Chapter 64: Last One (Buy Privilege Please)

It was morning now.

The shed was comfortably cool, with a gentle breeze circulating through the open windows. Kyle was still sleeping deeply, completely unconcerned with the world around him. A thin trail of drool slid down the side of his face, one leg hung off the couch while the other rested awkwardly on top of it, and his arms were sprawled in completely random directions.

Outside the shed, birds chirped melodiously while the sounds of wild animals echoed throughout the forest. Monkeys could occasionally be heard calling from somewhere among the trees, accompanied by the soft rustling of leaves whenever the breeze passed through them. The rhythmic sounds created a strangely peaceful and comforting atmosphere.

It was the beginning of Kyle’s fourth day in the forest.

He had already trained two of his three skills to a considerable degree of proficiency. The only one remaining was Earth Shield, which, like Water Prison, had a relatively simple learning curve when it came to proficiency and mastery.

Well, it wasn’t as if Kyle was particularly concerned about it at the moment.

He was still sleeping like a horse.

During his previous training, Kyle had discovered something important. Repeatedly consuming large amounts of mana and then restoring it in a short period of time placed considerable strain on his body.

Even though he was using magic, his mana was still connected to his physical body. Draining his entire mana pool and then immediately forcing himself to refill it again and again was exhausting.

He needed proper rest.

TRRRING!TRIINNG!

At exactly seven in the morning, his phone suddenly began ringing loudly.

Kyle had expected this.

Before going to sleep, he had already set an alarm so that he wouldn’t oversleep and then curse himself for wasting half the day.

There was just one problem. He was still asleep.

Fortunately, the shed came with a solar-powered rooftop, allowing his phone to recharge while sitting inside. There was plenty of sunlight outside, so keeping his phone charged wasn’t an issue.

Honestly, the shed was ridiculously convenient for its price.

It was a steal.

TRRING!TRRING!

The first alarm wasn’t enough.

The phone continued ringing, producing an increasingly irritating noise that could probably have awakened even Kumbhakarna.

But Kyle remained completely indifferent.

He continued sleeping peacefully as if the alarm didn’t even exist.

After five minutes, the alarm finally stopped.

Silence returned.

For approximately ten minutes.

TRIIRING!TRIRING!

The alarm started again.

Apparently, Kyle’s phone had decided that if the first attempt failed, persistence was the answer.

Once again, Kyle didn’t move.

Five minutes passed. The alarm continued screaming.

TRIRING!TRIRING!TRIRING!

"Grrhhh!"

Kyle finally groaned.

The noise had finally managed to penetrate whatever heavenly realm he had been sleeping in.

His face twisted in irritation as he reached blindly toward the phone.

"Shut up! I get it! I’m waking up..."

Click.

At around 7:30 a.m., the alarm was finally silenced.

Kyle slowly stood up and stretched his body.

Yawn.

The cool, fresh air entering through the windows immediately helped wake him up.

Still, he couldn’t stop another yawn from escaping as he stretched his aching body like an old man who had just gotten out of bed.

After another hour, Kyle was finally ready.

He had taken a shower in the small bathroom inside the shed and changed into fresh clothes. He still had absolutely no idea where the shed’s water supply came from, but he had long since decided not to question it.

If it worked, it worked.

There was no point in questioning the System’s conveniences.

"Alright."

Kyle walked outside and looked toward the forest.

"Earth Shield, let’s master you too now!"

His final remaining skill was Earth Shield, a simple defensive Earth-element technique.

Compared to Magic Missile and Water Prison, there wasn’t anything particularly complicated about it.

Its primary function was straightforward.

Create a wall of earth and that was it.

"Earth Shield!"

RUMBLE!

The ground in front of Kyle suddenly shook.

A massive wall rose from the earth.

It was roughly three meters tall and three meters wide, constructed from dirt, rocks, pebbles, and various other earthen materials. The wall was surprisingly thick, forming a sturdy barrier directly in front of him.

Kyle stared at it.

"That’s pretty damn big."

He hadn’t expected the first attempt to produce something so large.

Still, he wasn’t finished.

’Earth Shield.’

He mentally activated the skill.

RUMBLE!

Another massive wall rose from the ground.

This time, several nearby roots and small plants were uprooted as the earth surged upward.

Kyle blinked.

"Oh, I can actually do it without saying the name of the skill?"

He looked at the wall.

"I didn’t realize that."

Until now, he had been verbally announcing every skill like some protagonist shouting his attacks during a battle.

Apparently, that wasn’t necessary.

He could simply think about the skill and activate it.

"So I don’t actually have to shout the name every time."

Kyle grinned.

"That’s good."

He immediately began experimenting.

He played with width, height and thickness of the wall. He adjusted the density of the wall, testing how much material he could compress into the same space.

He tried creating smaller barriers and larger ones. He experimented with raising them faster and controlling exactly where they emerged from the ground.

The possibilities weren’t nearly as extensive as Magic Missile, but there was still enough for him to practice.

[Proficiency: 40%]

Kyle glanced at the notification.

"Already forty percent?"

His eyebrows rose.

He continued.

The hours passed as he repeatedly created and dismissed Earth Shields.

RUMBLE!

A wall rose.

RUMBLE!

Another appeared and the same way he played with it.

He tested how much mana was required for different configurations and gradually learned how to avoid wasting mana when creating unnecessary amounts of earth.

There simply wasn’t that much left to master.

Unlike Magic Missile, he didn’t have to experiment with trajectories, projectile shapes, speed, accuracy, or multiple independent attacks.

Earth Shield had one primary purpose.

Protect him.

And Kyle was becoming increasingly efficient at doing exactly that.

By afternoon, his proficiency had already climbed significantly.

By evening, he was standing in front of yet another massive earthen wall.

[Proficiency: 80%]

Kyle looked at the notification and nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright, that’s more than enough."

He had already gained roughly eighty percent proficiency in a single day.

Considering how simple the skill was compared to Magic Missile, it made sense.

Kyle had now spent four days in the forest, and during that time he had learned three completely different magical skills, experimented with mana, and significantly improved his understanding of magic.

He had accomplished what he came here to do or so he thought.

A System notification suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Contract Condition Fulfilled.]