6. Steady Progression

After only a few hours of sleep, Nathanial rose from his linen bed and stared at the golden screen that was before him. He read the progress of his current mission and couldn’t help but grin.

[ Progress: 500/500]

He had done it. He had completed the requirements for the mission, yet to his surprise, even as the sun rose beyond the horizon and the birds chirped with the spring morning. There wasn’t a notice that he had finished the objective. Instead, the words remained there.

Could there be a delay?

Nathanial didn’t know, but since last night, the snarky screen hadn’t appeared once. All it did was leave behind his status screen and current mission information. Two things that occasionally reappeared when he thought about them and disappeared when he didn’t want to see them. It was convenient to see numerical goals, and having defined quests gave him something to strive for.

But he couldn’t be too obvious that he was staring at something because if the others found out, they may consider him crazy. Right now, it was still only Fredrick in the tent. His friend, who was cuddling with his pillow and occasionally kissing it—the rest were still in the infirmary tending to their injuries.

Nathanial brought one arm across his body and pulled it closer to his chest, then repeated the action for the other. Even though he should have felt soreness in his limbs from all the training, there wasn’t a single sign of fatigue. A notion that baffled him.

How am I fine? Did my body get used to being in the field?

He held a hand over his heart and felt the first aura star brightly shimmer in place.

Eh?

His eyes widened. He checked again only to see the same result.

“No way…”

The dim shimmer of his aura star had definitely grown. What should have been a single dot in the dark night sky was now shining brightly from the depths of his soul. To most, it would be a trivial accomplishment, but for Nathanial, it felt like a new world was opening before him.

Nathanial nodded slowly, clenching his left hand while grinning. A soft ding entered his ears.

[ Oh? Congratulations, you’ve accomplished your first mission. ]

“No thanks to you,” Nathanial whispered. “Why didn’t you give me a hint if the secret was intent?”

[ I didn’t think you would need it. ]

“If that were the case, then I wouldn’t have spent hours training. I could have used my time more effectively,” Nathanial mumbled, glancing over at Fredrick to make sure he didn’t wake him.

[ Those who seek to rush their growth will falter. Only those who endure recognize the value they’re given. ]

“Are you trying to use some sort of enlightenment to redirect the fact that you abandoned me?”

[ Abandoned is a strong word. I simply let you learn and build your foundation. ]

“Ridiculous…”

[ Fear not, my young champion, for I have brought you a reward. ]

Nathanial stared at the golden screen with the information about his mission. It flickered once, then twice as a series of letters scrambled on the surface.

[ Congratulations, Young Champion! ]

[ You have completed the quest: The Start of a New Dawn ]

[ Details: Swing your sword in perfect form five-hundred times. ]

[ Progress: 500/500]

[ Reward Skill: Aura Detection (Novice) ]

“Novice aura detection? What does that do? I can already see aura pretty well.”

As Nathanial finished his sentence, a new screen appeared to the side.

[ Skill: Aura Detection (Novice) ]

[ Details: In the face of battle, the user will occasionally learn the intent of an aura user’s energy. ]

[ Range: Five Meters ]

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The intent of an aura user’s energy…?

[ It is as you are thinking. ]

“How useful would this be?”

[ That’s for you to find out. ]

Nathanial focused on the screens and nodded. Even though the range was short, the usefulness of the skill would definitely come in handy. He just needed to figure out a use case for it. But right now, there were other matters for him to tend to. He stared at the golden screen that the messenger used to communicate, watching the translucent box slowly tilt to one side.

“What’s my next quest?”

The box remained still as if deep in thought.

[ There isn’t one. ]

Nathanial narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

[ Because there isn’t a need for one yet. You’ll see in the near future. ]

And with those final words printed on the screen, all the displays disappeared at once, leaving Nathanial to his thoughts in the tent. Even now, he couldn’t tell what exactly the system’s intentions were, or what it saw in him. But all he knew was that it was a chance for him to grow.

Nathanial looked up, hearing the sound of the tent’s fabric opening. In came an older man with long brown hair that was tied back in a messy fashion and tired black eyes that had hardly gotten an ounce of sleep. His frame was bulky and muscular, and the iron armor he wore did little to hide it.