Alden stared at the notification floating in front of him for several seconds.
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[ Minor Poison Resistance Acquired ]
Description:
Provides slight resistance against common poisons and toxins.
Reduces the effects of weak poisonous substances.
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"...That's it?"
He wasn't sure what he had expected. Perhaps immunity to all poison in existence, the ability to casually drink venom for breakfast, or maybe becoming some legendary poison king.
Instead, the system had basically told him he was slightly less likely to die from eating questionable mushrooms.
Alden looked down at the half-eaten mushroom in his hand.
Then at the notification.
Then back at the mushroom.
A very important realization suddenly hit him.
"Wait a minute..."
His expression froze.
"This thing was actually poisonous?"
A chill ran down his spine.
For a brief moment, Alden seriously questioned whether he was qualified to survive in another world.
The fear lasted all of three seconds.
Then curiosity won.
Humanity had achieved incredible things throughout history because people couldn't resist testing things they probably shouldn't test.
Alden was apparently one of those people.
Carefully breaking off a tiny piece, he swallowed it and waited.
One minute passed.
Nothing happened.
Two minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Frowning, he took another bite.
Again, nothing happened.
By this point, he had already committed himself to the experiment. If scientists could dedicate their lives to research, surely he could dedicate a few mushrooms.
One bite became two.
Two became five.
Eventually, he finished every remaining mushroom he had collected.
Several moments later, another notification appeared.
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[ Minor Poison Resistance Slightly Strengthened ]
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A grin spread across Alden's face.
"So it can level up."
That was useful.
Very useful.
The discovery immediately improved his mood. Not only had he gained a resistance, but he had also learned that abilities could improve through repeated exposure.
It was exactly the sort of thing every protagonist needed.
Feeling satisfied with the day's achievements, Alden decided it was finally time to rest. The hollow trunk he had found earlier wasn't exactly luxurious, but compared to sleeping in the open forest, it looked like a five-star hotel.
After clearing away loose debris and making sure nothing was hiding inside, he leaned against the inner wall and closed his eyes.
The exhaustion from fighting, climbing, exploring, and nearly poisoning himself quickly caught up to him.
Before he knew it, sleep had taken over.
---
When Alden woke up again, what felt like six hours had passed.
The first thing he noticed was that nothing had changed.
The second thing he noticed was that absolutely nothing had changed.
The forest was still dark.
The red and blue moons still hung above the canopy.
There was no sign of sunrise.
No sign of sunset.
No sign of time passing at all.
"...How am I supposed to know what time it is in this place?"
Stretching his stiff muscles, Alden stepped outside the hollow trunk and took a deep breath.
The cool air helped wake him up, but his thoughts soon drifted toward yesterday's battle.
The more he replayed the fight in his mind, the more uncomfortable he felt.
He had barely defeated a creature the size of a small dog.
If something larger had appeared...
A wolf.
A bear.
A dragon.
Alden probably wouldn't have survived five minutes.
"I need to learn how to fight."
The conclusion was obvious.
Strength alone wasn't enough.
He needed technique.
Experience.
Something.
As he considered his future training, another thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Mana.
His status clearly showed that he possessed mana, yet he hadn't done anything with it.
Looking around, Alden narrowed his eyes.
At first, he saw nothing unusual. But after focusing for several moments, he noticed faint particles drifting through the air.
Tiny specks of light.
They were everywhere.
Some floated lazily between trees while others moved alongside the wind.
The sight immediately reminded him of countless fantasy novels he had read back on Earth.
"So that's mana."
Excited, he attempted to command it.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
A third attempt produced equally disappointing results.
Alden sighed.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
Fortunately, he had consumed enough web novels to know the next step.
Finding a comfortable position, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
If mana manipulation failed externally, then the answer must be internal.
Gradually, his awareness shifted inward.
After several minutes of concentration, he finally noticed something strange.
Near his heart floated a small yellow core.
Streams of mana continuously flowed through it before spreading throughout his body like rivers branching from a central lake.
Alden's eyes widened.
"So cultivation is actually real."
Suppressing his excitement, he focused on guiding the surrounding mana toward the core.
His first attempt failed.
His second attempt also failed.
The third was only slightly less embarrassing.
Eventually, however, a small thread of mana responded to his will and entered the core.
Alden nearly celebrated on the spot.
The amount was tiny compared to the vast sea of mana around him, but it was progress.
More importantly, once the mana entered the core, it flowed naturally through invisible pathways across his body.
Meridians.
Just like the novels.
After roughly ten minutes, Alden opened his eyes.
The world looked the same, yet his body felt noticeably lighter.
The lingering fatigue from yesterday had almost disappeared.
Even his mind felt clearer.
"So this is how people cultivate."
His voice carried a mixture of excitement and disbelief.
This world really was operating on fantasy logic.
And for once, Alden wasn't complaining.
Standing up, he picked up another fallen branch and attempted his next brilliant idea.
If mana could strengthen the body, perhaps he could strengthen weapons too.
At least, that was how it worked in novels.
Focusing intensely, he tried guiding mana toward his hands before extending it into the branch.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
On the fifth attempt, the only thing he accomplished was giving himself a headache.
"...Maybe I'm skipping a few tutorials."
Giving up for the moment, Alden swung the branch experimentally.
Crack.
The stick snapped in half.
Alden stared at the broken wood.
Then at his hands.
Then back at the broken wood.
"...I swear I didn't do that on purpose."
The branch had clearly been weakened beforehand, but even so, he couldn't ignore the fact that his strength had increased noticeably.
Throwing the broken pieces aside, Alden shifted his attention toward his body instead.
Since weapon enhancement wasn't working, he decided to focus on reinforcing himself.
Over the next several hours, he practiced guiding mana through his arms and legs while performing simple exercises.
At first the results were minor.
Then they became noticeable.
Then they became impossible to ignore.
Every movement felt smoother than before.
His balance improved.
His reactions improved.
Even his control over his own body seemed to be gradually refining itself.
Alden stopped mid-training.
Something wasn't right.
Or perhaps something was very right.
Opening his status, he focused on his physique.
Before he could inspect it, a new notification appeared.
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[ Apex Evolution Body has adapted to physical exertion ]
[ Physical coordination slightly improved ]
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Alden blinked.
Then blinked again.
Slowly, he opened the physique description.
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Apex Evolution Body
A body that continuously adapts in pursuit of survival and growth.
Minor improvements may be gained through repeated exposure to challenges, training, environmental conditions, and external influences.
The path of adaptation has no fixed endpoint.
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The description was surprisingly short.
Yet the final sentence caught his attention immediately.
No fixed endpoint.
Alden read those four words several times before a grin slowly appeared on his face.
The implications were terrifying.
And absolutely amazing.
After resting for another two hours and allowing his exhausted muscles to recover, he finally stood up and stretched.
His body felt stronger than yesterday.
Not dramatically stronger.
Just enough for him to notice.
The forest ahead remained as mysterious as ever, but this time Alden felt considerably more confident.
Picking up a sturdy branch to replace his previous weapon, he glanced toward the endless sea of giant trees and smiled.
"Alright."
His stomach growled.
"Let's go find breakfast."
With renewed determination, Alden stepped back into the forest.