"Please stop, I can't take it anymore," I gasped, breathless. I was exhausted, on the verge of passing out—maybe even dying.

"Hahaha! We're just getting started," Fidelis chuckled, a mischievous grin on his face. This wasn't the same man I'd spoken to before. Now, he was a full-blown psychopath.

"This is more than I can handle," I moaned. Every inch of my body was screaming in pain. Fidelis showed me no mercy.

"If you can't handle mine, you don't stand a chance against your enemy's," he said, his voice suddenly serious, but I could still see the twisted pleasure in his eyes.

"Get ready for the next round," he added, raising his sword. He came at me quickly. I barely managed to block his attack with my shield, but the force of the blow sent me flying. I was definitely dead now.

"Huh? Did you pass out, little boy?" Fidelis mocked, his voice dripping with ridicule. It reminded me of Inochi and her taunts, but even she was more merciful than Fidelis.

"Just kill me now. It would be an act of mercy," I muttered, the world spinning around me.

"No, Shinya. I'm going to turn you into a real warrior. When we're done, you'll thank me," Fidelis replied, his voice sounding like a proud father.

"When we're done, I'll be dead," I said, unable to hide the sarcasm in my tone.

Yesterday was the first day of training. I lifted weights and ran for about two hours. My body was more resilient than an ordinary person's, but it still had its limits. However, Fidelis wanted me to push those limits with every drill.

Today's drill was a torturous sword fight. He expected me to attack with everything I had. I was using a sword and a round shield; I was able to block some of his attacks, but landing a hit on him? That was impossible.

Fidelis was a master with the sword, and there was much I could learn from him. Unfortunately, his teaching methods were extremely brutal. I was forced to learn through pure pain and exhaustion.

"Alright, alright, we'll continue next week," he said, noticing I was on the verge of collapse.

"Finally," I sighed, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

There were seven days in the week, and I trained on six of them. The first day was for building muscle and endurance, the second day was entirely for sword training. On the third and fourth days, I worked with Zenita on light magic. The fifth day was even worse than sword training, as I learned supportive light magic spells like healing, purification, and pacification from Oscard. On the sixth day, I read books on world history, races, plants, and monsters. Lastly, the seventh day was the only day I had free time.

The next day had arrived. Today was magic lesson day. As Zenita taught, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. Teaching about magic always excited her.

"In Luminarca, to perform magic, you must incite the magical incantations. The longer and more detailed the incantations are, the stronger the spell will be," she said.

"So, to make a stronger spell, do I need to incite longer incantations?" I asked, determined to absorb every detail like a focused student.

"Yes, dear. But just inciting isn't enough. You also need to visualize the magic in your mind. Furthermore, expert magicians can cast short and effective spells, which is a sign of their mastery in the magical arts," she replied, smiling with pride. She couldn't help but boast a little. "And I am one of them. If you're skilled enough, you can cast a spell with just a single word – or even without saying anything at all."

"Without saying anything? How is that possible?" I asked, genuinely surprised. Even most experts would at least say one word when casting spells.

"There are people who can cast spells without saying a single word," Zenita said, nodding slightly. "One of the most famous of them is Milanus de Fortrand, the hero of humanity. The demon lord is also one of them," Zenita explained.

"How does it work?" I asked, curious.

"It's actually not that difficult. You just need to visualize the words you'll say in your mind. This way, even those who have lost their ability to speak can still cast magic," Zenita replied.

"Does everyone have the ability to use magic?" I asked.

"Except for dwarves, every race is born with a certain level of mana. Generally, elves and demons have a higher mana level," Zenita explained.

"Wow, dwarves, elves, demons... This is amazing! What other races are there?" I asked eagerly.

"There are five common races in Luminarca: humans, elves, demons, dwarves, and beastmen, who are part human and part animal. In addition to these, there are also beings with consciousness, like spirits and fairies," Zenita replied.

Luminarca was truly a fantastic world. In my old world, such things didn't exist. Life there had been a little dull for me. But this was an entirely different place. And I wanted to explore this world as much as I could.

Zenita smiled and walked closer to me.

"Shinya-kun, you're different," Zenita said, her voice soft and sincere. "It's rare to meet someone like you. Strong, brave, and... just as mysterious," she added, her eyes scanning my face. "And honestly," she continued, her smile widening, "the excitement you have for magic and for this world, coming from someone who is clearly from outside... it affects me too."

My heart raced as I tried to make sense of Zenita's interest in me. Her sincerity both reassured me and made me feel a little uneasy.

"Rest assured, I'll do my best to master magic," I said resolutely. I felt that there was so much I still needed to learn about magic in this world, but at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something more behind Zenita's attention.

