Though he didn't like these two old people making decisions for him and not taking his opinion into account, especially ending up with Rory, Rey was an opportunist at heart. 'Isn't this the perfect situation? I can train my combat with the old man and learn magic from Jory! Though Healing is kind of lame, at least I'll get my foot in the door! If I play my cards right, this could be the perfect setup to become an actual Battle Mage!!' Rey thought excitedly, but just barely kept his true emotions from showing on the outside.
"Both? Lad, I think you might be underestimating this just a-" Harris said before he was cut off by a raised hand from Jory.
"No, that might be the best outcome for him. Healers are always in rare supply, and with that war of King Francis, I have been more than a little overwhelmed at the clinic. I have been pushing the narrative that Healers must start being trained for battle as well to the Mystic Order, but they have denied me once again. He will be my perfect test which will prove my theory." Jory declared, her elegant face slightly grimacing when she mentioned this Mystic Order.
Harris looked like he wanted to argue, but seeing the determined look on Jory's face, he knew he'd be wasting his breath. "Ahh, fine. But that just means he'll have to train extra hard with me then. He'll be nearly at the Advanced stage when I'm done with him." Harris send, letting out a rare grin that sent chills down Rey's spine.
Somehow Rey felt like he was going to deeply regret agreeing to train with Harris. Still, this was his chance to get powerful and learn magic like he's always dreamed, so he wasn't going to throw away this chance just because it might be a little hard.
"Hmm, with that decided, let me heal you up so you can get some much needed rest. Starting tomorrow, your days are going to be very, very long." Jory said, as a tear nearly ran down Rey's eyes.
Sleeping, Tasty food, and cute girls were some of the things he loved the most, and now he was losing one of them.
Not wasting any more time, Jory's index finger began glowing a bright blue before she started quickly drawing runes in the air facing Rey. The runes very quickly began spinning in a circle as a similar formation appeared over Rey. The next moment, a warm sensation enveloped his whole body as the pain disappeared almost instantly. Before he could even process what happened, the formation fizzled out and he was cured.
"That.. was... awesome! Master Jory, you have to teach me how to use magic!" Rey pled as he fell to his knees before Jory. Thanks to her healing, he felt better than even when he first woke up in the forest.
Jory was surprised for a split second before a proud grin showed on her face. "Since you asked so nicely, from this day on, you will become my new apprentice. Be at the clinic in Central Harrend by sunrise. Don't be late." Jory said as she waltzed towards the door, making sure to shoot Harris a smug smirk before walking out.
"Ugh, that woman is always a hassle to deal with," Harris complained before he turned to look at Rey. "Since you've decided to train under both of us, we'll have to split your time in half. Since she jumped the gun and got you for the first half of the day, that means I get you the second. Unfortunately for you, that means I have you for the second half of the day, the hottest half. Still, this is the path you chose. Get some rest for now, dinner should be ready soon." Harris said as he left the room.
Like he said, Rory finished dinner soon after that, which was one of the best meals that Rey had ever eaten. It was some sort of large roasted bird that Rey couldn't recognize, but it was incredibly juicy and flavorful, even having hints of pork which made Rey want to eat more and more of the delicious meat. The roasted bird was joined with a side of sauteed vegetables, a pile of savory rice, and they finished it with a slice of cherry pie. The pie was unbelievable to Rey as each cherry seemed to burst with juices whenever he bit into them, making the pie that much more enjoyable.
Rey thought that they were having some kind of feast of something with all of the food they had, but apparently in this world of magical cultivation, people needed a lot of delicious food to give them energy to cultivate and get stronger. Rey was even more shocked to find that even this amazing meal was considered to be peasant food by this worlds standards, and was nearly drooling thinking about all of the delicious food he'd be able to try in this world.
After the meal, Rey felt a familiar pressure in his bladder and realized that he had yet to use the restroom in this world. Being excused, Rey rushed to the restroom and was shocked to find that it was somewhat modern. It had a sink, large mirror, and a toilet like his world, but the giant wooden bath that had to be filled with water and heated with a fire showed that he was indeed in a magical medieval world.
It was only when he lifted the toilet and pulled down his shorts that he froze. With a new race and body, came new equipment. Rey's little buddy that he had and cherished his whole life was not there, but with frantic patting of his crotch and the brief thought of killing himself and starting over, he found a strange slit-like pouch hidden in his fur. As another wave of fear started to take over, thinking that he was possibly a woman, something slid from out of the pouch, and Rey almost gasped at the sight of it.
After a few seconds of being stunned, Rey looked up to the sky and sent a silent thank you for the unexpected blessing he received. Though the shape was different than he was used to, he found that it was still fully functional and was actually bigger than the one he had before. After finishing his business and with a new confidence he didn't have before, Rey walked to the sink and washed his hands, only to receive another surprise when he looked up. He was able to see what he looked like for the first time in the mirror.
He has a young looking lion-like face, but strangely still thought he looked quite handsome. With his new face, his wild mane full of thick, black, kinky hair that had small streaks of white in it like his tail, his intensely green eyes with black, vertically-slit pupils, and his soft black fur, it was no wonder that Rory was blushing so much at him. That, coupled with his tall, fit physique and broad shoulders, Rey was positive that he wouldn't have too much trouble in the charm department. Unless of course they were very racist.
After coming to terms and accepting his new body, Rey helped Rory with the dishes before he wished Harris and Rory a good night and went to sleep.
