章 4: CHAPTER 4: A New Dawn in Etheria

The dawn chill in Arun Cave burned my lungs, but my determination burned hotter than any magical fire. "No. I will not give up." That whisper became my mantra. My promise to Laras, Alya, and Andi—their faces I had glimpsed through the Dimensional Watch using my precious MP—was its fuel. For them. For Cici, who was somehow still alive and waiting in Seahaven. For the people of Valoria suffering under Mordred. And for Arya, the failed programmer given a chance to finally do something right.

Training began not with glamorous magic, but with the most basic thing: this body. Arthur's body was trained to run from danger and scavenge for food, not to confront it. That had to change. Every morning, while mist still shrouded the valley, I forced it to do push-ups on the gravelly ground. Every time my arms trembled and nearly collapsed, it was my mental fortitude that screamed to keep pushing. Sit-ups, squats, lunges—basic movements I knew from fitness videos I'd seen on ViewTube—I applied brutally. His pitiful vitality meant he was gasping for breath after just a few minutes, muscles feeling like they were on fire. But I kept pushing him. I felt his strength slowly, very slowly, begin to adapt.

>Oculus: Physical Training Log #031. Muscle strain detected. Recovery rate slow. Estimated marginal attribute increase: STR +0.15.

Tired? Extremely. But seeing that log, seeing tangible proof that my effort wasn't in vain, gave me the spirit to keep pacing back and forth at the cave mouth, training cardio endurance and agility. I imagined dodging attacks, turning quickly. His agility responded well, his body naturally light and supple.

Only after my body was tired and drenched in sweat did magic training begin. This was where my intelligence became the commander. I deconstructed each skill like a piece of buggy code. Why did [Fireball] cost 8 MP? Where was the inefficiency? Could the concentration pattern be optimized? I experimented with shape, temperature, and release speed.

>Oculus: Magic Training Log #118. [Fireball] efficiency increased by 9.1%. Mana Cost reduced to 7.2 MP. Understanding of thermal energy transfer concepts increased. >Oculus: Warning. Critical Mana Level (3/25). Mental Fatigue Detected. Rest advised.

Sometimes I collapsed, head dizzy, my MP empty. But my mental fortitude, trained by decades of deadlines and error codes, always rallied. I would sit, recovering my painfully slow MP, and analyze the data collected by the Oculus.

Slowly, my understanding of the essence of each element matured. This was no longer just copying spells, but truly understanding them.

· [Fireball] -> [Flame Burst]: My intelligence finally grasped the principle of pressure and rapid gas expansion. I compressed the core of the fire to a critical point before releasing it in a powerful, controlled explosion. Mana Cost: 16 MP. Nearly two-thirds of my pool! The kickback was rough, but my slightly trained strength could handle it.

· [Wind Blade] -> [Tornado Slash]: His agility helped me feel the subtlest air currents. I learned not to cut with wind, but to spin it at high speed, creating a rotating cutting blade. It required incredible control, training my agility and intelligence simultaneously. Mana Cost: 13 MP.

· [Blink] -> [Phantom Step]: This was the hardest. Remapping spatial coordinates in an instant drained my intelligence. I almost crashed into the cave wall multiple times. But finally, I wasn't just "jumping," but seemingly making the distance between two points shorter for an instant. Mana Cost: 22 MP. Highly impractical for prolonged combat.

I was getting stronger. But my honed intelligence only grew more restless. I punched the stone wall. These skills were powerful, but they were like beta programs that were incredibly resource-heavy. They strained my already poor MP and vitality. I needed fundamental optimization. I needed better source code for my own energy.

My thoughts drifted to the hundreds of cultivation novels I'd read. The concept of Qi. Internal energy. A built-in generator, not just a battery that needed recharging from the outside. Was it possible in this world?

A search on the Oculus for "cultivation," "internal energy cycle," or "dantian meditation" yielded nothing. My luck was just average; it gave me no magical clues. If this existed, it would surely be common knowledge. This meant I truly had to pioneer my own path. Like writing a new programming language from scratch.

The following days I spent sitting cross-legged, trying to ignore the ache all over my body and focusing my trained mental fortitude. I tried to feel beyond external mana. I focused on my own pulse, the flow of blood, muscle contractions. Was there energy generated from these biological processes? Could it be tapped, purified, and stored?

At first, all I got was mental exhaustion and frustration. But I treated it like debugging. Every failed session was data for my intelligence to analyze. I adjusted breathing patterns, posture, and visualization.

Then, one evening after an intensely grueling physical workout, while my body was weak but my mind clear from extreme forced focus, something finally unlocked. A faint warm sensation, no larger than a grain of sand, pulsed gently below my navel. It was different. It came from within. Not from outside.

Ping!