Zenita looked at me once again, her usual energetic gleam in her eyes. "That's it, Shinya-kun! This is the determination we need.” she said.

Then, she leaned in closer, her breath brushing my ear like a warm breeze. "You're young, and within you lies a great power yet to be unleashed," she whispered. Her words sent a shiver down my spine; my heart raced, and my body involuntarily responded. I could feel myself unable to resist the sensual tone of her voice.

"Shinya, look into my eyes," she said, cupping my face with her hands and turning me toward her. Her pupils flickered and seemed to form a heart shape, and I couldn’t look away—it was as if I was being pulled into them.

"Your eyes... they're mesmerizing," I said, trying to avert my gaze, but the allure of her stare had completely entranced me.

"I'm glad you think so," she replied, her voice softening even further. "Now kiss me, Shinya," she whispered. Her words echoed in my mind, fully capturing my thoughts. The urge to kiss her swelled within me, but just as I was about to act, my mind began to fight back against the overwhelming attraction. Somehow, I managed to resist the pull of her charm.

"Wait, what? You want me to kiss you?" I stammered, my mind completely scrambled. Why did she want this from me?

"You were supposed to be hypnotized and obey my commands," Zenita said, genuinely surprised. "How did you resist?"

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"I was about to kiss you," I replied, "but suddenly, my mind fought against the urge."

"Wow, wow... So you’re not affected by my powers," she smiled, her voice growing deeper and darker. "Now you're even more interesting," she murmured.

"What was that spell you used on me?" I asked, still trying to clear my head.

She sighed before replying, "I’m a succubus, Shinya. But I’ve been hiding my true identity."

The term "succubus" suddenly flashed in my mind. I had heard my classmates, who were into anime, talk about such demons, and I’d even seen posters depicting them.

"So, you're a demon who feeds on people's life energy to survive," I said, recalling what I had just learned.

"Ah, sweetie, you're close. But it's not life energy we absorb – we feed on magical energy, or mana," she smiled faintly. "We’re also famous for our seduction skills; we can hypnotize entire races with our eyes. Only those with exceptionally strong wills can resist our charm," she added, with a tone that was both mocking and explanatory.

"I know that the Knights of Light are made up only of humans. How did you manage to join, let alone become the Archmage?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"The Goddess, Oscard, and Fidelis know my true identity. Luminara-sama chose me not for my race, but for my abilities," she explained. "But in order to fit in, I had to conceal my true form, so I use magic to hide my identity."

"Also," she added, "I don't use dark magic like other demons do. I’m a master of all elements except dark magic, and I have some abilities, like the seductive powers unique to my race."

"So, you have special abilities?" I asked, intrigued.

"Shinya, every race has its own passive abilities. These abilities are innate, a gift from fate, so to speak," she said, adopting a more teaching tone. "Some are fixed, like mine – every succubus has seduction power. The difference lies in how strong that power is. But for many races, like humans, demons, elves, and monster-men, these abilities are more random. Some might not even have them at all."

I had started to wonder if I had any passive abilities. Something useful could definitely be beneficial. "Zenita, I'm not sure if I have any passive abilities. Is there a way to find out?" I asked, with curiosity in my voice.

"Have you experienced anything unusual?" Zenita asked.

I told her about how I felt when Oscard insulted my mother, and how I punched him. I mentioned the voice I heard in my head. Zenita's eyes widened in shock. Her playful demeanor had vanished.

"This... could it be...?" she whispered, fear creeping into her voice. Her reaction sent a shiver down my spine. First the dark magic issue, and now this? Why was my new life in this world becoming more and more complicated?

"What happened?" I asked, my worry growing.

"This passive ability is called 'The Fury of the Forsaken.' It's not just a passive skill... it's more like a curse," Zenita whispered, her eyes still filled with deep fear. "One of the most powerful ones..." The magnitude of her fear was enough for me to understand that this ability was dangerous. If someone as strong as Zenita was afraid of it, things must be really serious.

"Zenita, I need to understand what this really means." I placed my hands on her shoulders to try and calm her down.

"It feeds on your anger, hatred, and sorrow," Zenita said, her voice trembling slightly. "The more you hate, the angrier or sadder you become, the stronger it gets."

This power didn’t sound all that bad, at first.

"But as you grow stronger because of this curse, you risk losing control," Zenita continued, her voice now serious. "And if you lose control completely... the consequences could be catastrophic." Her words carried a real gravity.

"Shinya, you could be the most dangerous man in this world," she added, her face tinged with a hint of fear, but her eyes sparkled with both interest and curiosity.

"Zenita, don’t worry. I swear I won’t misuse this power," I said, trying to reassure her.

