Flesh, Blood, bone

The library was engulfed in deep silence. Dim lights cast soft glows over the old books lining the shelves, while tiny dust particles floated in the air. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of books here—some truly valuable, others utterly useless.

I wandered between the shelves for an hour. I examined countless titles, flipped through a few, and dismissed many with just a glance. In the end, I gathered the ones that would be useful to me and placed them on a nearby table. I had selected six books in total: economics, precious stones, currency and accounting systems, history, fate abilities, and capacity studies.

Taking a deep breath, I ensured I was finished, then picked up the books and left the library.

Thirty minutes later…

I checked room after room. Most were either completely empty or unfit for use. Some were too small, while others still had personal belongings inside, as if their owners had never truly left.

I was looking for a place that would be mine—quiet, spacious, and, most importantly, undisturbed.

Finally, I found what I was looking for.

Stepping inside, I scanned my surroundings.

Silent, spacious, and, most importantly, empty. A large desk, a high-backed chair, two long sofas facing each other, and an empty bookshelf stretching along the wall… The window was wide, offering a clear view of the hills and forests outside. A faint scent of dust lingered in the air, suggesting the room had been abandoned for a long time—but that didn't bother me.

As I placed the books on the desk, my gaze landed on one with a green cover.

"Why did I take this one?"

I ran my fingers over its surface. I felt nothing. I had picked it up earlier, only to put it back, thinking it was useless. Even now, I felt the same way. With a slight sense of irritation, I set the book aside.

Right now, my priority was studying economics. Power wasn't just about abilities—it was also about wealth and management.

Taking a deep breath, I sank into the large chair and opened the economics book.

---

A Few Hours Later

I had grasped the basics of the currency system and the governance of this era.

The monetary structure was simple:

100 Bron (Br) = 1 Fer (Fe)

100 Fer (Fe) = 1 Selk (Sk)

100 Selk (Sk) = 1 Darik (Dr)

100 Darik (Dr) = 1 Korun (Kn)

10,000 Korun (Kn) = 1 Fors (Fs)

I had no idea how much money we had. I'd have to wait for Jiho to arrive to find out. Now that I understood the economic system, it was time to focus on my own ability.

I read through the books on fate abilities and capacity, but they didn't provide any truly meaningful insights. Fate abilities were categorized as general and special, and mine belonged to the special category.

The core of abilities was imagination—the better one could imagine something, the faster and more efficiently the ability would manifest. Some abilities activated on their own, while others required specific conditions.

Conditional abilities, huh? Interesting.

Since my ability didn't have a name, I decided to call it "Flesh, Blood, Bone" for now.

Let's start with blood.

Leaning back, I opened my right palm and imagined a sphere of blood forming within it. Slowly, a shape began to take form—a dark red orb, growing at the center of my palm…

Now, I needed to mold it. A simple bullet should do.

As I pictured a bullet in my mind, the blood began to shift, gradually taking the desired shape. Eventually, a blood bullet, about the size of my palm, rested in my hand.

Now, could I make it disappear?

I imagined it vanishing—but nothing happened.

So once I create it, it's permanent… Interesting.

I also noticed a slight drop in my capacity while shaping the blood.

That means I can create hundreds of bullets. However, maintaining their form drains my capacity over time. I'll have to be careful about that.

For the next few minutes, I experimented with different blood formations. But I quickly grew bored. In the end, I poured the blood I had created into an empty wooden bucket.

Maintaining a shape without constantly using capacity is inefficient. I need something more practical.

Bone. Bone would be much better for this.

I conducted various experiments using bone. I created a sword, a shield, and simple tools suited to this era. Then, I attempted something more complex—replicating the admiral insignia I had worn in my past life.

But the details were off. The shapes were slightly crooked.

Tilting my head, I examined it from different angles.

It looks fine from this side… but from above, I can tell it's uneven.

Well, this was enough for now.

But I haven't tested flesh yet.

Because… I had no subject to experiment on.

Modifying my own flesh wouldn't provide much of an advantage. However, if I could manipulate someone else's… then, I would truly be powerful.

I grabbed an empty notebook beside me and started taking detailed notes on my ability:

Capacity consumption

Shaping time

Permanence

Limitations and advantages

I needed to conduct more tests.