Chapter 48: Targeted Jump, Skill Assessment
“Hello, sir. ‘Void Torrent’ is priced at 18 million credits, and ‘Directed Warp’ is 9 million credits.”
“Would you like to purchase just one, or both together?”
“That expensive?” Song Qi was startled.
He hadn’t expected the two books to cost so much! He’d assumed that, since there were so few Summoners, the skills would be cheap.
But the starting price was nine million?!
He’d been feeling quite pleased with himself after earning ten million today, thinking that was a huge fortune. He’d just been marveling at how easy it was for a professional to make money.
But reality slapped him in the face, reminding him that professionals spent money even more easily.
After a moment’s thought, Song Qi gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Pack up ‘Directed Warp’ for me. Charge it to my credit card.”
The Guild had issued him a card with ten million credits, registered in his name. Even though the card was kept by his parents, he could still use it.
Upon hearing this, the young lady at the front desk tapped her fingers on the terminal, then looked up and smiled sweetly.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll get the skill book for you.”
With that, she turned and walked into the back room.
A few minutes later, she returned, holding a book, and placed it in Song Qi’s hands with a bright smile.
“Here’s the skill book you requested. Please verify it.”
Song Qi took the book and glanced at it.
[Skill Book: Directed Warp]
[Quality: Heroic]
[Restriction: Summoner]
[Skill Description: The user can instantly teleport to any location within their line of sight, up to a maximum range of two kilometers. Cooldown: 10 minutes. (Cooldown can be reduced with upgrades)]
[Maximum Level: LV10]
“Yes, this is the one.”
Without hesitation, Song Qi chose to use it.
[Ding! You have successfully learned the skill—Directed Warp LV0 (0/10).]
Once he’d learned it, he turned and left the Professional Hall.
“Now, let’s test the exact effects and energy cost.”
Song Qi looked around. To avoid unnecessary attention, he set his sights on an empty street corner nearby.
He focused on the spot directly beneath the streetlamp at that corner and silently chanted in his mind.
“Warp!”
Swish!
Song Qi’s figure vanished from the entrance of the Professional Hall and reappeared beneath the streetlamp at the corner.
Perhaps because this was his first time using the skill, he didn’t land precisely beneath the lamp but was a little to the left.
Song Qi rubbed his head, moved his body, and checked his limbs.
He found nothing unusual.
He nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad!”
“The skill activates instantly and has no side effects.”
“As for the mental energy cost... it’s acceptable, just made me feel a little fatigued.”
“Well then… let’s continue!”
Song Qi began walking home, using the skill to travel.
Testing the skill’s cost also helped him improve his proficiency.
Twenty minutes later...
Swish!
Song Qi appeared in front of his own house.
By now, he felt noticeably tired, but his mind remained sharp.
“Third use. I’m clearly fatigued, but it’s still bearable.”
“And if I can see part of a place, but there’s glass or some transparent barrier in the way, I wonder if I can warp through to the target?”
He didn’t open the door but stood still, gazing at the second-floor window.
The window on the second floor had a double-layer structure, with a mesh screen on the outside, so he could see inside the room.
Now came the real test of his skill’s capabilities.
As a skill for escaping or traveling, he had to understand its mechanics thoroughly.
Otherwise, if he ever faced real danger, his enemies wouldn’t give him time to experiment.
Ten minutes later...
Swish!
Thud!
Song Qi’s figure suddenly appeared in his second-floor room.
“Experiment successful!”
“So the activation requirement is simply being able to see the destination? Even if there’s a physical barrier, I can still pass through.”
“This is the fourth use, and I’m starting to feel a headache and some dizziness, but the pain isn’t too strong.”
Song Qi rubbed his head, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
After this warp, his mind was somewhat hazy.
It was a bit like the exhaustion after staying up all night—mentally drained.
If he had to describe it, it resembled how he’d felt after pulling an all-nighter in his previous life.
Based on his estimation, with his current state he could probably use ‘Directed Warp’ about ten times.
But ten would be the absolute limit; forcing himself to use it that many times might exhaust his mental energy entirely.
If he needed to function normally afterward, he should keep it to five or fewer.
Of course, today was for testing, so pushing the limit didn’t matter.
“Let’s keep going!”
Song Qi continued his experiments.
He turned his back to the bathroom and took out a mirror.
“This time, I’ll test whether I can warp to a place I see in the mirror’s reflection.”
The bathroom door was half open; from Song Qi’s position, he couldn’t see inside directly.
But with the mirror’s reflection, he could see part of the squat toilet.
“Warp!”
Swish!
“Hiss—!”
A sharp pain stabbed the back of Song Qi’s head.
But his body still appeared above the squat toilet.
“Fifth use, and the headache is obvious.”
“Warping through a mirror’s reflection is possible.”
“Next… let’s try a photo.”
He took a picture of the bathroom with his phone, then stepped out and closed the door.
He tried to warp to the bathroom using the photo as a reference, but only teleported in place—experiment failed.
He opened the bathroom door and tried again, but still only warped in place.
That was his seventh use; his brain felt like it was about to explode.
“A place in a photo can’t serve as a valid target for the skill.”
“And after the seventh use, the side effects are starting to affect my thinking. If I keep going, I might do real damage to my brain.”
“That’s enough for today.”
Song Qi ended the experiments.
“So for now, this skill isn’t suitable for long-distance travel, but it’s fine for escaping or short-distance movement.”
“And with just 400 points in mental attribute, I can use it ten times. In the future, with higher levels, I should be able to use it hundreds or even thousands of times without issue.”
“Considering my future growth, this skill is a huge boon for me!”
Song Qi reached his final conclusion.
The ‘Directed Warp’ skill was a perfect match for him!
Nine million credits—well spent!
With that, Song Qi staggered to his bedroom, twisted the doorknob, closed his eyes, and collapsed onto his bed.
Within seconds, the soft sound of snoring filled the room...