Chapter 168: Body Tempering level 5 [Your Body Tempering skill has reached level 2] [Your Body Tempering skill has reached level 3] Seeing the rapid improvement, Noah’s determination intensified. He refused to stop until he reached his target level, pushing through the increasingly demanding training to reach his goal of improving his constitution and breaking his limits. The body tempering process had become more challenging for his body as his skill advanced, requiring greater mana expenditure and more focus to achieve meaningful progress. But Noah pressed forward with relentless focus. He paused briefly to eat a loaf of bread when his body began showing signs of exhaustion, the magical healing properties restoring his energy and allowing him to continue the intensive training session. Hours passed in dedicated practice, his mana flowing through increasingly refined pathways as his constitution adapted to handle greater magical stress. Finally, the notification he’d been waiting for appeared. [Your Body Tempering skill has reached level 5!] — Host: Noah Carter Age: 28 Shop Level: 2 Daily Revenue: $295,000 (or equivalent) Current Assets: $306,640.21 Shop Points: 2070 Attributes: Strength: 30, Vitality: 20, Intelligence: 20, Agility: 30 Skills: Swordsmanship(Level 8), Mana Control (Level 7), Wind Manipulation (Level 6), Aura (Level 5), Body Tempering (Level 5), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3), Cooking (Level 2), Programming (Level 2), Gaming (Level 2), Finance (Level 2) — Checking his status, Noah smiled with obvious delight at the dramatic improvement in his capabilities. His vitality had finally increased to 20 points, and he could feel the immense difference his body had undergone during the intensive training session. The constitutional enhancement had transformed him on a fundamental level. His joints felt much more resilient, capable of handling stress that would have injured him previously. His muscle density had increased significantly, providing strength that complemented his existing attributes perfectly. Most importantly, he could sense that his bones had become more durable, creating resilience that would allow him to survive serious combat without suffering crippling injuries. Everything about his physical constitution had received massive improvement, which balanced his previously lopsided attribute distribution. "Congratulations!" multiple voices erupted beside him simultaneously. Noah raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned to discover that Lola wasn’t the only one present. Kip and Alissa were there too, apparently having entered while he was completely absorbed in his training. "Why didn’t you inform me?" he asked, looking at Lola. She had a huge smile plastered on her face. She was satisfied with his achievement. Lola maintained her delighted expression before explaining with amusement. "You were too engrossed in your training, and they didn’t want to interrupt you either, so we simply waited for you to finish." "How long have I been training? I lost track of time," Noah said, running his fingers through his hair as he processed the gap in his awareness. "It’s been about two hours since you started. I must say, that’s the fastest I’ve ever seen someone reach novice rank in body tempering." Noah nodded with understanding. "I think it’s due to the bread. I ate it when I felt my body was starting to give up during the more intense circulation exercises." Lola nodded in agreement; she naturally understood that part. She was the only one who told him about the shortcut after all. Turning toward Alissa and Kip, Noah moved his attention to his young friends. "Are you guys done for the day? Don’t you have any training or academy responsibilities?" Both cat siblings shook their heads in unison. "No, Master Noah," they replied with obvious respect. Noah sighed with mild exasperation. "Stop calling me Master Noah." Before he could finish his protest, Lola chuckled mischievously. "He’s now a viscount! You should call him Noble Viscount Noah~" Her teasing tone carried obvious amusement at Noah’s discomfort with formal titles and excessive respect. Noah immediately glared at Lola. "No! Stop giving them ideas, Lola. They might actually do it!" "Hehe~" Hearing her giggle, Noah rolled his eyes. "Just call me Noah. Okay? We’re friends, not lord and servants," he said, addressing the cat siblings gently but firmly. The cat siblings nodded, but he could tell from the look in their eyes that his request was a difficult one. Grumble! Suddenly, a stomach’s grumbling filled the small shop with unmistakable demand for food. Noah glanced down at his own stomach before a wry smile appeared on his face. "The training really took its toll. I’m hungry, do you guys want to eat?" The intensive body tempering session had consumed significant energy, leaving him with an appetite that reflected the strain his constitution had endured during advancement. Lola nodded with obvious interest. "Why not? I can eat some of the human food. It might be interesting to try more of your kingdom’s cuisine." Alissa looked at Noah shyly before offering with genuine eagerness. "Ma— Noah, I will go get us some meat. Do you want me to cook for you again?" Her hesitation over his name showed she was still adjusting to his request for informal address, while her cooking offer carried the enthusiasm she felt by wanting to contribute meaningfully. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 Noah looked at Alissa with a gentle eyebrow raise. "Are you sure? You don’t have to. I was just thinking about eating some bread and drinking some iced tea, nothing too excessive." Simple meal after training. Don’t want to impose on her generosity. Alissa nodded her head eagerly, her silver ears perking up with obvious determination. "Yes, I’m sure. I want to cook for you." She turned toward her brother with the authority of an older sister, making plans. "Kip, let’s go get some ingredients to cook something good." Kip nodded, standing up to accompany his sister on their shopping journey. Both cat siblings moved towards the door. In a few seconds, they were out of the shop, leaving Noah alone with Lola and the subtle tension that always seemed to accompany their private conversations. After they left, Lola turned to face Noah with a mischievous look brewing in her ruby eyes. "Alissa is really cute, isn’t she?" she said in a deceptively normal tone.