Chapter 79: You’ve Been Alive This Whole Time

Clara looked down, then immediately looked at him. Liam was still inside, though only just, with one foot lifted awkwardly above the mat. He lowered it, released her wrist, and waited while she checked the boundary again. It hadn’t been a graceful win, and another few seconds would probably have put him on his back, but she had been trying to catch him properly. She finally stepped away from the line and gave him a small, annoyed smile.

“Fine. You got me.”

[Updated.]

[Main Mission Complete: Win a sparring match against a higher-level opponent without using weapons or God Tier Reversal.]

[Reward: Basic Grappling Skill.]

[AMPLIFYING THE REWARDS BY 10,000X…]

[NEW REWARD: God Tier Grappling Skill.]

[Combat EXP Gained: 200.]

[Level Up!]

[Level: 4 (88/500)]

[All Attributes Increased by 20.]

Liam stopped reaching for his water. The increase in his body came first, followed by an understanding of grips and balance that made him look back at Clara’s hands. He could remember several moments when she had caught him and now see exactly where his own position had made it easier. It didn’t change how much stronger she was, but he wanted to try again before the memory of those mistakes faded. Clara noticed his expression and put her bottle down, apparently assuming he wanted to argue about whether stepping outside counted.

“One more round.”

“You already won.”

“I want to see something.”

[Updated.]

[New Main Mission: Reach Level 5.]

[New Side Mission: Teach Clara a combat technique she can use successfully in sparring.] [Skip for $2.]

Liam dismissed the panel and returned to the middle of the mat. When Clara reached for him this time, he recognized the opening immediately and moved before she secured his arm. She stumbled forward, caught herself, and turned back with a surprised expression. Liam smiled, then showed her where to place her hand.

“Try it this way. You’ll get a better grip.”

Clara learned the grip quickly enough that Liam regretted showing it to her before they finished training. During their last round, she caught his wrist, stepped closer as he had taught her, and used her stronger body to put him on the mat again. He tried to turn out of it, but she adjusted her position and held him until he tapped her arm. Clara released him immediately, then sat back on her heels with a pleased smile while he caught his breath. At least the system agreed that he had taught her something useful.

[Side Mission Complete: Teach Clara a combat technique she can use successfully in sparring.]

[Reward: $100.]

[AMPLIFYING THE REWARDS BY 10,000X…]

[NEW REWARD: $1,000,000 in tax-paid funds.]

By Friday, Alexandra had finished the tenth recorder. The first buyer had shown his to several friends, and the remaining orders came in faster than she could assemble them between classes. Liam helped with the cases, testing, and deliveries while she handled the boards. They kept a record of every sale and every part they used, and nobody received a recorder until Alexandra had tested it herself. When the final customer collected his order, she counted the remaining components, wrote down what needed replacing, and pushed the notebook toward Liam.

“We made money. Not much, but we made money.”

Liam looked through the figures while she cleaned the bench. Fifteen hundred dollars in sales was hardly noticeable compared with his bank account, but most of it had come from people who didn’t know him and wanted something they had made. He checked the costs, then asked Alexandra to include the time she had spent on each unit before they accepted another batch. She took the notebook back and began calculating again. Before she finished, the green panel appeared above the page, confirming that the tenth sale had counted.

[Updated.]

[Side Mission Complete: Sell ten units of your original electronic device.]

[Reward: Basic Material Identification Skill.]

[AMPLIFYING THE REWARDS BY 10,000X…]

[NEW REWARD: God Tier Material Analysis.]

[Explanation: Examines an object’s composition, condition, and detectable internal properties. Incomplete findings are marked.]

Liam tried the skill on a spare metal bracket. Information appeared beside it, identifying its material and showing a small defect near one of the bends. He turned it under the lamp and asked Alexandra to look at the spot. She examined it, frowned, and placed it aside instead of returning it to the parts box. After she left that evening, Liam tested several more objects before taking out the emerald screwdriver. He had always assumed the name described what it was made from, but he had never actually checked whether that was true.

[Object: Sentient Omni Emerald Screwdriver.]

[Material: Omni Emerald.]

[Structural Condition: Intact.]