The next morning Rey was woken up by a rough meeting between his face and the floor. Now fully awaken, Rey looked around to find the Harris had flipped him out of bed.
"What the hell, Old Man?!" Rey complained as he picked himself off of the ground.
"Don't 'What the hell' me, you brat. I tried screaming and even shaking you awake. Hell, the only person I know that sleeps deeper than you is Rory. You better learn to sleep light, or else when you're out in the world, danger could sneak up on you easily," Harris said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Rey wanted to complain, but deep down he knew that he was right. He's read plenty of books and watched plenty of movies to know that if you're not careful in the wild, that was your ass.
"I already got the tub going for you. Get cleaned up so we can head down to Central Harrend. If you're late, that banshee Jory will tear both of our heads off." Harris said as he left the room.
Seeing as though he had no other clothes besides his underclothes that he already had on and the grey robes, Rey picked up the robes and headed into the bathroom. When he walked in, he saw the tub was steaming and ready for him to use. Pulling off the tank top and his shorts, and was now completely naked for the first time in this world. As he was about to get into the tub, the bathroom door creaked open to reveal a sleepy looking Rory with messy hair, eyes closed like she was still asleep, letting out a yawn as if she was struggling to stay awake. She was in a cute set of Pink loose pajamas and pink cat slippers
As she sleepily shuffled into the bathroom, eyes still closed, she went to the sink and started splashing water on her face. With her face clear and eyes open, Rory looked up in the mirror only to freeze in shock. In the reflection, she saw Rey in all of his glory about to enter the bathtub. Her whole body immediately turned red and Rey could've sworn he saw steam rising from the top of her head like an anime.
"I-I...I... I-I'm so sorry!!!" Rory screamed before she ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
Rey let out a heavy sigh and slowly shook his head as he entered the steaming hot tub. He wouldn't have mind sharing the tub with the girl. You know, to conserve water and all of that. After he was done and dressed, Rey looked at his battered chest armor and decided not to wear it, but bring it with him to Central Harrend. The armor was useless now thanks to Karrick nearly killing him in it, but he might still be able to sell it along with the rest of the trinkets he scavenged from the corpses. Though he found a few coins and hasn't had the chance to learn the currency of this world, more money will always be helpful in any circumstance.
Walking outside with his knapsack of trinkets tied around the top of his staff, Rey was welcomed to a still dark sky, but the sun could just barely be seen on the horizon. Harris was already on the cart that was being pulled by two tall brown horses, waiting for him. So, without wasting time, Rey hopped on the seat next to him and they took off.
There was an awkward silence at first, as Harris was not exactly the social type, and Rey didn't know what was acceptable conversation in this world. But, being the charismatic person he was, Rey decided to strike up a conversation about his future training.
"So, Master Harris-" Rey said before he was cut of by Harris.
"Quit with all of that 'Master' business with me. I'm not Jory who needs to have my ego inflated every time you address me. Call me either Harris or Old Man like usual." Harris said in a dry tone. Rey could tell there was more to the situation, but he couldn't figure it out.
"Okay, Old man. What happens after I finish my training? Not that I am not appreciative of you taking care of me, but I'd feel bad if I took advantage of your hospitality for too long." Rey asked, wondering what he was going to do with his life in the future.
"Humph, it's good to see you don't just want to be a freeloader. Hmm, well there is plenty honestly. You could become a soldier for the kingdom and do well after my training. You could go anywhere in the kingdom and be paid well as a Healer, as they are always in rare supply. You could join one of the guilds and become a mercenary or an adventurer, but that is a dangerous route and Rory would be sad if you got hurt. Or, you could always choose the simple life and take care of the farm with me and Rory. At the end of the day, your future can only be decided by you and fate." Harris said, as he listed of Rey's possible options.
While he was shocked hearing Harris say so many words at once, he started thinking deeper about his options. The typical gamer route would be becoming an adventurer and doing random quests. But, this was real life now, and like Harris said, this was the most dangerous option. The Healer option wasn't terrible, as he saw it like becoming a doctor in his world, a prestigious job that pays well. Still, he was finally in a new magic world and didn't want to get stuck with the support role as a Healer.
The soldier route wasn't a horrible choice either, but the thought of being yelled at constantly and having every facet of his life controlled by someone else didn't sound appealing at all. Also, Rey wanted the chance to get out and explore this new magical world, and the soldier life didn't offer that option. Lastly, the thought of becoming a humble farmer was an immediate no. Why would he waste this magical second chance at a new exciting life to grow plants and clean up after stinking animals?
Seeing Rey still contemplating, Harris decided to give him one more option.
"Well, if you still don't know, you can always enter the Pruvian Grand Tournament that the king is hosting in King's Mountain. It happens every few years and even dignitaries from other kingdoms come to participate. Though you likely won't win with your level of Cultivation, if you do well, you could find one of the guilds, academies, sects or even a noble to sponsor you. Once you join their faction, they'll use their resources to improve your cultivation, which in turn makes their faction that much stronger. That's why so many warriors and mages always join tournaments." Harris said, sighing in his heart as he could already tell which option Rey would choose.
A broad smile immediately broke out on Rey's face. He had already decided to get as strong as he can so that he could land a spot in one of the stronger factions. Little did he know just how much this tournament would not only change his life, but the fate of the whole world.