How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

Kate, with zombie-like regenerative abilities, has absurdly high recovery capabilities but is only at the level of an average person when it comes to basic stamina.

After just five minutes of running, she pants as if she’s about to collapse, and even with holy power to aid recovery, she quickly becomes breathless again.

The fascinating thing is that she somehow manages to keep up.

Cardio workouts aren’t easy.

Depending on how you approach them, they can become incredibly intense.

For example, instead of jogging, you could maintain a speed that’s about 80% of your sprinting capacity or accelerate your internal mana while running, among other techniques.

This explains why skilled fighters can battle for three days and nights.

They rarely go all out from the start, have excellent stamina management, and possess endurance that defies reason.

Even I can handle vigorous exercise all night long, so I can only imagine how much more capable martial artists must be.

With the aid of holy power, I’m confident in endurance-based contests.

Currently, I’m focused more on improving stamina distribution rather than increasing my overall capacity.

There’s a limit to what hardware improvements alone can achieve.

Even with abundant support from the gods through holy power, the outcome depends on how you use it.

Understanding this, I’ve made it a habit to exercise consistently whenever I have time.

“Haa… haa… ugh…”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… I’m fine.”

Still, it’s inevitable that Kate, with her lack of basic stamina, struggles.

Despite this, she firmly insists that we don’t need to accommodate her.

Her ridiculous regenerative abilities seem to compensate for her lack of stamina, allowing her to keep up somehow.

However, I can’t shake the unease that she might suddenly collapse.

‘Clerics are inherently patient, after all…’

Specifically, I mean devoutly religious individuals.

They typically have far greater patience than the average person, harboring deep faith in their gods alongside their asceticism.

This is why the Church’s holy knights are treated much better than regular knights.

They endure arduous tasks without complaint if it’s in line with divine will.

Moreover, their ability to self-heal even serious injuries is often joked about, highlighting their unmatched versatility.

Kate’s ability to keep up despite appearing on the verge of collapse likely stems from this.

Normally, a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, but in her case, it’s the opposite.

Even if her physical condition is lacking, her resilient mindset ensures she can grow quickly. I can vouch for that from personal experience.

“Haah… haah…”

However, it seems even holy power can’t prevent her from sweating profusely.

Her hair and the workout clothes borrowed from Adelia were completely soaked through.

A sound mind makes building a sound body an easier task, but overdoing it can harm the body.

Without a strong physical foundation, mental fortitude only goes so far.

Pushing oneself excessively leads to physical breakdowns before mental resolve falters.

Especially now, under the scorching summer sun—not in the winter—it seems wiser to take a short break. I exchanged a glance with Adelia, who nodded in agreement.

“Let’s rest here for a bit.”

“Haa… Yes, understood.”

At the declaration of a much-needed break, Kate looked visibly relieved.

No matter how strong her mental fortitude, this was still an intense workout for her.

While iron becomes stronger the more it’s struck, the same doesn’t apply to the human mind.

A single crack can lead to severe aftereffects, and this principle holds true even for Kate, whose regenerative abilities far surpass others.

High regeneration doesn’t erase the traces of pain.

‘I still have to worry about her guarding me…’

While Kate caught her breath, I took a moment to survey the surroundings.

Perhaps because we were exercising so openly, a number of onlookers observed us from afar.

The only saving grace was that none dared approach us.

They whispered among themselves or looked at us like they were watching celebrities, but none seemed inclined to come closer.

This was likely due to the guards monitoring the area rather than my personal presence.

Whenever I leave the academy grounds, news inevitably reaches them.

Unless I approach someone first, it’s unlikely anyone would dare approach me voluntarily.

‘Even if it feels burdensome, I’ll get used to it.’

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

These stares may feel awkward now, but after one or two weeks, I’ll probably become accustomed to them.

“Phew… I finally feel alive again.”

As I glanced around, Kate’s voice caught my attention. Turning to look, I was greeted with quite the scene.

In an attempt to cool off, Kate had partially removed her top.

Although she was wearing a breathable T-shirt underneath, it clung to her body from the sweat, outlining her figure.

While it wasn’t a provocative sight, her physique naturally drew attention.

It felt like looking at a sculpture—pure admiration rather than anything lustful.

Perhaps her innate holy aura suppressed any inappropriate thoughts, leaving only the impression that she had a remarkable figure.

“Is it very tough for you?”

“My body feels tired, but my mind is clear.”

“Kate, your mental and spiritual strength are exceptional. They’re so strong that they compensate for your physical limitations. I haven’t seen a case like yours before, but I believe you’re on the right track.”

Adelia handed Kate a prepared water bottle and offered some advice.

Despite the heat, Adelia showed no signs of exhaustion, only a faint sheen of sweat.

Kate accepted the bottle and drank cautiously, the water likely feeling like the elixir of life to her at that moment.

As Adelia mentioned, Kate is a unique case.

Most people develop their physical abilities first, then train their mental fortitude. She’s walking the exact opposite path.

