Chương 39: FIRST STEP

He immediately opened his skill creation window. After a moment of thought, he filled in the details for a skill and confirmed it. A skill window appeared. —-------------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Contract] Category: Special Type: Contract Rank: Custom Description: Enables the user to draft a formal agreement with the System. The user sets specific objectives, rewards, and penalties.

Once the System approves the contract, it becomes an absolute law; completing the task grants the designated rewards, while failure triggers the immediate application of the penalty. 【Limiter: Equal Exchange】 The System will only approve contracts where the penalty is of equal or greater value than the requested reward. Higher user rank allows for more complex conditions and better reward ratios.

Duration: Variable (Based on contract terms) Cooldown: 72 Hours (After completion or failure) Cost: 50% of total MP Required LP: 10, 000 【Create】 【Edit】 [Draft] 【Delete】 —--------------------------------------------------------"Damn…" he muttered under his breath.

"It really worked." His eyes lingered on the category line. But Special category? That's new… His gaze slid downward. And that LP…

"Ten thousand!" That was absurd at his current stage. Even now, after all the recent gains, that number felt almost mocking. He tried to edit the skill anyway, shaving down numbers and simplifying conditions wherever possible. The LP requirement flickered… then dropped by an amount so small it might as well have been nothing.

"Yeah… Figures." He leaned back slightly, rubbing his temples. It's not something I can create right now. No… more than that. Even if I somehow scraped together the LP, the description and effects made it something I would need to think about carefully. Better draft it. He pressed [Draft].

"And now…" he murmured. Another idea had already taken shape in his head. He filled in the details for that other skill and confirmed it. The window appeared almost instantly. —------------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Absolute Oath] Category: Special Type: Contract Rank: Epic Description: Enables the user to propose a specific oath to a target. If the System deems the terms valid and the target provides informed consent, the oath is etched into their soul.

Any conscious attempt to violate the oath results in 'True Torture'; an immediate and excruciating phantom pain, incapacitating them to prevent the breach. 【System Intervention】 For outcomes involving metaphysical changes, the System will directly execute the said change to ensure total compliance. Duration: Permanent (Until conditions are met / revoked by the User) Cooldown: None Cost: 40 MP Required LP: 2, 700 —-------------------------------------------------------"Now that's more like it!"

The words slipped out before he could stop them. He leaned forward with his eyes sharp, scanning the window again. But then, something bothered him.

"Epic?" he muttered. Not Custom? Does that mean… others have similar skills too? He leaned back, staring at the ceiling as he thought it through. It's possible. It's a big world. There are countless Manaborns. And it's not a LP or an only system-related skill. So, it's definitely possible. And then there was the category. So, this is also a skill in the 'Special' category… His eyes narrowed. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. But why aren't there any levels?

Does this mean that special skills don't have levels as well? He let out a long breath.

"Well… That's enough for today." His head was starting to throb, the familiar sign of mental exhaustion. He drafted the skill, closed every open window, and finally laid back. The room was quiet. He started meditating. He continued to meditate for a while, letting his thoughts settle. Then, he went to sleep eventually. —--- In the morning- He woke up an hour earlier than usual. Jimin blinked slowly, staring at the ceiling.

"Huh?" Something felt different. In fact, he felt better. His body felt light. His mind was clear. There was none of the lingering sleepiness he usually carried after every sleep.

"Woah…" he murmured, sitting up. That felt like the best sleep of my life. A notification lingered faintly at the edge of his vision. [+30 LP]"Right…" He chuckled softly. This 'Sound Sleep' is really useful. After freshening up, he didn't linger. He grabbed his things and headed out for training. The abandoned factory greeted him like an old friend. He didn't waste time warming up. He started training. Hard. He followed his usual drill. As there was nothing new to try. Four hours passed before he realized it.

By the end, his clothes clung to him, damp with sweat. His breathing was heavy, but controlled. Throughout his training, he received a bunch of notifications. ['Telekinetic Spin' has reached Lv. 5] —------- ['Telekinetic Barrier' has reached Lv. 5] —------- ['Meditation' has reached Lv. 5] —------- ['Growth' has reached Lv. 4] —------- [STR +1] He had paused." Oh?" ['Dash' has reached Lv. 4] —------ ['Psychic Reservoir' has reached Lv. 4] —----- ['Mana Reservoir' has reached Lv. 2] —------ ['Energy Bank' has reached Lv. 4] —------- ['Inventory' has reached Lv. 2] —------- And there was one more. He had created the 'Life Bank' during training. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [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 life energy (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 Proficiency: 7% HP: 72 / 72 —---------------------------------------------------------------------------- He stared at it for a few seconds.

"Nice..." Finally, he opened his status window. —-------------------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 3 HP: 360/360 STA: 195/195 MP: 185/185 PE: 300/300 STATS: STR: 10(+1) AGI: 10 END: 11 INT: 14 WIS: 12 VIT: 11 CHA: 4 PSY: 21 LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: None UNIQUE SKILL: Skillmaster SKILLS → Telekinesis (Lv. 5) Telekinetic spin (Lv. 5) Telekinetic barrier (Lv. 5) Meditation (Lv. 5) Growth (Lv. 4) Dash (Lv. 4) Appraisal (Lv. 7) —-------------- —--------------- —--------------------------------------------------"Holy shit…" The words came out raw.

"I really gained a lot from today's training." He laughed quietly, shaking his head. All those passives… they were really worth it. I can finally see some results. After resting a bit longer, he left the factory and returned to the orphanage. Breakfast tasted better than usual. After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, he stepped outside. The day felt… different. This was his first weekend as a Manaborn. There were no classes as well. He walked along the road, hands in his pockets.

Today's destination was different. —------ Jimin sat by the window of a bus, watching the city blur past. The bus picked up speed, tall buildings gradually thinning out, replaced by unfamiliar streets and lower structures. His destination was a D-rank Field-Rift in Seong-nam City. It was almost an hour-long journey. I can't visit a Rift in this city. He exhaled slowly. Or people might recognize me. Especially when I start appraising as well. And E-rank Rifts… they're mostly full of E-ranks.

They won't be willing to spend much. His fingers curled slightly. My best bet is a D-rank Rift there. He leaned his head back against the seat. I've never visited this city before. The thought lingered. I've visited no city. I've never even been outside Seoul. Maybe when I was a little kid… but I don't remember. He glanced out the window again. I don't have a choice. A quiet resolve settled in his chest. I just hope everything goes according to plan. The bus rolled forward, carrying him toward unfamiliar ground.

Thus, a completely new experience awaited him.