[Your skill Wind Manipulation has reached level 14!]
A smile formed on Noah’s face as his connection with the wind element increased after levelling up. He felt incredibly close to the next stage, where he would unlock more advanced skills in the wind element.
Daily Revenue: $2,153,000 (or equivalent)
Current Assets: $23,161,340
Attributes: Strength: 90, Vitality: 140, Intelligence: 90, Agility: 90
[Level 14:] Wind Manipulation, Mana Control, Aura
[Level 13:] Swordsmanship, Body Tempering
[Level 5:] Photographic Memory
[Level 3:] Surviving on Ramen, Cooking, Finance, Gaming
[Level 2:] Programming, Fire Manipulation
Two skills were left at level 13 that he needed to level up. Those were swordsmanship and body tempering. Body tempering was easier to level up inside the shop because he didn’t need to use any wide space or stances to execute, unlike swordsmanship.
Noah checked his Idle room status, and it was ready for use. After a moment of thinking, he decided to level up his fire manipulation skill to level 5 rather than solely place those four hours into swordsmanship. Fire manipulation was an element as strong as the wind element, with more offensive capabilities, and it would most definitely become as important as wind manipulation once its level caught up.
Besides, levelling it up to level 5 would allow him to use it for some real practical applications, unlike now, where it was almost useless. The idle room would take three hours to level up Fire Manipulation from level 2 to level 5, and it would cost a total of $3,000, which was pocket change for someone like Noah.
The decision made strategic sense. While wind manipulation had excellent utility and defensive applications, fire manipulation offered superior raw destructive power. Having both elements at respectable levels would provide him with versatility in combat situations, especially considering the dangerous expedition to the World Tree that awaited them.
"System, activate idle training for Fire Manipulation. Three hours to advance from level 2 to level 5."
[Idle Training Activated: Fire Manipulation]
[Current Level: 2 → Target Level: 5]
With that settled, Noah turned his attention to his immediate training options. He had enough time to work on his body tempering before the idle session completed, and the physical enhancement would complement his growing magical arsenal perfectly.
I will use the remaining hour to level up my cooking skills, I guess. You can never go wrong with learning how to cook. Using the Idle Room to level up my swordsmanship skill isn’t going to make that much of a difference, anyway.
Noah’s practical mindset guided his decision toward a more versatile skill. While swordsmanship remained important for combat situations, cooking offered daily utility that outweighed the small improvement he would have, had he picked swordsmanship skill. The skill’s current level 3 status meant it could advance relatively quickly with focused practice.
I will need to wait for the Fire Manipulation skill to finish before selecting the Cooking Skill in the idle room.
As he waited, Noah sat down and trained his body for a few more hours, breaking every cell and reconstructing them under the pressure he was placing on his body by using mana, just like Lola had taught him before. The gruelling process of body tempering continued its slow but steady enhancement of his physical capabilities, each circulation of mana creating microscopic improvements that would compound over time.
[Your skill Fire Manipulation has reached level 3!]
[Your skill Fire Manipulation has reached level 4!]
The notifications brought satisfaction as Noah felt his understanding of Fire Manipulation deepen while he was training his body.
Meanwhile, inside the elven kingdom, the atmosphere in the royal palace carried tension that hadn’t existed before the mysterious shopkeeper’s arrival. The grand throne room, with its pillars and grand furniture, seemed somehow dull.
Seraphina sat upon her throne of living wood, its silver bark gleaming softly in the ambient light. The throne was adorned with all kinds of rare gems and diamonds.
After consuming the rose petal candy, her beauty had increased severalfold, transforming her from striking to absolutely breathtaking. The assembled light elves looked at her with more reverence than ever, their gazes carrying devotion.
Her position in the elven kingdom was unmistakable—she held absolute authority through a combination of political acumen, magical power, and now supernatural charisma that made opposition nearly impossible to contemplate.
Beside her stood her ministers, the strongest of the light elves’ kingdom. Each carried themselves with the dignity befitting their station, their long robes marking their various specialisations and ranks within the royal hierarchy. The tension in their postures suggested the current discussion carried significant weight for their realm’s future.
One light elf in particular stood before them all, clearly uncomfortable with the attention focused upon him. He was a Master-rank, but he was the weakest among everyone present and the youngest, so his status within the council remained relatively low despite his impressive magical accomplishments. His nervousness was evident in the way his hands trembled slightly as he prepared to deliver his report.
"Tell me, what did the shopkeeper say?" Seraphina asked with interest, with her hand pressed to her cheek.
The young archmage cleared his throat nervously before beginning his report. "Your Majesty, the shopkeeper was... direct in his instructions. He made it clear that we should move away from standing outside his shop, as our presence was apparently causing him discomfort. He confirmed that the auction would continue as planned and promised to notify us when everything was ready. However, he also stated definitively that no items would be available for purchase during this period."
The messenger’s words carried the weight of disappointment throughout the assembled council. The regular access to the shopkeeper’s miraculous items had become crucial to their planning, and this sudden restriction represented a significant setback to their preparations.
Seraphina pondered the information carefully, her mind working through various possibilities and implications.