The previous afternoon, Damon had been resting on his bed after completing another round of mana stabilization exercises when the familiar blue interface appeared before his eyes.
He had almost grown accustomed to the system's sudden appearances.
Almost.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]
[NEW QUESTS AVAILABLE.]
Damon raised an eyebrow.
"Two quests at once? Now you're talking."
He sat up, adjusted his pillow, and focused on the interface.
[QUEST 1: BEGIN YOUR KNIGHTHOOD JOURNEY]
Objective: Initiate physical cultivation. Take your first steps toward becoming a knight.
Reward: Pending completion.
Status: INCOMPLETE.
Damon nodded thoughtfully.
This quest made sense. His mana was still obstructed, and attempting powerful spells could worsen his condition. Physical training offered another way to grow stronger while he investigated what had happened to his body.
He was about to ask the system for more details when another notification appeared.
[QUEST 2: BREAK THE DOUBLE VIRGINITY RECORD]
Objective: Experience your first sexual encounter in this life.
Additional Information: The host was also a virgin in his previous life.
Status: INCOMPLETE.
Damon froze.
He stared at the notification.
Then he blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Finally, he sat up so quickly that a sharp pain shot through his chest.
"WHAT?!"
A servant passing outside his room immediately stopped.
"Young Master? Are you all right?"
Damon glanced at the door.
"I'm fine!" he called, forcing his voice to sound normal. "I just remembered something!"
The footsteps outside resumed.
Damon slowly turned his attention back to the system.
"You have got to be kidding me."
[QUEST REGISTERED.]
"Registered? I didn't accept anything!"
[QUEST REGISTERED.]
"Can you stop repeating that?"
The system remained silent.
Damon rubbed his face with both hands.
His previous life had been painfully ordinary in certain areas. He had spent most of his time studying, reading novels, and trying to figure out what he wanted from life. Romance had never become a priority, and his death had arrived before he could change that.
Now he had been reborn into the body of an eighteen-year-old nobleman in a world filled with magic, beautiful women, dangerous rivalries, and opportunities he could barely imagine.
And his system had apparently decided that his romantic inexperience was an emergency requiring immediate attention.
"Listen carefully," Damon said, pointing at the floating interface. "I am not going to rush into a relationship just because you put it on a quest list."
The interface remained unchanged.
"If something happens naturally, fine. But I'm not going to treat a woman like a reward to collect. If I ever enter a relationship, both people need to want it."
For a moment, he wondered whether the system understood him.
Then another line appeared.
[HOST'S POSITION ACKNOWLEDGED.]
Damon narrowed his eyes.
"Good. At least one of us has sense."
He leaned back against the headboard and studied the two quests again.
The knighthood quest was straightforward. He could begin training immediately, provided he respected his body's limits.
The second quest, on the other hand, was a matter he had no intention of forcing.
He had more urgent problems to solve.
His mana was obstructed. Someone had tampered with his awakening potion. His reputation was in ruins, and in six months, he would be expected to prepare for admission to the Imperial Academy of Arcane Arts.
He needed strength, knowledge, and allies.
Not unnecessary trouble.
"Fine," he muttered. "We'll start with knighthood."
[QUEST 1 SELECTED.]
[BEGIN YOUR KNIGHTHOOD JOURNEY.]
Damon dismissed the interface and settled down to rest.
Tomorrow morning, he would begin.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he had a plan that did not depend entirely on his mana.
And he intended to follow it.
The following morning, Damon stepped onto the training grounds of the Jubo Clan.
The sky was still pale with the first light of dawn. A cool breeze swept across the open field, carrying the smell of damp earth and freshly cut grass.
Rows of guards were already gathered there, performing their morning exercises. Some ran around the training grounds, while others practised sword movements beneath the watchful eyes of their instructors.
The steady rhythm of footsteps and the occasional clash of wooden swords filled the air.
Damon stopped near the entrance and observed them.
This was different from the magical training he remembered from the academy.
There were no elaborate spell formations or glowing circles beneath their feet. These men relied on discipline, strength, endurance, and years of repetition.
It was a world of sweat rather than spectacle.
And for now, that was exactly what he needed.
He approached a group of guards who had just finished a round of exercises.
Several of them noticed him immediately.
Their conversations gradually faded.
"Isn't that Young Master Damon?"
"What is he doing here so early?"
"I heard he was recovering from the mana backlash."
"Should he even be exercising?"
Damon heard the whispers but ignored them.
He had spent enough of his life worrying about what other people thought. He wasn't about to waste his second chance doing the same thing.
A broad-shouldered man approached him.
