Green skill.
1403 Words
Klauen visualized the silvery moonlight illuminating his entire being, then imagined this orb entering his brain through the third eye located at his forehead, proceeding directly to the mud pill area, and subsequently moving toward the heart nestled within his left chest.
In Taoist belief, the moon symbolizes the yin, while the sun represents the yang. The essence of yin moves first, followed by the yang. The brain is considered a place of spirit, embodying yin; the heart, as the spirit organ, embodies yang.
The interplay of yin and yang harmonizes and activates the divine mechanisms, merging into a singular unity.
At this moment, he turned his inner gaze upon his heart, visualizing it radiating a golden glow that expanded from small to large, resembling a rising sun, with golden rays illuminating his chest cavity.
After a few minutes of such visualization, he slowly shifted the radiant sun to the center of his chest, pausing briefly before allowing it to settle in the dantian, located an inch and a half below his navel.
Then, he envisioned streams of golden light continually expanding, filling his entire being and emanating outward in a spherical shape.
With his previous experience, he executed this with remarkable skill and an unprecedented level of focus.
This endeavor was crucial to his dignity; failing to transform it into a skill would mean that his previous life had been in vain!
Thus, Klauen diligently repeated this sacred visualization.
Time slipped away, and suddenly, an inexplicable thought surged within him.
He persevered through the cycle, calling forth the golden wall.
In an instant, his breathing quickened.
A line of green text appeared on the wall.
【Golden Light Mantra: 3/10000; Zero Level】 (You feel clear-headed, your organs refreshed, your energy balanced, and your sleep more restful. Note: Practicing this may induce hunger.)
Ha! It wasn't in vain—this is a green skill, and even at zero level, it possesses effects!
Gurgle, gurgle.
A sound emerged from his stomach.
It was past noon—time to eat!
Klauen rose, brimming with excitement as he stepped outside.
Once you’re in, the liver will do.
...
At the tavern street, in the mill.
“Five pounds of white flour, ten pounds of white rice, two bags free, a total of eight silver coins.”
The miller placed the bags on the counter, his face beaming with a friendly smile, aware this was a substantial sale.
Just moments ago, Klauen had felt invigorated, but now it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, instantly extinguishing his joy.
How can white rice and flour be so expensive?
He hadn’t even bought vegetables or meat yet!
The currency system in the Farouk Kingdom is quite straightforward, with the highest unit being the gold shield.
One gold shield equals one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equals one hundred copper coins.
If he indulged, how many days would these supplies last? Practicing the Golden Light Mantra consumes a significant amount of energy.
Both shooting and herbalism require extensive practice, which translates to another considerable expense.
As for the debt owed to the priest—there's too much to even consider, especially since he won’t be able to repay it anytime soon.
Klauen fished a gold shield from the lining of his clothing and placed it on the counter.
...
With bags of grain slung over his shoulder, Klauen continued forward, turning a corner to approach a shop on another street.
At the entrance of this shop, a meat counter displayed several cuts of pork hanging enticingly.
“Owner, I’d like ten pounds of pork belly, sliced half an inch thick.”
“Certainly, that’ll be twenty-six silver coins.”
Klauen tilted his head and pointed to a nearby shop, asking, “What happened over there? Why is there a police seal?”
The butcher paused his work, letting out a sigh: “This morning, Kao didn’t open for business. No matter how much we knocked, no one responded. The neighbors called the police. I saw the bodies of a family of seven being carried out, and they were covered in white spots. Everyone says it was the work of a malevolent spirit.”
“Things are getting increasingly dangerous here. Just a few days ago, there was an incident on Skunk Street where no one survived.”
Another victim of a malevolent spirit? Is this world truly that perilous?
Klauen couldn’t help but feel a pang of alarm.
From his recollection, there had only been about ten supernatural incidents since he started remembering—an average of less than one per year.
Yet, in just a few days since his arrival in the small town of Zack, two such occurrences had already taken place.
Frowning, he recalled and was struck by a shocking realization.
The number of supernatural incidents in the past three years surpassed that of the previous decade combined.
He harbored a terrifying suspicion: this world was becoming increasingly unsafe.
...
“Damn!”
Klauen glanced at the golden wall, letting out a curse.
After an entire morning of effort and various experiments, only the Golden Light Mantra had manifested as a skill.
Yet, unexpectedly, after casually cooking rice and a pot of dry vegetables and meat, he had unlocked a new skill.
【Cooking: 16/1000; First Level】 (Clearly, you possess the ability to turn raw rice into a delicious meal.)
Could it be that having been born in a land of gastronomes in his past life, he naturally carried some culinary prowess even in this new world?
It seemed quite plausible.
During the Lantern Festival, they eat rice balls; on the twenty-third day of the first lunar month, they eat pancakes; during the Qingming Festival, they indulge in green rice cakes; on the Dragon Boat Festival, zongzi; and during the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes. The Spring Festival is an all-out national affair, where leaders inspect food preparations.
In his past life, it seemed every lunar holiday revolved around food.
Perhaps the memory of hunger ran deep, and the joy of eating was ingrained in the nation’s consciousness.
He bit into a piece of meat, muttering, “Well, being a good chef wouldn’t be too bad; at least I’d have plenty to eat.”
After a hearty meal, Klauen stepped outside, heading straight for the police station, conveniently stopping to buy a box of cigars along the way.
During lunch, he had already devised a short-term plan.
In the current skills he possessed, he would practice the Golden Light Mantra in the morning, go to the police station for shooting practice in the afternoon, and dedicate the evenings to studying herbalism and concocting potions.
Shooting was his only means of attack for now, the Golden Light Mantra appeared to be a promising auxiliary technique, while herbalism served as a means of sustenance.
As for language and cooking skills—he would leave those to chance.
...
At the police station, Officer Ayru sat rigidly, his expression grave.
Last night, another incident involving malevolent spirits occurred.
The victims bore identical wounds to those from the Skunk Street tragedy.
Could it be that the spirit responsible was lingering here, refusing to leave?
“Good day, Officer Ayru!”
The sudden voice startled the plump officer.
Ayru's face displayed irritation, but upon recognizing the speaker, he felt slightly uncomfortable. “Klauen, why aren’t you out gathering herbs in the mountains? What brings you here?”
Could this fellow be here to demand something?
Hmph! No one will take away my meat!
Klauen deftly offered a cigar with a smile, saying, “Officer, I need your assistance with a small favor.”
Naturally, the officer accepted the cigar, his demeanor shifting to one of restrained formality. “What is it? Go ahead and tell me.”
“I’d like to purchase some bullets and rent our shooting range for practice.”
“There are regulations in place that make this difficult,” Ayru replied, tapping the table with the cigar.
Klauen placed a silver coin on the table, pushing it toward him.
He produced a match and cheerfully lit the officer’s cigar.
Ayru swept his hand across the table, taking the cigar and inhaling deeply, his chubby face disappearing into the smoke. “Well, since we’re familiar with each other, I’ll take you there. In the future, don’t be so formal.”
- Writer
