Gaius patted his tummy, feeling full for the first time ever since he arrived in this world. His sentiments were also shared by the other trainees, and he wryly noted that the bitterness characteristic of slum children had been dampened, by a single feeling named hope.

The war had changed their fortunes somewhat. Instead of fighting on the streets, stealing food and eventually dying from injuries, illness and malnutrition, these children were now being taught by a teacher and fed adequately by the government.

Those who participated in this program had seen even more hope out there. More chances, more opportunities…anything to avoid their old lives.

“Had a good lunch?” Instructor Aziz seemed somewhat more amicable than in this morning. “We’ll be doing breathing exercises from now until the evening, to prepare your bodies for cultivation. Then, at night, you’ll be reading the military’s cultivation manual and committing it to memory. We’ll be repeating this schedule for this whole week. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Instructor!” A chorus of voices replied.

“Good.” Instructor Aziz beckoned. “Let’s find a comfortable place to start your exercises.”

They stopped under a tree. After getting everyone to sit down, Instructor Aziz picked up a fallen leaf and held it in front of his mouth. “Cross your legs and sit down. Take a deep breath, and seek out the chill within it. Hold it in your lungs, and when it begins to hurt, let it out.”

The leaf trembled as the Instructor exhaled. Gaius watched quietly as the leaf tore itself into countless parts, scattering in the wind. Low murmurs ran through the watching children. “If you do it correctly, you should see your very breath overwhelm that which is natural.”

He snapped his fingers, and the leaf reformed. “Distil and purify the energy within nature, using it to tamper your mind, body and soul. That is cultivation, the ticket to standing firm in this world.”

“There are of course other mystical areas you can train yourself in, but for the military, cultivation is the best way,” Instructor Aziz added on. “Logistics becomes easier, for one, as cultivators can go without eating for long periods. Furthermore, the practice of cultivation does not require much resources in the early stages. That’s why us soldiers are made to cultivate. Now, sit down and start.”

Gaius sat down, cross-legged like the Instructor, and breathed in. The stench of sweat and dirt entered his nose, and he had to wrinkle his nose to ignore it. A child’s body, after all, was naturally sensitive to smells like these.

He focused inward, trying to feel for the chill that Instructor Aziz was talking about. The faster he finished, the less he needed to breathe deeply, and his eyebrows shot up as that thought flashed through his mind.

He had felt the chill Instructor Aziz was talking about. For a moment, he found it hard to believe. Was it due to this body being talented? Or was it something to do with the fact his soul came from another world? The latter was not out of the question. If otherworlders had a stronger body by virtue of coming from another world, who’s to say their soul wouldn’t be?

Either way, this was a significant advantage for him. The chill within his lungs shuddered as it tried to escape. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he continued to hold it in. After another three seconds, Gaius picked up a leaf and exhaled onto it.

Instructor Aziz looked up just as the leaf crumbled, and the two exchanged glances briefly. The instructor took note of the bemused expression on Gaius’ face and said, “Some of you will find this process a lot easier than others, especially when it comes to locating that chill. But don’t get too cocky about this. Even if you’ve succeeded, keep practicing. You can challenge yourself by seeing how long you can hold that power in.”

A challenge?

Gaius smirked, and breathed in deeply again. This time, it took him less than a second before he located that energy. He closed his eyes, and held his breath, letting the energy inside him struggle to its heart’s content while he entered into a state of introspection.

One of the few things he had remembered when he looked through the memory triggered by the taste of roast meat earlier was the ability to blot out pain. As an assassin, it was useful, since collapsing from pain was essentially a death sentence.

Entering a state of introspection could amplify that ability even more. Gaius couldn’t recall how such an amplified state of painlessness was used in his past life, but he could think of some ways easily, like feigning death or undergoing medical operations without anaesthetic or painkillers. And he wasn’t entirely sure if painkillers were actually widely used by doctors in this world, either.

But other than that, this period of introspection was the first time Gaius had alone ever since he took over this body. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask. Why was he here? And yet, why was he here in a way so different from the Cardinal Champions or the Constellation Heroes? What happened to his memory?

Bitterness welled up within him as the memories of the past few days returned to him. Gaius had seemingly taken everything into stride, but he had been repressing everything so as to seem normal. He had succeeded in that aspect, tricking even Nakama, who had been with him for who knows how long.

That lingering affection he had for her was also most likely the product of the original Gaius, but the current him saw no need to discard that feeling either. The him now, a product of both the original Gaius and the soul from another world, wanted something to protect.

He knew not how his old life used to be, but in this one, he wanted to be at least somewhat human. If only for his own sake.