The man appeared to be in his late thirties. His short brown hair was neatly trimmed, and a scar ran along his left forearm. His posture was straight, his movements economical, and his eyes carried the sharpness of someone accustomed to watching people carefully.
This was Captain Roderick, one of the senior instructors responsible for the Jubo Clan guards' physical training.
He stopped in front of Damon and studied him.
"Young Master, may I ask what brings you to the training grounds?"
"I want to train."
Roderick glanced at Damon's slender frame.
"Train?"
"Yes."
"Are you aware that your body is still recovering?"
"I am."
"Then you should also understand that pushing yourself too hard could be dangerous."
Damon nodded.
"That's why I'm here to learn properly. I don't intend to overwork myself."
Roderick remained silent for a moment.
"Do you have any previous experience with knight training?"
"Very little."
"Then you should begin with the basics. No heavy weapons, no intense sparring, and no trying to prove yourself to anyone."
Damon smiled.
"That sounds reasonable."
The captain studied him again, perhaps expecting the young nobleman to complain about being treated like an ordinary trainee.
Instead, Damon rolled his shoulders and prepared to follow instructions.
Roderick finally nodded.
"Very well. I'll supervise you personally for today. If you feel pain, dizziness, or unusual discomfort, you stop immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Good. Join the others."
Damon moved toward the training group.
Some of the guards exchanged surprised looks.
The heir of the Jubo Clan was actually going to train alongside them.
No special equipment. No personal servants carrying refreshments. No demands for easier treatment.
Just a young man who wanted to become stronger.
It was a small thing, but it caught their attention.
Roderick began with a simple warm-up.
"Run three laps around the training grounds. Maintain a steady pace. Don't sprint."
Damon looked toward the track.
Three laps.
It sounded manageable.
He began jogging.
The first lap passed without difficulty. By the second, however, his breathing had become heavier, and his legs started to feel the strain.
His body was still recovering from the mana backlash. Although his condition had improved considerably over the past week, he was nowhere near his former physical potential.
He resisted the temptation to push harder.
Instead, he maintained a steady pace, just as Roderick had instructed.
When Damon completed the third lap, he stopped beside the captain and bent forward slightly, breathing hard.
Roderick glanced at him.
"How do you feel?"
"Tired."
"Any pain in your chest?"
"No."
"Any unusual sensation in your mana circulation?"
Damon took a moment to check.
His mana remained obstructed, but the familiar pressure was manageable.
"Nothing unusual."
"Good. Rest for a minute, then begin stretching."
Damon followed the instructions.
After the stretching exercises came squats, push-ups, and basic core training.
None of them looked particularly impressive, but Damon soon discovered that simple exercises could be brutally effective when performed correctly.
His arms trembled during the push-ups. His legs protested during the squats, and his stomach muscles seemed determined to remind him of every poor decision he had ever made.
At one point, he collapsed onto the grass after completing a set.
He stared at the sky.
"Whoever invented push-ups must have hated humanity."
A nearby guard snorted.
Damon turned his head.
The guard quickly straightened his face, but the corners of his mouth continued to twitch.
"What?" Damon asked.
"Nothing, Young Master."
"You're laughing at me."
"I wouldn't dare."
"Your face says otherwise."
The guard finally laughed.
A few others joined him.
For a moment, the training grounds felt less like a place where a disgraced nobleman had come to prove himself and more like an ordinary gathering of people sharing a difficult morning.
Damon found that he liked it.
He had spent too much time surrounded by people who either pitied him or looked down on him. Here, at least, the rules were simple.
If he wanted to improve, he had to put in the work.
No amount of family wealth could do the push-ups for him.
Unfortunately.
After the physical exercises, Roderick led Damon to a rack of wooden training swords.
"Today, you'll learn the basic sword stance."
He selected a wooden sword and demonstrated the correct grip.
"Your weapon should feel like an extension of your arm, not a heavy object you're struggling to control. Keep your wrist firm, but don't tense your entire body."
Damon picked up a wooden sword.
It felt heavier than he expected.
Roderick adjusted his grip.
"Your fingers are too tight. Relax them slightly."
Damon made the correction.
"Better. Now your stance."
The captain demonstrated how to position his feet, distribute his weight, and maintain balance.
Damon copied him.
"Your front foot is too far forward."
He corrected it.
"Your shoulders are tense."
He relaxed them.
"You're leaning too much to the right."
He adjusted his posture again.
After several corrections, Damon finally managed to hold a reasonably stable stance.
Roderick nodded.
"Good. Now practise a simple downward strike."
He demonstrated the movement slowly.
Damon raised the wooden sword and brought it down.
The strike was awkward.
"Again," Roderick instructed.
Damon repeated the movement.
