"Oh Arild.You mentioned killing monsters to train your skill proficiency as well. If you didn't know already, you can do that without fighting. It's better to stay safe!"

This... I was unsure what to say. Did they not already know that after 50 proficiency you need to fight monsters? I don't want to bring too much attention to myself yet; I don't know the consequences of standing out.

"Ahh that, I just wanted to be more efficient, that's all! I'll remember your words though, thank you." Mr. Haug's words seemed to be of honest concern for my safety, so I appreciated it.

I headed out of the room. Tobias was there waiting for me.

"Seems like I got a new job now, thanks to you!" He said with a smile.

"What? Are you the new town assistant? Wait, how come you already know that?" That caught me off-guard.

"He didn't inform you? I have a talent for reading minds!"

I froze.

Shit! That means they're already aware of all my secrets. Maybe he didn't share it yet? Perhaps his talent comes with some kind of condition that won't let him pry on my stats. Should I threaten him? No, that will only make things worse if he refuses to follow orders...

Tobias broke out in laughter.

"Haha, what's with that reaction? It was just a joke! We already talked about that earlier in private."

Phew..

"Will you be joining me on the way back?"

"Yes, but we shouldn't take the helicopter this time. We'll leave it to be used in emergencies. I need to bring my car to Fjordbridge, anyway. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

I was disappointed; I wanted to go for another helicopter ride...

His car was in the parking lot. The black Mercedes sedan, not excessively showy, appeared freshly washed with a glossy sheen from the sunlight.

With an hour remaining until I arrived home, I had to plan. First, with this money pouring in that only took a few hours to get, I sent an e-mail with my intention of quitting my job.

I have an intuition that the price they paid for the crystals will decrease soon. Staying ahead was crucial before the market got flooded. My goal is to get higher tier crystals and other items. I needed to become stronger. I need more dungeon information to do that.

"Hey Tobias, are you able to give me information on dungeons near my hometown?"

"Certainly! I will contact the association to get that for you."

He called the mapping team and requested a map of dungeons near my town, as well as known information about it. They would send it before we arrived home.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

During the drive, I pondered about skill books. I loved the skill I had, but I didn't want to be limited to it. I sought to broaden my abilities and experience their power. How do I get more of them?

"Hey Tobias, do you know how to get skill books?"

"Unfortunately, no, the only thing we know is that they're dropped on the first kill. I'm sure we'll learn more in the coming days."

That's a shame. Even with global communications nobody knew, or at least they haven't shared it. It must be quite rare.

"Since you will stay in town. Do you want to awaken?"

"Yes, I was planning on doing that when I had the time."

"Then you can do it in my bedroom dungeon. I'll join you in case anything happens. I'm planning on returning as soon as I get home."

"Thank you! That would be very helpful."

I need to learn more about general combat skills. I'm unsure if it will transfer with superhuman abilities. General tactics and situations should suffice for now.

I got my phone out of my pocket and pressed '0' four times to unlock it. I started browsing the Internet for some basics of combat. For a beginner level dungeon, that goblin boss could catch me off-guard. Then what about stronger or smarter monsters? I looked at some content related to sword-fighting first.

...

As I felt the familiar turn into the drive-way, I slowly opened my eyes. I woke up.

Ah, I fell asleep doing research. A chaotic day, indeed. I'll learn more some other time.

"Let's start with the dungeon, so we can get that out of the way."

We went to my bedroom. Tobias made a call to a nearby hotel and booked a room for later.

Once again in the grasslands, now with company. It seemed entering a dungeon in quick succession would create a party. That's one thing Knut told me. Once inside a dungeon, there's a 1-minute window for others to join.

Tobias looked around in surprise. I almost forgot this was his first time inside. I got the same dungeon information as last time, but the [BEGINNER] prompt wasn't there.

"It's amazing! There's an entire world here! I'm eager now!"

"I felt the same way, and I still do. This is just the beginning!"

I retrieved the Chieftain Short-Sword from my inventory and presented the handle to Tobias.

"Here, take this for now. Let's head to the forest. I'm curious about what skill and talent you'll get!"

We journeyed to a familiar spot.

Huh, a goblin was here before. I underestimated the dynamism of the dungeons.

We walked further into the forest until we saw a lone goblin. Tobias's eyes filled with awe as the wonder of this new world struck him once more.

"So, how do you want to do this?" I said.

"I'd like to go at it alone, but please keep watch in case I overestimated myself."

Tobias walked towards the goblin, his eyes only focusing on the goblin ahead. He held the short-sword over his shoulder, ready to strike. He didn't sneak up on it. As soon as the goblin noticed, it equipped its dagger.

"Ke-huk!"

The goblin raised its feet and awkwardly sprinted towards Tobias. Tobias lowered his center of gravity as he further prepared to attack. As the goblin was approaching Tobias's range, Tobias made his move.

The weapon he held made a diagonal arc. It powerfully implanted itself into the collarbone of the goblin, who had no choice but to stop, as the friction and pain was too much to bear. It kept swinging the tiny crude dagger to no avail.

He finished it with another slash before the goblin dropped to the ground.

Tobias released a long breath, calming his heart. He seemed to assess the system prompts he got.

"You'll find the skill book in your inventory."

He nodded without turning towards me.

I saw him scan the air in front of him. As he did, I could see his open mouth open even further.