Chương 37: QUIET PREPARATION (1)

The window with full skill details appeared. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Life Bank] Category: Passive/Active Type: Utility Rank: Rare Level: 1 / 50 Description: User stores excess vital energy gained through meditation into a reserve of emergency HP. The reserve amount is 20% of total HP. Can be used at will to rapidly restore health when natural HP is low.

Scaling: • END → Increases stability • VIT → Increases reserve capacity and regeneration speed Cost: None Cooldown: Until fully filled up after being emptied Required LP: 260 【Create】 【Edit】 [Draft] 【Delete】 —----------------------------------------------------------------------"Two hundred and sixty?" he muttered, eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the number.

"Why is it so high for HP?" Is it because HP isn't really affected much by meditation? That made sense. Mana and stamina were things he actively circulated and trained; except HP. I don't have that much right now. He let out a small sigh. Well, it doesn't matter, he thought.

"It's not like I need it right now." He leaned back against the headboard, gaze drifting upward.

"I'll just create it tomorrow." Without any hesitation, he immediately pressed [Draft].

"Alright," he murmured.

"Let's check my status window." He opened his status window immediately. —------------------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 3 HP: 355 / 355 STA: 193 / 195 MP: 170 / 170 PE: 300 / 300 STATS: STR: 9 AGI: 10 END: 11 INT: 13 WIS: 11 VIT: 11 CHA: 4 PSY: 21 LUK: 10 FREE STAT POINTS: 2 Unique Skill: Skillmaster Skills → Telekinesis (Lv. 5) Telekinetic Spin (Lv. 4) Telekinetic Barrier (Lv. 4) Meditation (Lv. 4) Growth (Lv. 3) Dash (Lv. 3) Appraisal (Lv. 6) —------------------------------------------------- Jimin scanned it once, then again.

"Huh?" Something felt off. His eyes moved back to the skills section. It looked… compact. And there was a small arrow icon beside it that he was sure hadn't been there before.

"That's new." He tapped the arrow. The status window shifted, expanding downward as a new sub-window unfolded. —---------------------------------------------- SKILLS: Telekinesis (Lv. 5) Telekinetic spin (Lv. 4) Telekinetic barrier (Lv. 4) Meditation (Lv. 4) Growth (Lv. 3) Dash (Lv. 3) Appraisal (Lv. 6) Psychic Reservoir (Lv. 3) Mana Reservoir (Lv. 1) Energy Bank (Lv. 1) Inventory (Lv. 1) Gourmet Euphoria Training Freak Sound Sleep —----------------------------------------------"Woah."

He leaned forward slightly, genuinely surprised this time.

"Is this because I have a lot of skills now?" he wondered aloud. It didn't feel like a manual feature. More like the system adapting on its own.

"Nice," he muttered. Curious, he opened the 'Mana Reservoir'. —--------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Mana Reservoir] Category: Passive/Active Type: Utility Rank: Rare Level: 1 / 50 Description: User stores excess Mana gained through meditation into a reserve. The reserve amount is 20% of total MP. Can be used at will when natural MP is low.

Scaling: • WIS → Increases stability • INT → Increases reserve capacity Cost: None Cooldown: Until fully filled up after being emptied Proficiency: 0% MP: 0 / 34 —---------------------------------------------------"Cool." he muttered.

"Alright. Energy Bank next." He opened the next skill. —---------------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Energy Bank] Category: Passive/Active Type: Utility Rank: Rare Level: 1 / 50 Description: User stores excess energy gained through meditation as reserve stamina. The reserve amount is 20% of total Stamina. Can be used at will when natural Stamina is low. Scaling: Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

• VIT → Increases stability • END → Increases reserve capacity Cost: None Cooldown: Until fully filled up after being emptied Proficiency: 0% STA: 0 / 39 —---------------------------------------------------------- Jimin nodded slowly.

"Okay." Everything was exactly as expected. He closed the window and stretched his arms over his head, joints popping softly.

"Alright. That's enough for now." He let his body relax into the bed. I feel mentally fried from all that. He checked his PE just in case. It was full. Yeah. Right. He let out a short chuckle. Creating skills didn't cost PE directly, but the mental strain was clear Suddenly- Grrrr. His stomach growled loudly in the quiet room.

"Damnit." He rubbed his abdomen lightly.

"I'm hungry." Dinner should be soon.

"I'll just meditate till then." He shifted into a comfortable seated position, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, deep and steady. The familiar sensation of psychic energy circulating through his body settled in, calm and smooth. Time passed quietly. Then- [MP Reserve: 34 / 34] Jimin opened one eye. That was fast. He continued meditating. Five minutes later- [STA Reserve: 39 / 39]"Hmm." He opened his eyes fully this time. Hmm… Stamina takes longer to fill. Well, that's expected.

Meditation is mostly for MP and PE. Before he could settle back in- Knock! Knock!

"Hyung! Dinner's ready!" He straightened immediately.

"Coming!" He got up, stretched once more, and headed downstairs. The smell of food hit him halfway down, and his pace quickened without him realizing it. Dinner was simple but warm; rice, soup, and a few side dishes. He ate quietly, savoring it more than usual. Maybe it was the mental drain, or maybe he was just genuinely hungry. Either way, he didn't leave a single grain behind. As he wiped his mouth, something else surfaced in his mind.