"You're using too much of your shoulder and not enough control through the rest of your body. Don't rely on strength alone. Balance, timing, and technique matter."
Damon listened carefully.
He repeated the strike.
And again.
And again.
His movements gradually became smoother, although he remained far from impressive.
A younger guard watching nearby finally approached.
Damon lowered his sword.
"Go ahead."
"Your feet are moving before your upper body. That's making you lose balance."
Damon glanced down at his stance.
"Show me."
The guard demonstrated the movement, explaining how to coordinate his feet, hips, and shoulders.
Damon tried again.
This time, the strike was noticeably better.
"That's it," the younger guard said. "Much better."
Damon smiled.
"Thank you. What's your name?"
"Leon, Young Master."
"Leon, if you notice me making a mistake, tell me. I'm here to learn, and I would rather be corrected than keep doing something wrong."
Leon looked momentarily surprised.
Then he bowed his head.
"Of course, Young Master."
Roderick observed the exchange without interrupting.
He had expected Damon to be impatient. The young heir came from a powerful ducal house, and noble children were not always accustomed to receiving corrections from ordinary guards.
But Damon had listened without taking offence.
That was a promising sign.
The training continued.
Roderick taught him how to return to a defensive stance after each strike, how to keep his balance while moving, and how to avoid exposing his body unnecessarily.
Damon made plenty of mistakes.
He occasionally stepped too far forward. Sometimes he swung too widely, and more than once, he nearly lost his grip on the wooden sword.
Yet he never complained.
Whenever Roderick corrected him, he tried again.
By the time the session ended, sweat covered his forehead, his arms ached, and his legs felt as though they belonged to someone else.
But there was something else, too.
Satisfaction.
For the first time since waking up in Damon Jubo's body, he had made progress that had nothing to do with his mysterious mana reserves.
It was small progress, but it was his.
"That's enough for today," Roderick announced.
Damon lowered his wooden sword and took several deep breaths.
"Thank you for the training, Captain."
"You did reasonably well."
"Reasonably well?"
Roderick raised an eyebrow.
"Would you prefer me to lie?"
Damon laughed.
"No, Captain. I prefer honest feedback."
"Then here's some. Your stamina is poor, your stance needs work, and your sword technique is practically nonexistent."
Damon nodded solemnly.
"Anything else?"
"You need to be more careful with your balance."
"Noted."
"And don't expect to become a knight in a week."
Damon rested the wooden sword against his shoulder.
"I wasn't planning to."
Roderick studied him for a moment before giving a small nod.
"Good. Come back tomorrow morning if you're serious about this. Consistency matters more than enthusiasm."
"I'll be here."
"Then make sure you rest properly today. You are still recovering, and I won't have you collapsing on my training grounds."
"I'll be careful."
Damon returned the wooden sword to the rack.
As he walked away, Leon called after him.
"Young Master!"
Damon turned.
"Yes?"
"Your grip improved a lot by the end."
Damon grinned.
"Then tomorrow, I'll make it even better."
He left the training grounds with aching muscles and a renewed sense of purpose.
He had no idea whether he possessed the talent to become a great knight. He didn't know how quickly his body would develop, and he certainly didn't know what the system intended to reward him with.
But he had taken the first step.
For now, that was enough.
Then the system interface appeared before his eyes.
[QUEST 1: BEGIN YOUR KNIGHTHOOD JOURNEY]
[OBJECTIVE: INITIATE PHYSICAL CULTIVATION — COMPLETED]
[OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE INITIAL WEAPON TRAINING — COMPLETED]
[QUEST STATUS: COMPLETED]
Damon's tired expression brightened.
"Finally! Something that actually makes sense."
Another notification appeared.
[QUEST COMPLETION REGISTERED.]
[REWARD CALCULATION IN PROGRESS.]
[REWARDS HAVE NOT YET BEEN DISCLOSED.]
His smile disappeared.
"Wait. What do you mean the rewards haven't been disclosed?"
No response.
"System?"
Silence.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
The interface vanished.
Damon stared at the empty space before him.
"One day," he muttered, "I'm going to find out how to argue with you properly."
He continued toward his room, already thinking about tomorrow's training.
His body needed rest. His mana needed stabilization. The mystery surrounding his awakening potion remained unsolved, and somewhere beyond the walls of the Jubo estate, the Gassi House continued to operate under the protection of its own secrets.
But Damon was no longer content to lie in bed and wait for his problems to disappear.
He would train.
He would investigate.
He would grow stronger, whether through mana cultivation, knighthood, or both.
And when the time came to enter the Imperial Academy of Arcane Arts, he would be ready.
As for the system's undisclosed rewards?
He would deal with those when they arrived.
Hopefully, they would be less embarrassing than the last quest.