Chapter Nine

Sweat glistened in the sun as he leaned against a tree once again to absorb the experience of his enemies. His whole body ached with the effort he had put into training, it felt like he had been here for an entire day, yet when he looked at his phone he noticed that it was only 3:00AM. "It's only been three hours since I started?"

Jason got up from the tree as soon as he felt the experience settle within his body. He clenched his hand and flexed. Feeling the power course within him, he smiled. Looking at his phone, he checked his stats.

'Current Level: 4

EXP: 450/4,500

HP: 65

MP: 125

STM: 65

Armor Rating: 8

Current Skills:

English Scribe: Intermediate

Cooking: Beginner

Cardio: Beginner

Hunter: Beginner

Hand to Hand Combat: Beginner

Sword Skill: Beginner

Spellbook:

Novice Fire: level 0.0

Novice Water: level 0.0

Novice Wind: level 0.0

Novice Earth: level 0.0

Novice Light: level 0.1

Novice Dark: level 0.0

Novice Time: level 0.0

EXP Bonus: 20%

EXP to next Level: 3,000

Spells Unlocked:

Temporal Shift: Mastery: 100%

Arcane Thrust: Mastery: 1.10%

Mana Saber: 1.00%

Hurricane Kick: Mastery: 0.80%

Flash Heal: Mastery: 1.00%

Revive: Mastery: 0.00%

Other spells may be unlocked upon experimentation and advancement in rank.

INT:11

STR:11

VIT:8

AGI:8

WIS:12

DEF:8

'You currently have 5 attribute points to distribute.'

Balance: $33,959'

The gains he had gotten from the day of training felt almost comical to him. Seeing his health, mana and stamina only going up 5 only made him annoyed. It was almost cheating him from the effort he put into it.

When Jason started the training, he had activated his mana saber and threw himself at the rabbits. With all of the scolding he had received from Selena during his first visit, he kept using Temporal Shift to keep distance from his enemies. With the ability, if he timed it correctly he could appear behind his enemy and decapitate it before they noticed. Though with his low agility, it was more luck than skill to pull it off. It was embarrassing thinking that a small mammal had more than him.

Looking at the attribute points, he decided to save them. Though he could boost them now, he might regret it later as he did last time. He intended to save the attribute points until he was well rested and in the right mind to add them. Though he knew some had to go into his INT and WIS. Using the mana saber for his main weapon was a good idea. Though the attack power was less than the crude rusty sword he started with at first, as he used it and gained an understanding of the spell, it increased in power. The downside was how long he had to wait for his mana to replenish between fights. Though his level was still low and his mana regeneration only needed five minutes to replenish from empty, that was still a long time. If he were attacked before it was restored, his mana would be a third of the way depleted, leaving less for his Temporal Shift or Flash Heal.

If he was going full mage, he would need more mana and mana regeneration, but he knew he would also need agility for his defense. With all of this in mind, he knew now was not the time to focus on the distribution.

Jason smiled when he saw his finances went up almost another thousand just in a few hours of training. If he continued, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine being a millionaire in a year, yet when he thought back to the weapon prices, he knew that a million still wasn't considered a lot within this new reality he found himself in. Sighing, he exited the dungeon and found himself back on his bed.

"If I keep this up, I should be able to match if not surpass Selena before long." Jason's mind wandered through the possibilities. "She did say that my longevity would increase per level, I wonder just how long I could live if I continue to strive forward."

There were too many possibilities to think of in just a few hours. He knew Selena would be up early waiting for him, so he decided it would be easier to think with a clear head. Sleeping, even just for a few hours, would be beneficial. He still had to see his grandfather sometime this week, as well as train. He was only level 4 so far, and still couldn't truly understand the gap in power between himself and someone who had been a part of the system for longer.

As those thoughts swirled around in his head, he still somehow found peace enough for him to fall asleep.

"Pace yourself, Jason. Eventually, everything will fall on you." Selena leaned against the doorframe. She was impressed by her new friend's resolve. If he had just gone to sleep, she would have worried that the Temporal Tome truly had just chosen someone in order to get on with it, but now, she knew it could have only been destiny that brought the two of them together.