Ring. 

"Huh?" Matthew woke up in a startle from the ringing sound. 

He was still in the tent, alone, and he heard nothing outside. 

He checked the system notification. 

[You have earned a new achievement: Camping trip.]

[Achievement: Camping trip]
You spent a night in the middle of a portal by yourself. This is what adventuring is.

- Additional effect -
Skill Sound sleeper unlocked.

"I got an achievement for spending the night in a portal? Well… good, I guess." 

Ring.

As he tried to check the new skill, he was interrupted by another notification from the system. He opened the notification for the new skill first.

[You have unlocked a new skill: Sound sleeper.]

[Skill: Sound sleeper (Lv.1)]
Less sleep is needed to feel rested.

“That’s… That’s good too, I guess. That gives me more time to be productive?” he rationalized, dubious about the use of the skill.

He then checked the last notification he received.

[You have earned a new achievement: Skill hoarder.]

[Achievement: Skill hoarder]
You have been creating and developing new skills as if collecting them.

- Bonus stats -
ATK: 10%
DEF: 10%
MGK: 10%
RES: 10%

- Additional effect -
The number of skills you possess is added as a percentage to your battle stats.

“Whoa! That’s crazy! It’s completely OP, I think? I’ll have to grind skills for easy stats! Let’s check my status window in detailed mode” he said, ecstatic at the good news even though it woke him up in a startle.

[Status window]
Name: Matthew Carter
Level: 20
Achievements: 12

- Stats -
Strength: 39+16
Agility: 39+11
Endurance: 49+11
Intelligence: 34+14
Luck: 8-5
Karma: 2
Attack power: 1,1x (215) [+2]
Defense: 1,1x (175) [+28]
Magic power: 1,1x (153)
Resistance: 1,1x (156)
(Available stat points: 17)

- Skills -
Mana application (Lv.1)
Mana armor (Lv.1)
Mana pulse (Lv.2)
Mental strength (Lv.2)
Poison resistance (Lv.1)
Set traps (Lv.3)
Sound sleeper (Lv.1)
Sword aura (Lv.1)
Vampirism (Lv.1)
Weapon throw (Lv.2)

“Oh, so the percentage is shown as a multiplier? And it doesn’t seem like the equipment stats are included. Looks like I was right with what the system meant with battle stats, it was the last 4.” he observed.

Satisfied with this, he wrote down the changes on his notepad and checked the training items he had written the day before.

‘I’ll practice pulling stuff in and out of the inventory quickly in the morning and tinker with mana and my skills in the afternoon. That’ll give me some variety so I won’t get bored or feel stuck.’ he planned.

He quickly ate breakfast and made his way to the edge of the forest. He decided to train switching swords in front of a tree to get used to the difference in reach. 

When he checked the time after a while, noon had arrived, he got back to the hut he had set up camp in for lunch.

After that, he got back inside the forest to tinker with his skills and try to get accustomed to feeling the mana inside of him. The location made no difference. He simply liked it better there.

That afternoon, he worked on trying to further increase the density of mana when using Sword aura and Mana armor. He felt like he progressed but there had been no reaction from the system.

‘Maybe tomorrow?’ he hoped, as he went back to the hut after exhausting his mental strength.

During the morning training and his breaks, he also used Mana pulse repeatedly, every time he felt like his mana was full. He intended to take advantage of the regeneration and see if it could also be trained.

He repeated this program for two days when he heard a ringing sound from the system.

“Good! Training like this seems to work too!” he said, smiling as he opened the notification windows.

Both his Sword aura and Mana armor skills had gained a level.

After another two days, he got a notification while eating dinner.

[Your skill Mana pulse has gained a level.]

[Skill: Mana pulse (Lv.3)]
Release mana in a wave around the user.

“Hm? The description got simpler than before. Is it because I have more control over it than I used to?” he questioned.

He had made a lot of progress since he started training here. More than he expected.

He continued like this for a while when one morning, as he woke up, he heard a ringing sound again.

[You have earned a new achievement: Portal tourism.]

[Achievement: Portal tourism]
You have stayed inside a portal for one whole week. Is this an adventure or a vacation?

- Bonus stats -
END: 10

‘It’s been a week already. I guess it’s about time I move and get back home.’ he thought.

In the meantime, only his Mana application gained a level. However, like Sword aura and Mana armor, the description remained unchanged. He also spent 10 stat points to increase his strength. With that, he could wield the longsword with only one hand more easily.

He took a last look at his status window.

[Status window]
Name: Matthew Carter
Level: 20
Achievements: 13

- Stats -
STR: 65
AGI: 50
END: 70
INT: 48
LCK: 3
KAR: 2
ATK: 270 [+2]
DEF: 226 [+28]
MGK: 168
RES: 183
(Available stat points: 7)

- Skills -
Mana application (Lv.2)
Mana armor (Lv.2)
Mana pulse (Lv.3)
Mental strength (Lv.2)
Poison resistance (Lv.1)
Set traps (Lv.3)
Sound sleeper (Lv.1)
Sword aura (Lv.2)
Vampirism (Lv.1)
Weapon throw (Lv.2)

‘I gained 3 achievements, 4 skills, and 5 skill levels while I was here.’ he summarized.

He picked up his stuff and prepared to get out. He came here worried and lost, looking for a way out of the terrible thing he experienced. He did not expect him coming here having such an impact. He took time to safely process how he felt and got stronger while training.

“Alright, I got everything. It’s time. Exit portal.”