>Oculus: [Warning: Bio-Spiritual Energy Anomaly Detected. Unique Energy Pattern. Does not match any mana records in the Etheria Database. Analyzing…] >Oculus: [Congratulations! Host has initiated and developed a novel energy system. Feature [Basic Qi Cultivation System] has been added to the World Framework. As a reward for this paradigm achievement, all base attributes are permanently increased by +5.]

I jolted, my eyes snapping open. It worked! I immediately felt a wave of fresh energy flooding every cell of this body. The deep fatigue melted away like ice in the hot sun. My already sharp mind felt expanded, able to process information at new speeds and depths. Muscles that were once heavy were filled with surging power. Even my awareness and intuition felt sharper. The +5 bonus from the system was like a compiler finally optimizing the entire code of my body and mind.

I named my new core technique "Heavenly Valoria." This was my masterpiece. Every meditation session was now training for intelligence (focus), mental fortitude (perseverance), and vitality (as the flowing Qi strengthened the body from within). My MP wasn't just larger, its quality changed. One compressed point of Qi felt denser, more obedient, and equivalent to several points of ordinary mana. Skills that were once wasteful now felt lighter to cast.

I had found my path. I was no longer just a user of the system. I was its hacker. I wasn't just using this world's rules; I was writing my own patches.

With a deep sense of satisfaction, I opened my updated stat panel.

[ARTHUR D. VALORIA'S ATTRIBUTES] (Initial Ch.1 Value + Training Increase + System Bonus = New Total)

· STR (Strength): 14 + 1.4 + 5 = 20.4 -> 20 ·VIT (Vitality): 11 + 1.8 + 5 = 17.8 -> 18 ·AGI (Agility): 18 + 1.2 + 5 = 24.2 -> 24 ·INT (Intelligence): 45 + 2.5 + 5 = 52.5 -> 53 ·MEN (Mental Fortitude): 50 + 1.5 + 5 = 56.5 -> 57 ·MP (Mana Pool): 25 + 0 + 5 = 30 (Qi Quality drastically increased) ·LCK (Luck): 15 + 0 + 5 = 20

[Mastered Skill List]

· [Flame Burst] (Evolved from Fireball): Concentrated fire explosion. Cost: 16 MP. ·[Tornado Slash] (Evolved from Wind Blade): Rotating wind cutting blade. Cost: 13 MP. ·[Glacial Spike] (Evolved from Ice Shard): Freezing piercing ice spear. Cost: 15 MP. ·[Phantom Step] (Evolved from Blink): Near-invisible instant movement 5-7 meters. Cost: 22 MP. ·[Aegis Shield] (Evolved from Barrier): Layered energy shield. Cost: 18 MP. ·[Heavenly Valoria Technique] (Unique - Self Developed): Basic cultivation technique for purifying and compressing internal Qi. Passively increases efficiency of all skills and recovery.

I closed the panel. My mind, clearer than ever, immediately analyzed my position. The Oculus mentioned the average healthy Etherian youth had stats around 15-20. I was now clearly beyond that.

STR 20 & VIT 18 meant physically, I was on par with or slightly above a common soldier. Strong enough to wear armor and fight for a decent while. My AGI 24 might even surpass many scouts or thieves, thanks to Arthur's natural body and my training. My now-standard LCK 20 would hopefully be enough to avoid bad luck like being snake-bit again.

But my true advantages lay in two things: INT 53 and MEN 57.

My INT 53 was unnatural. It was a rare genius level, perhaps on par with a grandmagister or top researcher in any academy. It was what allowed me to learn skills in weeks, analyze them, and even develop them to an evolved level. Not to mention creating a new energy system.

My MEN 57 was its backbone. The mental endurance to train until I dropped, to focus for hours in meditation, and to stay sane after experiencing reincarnation and a prince's trauma—that was a secret weapon perhaps more valuable than physical strength.

Then there was my MP 30. Numerically, it might only match a talented young mage. But with my compressed Qi, its actual power might approach that of an intermediate mage with MP 40 or even 50. It was a surprise I could leverage.

"So, this is what it feels like," I muttered to myself, clenching my fist. Muscles that were once only good for running now felt solid and full of power. "I'm still far from elite knight or archmage level. But I'm no longer an ordinary person who could die easily."

I was no longer a victim. I was now a highly talented Apprentice, perhaps even a Journeyman in some respects, thanks to my intelligence and cultivation technique. I had a solid foundation. The power to begin the journey, to at least defend myself well on the road to Seahaven.

A new dawn had truly arrived for me, Arthur Valoria. Not as a ready-made hero, but as a beginner who finally had all the tools needed to start building one. And most importantly, I had a path of growth that no one else in this world possessed.

I glanced east, towards the sea, towards Seahaven. "I'm coming, Cici. Just wait."