It was still a Tuesday morning, and outside Jake's apartment, the world bustled with various activities. However, inside, he felt the pressure of the two days of immediate practice ahead of him. By Thursday, he would finally enter his first dungeon since being transmigrated into this world. This also marked the beginning of his journey to overcome Joo-Hee's instinctive fear of dungeons and monsters.
Sitting cross-legged on the semi-cold floor of his apartment, Jake took a moment to prepare himself. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, focusing on warming up his mana as he circulated it according to his mental instructions.
Suddenly, his concentration was interrupted by a notification from his system, accompanied by a vibrant yellow interface that popped into view.
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[You have received an immediate quest!]
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[Training Quest]
[Rebuilding the Fragment of the Former Power]
- Objective: Increase your mana pool and train your skills effectively before entering your first dungeon.
- Initial Reward: Enlarged mana pores and faster mana recovery for 3 days
- Penalty: None
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Jake jolted slightly, feeling a tingle shoot through his body as the notification disrupted his energy flow. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to throw him to mana deviation.
After a deep sigh, he opened his eyes and smiled gratefully at the notification. "Finally, the system is doing its job," he said to himself as he pitied his current predicament. Without hesitation, he clicked ACCEPT. "I mean, who would decline such an opportunity?"
As soon as he confirmed, he felt a strange sensation wash over him, as if something inside and outside was stretching. He inhaled deeply, feeling an influx of energy fill his lungs, making his breathing more efficient than usual.
Kneeling again into a lotus position, he resumed circulating his energy, and soon he could sense that his mana channels had widened, allowing for a faster flow of mana through his core.
"Alright," he thought, "I better practice outside to maximize this benefit. Practicing here would only make my progress slow." Jake decided that the nearby park where he usually goes for a jog would suffice as he doesn't know any place besides that one and to avoid wasting his time by transportation.
After packing the necessary items—though he left his wooden sword behind, focusing on practicing his magic instead—Jake made his way to the park. It was still early morning, and the few people present didn't pose any disturbances. "This is good," he muttered. "I can practice my skills here without interruptions."
Once he found a shaded area slightly hidden from view, Jake sat down and began to circulate his energy again for a couple of minutes to get used to the fast flow of mana in his enlarged temporary mana pores.
"I'm getting the hang of it now, let's start with Nature's Embrace first," he whispered. As he focused and uttered silently, "Nature's Embrace", information about the skill popped into his mind, guiding him to create a green simple, smooth, and yet thin barrier.
With his faster mana recovery, Jake felt more confident and began to experiment, gradually trying to thicken the barrier.
For the next hour, he diligently practiced, focusing on manipulating the barrier's thickness and stability. As he concentrated, he could feel the mana flowing more easily through his channels, responding to his will.
He tested various forms, shaping the barrier into different patterns and sizes, from a thin veil that shimmered in the sunlight to a more robust shield that felt solid and protective.
He marveled at how quickly he was able to adapt to the changes, realizing that the faster mana recovery allowed him to experiment without fear of depleting his energy. With each iteration, he felt his control improving, as if the barrier were an extension of himself.
After an hour of focused practice, a notification suddenly appeared in front of him, disrupting his concentration but filling him with excitement:
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[You have gained enough proficiency. Nature's Embrace has reached level 3.]
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He gained proficiency faster than he thought, and after nearly four hours of practice, Jake felt the strain of his skills pushing against their limits.
His body seemed to be absorbing the mana in his surroundings, but he could sense that his mana was running low. Glancing at his stats, he saw the following:
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MP: 12/290
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"I can't afford to push any further," he muttered to himself, recognizing the potential aftereffects of mana depletion. It was time for a different approach. He decided to practice his Basic Meditation, focusing on enhancing his mana recovery.
In just two hours, he felt the familiar rush of replenished energy, and his mana was full again. However, his stomach grumbled, reminding him of his earlier exertions. He quickly grabbed some of the food he had packed and finished it within minutes, not wanting to waste any more time—after all, it was already almost 2 PM.
Rejuvenated, Jake resumed his training, this time focusing on his defensive skills. He had an idea: instead of creating a smooth, all-encompassing barrier, he wanted to conserve mana by forming a smaller version. His plan was to create a floating hexagonal helix barrier that would only cover a specific part of his body rather than encasing himself entirely.
With a deep breath, he set to work, visualizing the structure in his mind. However, as he attempted to create the barrier, he quickly discovered that visualizing a perfect and symmetrical hexagon was more challenging than he had anticipated.
He squinted, focusing intently on the image in his head, but just as he was on the verge of forming it, a notification from the system suddenly disrupted his concentration.
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[You have gained enough proficiency. Nature's Embrace has reached level 4.]
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Though Jake felt a twinge of annoyance because of the sudden ping as he almost formed the helix, he was still ultimately grateful; the notification indicated that his efforts to create a new form of the barrier were paying off, increasing his proficiency.
With the newfound capabilities and inherited information of his level 4 Nature's Embrace, he focused on visualizing the hexagon helix green fragment barrier in his palm. Closing his eyes, he concentrated deeply, and within a couple of minutes, he slowly managed to conjure a single floating barrier.
"Finally!" he exclaimed, a triumphant smile spreading across his face as he boasted the floating helix in his palm to his self. "Okay, enough of that. Let's practice my Verdant Growth now and aim for level 4, just like my other skills."
There, Jake knelt down and touched the ground, feeling the life pulse beneath him like he always does when using this skill. This time, he chose to focus on quantity rather than quality.
He channeled his mana into the grass surrounding him, infusing it to accelerate its growth. He could feel the energy coursing through him, and he visualized the roots digging deeper as the leaves sprouted and flourished.
Time slipped away as he immersed himself in the process. For the next two hours, he worked diligently, pouring his mana into the earth, and observing the transformation of the plants around him.
It was almost 7 PM when he finally paused, realizing he had lost track of time. With a slight frown, he checked his status, hoping to see that Verdant Growth had leveled up.
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- Verdant Growth (Skill Level 3 - 64%): Manipulation of plants and nature, enabling the user to control and accelerate plant growth.
- Basic Meditation (Skill Level 3 - 49%): Enhances the user's ability to sense and manipulate internal mana, aiding in the recovery of magic power and increasing the effectiveness of other mana-based skills.
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Jake then tidied up his surroundings, especially the overgrown grass, to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. As he touched the ground, it was as though he commanded the grass to return to its normal state. The once wildly growing plants calmed and shrank back, restoring the area to its usual appearance.
Looking around, Jake smiled to himself, noticing the significant progress he'd made in just a single day of training. His enlarged mana pores and faster mana recovery had worked wonders, allowing him to practice longer and more intensely than ever before.
"Not bad," he thought, feeling a sense of accomplishment.