Useless Skill?

The shack or what the system called as "Lord's Lodge" looked even worse in daylight.

If you could call the murky green twilight of the swamp "daylight."

Motes of golden mist drifted lazily through the air, lit by the boundary glow of the Novice Protection Field.

Crickets chirped somewhere.

Something else—a wet, sloshing something—responded from deep in the reeds.

Lin Jie stared up at their "Lord's Lodge". A warped hut made of driftwood, moss, and what he could only describe as "regret."

The rusted lockbox on the porch hadn't even bothered to lock itself. The glowing archway beside it hummed faintly—like a stone that had swallowed too much electricity and wasn't sure if it liked the taste.

"Charming," Yueru said dryly. "Didn't you once write a paper on tensile strength and swamp wood deformation curves?"

"Yes," Lin Jie muttered. "Conclusion: 'Don't build houses out of it.'"

Yueru elbowed him lightly. "Well, guess this is our kingdom now, Xiao Jie."

A soft ding echoed in the air.

Panels blinked into existence—translucent and unobtrusive, like AR overlays floating just behind his retinas.

Lin Jie didn't touch anything. He just… focused.

System Interface. Open.

A status screen slid gently into view.

[Name: Lin Jie]

[Class: None]

[Skill: Material Analysis (F-Grade)]

— Dissect the atomic truth of ANY object, system-generated or natural. Current accuracy: 65% 

— "A walking spectrometer," scoffed the gods. "Let's see him weaponize the periodic table."

[Name: Shen Yueru]

[Class: Sniper (Requires Ranged Weapon)]

[Skill: Kill Zone (A-Grade)]

— Mark a 10m radius as a sphere of absolute lethality for 5 seconds. All projectiles fired within this zone will strike fatal weak points: hearts, arteries, brainstems.

Cooldown: 10 minutes. Range scales with weapon type. (Slingshot: 10m. Sniper Rifle: 1km.)

— "She doesn't miss. She erases."

Lin Jie read his skill description twice.

Then a third time.

Then he sat down on a damp tree stump and buried his head in his hands.

"F-Grade…" he whispered. "They literally gave me the power to read labels."

Yueru was still smirking. "On the bright side, I can now legally assassinate squirrels from a kilometer away."

Lin Jie groaned.

She crouched next to him. "Hey. I get it. You're used to being the smartest guy in the room. Now it feels like your whole brain got downgraded to a barcode scanner."

"…Thanks, that helped."

"But," she added, standing and dusting off her pants, "have you tried it yet?"

Lin Jie blinked. "Tried what?"

"Your skill. Analyze something."

He sighed, held out a hand, and placed it against the warped wooden wall of the shack.

The system flared.

Not in text. Not in voice.

Just a flood of data—color gradients, internal vibration maps, molecular densities. Then, in overlay:

[Driftwood – Decaying]

— Composition: 42% cellulose, 33% lignin, 15% fungal hyphae, 10% unknown particulate.

— Structural integrity: 18%. Recommend reinforcement.

— Environmental Note: Waterlogged molecular bonds. Vulnerable to compression, insect larva, and sarcastic comments.

"…Okay, that's mildly useful."

Yueru leaned over his shoulder.

"Can it tell if there's termites in my boots?"

He was about to quip back when a chime echoed from the lockbox.

[Basic Supplies Chest opened.]—

You've received:

1x Stone Knife

1x Ration Pack (1 day)

1x Basic Blueprint: Torch

1x Basic Blueprint: Spear

5x Scrap Wood

3x Sharp Stone

3x Resin

2x Corded Fiber

The blueprints pulsed in his interface—two of them. Both tagged as [Basic Tier].

Lin Jie focused on the first:

[Blueprint: Torch (Basic)]— A portable light source. Effective against darkness, low-level swamp fog, and morale degradation.— Burn Time: ~1 hour— Grants mild warmth.— Illumination Range: 3 meters

Crafting Recipe:• 1x Scrap Wood• 1x Corded Fiber• 1x Resinous Material 

Tip: Recommended for early exploration. Also works as an improvised club. Warning: Not waterproof.

He blinked and opened the second blueprint:

[Blueprint: Spear (Basic)]— Basic melee weapon. Long reach. Can be used for thrusting or throwing.— Attack Power: Low— Durability: Fragile

Crafting Recipe:• 2x Scrap Wood• 1x Sharp Stone• 1x Corded Fiber (for grip)

Tip: Better than bare hands. Barely. Effective against frogs, rats, and large insects.