[Detected Property: Immature consciousness.]

[Mental Connection: Receiving commands.]

[Further analysis incomplete.]

Liam stopped turning it between his fingers. He remembered how it had moved on his palm when he first received it, almost like something playing with him. At the time, he had wondered whether it could be trained, then forgotten about that once he discovered how useful it was for breaking things. Now he placed it flat on the desk and withdrew the instruction holding it still. The tip shifted slightly. Liam leaned closer, watching it settle against the edge of his notebook without sending another command.

‘Sentient. I’ve been reading that word this whole time.’

[Updated.]

[New Side Mission: Establish two-way communication with the Sentient Omni Emerald Screwdriver.] [Skip for $2.]

He read the mission, then brought the mental cultivation manual out and opened it beside the tool. Every exercise he had practiced so far involved directing his own mental energy. This time, he searched for anything about recognizing a response. If the screwdriver could understand him, he wanted to find out what it had been trying to do on its own.

The next morning, Liam returned to the workshop before Alexandra arrived and placed the screwdriver beside the open manual. He had spent part of the night reading, but only one passage seemed useful: maintaining a mental connection didn’t always mean sending an instruction through it. He rested his hand beside the tool and concentrated on the familiar feeling he used to move it, then stopped pushing. For several minutes, nothing happened. Just when he was about to try again, something faint pressed against his awareness, startling him enough that the connection broke.

“Was that you?”

The screwdriver tilted toward his hand. Liam watched it carefully, keeping his thoughts away from any instruction to move. The faint pressure returned, followed by a feeling he couldn’t quite describe. It reminded him of being impatient while someone tried to explain something he already understood. He let out a small laugh, then placed his palm beneath the tool. It settled across his fingers without being ordered, and this time the sensation became clear enough that he recognized it as a response. Whatever was inside the screwdriver had noticed him listening.

[Updated.]

[Side Mission Complete: Establish two-way communication with the Sentient Omni Emerald Screwdriver.]

[Reward: Basic Tool Care Kit.]

[AMPLIFYING THE REWARDS BY 10,000X…]

[NEW REWARD: God Tier Spirit Cradle.]

[Explanation: Supports the development of an immature item consciousness using energy supplied by its bonded owner.]

Liam took out the reward and found a narrow case lined with a pale material he didn’t recognize. When he placed the screwdriver inside, the tool shifted against the lining and became still. A small amount of mental energy passed from him into the case, enough for him to notice but far less than he used when moving it around the room. He withdrew his hand when the sensation began to tire him, and the flow stopped. The screwdriver remained inside, sending back a faint feeling of satisfaction that made Liam stare at it for several seconds.

‘So you’ve been alive this whole time, and I’ve been using you to smash motorcycles.’

He spent the next half hour learning what it could understand. Simple requests worked best, especially when he pictured what he wanted, but it still needed his energy to fly. Letting it choose how to reach a marked spot on the table required less attention than directing every movement himself. When he asked it to perform several actions in order, it hesitated and returned to his hand instead. Liam didn’t force it. He put it back in the cradle, made a few notes, and checked that the original fifty-meter control range hadn’t changed in its description.

While recording the results, he remembered the black sword Lin had drawn outside the warehouse. Liam pictured it as he picked up the screwdriver again, wondering whether it had noticed anything he hadn’t. The response came immediately. The tool tightened against his fingers, and an unpleasant feeling passed through the connection. He stopped, waited until it settled, then tried once more with the same image. The reaction was weaker but unmistakable. It had responded to the sword before he gave it any instruction to do so.

[Updated.]

[New Side Mission: Identify the source of the Ancient Cursed Black Sword’s curse.] [Skip for $2.]

[Main Mission: Reach Level 5.] [Incomplete.]

Liam read the new mission, then opened his notes from the fight. He had been watching Lin’s hands and trying to stay away from the blade, giving the weapon itself almost no attention beyond recognizing its name. His new analysis skill might tell him more, but he would need to examine the actual sword. For now, he recorded the screwdriver’s reaction and returned it to the cradle. When Alexandra arrived a few minutes later, she found him clearing the bench for their next batch of recorders, with the closed case placed carefully beside his bag.