The moon hung high and bright, yet few stars dotted the sky. The lively clamor in the camp had lasted only a while before gradually giving way to silence.
Pale moonlight bathed the land below, and most of the oil lamps and candles inside the houses had gone out. Only scattered bonfires still burned in the open space, casting flickering light.
Kal glanced at the time dial in the upper right corner of his vision. The moon icon on the dial had already climbed to the center.
That meant it was now midnight.
Closing the book in his hands, Kal lifted his head and looked around. Aside from the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind, the only other sounds were the overlapping snores of his companions.
If one wasn't too sensitive to noise, it almost sounded like a symphony in the making.
Or maybe just a contest.
Either way, every single one of them was snoring louder than the last.
Shaking his head in speechless amusement, Kal swung his legs over and sat up from the hammock he'd been lying in.
He raised his hand, and the thick book he had borrowed from Tyrion suddenly vanished from his grasp.
It hadn't disappeared into thin air—it had simply been stored in Kal's inventory.
He had long since mastered the use of this ability, though he only used it in private, when no one was around.
After storing the book, Kal didn't stop moving. He stood and carefully scanned the surroundings once more.
Only after confirming that Kossi and the others were indeed fast asleep did he raise one finger and draw a few circles in the air.
Under the moonlight, tiny specks of green light suddenly appeared out of the darkness.
Like fireflies, they trailed shimmering glows as they circled around Kal's fingertip.
Then, as if sentient, they spiraled a few more times and—guided by a subtle flick of Kal's finger—floated outward in all directions, gently landing on the bodies of those around him.
A moment later, the already deep snoring grew even heavier, like it now had substance and depth.
Looking at his thoroughly asleep subordinates, Kal gave a satisfied smile.
After one last glance toward the inn, where a few guards were still stationed on watch and showed no signs of alertness, he drew in his body and silently vanished into the woods behind him.
As for those specks of glowing green light just now—they were, in fact, a spell Kal had cast.
One of the eight spells listed in his skill tab, and among the six he could just barely manage to use in the real world.
The spell Kal had just cast was the one called [Daze].
As for its function—just as the name suggested—it caused intelligent creatures, especially humans, to faint and fall into a deep sleep.
The spell wasn't harmful, nor was it difficult to cast.
After all, for Kal, who had been practicing these spells for years, the magic he had learned in the game world now came as naturally to him as eating or drinking.
All it required was a bit of mana from his body.
The remaining five spells in his skill set were: [Minor Healing], [Lightning], [Wither], [Weapon Enchantment], and a rather peculiar one—[Pacify].
The first four were, in essence, exactly what their names implied.
[Minor Healing] could treat surface-level injuries. As for how much it could heal, or where its limits lay—
Kal had never really tested it.
In his experiments on animals—done secretly, of course—if the creature didn't die instantly and Kal had enough mana, he could usually bring it back from the brink.
But the spell only worked on external wounds.
[Lightning], despite its flashy name, was honestly less useful than Minor Healing in real-life applications.
When used, it felt similar to how an electric eel might discharge underwater—more like the kind Kal remembered from the deep sea in his past life, strong and aggressive.
Not the Canadian type of electric eel, but the truly fierce, deep-sea kind.
When it hit, the target would lose motor control in an instant, as if pricked by a thousand needles—paralyzed on the spot.
Kal had tested this spell on humans before. At close range, the effect was lethal—one strike could bring someone down.
But from a distance, the range shrank to a mere 2 to 3 metres, and the damage decreased significantly. It might paralyze someone, but it couldn't deal a fatal blow.
That said, the spell did have one additional perk: it was technically an area-of-effect attack.
Kal often used it to shock fish in the water—and it worked like a charm.
As for the last two—[Wither] and [Pacify]—Kal had to admit, he still hadn't fully figured them out.
After casting them, the effects seemed to influence people in ways he couldn't quite understand.
[Wither] acted like a debuff on the target, inflicting a broad and comprehensive weakening effect across the board.
The effect of [Wither] was straightforward: it could turn a healthy person into someone who looked terminally ill. All bodily functions would experience a sharp decline.
