Luo Lin clutched his protesting stomach, forced himself to his feet, and began searching through the wooden cabin.
The original owner had left behind pitifully few belongings. In the corner of a wooden chest, he found only a few diamond-shaped crystals glimmering with faint light.
According to the original owner's memories, these were the universal currency of the wizarding world: Magic Stones.
After counting them, he had only three Lower-grade Magic Stones, along with a crude identity plaque.
He recalled that the academy's contribution points were not physical objects, but numbers recorded within the identity plaque.
Luo Lin immediately sent his mental power into the plaque, and a line of information surfaced:
[Contribution Points: 18]
"Too poor!"
Luo Lin sighed. These few resources were not even enough for several decent meals at the academy cafeteria.
Much less for purchasing any resources that could aid his cultivation.
He had to earn contribution points or Magic Stones immediately.
As he pushed open the wooden door, an even more biting cold wind struck his face, invigorating Luo Lin.
Quite a few gray-robed figures were already moving through the apprentice district. Most hurried along with grave expressions.
They rarely spoke to one another, and the air was thick with repression and competition.
Following the original owner's memories, Luo Lin headed toward the academy's public area, where the mission hall was located.
It was the main place for apprentices to obtain resources.
The mission hall was an enormous stone building, bustling with voices. It had more of a lived-in atmosphere than the frigid residential district, but it was also far more chaotic.
A massive spell water screen floated in midair, densely covered in scrolling mission notices:
[Collect Ghostface Flowers. Reward: 10 contribution points. Risk at your own expense.] [Clear out Abandoned Laboratory No. 3. Reward: 15 contribution points. Note: Low-level radiation residue present.] [Process Gargoyle heart fragments. Requirement: remove all blood vessels and neural tissue. Reward: 5 contribution points per piece.] [Long-term purchase of properly processed Moonlight Moss. Reward: 2 contribution points per portion.] [...]
Luo Lin quickly scanned them.
Collection missions were high-risk, while cleanup missions carried unknown dangers. Neither was his best option at the moment.
In the end, his gaze settled on the material-processing missions, especially the long-term purchase request for Moonlight Moss.
Moonlight Moss...
Luo Lin recalled the scattered knowledge from [Basic Magical Botany].
It was a magical plant with cold, yin-like properties, commonly used in calming potions. However, it was extremely susceptible to infestation by Shadow Fungus, which made it look as though it had rotted.
It was very troublesome to process. The conventional method was to directly cut away the rotten portions, but that caused heavy losses and could easily leave residue behind.
More importantly, the original owner's memories mentioned that a niche book recorded how this troublesome Shadow Fungus seemed to contain a catalyst ingredient that could mildly stimulate mental power.
It was only regarded as a pure contaminant because extraction was exceedingly difficult and not worth the cost.
"This mission might... be worth trying."
Luo Lin calculated silently.
The effect granted by [Efficient Scholar] might allow him to solve this problem.
He walked to the mission counter and presented his identity plaque.
"I'll take five Moonlight Moss processing missions."
The gray-robed apprentice steward behind the counter operated something expressionlessly. The contribution point number in Luo Lin's plaque shifted, deducting five points as a deposit.
[Contribution Points: 13]
"Bring your own tools, or rent a basic set. One contribution point."
The steward's voice was utterly flat.
"I'll rent one."
Luo Lin did not hesitate. He did not even own a proper small knife right now.
After another point was deducted, he received a bone knife and several preservative wooden boxes.
Rather than return to his drafty cabin, Luo Lin spent another contribution point to rent a public basic material-processing room.
It was crude, but at least it had walls that blocked the wind, a flat stone worktable, and a basic cleansing spell array. It could ensure the processing work would not be disturbed or contaminated.
He placed five clumps of moss emitting a faint rotten stench and irregular, dim phosphorescence onto the stone table.
Luo Lin picked up the bone knife, took a deep breath, and focused.
The [Efficient Scholar] specialty activated soundlessly.
In an instant, the knife in his hand seemed to become an extension of his arm. An indescribable sense of familiarity and control flooded through him.
