Chương 23: LOOPHOLE

Jimin woke up early and went to the old factory to train as usual. The sky was still dim when he stepped inside the abandoned structure. Dust floated faintly in the air, illuminated by the thin rays of morning light slipping through broken windows. The place had become familiar now. The rusted beams, cracked concrete, the faint metallic smell. This was where he had grown quietly and steadily, when no one was watching. He followed his usual training routine. But today, there was a difference.

He didn't just repeat what he already knew. He included the new skills in his training as well. He began with meditation. His 'Psychic Reservoir' was already full to begin with. He was just grinding for the stats. After 10 minutes, he opened his eyes and stood up. Next came telekinetic training. He didn't have a chakram, so he picked up a steel pipe lying near the wall. It was heavier, unbalanced, and far from ideal. This is the best option for now. He lifted it using telekinesis and began spinning it.

The rotation was way more stable and fast from the beginning than before, when he didn't have 'Telekinetic Spin'. Then, it started spinning even faster. Like a drill. The air around it moved faintly as the rotation picked up speed. He let the pipe drop after a few minutes and took a deep breath. Next was the barrier. There is no machine here to shoot. What should I do… What if… He got creative.

He raised a telekinetic barrier in front of him and compressed it, shrinking its surface area while reinforcing its density. The barrier could be perceived faintly like a blur section in a view, almost invisible. But he could feel its resistance. He slammed it forward. The barrier struck a steel beam with a loud metallic clang, reverberating through the factory. Damn. This could work as a ranged punch, he realized. He didn't stop there. He pulled it back and slammed it again and again.

The sound echoed repeatedly as he continued the motion, PE and MP draining steadily with each impact. After a while, he changed tactics. He condensed the barrier and fixed it at a slight distance ahead of him. Then he ran. He charged forward and slammed into it. There was another loud noise from the heavy impact.

"Damn," he muttered. When the power increases further… It could be used as a charge skill. The thought made his heart race. When his PE finally hit its limit, he sat down and waited for a few seconds. A notification appeared. —-------------------------------------------- [Training to the Limit!] Manaborn has trained to his limit.

Reward: +20 LP Total LP: 420 —--------------------------------------------- Then, he activated 'Psychic Reservoir' and used all of it and trained until he hit his limit again after a minute. Again, —-------------------------------------------- [Training to the Limit!] Manaborn has trained to his limit. Reward: +20 LP Total LP: 440 —--------------------------------------------- He grinned. Just as I thought. I started meditating right after absorbing some PE from reserve yesterday. That was a mistake.

This is a loophole; a glitch. Now, just as a wise man said, "If you find a glitch, abuse the hell out of it." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Jimin proceeded to abuse the hell out of it. He started meditating again. He repeated the cycle - meditation, skill usage, reservoir activation; over and over, weaving physical training into the routine. Push-ups, sprints, strikes against the air. His body screamed in protest, but his mind stayed focused.

Soon, all the effort proved its worth. Familiar notifications appeared before his eyes. ['Telekinetic Spin' has reached Lv. 2] —--- ['Telekinetic Barrier' has reached Lv. 2] He didn't stop training. Another followed. ['Psychic Reservoir' has reached Lv. 2] And then - ['Growth' has reached Lv. 3] —--- ['Dash' has reached Lv. 3] He stood there, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face.

"It's working," he whispered. He kept training. He didn't stop just because he got rewarded. If anything, it motivated him more. He pushed his body and mind further, carefully staying just short of collapse. After a while, another notification appeared. [STR +1, END +1, VIT +1, AGI +1] Jimin stared at it in disbelief.

"No way! 4 stats!" A laugh escaped his lips before he could stop himself. He was over the moon. So many skills had leveled up and he had gained stats on top of that. He wiped the sweat from his face and opened his Status window.

—-------------------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 1 HP: 280/280 STA: 145/145 MP: 100/100 PE: 150/150 STATS: STR: 7(+1) AGI: 7(+1) END: 8(+1) INT: 8 WIS: 7 VIT: 6(+1) CHA: 4 PSY: 11 LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 0 Unique Skill: Skillmaster Skills: Telekinesis (Lv. 4) Telekinetic Spin (Lv. 2) Telekinetic Barrier (Lv. 2) Meditation (Lv. 4) Growth (Lv. 3) Dash (Lv. 3) Appraisal (Lv. 5) Psychic Reservoir (Lv. 2) —------------------------------------------------------------------ Looking at the status window reassured him of his growth. I'm moving forward., he thought. He continued his training for a while longer, making sure his body cooled down properly. When he finally left the factory, his muscles were screaming. He returned to the orphanage. After breakfast and freshening up, he left for school. —--- The theoretical classes went smoothly. He listened attentively, taking notes.

In combat class, he trained like yesterday; but this time, he used a shield along with his barrier. At first, it felt redundant. Why use a physical shield when he could just rely on telekinesis? But once he tried it, the difference was clear. The shield took the brunt of the impact, while his barrier reinforced it at critical moments. The strain on his PE reduced significantly. It's more efficient, he thought. Near the end of each training session, notifications popped up again. ['Telekinetic Spin' has reached Lv. 3] —---- ['Telekinetic Barrier' has reached Lv. 3] But then - [PSY +1] He blinked. The notification had appeared after a meditation session. Damn. I was right about the frequency of meditation. But… this fast? He frowned slightly.

"Hmm… I didn't gain any INT either. Is it because I use my PE more than my MP?" He checked his Status. [PSY: 12(+1)] [PE: 160/160]"Hell yeah!" he let out. PE increased by ten. He immediately checked his Telekinesis skill window. [Base Weight: 14 kg + (12 × 1) kg = 26 kg (+1)] The weight limit increased by one as well. As he put away his thoughts, Seong-ho approached him.

"I noticed something," Seong-ho said.

"You're using a shield now." Jimin nodded. Seong-ho smiled faintly.

"Good. You're developing a versatile style. Don't abandon physical tools just because you have psychic ones."

"Thank you, sir." Class ended for the day. Like yesterday, Jimin appraised gears in the arsenal afterward. The work felt easier now. When he finished, he left school and headed for the Appraiser Federation Headquarters. This time, when he reached the gate, he showed his license before being asked. The gate opened for him immediately. He stepped inside with a faint sense of pride. So this is what it feels like… to belong somewhere. At the reception desk, the young receptionist greeted him.

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kim," Jimin replied. She smiled.

"You got your license, right?"

"Yes."

"Congratulations. Also…" She paused, then laughed lightly.

"We should introduce ourselves properly. I couldn't before." She straightened slightly.

"My name is Kim Ji-hye. We'll be seeing each other frequently." Jimin nodded with a smile.

"Nice to meet you." She replied the same with a smile.

"Enough of that," she said, waving a hand.

"You should head to Room 207. Second floor, East wing. You'll get your appraisal task there."

"Thank you." He followed the directions. When he reached the second floor of the East wing, he found Room 207. A biometric scanner was installed beside the door. He placed his finger on it. Access granted. Everything feels different, he thought. Just a few days ago, his world had been limited to surviving in society. But now… The door opened slowly. Jimin froze. It was like a storage room. No. Calling it a room felt wrong. It was massive; like a hall. Items, gears, artifacts were piled at the far end like a pit.

Some were neatly organized. Others were scattered messily. Desks filled the center of the hall, each occupied by people focused on their work. Items were brought to them in batches. They were appraising the items and speaking to their tablets. The air buzzed with quiet intensity. It all felt grand. Then suddenly, a middle-aged man in a white coat approached him.

"What's your name?" the man asked.