A gentle Mana shockwave disturbed the inside of Viers’ room. Viers collapsed on the floor.

“Forty-first… try… success…”

Viers passed out then and there. His shirt was wet with sweat, heavy breath and messy hair after taxing his mind to the limit. The visage of a man after an intense workout at the gym. Still, Viers slumbered with a content smile on his face.

Viers was woken up by knockings on the door.

“Viers, are you alright? How are you feeling? I bring some porridge.”

Yisha’s voice came from the other side of the door. Last night, Viers had put some writing on his door -Sick, do not enter- so he wouldn't be disturb while breaking through. Viers looked at the clock, it was dusk.

“Coming,” Viers answered.

Viers opened the locked door, Yisha was waiting for him carrying a tray. On it was a bowl of porridge and a glass of water.

“There you are, how are you feeling?” The motherly brown-haired matron smiled.

“Much better, is this for me? You shouldn't have.”

“Well, I already made it. Eat it and get better soon.”

“Thank you very much.” Viers accepted the offering. After some small talk, he closed the door again.

He put the tray on his table, half wondering why his room was a bit messy. Viers didn't realize he emitted a shockwave with his advancement. He drank the water immediately because he was very thirsty but put off wolfing down the tempting steaming porridge despite a growling stomach.

Phew… the Advancement took more tries compared to the previous Advancement. It took 26 tries before, it was 41 now. The Advancement was more difficult than the previous one. Which is normal, similar to the stories and it conforms with logic.

To level up one’s Intio, it was similar to how one’s made an Intio the first place. Condense Mana scattered around your body to the Intio, slowly and gradually. After the Mana condensed to a certain degree, held it in for a certain period of time, until the Intio underwent a qualitative change.

Let's check it out. Dive!

Viers went to the realm of consciousness to see what had changed.

“Now what do we have here…”

His Intio had some changes. It had become a bit bigger, as big as a flowerpot. It was a water-blue colored glass-like object, now there was some viridescent green faintly mixed inside.

Before, the white flower was encased inside the octahedron Intio. Now, the flower ‘grew’ on it. The flower had roots that stayed inside the Intio but the stem grew out of his Intio, the flower now bloomed outside of his Intio. Golden motes of light came out from the center of the flower which disappeared one or two seconds later.

“Okay then flower, do you understand me?”

Viers was talking to the flower.

“Flower, hellooo… anybody home?”

No answer from the mysterious plant.

“I’m gonna touch you now, don’t hate me or poison me, okay?”

The flower did not respond.

Viers timidly poke the flower with his finger. A gentle touch, then he drew his hand back as if the flower was a burning hot teapot. The flower swayed a little because of the touch, nothing more happened.

“Alright, I guess you still don't have enough energy to grow sentience. You know what, let's be professional here. You saved me and made me have superpowers so I’m willing to repay my gratitude. Do things for you, get things you want, blah-blah-blah. Don't harm me or betray me and we’ll have a symbiosis relationship. You know what it is, flower? It means you win and I win, everybody benefits, everybody is happy. Alright?”

Silence was the answer.

“I’ll take your silence as consent.”

Viers went out of his realm of consciousness.

One second later, he was back. Very suddenly, with eyes wide opened and full concentration, staring at the flower. So he did not miss any changes should it happen. Alas, the flower stayed there, doing nothing, like a plant supposed to be.

Viers knew hundreds of stories where something happened off-screen after the protagonist turned around, went away, or no longer looking. He was unwilling to be a subject of such cliché. However, his suspicion did not bear fruit.

“Hm, am I too paranoid?” Muttered Viers, before going out again.

Three seconds later, he was back for one final check! Eyes blazing, poking the flower a bit stronger this time. Some part of him realized the insanity of it but it felt like an itch inside his head and one couldn't help to simply scratch the itch.

Man, I even set up a flag there! ‘I must be seeing things’ or ‘it must have been my imagination’ flag!

But well, since there really was no response from the flower, I suppose she’s still dormant. Yes, it is a she. I stake a nickel in it!

