Su Mo was naturally no stranger to the Dimensional Chat Group, having read web novels in his previous life.
A chat group that could connect the myriad worlds was the opportunity he had always dreamed of.
Even if this so-called chat group didn't provide an instant boost in power like other golden fingers, behaving like a nanny, it was enough for Su Mo to simply be able to access extraordinary power.
"Regardless of the power, as long as I can touch it, I can interfere with it; as long as I can interfere with it, I can master it."
Su Mo's expression was calm.
With his comprehension, if the world's rules hadn't prevented the emergence of extraordinary abilities, he would have already forged his own path.
As long as there was a chance to grow stronger, he was confident enough to reach the peak, even surpass it, without anyone's help!
Now, this opportunity had arrived!
Under his gaze, messages in the Dimensional Chat Group flashed by rapidly.
[Xiao Yuan: "Su Mo? Judging by the name, it should be a big brother, right? Why isn't big brother talking?"]
[Kanae: "Is it because it's the first time you've encountered something like this? I was scared at first too, I even thought I'd been hit by a Blood Demon Technique!"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "I also thought it was some kind of special magic at first, but luckily, this lady wasn't scared."]
[Xiao Yuan: "Eh? You weren't?"]
[Erica: "Yeah, you weren't?"]
[Erica: "Fox Laugh.JPG"]
[Erica: "Daddy, Mommy, save me… Which lady said that back then?"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Shut up, you blabbermouth fox! Don't say another word!"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Flips table.JPG!"]
[Erica: "?"]
[Erica: "I'll give you one chance to rephrase that. What did you just call me?"]
"Damn it, that woman's picking on me again!"
Type-Moon World, Fuyuki City, Tohsaka Residence.
A young girl, no older than six or seven, with twin tails and black hair, clenched her fists angrily. She really wanted to punch Erica, who always teased her.
"I called you a fox! So what? Come on, bite me!"
After angrily waving her fist, she spoke:
[Rin Tohsaka: "I was calling for Erica-nee-san just now! Kind and beautiful Erica-nee-san, what happened just now?"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Trying to be cute.JPG."]
There was nothing she could do; the situation was against her.
Not to mention, she needed something from Erica. No matter how aggrieved she felt, she had to swallow her pride and speak politely.
[Erica: "Mm, that's more like it!"]
[Erica: "I just love how you clearly want to argue, but you have to give in."]
Erica was naturally satisfied, while Rin Tohsaka was so enraged she couldn't speak.
"That damn fox, her personality is truly awful!"
After grumbling in dissatisfaction, Rin Tohsaka suddenly remembered the new member.
"Wait, if the new member is also a big shot, wouldn't I be able to ask for help from them instead of Erica?"
Thinking this, her spirits lifted, and she immediately checked the new member's chat group profile.
The publicly available information for chat group members is generally very limited. Besides their name, the first thing visible is the level of the world they're from.
You have to click in to see the corresponding power level of the chat group member.
Besides that information,
With hopeful anticipation, Rin Tohsaka quickly finished reading the profile, then sadly shook her head.
[Rin Tohsaka: "So, just a regular person from a regular world? What a shame!"]
It seemed there was no escaping Erica's clutches for now.
Thinking this, Rin Tohsaka, who hadn't been in the Dimensional Chat Group for long, realized she'd accidentally sent her inner thoughts.
Although what she said was true, it was terribly rude to say that to a stranger.
So, she immediately began to explain.
[Rin Tohsaka: "Sorry! I didn't mean to look down on ordinary people. I'm just a little disappointed that I can't hitch a ride."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Actually, according to the Chat Group's rules, apart from Erica, we are all the same as ordinary people – unranked."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "So, please don't mind my choice of words."]
Ordinary mages might hold prejudices against ordinary people, but Rin Tohsaka didn't have that bad habit.
Fortunately, she usually had good relationships with others, and seeing her slip up, the others helped to explain.
[Xiao Yuan: "Um, Sister Rin doesn't have any bad intentions, and I'm also an ordinary person, I hope Big Brother doesn't mind."]
[Erica: "Indeed, according to the Chat Group's rank system, even on my side, the vast majority of people are ordinary people who haven't reached a Rank, no need to worry."]
Seeing everyone's comments, Su Mo's expression remained calm.
With his mindset, he naturally wouldn't care about this slight problem with her tone. More than that, he was more concerned about something else.
[Su Mo: "It's okay, it's just the truth. I don't mind."]
[Su Mo: "But what does 'reaching a Rank' mean?"]
"Could this be a power ranking system?"
Thinking this, Su Mo quickly received answers from the enthusiastic members.
Rank refers to the internal power ranking rules of the Dimensional Chat Group.
