It was as if the world had been put on pause; everything around Lynn froze in an instant.
Then, all things began to fade away.
In the blink of an eye, the only thing left in Lynn's vision was the book in his hands: A Detailed Guide to Crafting the Mind Shock Crystal Plate.
On the pale yellow pages, countless black characters suddenly came alive!
They leapt, twisted, and cried out, merging into a series of surreal and fantastical scenes.
Then, from somewhere unknown, a whispering voice stirred in his ears.
This should have been an unsettling experience, but instead, Lynn felt an overwhelming calm and clarity inside.
It was as if his mind had been elevated to an unimaginable level in an instant.
But that sensation didn't last.
Suddenly, a plunging sensation washed over him.
He was falling
Falling
Falling
The strange and dazzling images from the book rose like curtains and wrapped around him.
Gradually, the whispers in his ears softened, becoming melodious and soothing.
A world brimming with secrets slowly unfolded before him.
Lynn was utterly entranced, his heart swelling with delight.
But in the real world, his face was blank, sweat forming faintly on his brow.
His pale gray pupils twitched uncontrollably, like flies buzzing around in a frenzy.
"Haa!"
No one knew how much time had passed before Lynn suddenly threw his head back and let out a breath like a man on the edge of death.
Thud
The book slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.
His body lost all strength. He collapsed onto the wooden bed, face pale, but his eyes were filled with joy.
Struggling to lift his head, Lynn glanced at himself.
Specks of golden light gathered.
[Name: Lynn Kent]
[Age: 16]
[Skill: Mind Shock Crystal Plate Crafting (Proficient)]
[Source Energy: 0 (Self); 0 (World)]
All of his source energy had been depleted.
World energy had to be drawn from external sources, but self-energy would slowly recover on its own as long as the body was in good condition.
Lynn wasn't concerned about that; his full attention was on the newly acquired skill.
With eyes half-closed, he could feel a massive amount of knowledge on crystal plate crafting emerging in his mind, as if he had spent years studying the process in focused practice.
To peer into the truth, and gain its power…
This feels like cheating, like leveling up with a console command!
Lynn was amazed. He took his time to carefully process the feeling and soon noticed a distinction:
Insight mostly enhances understanding. It doesn't directly grant real-world ability… so it's not exactly like a stat boost.
But it comes with two even greater advantages:
First, using Insight subtly strengthens your natural talent.
Second, it works on any knowledge you can place before you, even if you've never learned it before!
After checking his condition, Lynn felt his strength returning.
The wooden bed had no headboard, and the mud walls were too filthy to lean on. He pushed himself upright into a seated position, unable to suppress the grin tugging at his lips.
"…Ha
"Ha ha…
"Hahaha!"
Though he tried to restrain it, the laughter welled up from his throat and spilled from the corners of his mouth.
The shack around him was still dark, but to Lynn, everything before his eyes was bathed in light.
He got out of bed and pushed open the wooden door, intending to take a deep breath of fresh air.
But the sharp stench of rot and urine hit his nose, instantly killing the idea.
I need to start making money… fast.
It wasn't that late yet. Without hesitation, Lynn turned back into the shack, took three gold dragons from a hidden corner, and set off again toward Bauhinia Thorn Street.
Before long, he returned with a crystal engraving toolset worth one gold dragon, along with six crystal crafting blanks.
He now had only four gold dragons and sixty silver wolves left to his name.
As he passed the Greenwater River again, where he had taken a detour earlier, Lynn's gaze suddenly sharpened.
A few men in linen shirts were loitering nearby, puffing on trendy hand-rolled cigarettes. Tattoos peeked out from under their sleeves, and every so often, they let out grating, sharp laughs.
Never saw these guys near the wooden shack area before...
The closer you get to the shantytown, the worse the law and order get.
No idea if they had anything to do with the beating I overheard earlier…
Lynn didn't stare. He circled quickly and made his way back to the shack.
Once I've saved up enough, I need to move out of here.
...
Back at the Shack
Returning to the shack, Lynn ignored the hunger gnawing at his stomach and, using the sunlight filtering through the thatched roof, began carving a crystal plate right away.
Though it was his first time engraving one, the moment he gripped the carving knife, he felt as if he'd been doing it for years, almost like muscle memory had already taken root.
Unfortunately, he didn't get far before the hunger became unbearable. Reluctantly, Lynn stood up and prepared to make something to eat.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside.
"…Why are they only paying 8 silver wolves a month, but I'm being charged 14?!"
It was Ant's voice. What's he doing here?
Lynn pushed open the door and followed the sound.
Ant was standing in front of the Iron Claw gang steward named Ellison, arguing heatedly.
