Enjoying a Shameless Life

Silvia could not understand at all why Wang Shui would waste an entire evening going to a tavern to shoot the breeze with a bunch of drunks.

Whatever he did in the future, these ordinary people would be of very limited use. They were nothing but a drain on his time.

Wang Shui did not explain much. He simply declined the next card game at around eleven and returned to the hotel.

He methodically took a shower, then sat under the light, took out a blank hardcover notebook, and began writing and sketching in it.

"I don't understand why you waste time doing meaningless things."

"Like how I don't understand your surprise that I'd intervene in a war and profit from it? Does Her Majesty have some peculiar moral obligation toward civilians in fantasy worlds? Unexpectedly soft."

Wang Shui's words were not particularly polite.

"Though I'd love to spout some nonsense like 'base methods dull the blade,' I have to admit I've committed massacres too. It was going through that that gave me boundaries." There was little hesitation in Silvia's voice.

"Yes, I call that efficiency."

"Wasting time chatting isn't remotely efficient. Your knowledge base, your body, your skills-there are too many areas you need to improve. You entered this world to gain time. Did learning that this world still had a buffer of over a decade make you let yourself slack off? Rookie, do I need to tell you that [self-discipline] is one of the basic requirements for becoming strong?"

Wang Shui did not rush to argue. He put down his pen and gave it some serious thought.

"Just like your instinctive moral boundaries, I have boundaries for maintaining my sense of self. I suppose that means interacting with people. Without self-worth, you lose yourself."

"What level are you even at, talking about realizing your self-worth? First make sure other people can't do whatever they please with your life. Are you comforting yourself with that excuse?"

That stumped Wang Shui. Yes, he had instinctively found an excuse. He could feel himself growing more composed and indifferent lately, but his inertia and tendency to slack off and coast were not things he could change on a whim.

He had known the benefits of self-discipline since childhood, but apart from things he really enjoyed doing, any work that took even a little longer would make him slack off.

Self-deception was no longer working. Feeling guilty, Wang Shui chose to shut up and read.

"I think I need to keep an eye on you and make sure you get stronger," Silvia said quietly.

"There's really no... I understand. I really do need someone to push me," Wang Shui admitted.

"Your body doesn't belong to you alone now. To keep both of us alive, I need a share in it too. Give me partial access to your biological brain. I'm going to draw up a training schedule for you."

Uh, did she have to go that far?

"And preferably give me a way to punish you directly. Without enforcement measures, there's no point if you refuse to play along."

"No. And it would be meaningless. I can stop it unilaterally," Wang Shui refused flatly.

"Then... put your body under my control. When you're feeling lazy, I'll exercise it. You can stay conscious and read or rest."

Oh! Wang Shui had actually forgotten that option, and it did not seem difficult to accomplish.

"Give me a moment."

Interested, Wang Shui cleared a small space in the center of the room, briefly loosened up his body, then said:

"In a moment, I'll draw in my mind and open a mental interface to you. Connect to my mind, and as soon as you get feedback, imagine your own body. That should work."

[Mind Lock] was not a system skill. It could not produce a particular effect immediately upon activation; every function had to consist of actual, analyzable knowledge.

"Now? All right." Silvia immediately agreed, then concentrated.

Wang Shui unfolded [Mind Lock]'s numerical structure in his mind, then quickly drew an alchemical array in the space he had cleared. This was not alchemy from the Fullmetal Alchemist world. It was alchemy Wang Shui had brought with him, from the world on the system's side.

The lines on the floor glowed pale blue. Wang Shui sank into his mind, then heard Silvia exclaim:

"Oh! There it is, I can feel it! But why can't I control it? I clearly have a sense of touch!"

Wang Shui realized what had happened. His expression now was just like when, back in his days as a programmer, a tester complained to him about a bug and he suddenly remembered he had forgotten to write the implementation code for that interface.

"Uh, it's a bug. There's a bit of a problem. Let me debug it," Wang Shui gave the same reply he had years ago.

[Mind Lock] had also reserved broad interfaces for functions it did not yet have. Wang Shui hurriedly patched the data package in his mind.

"Here, try again."

Wang Shui activated the alchemical array again, then gradually lost feeling in his limbs. No, his sense of touch was still there; he simply could not control his body. Honestly, it felt awful.

He could only watch as his hands rose and clenched into fists a few times.

Having taken control of the body, Silvia neither lost her composure and shouted nor showed much excitement. She merely said mildly:

"Your body is weak as hell."

Uh. Wang Shui checked his attributes:

[Physical fitness: 2.72]

[Coordination: 2.81]

[Perception: 3.67]

[Thinking: 4.11]

[Mind: 4.61]

"...Is it really that weak? I feel like I've already improved a lot."

"Sigh, I never thought I'd use a body like this again. During those days when I was badly poisoned and in terrible condition, all my attributes were still more than three times yours. Just looking at the panel didn't really bring it home, but actually using it is... indescribable."