Ren stood frozen, their mind reeling. The translucent interface shimmered before their eyes, immutable, undeniable. Salvage & Refine. Raw Energy Siphon. Spiritual Affinity. Perception. The words were alien, yet they resonated with an impossible truth. Could they actually cultivate? The thought was so preposterous, so utterly beyond the grasp of their existence, that a choked, almost hysterical laugh bubbled in their throat. It died quickly, replaced by a tremor that ran through their body, a mixture of fear and a fragile, terrifying hope.
They looked down at their hand, the tiny cut on their palm already fading, leaving no trace. Then, their gaze swept across the ruins, now subtly transformed by their enhanced perception. The faint hum of spiritual energy wasn't just in the air; it emanated from everything. The shattered pottery, the worm-eaten planks, even the dust motes dancing in the shafts of muted light – all held a faint, almost invisible shimmer, a residue that their new "Spiritual Affinity" allowed them to dimly perceive. It was like seeing faint phosphorescence in the dark, where before there had only been shadows.
"Raw Energy Siphon," Ren murmured, the words feeling clumsy on their tongue. "Passively draw... purify residual, impure spiritual energy..."
They extended a tentative hand towards a discarded, rust-pitted iron tool—a broken hoe head, completely useless, long ago tossed aside. Years of scavenging had taught Ren that such items were truly worthless. Yet, with their new perception, they could now dimly see a faint, flickering aura around it, a sickly, muddy brown. It was impure, but it was there.
Just... try it? Ren thought, feeling utterly ridiculous. They focused, a strange, instinctual pull drawing them towards the hoe. It was like trying to flex a muscle they didn't know they possessed. Nothing happened. Ren frowned, then tried harder, imagining drawing the faint brown light towards them.
Then, a faint, almost imperceptible suck sound seemed to echo in their mind, though no sound was actually made. The muddy brown aura around the hoe head thinned, shrinking until it vanished. Simultaneously, a notification popped up on the translucent screen:
[Raw Energy Siphon Activated: +3 Salvage Points (SP) | +0.001 Cultivation Essence (Impure)]
Ren stared. Three Salvage Points? And... 0.001 Cultivation Essence? It was an infinitesimally small amount, almost laughable. Enough to power a particularly stubborn dust bunny, maybe. But it was something. It was real.
They scanned the ruins again, a strange, eager light replacing the dull despair in their eyes. The whole place, once a graveyard of forgotten trash, now seemed to pulse with faint potential. The broken ceramic shard – another 0.0005 Cultivation Essence, 1 SP. A splintered wooden beam – 0.002 Cultivation Essence, 5 SP. It was painstakingly slow, and the amounts were pathetic, but the system was working. It was working!
A scuttling sound drew Ren's heightened perception. A large, greasy rat, bolder than most, peeked out from behind a crumbling wall. It sniffed the air, its beady eyes seeming to fix on Ren for a moment before it darted away. Ren half-expected it to be drawn to the faint spiritual aura they were now siphoning, maybe even offer a side quest for cheese. The thought was so absurd it pulled a genuine, albeit small, smile to their lips. Perhaps I truly am going mad. Or perhaps... this is just how it begins.
Ren ignored the protests of their empty stomach for a moment longer. The immediate need was to understand. To test. To see what other miracles this "Salvage & Refine" system could pull from the endless junk that defined their life. The thought of Elder Borin, or the brash apprentices, bullying them ever again suddenly felt... distant. The future, for the first time in Ren's memory, held a faint, flickering glow.