I closed my eyes and followed the steps Nano had given me.
First, I inhaled the air, imagining the magic around me entering my body. It was incredibly easy. I felt a strange energy that tickled my nose and then made my chest feel warm.
I held the air just as Nano instructed for a few seconds.
While holding my breath, I felt my entire body become slightly warm and all the muscles in my body relax. My heart also began to beat extremely slowly.
Then I slowly released the air from my lungs.
I could feel that energy moving directly toward my chest. A warm and pleasant sensation.
My entire body relaxed, and my lips instinctively curled into a smile.
[You may begin a new cycle.]
So Nano will notify me? That's great.
I continued repeating the same process again and again. Every time I inhaled the surrounding air and Nano used it to strengthen my body, I felt an inexplicable pleasure.
Almost like sexual pleasure.
For a moment, I felt like I might fall asleep.
However, Nano warned me that if I fell asleep, the cultivation would be interrupted, which could cause strain on my magical core. That would cause the magic inside my body to go out of control, and I could injure myself.
That was frightening.
I remember something like that existing in some stories.
"Never disturb someone who is cultivating."
Time passed.
I could feel my body becoming stronger and stronger. I could feel the changes happening slowly with each passing hour. It was truly impressive. I never imagined I would be able to feel something like this.
When I opened my eyes, I looked at my body.
I didn't feel tired, but my body was completely soaked in sweat. In addition, the bed was dirty with a strange brown liquid.
"Is this my sweat?"
[Negative. The detected substance is not merely sweat. During the cultivation process, the host's body initiated a biological purification phase, in which toxins, accumulated metabolic waste, and impurities present in the muscles and blood were expelled through the skin. The dark coloration is the result of these impurities being eliminated from the body. This phenomenon is common during the early stages of adaptation to the Arcane Refinement Cycle. It is recommended that the host clean the body and replace the bedding. This process indicates that the host's body is adapting correctly to mana circulation.]
"Thanks for the explanation, Nano. But I don't know how I'm going to take a bath right now. I'll need Alicia to come see me so I can do that."
I got up from the bed and removed the sheet. Then I took off my shorts and remained only in my underwear.
But my underwear was also completely dirty.
This time, I sat on the floor. I decided to continue cultivating since I had nothing else to do.
But before that, I decided to take a look at my overall stats.
"Nano."
Strength: 36
Endurance: 30
Dexterity: 26
Agility: 38
Magic: 17
When I saw the change in my stats, I was shocked.
"Nano, how long was I cultivating?"
[Exactly 3 hours, 38 minutes, and 23 seconds.]
"So that change happened in about four hours."
If the evolution is this fast, it definitely won't take 20 days for me to reach the strength of an experienced Level 1 adventurer.
Unless the growth slows down over time.
That's possible.
[The initial increase in attributes occurs at a rapid rate because the host's body was in a phase of adaptation and recovery, allowing extremely efficient conversion of absorbed mana into physical strengthening. However, as the host's parameters increase, the energy density required to continue evolving also grows. This will result in a gradual decrease in the speed of progress. Current estimate: maintaining daily cultivation sessions combined with physical training may allow the host to reach capabilities equivalent to an experienced Level 1 adventurer in approximately 15 to 20 days. Real combat and the acquisition of Excelia may accelerate this process further.]
"I see. Well, let's continue."
However, just as I was about to begin another cultivation session, Alicia opened the door.
The moment she opened it and saw my body covered in that strange brown liquid and the bed also dirty, she looked at me as if I were the most disgusting person in the world.
"Don't worry, it's not what you're thinking."
"But it smells so bad," she said, turning around. "I'll leave your food here. I'll go get a new sheet."
After handing me the tray, she left the room.
I wiped my hands with my only towel and began eating right there, sitting on the floor.
Some time later, Alicia returned with a new sheet and something to clean the floor.
She replaced the sheet while saying, "Phew… at least the mattress didn't get dirty."
After finishing fixing the bed, she took my dirty clothes and placed them in a bag along with the sheet.
"Finish eating as quickly as possible. I'll take you to take a bath."
"Alright, alright."
Well, if I continue cultivating, maybe this will happen again.
But who cares?
I ate as quickly as I could and went to the same bathroom I always used, very close to my room.
I took a shower while Alicia waited outside. When I finished, she gave me a new towel and clean clothes.
I returned to my room with Alicia and saw that she had also cleaned the floor.
"Thank you, Alicia."
"I'll bring you more food later. But please don't do that on the bed again."
"I already told you I didn't shit on the bed," I said with a bitter smile.
Without saying anything, Alicia left my room.
As soon as she left, I removed my clean shirt and pants and sat down on the floor.
I'll keep cultivating until dinner time.
As soon as I started cultivating again, I felt that pleasant sensation spreading through my entire body once more.
I wonder if cultivating using Excelia feels different from this.
Will it give a different sensation?
I'll find out when I go to the dungeon or kill a monster.
I really want to leave this place, but I need to take advantage of the free lodging and food to evolve as much as possible.
15 days… Just 15 more days…
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