Aaron took a deep breath, trying to steady his mind. He glanced at his stats, less than 20 mana points remained after testing the spells.

He pulled out an apple and munched on it. It did little to refresh him. So he reached for a chilly from the plant he had grown with Rapid Growth.

The familiar fiery taste set his mouth ablaze, forcing him to finish the apple in a few quick bites.

He muttered to himself, "No matter how I look at it, the spells I've learned are meant for survival and nighttime exploration."

He sighed again, realizing he was being too demanding. There was still time to explore the world and more spells would come with experience.

For now, this was enough.

Then he noticed something else in his stats: the spells he had learned could still be enhanced. It defied conventional logic, but the system allowed it.

Each spell required just 100 experience points to level up.

Without hesitation, Aaron chose to upgrade the Light spell.

As he did, the runes in his consciousness shifted subtly.

He couldn't yet decipher the change, and with his mana depleted, he couldn't cast the spell again.

Feeling drained, he gave up and decided to take a nap.

Time passed.

By evening, Torvald and Toro had completed the spring prototype. Torvald tested it, compressing, bending, twisting. It held firm. It was finally usable.

Toro wiped the sweat from his brow, "Sir Torvald, are you satisfied with my work?"

Torvald, dusty and drenched in sweat, smiled, "You've done excellent work. I'll need more springs of the same size. Can you replicate it?"

Toro nodded, "Of course, Sir Torvald. That's the easy part. If you want, I'll keep working, you'll have them by tomorrow morning."

Torvald clapped him on the shoulder, "Thank you, Toro. I'll make sure Lord Aaron hears of your contribution."

Toro smiled humbly, "Thank you, Sir Torvald."

Torvald offered, "Why not take a break and eat something?"

But Toro shook his head, "The fire's still warm, and there are two hours until nightfall. I'll finish the work first, then I'll eat."

Torvald nodded, "Alright, I'll take my leave."

Just as he turned, Toro called out, "Sir Torvald, may I borrow the spring for a moment?"

Torvald handed it over.

Toro took out a casting mold filled with wet sand. He pressed the spring into it three times, creating impressions for future copies. Then he returned it.

"Here, Sir Torvald."

Torvald took the spring, yawned, and began walking toward Aaron's tent.

As Torvald made his way toward Aaron's tent, he passed by a group of children running and laughing, their carefree energy filling the air. A flicker of envy crossed his face. But then he remembered, soon, a school would open. Educated instructors would teach the children and villagers for three hours a day, with plans to gradually extend the time, easing the burden on parents.

The thought lifted his mood. He smiled softly, "These kids… they'll have a better future."

Further along, he spotted Rumba and the village guards returning with their latest hunt. Torvald recognized the prey wild goats. Though Aaron had hunted last night Gray wolf, most villagers refused to eat the meat. The wolves had once preyed on their kin, and consuming their flesh felt too close to cannibalism.

Instead, they salvaged the skins, bones, and tendons,

discarding the rest.

Torvald didn't dwell on it. Monster meat was only safe for Knight Apprentices or higher. For ordinary people, it could cause indigestion or even poisoning.

A few minutes later, he reached Aaron's tent and was surprised to find Kelly standing outside, a troubled look on her face.

"Miss Kelly, what are you doing out here? Where's Aaron?"

Kelly, who had been standing for nearly an hour, looked like she might cry. She could clearly hear Aaron's deep snoring from inside the tent, but hadn't known how to proceed.

Just as she gathered the courage to step forward, Torvald's voice startled her.

She turned quickly, "Sir Torvald… Lord Aaron is sleeping. I came to report today's progress, but…"

Her voice trailed off, nervous and unsure.

Torvald frowned. Aaron was rarely this exhausted. The snoring was unusually loud, a sign of deep fatigue.

Just then, Khumba arrived, hoping to discuss the land clearing progress.

Seeing them both outside, he asked, "Why are you standing here?"

Torvald replied, "Old Chief, Aaron's asleep. Should we wake him?"

Khumba shook his head, "Unless it's an emergency, let him rest. If he doesn't wake by dinner, we'll leave him be."

Nighttime.

Aaron opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. The deep sleep had done wonders. He stretched, took a deep breath, and glanced outside, it was already dark.

He quickly checked the map and was relieved to see no red spots. The area was calm for now.

Still, he reflected on the mana drain from earlier. It had been intense, he'd need to be more cautious when casting spells.

He checked his stats: 120 mana points had recovered. Enough to test the Light Spell properly.

As he channeled mana, he noticed something surprising the mana cost remained the same, but the duration had increased from two minutes to five.

He cast the spell. 10 mana points drained, and a ball of light flickered from his fingertips, rising to hover just above his head.

It stayed in place, illuminating a 5-meter radius around him with a soft, steady glow.

The phenomenon didn't go unnoticed.

Villagers pointed toward the light, and soon Rumba, Khumba, Torvald, Kelly, and others came running.

Aaron, seeing the crowd, raised his voice, "Hey! What are you all doing here?"

Torvald swallowed hard, "Aaron… what is that mysterious ball of light?"

Aaron smiled, "It's one of my spells. Don't worry, it's just for illumination. It'll fade soon."

Relieved, the crowd began to relax.

Aaron added, "You can all disperse and enjoy your evening."

Khumba, the village chief, nodded and gave orders to Rumba, who began guiding people back in an orderly fashion.

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