An eternal tranquility enveloped the Archive of Dreams. The air inside was cool and perfectly dry, steeped in the unique scent of old paper, faint incense, and the aroma of the ancient wood used to build the towering shelves. Only the dim, gentle light from memory crystals and the soft footsteps of Owen disturbed the serenity of this place.
Owen looked down at the ancient yellow tome in his hand again. His thumb traced the rough texture of the ancient paper.
[Instant-Mind Palm: Mercy of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva]...
'The name... doesn't sound much like a combat skill,' he mused, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion. 'It leans more toward religious philosophy... But why... does it capture my attention so completely?'
The feeling of calm and clarity the tome provided was a stark contrast to the fierce, destructive power of the [Sun God's Gauntlets] he possessed. Yet, that contradiction created a strange balance in his heart.
His curiosity intensified. Owen took a deep breath of the ancient knowledge before carefully opening the tome, as if afraid the ancient, thousand-year-old paper would crumble in his hands. And when he found that "translation tags" were neatly tucked into every page, amidst the squiggling ancient script, he let out a sigh of relief.
'Great! Without these, I wouldn't be able to read a single word.' Owen felt genuinely grateful for the dedication of Tenzin and the previous caretakers. Without these translations, the priceless knowledge before him would be nothing more than inked paper.
Owen scanned the short "introduction" on the first page... The opening paragraph alone gripped his full attention.
"Humans are bound by the limitations of their physical bodies. Within a single breath... how many times do you think a human can attack?"
"A commoner's fist may strike once... a martial artist's may strike ten times... or a grandmaster's fist may achieve a hundred maneuvers... but whether one or a hundred, as humans, they all have limits."
Owen nodded in agreement as he read. This fact was something he was well aware of; a physical body has limits that cannot be easily surpassed.
"But with the Instant-Mind Palm skill... you will no longer be limited by the 'speed' of your body. Because the thing faster than your limbs and muscles... is your 'perception' and 'thought'."
It was like a small bolt of lightning shot through Owen's brain! The moment his eyes hit the words "perception and thought," the [Brain] evolution path instantly popped into his head! A new wave of excitement began to build from the depths of his calm. He quickened his reading pace to understand more, his breath catching slightly.
"Before you can move to attack... your mind must first perceive the target and environment, then plan what you will do, and only then does your body finally move to attack."
"Or even if you are a grandmaster who has reached the 'essence' and can move to attack without needing to think... you still need to 'perceive' first. Otherwise, you are just a madman attacking aimlessly."
"By now, you see how important 'perception' and 'thought' are, don't you? They are the beginning of all movement... And with this Instant-Mind Palm skill, your perception and thought will be expanded immensely!"
"You will perceive everything with clarity, every detail within your perception... be it the dew on a blade of grass, an insect on the ground, or even the water vapor in the air."
"You will see every movement of all things, as if the world is moving in slow motion. 1 second of outside time might be stretched to 10 seconds in your mind... This state is called 'Instant Mind Time'."
'This is clearly Bullet Time mode... but the real thing might be even better,' Owen analyzed from a gamer's perspective.
"And with this Instant Mind Time... even if you only have a normal body that can attack 1 time in 1 second... you can attack 10 times with this skill!"
Owen's eyes sparkled as he reached the final sentence of the introduction.
"And if you become a true master of this skill... you will be able to attack 1,000 times in 1 second!"
Owen's brain rapidly processed and analyzed the logic behind this skill... He admitted that physical speed had a clear ceiling; no matter how fast, there was a limit the body could endure. But "speed of thought" was different. Its limits were hundreds or thousands of times higher than the physical body, almost incomparable.
'This... is a skill clearly born for the [Brain] evolution path.' A small smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth. 'And its potential looks even better than choosing pure speed…'
The scales in Owen's mind, which had been wavering, now clearly tipped away from [Speed] toward [Brain]. If he chose [Speed], he would still be stuck within physical limits. But if he chose [Brain] along with "this skill," it would completely shatter the body's ultimate speed limit…
Owen hypothesized that the attack in "Instant Mind Time" might be a form of energy wave or psychic power sent out directly, without even needing to rely on muscle movement. Doesn't that seem to fit perfectly with his [Avatar of Asura]?
Fwip!
Owen slowly closed the tome. The sound of paper brushing paper echoed softly in the archive's silence.
'I'll look around a little more...' He held the tome a little tighter. 'But if there's nothing more interesting than this skill, I'm definitely taking it back to train during these 2 weeks of evolution.'
He looked up from the book, the hesitation and confusion that had filled his eyes earlier now completely gone... replaced by the fierce determination of someone who had found their "path."
