The Value of a Setting

In the cabin, Feng Xue held a pocket watch. He'd been grinning from ear to ear earlier, but now his expression was just as gloomy.

In the field of view granted by his Golden Finger's appraisal, two lines of text stood out on the watch—

Name: Pocket Watch

Elements: [Item], [Time], [Stop]...

Yes, although he'd managed to collect "Time Stop," the pocket watch hadn't become a [Moon Clock] or [Cassiopeia] as Feng Xue had hoped. Instead, it had become a False Thing with the two elements [Time] and [Stop].

The good news was that Reforge hadn't failed.

The bad news was that Reforge hadn't succeeded, either.

"Tsk..." Feng Xue gazed at the ticking watch, still unwilling to give up. In the end, he put it away. There were many possible reasons it hadn't become a Phantom Object: perhaps it didn't have enough elements, their concentrations were too low, or he hadn't put in enough [Shi]. Any of those could have been the cause.

But since it was still a False Thing, his Golden Finger could keep reforging it. As long as he collected elements related to Time Stop, Feng Xue believed he'd eventually be able to craft the Phantom Object he wanted.

After giving himself a pep talk, Feng Xue, now somewhat dispirited, aimed at the remaining junk and kept selecting Reforge. As one item after another disintegrated into particles and vanished, his panel gained quite a few useful elements.

After a whole day of smelting and reforging, Feng Xue had gained several Phantom Objects and roughly confirmed a few rules about the Reforge function.

First, Reforge could always embed the selected element into the selected base material.

Second, depending on how much [Shi] was put in, Reforge had a certain chance of randomly generating new elements. The upper limit on the number was unknown. The newly generated elements would always be compatible with the base material, but not necessarily with the elements it already had.

Third, the chance of creating a Phantom Object had no direct connection to the amount of [Shi] put in. Although putting in more [Shi] increased the chance of generating new elements, if those elements weren't compatible with the existing ones, they could actually hinder the creation of a Phantom Object.

Fourth, it was almost impossible to extract a particular element without damaging the False Thing, but elements had a certain chance of changing during Reforge.

The last two rules had made the deepest impression on Feng Xue. After all, he'd finally managed to infuse a dagger with elements like [Bloodthirst], [Killing], [Bleeding], and [Piercing]. Then, during Reforge, he'd staked a whopping 500 tower points on a big gamble, hoping to hit the jackpot. Not only had it failed to become a Phantom Object, but a "Not" had appeared in front of its original [Killing] element, turning it into [Not Killing]. In the end, Feng Xue had no choice but to smelt the thing down.

On the other hand, by piecing together a few inconspicuous elements, he'd managed to make himself a decent primary weapon.

After sliding the dagger into the sheath on his left arm, Feng Xue took stock of what he'd gained.

Aside from the Blade of Suffocation in his right hand and the dagger he'd just made, he now had three more Phantom Objects.

The first was his top. After Reforge succeeded, it had turned into a set of three pieces: a coat, trousers, and an inner layer. It looked a lot plainer than the original Ezio-style outfit, closer to Altair's style, but it didn't come with accessories like daggers, throwing knives, or a belt. Its attributes were equally unassuming—

Name: Phantom Object · Assassin Set

Elements: [Assassin], [Clothing], [Stealth], [Lightweight]

Description: The standard uniform of the legendary Assassin organization, the "Brotherhood." Wear it, and you will inherit the Assassin's Creed. This outfit allows you to enter a Stealth state, preventing others from discovering information about you. When you put on the hood, your presence will be greatly reduced, making it easier to slip out of others' notice. It also makes it easier to avoid injury when falling from a height.

Note: Has none of the stuff you want. Deal with it.

The second Phantom Object was the belt bearing the Assassin insignia—or, to be precise, one of the three pouches at the back of the belt. Before he'd figured out how Reforge worked, Feng Xue had removed the three useless little pouches to use as test subjects. He hadn't expected one of them to undergo a transformation and become a tiny waist pouch that could be tied around his waist, barely bigger than a fist—

Phantom Object: Storage Waist Bag

Elements: [Storage], [Item]

Description: A bag that can hold a large number of items, which the bearer can retrieve at will. It has a vast capacity and doesn't count toward the bearer's weight limit, but it can only hold items that fit through its opening.

Note: It's too big. It won't fit!

This storage item, practically a staple for protagonists, was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for Feng Xue. In fact, he'd only used the pouch as fodder in the early stages of his experiments. Even the Storage element had come with the little leather pouch. Still, it did have a flaw: its opening was only fist-sized, so anything he put inside had to fit through it. Obviously, he couldn't stuff all his belongings into it like the protagonists of certain novels.

As for the third Phantom Object, it was something he'd made by reforging the shoes from the Scavenger Set—

Name: Phantom Object · Boots of Silence

Elements: [Silence], [Shoes], [Equipment], [Assassin]

Description: A pair of shoes that can extend the wearer's lifespan. They are light and nimble, and make almost no sound when the wearer walks. After combat ends, they can increase the wearer's speed and slowly heal external injuries.

Note: These things aren't reliable, and... they're hideous.

"I'll agree that they're hideous." Feng Xue looked at the green cloth shoes and decided to have a pair of leather boots made one size larger at a tailor's shop, so he could wear these underneath like socks. In truth, they were about as soft as socks anyway.

As for landing without a sound...

Come on, these were Phantom Objects!

What was a Phantom Object?

A Phantom Object was something that activated its ability as long as you met its conditions. As long as Feng Xue wore them, even if he put metal greaves over them, he could still land without making a sound!

After measuring the Boots of Silence, Feng Xue changed into his new Assassin Set and put on the ordinary leather boots that hadn't become a Phantom Object—the boots from the Assassin outfit he'd been wearing when he crossed over. He was about to head out when, just as he finished tying the laces, a familiar sensation suddenly came over him.

For a moment, Feng Xue felt the [Shi] inside him spinning, colliding, and rearranging at high speed. The instant a brand-new Tag appeared within his body, he finally understood what the Assassin Set meant by "Wear it, and you will inherit the Assassin's Creed."

The thing had directly formed an [Assassin] Tag for him!

Feeling a vast amount of knowledge rise within him, Feng Xue began to wonder whether the Administrator had also acquired a Swordsman-type Tag through the Greatsword.

After giving it some thought, he took off the Assassin Set, but the Tag didn't disappear. Instead, his employee badge vibrated, in a way completely different from the work notifications he'd received before—

"New Tag discovered. Connect to browser?"

"..." Feng Xue grinned. After selecting yes, he put his clothes back on. But when he went into the backend to hide the Assassin Tag, the options showed a message: "Stealth state active. All Tags are invisible."

At that moment, Feng Xue once again realized that in this world, "the setting is everything." He also felt a little more at ease about wearing Phantom Objects out on the street.

After all, before discovering this, the Assassin Set's stealth effect had been nothing more than text displayed by his Golden Finger. He hadn't known how well it worked. But he couldn't exactly leave his equipment unworn. If he ran into danger, was he supposed to say, "Wait a moment, I'll go home and get my gear"?

The intense sense of security came with an unprecedented surge of confidence. Today's success convinced Feng Xue that, if he kept up this pace, he could put together a full set of top-tier gear in less than six months and head toward the legendary Residential Area.

No. Don't get carried away. Keep your head down! My goal is to become the Sword God of Shili Slope!