Pale Hand

Riders were, at their core, professionals who controlled a particular kind of substance or object.

Those who played with origami, vehicles, swords, guns—there were far too many of them. Their abilities came in every conceivable variety, but they shared one thing in common: very few chose an object, let it leave their hands, and then adjusted it afterward.

"But why does it have to be a specific substance or type of object?"

Lu Pingan had been puzzled by that before, thinking the answer would be something like "practice makes perfect."

But as he advanced along the professional path, that explanation had clearly become inadequate. Controlling two types of objects offered far greater concealment and combat unpredictability than specialization.

Lu Pingan had seen quite a few powerful Riders, yet he had never seen one who controlled two kinds of substances.

"...So it's to make 'erosion' easier."

After becoming a Tier 1 Rider and putting in a great deal of effort—leeching plenty of experience—Lu Pingan's understanding of the Rider path grew increasingly clear.

It was actually somewhat similar to the innate abilities of the Protection/Restraint System. Both involved extending one's power onto the controlled object through some medium—blood, a contact surface, runic markings—and then manipulating it in targeted ways.

Its abilities were divided into two major categories: one was simple control, while the other was enhancement-style modification.

Take Su Zhizhu's paper cranes as an example. Controlling a paper crane's flight and movement was "control," while giving it the hardness of steel modified its fundamental material properties, placing it in the realm of "enhancement."

A further level of "enhancement" could even grant supernatural properties, such as an indestructible paper hammer, a paper tiger that could bite and pounce, or a paper dinosaur that could grow larger and roar.

Lu Pingan guessed that this