Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, trying to feel the changes in my body after receiving the enhancement. While I couldn't measure exactly how much stronger I had become, I knew that my senses were sharper than ever. The sounds of insects that were once distant now became clearer, and my sense of smell had improved significantly.
When I opened my eyes, I focused on a small point on the wooden wall. Despite being at a certain distance and the room being dark due to the lack of openings, I could see it clearly thanks to my enhanced vision and the Night Vision skill.
While the others were still undergoing their improvements, I decided to go out and test my skills and see how much my physique had changed. Heading towards the river, I ran at full speed, feeling the cool breeze on my face as I covered hundreds of meters until I reached it. Despite the unevenness of the path, I didn't feel tired when I arrived, not even a single drop of sweat escaped my face.
During my run, I noticed that my steps were lighter and more agile. The physical improvement I had undergone this time seemed to be much better than the last bottleneck to level 10.Furthermore, my racial characteristics had also been enhanced.
My racial characteristics and physique had been improved. I didn't understand the difference between the two physical enhancements I received, but it seemed that every aspect of my body had been enhanced.
Why can't the system explanations be clearer?
Walking up to the riverbank, I stopped to look at my reflection. Although my ordinary face was still the same, my skin was clearly smoother and more radiant. It was as if I had just come out of a spa.
Does this mean that if I continue to strengthen myself, I'll become as handsome as the women and have jade-like skin like the protagonists in Wuxia?
Just thinking about the possibility, I involuntarily felt shivers down my spine.
"Dear system, please don't let that happen," I prayed as I clasped my hands together.
Since I hadn't taken a bath yesterday and was already at the river, I decided to wash myself. Unlike my face, the rest of my body didn't remain the same. When I took off my clothes to bathe in the river, the almost non-existent muscles in my body were now slightly more defined. Even my flat abdomen had gained a faint six-pack mark.
As I observed my reflection in the water, I noticed that I seemed a bit taller than before, but I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination. Unfortunately, I had no way to measure myself, so I couldn't confirm anything.
Still in the area of things that had grown, there was a certain part of me that I could definitely say had gained a few extra centimeters.
"Was that some kind of hint saying that what I had before was insufficient?" Despite my murmur, there was no response from the system.
***
After bathing in the river, I began testing my new skills, starting with the active ones. Since I had already used Night Vision and seen its effectiveness, I moved on to the next one, the evolution of Body Reinforcement: Physical Strength, Super Strength.
It's just my opinion, but I think it would be cooler if it were called Herculean Strength. Anyway, when I activated it, I felt my whole body tense up, and I could sense that I was at least twice as strong. This goes far beyond the previous form of the skill.
However, with the increase in strength also comes a significant increase in the strain on my body. In the pre-evolution stage, I only felt fatigue, but now, even without using the skill for long, my muscles become tense and sore.
Interestingly, the amount of mana consumed is extremely small, much less than before. Perhaps it only serves as a trigger for activation. On the other hand, the duration I can maintain the skill activated depends entirely on my physical body.
To my surprise, I found that I can only keep it active for a maximum of 30 seconds before the pain forces me to deactivate it.
Initially, this worried me because if this already happened with the mastery at 0%, when it reaches 100% it would certainly be too much of a burden for my body to bear. However, I discovered something interesting: when I use the skill, I can control the power output.
Thanks to this, instead of going all out and harming myself, I can simply use the necessary amount according to the situation.
The next skill I tested was Body Reinforcement: Speed, and I found that it not only increases the speed of my legs but of my entire body.
Despite that, I believe I still can't match Usagi's speed before she started evolving.
Well, despite not being an absurd increase in speed, it is very useful.
When it comes to the passive skills, the first one I looked at was Toxin Resistance. I probably obtained it from eating those small purple fruits. As the name is self-explanatory, I refrained from testing it.
The next one, Reinforced Memory, in its description stated that I would be able to remember everything I have seen or heard. When I tried to put it into practice, I was indeed able to recall all the things I learned at school, including things from my childhood and even random things I saw on TV.
