Change

[This enhancement will consume 1 Soul Power. Enhance?]

"Enhance!"

"Mental Strength LV3"

Three consecutive enhancements to his mental strength.

Three waves of incredibly soothing warmth flowed into Morgan's body in succession.

Combined with the unprecedented clarity that the enhancement brought to his mind, Morgan felt as though he were floating on air.

Perhaps it was because mental strength was a special attribute.

Or perhaps it was because of the tremendous boost from enhancing it three times in a row.

At that moment, Morgan could clearly feel the changes in his five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch (perception).

He had originally thought mental strength mainly determined attributes like willpower and resistance to temptation.

Only after enhancing it did he discover that it did far more than simply improve his willpower. Almost every non-obvious ability related to the mind had improved to some degree.

Unlike enhancements to the other three attributes, which required a little training to get used to,

the adjustment to increased mental strength came much faster.

He could barely feel any of the dizziness or throbbing headaches that might have resulted from such a sudden, dramatic increase.

Aside from his mind feeling clearer and sharper, Morgan felt no discomfort at all.

"So this is the obvious effect of enhanced mental strength."

As he savored the clarity in his mind, Morgan looked at the status panel before him. His mental strength was already at LV3, yet he still felt a little restless.

But this urge was merely a natural physical reaction.

In terms of awareness, Morgan, who had just raised his mental strength to LV3, was clearly calmer and more rational than before the enhancement.

His mental strength had reached LV3—a tremendous improvement.

Morgan believed that even if he couldn't completely resist the temptation of The One Ring, he would at least be able to fight back.

If even LV3 mental strength wasn't enough,

then Morgan couldn't believe that ordinary Bilbo would be able to resist the Ring's temptation.

He had seven Soul Power in total, and had used three in one go.

Morgan's heart ached. He had fought tooth and nail to earn every last bit.

His mental strength was high enough for now.

Naturally, the remaining four points had to go toward his other three attributes.

His gaze moved between Strength, Constitution, and Agility.

This time, he didn't deliberate for long either.

With a thought, Morgan clicked the plus signs beside Strength and Constitution once each.

[This enhancement will consume 1 Soul Power. Enhance?]

"Enhance!"

"Strength LV2"

[This enhancement will consume 1 Soul Power. Enhance?]

"Enhance!"

"Constitution LV2"

After the two enhancements, Morgan's four attributes were now: Strength LV2; Constitution LV2; Agility LV2; Mental Strength LV3.

He looked at the two points of Soul Power he had left.

After a brief pause, he clicked the plus sign beside Agility.

[This enhancement will consume 1 Soul Power. Enhance?]

"Enhance!"

"Agility LV3"

Morgan had never forgotten his role in the Company: he was an archer.

Although his White Crow Swordsmanship had reached LV2, and his Strength and Constitution were both far higher than before, greatly improving his close-combat ability,

his skill with a bow was still his strongest asset.

Since it was his strongest asset, he needed to keep it that way.

Besides, the Company already had plenty of elite close-combat fighters and tanks.

Morgan glanced at his Soul Power. He had just one point left.

"What should I enhance?"

He studied his four attributes.

After some consideration, Morgan decided to spend his last point on Constitution.

[This enhancement will consume 1 Soul Power. Enhance?]

"Enhance!"

"Constitution LV3"

Constitution determined Morgan's health, toughness, ability to take a beating, and recovery.

No one ever complained about having too much health.

Archers were DPS characters, and in games they were high-priority targets.

Reality was much the same. In a small-scale battle, a good archer could be terrifyingly effective.

It was no surprise that enemies would target one first.

His other attributes were good enough for now, and when he didn't know what else to enhance, Constitution was always a safe bet.

As his last point of Soul Power was used up,

he looked at the Soul Power entry, now empty once more.

Like a miser, Morgan felt a pang of loss.

But as he felt the power surging through his body,

and sensed himself growing stronger, bit by bit, at a pace he could practically see,

Morgan felt that every point had been worth it.

With all seven points of Soul Power spent, Morgan's status panel had been completely transformed.

[Time Traveler: Morgan]

[Race: Human]

[Biological Level: First Tier]

[Soul Power: 0]

[Attributes: Strength LV2; Constitution LV3+; Agility LV3+; Mental Strength LV3]

[Abilities: Common Tongue; Muay Thai LV2; White Crow Swordsmanship LV2; Archery LV3]

[Talent: Intimacy (Special Skill)]

[Current World Exploration Progress: 0.46%]

[.]

Looking at the new virtual status panel,

Morgan only now noticed the World Exploration Progress entry.

That morning, the progress had been only 0.35%. He hadn't expected it to surge to 0.46% by evening.

But he couldn't tell what the progress meant yet.

Morgan didn't pay it much attention.

As the virtual status panel began to fade,

Morgan finally noticed the chill. The hot water in the tub had gone cold.

He didn't care. With his Constitution at LV3, he wouldn't feel cold even swimming in a frozen river in winter.

This was nothing by comparison.

Morgan didn't ask the elves to change the water. He simply started scrubbing himself with the cold water.

He washed away the blood and fatigue.

When Morgan got out of the tub,

he suddenly realized something.

The physical discomfort that usually followed an enhancement to his four main attributes was far less intense than it had been after the enhancements that morning.

He stood in the room and simply stretched his arms and legs.

He could feel his body recovering quickly.

What was the reason?

He had recovered quickly that morning, too,

but not nearly as fast as he was now.

Was it because that morning had been his first time enhancing his attributes?

Morgan didn't know exactly why.

But it was a good thing.

It would save him the embarrassment of falling over while walking next time.

After a little movement, Morgan felt normal again.

He put on the fine clothes the elves had prepared for him, then opened the door and went out.

But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw that in the little garden not far away,

a roaring bonfire had been lit, with a grill set over it. The Dwarves were sitting around the fire, chatting and laughing.

As soon as they spotted Morgan, the Dwarves called out to him.

Seeing the scene, Morgan smiled.

He didn't need to ask to know that the Dwarves hadn't gotten enough to eat at the earlier banquet.

It was easy to understand. The elves' delicious dishes consisted mostly of raw grass, vegetables, and fruit.

It was no wonder the Dwarves hadn't gotten full.

Morgan sat by the bonfire for a while and declined the Dwarves' barbecue. Just as he was about to get up and explore Rivendell,

he saw Gandalf and King Elrond walking over together from a distance.

Seeing them, Morgan immediately recalled a scene from the story he remembered.

Next, King Elrond would reveal the secret of the Lonely Mountain map to the Company.