Year 514 — April 21
The first rays of morning sunlight were filtering through the window curtains into the room. And I was breathing peacefully in those last moments of deep sleep, but that gentle sunlight slowly began to blur the depth of my sleep. A few moments later, my eyes fully opened.
After that, I got out of bed and started stretching my body to shake off the laziness. With the sound of bones cracking, the stiffness in my body eased, and I walked straight toward the bathroom.
After reaching the bathroom, I began brushing. Just then my gaze fell on that same broken mirror leaning against the wall, on which Den had performed a ritual called Mirror Divination a few days ago. Its glass was badly cracked, and what the real job of a mirror is—to show a clear reflection of what stands before it—but the condition of that mirror was telling a completely different story. Instead of showing my face, that crack-filled glass displayed only a dark curtain-like deep and blurry reflection.
While brushing, I kept staring at that mirror. Looking at it felt as if the mirror had "died." There was no shine in it, no depth—just a pitch-black emptiness that looked as frightening as the hidden mysteries of this world.
While looking at that "dead" mirror in the bathroom, a thought came to my mind—could it be possible that I might use this mirror in some way? But then I thought I would consider all that later, because before that I needed to become much stronger. And anyway, what would I even do with this black mirror right now? So thinking about all these things at this moment was of no use.
While wiping my face with a towel, I remembered what Historia had told me. I had asked her why she was still working in our house as a maid even though she had become an official Royal Knight.
Actually, Historia had told me that the Royal Knight Headquarters had only "reserved" her for now because she was still just an apprentice. That is why she would only be given training and small tasks for now. Apart from that, she would also receive the facilities given to a Royal Knight, but for now she would only have access to her salary and the facilities inside the headquarters.
But there was also a deeper reason behind this: after coming into this world, Historia is most loyal to me. And because of that she worries about me a lot, which is why she always wants to stay with me. Perhaps there could not be any bigger reason than this.
Thinking all this, I had already come out of the bathroom. Then I took out my clothes from the wardrobe, wore them, and got ready to start my routine. Although I don't have much work to do in this world, I must always perform the Aurum Cultivation Process to adapt my Thunder Nature Sequence 1.
But I had a question in my mind regarding Aurum cultivation. Although Den had told me that adapting Sequence 1 takes at least 3 months—and even finishing it in 3 months is something only 4% of Paragons can do. Otherwise, fully adapting Sequence 1 can take as long as 9 months for a Paragon.
But Den had also told me about another difficulty—that even this 9-month period happens only in 60% of cases. Explaining this, he had said that this Aurum cultivation process may sound easy, but in reality, Jona, it is not that easy.
The truth Den told me about Aurum cultivation was frightening. This cultivation method is so complicated and restrictive that many people remain Sequence 1 their entire lives. They never manage to advance.
The biggest reason behind this is the "restrictions," which not everyone is capable of following. Many things are essential in the cultivation method—such as your mental state, your physical state, and your emotions. Besides these, there are many subtle factors that must be balanced.
Then Den had talked about something quite interesting. He said that because of this, if you have heard about pirates, what they do is that once they become Sequence 1 Paragons, they never upgrade themselves. The reason is that they are always either drinking alcohol or consuming such things, and many of them do not even perform the Aurum cultivation process on a daily basis. One reason behind this is that they start thinking they now possess such power that gives them a different status in this world, and they become satisfied with the fact that they have magical powers. Because of that, they cannot even properly adapt Sequence 1.
But when Den told me about pirates, I was shocked internally. Are there pirates in this world too? But then I thought—it wasn't surprising at all. After all, in this world there still isn't any technology capable of tracking pirate ships or catching someone easily. And because of that, when it comes to the vast world of the open sea, it's impossible that pirates wouldn't dream of conquering it.
Then Den had explained this even more deeply by giving an example. He said that when I met a guy named Marlow at the Blue Moon Bar, according to the information I gave and according to Den, that man must have been a Paragon for the last 5–6 years. But the surprising thing is that he is still stuck at Sequence 2. According to the rules, he should have fully adapted Sequence 2 three years ago.
Den had further said that based on the information I gave, Marlow still being at Sequence 2 points toward two major reasons:
First reason: He has adapted Sequence 2, but for some reason he is not upgrading his sequence. Behind this, fear of losing control could be a major cause.
Second reason: He has not fully adapted Sequence 2 yet.
Now the question is—why can a Paragon not adapt their sequence for so many years? There can be many reasons behind this—like not taking the regular Aurum cultivation process seriously or not doing it properly. A person's mental state plays a very big role in this. Apart from that, daily use of alcohol and tobacco products also prevents them from reaching their potential. For a Paragon, these things become the most effective obstacles.
But Den had told me another "fun fact," which was quite shocking. He said it has often been observed that Paragons who use their powers for evil purposes also experience much slower sequence-upgrade speed compared to a normal Paragon.
Den admitted he didn't know the exact reason or logic behind this, but he had heard that the mysterious tree a Paragon sees during the Aurum cultivation process might be responsible. Perhaps the very source of power decides how fast someone should advance. Thinking about all these past things,
I reached the table beside the window. I had placed several things on that table, like three or four paper knives, ninja hurricanes (shurikens), and even tarot cards. This was because I could also use my Paper Hardening ability on them and turn them into deadly weapons. And for this, I had trained quite a lot over the past days.
Then I picked up a "three-leaf tarot card" lying there and used my power on it. In the blink of an eye, that card—which is normally used for games like poker or blackjack—transformed from an ordinary piece of paper into a sharp and lethal weapon.
Just then, there was a knock on my door. I knew it must be Historia, so I allowed her to come in. But before she stepped into the room, I quickly gathered the scattered paper weapons from the table and placed them into the drawer of my study table.
Historia entered my room and said "Good morning." In return, I smiled at her and said "Good morning" as well. But the very next moment I realized that today Historia had not come alone into my room—someone else was with her.
Suddenly, Helena, who had been hiding behind Historia until now, stepped out and cheerfully said, "Good morning."
Seeing Helena suddenly in my room, I became completely nervous. A storm of thoughts began swirling in my mind—why is she here? And that too directly in my room! I was afraid that she might see something here that would let her learn even more about me. Anyway, as beautiful as her eyes are, I am equally afraid of them. Perhaps the real owner of this body, the "real Jona," was also afraid of Helena in this same way.
Before I could say anything, Helena ordered Historia to place the tray with the glass of milk in the room and leave. Historia, who was in her maid duty, had no choice but to obey Helena's order. She placed the tray and silently left the room.
But I noticed that today, besides the glass of milk, there was also a folded piece of paper placed on the tray. I wasn't completely sure, but I had a guess that it might contain the answer to the math question I had given.
But now my biggest dilemma was standing right in front of me—Helena. Now I had to face her alone, and at this delicate moment, my protector Historia had also left me.