"This one is certainly good." Reading through multiple notifications regarding the growth of his own strength, Novus couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction, looking at the current stats he has.

[Novus Helion van Argenta]

[Combat Rating: F+ Mage(?)]

[Talent: True Immortal Blood (EX-Rank Growth-type Innate Talent)]

[Current Evolution Domain Location: Verdant Expanse (1-star danger level)]

[Immortal Energy: 120/120]

[Strength: 30]

[Agility: 30]

[Vitality: 30]

[Arcane: 30]

[Harmony: 30]

"As for this one..." finally looking at the progress of his talent, he pauses for a moment, unsure what to say for a while before he finally mustered a positive note from his mind.

"Well, it’s still progress, nonetheless..." he cheered himself while looking at the numbers in front of the system’s floating screen, a wry smile on his face as he wondered just when it would be that he would be able to push his talent to the next level if he made just this much progress while consuming such a large amount of Evolution Crystal.

[True Immortal Blood (EX-Rank Growth-type Innate Talent)]

[Growth Progress: 0.02% (99.98% before Talent Rank Up)]

[Mastery: Entry-level (5.00%)]

Shaking the dread of grinding for a massive number of resources in his mind, Novus decided to look on the brighter side of things, assuming that there would be stronger creatures for him to fight against and eventually hunt in the future, and those creatures would definitely have better resources for him to speed up the process of improving both himself and his talent.

’Steady steps, steady steps...’ he repeated in his mind while thinking that he just has to progress bit by bit, great progress being always welcome, but just preventing himself from stagnating is already more than enough for him to be satisfied with his progress.

Armed with the newfound strength that places him way above himself from yesterday, the young man begins with his preparation before going to his classes, walking towards the bathroom in order to clean himself off the layers of dead skin and grime on his body.

It might not be that much of a trouble, as even that odd-looking, thick sweat only smells a bit, but it still feels comfortable for the young man, as said sweat was washed off, the sticky feeling that came from it no longer bothering him, as it was washed completely off his body.

Finished cleaning up himself, this young man stares at the mirror with wonder in his eyes, scrutinizing each and every single nook and cranny of his face as if he had never seen it before, his gaze pure of curiosity and wonder before it shifts into a confused surprise, eventually changing into a satisfied smile as he admires himself for some moment in the mirror.

The young man is considered good-looking among his peers, bearing a defined jawline, giving a strong, masculine structure to his face, a tall, straight nose parting his eyes, gaze sharp and bright, fitting perfectly with the sword-like brows sitting on top of it, his face complemented well by the jet-black hair flowing down his shoulders.

And despite being a mage whose life should be revolving around books, he is relatively well built, standing over a head taller than his average male contemporaries, the broad shoulders coupled with the toned muscles just making him a fair bit larger than his actual size.

’A perfect body is a perfect mind, and a perfect mind is a perfect mage’ is what he had always told himself ever since he was young, hence why even despite most mages thinking that working on the body with exercises and the likes is nothing but a waste of time, he spends his time focused on this matters as well, thinking that an hour or so of his every day isn’t so bad of an exchange for a healthier body and clearer mind.

It should’ve ended with that as well, a good-looking, well-built guy that is certainly above average, but it doesn’t, as the effects of him using Evolution Crystal to improve himself don’t seem to end on just his strength, but the overall quality of his body as well. His skin is seemingly tighter, more youthful, and smoother than ever before.

For one, his face, which often shows a few blemishes here and there every now and then, is now completely free of any flawed spots, a feature that all women, no matter the age or status in life, will be envious of, especially when they come to know that this is a product of a single night of meditation only.

His body appears to be fuller as well, muscles usually appearing flat now vigorous and filled with powerful force, each of his flexes revealing a toned, pronounced shape on each of his muscles, as if he had been focused on training each of his body’s muscles to perfection for a long, long time.

It was almost as if, as a side effect of his overwhelming growth in strength, his physical appearance was affected for the better as well, an improvement that was well welcomed by him, considering it as an unexpected benefit for all his hard work.

Armed with the knowledge that not only his strength, but also his appearance, improved significantly, Novus dressed himself up with lightness in his motion, his confidence apparent as he donned his uniform and took a moment to make sure he looked presentable as well.

"Looking damn fine, aren’t you?" he even told himself before cringing to his own words, shaking his head as he occupied his mind with the thoughts of his plans for when he is allowed to enter the Evolution Domain once again, all in order to purge himself of the embarrassing thing he just said.

As he recovered from that line, he finally mustered the energy to move out of his dorm, humming a familiar tune as he greets the world with a slightly upturned lips, that doesn’t quite reach a smile, a certain cadence in each of his steps something that will tell anyone with a bit of a sharper sense than normal that this young man is in a really good mood today.

Hence why as he walks down the path towards the academy’s main building, the onlookers, what is nearly the whole student body, who knows or at least have an idea of what transpired the previous day, couldn’t help but look at him with a puzzled expression on his face, wondering why a mediocre guy dumped by one of, if not the most famous lady in the academy sports such a good smile on his face the day after that tragic moment of his life.

"Haha, maybe he really lost it after the fact that he was dumped sunk in."

"Or maybe he’s enlightened about something?"

"Idiot, what kind of enlightenment comes out of the heart being broken?"

Watching who is basically the one they are the most jealous of in the whole academy during his time as that lady’s lovebird, most of the young men talked with obvious mockery in their voices, smiling gloatingly as they watched the young man completely lose himself. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Hey, isn’t he looking a bit more handsome than yesterday?"

"Whaaat~ I thought I was the only one who noticed that?"

"Doesn’t he look like that all the time? Maybe you’re just hallucinating since it’s easier to look at him now that he’s no longer that woman’s boyfriend."

"Is that it? I doubt that..."

Meanwhile, the ladies also pay their attention to the young man as well, but their conversations go in a completely different direction compared to their male counterparts.