“If it gets too hard, let us know anytime. We’ll rest immediately.”

“No, I can’t have you two inconvenienced because of me…”

“A guard who can barely stand because of exhaustion is a liability. Understood?”

“Yes, I’ll work harder moving forward.”

With her motivation fully replenished, it looks like Kate will join Adelia and me for intense weekend workouts from now on.

“The more people you exercise with, the more motivated you become. Honestly, if it weren’t for Adelia, I probably wouldn’t have even left the dormitory.”

After our break time had passed and Kate had taken one last sip of water, I smiled at her and spoke kindly.

“Shall we start running again?”

“…Yes.”

Her expression remained the same, but the slight delay in her response indicated she was tired. This kind of strain is hard to get used to, after all.

Watching her show a more human side, I chuckled softly and began to move my legs.

Soon, Adelia stood beside me, running in step, while Kate followed behind, sweating profusely.

‘Honestly, there doesn’t seem to be much danger here.’

As we ran, I glanced around.

While taking short breaks might be uncertain, the distance between people shortened noticeably while we were running.

The academy is large, but there are just as many people exercising here as there are students like me.

Because of this, whenever someone ran toward us from the opposite direction, I made a light effort to avoid them.

Furthermore, bustling areas with frequent traffic weren’t part of our routine.

In other words, the likelihood of a demon worshipper launching an attack here was very low.

‘As long as I’m careful in crowded areas… a quick errand shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

It was just for a moment.

I figured it might be a good time to visit the shop since I needed to buy some parchment anyway.

For safety, I could ask Adelia for help, but I didn’t want to bother her unnecessarily.

‘Let’s finish running for about 30 more minutes and then…’

Thud—

“Ugh.”

Was I too distracted by my thoughts? Or did I fail to notice a protruding rock in the path?

Something caught my foot, and in an instant, my balance tipped forward.

At this rate, I was about to kiss the ground.

Grab!

But that didn’t happen. The moment my balance tipped forward, someone grabbed my clothes and stopped me from falling.

Not just one hand but two.

Judging by the situation, it had to be Adelia and Kate, both catching me at the same time.

“Are you okay?”

“Are you alright? That startled me.”

As expected.

While it wasn’t surprising for Adelia, I was a bit taken aback that even the struggling Kate reacted quickly.

After regaining my balance with their help, I gave an embarrassed smile. This was just a minor mishap caused by my momentary distraction.

“Sorry about that. I was lost in thought for a bit.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Just… stuff.”

I dodged the question, fearing Adelia might scold me if I explained.

She briefly made a suspicious face but soon placed her hands on her hips and spoke.

“Let’s take a short break here. It’s about time for a rest anyway. Kate, you agree, don’t you?”

“I wholeheartedly agree.”

“Seems like Kate is the one who needs the break more.”

“Embarrassingly enough, I admit I’m not strong enough yet, so I welcomed the suggestion.”

Kate’s honest admission made Adelia and me chuckle lightly.

A refreshing breeze blew past, helping to cool us down a bit.

While Kate received a water bottle from Adelia, I looked around again.

This area wasn’t crowded; it was mostly used by people exercising.

The route had few buildings, lined on both sides with tall trees—a peaceful path perfect for walking or jogging.

These cherry blossom trees, I remembered, became breathtakingly beautiful in spring.

As I moved slightly away from the group and walked toward a tree, the thought of cherries came to mind.

It wasn’t odd, considering the cherry blossoms.

‘Come to think of it, weren’t these cherry trees brought here by Cherry’s family?’

I think so. It’s said that cherry blossom trees of this size only grow in the Roseberry household, Cherry’s family.

While the others rested, I looked around.

A few people noticed me during their walks or workouts and appeared startled.

When I offered them a light nod, they didn’t seem to know how to respond, which I found amusing.

I might enjoy this reaction more often.

As the peaceful break went on and we prepared to resume running, suddenly—

“Ugh…!”

“Huh?”

Out of nowhere, a groan reached my ears from ahead.

This was a quiet walking path, where only those exercising or strolling were usually present. Naturally, even faint sounds carried clearly.

Turning toward the source, I was shocked. It was an abrupt, unexpected scene.

Thud!

A man collapsed, clutching his chest near his heart.

He didn’t even stagger; he just crumpled to the ground.

“Ahhh!”

“Someone, help…!”

“Is there a priest here?!”

As the man fell, chaos erupted among the bystanders.

Panic spread, leaving everyone frozen and unsure of what to do.

Upon witnessing this, I immediately turned to Kate.

She wore a solemn expression as she approached the man swiftly.

It looked like a heart attack, but with a priest present, recovery wouldn’t be an issue. After all, Kate was a cardinal.

Still, I couldn’t help but be curious.

How would they handle a heart attack here? Would they use holy power to heal it?

As I took a step forward, suddenly—

Whizz—

A sharp sound sliced through the air like something tearing through the wind.

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