Sunlight fell upon Umbersoul, and its citizens began their daily activities. Meanwhile, in an open field beside a lake, a young man rubbed his eyes as he slowly woke up.
Alden rubbed his eyes and looked around.
"What is this smell?"
He muttered subconsciously as a delicious aroma suddenly reached his nostrils.
Following his instincts, he looked toward the table, where two plates of food had been placed alongside some clothes.
"She is really kind. Here I thought I would have to do some fishing in the lake."
He said as he walked over to the table.
He ate in silence, finishing the last bite before wondering what he should read next. But before that, he had to do some daily exercise, as physical activity was also important for a cultivator.
With that thought, he finished a light workout and cleaned himself at the edge of the lake.
"What a nice day."
He murmured under his breath before returning to the table.
His gaze settled on the three books that were about the principles behind mana and the rules for creating a successful cultivation technique.
"You can do it."
Alden cheered himself on and picked up the book about the principles of mana.
He began reading, and as he did, his expression changed from time to time. Sometimes his eyes widened in realization, while at other times his brows furrowed in deep thought.
One thing was clear—Alden was having a hard time, as he kept comparing the concepts of this world with those of Earth.
Obviously, there were many contradictions, and he found himself struggling between different theories.
"This... what the hell? Is it possible?"
This scene repeated multiple time in a hour as he continued reading, and time passed without him realizing it. Before he could even take a break, it was already noon.
He finished the book and started another one after taking a short break.
Two hours later, he finished that one as well, and now only the cultivation techniques were left to read.
His hand moved toward the other side of the table, but suddenly his movement halted as a voice echoed from deep within his mind.
Before he could think about what was happening, a blue screen appeared in front of him.
It was a system notifications.
Alden was surprised, but his eyes didn’t dare miss a single word as he began reading it.
⟦ Apex Evolution Body has detected the host’s current activity. ⟧
⟦ Apex Evolution Body is adapting... ⟧
⟦ Apex Evolution Body has been activated. ⟧
⟦ New Skill Acquired. ⟧
⟦ Skill Acquired: Perfect Memory. ⟧
"Oh... a nice skill."
Alden said as he stared at the words in front of him.
He was surprised that his dead system was finally doing its job, as he hadn’t gained any new skills even though he had performed so many different activities.
Is there a condition that needs to be fulfilled before generating a skill?
Alden wondered.
If that was true, then if he could figure it out, maybe he could abus—use his physique to its full potential.
Shaking his head, he focused on the ability, and another screen appeared before his eyes.
⟦ Skill Description: Perfect Memory ⟧
⟦ Every sight, sound, word, sensation, and experience perceived by the host is permanently etched into memory. The host can recall any recorded memory with flawless accuracy, immune to the effects of natural forgetfulness. ⟧
What a mind-blowing skill.
That was the first thought that came to his mind as he absorbed the meaning of the skill description.
"Hahaha... This is amazing."
Alden’s mind raced with countless possibilities for using the ability and how it could literally change his future.
⟦ Skill Description: Perfect Memory ⟧
⟦ Every sight, sound, word, sensation, and experience perceived by the host is permanently etched into memory. The host can recall any recorded memory with flawless accuracy, immune to the effects of natural forgetfulness. ⟧
What a mind-blowing skill.
That was the first thought that came to his mind as he absorbed the meaning of the skill description.
"Hahaha... This is amazing."
Alden’s mind raced with countless possibilities for using the ability and how it could literally change his future.
Alden’s excitement didn’t seem to end as he began laughing out loud.
"Hehehaha... this is fucking awesome."
"You sure are taking your time, huh?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
Alden’s expression changed, and he instantly turned toward the table.
There she was.
Ravenna was sitting on a chair, looking at him with curiosity and amusement.
"Teacher Ravenna." Alden blurted out without thinking.
"Hm... so what is it that got my student so hyped up?" She asked calmly as she folded her arms.
"Oh... it’s nothing. I was laughing at a joke I remembered. By the way, why are you here?"
Alden tried to change the subject, and Ravenna narrowed her eyes before sighing.
"Can’t I come to check on my student?" She let it go this time and asked with a soft smile.
"Of course you can. I was just wondering if you had finished your work and whether you were going to stay here with me."
Alden spoke in a calm tone.
"I’ve finished my work, but I’ll have to return again. I came here to check on you, but..."
"All I saw was an insane person laughing to himself."
*She isn’t letting that go, huh?*
Alden thought as he walked toward her and sat down on the second chair.
"So, is everything alright?"
Ravenna said as she slowly stood up from her chair. She was wearing a long black dress that complemented her red hair.
She is really beautiful.
Alden thought as he remembered his conversation with Boren.
Meanwhile, Ravenna glanced at him and then at the books on the table.
"It seems you really weren’t just playing around while I was gone."
She said and continued in her gentle tone.
"I’ll be leaving now, but don’t worry. I’ll come whenever I have time."
She said, and Alden nodded. Soon, before his eyes, a familiar scene unfolded, and the next second, she was gone.
"She is really busy. I shouldn’t waste my time either."
Alden said, and a serious expression appeared on his face.
He began reading again, and this time his hand didn’t stop as he picked up a book meant for fire-element users.
He read one book after another, and by the time he finished his fourth book, it was already night.
By the end of this session, he understood why there were different techniques for different elements, and it made perfect sense to him, as the fire element and the ice element had different properties and specialties.
Likewise, for a person to create a technique for a specific element, they had to know enough about that element and its nature.
Every element had its own unique characteristics, and if someone applied the same technique to all elements, they would be doing nothing but causing a disaster.
"Hehe... what if a fire-element user used an ice-element technique? I’m sure his pathways would be blocked because of the mana flow behind the technique."
Alden thought as he imagined such a scene. He couldn’t help but grow curious about what time-element users did.
There was a reason why cultivation techniques based on elements existed, and it was because if someone used a technique related to their own affinity, it became easier to guide mana, as there was a resonance between a person’s affinity and the elemental particles in the air.
Time was a complex element, and he couldn’t even imagine what its particles looked like, as time itself was colorless.
"I’m sure there is someone who has it. Did they make a technique based on their element, or did they just use a high-level general technique?"
Alden wondered as he fell deep into thought. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer, and he had no one to ask, as his teacher was gone.
Even if she were here, for all he knew, she had a space affinity. While he knew that having two affinities wasn’t impossible, as he himself had two, having both space and time in the same person was completely ridiculous.
As far as he knew, only protagonists could have something like that, as some authors really liked making their main characters overpowered.
*Fuck those authors... and the author who is writing me. Why isn’t he simply writing me as this world’s God?*
Without realizing it, Alden broke the fourth wall, unable to stop himself from cursing those overpowered protagonists and their authors.
And his reaction was justified because, from his experience on Earth, the novels he had read always had overpowered main characters who got everything handed to them by their system, while his current situation was the complete opposite.
"Huff..."
Alden took several deep breaths to calm himself before looking up at the sky, where the stars were visible once again.
"Hehe... I wonder if someday I’ll become powerful enough to count them."
Alden said as he looked at the stars, then glanced toward a corner of the table where, at some point, his food had been delivered.
He had no reason to guess, as he knew who had done it and who possessed the power to do so.
"It’s still hot."
Alden thought as he tested the food.
A cold breeze blew past his ear as Alden ate his meal. After finishing it, he once again admired the night view before lying down on the grass.
Unknown to him, a pair of eyes had been watching him ever since he started eating.
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