The next morning, Tyler woke up and heard the sound of the notification on his head.
[Ding! Daily Check-in has been activated.]
[You received a 'Rune Stone']
As he rubbed his eyes, feeling refreshed, he glanced at the panel.
For a moment, his eyes didn't even blink.
'Whoa! Compared to yesterday's spherical stone, this has a rune attached to it. I just hope it's not just a name.'
Thinking about it, he quickly took out the Rune Stone from the inventory. Its shape was an octagon.
And, in the middle, there was a lightning bolt.
He didn't need to wait as the system's item recognition function worked and turned on a new panel.
[Item- Rune Stone
Description- A lightning-based Rune Stone. It holds a large amount of lightning energy that can be used for offensive purposes. The power of lightning is not weaker than natural lightning.
How to Use- Infuse the rune with Aura
How to Activate- Slightly crush it while holding it with the aura and throw it.
How to Be Safe- Throw as far as possible and run away.]
Reading its description, Tyler nodded his head with satisfaction.
Unlike the spherical stone that he received yesterday, this was a stone of great value.
'Come to think of it, if I get something totally useless today, I always get something good tomorrow.'
'It's like the system's way of saying 'No matter how bad today is, don't give up! Tomorrow will be bright.'
Tyler had an urge to chuckle, but he suppressed it and stood up.
He turned around, only to find no one around him.
He took out his watch from the inventory and found it was already eight in the morning.
"Hmm! I guess I will wait here. Oh! Is that my breakfast?"
He turned his head around, only to find a pot near a small fire.
He quickly rushed there and checked the pot. There was some stew left, with a small bowl of rice on the side.
He quickly devoured it and felt a bit relieved.
After all, he had quite an intense battle yesterday and didn't eat anything after that.
"My mind and body have recovered, but I lost a lot of Aura. I need to refill it."
"I can feel it. Because of yesterday's experience, I am able to extract more Aura and at a faster rate."
"This is great. If I go on like this, I will soon be able to reach Fourth Rank."
He couldn't help but feel sheer joy at this finding.
But at the same time, he started reflecting on yesterday's battle. If not for his Shadow Replacement, he would've lost that battle.
That lightning bolt attack, where several bolts were charged at him, was devastating.
At the same time, he also found something interesting about his skills.
Before this, he rarely had any battles. So, he just assumed that using his skills as they were created was their limit.
After all, these skills weren't truly limited since they could be upgraded.
But now it seemed there were many things that he hadn't figured out about his skills.
For example, his Fire Dragon Roar could not only burn for hundreds of meters, but it could also be used to make barbecue.
His Shadow Replacement could not only be attached to humans but trees and other objects, as long as they were within his vicinity.
While he could only put his shadows on three objects permanently, he could move into the shadow of others as many times as he could.
That being said, this wasn't a true teleportation. He was moving through the shadow, which wasn't the true purpose of his Shadow Replacement.
His Enhanced Strength not only enhanced his strength but also speed and endurance. But the level of improvement was far less than the strength.
His Rapid Regeneration was painful, and powers like ice could slow down his regeneration.
His Shadow Vines were stronger in the ground and weaker in the air.
His Shadow Knight was stronger and could follow his commands like a normal human, rather than just a dumb creature.
These findings helped him understand his abilities and skills better.
'Should I try to make another Totem?'
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
'Although I can't take out my Totems because I need them to utilize my skills, I have no reason to create extra totems just for that.'
'Although Dragon can come out and help me, I will also lose its ability. So, rather than calling it out, I need to be stronger so that I can awaken Epic Skill.'
'I heard Epic Skill get attached to humans on a spiritual and biological level. If that is the case, I wouldn't lose Dragon's ability even if I summon it out.'
'Even if that's not the case, I will still have multiple powerful skills with my Shadow Manipulation.'
'So for now, I should just focus on reaching Fourth Rank and continue my way to Seventh Rank.'
While he was planning his future, he sensed people running towards him.
He turned his head and saw Rose and others. They were battered, and Martin had even collapsed.
But he could feel their strength growing, especially Rose, whose Aura was only growing faster.
"Lord!"
"Sir!"
When they saw him awake, they ran in front of him. Others greeted him from afar while Rose jumped into his embrace and mumbled.
"I was so worried about you."
"Am I not fine?" Tyler chuckled as he patted her head.
"Of course, you are. Look, what we've found."
She immediately took out two white fruits with a pineapple shape.
"Wait, did you cross the river without me? How can you be so reckless?"
Instead of feeling joy about the fruit, he couldn't help but scold them.
If something had happened to them, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
Especially since it was his decision to bring them here.
"Lord, you can't protect us forever. We need to grow on our own." John spoke with a strong expression.
Liam had put down Martin, and he quickly nodded.
"Yeah, if you keep protecting us, we will never grow. By the way, I managed to fight a Building Level Monster on my own for a while."
Tyler heard their refutation and felt a bit weird.
Except for a few moments where he had been overly compassionate about helping his city's people, he had rarely been opposed or scolded by his people.
This was truly an experience he hadn't faced before.
But looking at their experience, Tyler understood their determination.
Yeah, he could protect them now, but he couldn't protect them forever.
He was a bit fearless because he once faced an Eighth Rank Hunter.
But if that person had even the slightest of malice towards him, he would've been living in fear this whole time.
These people had been protected by him for far too long, and they understood the problem with that.
So, their motivation to get stronger, to protect their city, was something they truly strived for.
"You are right. I shouldn't doubt you. This is the fruit of your hard work. So, John, I believe you already have skills ready in your mind."
Saying so, he took one of the fruits from Rose's hand and tossed it at John.
John took the fruit and nodded.
He needed this fruit to reach the Second Rank.
On the other hand, Tyler turned towards Liam and Jacob, asking.
"What about your three? Who has the highest chance of reaching Second Rank?"
At this moment, Jacob and Liam pointed at Martin.
"He has? Didn't he complain about not having a single idea to develop his Water Manipulation?"
Tyler was utterly stunned.
In his mind, the second person should be Liam.
He had seen Liam's fighting style, quick thinking, and even talent. He was the last one to receive the fruit, but he managed to close the gap pretty quickly.
And he still remembered how Martin complained about his Water Manipulation not having any powerful skills.
Liam hurriedly spoke.
"Lord, he just told us today. After your battle, we all tried to create ideas for different skills, something that could help us in future battles."
"Although I did have two ideas that I would love to try, Martin had already thought of three ideas."
"He even told us about those ideas. So, we both think he has a greater chance."
Rose also nodded her head.
"Yeah, I heard him explain his ideas. His first idea is simple. To release a large amount of water to his surroundings and generate clones out of that water."
"The second idea is about converging all of that water into a large dragon-shaped water beast that can attack his enemy with an incredible force."
"His final idea is, however, his best idea. He planned to create a rapid-firing water pistol."
"It's similar to his previous skill but with extra strikes."
Hearing that, Tyler's eyes lit up.
"This guy is a genius, a certified genius."
His words stunned Rose and others. Rose spoke.
"Sir, he is good but not that good. Even the third idea is simply a copy with some adjustments."
Tyler hurriedly shook his head and explained.
"That's the thing...."