The Dimensional Chat Group.
As someone who had devoured countless web novels in his past life, Su Mo was no stranger to the concept.
A chat group that connected myriad worlds was the very opportunity he had been dreaming of.
Even if this chat group didn't provide a one-click "get strong" button like some other cheats, for Su Mo, merely gaining access to supernatural power was more than enough.
No matter the power, as long as I can perceive it, I can interfere with it. As long as I can interfere with it, I can master it.
Su Mo's expression was placid. With his level of insight, he would have already blazed his own trail to power if not for the fact that the rules of his world simply didn't allow for the supernatural.
As long as he had a chance to grow stronger, he needed no one's help. He had absolute confidence that he could reach the pinnacle—and even surpass it!
And now, that chance had arrived.
As he watched, messages flashed rapidly across the chat group screen.
Madoka: "Su Mo? Judging by the name, you must be a boy. Big brother, why aren't you saying anything?"
Kanae: "Is it because this is your first time seeing something like this? I was startled at first, too. I thought I'd been hit by some kind of Blood Demon Art!"
Rin Tohsaka: "I thought it was some special kind of magecraft at first. Good thing this lady wasn't scared."
Madoka: "Eh? You weren't?"
Erica: "Oh, really? You weren't?"
Erica: [SmugFox.jpg]
Erica: "Who was it that cried out, 'Mommy, Daddy, save me!' back then, I wonder?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Shut up, you talkative vixen! Not another word!"
Rin Tohsaka: [TableFlip.jpg]
Erica: "?"
Erica: "I'll give you one more chance to rephrase that. What did you just call me?"
Damn it, she's bullying me again!
In the Type-Moon world, Fuyuki City, at the Tohsaka Residence.
A black-haired little girl who looked no older than six or seven, her hair in twintails, clenched her fists in anger. She desperately wanted to punch the smug face of Erica, who loved to tease her.
I'll call you a vixen! What are you gonna do about it, huh? Come and get me!
After furiously shaking her fist in the air, what she actually typed was:
Rin Tohsaka: "I called you Big Sister Erica, of course! Kind, beautiful Big Sister Erica, did something happen just now?"
Rin Tohsaka: [PutsOnACuteFace.jpg]
She couldn't help it. The situation was stronger than her. Besides, she needed Erica's help. No matter how aggrieved she felt, she had to bite her tongue and play nice.
Erica: "Hmph, that's more like it!"
Erica: "I just love seeing you try so hard to be stubborn, only to be forced to submit."
Erica was completely satisfied, while Rin was so angry she was speechless.
This damned vixen has such a rotten personality!
After growling under her breath, Rin suddenly remembered the newcomer.
Wait, if the new guy is a powerhouse too, maybe I don't have to ask Erica for help? I could ask him instead!
At this thought, her spirits lifted, and she immediately checked the newcomer's group profile.
The public information on group members was usually minimal. Besides their name, the first thing one saw was the level of their world. Only by clicking further could one see a member's corresponding power level.
Full of hope, Rin quickly finished reading the profile, then shook her head in disappointment.
Rin Tohsaka: "Just an ordinary person from an ordinary world? What a shame!"
It seemed there was no escaping Erica's clutches for the time being.
As she was thinking this, Rin, who had only recently joined the group herself, realized she had accidentally typed her thoughts out loud. While it was the truth, it was quite rude to say to a stranger. She quickly began to explain.
Rin Tohsaka: "Sorry! I don't mean to look down on ordinary people. I was just a little disappointed I couldn't latch onto a powerhouse."
Rin Tohsaka: "Actually, according to the group's rules, besides Erica, the rest of us are all unranked, same as ordinary people."
Rin Tohsaka: "So please don't mind my wording."
An ordinary magus might hold prejudice against regular humans, but Rin didn't have such a bad habit. Fortunately, she was generally well-liked, and seeing her slip of the tongue, the others chimed in to help.
Madoka: "Yeah, Rin doesn't mean any harm. I'm an ordinary person too, so I hope you don't mind, big brother."
Erica: "Indeed. According to the group's tier system, even in my world, the vast majority of people are unranked commoners. No need to take offense."
Seeing everyone's messages, Su Mo's expression remained calm. With his mindset, he naturally wouldn't be bothered by a minor slip of the tongue. He was more interested in something else.
Su Mo: "It's fine. You were just speaking the truth. I don't mind."
Su Mo: "But more importantly, what does 'ranked' mean?"
Is it a power-level classification?
As Su Mo wondered this, the enthusiastic members quickly provided an answer.
Tiers were the Dimensional Chat Group's internal system for classifying power.
