wang Yu maintain this habit.

When he had free time, he would train in the mornings as well—though the intensity was less grueling than at night, it was still formidable—followed by a nap at noon and more training in the afternoon.

The old knight often teased him for overdoing it, suggesting he should instead go chat with the girls at the tavern and have a drink or two.

"Go brag with those rough men at the pub," he’d say, "that’s what a real life is about."

But Wang Yu found this life quite fulfilling, and sometimes the old knight, feeling a pang of shame, would join in, only to mock Wang Yu’s lack of "knightly constitution" afterward.

In truth, Wang Yu often saw Leonard—a man who was righteous and brave but also loved to party—limping back to his room, clutching his aching lower back after finishing a session with him.

At the thought, Wang Yu smiled. "784... huff..." He let out his final breath, having surpassed his previous limit by over forty reps; it was a sign of steady progress.

Tomorrow, he would see how he felt before adding more, and if the morning was clear, he would train again; he also needed to ask Avia for more knowledge when she was free.

If Dean Lilia agreed, he hoped to receive some guidance from her as well.

Right, and that giant, Garcia; Wang Yu resolved to find an opportunity to learn from him.

He lay sprawled on the ground, gazing at the beautiful night sky of the Misty Forest, now clear of its namesake fog.

The moon was full and radiant, bathing him in its glow, while the night breeze brushed against his face—it was bliss.

The last time he had felt this comfortable was back on Earth, the night after his college entrance exams, lying on the school track with his best friend, laughing like idiots while the night wind blew.

Suddenly, Wang Yu heard footsteps approaching. Too exhausted to move, he turned his neck to see Avia, dressed in the new clothes her aunt had given her, walking slowly toward him, her hands behind her back and her head bowed.

Wang Yu greeted her, "How did it go? Are you finished talking?"

Avia walked over, sat down beside him, and nodded. "Yes, I'm finished."

The girl looked up at the moon, lost in a trance.

Wang Yu didn't know what Lilia and Avia had discussed, and he couldn't tell if her mood was good or bad.

He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to disturb her view of the scenery; it was, after all, quite beautiful.

But while Wang Yu remained silent, Avia began to speak on her own. "The news my aunt fabricated—that I am still alive—has reached home, and things have stabilized there."

"But... my younger brother also died on the battlefield. Because of that, my uncle still wanted to seize power, but my grandfather on my mother's side stepped in first."

"He used his status to reclaim the title and the fief, so my uncle couldn't make a move."

"My mother is safe under my grandfather's watch, but with the title reclaimed, our family no longer has its rank or land."

"My grandfather secured a barony and two small estates for my mother near the capital. She lives there now, and everything is... well enough."

"I see..." Wang Yu noticed Avia's eyes redden as she spoke of her brother's death, crystalline tears welling up.

Wang Yu didn't know what to say; he wasn't good at comforting people. The advice he’d given in the thieves' den would have been riddled with holes to a professional psychologist.

Only that one hellish moment had held any weight; now, Wang Yu could only offer a soft "I see."

He had his own thoughts, though; he found these nobles rather pathetic at times.

Fighting over such trivialities, only to end up with nothing—perhaps the "wandering" knight lived a freer life after all.

"I... I don't miss the money or the land. It's just... the thought that I'll never see those familiar things in the castle again..."

"The walnut tree in the yard, where I secretly carved my wishes; the hole in the wall by the kitchen stove, my favorite quiet spot to read as a child."

"Auntie Maggie in the kitchen was the one who loved to talk to me most. Every time I read, she would light the fire to give me light... She always secretly brought her daughter, Angela, to play with me..."

"And my brother... the thought that I'll never see them again... it just... it hurts so much..."

The young mage's tears fell, and Wang Yu, lying helpless beside her, felt a complex mix of emotions.

She really was a jinx; being born a noble was her only stroke of luck, and her life since had been a series of misfortunes.

Father dead, brother dead, title gone, and now her home would no longer belong to her... Wang Yu felt a pang of sorrow for her.

He understood why she came to him; her aunt was family, but it was hard to pour her heart out to her, and she didn't know Garcia at all. Wang Yu was her only option.

Torret would have been a good choice, too—the creature couldn't speak, but it could listen and nuzzle her for comfort; that was probably better than Wang Yu, who couldn't even move or offer a kind word.

"I don't know how my mother is doing. She must be heartbroken, but if I go back now, I'll only be a burden, and I am so weak..."

"On the way here, I only brought you trouble. That monster was coming for me..." The girl continued to sob, and Wang Yu listened.

Wang Yu thought to himself, "You, a burden? I'm already grateful you saved my life. As for the future... with your talent, I don't even know if I should have the nerve to cling to your coattails."

