By the time I could stand on my own two feet, I had been practicing how to walk properly. While I knew theoretically how walking worked, my legs were still not used to it, so I needed to guide myself step by step, deliberately.

My lifestyle didn't improve, but I had nothing to complain about. The manticore would fetch infected corpses, purify them using the pond, and then cook them in similar ways. She mostly roasted them in flames since it was way easier than making soup. But on special occasions when she could find some edible ingredients from somewhere, such as mushrooms, beans, or cabbages, the plate would be filled with something better, but rarely.

Living with her became the new normal for me, but I still needed to keep my guard up. I had to keep my distance from her and avoid offending her in any way. I was scared of what she could do to me if she became pissed.

I had not given up on escaping this cave--- no, this dungeon at all. That's why I was doing all I could to train my legs. After I felt that my legs had become stronger and walking was just a breeze, it was time for me to practice running. Running around the cave became a daily activity for me, and the manticore would watch me with curious eyes. I bet she was thinking, 'What's wrong with you? Are you alright in the head?' but I didn't care. She was laughing at me even if she didn't show it, I swear. One time, when I was doing my marathon, I accidentally tripped and slid my face across the ground. She only turned her body upside down and laughed like a maniac. Since that day, I did squats instead.

But that's not the end of it. I needed to strengthen my legs more, my hips, and thighs. Running and squats were not enough. I needed something better, something that would push just about every part of my body to its limit. And I knew what exercise I needed... What training exercise was better than twerking? I twerked for an hour a day, then did it day and night, I twerked all day long until my butt couldn't take it anymore. Just twerk, twerk more, twerk better.

Why was the manticore looking at me in despair?

My body continued to develop as days went by. Of course, I didn't have a way of knowing what day it was, so I relied solely on my instincts. Goblins do grow faster than humans, so maybe the standard of what I am now could be similar to an eleven-year-old body. Only that I'm tinier and skinnier. The problems arose because I was now undergoing puberty.

I've been developing in weirder ways than I could ever imagine. People may call these teenage angst, but my thoughts are running wild. I wanted to see blood and massacre. My mind craved witnessing someone screaming, and my mouth has been drooling at the thought of consuming someone while their eyes beg in fear.

Just where the hell did my morals go? This is bad; I'm losing the rest of my humanity.

Hmm... I'd been thinking about this for a while, but what kind of magic did the hero use to summon that devil... Hielfritz. I don't know what he is or what he could do, but something tells me he is dangerous. One thing I know is that the hero's party is dealing with some forbidden esoteric magic that I am not aware of.

To compensate for the guilt, I did something productive, and that is practicing magic. Using the charcoal the manticore used in cooking, I drew familiar magic circles I had dealt with in the past. As a former sword mage, I already had a decent amount of knowledge in magic, which was quite helpful in this situation. It was reassuring that I wasn't starting from scratch. However, even in my former life, I only knew two offensive spells: fireball and fire-attributed weapon enhancement magic. It didn't mean I could use them readily as I was now. My body was truly inconvenient.

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The first magic circle I drew on the rock podium is called [Luminiscence], which is a spell that glows when it absorbs mana. I don't need light, but it is a helpful alternative spell that identifies the mana density of a person. I touched the magic circle and channeled all available mana inside my body into my hands, then constantly released it to the circle. However, the circle only had a very dim, almost invisible glow. This means I had a low amount of mana. Mana density, however, doesn't change over time with age; it doesn't change even if you practice. That's why mages who don't have the capacity often carry mana capacitors, mana batteries, and mana potions to compensate for their biological inability. I'm doomed as a sword mage.

Right, there are three styles of magical invocation. The thing I did recently was called Inscribed Magic, which could take many forms such as magic circles, runes, and sigils. The second style is Chanted Magic, in which the invoker recites a long phrase to create magical effects. The third style is Chant-less Magic since the invoker never needs to say or draw anything. I know the trick behind it, and it's quite hard to pull off unless one is good at visualization. That's why chant-less magic is also called Visualized Magic since practitioners memorize every nook and cranny of a magic circle and then visualize them vividly to invoke a spell. One way or another, both fundamentally contain the basis of magical invocation, and that has something to do with consciousness and subconscious processing, I'm not really sure however.

I specialized in fire magic, so I was planning to train myself in that element as soon as possible before my mana circuits became permanent in shape. The younger ages determine what a mage's elemental attribute will become in their adulthood based on the shape of their mana circuit, and there are ways to guide the shape into the element that you want. If I want to train with fire magic, then I must expose myself to fire, such as walking on burning coals, burning myself, or anything related to fire.

There were lots of different kinds of magic, each with their own academies and...

"Goblin... It's time to wash your body."

"PWAA!"

Did you know how manticores bathe their young? By licking them! But that's not the problem here. If she saw the magic circles I just drew, how could I explain this? I couldn't just say I was a human. Manticores had bitter memories with humanity, so just uttering the word 'human' would make them furious. I tried hiding the podium behind me.

"What are you doing?"

"Twerking..."

I explained desperately, and my body started to drench in sweat. She stared at me dubiously, then tried to look at what I was hiding behind my back.

"D-don't stare! Pervert!"

I pointed out the fact that I was butt naked. I did my best to hide the circle, but the manticore nudged me out of the way.

"Magic Circles...? Where did you learn this?"

I didn't have anything to respond with. It was impossible that I knew something like this when, for all this time, I'd been inside this cave with nothing to do but sleep and eat. But the pressure, the terrifying aura emitted by the manticore caused me to gulp. I needed to say something...

"P-please don't eat me."

Silence came for a while before she spoke in a gentle tone.

"I understand the situation. But this is the first time that a prophet is born out of a goblin."

Prophet? I let out a sigh of relief. Lucky for me, she thought I was a prophet. Prophets are people who have knowledge and wisdom about magic without anyone teaching them. Sometimes, they can see the past, and some can predict the future. Such people can learn spells from their dreams or have them pop into their heads in times of need.

Cirius was an example of that. She was a blind woman who could predict what would happen in the future. And surprisingly, she could draw magic circles even if she couldn't see. Sometimes, I wondered if she was really blind since she blushed one time when I walked around her home naked.

The manticore didn't press me about this issue further and accepted the prophet reasoning. But she instead offered what she knew about magic as well. She stressed the importance of specific elemental mana circulation in the body, such as circulating pyro-attribute mana, which helps keep the body warm in cold temperatures. It was the first time that I had learned such techniques. I needed to know more.

And so, I studied hard and practiced under her guidance. I needed more knowledge if I wanted to escape this dungeon.