Chapter 3: Practice

Outside the window, the torrential rain relentlessly battered this strange and perilous world.

Raindrops pelted the glass in a dense rhythm, producing an irritating crackling sound.

Having inspected the state of the crops, Han Ning rubbed his still aching waist and walked into the kitchen to inventory the remaining supplies.

From the old man next door, he had gathered four bags of dried noodles, each weighing one pound and well sealed.

Half a sack of rice remained, roughly ten pounds.

Two packs of compressed biscuits.

Two boxes of roasted-flavored orchid beans.

The water dispenser was about two-thirds full, holding approximately thirteen liters.

Next to it was an unopened case of bottled water—twelve bottles, each 500 milliliters.

This constituted his entire drinking water reserve.

“Ration the dry food carefully. If the potatoes grow successfully, they should last more than half a month,” he thought.

Though rationing was necessary, he still had to maintain two meals a day to ensure his skills’ proficiency. After all, if he remained hungry all day, his body would weaken.

“But what about water?” The thought darkened Han Ning’s eyes with worry.

The water dispenser held just over half a bucket, and with the twelve bottles of mineral water, the total barely reached twenty liters.

Though the rain outside poured fiercely, who could tell if the water was safe to drink?

Recollections of the “Black Tide Water” that inundated the planet from the indigenous data flashed through his mind.

For now, Han Ning resolved not to risk using the outside water.

“Outside is too dangerous. Best not to go out unless absolutely necessary,” he murmured.

The lingering sharp pain in his waist and the near-death suffocation he had suffered in the equipment room the previous night constantly reminded him that with his fledgling abilities, facing those ferocious croc-lizards outside would be a death sentence.

“First, I’ll master the Ten-Mile Slope Swordmaster technique, honing several skills until my food supplies are nearly exhausted,” Han Ning resolved.

Rather than rushing out to die, it was wiser to seize this temporary safety, using his precious food and water reserves to strengthen himself.

Strength was the only guarantee of survival.

Home was his safe haven—the novice village’s sanctuary.

With his goal set, Han Ning sprang into action.

He carefully stored the noodles, rice, and biscuits in the kitchen cabinet.

Once the supplies were arranged, training began immediately.

Han Ning held his breath and focused, standing in the relatively open living room.

“Vine Technique!” he commanded softly, thrusting his hands forward as green light shimmered in his palms.

His concentration fixed on the cracks in the floor.

With a few light pops, several slender, dull-colored vines struggled to emerge from the floor, swaying weakly like a premature faltering, limp and drooping. Within seconds, they withered and vanished.

[Vine Technique proficiency +1, current 14/100]

A point of spiritual energy was instantly consumed, reducing his meter to [Spirit Energy: 9/10].

“Too weak...” Han Ning frowned, recalling how easily juvenile croc-lizards had snapped the vines during a critical moment last night.

“I need more, stronger, more flexible vines!” He took a shallow breath and released the technique again.

“Vine Technique!”

“Vine Technique!”

“Vine Technique!”

In the dim living room, Han Ning repeated the tedious solo practice.

Time after time, he summoned vines that rapidly withered within seconds.

Each activation he carefully sensed the flow of spiritual energy within him, feeling the faint link between himself and the vines.

When his energy was depleted, he returned to bed to rest and let his body recover naturally.

When hunger struck, he cooked a steaming bowl of rice, mixed with soy sauce, eating heartily to maintain his body heat.

During rest intervals, he tended to the few potato seedlings.

The potatoes grew noticeably faster; his accelerated growth skill was chiefly applied to them.

[Rapid Growth proficiency +1, current 4/100]

[Rapid Growth proficiency +1, current 5/100]

Ten points of spiritual energy equated to about seven uses of Vine Technique and three of Rapid Growth.

As for the Rejuvenation Technique, he temporarily set it aside.

A soft emerald glow permeated the soil; the potato seedlings visibly grew taller, their leaves lush and their stalks sturdier.

Watching them thrive and imagining the bountiful harvest, Han Ning’s resolve strengthened.

Time slipped away quietly amidst training and rest.

The storm outside became an eternal backdrop, occasionally pierced by monsters’ roars.

By day’s end, Vine Technique proficiency had risen to [26/100].

The most noticeable change was that the number of summoned vines increased by two, their color deepened, and they withered one or two seconds later.

The potato seedlings, boosted by two applications of Rapid Growth, had already reached nearly twenty centimeters in height, flourishing.

The cost was a slight drop in the water level in the dispenser.

Han Ning licked his slightly cracked lips, stifling the urge to drink again.

On the second day, training continued.

He attempted to alter the release method of Vine Technique.

No longer seeking to instantly summon multiple vines, he focused his mind, trying to control the precise emergence location and wrapping manner of the vines.

At first, he had no grasp; the vines still sprouted randomly from floor cracks.

Through repeated failures and trials, he gradually caught a glimmer of understanding.

It seemed connected to his “willpower” and the way he controlled his inner “spiritual energy.”

It was elusive yet traceable.

Han Ning searched over and over for that subtle feeling.

Once, thrice, five times, ten times...

After twenty attempts, when a faint surge of spiritual energy rushed to his palm, he vividly imagined vines emerging from the floor about half a meter ahead, coiling upward.

“Vine Technique!”

Pop!

Three vines promptly sprouted from the roughly designated area.

“Success!” Han Ning’s eyes gleamed with a hint of joy.

[Vine Technique proficiency +5, current 31/100]

[Druid Growth progress +1, current 20/100]

The third day... the fourth day... the fifth day...

Days seemed trapped in a fixed cycle: skill practice, rest and recovery, tending potatoes, calculating food and water consumption.

One bag of noodles was consumed.

The rice level dropped slightly.

The water dispenser finally ran dry.

Han Ning had to start using bottled water.

Each time he twisted open a new bottle, he felt a pang of regret.

As for bathing, that was out of the question.

After six or seven days of training,

Vine Technique proficiency had climbed to [87/100].

Now, the vines he summoned consistently numbered seven to eight, with a deep, rich green hue, thickness comparable to an adult’s finger, tough texture, and a faint rustling sound when swung.

Most crucially, his control had improved; he could now precisely command vines to emerge from designated spots.

He could direct them to perform simple wrapping, whipping, and binding movements with growing skill.

Though the spiritual energy consumed per summon seemed to increase slightly, the power and utility were incomparable.

[Rapid Growth] also improved to [30/100].

The potato seedlings, receiving the best care and priority for spiritual energy when Han Ning recovered, had grown to half his height, their branches and leaves abundant, nearly filling their pots.

Two even sprouted small, pale purple flower buds at their tips.

Meanwhile, his overall Druid level progress reached [62/100].