The changes from leveling up the Eating skill were noticeable at his very first meal.
He didn't just eat more. The same plate of food kept him feeling full for longer.
In the past, he'd start feeling weak after two hours. Now he still had energy left by noon.
The subtler changes didn't show up until the third day, when he noticed his fingernails were growing faster.
Faster-growing nails meant more efficient keratin synthesis. His body really was getting better at taking in protein.
Previously, it had wasted more than half the nutrients in his food. Now it was starting to convert as much of what he ate as possible into energy.
The improvement from the Sleeping skill was even more obvious.
On the first night, he fell asleep less than three minutes after lying down.
Before, it took him at least ten to fifteen minutes to drift off. Thoughts whirled through his mind, and he had to shift around in bed seven or eight times before he could finally settle.
Now, falling asleep was almost absurdly effortless. As soon as his head touched the pillow, his breathing automatically shifted into a slow-wave rhythm, and his consciousness was gently enveloped.
His sleep was deeper, too. For three nights in a row, he slept straight through until morning.
When he got up on the fourth morning, he saw a face in the mirror that was almost unfamiliar.
His eyes were brighter.
Not so much that they were gleaming, but the whites were whiter and his pupils clearer.
The three Physique skills were working in tandem, and their effects really were compounding exponentially.
Breathing optimized oxygen supply, Eating optimized nutrient intake, and Sleeping optimized nighttime recovery.
The food he ate during the day was absorbed efficiently, then put to good use while