Chapter 21: Differences

The reason Feng Xue was drawn to such an entry was after careful consideration, especially about cost-effectiveness. Skills unlocked from the store or dropped during combat can be instantly maximized given enough legacy points, and currently, there was no urgent need to enhance any "professional" abilities he held. Art skills like music, painting, and performance at the beginner level were of little help, and skills such as lock picking, which might be of little use against a prison boasting no successful escapes since its inception, seemed even less useful.

In contrast, the skill "Architecture" appeared to be quite special.

Firstly, his predecessor's "War Architecture" reached the master level, but when Feng Xue used the sports exchange coupon earlier, he found no specific "Architecture" skill.

This suggested that the predecessor's architectural skills might have been subsumed under War Architecture, or another possibility was that the predecessor didn't actually know conventional architecture at all.

Considering the nodes he had been through—starting as an orphan, bullied by a tyrant's son at school, mistaken for a thief over a found wallet, and later brawling in gang fights—the trajectory hardly seemed like one where he could have formally studied such knowledge.

It was more plausible that the predecessor took an unconventional route from the start, diving directly into War Architecture, which aligns with how gang factions quickly cultivate fighters for immediate utility.

Given these factors, acquiring the original version of architecture seemed crucial, allowing Feng Xue to confidently continue upgrading War Architecture.

Deciding thus, Feng Xue immediately confirmed his choice, and as a stream of information unfolded in his mind, he couldn't help but break into a sweat.

As he suspected, War Architecture, while sharing similar foundational concepts with traditional architecture, differed significantly in details. For instance, the introductory materials of War Architecture lacked tips such as "change the object of contemplation at least every three days" or "keep the object of contemplation in a state of flux"—details absent from his predecessor's teachings.

"Details determine success or failure…" Feng Xue compared the two sets of knowledge, identifying each discrepancy. These might seem like minor brain-training exercises, but their collective omission could explain why traditional architects could potentially achieve more.

With his thoughts collected, Feng Xue shifted his gaze rightward, noticing the third node on the second layer. Good news—it wasn't an emergency combat scenario; bad news—it was an unpredictable encounter.

"Damn," he sighed, noting his remaining eight points of sanity, yet he still clicked on the minefield ahead. As the familiar prompt flashed by, the scene shifted.

He now stood on a somewhat desolate street with few people around, the desolate autumn wind slowly sweeping across, conveying a sense of melancholy.

At that moment, the golden finger's text appeared again:

"Due to fighting, intentional injury, manslaughter, and other charges, you as a minor entered a juvenile detention center. Three years later, now eighteen, you finally leave this cage. Unfortunately, the gang formed because of you has dispersed, and the school has also expelled you. It's time to make a choice—"

"1. Studied hard for three years inside, might as well give the college entrance exam a shot."

"2. Just find a job that doesn't check your background to make ends meet."

"3. Once I wanted to be a good person, but the world didn't give me a chance, now it's time to awaken the dark will!"

"Ey, you're not turning into a dragon or what?" Seeing these options, Feng Xue didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Carefully considering the three options, he ruled out the third immediately—it would likely lead to a "How to Be a Hardcore Villain" scenario.

As for the college entrance exam—it seemed a bit odd, but it appeared to be the least risky. Having spent three years in juvenile detention likely involved some form of educational activity aside from reformatory instruction.

The casual labor seemed the most normal choice, but given the golden finger's track record, it was bound to be full of pitfalls. Imagine working in a fast-food outlet when an old underling suddenly shows up to mock, "Big bro, how did you end up selling fries?"

Or like the frequent predicaments faced by those struggling to find employment after incarceration, this could lead down a dark path.

Compared to those, the college entrance exam suddenly seemed like a relatively safe bet.

With a twitch of his lips, Feng Xue selected the first option, and then…

"Damn, who said I have to take the exam myself!"

He practically jumped out of bed, barely stopping himself from yelling out loud. His golden finger had turned gray again, and the reason for being kicked out was simple: he was thrust into the examination hall, undergoing a grueling session… well, half a session, since he didn't even make it to the last subject before his sanity points ran out.

"Even though I knew this world was ridiculous, does it have to be this ridiculous?" Recalling the college entrance exam questions, Feng Xue massaged his temples but soon had an epiphany as the various events from this session of the golden finger flashed before him.

"Something's really off!"

Reviewing his choices, Feng Xue's expression grew increasingly grave. Initially, things were normal, but after the "Midnight Nightmare" node, his decisions became more radical.

Skipping the gambling node entirely, or incinerating a man during the "Bloodied Streets" node without a second thought—these actions were uncharacteristic of him.

Even choosing Architecture was bizarre; although it proved correct, with common sense, he should have been more cautious!

Especially considering that last choice—if he were truly rational, he wouldn't have stepped into such an obvious trap, especially at a critical juncture just before advancing to the third layer. The most logical course of action would have been to play it safe and try to see what the next layer entailed.

The more Feng Xue thought, the stranger things seemed. He soon realized the root cause—his sanity levels.

If there was one thing that had changed since the "Midnight Nightmare" node, it was the sudden drop in sanity.

Initially, he treated it like a health bar—a resource that could be depleted without much consequence. But now, it seemed that this measure could interfere with his will within the scenarios of the golden finger.

"Maybe I didn't notice at first because the decrease was gradual, or perhaps only when it falls below fifty does it start to significantly alter behavior. After all, once it dropped below twenty in the golden finger, my personality shifted towards being more ruthless, paranoid, and stubborn—was this my predecessor's personality, their darkened persona, or a potential development of their character along this troubled path?"

Pondering, Feng Xue tapped his head thankfully. Realizing these issues post-golden finger indicated that internal changes in sanity within the scenarios didn't affect his real-world self.