Sora khe market well enough to estimate the average prices of items, and as he sidered his moves, his mind focused ohing: maximizing his growth. The jouro recim his power would require careful pnning, and equipping himself with the right gear—particurly items that could boost his XP gain—was critical. But it would e at a signifit cost.

  For now, equipping himself as a level 1 wouldn't break the bank. He estimated that basic low-level gear would cost no more than 10 or 20 gold—pocket ge pared to the expenses he would face ter. But as he progressed through levels, particurly to levels 10, 20, and 30, he would o cycle through gear, and for those items, he estimated an additional 25,000 gold would be required.

  The real challenge came when sidering the costs at higher levels. Once he reached level 40, the expense would skyrocket. He estimated around 50,000 gold just to get det XP-boosting gear for that stage. And for level 50, he wouldn't need XP-boosting items anymore—he'd need high-end bat gear capable of keeping him alive ioughest dungeons and zones. Preparing for that would cost him at least 75,000 gold.

  In total, he calcuted that he would need around 150,000 gold just to equip himself properly from level 1 to 50. And that was just to cover the essentials, nothiravagant.

  Since his goal was to save enough to pay for his full gear, and keep 30 000 for travel expenses or any other ies, he was g around 100 000 gold.

  But the bigger question remained: how was he going to make that much money?

  Sora sighed, realizing that hunting wouldn't be enough to fill his coffers. After a full day of grinding low-level creatures, he hadn't even mao make 50 gold. At that rate, even after reag level 10, the ine from hunting wouldn't increase signifitly. The grind was simply too slow to meet his goals.

  He needed another way—something more reliable and lucrative.

  The answer, of course, was a job.

  He opened his job panel and quickly sed through the various professions he had taken up over time. His highest skill was Bcksmith (Level 0 previously Level 17), which he knew could be profitable if he had the right materials and iments. But that required an initial gold outy he wasn't ready to make.

  His athering jobs, while useful, weren't going to give him the fast returns he needed:

  Mining (Level 1 previously Level 12)

  Fishing (Level 1 previously Level 8)

  Herbalism (Level 1 previously Level 7)

  These skills could provide him with extra ine if he o gather resources for crafting or selling to other pyers, but they would be slow to level and also required their own iment. They weren't going to gee the quick cash he o outfit himself.

  Then his eyes nded o job in his list: Human Resources Assistant (Level 0 previously Level 4).

  A small chuckle escaped his lips. Back before the world had transformed, he had earned a degree in human resources ma and worked briefly in that field. The system had apparently trahat into a job in the new world ey, albeit at a low level.

  "Assistant de dire des ressources humaines," he muttered, the French words rolling off his tongue before he mentally tra to English: Human Resources Assistant.

  It was almost ughable. The idea of taking up an administrative job in a world where strength and bat prowess ruled seemed absurd. But Sora khat jobs, even those uo bat, had their value in this world. There were many non-bat roles that pyers filled to keep the world running smoothly. Logistics, trade, ma, and even administration—these were in high demand.

  The thought of using his degree in the new world was intriguing, and at Level 1, he has never been an expert, but the job was still there. If he could take on tracts or tasks reted to human resources, he could ear money with low risk. Plus, as he leveled the job up, he'd unlock more lucrative opportunities.

  Making money with jobs made sense. Jobs, unlike bat grinding, could offer steady ihout risking his life. Even small tracts in human resources would be easy to plete, and as his HR job leveled up, the rewards would increase. It wasn't the most gmorous way to make money, but it was effit.

  He had heard of people taking non-bat jobs and making a good living off them. The more tracts they pleted, the mold they earned. It wasn't as fast-paced as bat, but it was safer and steadier.

  Sora smiled to himself. He could try different jobs and see how much he could earn.

  He could spend the first 4 months earning money, or he could do as he first imagined and look for opportunities.

  Sora examihe level 10 sword he had in hand. It was the only item he kept from the bank, knowing it would serve him well on his jouro Córdoba. He hadn't sold it because, despite its retively modest power, it was something he could actually wield on the road. Better to have something than nothing.

  Acc to a fellow pyer he had spoken to at the inn, and the map he had purchased, Córdoba was roughly 500 kilometers away. Though the inal distaween the vilge and the city had been signifitly shorter, the world's geography had stretched during the update, making the journey more thaimes what it once was.

  "I'll make it there in a few days if I push hard enough," he thought, steeling himself for the journey. He had no iion of wasting time. Running at full speed, he could probably cover massive ground in hours.

  Pyers like Sora, still under level 10, fell into the "I" power level bracket, which protected them from higher-level threats while within the safety of city walls. This prote exteo iions with other pyers of the same race, preventing any powerful individuals from bullying weaker ones. But outside the city barriers, the world was far less fiving—there were no safeguards, and the wilderness was a free-for-all.

  Sora pulled up his status pao evaluate where he stood:

  [Status Update]

  Profile: Ralph Eden (Sora Hashino)

  Status: Alive (Prestige 1)Css: None (Level 9)Title: I

  Power Level: 82Energy Level: EBody Level: FTalent Level: 2 (Growth Factor)

  Skills:

  Sword Mastery (Level 1)Shield Block (Level 1)Critical Strike (Level 5)Dodge (Level 5)Mana Regeion (Locked)

  Innate Skill:

  Prestige

  Though his level was low, Sora's overall power level made him strohan the average level 9 pyer, pg him on par with many level 10 pyers. His raw power allowed him to sprint at speeds of up to 100 km per hour and, if pushed, punch through a brick wall—though he'd likely break a few bones in the process. His body, however, hadn't caught up to his growth; his Body Level remai F because he had rai properly.

