Chapter 4 – Testing the Limits
Ethan returned to his hospital room in a daze. His body felt the same, his hands still his own, but something deep inside him had shifted.
He had copied a skill. An actual skill.
It wasn't a hallucination. It wasn't a dream.
It was real.
He sat on the edge of his hospital bed, flexing his fingers, the weight of his discovery pressing down on him. His heart pounded in his chest. If he had just absorbed something as simple as mopping the floor, then…
How far could this go?
He needed to test it. Something more complex. Something useful.
His gaze flicked toward the small tray on the bedside table—hospital-issued food, a fork resting on the side of the plate.
His grip tightened.
[SYSTEM. HOW DOES SKILL REPLICATION WORK?]
[SKILLS ARE COPIED THROUGH OBSERVATION. THE LONGER AND MORE DETAILED THE OBSERVATION, THE HIGHER THE ACCURACY OF REPLICATION.]
Ethan frowned. "So, I have to actually watch someone do something first?"
[CORRECT. SKILL PROFICIENCY DEPENDS ON THE ORIGINAL SOURCE. HIGHLY SKILLED INDIVIDUALS YIELD BETTER RESULTS.]
That meant… if he wanted to master something, he needed to observe the best.
His grip on the fork loosened as his eyes sharpened.
This wasn't just some gimmick.
This was a cheat code for life.
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
He had spent 24 years failing at everything. Always the guy at the bottom, always one step behind. But now?
Now, he had a way to catch up.
No—a way to surpass everyone.
He just needed the right target.
The next morning, Ethan was discharged. He walked out of the hospital doors into the city, squinting against the morning sun.
His phone vibrated in his pocket—another bill notification. He ignored it.
Today wasn't about money. Today was about testing the System.
The city was a goldmine of skills.
He just had to find the right ones.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten real food since before the accident. His eyes drifted across the street to a small ramen shop, steam curling out from the open kitchen.
Food could wait.
But the chef behind the counter? The way his hands moved with precision, slicing ingredients, pouring broth, adjusting the flame without a second thought— that was worth watching.
Ethan took a seat at the counter, his eyes locked onto the man's every movement.
A notification appeared in his vision.
[NEW SKILL DETECTED: BASIC COOKING. COPY?]
His fingers gripped the counter.
"Yes."
[SKILL COPIED. INTEGRATING… COMPLETE.]
A rush of knowledge filled his mind—how to hold a knife, how to slice ingredients evenly, how to adjust flavors. He could almost feel the movements in his hands.
It worked again.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
This was only the beginning.
End of Chapter 4