"Mrs. Han." Right... I need to talk to her. After returning his tray, he headed down the familiar hallway and stopped in front of her door. Knock.

"Come in." He opened the door and stepped inside. The room was modest, neat, and faintly old-fashioned. A single bed with a carefully folded blanket, a small wooden dresser, and a low table near the window. The air smelled faintly of old books and dried herbs. On the wall across the bed hung several framed photographs. One was an old wedding photo; Mrs. Han standing beside a tall man with a gentle smile. Another showed a younger version of her in Rifter gears, robes layered with sigils, a staff resting in her hand.

There was also a smaller frame, placed carefully on the dresser; a young man in an army uniform, smiling brightly. Her son. Incense burning in front of it.

"Sit down," she said gently. Jimin pulled out a chair and sat. She studied him for a moment, hands folded in her lap.

"I've been meaning to tell you this for a while," she said slowly.

"But… it's not an easy thing to say." He nodded.

"I know what you're going to say, Mrs. Han." She sighed softly.

"Then I'll be direct." She met his eyes.

"Now that you've awakened, you should start preparing to leave the orphanage." Her voice wasn't cold. Just firm.

"You have time until you obtain your Novice Rifter license. That should be more than two months of time." Jimin didn't react much. He had known this day would eventually come. He had watched it happen to others since he was a kid.

"Yes," he said calmly.

"I know." The orphanage won't babysit me forever.

"I'm already preparing for it." Mrs. Han's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"That's good to hear." She paused, then added more softly, "I know it won't be easy. You grew up here." Her gaze drifted briefly to the old photographs.

"I hope you adapt quickly." Jimin bowed his head slightly.

"I'll do my best. Thank you, Mrs. Han." She nodded.

"You can leave now." He blinked.

"Huh? You want me to leave the orphanage now?" She stared at him for half a second; then snorted.

"I meant go back to your room, you cheeky…" They both chuckled softly, the tension dissolving. He stood, bowed again, and left the room. As he walked back upstairs, his expression grew thoughtful. If this was the past me… He stopped in front of his door. I'd be in a fix right now. He opened the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind him. But now… He sat down on his bed, shoulders relaxed. I think I'll be fine. Silence settled in. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.

"I'm bored," he muttered. The thought made him smile faintly.

"I've got time." Should I try some more skills? He opened the skill creation window and contemplated. Suddenly, another idea surfaced.

"Wait..." He reached into his inventory and took out his daggers. The familiar weight settled into his palms. He turned one over and appraised it. —-------------------------------------- Name: Goblin Dagger Category: Weapon Type: Dagger Rank: E Description: A crude but well-balanced blade commonly used by goblin scouts. Stats: STR +1, AGI +3 Damage: 25 – 35 Effect: Minor Bleed (low chance to cause shallow bleeding wounds) Durability: 52 / 100 —--------------------------------------"Huh..." He frowned slightly.

"Just as I remembered." The durability had dropped again.

"It's even lower than last time." He clicked his tongue softly.

"Gears really are high maintenance." A memory from class surfaced; Ms. Han Sora talking about maintenance costs, repair fees, reforging expenses.

"Rifters really do burn money on equipment maintenance," he muttered. His gaze sharpened.

"If it drops below fifty, its value will drop downhill." He paused.

"What if…" The thought completed itself almost instantly. He opened the skill creation window and started typing. A moment later, a full window appeared. —----------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Restore] Category: Active Type: Utility Rank: Epic Level: 1 / 50 Description: Instantly restores a target object to its original, best state. Fully recovers all durability and fixes any structural damage in a single use.

Scaling: • LUK → Success rate for high-tier items • INT → MP efficiency Cost: 400 MP Cooldown: 10 Hours Required LP: 8, 000 【Create】 【Edit】 [Draft] 【Delete】 —-----------------------------------------------------"Nope." He didn't even hesitate. He immediately pressed [Edit]. Both in LP and MP.

"Let's dial it down a lot." He adjusted the description, simplifying the effect. A new window appeared. —---------------------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Repair] Category: Active Type: Utility / Maintenance Rank: Uncommon Level: 1 / 50 Description: Restores the structural integrity of a target object. Each cast restores 10–12 durability. Due to material stress, a single object can only be repaired up to 3 times per day.

Scaling: • LUK → Success rate of max increase • INT → MP efficiency Cost: 20 MP per cast Cooldown: 15 Seconds Required LP: 160 【Create】 【Edit】 [Draft] 【Delete】 —----------------------------------------------------------------- Jimin's eyes lit up slightly.

"Damn… This is it." He leaned back, a grin forming. Not only can I repair my own gear for free… His mind raced ahead. …I can repair other people's weapons too. A slow smile spread across his face.

"For money." He nodded to himself. Hmm… then I will also offer this service along with appraisals. He paused for a second. Why wait for that? Weekend starts tomorrow. There's no classes or appraisals to do. I will just set up outside a field Rift. Without any hesitation, he said,"Create."