Entering a rank, meaning just entering First Rank, implies the strength to defeat at least one enemy; Second Rank is capable of destroying a city; Third Rank can destroy a country; Fourth Rank can sink the land; Fifth Rank can destroy a star; Sixth Rank, a galaxy; Seventh Rank, a single entity...
For the current members of the group, this is a rather rough classification.
Because, except for Erica, everyone else doesn't have the qualifications to be evaluated by the chat group and are all unranked, Zero Rank.
Erica, who has a First Rank evaluation, naturally holds the highest position in the group as the strongest.
Actually, she and Rin Tohsaka have a very good relationship, but because she likes to tease the other, they are somewhat like a bickering couple.
After introducing the ranking system, the gentle Kanae continued to explain the two most important features of the Dimensional Chat Group.
One was the group check-in, and the other was the group shop.
Both of these features involved an important factor: Chat Group Points.
[Kanae: "In addition to the initial points everyone receives based on their strength, you can also get a small amount of points by checking in daily. These points can be used to purchase goods."]
[Kanae: "The goods in the group shop are all items that members have put up for sale. You can also earn corresponding points by selling goods."]
[Kanae: "Unfortunately, the price of the goods is automatically determined by the chat group. Otherwise, I would have offered the Breathing Techniques to everyone at a low price."]
[Kanae: "However, the goods in the group aren't expensive. Even ordinary people will eventually be able to afford them through check-ins."]
[Kanae: "Come on, I believe that everyone will eventually be able to get rid of their ordinary status and become Rank-level powerhouses!"]
Her gentle nature was evident as she encouraged Su Mo, and by extension, the others.
Besides Xiao Yuan, each of them faced a crisis that demanded an increase in their strength.
[Su Mo: "Thank you!"]
After hearing the introduction, Su Mo immediately followed Kanae's instructions and found the Chat Group Shop.
The extraordinary opportunities he sought were quietly listed in the shop.
Thunder Breathing, Water Breathing, Flame Breathing, Flower Breathing…
It seemed that Butterfly Kanae had brought over all the Breathing Techniques she knew from her world.
As non-Ranked items, the prices weren't high, with each Breathing Technique costing only one hundred Chat Group Points.
"Breathing Techniques are rooted in the body and have a limited upper bound, although they're still worth a try for me right now. But what I need most is a technique that truly contains transcendent power, not just one that enhances my strength…"
As an ordinary person, what he needed most now was a seed to step into the extraordinary.
Therefore, his gaze quickly swept past those flashy magic skills and landed on the most fundamental skill.
[Mana Extraction - Basic], 100 Chat Group Points.
As a basic skill from the Campione World, this item wasn't expensive.
But for Su Mo, who was in the ordinary world, this was an opportunity worth everything to obtain.
After glancing at his initial Chat Group Points balance, which was exactly 100, Su Mo chose to purchase the item without any hesitation.
The next second, all kinds of methods for meditation and Mana Extraction flooded into his mind, and his body began to operate unconsciously.
At this moment, Su Mo bit his tongue, his mind incredibly clear as he observed the sensations and changes in his body from a bystander's perspective.
He was soon surprised to discover that the theory behind this mana extraction technique was completely consistent with certain mystical knowledge of a certain Christian secret society that he had meticulously studied over the years!
"Not pure monism, but knowledge that implies duality, this must be a meditation method based on Neo-Kabbalism. It has a high degree of similarity to certain records in the Rosicrucian Magic Society, this should be the cultivation method of the Knights Templar!"
"That's right, Erica's Red Copper Black Cross is a direct descendant of the Knights Templar!"
"In other words, although I can't truly extract mana in my world, there's nothing wrong with the knowledge from the mystical side, and those theories are real?!"
After being shocked to discover this fact, Su Mo quickly used the theories he had studied for many years to fully analyze the principles of [Mana Extraction - Basic].
At the same time, his accumulated rich knowledge and extremely high comprehension ability all came into play.
"As far as I know, due to historical issues, during the period when Philip IV accused them of heresy, the Knights Templar deliberately abandoned the knowledge originating from Judaism in order to purify themselves, so the theory is somewhat lacking… If this part is supplemented, can this mana extraction method be optimized?"
Thinking this, Su Mo closed his eyes and began to try without hesitation.
And with his attempt, the originally slow flow of mana in Su Mo's body suddenly became much smoother.
"It actually works! However, the consumption of converting life force into mana is still not small. If I follow the methods of the Golden Dawn and combine it with Astrology to adjust the details…"
After tasting the sweetness, Su Mo couldn't stop himself and immediately continued to probe, adjust, and iterate based on the theories he had accumulated, optimizing this extremely basic Mana Extraction - Basic technique again and again.
As time passed, the aura on him became more and more profound, and also more and more peaceful.
Even if Erica herself were here, she probably wouldn't be able to tell that Su Mo was practicing the mana extraction method she had provided.