[ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]
[ Skill level up: Adaptive Physiology ]
[ Skill level up: Hardy Constitution ]
[ Skill level up: Temperature Adaptation ]
[ Skill level up: Optimized Breathing ]
[ Skill level up: Efficient Digestion ]
[ Skill level up: Accelerated Recovery ]
Shocked by the sudden change, Brax looked at the notifications, his heart beating faster. Hope grew inside him as he focused on the skills again.
<hr>
Skill: Adaptive Physiology (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% adaptation to T1 environmental stressors</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Hardy Constitution (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% resistance to T1 adverse physical effects</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Temperature Adaptation (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% resistance to T1 temperature variations</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Optimized Breathing (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% improvement to T1 breathing efficiency.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Nutrient Optimization (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% improvement to T1 dietary deficiencies.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Accelerated Recovery (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% improvement to T1 healing speed.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Metabolic Efficiency (Least, Lv.2)
<ul>
<li>Grants a 2% efficiency to T1 resource usage and waste management.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Just like that, he felt some hope once again, because if these skills improved quickly, then there was a chance that these could help him survive this dark situation. At the same time, he was confused as to why the skills leveled up so quickly; maybe it had something to do with why the skills were classified as Least?
<hr>
Classification: Least
<ul>
<li>All skills are ranked by their level of effective influence, with "least" being the lowest possible rank. At this level, they can only affect T1 systems and have a restricted total output, limiting their overall impact. They also have the highest growth rate of all skills and are the most likely to mutate.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Weak skills improved the fastest, which made sense to Brax. But their tendency to mutate? That part was less clear. For now, he set that question aside and focused on tiers first.
<hr>
Classification: Tiers
<ul>
<li>Tiers are a standardized ranking of energy and complexity. As the tier increases, both factors scale in a non-linear manner, leading to exponentially greater power and intricacy at higher levels.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Tier: 1
<ul>
<li>The first and lowest tier, Tier 1, represents the most basic level of energy and complexity. Skills, abilities, and systems at this tier operate on a small scale, affecting only localized environments, simple mechanisms, or individual entities.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
T1 temperature resistance is clearly not very effective, as it only provides minor protection against small temperature fluctuations. On the other hand, the increased growth rate, combined with Brax’s additional bonuses, must be interacting synergistically, accelerating his improvement at an impressive pace. After finally grasping the cause of the change, he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and resumed walking.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Step after step he went until he heard the first sound aside from the sounds he’s made since he got here, a deep rumbling in the earth. He stilled his movement and listened. His feet felt vibrations in the ground, and his hand felt them in the wall. With nothing he could do but wait, he crouched down, stayed still, and hoped it would end.
As he crouched there, the stone rough against his skin, the unnatural warmth within his bones gradually intensified; a contrasting sensation of cold remained, creating a bizarre mix of hot and cold that left him feeling sick.
[ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]
His breath hitched. A sinking feeling settled in his chest. The heat in his bones wasn’t just discomfort—it was the physical manifestation of mana toxicity. And for some reason the earth rumbling came with an increase in the mana levels. Opening up conditions revealed the truth.
<hr>
Condition: Mana Toxicity T1
You are in an area with extremely high ambient mana. Since your body is not adapted to withstand such intense energy, it is gradually sustaining damage.
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Damages health by 1.1 per hour </li>
</ul>
<hr>
And just like that, he lost hours of his life; as dread and hopelessness set in, he crouched down and waited. Hoping the rumbling would end.
[ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]
After an unknown amount of time, they finally stopped, and with a small amount of relief in his otherwise weary heart, he slowly stood up once again and began walking.
By now he had started to feel thirsty and a little hungry. But with nothing to have and nothing behind him, his only option was to continue his search for something—anything.
Step after step he took, and few things changed; the earth did not rumble, and he found no water or food. Every step was like the last; time had no meaning where there was no light or other ways to keep track of the time other than the occasional skill level up or decrease in his health, but eventually he slowed. He was exhausted and needed to lie down and recover.
He felt around until he found a place against the wall that wasn’t too uncomfortable and decided to take a short nap before continuing his journey through the dark.
As he lay there, he turned his eyes to the available skills once again.
<hr>
Available skills:
<ul>
<li>Water Conservation</li>
<li>Nutrient Conservation</li>
<li>Energy Conservation</li>
<li>Enhanced Awareness</li>
<li>Survival Instinct</li>
<li>Metabolic Control</li>
</ul>
<hr>
He selected all the skills, not expecting them to make a significant difference but knowing that each one might buy him a little more time. He had no illusions about his chances, but anything that could give him even a few more hours was worth taking.
<hr>
Skill: Water Conservation (Least, Lv.1)
<ul>
<li>Reduces water loss and usage.</li>
</ul>
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Grants a 1% reduction to T1 water deficiency</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Nutrient Conservation (Least, Lv.1)
<ul>
<li>Reduces nutrient loss and usage.</li>
</ul>
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Grants a 1% reduction to T1 nutrient deficiency</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Energy Conservation (Least, Lv. 1)
<ul>
<li>Reduces energy loss and usage.</li>
</ul>
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Grants a 1% reduction to T1 energy deficiency</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Enhanced Awareness (Least, Lv.1)
<ul>
<li>Heightened perception of the environment </li>
</ul>
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Grants a 1% improvement to T1 environmental awareness </li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Survival Instinct (Least, Lv. 1)
<ul>
<li>Instinctively access the network for survival information.</li>
</ul>
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Grants a 1% improvement to T1 survival instinct</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Skill: Metabolic Control (Least, Lv.1)
<ul>
<li>Allows minor control over metabolism to conserve energy during starvation.</li>
</ul>
Affects:
<ul>
<li>Grants a 1% increase to T1 metabolic energy consumption</li>
</ul>
<hr>
After carefully reading through the list of skills, he let out a slow breath, closed his eyes, and rested his head against the rough stone wall of the cave. The air was still and dry, heavy with the scent of dust and ancient rock. Darkness stretched out in every direction, pressing in around him like a silent observer.
As the last few hours played through his mind, his thoughts drifted toward the future. How much farther would he have to go? Would he find a way out? Would he have the strength to keep moving when the time came?
Eventually, he started to think of his apartment, and he wondered what was happening back home; were people looking for him? Was his body lying in a broken Subaru on the side of the road?
The silence of the cave gave no comfort, no reassurance, only an empty stillness that made his worries feel heavier.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook him. He slipped into a fitful, dreamless sleep, the cold rock at his back and the endless dark stretching on around him.