  Body training was essential. It wasn't just about leveling up; to truly harness one's strength, a pyer o dition their body to hahe higher speed, resistance, and resiliehat came with increasing levels. Without it, leveling up was like p water into a flimsy gss—sure, the gss got bigger, but it also became more fragile. Pyers who didn't train their bodies were proo mistakes, sluggish reas, and an inability to fully utilize their strength.

  The analogy Sora had heard many times before echoed in his mind: "Leveling is like enrging a gss. It grows bigger, but the material stays the same, making it thin and fragile. Training fills the gss, makes it sturdier, and reinforces it." A pyer could reach their maximum potential by pushing their physical aal limits in tandem with leveling up.

  Right now, though Sora's stats were impressive for his level, he khat pared to experienced pyers who had trained rigorously, he was sorely g. His body wasn't ditioo handle ons effectively, and his rapid growth had left his body far behind in terms of refi. It made him ineffit with his sword and other bat maneuvers.

  Before setting out for Córdoba, Sora realized that it would be foolish to ignore his body's development any longer. He couldn't simply rely on his power level; he o maximize his physical strength and agility through basic training to better prepare for the challenges ahead.

  With that in mind, Sora decided to walk back to the au house and buy training materials. He bought special clothes, running shoes, and all kinds of training equipment used by adventurers who o undergo body training.

  He bought a few sets of Training Gear.

  He knew what high level pyers used to "fill the gss". It was brutal, but he could only go with this if he wao be effit. Even crossing 500 kilometers could be challenging, so he would not leave anything to luck.

  The sets to train cost 5000 gold each, and they could be adjusted to a specific difficulty at his taste.

  Set 1: Burden GearDescriptios distributed across the body to increase resistance. Enhances explosive strength, stamina, and endurance over time. Movement is slowed drastically, f the body to adapt to the added burden.

  Sora sed the description of the Burden Gear. It was exactly what he o push his body.

  "This will force me to move slower and train my body's power at the same time. Carrying all that weight will help me develop explosive strength and stamina, something that I've been g. The longer I wear this, the stronger my movements will be o's off."

  Set 2: Tear

  Description: Inflicts tinuous miage to the body, stimuting defense growth. Enhances pain tolerand overall durability by f the body to heal minor injuries caused by the gear itself. Long-term use results in increased resiliend natural damage resistance.

  Sora wi the thought of wearing the Tear.

  "It's going to hurt, but this will help me withstand damage iure. Building up my pain tolerand natural defense could be the differeween life ah in a fight. If I endure stant damage, taking hits from enemies will be much easier."

  Set 3: Slowed Perception Gear

  Description

  Slows the wearer's perception of time and movement. Enhances rea time and anticipation by f the user to adapt to a faster-paced enviro. Ideal for improving reflexes and precision in bat.

  Sora read through the description, nodding to himself.

  "This will be the ultimate challe will make everything feel like it's moving at lightning speed. If I learn to fight while wearing this, then o's off, normal bat will feel so much slower. It'll sharpen my reflexes and give me an edge in battle when every sed ts."

  Each gear set had its own purpose, and Sora could already see how bining them could push him to a new level.

  If I use these correctly, my body will be ditioned for anything. Time to start w on filling up that gss.

  He looked at the Burden Gear in his iory.

  Without hesitation, he began strapping the weights to his arms, legs, and torso. Each piece locked into pce with a heavy click.

  Once fully equipped, a notification appeared before him:

  [You have equipped training gear.]

  [Special boost activated: All training effects are doubled due to your Prestige Level. Growth Factor: 2. Training efficy doubled.]

  Sora's eyes widened. What the—? He hadn't expected this. His Prestige ability seemed to have more advahan he inally thought. Double training efficy? That meant he could push his body twice as fast as before. A gri across his face as he realized just how overpowered this boost could make him if used correctly.

  Wasting no time, Sora headed toward the e of the vilge and began his routihe heavy weights strapped to his body made every movement borious, every step a challenge. His feet felt like lead, and after only a few minutes, his legs started to burn. But he pressed on, running around the city's massive wall, f himself to maintain speed despite the incredible weight slowing him down.

  The sun was high in the sky by the time he stopped to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his body screaming for relief. But instead of resting, he sed out the Burden Gear for the Tear.

  Another notification appeared, but this time he just brushed it off. He already khe drill.

  The Tear did exactly what its name suggested—small, tinuous pricks of pain all over his body, minor enough to be bearable but irritating enough to stantly remind him it was there. His skin ached, his muscles screamed, but the gear did its job. Over time, the miage would strengthen his body's resistao pain and make him tougher. Every stab and pinch would make him just a bit more resilient.

  Sora alternated betweewo gear sets, running until exhaustion with the Burden Gear, theing iear to train his pain tolerance. By the time the sun began to set, he was drenched i, his muscles trembling with fatigue.

  Just as he was about to head back to the inn, another notification appeared:

  [Your body strength has increased from F to E.]

  He stared at the message in surprise. Already? He khe training would be effective, but this was faster than expected. His body was finally starting to catch up to his power level. He pulled up his status s and saw that his power level had jumped to 122.

  A grin tugged at his lips. He was only level 9, but his stats were parable to a level 11 pyer. The Body Level E had given him a signifit boost, especially in strength and stamina. It's not mu the grand scheme of things, he thought, but it's enough for now. My body feels stronger, more durable. This is what I needed.

  His mental strength hadn't ged, though. He had retained all of his experiend knowledge from before the reset, which made him a formidable oppo despite his retively low level. In a way, this was his greatest advantage—he wasn't just relying on brute force or stats. His mind was sharper, his reflexes faster, and his tactical awareness was on par with seasoned pyers.

  With his body now ier dition, Sora decided it was time to leave the vilge and head west, toward Córdoba. He packed his belongings, took o look at the vilge, and began his journey.