Chapter 6: The Hardcore Tough Guy

Name: Not Quite Flat Frying Pan

Category: Diverse Oddities

Quality: Blue, Superior

Effect: Block one ranged attack per battle

Note: Although this pan is not very flat, it indeed was one of the first to be used to block bullets.

Name: Honey-Scented Red Tea

Category: Survival Aid

Quality: Blue, Superior

Effect: +18 SAN

Note: Take a break, have a cup of tea; it's a decadent and decadent luxury.

As he assessed the two items he had acquired, Feng Xue's expression was mixed. The red tea that restored SAN was straightforward, but the frying pan that blocked ranged damage raised eyebrows.

"Is this world also into battle royale or something? Or is it…" Feng Xue muttered to himself, his gaze lingering on the "Diverse Oddities" category, spawning some thoughts.

Now, however, with his Dreams insufficient to purchase new items, he redirected his attention to the [Sports Unlock Ticket]. Although he had exhausted his Hope, even the entry-level would be better than nothing; it was an excellent opportunity to see what skills the original owner had mastered, which would also serve as a reference for future selections.

With this thought in mind, Feng Xue opened the Sports Unlock Ticket, and the bookshelf reappeared before his eyes. But his vision darkened when he realized what he was seeing wasn't the expected gymnastics, track and field, or ice skating, but rather—

Shooting, combat, stealth, assassination, mech piloting…

"Damn! Is this supposed to be sports? Who includes mech piloting in physical education? How can the homeroom teacher let the PE teacher take sick leave with these in the curriculum?"

Despite the ranting in his mind, Feng Xue's eyes scanned over the various "sports" skills, which were alarmingly excessive and many of which reached beyond the expert level, compared to the only anatomical and first aid skills that reached such heights in the medical category.

Even though the knowledge base was vast, Feng Xue quickly selected the skill he intended to unlock because its name was—

[War Architecture].

Truthfully, Feng Xue didn't know what an architect of war was. Taken literally, it might even seem like a profession related to battlefield command or planning.

However, in the previously exchanged expert-level [First Aid] knowledge, frequent mentions of "constructing temporary organs to maintain life signs awaiting rescue" appeared.

Whether this knowledge was self-explored by the predecessor or a universal rule of this world, the description of "constructing temporary organs" couldn't help but remind Feng Xue of the fantasy manifestation abilities demonstrated in the Snowy Night Orphans level.

In other words, this so-called [War Architecture] subject might just be a supernatural discipline of this world.

And importantly, the price for this skill was—

12 Hope.

Meaning, the original owner's level of [War Architecture] was at the master level.

Of course, it wasn't excluded that this ability was really just about battlefield command, but considering that most of the physical abilities listed were ones only a hardcore veteran would master, even if Feng Xue unlocked them, it would be hard to utilize them effectively anytime soon, especially since he currently had no Hope left and couldn't unlock beyond the beginner level. There was no worry about wastage in choosing this path.

Resolute, Feng Xue no longer hesitated and selected the [War Architecture] option, choosing the zero Hope beginner level. As the confirmation was executed, a series of information flooded into his mind—

Architects use imagination, willpower, and belief to construct frameworks. War Architects, sacrificing future potential for immediate power, convert all potential into combat capabilities.

The beginner level information on war architects wasn't extensive, providing only a brief description and the "Inquisitors-Dream Seekers-Shadow Chasers-Fantasy Artists-Creators" five major realms from low to high, with only the training methods for Inquisitors included. However, this simple discussion allowed Feng Xue to gain a basic understanding of this system.

In essence, architects in this world are those who use abilities similar to fantasy manifestation, but as experienced in the Snowy Night Orphans level, human imagination has its limits, making it extremely difficult to conjure detailed objects. An architect of the Shadow Chaser level may not be more effective in combat than a fully armed soldier, let alone against tanks or mechas.

But a Dream Seeker who focuses all their imaginative power on a single aspect—like constructing bullets—given a gun with sufficient firing rate, can become a Gatling gun with unlimited ammo.

Training such a Dream Seeker requires only a year of literacy training, half a year of adaptability training, and three months of integration, consuming resources far less than training a Shadow Chaser.

This rapid development isn't without costs. Becoming a war architect leads to a rigidification of one's imaginative capacity, essentially forsaking any future potential. Out of a thousand war architects, fewer than three will advance to the Shadow Chaser level, and those who do will be at the bottom of their peers with virtually no chance of further advancement.

"Tsk, luckily I've just crossed over, and I'm practically a blank slate in the field of architecture, so I don't have to worry about imagination becoming rigid. War architects are still architects after all; if I just learn the theoretical part of architecture without going through specialized training, I should be fine. In a way, not inheriting all of the predecessor's memories might be a blessing?"

Feng Xue planned his path as an architect in his mind, his eyes focusing on the option to exit the shop. As the shop's display slowly blurred, an extremely harsh metallic bell sound suddenly exploded beside his ear.

As everything dissolved into nothingness, Feng Xue's vision refocused.

Before he had time to complain about the sensation of the hard bed, a rude voice accompanied by the clanging of a baton against bars rang out—

"Get up, get up, don't think you can sleep in just because you're in a single cell! You've got two… five minutes, otherwise you can forget about breakfast!"