The moment Mark woke up, his first action was to activate Mana Sense. After washing up and changing his bandages, he ate a quick meal and began planning his day.
Priority one: Meditation. He revisited the manuals and attempted to replicate the techniques. The results weren't spectacular yet, but it was a start. Once finished, he moved on to physical conditioning. The Safe Zone had a spacious empty area, which was perfect for his needs. Keeping one hand on the wall for guidance, he began to run. He sprinted back and forth across a roughly 100-meter stretch. Despite his limp, he pushed for speed and consistency.
After twenty minutes of continuous effort, his lungs burned, and he slowed to a walk before sprinting again. He repeated this cycle three times before calling it a set. Next came stretching exercises from his past life, followed by a routine inspired by a certain "bald anime hero": 100 push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. However, hindered by his crippled leg, he barely managed 50 of each. "Fine," he muttered to himself. "I'll finish the rest before bed."
To recover, he meditated again, all while struggling to keep Mana Sense active. Though it slipped frequently, he could feel his mental stamina improving. After another meal, he finally dedicated time to practicing Blind Sense. The practical application was grueling and time-consuming, and the immediate results were meager.
By the time he grew drowsy, he remembered his morning promise. Taking a deep breath, he returned to the wall and began his rhythmic, limping run. He noticed he was becoming more accustomed to the uneven gait. After finishing three more sets of running and the remaining 50 reps of his strength exercises, the movements felt significantly more fluid. His crippled leg seemed less like an obstacle than before. After washing up and checking his wound one last time, he ate and finally drifted into a well-earned sleep.
Mark's routine continued exactly as before, but one thing astounded him: his physical progress was far outpacing everything else. By the second day, he could already feel the improvement. Though he hadn't been athletic in his previous life, he realized this growth was somewhat exaggerated. He questioned the System, and the answer was simple:
[You must understand that this world follows its own laws. You inhabit the vessel of a naturally gifted individual. Even though this body was broken and reconstructed by the System, it retains the foundations of the rigorous training it underwent since childhood.]
It made sense. In this world, the physical limits of a human were far beyond those of his old world. Then he remembered something else: monster meat was the ultimate supplement for physical conditioning. He had goblin meat in his inventory, and the System appraised it as edible. If he consumed it, his training results would be amplified. However, the memory of that blood-drenched carcass and its foul, natural stench filled him with deep reluctance.
But he had to try. He found a book in the library about goblin anatomy and butchery and began to read. Once he felt he knew enough, he took a knife from his starter kit and grabbed a waste bin that had gone unused until now. He headed to the bathroom—the only logical place for such a task. Even on the first floor, he didn't want to risk the smell of blood attracting unwanted attention.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled the goblin carcass from his inventory and dropped it into the tub. A nauseating combination of bitter sweat and blood hit his nostrils. Steeling himself, he visualized the diagrams from the book and began the butchery. He severed the head, tossing it into the bin, and let the blood drain. Next, he removed the internal organs, discovering a Monster Core among them. He didn't linger on it, quickly storing it in his inventory before discarding the rest of the entrails. He skinned the creature and trimmed away the parts he had mangled during the fight. Finally, once only the edible muscle remained as shown in the book, he used the System to appraise it:
[Cleaned Goblin Meat. Edible.]
That was enough. He stored the meat in his inventory and placed all the waste into the bin, which he also stored in his inventory to contain the smell. Then, he scrubbed the bathroom until every trace of the odor was gone. Exhausted but relieved, he suddenly realized something and his face twisted in anger. He had been so focused on butchering that he had let Mana Sense slip again. And he had spent a significant amount of time on this task.
"Damn goblin, your meat better be tasty—or at least useful. Otherwise..." he muttered, threatening the already dissected remains.
After finishing the grim work, he cleaned himself up. Then came meditation and Blind Sense practice. Finally, he decided to cook the goblin meat. He had enough utensils, and to his surprise, the old gas stove still worked. Unfortunately, he had no extras—no salt, no spices. He followed the cooking methods from the book: first boiling the meat, then shredding it and searing it in a pan until the fat rendered. He took the cooked meat to his dining area and used the tasteless porridge as a sort of sauce.
He took a piece of goblin meat, dipped it into the porridge, and began to chew. The taste was, quite simply, foul. He truly didn't want to eat it, but he kept telling himself: "At least let it help with the training." After a long struggle, he finished the meal and finally went to bed.
He woke up the next day and followed his routine as usual. His physical condition had improved noticeably. Seeing this confirmed by the System filled him with genuine joy.
[Monster meat aids in bodily recovery and increases training efficiency. Daily consumption is recommended to maintain optimal results.]
At last, yesterday's ordeal had paid off. Cooking goblin meat became a permanent fixture in his daily schedule. The following days proceeded exactly according to plan. After about two weeks of rigorous training, the results were substantial. The most significant improvements were in his physical stats and his mastery over Mana Sense. While he hadn't become a bodybuilder, his overall physical markers were much higher than before.
Although the radius of his Mana Sense hadn't increased, he could now maintain it throughout the entire day. It had become instinctive; he would activate it the moment he woke up, and he rarely lost his focus anymore. Then came Blind Sense. He had officially mastered it, though the mental concentration required and the mana consumption remained steep. With his E-rank mana pool, keeping it active all day was nothing more than a pipe dream. He could barely sustain it for 30 minutes without losing focus. Still, being able to move freely and confidently within the Safe Zone was a massive victory in itself.
Progress in meditation was slow, and the Inner World remained out of reach. Mark would often mutter to his internal essence, "What's the hold-up, Baby Thaddy? (his nickname for Thaddeus). We're practically the same person. Let's just merge already." As expected, these pleas fell on deaf ears.
Additionally, he began practicing basic offensive and defensive forms with his Blind Staff. It was his primary means of survival. He did have short swords in his inventory, but their blades were barely 35 to 40 cm long. Using them would require getting dangerously close to his enemies—a risk Mark wasn't willing to take.
Finally, his supply of goblin meat ran out. With newfound confidence and a body forged by two weeks of discipline, he set his sights once again on the First Floor