Her playful smile returned to Zenita’s face. "Ah, darling," she murmured, "I don’t think you’ll be able to hurt me." Suddenly, without any warning, she pulled my head towards her chest. My face was buried in her soft, cottony chest. My heart began to race, and before I knew what was happening, my body involuntarily reacted to this unexpected closeness.

"Zenita, I can’t breathe," I muttered, pulling back slightly. I was struggling to speak.

Zenita suddenly paused, her attention seeming to shift elsewhere. "What?" she asked.

I looked at her in confusion. "I... I didn’t get that." I was wondering whether she was reacting to me or something else.

She waved her hand lightly. "I’m busy right now." It was clear she was focused on something else, not on me.

She took a deep breath, sighed, and then turned back to me with a smile. "Shinya-kun, I’m sorry, but there’s something I need to take care of. Let’s continue our lesson later," she said with a sweet smile.

I nodded, still trying to process everything that had happened. I waved at her as she left the room.

Two days had passed, and today I was supposed to train with Oscard. I knocked and entered his room. He greeted me with his usual disdainful expression.

Oscard’s harsh voice reached my ears. "Paladins generally don’t use the magic that healers do. They only perform basic healing magic, and that’s for minor wounds," he said, narrowing his eyes as he sized me up. His tone carried a hint of contempt, which only made the atmosphere more tense.

However, I calmly continued listening to him. Oscard seemed surprised that I didn’t respond but carried on teaching in his usual manner.

"However, based on Zenita’s test, you do have an affinity for healing magic as well. Because of that, I’ll teach you the magic used by healers," Oscard explained.

"Of course, please continue, Oscard-sama," I said, feigning excitement. I didn’t want to lower myself to his level.

"Anyway... The magic used by healers is Light magic. Humans and elves are generally more attuned to Light magic. But in some cases, beastmen and demons like Zenita can also use Light magic. However, just because someone can use Light magic doesn’t mean they can be a healer. Healing is a completely separate field," Oscard continued.

"That's an interesting situation. Not every healer who can use light magic is one. Zenita mentioned this as well. Although she's a master of Light magic, she can only perform basic healing spells."

"Indeed, but there’s one exception," Oscard added.

"An exception? What kind?" I asked, intrigued.

"Light fairies can use both Light magic and healing spells at a high level. The Light Fairy Queen can use light magic at the highest level," Oscard explained.

"Light fairy?" I asked in surprise.

"Each magical element has its own fairies. Didn’t Zenita teach you about them?" he replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Half of my lessons with Zenita were spent dealing with her seductions.

"Oh right! I completely forgot, sorry," I said, trying to cover up the awkwardness.

"Anyway... Healers generally use five basic types of magic. These are healing, purification, pacification, barrier and boosting.” Oscard continued without pausing for a moment, "Healing magic heals wounds and cures diseases. Purification magic can also heal diseases. Additionally, it can eliminate poison, curses, or any negative effects in the body. It is also effective against immortals. However, purification magic does not work on passive abilities."

The lessons were starting to get a bit more interesting now. Although Oscard didn’t seem to enjoy it, I was genuinely starting to enjoy myself. I wanted to master these spells as soon as possible and support those in need. After all, every life is valuable.

"So, what about the other spells?" I asked, eager to show my interest in learning.

Oscard continued with his usual cold demeanor as he explained.

"The Pacification magic simply calms the target or, depending on the situation, puts them to sleep."

"Do you use the pacification magic to sleep, Oscard-sama?" I asked with a bit of teasing in my voice.

"You idiot, what do you care about my sleep!" Oscard snapped.

This guy really has no sense of humor.

"Finally, the Barrier magic creates a barrier around the target, and the Boosting magic temporarily increases the target's physical and magical strength," Oscard concluded.

By now, I had learned a few things about spells, especially information related to magic levels…

There were five levels—Apprentice, Master, Grandmaster, Archmage, and God. These levels weren’t just about knowledge; they were also related to how much mana a person possessed and how skilled they were at casting spells. Advancing through the levels required both practice and the development of magical abilities.

"I hope I can master all these spells, Oscard-sama," I smiled.

Oscard, however, replied with a mocking tone, "I have some doubts about that."

What is this guy's problem with me? I thought, but I didn’t want to deal with that right now.

"Anyway," he added dismissively, "that’s enough for today. I can barely stand being in the same air as you. Now leave."

Stay calm, stay calm, I told myself, especially to avoid triggering my passive ability, the Fury of the Forsaken.

"Very well, Oscard-sama. I'll see you later," I said and quickly left the room.

So, this is what three years of training looks like. A sadistic swordmaster who enjoys fighting with me, a succubus who tries to provoke me at every turn and is insatiable in every way, and a high priest who hates me just because I'm from another world. My life is getting more and more interesting by the day.

to be continued...