Matthew looked at the notification before him, overjoyed.
The instructor's words echoed in his mind: “Bring your breathing technique, combat techniques, and physical body all up to standard. Your body will undergo a comprehensive strengthening, representing a leap in the very essence of your life.”
Just as the thought arose, a warm current welled up from deep within his body, like a long-dormant volcano suddenly erupting, instantly sweeping through his entire being.
Wherever the warm current passed, his muscles and bones felt as if they were being reshaped by an invisible hand, bringing a wave of intense tearing and burning sensations.
“Ngh?!”
Feeling the changes occurring inside him, Matthew let out a soft groan, but he quickly realized this was the transformation brought about by his breakthrough.
And the transformation was far from over...
Matthew could clearly feel every inch of his muscles contracting and relaxing violently. A dense, faint cracking sound echoed from deep within his bones, as if they were being forged and reshaped by an invisible force.
Just then, an even sharper, stinging pain surged from within.
Instead of resisting, Matthew relaxed his mind and body, letting the stinging pain spread throughout his entire frame!
Who knew how much time had passed.
The throbbing deep within Matthew's body gradually subsided, and the agonizing pain of the reconstruction gave way to a warm, lingering sensation.
Fine snow was still drifting down silently. The training field was quiet, save for the faint sound of snowflakes landing on withered branches and the ground.
Leaning against the large tree behind him, Matthew closed his eyes and focused his mind, carefully sensing the remnants of the warm current still flowing within.
Once the agonizing tearing and burning sensations receded, a solid, full sense of strength surged from his limbs and bones.
His arms, chest, core, and legs—every muscle group was visibly becoming thicker and tougher, as if every single fiber had been injected with a more potent vitality.
He could clearly feel the life energy flowing inside him growing increasingly abundant, like a warm and powerful river surging endlessly through his reshaped physical pathways.
Although Matthew's body no longer felt the intense pain of the reconstruction, the aftershocks of the transformation still echoed within him, bringing a peculiar, deeply satisfying tremor to both mind and body.
Matthew opened his eyes, thoughts racing in his mind:
“It worked... Is this the transformation of the Black Iron Rank?”
“The physical improvement is indeed remarkable. It seems the instructor's words about 'a leap in the essence of life' were no exaggeration. Now, relying on this body alone, I can easily crush my former self without needing any techniques.”
“And my total life energy has also increased significantly. I won't have to be so calculated when using 【Melting Slash】 from now on.”
“This makes operating around the forest outskirts much less risky. Even if I run into a pack of Shadow Wolves, I can unleash consecutive 【Melting Slash】 attacks. If I can successfully whittle down their numbers, I might even try to wipe them all out!”
At this thought, a smile tugged at the corner of Matthew's mouth. There was no other reason—who could resist the temptation of magical beast meat?
Then, another thought crossed Matthew's mind:
“Now that I've broken through to the Black Iron Rank, what are my exact physical stats?”
With a thought, the familiar black panel materialized before his eyes:
【Name: Matthew
Strength: 17.9 (+5), Agility: 14.2 (+5), Constitution: 17.9 (+5), Perception: 6, Spirit: 6.43
Skills: Basic Swordsmanship: Practiced (41/500) (+5)
White Snake Breathing Technique: Novice (58/500) (+2)
Melting Slash: Novice (1/100)】
As Matthew's gaze swept over the three attributes of Strength, Agility, and Constitution on the panel, his heart skipped a beat.
“Strength 17.9, Agility 14.2, Constitution 17.9... A flat increase of five whole points?!”
“Nearing 18 points!”
An immense wave of joy instantly flooded his heart.
This far surpassed any of his previous increases!
The “comprehensive strengthening” and “leap in the essence of life” that Instructor Calm had mentioned finally had a clear, quantified representation.
An increase of a full five points. No wonder Matthew felt like he could easily crush his former self.
“I wonder if I can match a Brass Rank expert now.”
Matthew clenched his fist, feeling the surging power rushing through his muscles and bones.
Instructor Calm had mentioned before that there was a massive chasm between ranks.
The Black Iron Rank was the starting point of the extraordinary, meaning one had completely stepped out of the realm of “ordinary humans,” possessing physical attributes and life energy far beyond those of normal people.
And!
The Brass Rank was an extraordinary rank higher than the Black Iron Rank, representing even greater strength, another “leap in life,” and a more pronounced difference in proficiency.
However, a strange hypothesis arose in Matthew's mind:
“I'm different from other Black Iron Rank holders. Most of my stats are granted by the panel, making my combat strength far superior to others at the same rank.”
“As for whether I can match them, I'll only know after an actual fight.”
Yet, alongside his joy, Matthew also noticed a trend:
“The attributes granted by the panel seem to... have some sort of ‘diminishing returns’ effect?”
“The stronger my physical body gets, the weaker the feedback from breaking through panel skills becomes.”
“But that's only natural.”
Matthew withdrew his gaze from the panel, understanding dawning on him:
“If I could endlessly learn new skills to farm attributes, wouldn't I become a true superman in no time?”
He immediately dismissed this opportunistic thought. Combining this with his previous observations, a clearer path of growth took shape in his mind:
“Jack of all trades, master of none. It seems the true core of the panel doesn't encourage me to cast a wide net and learn countless surface-level skills, but rather motivates me to hone a select few to their absolute limits.”
“The higher the proficiency, the stronger the feedback,” Matthew realized clearly. “Specialization is the right path.”
Only in this way could he maximize the potential of the panel.
Moreover, it would ensure the stability of his combat strength.
With these thoughts, Matthew stopped dwelling on the matter.
The joy of his promotion and a clear plan for the future were enough. What he needed to do now was return home and prepare to head into the forest to set up traps this afternoon.
After all, when Matthew was breaking through just now, his perception of the outside world had been blurred. He didn't know how much time had passed, and without a watch, he couldn't accurately tell the time.
“If I get the chance in the future, I should buy a watch...”
Fine snow continued to fall silently, and the training field remained quiet.
Matthew slowly stood up, the snow crunching softly beneath his feet.
He brushed the light snow from his shoulders and hair, took one last look at the training field that had witnessed his breakthrough, and turned onto the snowy path back to his wooden cabin.
The village after the snow was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing on the snow.
The warm current within him was still faintly circulating, forming a wonderful contrast with the biting winter chill.
“Some of the more powerful Class holders can probably survive in this freezing weather for a long time without even wearing winter clothes...”
Pushing open the wooden door, a familiar warmth mixed with the lingering scent of firewood rushed to greet him.
The furnishings inside remained simple, yet they brought him an immense sense of comfort.
In the corner, sharp wooden spikes were neatly stacked—the very tools he would need for this afternoon.
He tidied up, packed his essentials, and headed out the door.
Rate on N.U.