Sixty percent convinced the flower was not aware of her surroundings Viers breathed a little easier. But Viers would still take precaution to prevent her from gloating of his foolishness of thinking her as a mere unthinking plant after she stabbed him in the back ten years later.

For now, he let the flower be and tend to his own business. He examined the rest of the realm.

Ah, the frog constellation lit up. Nice, can't wait to kill some idiot with it.

The fish, frog, and crab constellations shined above his head now, giving the much-needed beautification of this dreary space. Viers turned his attention to his Victa.

My Victa didn't change much but it should be better than before.

Viers’ Victa had the form of droplets of water, dripping from his Intio, as if his Intio was leaking. Thanks to Viers regulating his Victa expenditure, there were one or two hundred water droplets in front of him. Floating below his Intio like water in a gravity-less environment.

With my rise in level, I should produce a level 1 Victa now. Ah, here we go.

His Intio had just produced a new drop of Victa. It was bigger now, it had the size of a tiny pebble made of liquid. His level 1 version Victa had green lime color.

My Victa should be more potent now. Let’s see, Nakala taught the class that after a level up, the previous version of Victa could be changed to the new one.

Viers did as he was taught, he combined the level 0 Victa. It was easy, he instinctively knew how to do it. By waving his hand, the little droplets moved, joined with another. Three droplets combined made one green lime Victa. After all his Victa upgraded, he felt satisfaction.

Three to one conversion rate, does this mean the new Victa is stronger three times?

After he was done with all that he could do, Viers left.

In the real world, Viers opened his eyes and smiled. “I think this calls for a celebration. Sniff, sniff… let's eat the porridge first.”

Succumbed to the allure of a hot meal, Viers ate heartily. It was a normal porridge with a little meat and salty flavor however, as the first meal after a giant leap in his life, it tasted really special.

Aaah, delicious…this meal is filled with human kindness. That's why that homely girl in that cooking manga is so strong. Hm, hm.

Viers nodded twice, convinced of his reasoning.

In respect to that girl and gratitude to Yisha… I shall strip!

Viers stripped down to his underwear immediately. He imagined himself as a long-haired grandpa with a ripped body. Six-pack stomach, chiseled chest, big biceps. He bared his mighty body to the world because his family line had a condition. They striped or made other people lose their clothes like an act of God. But everyone was chill with it, no one from that family was arrested or sued for indecency.

Viers was different. Viers stripped to change his clothes. He wanted to go out.

With fresh clothes, he freshened up in the bathroom, drank a few glasses of water from the kitchen, thanked Yisha for the meal, and then went out to buy a celebratory drink. On the way, Viers hummed a fitting song inside his head.

I'm on the next level, yeah ~ ♪

Nobody heard about it

You know not about it-bout it

And don't you ever suspect it

I'm so ordinary

No one stare on me

Turn on the Mana

Check it out, check it out, check it out ~ ♪

Ooh ah ooh way ~ ♪

I make just like a fatty

From ma neck to booty

Too fat, too fat

Ooh ah ooh way ~ ♪

You ain't seen cheat like this

I do it like this

I'm on the next level

Next, next, next level

On the next level ~ ♪

Class all tryna catch up to my…

Next level

Next, next, next level

On the next level ~ ♪

Check it out, check it out, check it out

Na na na na na na

Na na na na na na

Na na na na na na

Na na na na na ~ ♪

The last verse made Viers want to wear sunglasses. Viers kept singing the song inside his head as he made his way to a wine shop.

He bought a bottle of red wine. Nothing special about his choice of wine, he just got the urge to sip something with a taste. The shop employees did not make a fuss about his age after he showed his adventurer tag and paid upfront.

The old Viers never drank wine before while the persona from Earth tasted a few cups over the years but he never really hooked to the taste of wine.

Actually, he preferred F*nta, strawberry or orange flavor. But there was no such drink in this world. If there was, both Viers didn't know about it. Still, this was a special occasion so he wanted a celebratory drink.

He returned to the dorm, took a glass from the kitchen. He locked himself in the privacy of his room and poured the wine on the glass.

“Congratulations, me. There are still ways to go, but we’ll get there. Cheers.”

Viers raised his glass to the moons after opening the window. Drinking the first wine he ever had in this world.