Masao examined the newly upgraded Panda Man emoticons he had drawn. They were now incredibly lifelike, easily matching the quality of the memes he remembered from his past life on the internet.
After a moment's consideration, he decided to attempt something more complex. His goal was to level up again and witness the power of LV3 Painting for himself.
He retrieved a figurine from his shelf, placed it on his desk as a reference, and began to sketch. His mind, now flooded with fresh knowledge from his recent skill upgrade, eagerly integrated the new concepts through practice.
In a little over ten minutes, a charming anime-style girl had taken shape on the paper. He studied his work critically; it had reached the general skill level of a published manga artist.
The drawing had all the right features, and the overall composition was harmonious, with nothing feeling awkward or out of place.
"If LV2 is this good, what must LV3 be like?"
Eager to find out, Masao immediately used three [Skill Experience Cards].
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Painting has increased from LV2 → LV3 (Upgrade requirement: 10 Experience Cards).]
This time, the sensation was different. The simultaneous use of three cards unleashed a torrent of painting-related knowledge directly into his mind.
Principles of light and shadow, advanced line work, expressive techniques…
Masao slumped in his chair, needing a long moment to process the sheer volume of information forcibly integrated into his consciousness.
This wasn't just abstract knowledge; it felt like a lifetime of his own study and practice. The corresponding muscle memory and instinctive drawing habits were now his. When he put pencil to paper, he knew exactly what to do, allowing his ideas to flow onto the page with seamless, practiced ease.
He decided to test it by drawing the same figurine again.
This time, it took him less than ten minutes to produce a character that was even more vivid and precise. Masao looked over his new work with a deep sense of satisfaction.
"This should be at a professional mangaka's level. But why does the style feel so familiar?"
Puzzled, he pulled out the system-rewarded doujinshi, Hydrangea, and began to sketch the female protagonist from the cover. A little over ten minutes later, he stared in silence at his drawing. It was nearly a perfect replica of the original art.
'So that is it.' No wonder the style felt familiar. He had unwittingly inherited the true skills of "that master."
After a moment's thought, he used his last remaining [Skill Experience Card]. Another wave of nuanced experience and advanced knowledge settled into his mind, and his technical skill sharpened perceptibly once more.
With the skill cards exhausted, Masao turned his attention to the newly acquired [Talent Experience Card]. He only possessed one talent so far: [Life Doesn't Cease, Energy Doesn't Stop].
If he was being honest, he had never consciously "activated" this talent. His stamina during normal exercise felt perfectly finite, which led him to suspect—based on the system's quirky nature—that this particular ability was reserved for... other activities. His consistently robust energy levels every morning seemed to support this theory.
He scanned the system interface but found no option to upgrade the talent.
"System, why can't I upgrade my talent?" he asked.
[Ding. The host's current talent is a special-grade talent and is not governed by levels.]
'Ah, a conceptual-level ability,' he realized.
While its application seemed niche, its potential effect in that specific scenario was... undoubtedly potent.
He then checked the system shop. Both types of skill cards were priced at 50,000 Corruption Points. By that math, these cards were essentially low-tier filler, diluting the item pool. He felt cheated!
That shady, capitalist system!
[Would you like me to adjust the price to 100,000 Corruption Points? That way, you won't feel like you got a bad deal.]
"No, no, that's quite alright!" Masao hurriedly refused. "On second thought, the system gave me a 50% discount. I'm the one who came out ahead."
'Absolutely not,' he thought. Given his current needs, [Skill Experience Cards] would be invaluable. The last thing he needed was a price hike.
He then looked at his final [Free Attribute Point].
After a brief hesitation, he assigned it to Constitution. His updated status panel shimmered into view:
[Name: Masao Tanaka]
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Strength: 7
Agility: 3
Constitution: 9
Spirit: 8
Luck: 6
Charm: 3
Talent: Life Doesn't Cease, Energy Doesn't Stop
Skill: Painting LV3 (1/10)
Items: Talent Experience Card × 2]
He noticed, with a flicker of pride, that his Charm had quietly increased from 2.5 to 3. It was a small but welcome improvement.
Feeling satisfied, Masao spent his remaining Corruption Points on [Random Items].
"Time to appraise the new acquisitions," he murmured.
He made it a professional habit to personally review every new "work" he obtained. In his opinion, there were few people as dedicated to their craft as he was.
This batch was larger, containing five books.
"The Elf Forest of So-and-So... Not bad at all. This heroine's premise is somewhat similar to that brat, Jahy. And this one, The Cult of So-and-So... I have a soft spot for this one. Oh, but the next two are interesting."
The following two books featured protagonists who possessed an ability he had always wanted: [Hypnosis].
"A beautiful elf maiden... a noble princess..." he mused, his imagination sparking.
Masao worked late into the night again, rewarding his diligence with two extra-large bowls of donburi before settling in to examine the final work.
"A novel, not a doujinshi? Let's see if the author's literary skill holds up... I Want to Eat Your Pancreas? What a bizarre title. I don't remember..."
His mind, usually a palette of lurid colors, suddenly clicked into place. "This one has no color at all. It's that one..."
A quick skim confirmed his suspicion.
It was the source novel for the movie he'd seen in his past life—the story of Yamauchi Sakura, a girl suffering from an incurable disease, and Shiga Haruki, the boy who finds her diary, "The Co-sick Journal." Two classmates with no prior connection—a boy who felt invisible and a girl with no future—found their lives forever intertwined. He wanted nothing more than for her to recover; she wanted nothing more than to live a normal life beside him. Two opposite personalities met, and in each other, found a sense of wholeness.
Having only seen the two-hour movie adaptation, which condensed the rich emotional tapestry of the original, experiencing the story in its full, novelistic form hit him with unexpected force.
By the time he closed the book, Masao found himself in tears, moved in a way he hadn't anticipated.
'Truly,' he thought, wiping his eyes, 'stories of pure love are the most powerful of all.'
He felt his metaphorical demon horns beginning to fade away.
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