Being "ranked" meant reaching Tier 1, which was at least the strength of a one-man army. Tier 2 was city-destroying; Tier 3, nation-destroying; Tier 4, continent-sinking; Tier 5, planet-busting; Tier 6, galaxy-level; Tier 7, universal...
For the current group members, this was a very rough classification system. Because, with the exception of Erica, none of them had met the criteria to be evaluated by the chat group.
They were all unranked—Tier 0.
As the only member with a Tier 1 evaluation, Erica was the strongest, naturally holding the highest status in the group.
In reality, she and Rin were good friends; she just enjoyed teasing her, giving them the dynamic of a bickering couple.
After explaining the power tiers, the gentle-natured Kanae went on to introduce the group's other two most important functions: the Group Check-in and the Group Store.
Both of these functions involved a crucial element: Group Points.
Kanae: "Aside from the initial points everyone gets based on their strength, you can also earn a small amount of points from the daily check-in. You can use these points to buy items from the store."
Kanae: "The Group Store is filled with items that members have put up for sale. You can also earn points by selling items."
Kanae: "Unfortunately, the prices are set automatically by the chat group. Otherwise, I would offer my Breathing Styles to everyone at a low price."
Kanae: "Still, the items in the store aren't too expensive. Even an ordinary person can afford them eventually just by checking in."
Kanae: "Keep it up! I believe everyone will be able to shed their ordinary status and become a ranked powerhouse one day!"
Her gentle personality shone through as she encouraged not just Su Mo, but everyone else as well. Aside from Madoka, the others all faced crises that required them to grow stronger.
Su Mo: "Thank you."
After hearing the explanation, Su Mo immediately followed Kanae's instructions and found the Group Store.
In the store's list, the very key to the supernatural he sought was lying there quietly.
Thunder Breathing, Water Breathing, Flame Breathing, Flower Breathing...
It seemed Kocho Kanae had uploaded every Breathing Style she knew from her world. As unranked items, their prices weren't high; a single Breathing Style cost only 100 points.
Breathing Styles are based on the physical body and have a limited ceiling. They're still worth a try for me now, but what I need most is a power that truly contains the potential for transcendence, not just a technique that enhances my strength...
As an ordinary person, what he needed most right now was a seed to step onto the path of the supernatural.
His eyes quickly scanned past the flashy skills and spells, landing on the most fundamental one.
[Basic Mana Refinement Technique] - 100 Points
As a basic skill from the world of Campione!, its price wasn't particularly high. But for Su Mo, trapped in an ordinary world, this was an opportunity worth giving everything for.
He glanced at his initial point balance. It was exactly 100. Without a shred of hesitation, Su Mo chose to purchase it.
The next second, all sorts of information about meditation and mana refinement flooded his mind, compelling his body to begin circulating it unconsciously.
At that moment, Su Mo bit the tip of his tongue, his mind becoming crystal clear as he observed his body's sensations and changes from a detached, third-person perspective.
Soon, he made a startling discovery.
The theory behind this mana extraction technique was identical to the esoteric knowledge of a certain Christian mystical order he had meticulously researched for years!
This isn't pure monism; it's knowledge containing a hidden dualistic opposition. It must be a meditation method based on Neo-Kabbalism. The similarity to certain records from the Rosicrucian magical order is extremely high... this must be a cultivation method of the Knights Templar!
That's right, the Copper Black Cross that Erica belongs to is a direct descendant of the Knights Templar!
Does that mean that even though my world can't actually refine mana, the occult knowledge itself is sound? Were those theories all real?!
Shocked by this revelation, Su Mo quickly used the theories he had studied for years to completely deconstruct the principles of the Basic Mana Refinement Technique. At the same time, his vast accumulated knowledge and extraordinary insight came into play.
From what I know, due to historical issues—specifically, when they were accused of heresy by Philip IV—the Knights Templar deliberately discarded knowledge originating from Judaism in an attempt to purify themselves. This left their theories incomplete... If I were to fill in that missing piece, could this mana refinement technique be... optimized?
With this thought, Su Mo closed his eyes and began to experiment without hesitation.
As he did, the originally slow flow of mana in his body suddenly became significantly smoother.
It actually works! But the loss of life force when converting it to mana is still considerable. If I follow the methods of the Golden Dawn and adjust the details using astrology...
Having tasted success, Su Mo became unstoppable.
He immediately continued to test, adjust, and iterate based on his accumulated theories, optimizing the incredibly basic mana refinement technique again and again.
As time passed, the aura around him grew more profound, yet also more serene. If Erica herself were to appear here now, she would likely never recognize that the technique Su Mo was practicing was the very same one she had provided.