Chapter 41: Improvements

Now that the situation hung in a fragile balance, Adam remained in the mansion, reviewing one report after another from the different areas.

Most of the deaths were civilians who had been unable to react in time or who had been left unprotected by the late arrival of the knights. Even so, the damage had not been as devastating as he had anticipated.

That meant that the initial decisions had worked… for now.

He had ordered reinforcements to be sent to the northern and southern areas, where the rank IV and V monsters were located. None of them had made any direct moves yet, and that was precisely the problem: they weren’t attacking, they weren’t retreating, they weren’t exposing themselves. It seemed as if they were waiting for the right moment.

And when that moment came, the balance would be broken.

Therefore, he had to find a solution before everything fell apart.

“The Mana Dragon Lotus crops have spread… but they still can’t be harvested.”

Adam let out a long sigh as his fingers began tapping the table at a steady rhythm.

He had considered using that miraculous herb to strengthen both soldiers and knights, thereby increasing their chances of survival in direct combat.

However, the Mana Dragon Lotus had not yet reached its optimal point of maturity; harvesting it now would be a waste of its potential.

And without that resource, he could not grant them the increase in strength they needed.

Time was working against him.

However, there was another way to strengthen both knights and soldiers.

Mana stones.

The method was effective, direct, and fast… but it also involved a considerable expenditure of resources. It wasn’t a sustainable long-term solution, and using it now meant compromising reserves that might be needed later.

Adam remained silent for a few seconds, assessing the invisible cost behind that choice.

He muttered at last, more to himself than to anyone else.

“Looks like I’ll have to use the mana stones.”

Once the decision was made, the tension in his shoulders eased slightly. He leaned back in his chair and let his gaze wander to the ceiling of the room, as if searching for answers among the shadows cast by the light.

He sighed.

It wasn’t the perfect solution.

But it was the only one available.

After a few moments, he raised his hand and opened his status window. He had defeated numerous monsters and needed to check how far he had really progressed.

Adam Hall

Novice Knight [EXP: 298/500]

Talent: A

Trait: Fencing (SSS) Hand-to-Hand Combat (D) Tracking (C) Mana Manipulation (B) Magic (SSS) Mana Perception (S)

Strength: 31 +

Stamina: 33 +

Agility: 35 +

Vitality: 35 +

Mana: 85 +

Statistics points: 14

“298…”

A slight smile appeared on Adam’s lips. He had surpassed more than half of the experience needed to reach a new rank and leave behind the rank of Novice Knight.

Progress was steady.

Not just in experience.

The improvement had been across the board, a clear reflection of his recent growth. However, what really caught his attention was the increase in his Mana: it had jumped ten points.

Ten.

It wasn’t a minor fluctuation.

Was it because he had now become a wizard?

Adam considered the possibility for a few seconds and ended up nodding to himself. It was the most logical explanation. If he had created his magic diagram in his heart, it was natural that his mana reserve would also expand.

And that was… perfect.

His gaze moved down to the next section.

Available stat points: 14.

This time, he didn’t smile.

Now came the really important part.

Adam sat up straight in his chair, the relaxed expression disappearing from his face. This time, he couldn’t afford to make an impulsive choice. Mana was out of the question, and increasing vitality wasn’t necessary for now either.

There were only three options left: agility, strength, and Endurance.

Agility was ruled out first. It would give him greater mobility, yes, but in a prolonged confrontation against a tide of monsters, moving faster did not mean surviving longer. Not in the current scenario.

Then he considered strength. A significant increase would allow him to cause more damage, perhaps even tip some battles in his favor. But against an endless horde, brute force alone was not enough. Hitting harder didn’t matter if the body gave way first.

So only Endurance remained.

It wasn’t the most appealing option.

But it was the most sensible one.

Hold out a little longer. Endure a little more. Stay standing when others had already fallen.

In the current state of affairs… that was worth more than anything else.

Adam didn’t hesitate any longer.

He assigned all fourteen points to Endurance.

[+14 Endurance]

For a second, nothing happened.

And then…

The world shattered.

A pain that didn’t start in the skin, or the muscles, or even the bones.

It started inside.

It was as if something invisible had grabbed hold of his body from within and began to stretch it, expand it, force it beyond its natural limits. His fingers clenched the edges of the table as a burning wave ran down his spine.

The air left his lungs in a silent gasp.

He felt his muscle fibers tear… and rejoin in the same instant. His joints cracked with a sharp, sickening sound. Blood pounded violently against his temples, as if trying to escape from a container that was too small.

Adam fell from his chair when his legs gave way. He barely registered the impact with the floor; his mind was too busy trying not to fragment.

It was as if his body was being rewritten, layer by layer, forced to endure pressure that no ordinary human was prepared for.

His vision blurred. The veins in his arms stood out with unnatural intensity, and unbearable heat began to build beneath his skin.

His jaw tensed to the point of bleeding from the pressure. He refused to lose consciousness.

The seconds stretched into eternities.

And then, as abruptly as it had begun…

The pain subsided.

It didn’t disappear.

Adam remained lying on the floor, breathing heavily. Each inhalation still burned, but his body… his body felt different.

He slowly sat up, leaning on the table. His muscles responded with a new, compact firmness. It wasn’t explosive strength. It wasn’t speed.

It was solidity.

As if its internal structure had been reinforced with invisible iron.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and Adam opened them again.

The residual pain still coursed through his body like distant echoes, but his mind was clearer than before.

“Good, with this, I can hold out a little longer.”

Adam stretched his neck and left the room; now he had to strengthen the knights and soldiers as much as he could.

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