Nighttime quickly arrived, the entire barren plain was engulfed in darkness, and a deafening silence spread across the vast plain, filling it with an ominous atmosphere.
The crew's encampment could be seen at a random location within the barren plain. The tents were set very far away from the feared Bridge of the South.
At that moment, the remaining twenty-three members of the crew were sitting outside their tents. They gathered around the large campfire they had made, heating their dinner while discussing among themselves.
The king and the wizard, who were usually in their tents at times like these, were present as well. King Julian could be seen laughing and talking with his soldiers as though he were sitting among friends.
While the soldiers were aware of the king's friendly nature, they had never had a chance to speak with him as they did now.
Even the wizard, who was usually shut in his tent practicing magic and reading books, was talking with them, sharing stories about exciting adventures, including a few scary ones.
On the other hand, the captain remained indoors. The sounds of a sword tearing through empty air, as well as constant heavy breathing, could be heard from his tent.
The soldiers found the captain's behavior strange, as he hated training at night. Thus, hearing him train so hard instead of socializing with the others was very odd.
They even began to discuss among themselves, debating whether something had happened that triggered the captain to train so hard.
Some said the captain was training hard for the Mountain of Skulls, while others argued that he pushed himself so intensely because he had lost ten of his soldiers.
There was much speculation, but only the hero and the wizard knew exactly what had happened.
"See you all in the morning."
Alister stood up and said to the others,
"Have a good night's rest, hero."
The crew smiled in response.
Alister nodded and strolled toward his tent, which was right after the captain's.
He halted in front of Theobald's tent, the noise was much louder up close. He could hear heavy breathing as well as the constant curses the captain muttered amidst his swings.
Alister stayed and listened for a few seconds, shook his head, and then strolled into his own tent.
Once inside, he sat on the bed and opened his inventory immediately.
There were two items in his inventory: his sword and a blue, glowing card with small white intricate symbols — the skill upgrade token.
Without wasting time, Alister equipped the token, and it instantly appeared in his outstretched hand, emitting a faint but mesmerizing glow.
"No description?"
Alister frowned.
DING!
[ Skill upgrade token — Activate the token by breaking the card. Once activated, you'll receive the opportunity to pick one skill for upgrade. ]
'Oh, I have to break it to use it. Odd.'
Curious to find out how powerful his swordsmanship skill would be, Alister snapped the card.
Following a subtle crack, a gentle, silent explosion of mesmerizing blue light occurred. The light formed a holographic window in front of Alister.
----
Skill upgrade token activated, pick a skill to upgrade.
AVAILABLE SKILLS: Swordmaster Lv. 1
NOTE: You have 1 minute remaining before the token expires.
----
"What is there to pick when I have just one skill?"
Alister muttered as he clicked on the only skill he possessed.
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Choice registered...
Upgrading skill (Swordmaster Lv. 1)...
Upgrade complete!
Swordmaster Lv. 1 ------> Swordmaster Lv. 2
Your proficiency with the sword has grown by 75%.
Your attack power with the sword has grown by 55%.
New moves have been added.
------
Right away, Alister felt a strange but exciting sensation drift through his body — new data of unique sword moves was absorbed into his mind. These moves were ones he had never seen or even imagined, and oddly enough, his body seemed to adapt to the changes. He felt as though he could easily execute all the complex moves!
'I have to try this out!'
Alister opened his inventory and equipped his sword.
He felt different the moment the sword appeared in his hands, it felt so familiar, as if he had been using it for decades!
Clutching the sword, Alister performed a simple swing. The blade cut downward at a lethal speed, one he had never mustered before.
But that wasn't the strange part.
"Did I just..."
On the wall of the tent, a few inches away from him and in the direction he had swung his sword, a sharp cut appeared — that would have been normal, but Alister's sword did not touch the walls. Apparently, his swing was fast and strong enough to deal damage without contact.
As someone well versed in fantasy novels, he knew just how incredible such a feat was.
Alister stared at the sword and then at the cut as an amazed smile blossomed on his face.
"I should test it on a stronger object."
Alister faced the wooden chair. He ensured he was close enough for accuracy but far enough to avoid contact, then he performed a simple horizontal swing.
After his swing, a cut appeared on the chair.
Observing the cut, Alister noticed that it was shallow.
"I'll need more strength to cut down objects of this size and density with a contactless swing."
Even though the results weren't as perfect as he had expected, Alister remained optimistic about the new aspect of his swordsmanship skill.
He reminded himself that this skill alone already put him above every man in his original world, or so he thought.
Alister swung the sword around for another ten minutes, testing out the new moves in his mind. He discovered more unique tricks he could perform, and they filled him with joy as he lay down on the bed to rest.
But his rest was short-lived.
WHISTLE!
Just a few minutes after he lay down, a familiar loud whistle thundered.
'Is it daytime already?'
Alister was confused, it hadn't even been three hours since nightfall, and the rainbow-colored bird was already singing. Does time flow differently on the barren plain?
"Help!! My hands!"
"Protect the king!"
"Oh my God!"