The duration of the debuff varied depending on the target's physical condition—it would gradually wear off as the body recovered on its own.
Kal didn't really understand the inner workings of the spell. To him, it was simply a convenient 'impotence curse'.
It never failed. Combined with a few of his more mysterious potions, it had even earned him a modest profit.
Then there was the truly bizarre spell, [Pacify].
Kal personally thought the name was misleading. Rather than Pacify, he figured a more accurate name would be Flirt, Arouse, or even Heat.
Because whether it was used on men, women, or even animals, the effect always kicked in—definitely not what you'd expect from something called 'Pacify'.
These two spells—one external, one internal; one overt, one subtle—could be surprisingly effective in the right situations.
Kal gave them a perfect score.
And then there was the last one: [Weapon Enchantment]. In Kal's opinion, it was the most unique of the six, second only to [Minor Healing].
Honestly, if he used it in public, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a miracle.
[Minor Healing] was helpful, yes—but its effects weren't as visually dramatic or immediate.
[Weapon Enchantment], on the other hand, might as well be called [Spellblade].
Kal had two ways to use it. One was to cast it on himself. The other was to cast it directly on a weapon.
When applied to himself, the spell would manifest as a special energy blade forming in his hand—a glowing, translucent longsword made of pure magic.
But this method had a clear drawback.
The summoned blade didn't last long before dissipating, and its damage output wasn't nearly as overwhelming as one might expect.
It felt like a weapon made of pure elemental energy—intangible, weightless, lacking any real feedback when swung.
Think: a flaming torch or red-hot tongs—except made of light, with no substance at all.
However, when the spell was cast directly on a weapon, all those problems vanished.
The enchantment could last an entire day, just like in the game. And once imbued with that magical energy, the weapon would gain a suite of enhancements.
A regular longsword would become tougher and far less likely to break.
Its sharpness would improve dramatically. Kal could swing it brutally against other weapons without the edge chipping or dulling.
Most importantly, it would feel lighter and better balanced—easier to wield.
In short, the spell provided comprehensive upgrades to any piece of equipment. It didn't matter if it was a weapon or armor—[Weapon Enchantment] could push the item beyond the limits of its original materials and craftsmanship.
Sharper weapons. Stronger armor.
...
After putting the group into a stupor, Kal took advantage of the night, stealthily advancing a short distance under cover of darkness until he slipped into the forest.
He carried no torch or source of light, yet the darkness could not blind his eyes.
As long as it wasn't pitch black, Kal could still make out his surroundings clearly in the dark.
That was because he possessed night vision.
In The Farmer's Pursuit, the game he had played, once players reached mid-game and completed a quest called Dust to Dust, followed by another one titled Blood Power, they would learn how to craft a special potion.
That potion was known as Vampire's Blood.
Its main ingredients included moon pollen, bloodgrass, swamp toads, and… a bandit.
After consuming it, not only would it grant significant boosts to physical strength, it would also bestow some of a vampire's traits—just like the real thing.
And among those traits was, of course, night vision.
However, just like true vampires, those who drank the potion couldn't be exposed to sunlight, which would scorch their bodies until the effect wore off.
But that little drawback could be easily dealt with—just by applying sunscreen.
Naturally, Kal would never drink something like that in real life. There was no need.
After all, his current physical condition hardly needed any slight enhancement.
Still, that didn't stop him from gaining some of the vampire's abilities with zero side effects—thanks to a hidden mechanic in the game.
It turned out that long-term use of the Vampire's Blood potion would gradually evolve a character's body, granting permanent night vision along with comprehensive physical upgrades—
Speed, strength, defense, even health points.
The only thing missing was the core vampire trait: life drain.
But Kal didn't care about that. He was human, not some bat-morphing bloodsucker.
And beyond just these hard stats, its effects carried over into reality with a few covert benefits.
Like Kal's soft, pale skin—smooth and fair despite constant sun and wind exposure and absolutely zero skincare.
Even though, in truth, his skin was as tough as leather.
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