Johnathan had managed to convince the orcs of his usefulness. He hadn't yet asked them about the obsidian that he really wanted. He planned to ask later. If he didn't get it by asking, he'd steal it and run.
The Orc chief planned the dungeon raid in that night in the woods. They'd form a party of 8 orcs: 3 warriors, 2 archers, and 3 tanks. And Johnathan would be their trap disarmer and gate opener.
The orcs usually had to go through gates and traps using brute force and trial and error. So they were interested in seeing how the humans did it with their "smartness".
The raid would be conducted in a week's time. Johnathan had to prepare thoroughly. He had no idea what kind of dungeon he'd go into, but he had a clear idea of how to judge a dungeon's difficulty and the various strategies that he had read about in the novel in his previous life.
All of this for that sweet obsidian he had spotted on the orc chief's mace. He was sure the orcs had more obsidian in their stash. He was hungry for stronger glass.
For now, though, he must train hard.
With the mana stones he had gathered in that night, he quickly used them up to fully recover his ability after a super-intense training session. He made more progress this way in a day than he made before in a week. It was incredible.
"So this is how the rich kids trained from their childhood...", Johnathan realized.
It was unfair, this world. Mana stones were sold for money on the market. The rich and the nobles invested entire fortunes for their children's training. Using the best of the best mana stones for nourishment was something only children who grew up in rich households had access to.
Even still. It was difficult for any person in the world to outwork Johnathan at this stage of his life. Even though the rich kids had their mana stones, it amounted to nothing if the training they did was subpar. This was the thing Johnathan was counting on. So that he wouldn't get left behind and get the chance to go to AUM university even with a late start.
But even though it all seems so unfair, Johnathan never complained. In his opinion, no one gets to choose where they're born. But they do get to choose where they'll die. So, complaining is useless, it doesn't solve anything. Johnathan worked tirelessly without any real accomplishments or anyone to support him only for this reason: He wanted to have the ability to choose how he dies.
As a result of his extreme training, he lived in constant pain all over his body, especially in his head, since using his glass manipulation required incredible focus. But he never complained. No one would listen even if he did, so no point, right?
Unbeknownst to anyone, Johnathan continued his insanity. No one knew what he went through every day, and no one cared. This was nothing new for him though.
Johnathan returned from his daily training outside of the immediate vicinities where no one went to.
Johnathan spends little to no time in the slums, even though he stays there. He needs to show his face to his father at least once every day though, otherwise, his only source of food and shelter would be gone.
Taking his father's abuse was a daily routine for him, it barely even bothered him anymore.
After that, he'd go back to his place of solitude to train again.
His training ground was a hazard for anyone who would step into it. The ground was littered with hundreds of thousands of sharp glass shards, and when he's actively training, it wasn't uncommon for glass to go flying into the air from time to time.
He's been trying to control glass without touching it directly for months now but to no success. That is until recently.
With the new mana stones he's been consuming and regularly going hunting, he managed something great. He still couldn't control the glass as well as he could when the glass was right on his palm, but he managed to at least move pieces of glass with his mind, without touching it.
He couldn't rotate the glass though, only translational motion was possible. Even that with only impulsive forces. And even that was limited to small pieces of glass. Anything weighing over 100 grams wouldn't budge.
"Incredible...", Johnathan muttered as he juggled a blob of glass in the air, with just his mind, no hands at all.
His knowledge of advanced kinematics from his previous life as an electrical engineer helped him immensely to accurately channel his limited strength.
He practised quick-time triangulation, distance approximations and angle measurements till he could accurately predict how to apply what impulse on where and when on a piece of glass to make it reach a target.
He'd throw one piece of glass and then try to hit it with another piece mid-air.
Training had finally started to feel like fun to Johnathan, even though it was exhausting.
The entire week, Johnathan spent refining his mid-air glass manipulation. If he played his cards right, this would prove incredibly powerful in practical situations.
The last day before the orcs and him would go into the dungeon arrived. He decided to rest that day, to conserve his strength before going into the dungeon.
Johnathan's rest days usually just consisted of him restocking his glass supplies for training, cleaning up his training field and gazing into the sky with a blank mind.
Today, he decided to have a change of pace. He'd saved up money by repairing glassware for customers and he wanted to enjoy himself a little, for a change of pace from his boring and shitty life.
He decided he'd go to a fancy restaurant. Not to eat though. He'd go there to observe and witness different forms of glass. Ever since he had discovered his ability, the only thing he held a fascination for was glass. Everything about the material was so very exciting to him.
With the little money he had to his name, he got himself a room in an inn. He used said inn to shower properly, dress himself up in a formal dress and, for the first time in forever, look like a proper 15-year-old boy.
With slick black hair, a smooth face, impressive bone structure, dark red irises, and a tall, firm physique, he had the appearance of a charming young man. However, a prolonged gaze into his murky eyes would dispel any sense of allure.
But it all lost all meaning when he opened his mouth and saw his own teeth.
"Ugh... the lack of dental care in this world is truly pitiable... I must fix this as soon as possible...", he resolved.
With a confident gaze, he put on the suit he bought and readied himself to go to the restaurant.
"Gonna see so much glass today... Exciting...", he smirked to himself.
Jonathan seldom had the opportunity to indulge in his own pleasures, perhaps only once or twice annually. This occasion was significant for him, and he eagerly anticipated it. Having been solitary throughout his life, he ceased to anticipate happiness from others. Instead, he discovered modest means to attain joy on his own.
It also helped lessen the stress of the raid he was going on the next day with the orcs. He needed to be in tip-top shape for it, both physically as well as mentally.
There was no better way to elevate his mood than to stare at some exotic glass. For some reason, it always seemed to make him happy.
He confidently walked out of the slums quickly and headed towards the place he had in mind.
As he walked, he recalled the music he used to listen to in his previous life. It was something completely alien to him before regaining his memories. Some might even consider it just noise. But strangely, he absolutely loved all of it.
"90s hip-hop... I sure had good taste in music...", he mused as he recalled some of the music.