He stared at the blueprints for a moment longer, then at the pile of items they'd gotten from the basic supplies chest.

All the materials were there.

He didn't tap anything. Just… acknowledged the Torch blueprint in his mind.

The interface shimmered.

A soft tone rang through the clearing—less a sound, more a ripple in reality.

[Torch Blueprint Recognized]— Components detected nearby— Crafting Initiated…

Scrap wood lifted from the pile, not hovering—but tugged, as if some invisible hand was pulling it upward by unseen strings.

Sharp stone clicked against the base of the stick, wedging itself like flint against a mount.

Threads of fiber wound themselves around the head—coiling tight, like muscle memory spun into string.

Then, like candle wax over a wick, faint blue resin bled from the air itself—coagulating, solidifying.

A soft hiss. Then a spark.

[Torch x1 created.]

It landed in his hand—warm, not hot. Perfectly balanced.

Too perfect.

Lin Jie stared at it.

No hammer. No trial. No testing the melting point of adhesives or calculating the ideal wrapping tension.

It just worked.

And worse—he hadn't made it. The system had.

He held it out toward Yueru.

"Witness… fire," he said dryly.

She took it with a smirk.

"You gonna build a spear next, Prometheus?"

"…Yeah. Why not."

He selected the second blueprint—Spear (Basic).

The moment he mentally clicked [Craft], the process began again. But slower.

Two longer scrapwood rods lifted into the air and crossed, one splintering halfway down to serve as a handle stub. A sharp stone spun at their intersection, jamming into place as if guided by centuries of tribal instinct.

Corded fiber spiraled up the shaft—not wrapped haphazardly, but braided like rope, forming a crude but solid grip.

There was a snap—not a breaking sound, but the final click of something finished.

[Spear x1 created.]

Lin Jie took it, weighing the heft. It was light. Too light to be real wood and stone. Too perfect to be crafted by hand.

It was… good enough.

But that was the problem.

"Just materials and intent," he murmured.

"No physics. No chemistry. The system just… fuses things."

Yueru twirled the torch experimentally.

"Well, if it works, it works."

He looked down at the blueprint interface. Two basic recipes. Made in seconds. No crafting station. No learning curve.

And yet—

Everyone could build—as long as the blueprint existed.

But who created the blueprint?

And why did he get the skill to analyze the materials—if the system just brute-forced function anyway?

Yueru's voice cut into his thoughts. "Still feel useless?"

"…No," he said, slowly. "Just confused."

"No hammer. No nails. No tensile stress calculations," Lin Jie murmured, stunned. "Just slap materials together, and the system makes it work…"

Yueru caught the edge in his voice. Even though it helped them, she understood why it unsettled him.

This wasn't building. It was… cheating. At least, for someone like him.

Without another word, she left him and approached the glowing mist archway.

A panel appeared as she neared.

[Recruitment Portal Activated]

— Daily Recruitment Limit: 3

— Portal Upgrade Material Required: [???]

— Upgrade to increase daily summon cap and quality of recruits.

Recommended Material for upgrade: [Echo Crystal] – Unknown origin. Rare.

"Three summons," Yueru read aloud.

"We better make them count."

She selected [Summon Recruits].

The mist churned.

Silhouettes stepped out.

Three figures blinked into existence—dazed, confused, but solid.

Yueru folded her arms behind her back. She'd seen this kind of chaos before—in drills, in war games.

Now came the sorting.

The first to step forward was a woman with a spear slung diagonally across her back, her armor scorched and chipped as if torn from another battlefield.

She had a proud jawline, scars beneath her collar, and a gaze that dared the world to give her orders—so she could choose whether or not to follow them.

Yueru's eyes flicked over her interface.

[Name: Xiang Hua][Class: Warrior – Grade D][Skill: Relentless Momentum] — Every consecutive strike increases damage. Reset on miss.Loyalty: 68%

The warrior glanced around, then settled her attention on Yueru.

"You in charge?" Her voice was husky, as if she'd been yelling at ghosts just moments ago.

"I am until someone worthier takes the mantle," Yueru replied without flinching. Her voice was clipped—years of training in the military forged into every syllable.

"Then I'll follow you. For now." Xiang snorted. 

"Good. You remember your name?"

"Xiang Hua. That's all that came with me. The rest... burned away."

