Chapter 4 – New Level

Chapter 4 – New Level

He kept training.

He rested, then went back to lifting dumbbells, doing squats, push-ups, and raising the barbell. Then rested again. Then more training. And again.

He had long since stopped counting the sets.

Maybe five hours had passed. Maybe ten. He didn’t know anymore. Several times he went out to the river — to drink the cool, crystal-clear water. Then returned — and trained again. But most of the time, he remained in the training room. He rested directly on the floor, on the soft mat, then got up — and continued.

He remembered his past job. Twelve hours every day. Sometimes even fifteen. On his feet, in a warehouse, under heavy loads. But now, in this new world, things were different. No one rushed him. No bosses. No pressure. He could lie down and sleep right in the middle of the room. Or just lie there with his eyes closed — until his body recovered.

Perhaps that was why his training here was even more effective than all the labor in his former world.

Hour after hour passed. He reached the tenth level… the eleventh… the twelfth…

Each new level was harder than the one before. The indicator filled more slowly. His muscles ached. But he didn’t give up. He just rested longer — and kept going.

And then, finally, after perhaps fifteen — maybe even twenty — full hours, a bright message appeared on the wall:

> Level Completed: 13
Experience Gained: 300,000 XP

Alisar carefully set the barbell down and collapsed beside it. He couldn’t feel his legs. His arms buzzed. His head was spinning. But his chest burned with pride. He had done it.

“Damn... I actually did it...” he muttered, barely believing it.

He closed his eyes, but sleep didn’t come.

“It’s time to go out,” he whispered. “Just for a bit of air.”

He rose with effort, staggered, and stepped forward. A moment later, the walls vanished, and he once again found himself on the riverbank.

Same view. Same soft rustling of the water.

He knelt at the edge and began to drink. Greedily, but slowly. The cold water ran down his throat, filling him with a refreshing vitality.

He sat on the grass, wiped his lips, and looked around. The grass swayed gently, the wind played with its tips. But… the sun.

“It’s still in the same place,” he whispered, looking up.

The sun hung almost directly overhead, as if no more than an hour or two had passed — even though he was sure it had been much longer.

“Is there no night in this world?” he wondered aloud.

He lay back on the grass and closed his eyes. The wind gently caressed his face. He could feel the tension slowly leaving his muscles, his body gradually recovering. He was tired. Deeply tired.

But before sleep could take him, he mentally opened his status window. The experience he had earned through all those completed levels could now finally be used.

> Current Level: 10
XP: 0 / 19,000
Unused Experience Points: 1,145,000 XP

He let out a heavy breath and focused.

> Spend 19,000 XP to level up to Level 11?
— Yes.

A warm wave coursed through his body, and a new message appeared right away:

> New Level: 11
You have reached a new rank.
Skill selection is now available.

Something stirred inside Alisar — he had been waiting for this moment since arriving in this world. The skill selection window opened immediately:

> Choose one skill:
— Alchemy

“Only one? Just one?” he frowned. “Well, there’s no choice. Better than nothing... though I was hoping for a combat skill.”

He selected the option, and the system confirmed:

> Skill acquired: Alchemy (Rank 1)

He postponed exploring the skill for now. What he needed at this moment was something else — to become stronger.

He returned to the level-up menu. His experience had accumulated — and now it was time to spend it.

> Spend 28,000 XP to reach Level 12?
— Yes.
Spend 37,000 XP to reach Level 13?
— Yes.
Spend 46,000 XP to reach Level 14?
— Yes.
Spend 55,000 XP to reach Level 15?
— Yes.
Spend 64,000 XP to reach Level 16?
— Yes.
Spend 73,000 XP to reach Level 17?
— Yes.
Spend 82,000 XP to reach Level 18?
— Yes.
Spend 91,000 XP to reach Level 19?
— Yes.
Spend 100,000 XP to reach Level 20?
— Yes.
Spend 145,000 XP to reach Level 21?
— Yes.
Spend 190,000 XP to reach Level 22?
— Yes.
Spend 235,000 XP to reach Level 23?
— Yes.

After the final level-up was completed, he felt a surge of strength fill his entire body. His muscles seemed firmer, his movements lighter, and his breathing steadier. It was a different sensation—unlike before. He had become significantly stronger.

But... the fatigue didn’t disappear completely. It eased a little, as if his body now understood it could endure more—but it hadn’t forgotten the long hours of exhausting training that came before.

“Hm,” he murmured. “This time, the recovery was weaker. Looks like the higher my level gets, the less effective it is. Or... maybe the system wants me to rely less on automatic recovery and more on rest. Makes sense.”

He stretched a little, his joints creaking, and opened his status window.

---

[Status]
Name: Alisar
Level: 23
Rank: 2

HP: 1,990 + 960
MP: 1,300 + 960

Strength: 67 + 32
Defense: 40 + 32
Speed: 42 + 32
Intellect: 51 + 32
Magic Attack: 34 + 32
Magic Defense: 45 + 32

Unassigned Stat Points: 38

Skills: —
Special Skills:
— Training Room (Level 14)
— Alchemy (Rank 1)

Experience Points Remaining: 80,000

---

His exact height was even displayed on the screen. Not metaphorically — precisely.

He had become more than twice as strong as when he first awoke in this world. There was power now in his limbs, a lightness in his step, a sharpness in his mind. He almost felt like a superhuman.

Almost.

But he knew one thing: if he could improve this much, then others could too.

And if they could… then surely someone out there was already much stronger than him.

“Well then…” he muttered, slowly rising to his feet. “I need to get as much experience as possible.”

The day wasn’t over yet.
His journey was only just beginning.