At the top of the mountain, shrouded in darkness, Noah grabbed a piece of tree bark before lighting it on fire using his fire manipulation skill.
He had just levelled up the skill today, and it was already proving useful. Even if its use was only to light up a tree bark.
The flas danced in the cool mountain air, creating a more serene atmosphere while providing additional vision for Noah. While he could see reasonably well in this darkness thanks to his high attributes, more light never hurt, especially at this elevation, where the thin air made everything feel more ethereal.
The makeshift torch cast flickering shadows across the rocky terrain as Noah positioned himself at the mountain’s peak. From this vantage point, he gazed down at the landscape far below, marvelling at how everything appeared so small from this height. He could see the warm lights emanating from the resort dozens of ters down the mountainside, their golden glow creating a beautiful contrast against the dark wilderness surrounding them.
The sight was truly breathtaking—a perfect reminder of how his perspective had changed in every conceivable way since acquiring the system. Just as his physical position now allowed him to see the world from heights he had never imagined reaching, his new capabilities had elevated him far beyond what he had previously thought possible.
A satisfied smile ford on his face as he prepared to test his new mana control advancent in an environnt where he could unleash his full power without restraint or observation. The isolation of the mountain peak provided the perfect testing ground for understanding exactly how much his magical capabilities had transford.
While the visual representation in his system status showed his intelligence had increased three tis over, jumping from 90 to 270 points, Noah wanted to experience the difference firsthand through practical application rather than simply looking at nurical values.
He began the process of forming mana around his body, imdiately noticing dramatic improvents in every aspect of his magical manipulation. The accumulation of energy was significantly faster than before, thanks to the new pathways he had painstakingly created during his advancent training. The enhanced circulation allowed mana to flow through his system with unprecedented efficiency.
The mana itself felt different—purer and more condensed than anything he had previously achieved. Compared to now, his magical energy had once felt sowhat diluted and difficult to control with precision; it now responded to his will like an extension of his own body, dense with potential and eager to be shaped according to his intentions.
His reserves had expanded dramatically beyond what the simple nurical increase would suggest. The new pathways didn’t just provide additional storage capacity; they created a more sophisticated magical infrastructure that could support exponentially more complex and powerful techniques than his previous capabilities had allowed.
Noah focused his enhanced abilities and ford a wind blade with ease, the compressed air taking shape with a form and density that would have been impossible before his advancent. The technique that had once required more concentration and effort now felt much easier to perform.
He sent the razor-sharp construct toward one of the large boulders scattered across the mountain peak, curious to test the practical difference in his offensive capabilities.
Slice!
The massive boulder didn’t crack or chip as it would have under his previous attacks—it split cleanly in half as if it were made of soft butter rather than solid stone. The wind blade had carved through the dense rock without any resistance, leaving perfectly smooth surfaces that reflected the torchlight like polished mirrors.
Noah stared at the severed boulder with genuine amazent. His previous strength wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a clean cut through solid stone. At best, he might have managed to crack the boulder’s surface or create so structural damage, but completely bisecting it with accuracy represented a qualitative leap in power that had t his expectations.
The difference between cracking stone and slicing through it cleanly was enormous from a technical standpoint. Creating fractures required brute force, but achieving clean cuts demanded perfect control over both power and precision—exactly the kind of technique that his new mana pathways and enhanced intelligence made possible.
After testing out his mana control skill for nearly ten minutes, Noah started to descend down the mountain. The dramatic improvent in his capabilities had given him a clear understanding of just how much stronger he had beco, and continuing the testing session seed unnecessary given the results he had already achieved.
He used his wind manipulation skill to extinguish the fire on the tree bark torch, carefully controlling the air currents to smother the flas completely. Just in case things went wrong, he wanted to ensure no embers remained that could potentially start a forest fire on the mountainside. His high-level skill in controlling the wind elent made the task effortless, allowing him to snuff out every trace of fla without damaging the surrounding vegetation.
Whilst it was dangerous to go down the mountain at such low visibility, Noah had no problems. His high attributes ant he could move with confidence even in the darkness, his enhanced senses providing perfect awareness of his footing and surroundings.
Down in the resort, Noah encountered a few competitors who were still awake despite the late hour. They offered him genuine wishes of good luck for the finals tomorrow, their expressions carrying respect earned through his performance during the entire tournant.
The camaraderie among the fighters had grown stronger as the competition progressed, with most participants recognising the skill and dedication required to reach the final match.
Noah thanked them curtly with a nod while continuing toward his room in the resort. He appreciated their support, but his mind remained focused on tomorrow’s confrontation with Kenzo. The friendly interactions felt sowhat surreal given what he was planning for Kenzo.
During the entire event, Noah didn’t spot Kenzo at all, as if he had vanished.
Rather than returning to the other world, more specifically, his shop for additional training, Noah decided to take the rest of the day off from advancent activities. The decision felt unusual given his typical dedication to constant improvent, but he recognised that his body and mind needed rest after the intensive magical developnt he had been pursuing recently.
He had been training really hard for many consecutive hours across two worlds, pushing both his physical and magical capabilities to their absolute limits. The relentless pursuit of power had finally reached a point where it was having a backlash effect on his overall well-being. Even with his enhanced vitality and magical constitution, he was experiencing the ntal fatigue that ca from sustained high-intensity training.
The burnout was more psychological than physical—his enhanced body could have continued the training indefinitely, but his mind craved a return to simpler, more familiar activities that didn’t require constant focus and advancent planning.
Thus, Noah decided to simply lie down in his futon and experience so aspects of his previous life that he had largely abandoned since acquiring the system. The simple pleasure of relaxation without purpose felt almost foreign after weeks of constant goal-oriented activity, but he recognised its necessity for maintaining his ntal health.
He retrieved his phone and began scrolling through various content, allowing his mind to process mundane information without any specific objective beyond entertainnt. The familiar rhythm of casual internet browsing felt comforting in its purposelessness, providing a ntal break from the constant strategic planning that had dominated his recent thoughts.
During his scrolling, Noah’s mind wandered toward more familiar entertainnt options. Let check streams, see if there is anything good going on. The thought of watching live content felt appealing.
Inside the streaming app, he was imdiately presented with recomnded channels based on his previous viewing history and current trending content. Most of the suggestions looked fairly typical—gaming streams, music performances, and various talk shows that might provide decent background entertainnt.
Then his eyes widened as he recognised soone very familiar among the recomnded strears.
"She is still streaming?!"
The surprise made his eyes widen as mories from his university days ca flooding back.
He rembered her really well—Sarah Parker—had been his classmate during their computer science program, soone he had shared multiple classes with over the course of their degree. They had worked on several group projects together and had maintained a casual friendship throughout their academic years.
Back in university, Sarah had always talked about her dreams of becoming a successful content creator, though most people had dismissed it as an unrealistic fantasy. She had been passionate about gaming and technology, often streaming her gaplay sessions to tiny audiences while balancing her coursework and part-ti jobs.
Noah hadn’t thought about her in years, having lost touch after graduation when life pulled them in different directions. He had been too focused on his own financial struggles and his father’s dical bills to maintain most of his university friendships, and social dia connections had gradually faded into distant mories.
Seeing her na and profile picture among the recomnded streams brought back a rush of nostalgia mixed with curiosity.
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