Owen's footsteps continued to echo among the towering shelves. He became an explorer in an ocean of wisdom, discovering new possibilities hidden in countless books, scrolls, and stone tablets.
Whether it was the "Blink Step" technique that allowed movement in short bursts as fast as a phantom, the "Origin Runes" tome, a science of powerful ancient sigils, or even "Gravity Magic" that could help train his body better than any weight equipment.
Each one was a treasure trove of power that even high-level mages or Awakened would fight and die for.
But... Owen simply shook his head softly, returning those tomes to the shelf with a sense of regret.
'Hmm… It's not what I need right now.' Although they were all interesting, none of them "paired" with his chosen evolution path as well as [Instant-Mind Palm]. It was the most perfect puzzle piece for his overall picture at this moment.
'I'll save them for later…' he thought with a smirk. 'Once I master this skill, it won't be too late to come back and learn them… It's not like this place is going anywhere.'
Owen gripped the old yellow tome in his hand tighter, before turning and walking out of the Archive of Dreams. He had decided... His evolution path was [Brain], without a doubt.
...
Saturday morning, the first day of the new month. At Rosy's house.
Morning sunlight streamed through the clear glass window, filling the living room, which was filled with the aroma of fresh coffee and newly baked bread. Owen, in comfortable casual clothes, walked over to greet Alicia, who was busily wearing an apron in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mrs. Alicia," Owen smiled cheerfully.
"You're in a good mood this morning," she said to him gently. "Rosy said she's waiting in the basement."
"Understood. I'll be in your care as always," Owen bowed his head to her politely.
He walked past the sofa and straight to the basement lab where Iris was waiting.
Ting!
A notification sound chimed from his phone just as he reached the first step of the stairs. Owen pulled out his phone. A smile immediately appeared on his face when he saw the notification from his bank.
[ Bank Transfer Received: $150,000 from OnlyStar (Monthly Revenue Share) ]
"Finally..." he murmured softly, chuckling in his throat. This income was enough to make his financial situation fluid again. And more important than the money was that today was the first day of the new month...
[ Temporary Covenant Quota: 3/3 ]
The fully restored number made Owen let out a quiet sigh of relief. The reassuring feeling of having all 3 "trump cards" back in his hand greatly reduced the stress that had built up all month. From now on, he wouldn't have to be so worried when facing a tight spot.
Owen took a deep breath before stepping down into the basement with a heart more resolute than ever. The next two weeks would be the start of the biggest change of his life.
Fwoom...
The moment Owen entered the password and placed his palm on the scanner, the thick steel security door slid open automatically, with the familiar sound of pressurized air being released.
A heavy mass of cool air hit his face. The fragrant smell of coffee and warm toast from Alicia's kitchen was cut off, replaced by a clean, sterile scent. And the atmosphere in the lab today was completely different from usual.
It wasn't chaotic and filled with scattered documents or experimental equipment lying about like last time. The entire room was organized so neatly it was almost creepy. Every metal table was spotless, every tool put away. It was like an operating room that had undergone maximum sterilization, awaiting a critical surgery.
In the center of the room... a new piece of equipment stood tall, replacing the old lab table.
It was a large, futuristically shaped "Capsule Bed." Its surface was a material like pearly white porcelain that looked almost alive, with hundreds of multi-colored cables snaking down from the ceiling and up from the floor... It didn't look like a machine, but more like a "cocoon" or an "altar" for a sacred ritual.
And next to that altar, Iris was waiting for him...
She was in a clean white lab coat that was slightly form-fitting, and wearing thin-framed glasses (which Owen was sure was just cosplay to set the mood). She stood with her arms crossed, her slender fingers tapping her arm in a slow rhythm. The beautiful face behind the lenses was visibly excited... It was the look of a genius scientist about to start the biggest project of her life.
"You're here, my love~" she greeted him. Her voice wasn't seductive like usual, but instead held a sharp, intellectual enthusiasm.
"I've prepared everything for you..." She gestured to the capsule bed behind her. "It's perfect... safe... and maximally efficient."
Iris adjusted her glasses slightly with a slender finger, before getting straight to the point.
"All that's left is your final answer... Have you decided? Which 'path' of evolution will you choose?"
The air in the room fell silent for a moment, their gazes locking meaningfully. A few seconds later, Owen smiled and nodded slowly.
"I've chosen," he said as he set down his backpack, unzipped it, and carefully pulled out the old yellow tome he had borrowed from the archive. He placed it on the nearest metal table.
"I choose the [Brain] path..." he replied, his voice firm and steady.
"...and I also have some important 'homework' to do during this two-week nap."
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