Her gaze dropped for a second, and there was something under her bravado. Smoke. Rubble.

A feeling of running too long and not fast enough. She didn't say it—but Yueru saw it.

"Then you fight," Yueru said. "We'll need you soon."

Behind them, a soft mechanical whir announced the next arrival.

The second recruit was short and squat, with stained overalls and smudged goggles pushed up into unruly hair.

His fingers twitched constantly, flexing and curling as if measuring invisible parts. He had the air of someone who'd spent more time speaking to machines than people.

[Name: Chen Dafu]

[Class: Craftsman – Grade C]

[Skill: Auto-Assemble] — Can instantly craft low-tier items if materials are nearby.Loyalty: 80%

"Oi," he muttered, squinting around. "This a workshop? Feels like the wrong floor. Thought I was halfway through calibrating the—uh…"

His voice trailed off, and he frowned as if someone had yanked a memory mid-sentence.

Memory flickered. Then blanked.

Yueru tapped the side of her interface and grunted.

"Chen Dafu. Craftsman. C-grade. You've got the hands of a man who never rests."

He looked at them as if noticing the grease for the first time.

"Yeah. Guess so."

"Do you build?"

"If you give me a blueprint and parts, I'll have something useful in your hands before lunch."

"What if there are no blueprints?"

He scratched his cheek.

"Then I get creative. Probably end up with a blender, though."

Yueru allowed the faintest curl of a lip—half a smile, maybe.

"You'll fit in."

The last figure stepped forward quietly, almost unnoticed.

She was slight, barefoot, with dirt under her nails and a faint fragrance of crushed leaves that clung to her like morning dew.

Her trowel was strapped to her belt like a dagger.

[Name: Li Mei][Class: Herbalist – Grade D+][Skill: Biogarden] — Can convert 3x wild plants into 1x healing herb per hour.Loyalty: 91%

Yueru turned to her, adjusting her tone.

"You. Name?"

"Li Mei." Her voice was soft, but not timid—like a river whispering over stone.

"Can you work with herbs?"

Mei nodded. "

Yes. My hands know more than I do."

"You remember anything?"

Mei looked up at her. Her eyes were mossy, unfocused. "Sometimes… I see rows of green... glass ceilings... maybe a garden? Then it's gone."

There was a pause. Xiang was watching. Dafu had stopped fidgeting.

Yueru clicked her tongue and stepped back. "Then your past doesn't matter. What you do now does."

She brought up the shared squad interface and gestured them closer.

"Listen up. Lord Lin is... preoccupied. So you report to me for now."

She pointed toward the treeline.

"Xiang. Scout the perimeter. Look for wood, stone, anything usable. Watch for threats—hostiles, traps, even wildlife."

The warrior nodded sharply. "Consider it done."

"Dafu. You're on salvage. Break down whatever junk you find. Prioritize flint, iron, dry wood. Anything that can be turned into tools."

The craftsman saluted with a sarcastic two-finger flick. "On it, boss lady."

"Mei. You're on plant duty. Stockpile anything green that doesn't scream back. Sort them out near the central campfire."

Mei smiled faintly and dipped her head. "Yes, ma'am."

"Move."

The three scattered into the fog, boots crunching against wet grass and stone.

Yueru exhaled, rolled her shoulders, then walked slowly back toward the dying campfire. Lin Jie hadn't emerged once during the entire exchange.

She looked at the tent flap and muttered,

"So what now, Lord Lin?" Yueru said mockingly.

A pause.

"…I guess I try not to feel useless."

She sat on a nearby log, rubbing the back of her neck. Then, almost out of habit, she opened the Regional Chat feed.

[Regional Chat: East Asia-12]

[Zhou Zixin: Selling beginner toolset! 3 healing herbs or 2 torches for trade!]

[Sun Liwei: I already built a fence and a drying rack. Hit me up if you want meat!]

[Wu Chingji: Transfer resources to me. I am building a research tower. We will benefit together.]

Yueru snorted. "Guess some people were born to shill, even in a death game."

But Lin Jie wasn't laughing.

He stared at the auto-crafting torch.

At the blueprint system.

At his own skill.

Everyone could build anything—as long as the blueprint existed.

But who created the blueprints?

Who understood what came before the blueprint?

Was this really just a game magically created by the so called Gods?

A thought flickered in his mind, slow but steady:

"What if I could design my own?"