With that in mind, he felt he had to say something.

At least when his friends had their hearts broken and came to him crying, even though he had no experience or interest in romance, he’d crack open two sodas, turn on the computer, and they’d cry and play games together.

Of course, he wouldn't mention how his friend would eventually forget the pain of heartbreak in a fit of rage after encountering a bad teammate.

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

"What I want most?" Avia, who had been crying as she spoke, was interrupted by Wang Yu's question and began to ponder.

"To become stronger, to protect my mother and the things I care about, and to make those hateful people stay away?" Avia answered hesitantly.

"Well, look, haven't you still got the things you care about? As long as you fight for them now, you can achieve all of that later."

"When it comes down to it, do you really care about the status and wealth that title represents?"

"No... not really." Avia shook her head; she truly didn't regret the loss of the title that much.

"What about the servants? I don't mean Auntie Maggie—you can bring her with you and pay her more. A baroness isn't poor, and the estate needs someone to cook, right?" Wang Yu asked.

The girl thought for a moment, her eyes suddenly brightening. "That's right! I don't care about the other servants, but Auntie Maggie—we can keep paying her!"

She hadn't cared much for the other servants as a child, and now that she thought about it, she didn't miss them much either.

"Exactly. And do you have confidence that you can become stronger? Once you surpass the Archmage, will it really be that difficult to regain your wealth, reclaim your castle, and protect your mother?" Wang Yu asked again.

"I... I think so. My aunt said my talent shouldn't be revealed to outsiders, that I might be the best among those who haven't hidden it all these years."

"I... I will become very strong... I... I will protect my mother and buy back the castle!" The girl's voice grew spirited, and a light returned to her eyes.

Wang Yu curled his lip; he really had started rambling. Look at that, such talent, truly formidable, and he had the nerve to talk about being a burden—what was he even saying?

Besides, he wasn't exactly an outsider anymore, was he? He really had to be careful; if he accidentally let something slip, it would lead straight into that classic, delightful trope where the protagonist is deemed too dangerous to be left alive.

"So, Wang Yu, what are your thoughts? I mean, what is it that you want most?" The young mage mimicked the squire’s posture, lying back to gaze at the bright moon and the crisp, clear stars, asking with a touch of curiosity.

Wang Yu thought to himself, I’m lying down because I can’t move, but what’s your excuse? "Me? I suppose it’s just to become stronger."

"Eh? Why is that?"

"For a man, there’s no need for a reason to want strength, is there? That feeling of being truly powerful—that pure, simple joy. It’s quite straightforward!"

That was exactly how Wang Yu felt. A man from a past life arriving in this world, discovering he had transcended the ordinary and was growing ever more powerful.

That sensation of constant self-improvement was, perhaps, the simplest joy for any transmigrator, especially a boy.

"Wow... that’s... really simple... do you have any other reasons?" Avia suddenly felt a pang of envy toward Wang Yu.

"I suppose. I don’t think I’ve told you, but I come from a place very far away. Life is decent enough now, but I still want to go back."

"It’s difficult, though. I imagine I’d need a very, very powerful mage to help me. The problem is, no one is going to help a nobody like me."

"So, I have to get stronger. Either I grow strong enough to pay someone to help, or I become a powerful sorcerer myself and see if I can manage it. Thinking about it, I’m actually quite envious of your talent, haha," Wang Yu said, beginning to chuckle.

Reflecting on his own pathetic aptitude, he realized that relying on his own gifts to return home was nothing but a pipe dream. Look at her talent—that was the kind of potential that might actually reach the level of traversing worlds.

Thinking this, Wang Yu felt he was talking nonsense, and he couldn't help but let out a bitter, amused laugh.

For some reason, Avia started laughing along with him. Wang Yu managed to compose himself, but she kept on giggling. She wiped her face and stood up.

"Thank you, Wang Yu. I feel much better now. I believe there will be a chance in the future!" She thanked him and turned to head back into the wooden cabin.

What was she talking about? Wang Yu scratched his head, though it seemed she hadn't mentioned where he was supposed to sleep—probably just forgot.

The night was cool and the scenery was pleasant. The grass beneath him was soft, there were no mosquitoes, and lying there like that was actually quite comfortable.

"Might as well sleep here and continue training tomorrow." With the moon bright and the stars sparkling, Wang Yu lay on the grass in front of the cabin, sleeping soundly.

(Watching the protagonist lie on the ground while constantly grumbling to himself—I actually had a lot of fun writing this, haha! Please vote! Starting tomorrow, there will be double updates for five days. About eleven thousand words a day!)