Ant's face was full of frustration, while Ellison remained cold and expressionless.
Beside them stood Giggs and Leona, both clearly upset as well.
Lynn watched for a bit and quickly pieced the situation together:
Ant was planning to move into their area. As for how he found out about it, he'd probably run into Giggs and the others, not really a crucial point.
The issue was that the Iron Claw steward refused to give Ant the standard rent of 8 silver wolves and insisted on charging him 14.
Lynn sighed quietly and stayed put.
The steward had sized Ant up and wasn't about to budge. There was no point in stepping in now.
Sure enough, after a while of back-and-forth, no agreement was reached.
Giggs and Leona tried to reason with Ellison, but it was completely futile.
In the end, Ellison waved them off impatiently and walked away, leaving Ant and the others to return to the shack area dejectedly.
"Lynn, you're back?" Giggs spotted him standing in the doorway.
Ant glanced at Lynn, then awkwardly turned his head away.
Lynn didn't seem to mind. He looked at Giggs and replied calmly, "Actually, I've been back for a while now."
Giggs blinked in surprise. "We saw your door shut tight. Thought you hadn't come back yet…"
As he spoke, he nudged Ant forward. "We ran into Ant earlier today. He found out that Dor was a fraud too, so…"
"So?" Lynn raised an eyebrow.
"Ant!" Giggs gave him a quiet push.
Ant looked at Lynn, his expression conflicted. He hesitated for a long time, so long that even Lynn started feeling a bit awkward, before finally taking a deep breath and speaking earnestly:
"…So, I'm sorry, Lynn. I misunderstood you.
"I shouldn't have said those things to you back then. I was just…"
"It's alright. I didn't take it personally," Lynn replied with a light shake of his head, a bit surprised.
Then again, the original Lynn and these three had grown up together, spending nine years on the mountain. They were old friends, after all.
Ant's apology wasn't so unexpected when viewed through that lens.
Looking at the three boys in front of him, Lynn thought for a moment and said:
"Ant, if you want to move here, try looking around. There should still be places going for 8 silver wolves.
"But this time, don't mention you're from the academy."
No matter what, these boys were still the people Lynn knew best in this strange new world.
And by the looks of it, their natures weren't bad.
Just… a little too naïve.
Ant was stunned by his words. Giggs frowned thoughtfully, then slapped his thigh in frustration.
"Ant, we should've let you go talk to Ellison on your own!"
"Why?" Leona looked confused.
"Leona, this is your fault, too. You shouldn't have mentioned where we were from!
If Ellison hadn't known, he wouldn't have hiked up Ant's rent!"
"I," Leona finally caught on, stammering guiltily.
Giggs sighed and looked back at Lynn. "We should've just asked you first, Lynn."
Ant also turned to him, looking dazed and conflicted.
No matter how regretful the boys felt, life had to go on.
As it was getting late, Ant headed back to his shack.
Lynn, Giggs, and Leona tried their hand at making dinner.
Nearly three hours later.
Under the moonlight, Lynn sat silently, holding a bowl of thin porridge laced with wheat husks.
Next to him stood:
Leona, holding a lump of half-charred charcoal…
And Giggs, muttering curses while still fighting with stubborn husks.
Seeing the scene, Lynn felt a faint warmth in his heart, but after taking a sip of the barely edible porridge, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Life's not easy…"
...
Two mornings later.
With tiny plates of crystal falling away, Lynn etched the final groove onto the plate.
He brushed off the dust and gently blew away the remaining powder.
Then, carefully, he picked up the finished crystal plate.
It was the second one he'd crafted.
The first had failed the previous afternoon, due to a misaligned curve.
Frustrated at the time, he'd stormed around the shack for half an hour before finally calming down.
Taking a deep breath, Lynn held up the plate and meticulously compared it to the template in the book.
He couldn't afford expensive measuring tools, and as a mere mortal, he could only rely on this crude method to determine if the plate was a success.
Looks fine to me.
After flipping it back and forth several times and examining it from every angle, Lynn went with his gut.
Crystal plate crafting required extremely high precision. Normally, someone at the "proficient" level wouldn't be able to make such intuitive judgments.
To rely on instinct alone, one would typically need to be at the "expert" level.
I'm probably able to do this at the proficient level because Insight boosted my natural talent in crafting crystal plates.
And at this rate, the time it takes me to make a Mind Shock plate seems to be on the faster side, too.
Glancing outside, he noted it was still early. A small smile crept onto his face.
Knock knock knock
Just then, Giggs' voice came from behind the door, accompanied by knocking.
"Lynn, you in there?"