The tiny patterns on the moss, the variations in color, the boundaries between decay and healthy tissue—all of it became clearer than ever in his eyes.
He did not cut away large sections as conventional methods required.
Instead, he held his breath and focused. His wrist was steadier than any beginner's, and the knife tip moved like a precision probe, following the paths where the Shadow Fungus mycelium had spread as he began to peel it away with extreme care.
It was an operation that bordered on art.
To others, this was a task that required over ten cautious minutes per portion, with a low success rate.
Yet in Luo Lin's hands, it was effortless.
His movements were precise and efficient, always separating the gray Shadow Fungus from the glowing main body of the moss at exactly the right moment.
The 25% reduction in time was not merely reflected in speed, but in the smoothness of the process and the near-total absence of wasted movement.
Before long, one portion of Moonlight Moss had been successfully processed.
[Basic Potion Material Processing 23%]
The progress on the panel had increased by 1%!
Luo Lin steadied himself inwardly. The specialty truly worked on material processing!
Without pausing, Luo Lin immediately began processing the second portion of Moonlight Moss.
This time, his technique was even more practiced and his speed faster.
The once-vague knowledge in his mind about Moonlight Moss's structure, toughness, distribution, and other details became clear and tangible through hands-on work and the specialty's enhancement.
[Basic Potion Material Processing (24%)] [Basic Magical Botany (9%)]
Not only was his processing skill improving, but his understanding of magical plants was deepening as well!
He became completely immersed in this process of efficient learning and improvement, ignoring the passage of time and temporarily forgetting his hunger and exhaustion.
Half an hour later, all five portions of Moonlight Moss had been processed.
On the left side of the stone table sat five neat clumps of flawless, high-quality Moonlight Moss, their phosphorescence flowing softly.
On the right were five small clusters of constantly writhing gray-black mycelium, radiating a cold aura—the completely separated Shadow Fungus.
[Basic Potion Material Processing (28%)] [Basic Magical Botany (13%)]
Luo Lin had not only completed the mission successfully, but also advanced both of his areas of knowledge.
He packed the perfectly processed Moonlight Moss into wooden boxes and prepared to turn in the mission.
As for the five small clusters of Shadow Fungus, he carefully stored them in separate containers.
This was his true first pot of gold—an excess profit brought about by the combination of knowledge and his cheat ability!
When Luo Lin handed the five wooden boxes back at the mission counter, the expressionless gray-robed apprentice steward opened them for inspection, and an almost imperceptible trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
Such perfectly processed Moonlight Moss was even better than what many veterans could produce.
"Five portions of Moonlight Moss. Perfectly processed. Reward: 10 contribution points."
The steward performed a few operations, and the number on Luo Lin's plaque changed.
[Contribution Points: 21]
With his deposit returned and the mission reward added, he had made a net profit of ten points.
The steward then added casually.
"The workshop has a long-term need for this kind of processed material. If you can provide it consistently, the price can increase by ten percent."
Luo Lin's heart stirred, but his face remained calm as he merely nodded slightly.
"Thank you for letting me know. I'll consider it."
He did not agree immediately. Caution was the first rule of survival.
Being too conspicuous or displaying a stable, unusual ability could both invite unnecessary trouble.
With 21 contribution points now, he was still not wealthy, but his immediate crisis had been eased.
His hunger urged him on once more.
Without hesitation, Luo Lin headed for the academy's public cafeteria.
The cafeteria was just as crude, but at least the food it provided was hot.
He spent three contribution points on a meal consisting of unknown beast meat, thick soup, and hard bread, then wolfed it down.
As the hot food entered his stomach, a warm current spread through his limbs, driving away some of the cold and weakness.
Luo Lin could clearly feel his physical condition slowly recovering.
With his stomach full, Luo Lin still did not rest. He immediately headed toward his next destination.
The academy library!
He needed knowledge, and even more than that, he needed a formula that could make use of those clusters of Shadow Fungus.
Earning hard-earned money through material processing alone was far too slow.
He had to turn the resources in his hands into something that could directly increase his strength.
Before you continue