I'm not sure, but I think this skill came because I often use the memory palace technique.
However, despite being a passive skill, it's not like it makes me remember everything all the time. It only comes into play when I want to remember something specific. More specifically, it's like I can search things in my own memory. Like a Google with a database limited to the information contained in my brain.
It seems that nothing is impossible in a fantasy world.
It reminds me that, just like Cooking, Reinforced Memory was on the list shown to me by Shadow-san's sphere. These were two of the five skills marked with a golden star.
With Self-Taught and Animal Trainer being transformed into unique skills, I'm left with four out of the five star-marked skills. The remaining one was Masturbation Master. Although I felt a bit tempted to acquire all five star abilities, I quickly gave up on the idea.
Returning to Reinforced Memory, while contemplating the things I could do using this skill, something came to mind.
Situations like the one that happened between me and Rin. The event of that night was something I participated in, but I wasn't in my normal state, to the point that I don't remember anything. In such cases, would the skill be able to recall it?
To satisfy my curiosity, I tried to remember, and in the next instant, all I could do was cover my face while my ears burned with embarrassment.
I must say, I was quite daring and wild...
Trying to forget what I just remembered, I quickly moved on to the next skill, Combatant. It is where my sword mastery and all the experience I gained with the sword were incorporated.
From what I understand, the skill can accumulate and store the experience gained with any weapon or simply hand-to-hand combat. The accumulated experiences can enhance one another.
In the short term, it won't make much of a difference, but I'm sure in the long run, it may end up being one of the best combat-related skills I have.
And lastly, the skill I was most delighted to acquire, Magic Manipulation. Unfortunately, it's not as I imagined it to be.
The skill doesn't help me immediately use magic. It's more like a support skill. To put it simply, it's as if I learn from my mistakes.
Of course, that's how it normally works, but the skill was not that simple. It was something like a learning boost that allowed me to retain and accumulate the knowledge I gained while manipulating magic. Thus, it was practically impossible to make the same mistake twice.
With an idea in my mind, I tried to use Reinforced Memory in conjunction with Magic Manipulation. Bringing forth the knowledge I acquired during the practical training of the Magic Arrow spell, I attempted to incorporate that experience into Magic Manipulation. To my delight, it was completely possible.
By doing so, I felt like I could cast the spell at any moment. I briefly closed my eyes, visualized the spell, and tried to cast it. However, even with the help of the skill, it wasn't an easy task, and I failed in the five attempts I made.
Despite the failures, I was still happy.
Thanks to these unsuccessful attempts, I discovered that Magic Manipulation enhanced my experience by using existing knowledge. It was like muscle memory that corrected my mistakes with each attempt.
Knowing that, I decided to use Reinforced Memory again, bringing forth the knowledge I acquired from the magic book. Additionally, I also incorporated the failed experiences from all the spells I attempted, apart from Magic Arrow.
"This is incredible!" I couldn't contain my voice. "I feel like a character clad in the armor of a story's plot."
With confidence overflowing from every pore of my body, I raised my hand with the palm facing up and tried to cast Magic Arrow again.
With confidence overflowing through my pores, I raised my hand with the palm facing up and attempted to cast Magic Arrow again.
"Oh, mystical energy that surrounds me always-"
As I began chanting the spell, a clear blue formless energy started gathering above my hand.
"Bestow thy grace upon me and lend me thy power-"
As I continued with the chant, the energy took the form of a long, slender shaft that seemed to be at least 40 centimeters long.
"So that I may battle and vanquish mine enemies-"
At that moment, the tip of the slender shaft immediately transformed into the point of an arrow.
Raising my hand while aiming at a nearby tree, I dramatically recited the final part as I targeted my aim.
"Magic Arrow!"
With my cry, the arrow shot forward.
*Swoosh*
With a sound that seemed to cut through the wind, the arrow missed my target and pierced the tree further back, where it remained lodged for a few seconds before slowly fading away.
*Ding*
---
Magic Arrow has been added to the new spell tab.
---
"Yes!"
Unable to contain my joy, I shouted with all my might.
"I finally did it!"