The moment An confirmed his choice, a different kind of energy, unlike the warmth of leveling up, flowed through his mind. It felt like a circuit had just been connected, a long-forgotten part of his brain suddenly reactivating. A new, crisp and clear notification appeared.
[New Skill Acquired: Basic Analysis (Beginner)]
Description: Allows the user to analyze objects and phenomena to obtain detailed information. Consumes mental energy.
An stared at the description. No errors, no meaningless characters. This was a skill he had created himself, and it seemed the System had registered it completely. "Mental energy," he muttered, looking at his Spirit stat, which was currently at 4. A new resource to manage.
He had to test it immediately.
He picked up the crude dagger made from the wolf fang. Instead of just looking at it, he focused his entire mind, trying to activate the new skill. He imagined he was examining a dataset, looking for attributes, anomalies, correlations. A slight feeling of fatigue washed over him, and a much more detailed information window appeared next to the dagger.
[Crude Fang Dagger]
[Quality: Poor]
Sharpness: 5/100
Durability: 12/100
[Analytical Note: Organic material, no potential for magical enhancement. A harder material is needed for effective weapon crafting.]
An almost laughed out loud. This was it! This was exactly what he needed! It didn't just tell him what the dagger was; it told him how bad it was and why it was bad. It quantified the world in a way he understood. This wasn't vague magic; this was data.
He turned to the berry bush, the one the System had initially warned was poisonous. He activated [Skill: Basic Analysis].
[Nightshade Berry]
[Type: Food]
[Effect: Restores a small amount of stamina.]
[Analytical Note: Safe to eat. Sweet taste. Can be used as a basic ingredient for low-level recovery potions.]
The confirmation brought a deep sense of satisfaction. His intellect, his experience from another world, was not useless. It was his most powerful tool, a tool that could even overcome the flawed rules of this world itself. He felt an unprecedented confidence. He was no longer a monster just reacting to the environment. He could proactively learn, analyze, and exploit it.
He began to walk along the stream, constantly using his new skill on everything he saw. A mossy rock? [Analysis: Common Stone]. A strange mushroom? [Analysis: Mildly Toxic, causes hallucinations]. A brilliant yellow flower? [Analysis: Sunpetal, contains soothing properties]. With each analysis, he felt a bit of mental energy drain away, but in return, he gained a priceless treasure trove of knowledge. He was like a child in a library for the first time, eagerly turning every page.
While analyzing a rock with a slightly unusual color, a result made him stop.
[Iron Ore (Low Purity)]
[Analytical Note: Requires extremely high temperatures to refine. Cannot be processed with current tools.]
Iron. Metal. The foundation of tools and weapons. Although he couldn't do anything with it now, knowing it existed here planted a seed of hope for the future.
As he was engrossed in his discoveries, he suddenly noticed something unusual. A straight line. Amidst the chaotic arrangement of nature, there was a faint straight line running through the forest. It wasn't an animal trail, which were usually winding and erratic. This was a path, created by an intelligent, purposeful creature. The trees on both sides had been cleared, though they were now overgrown again. He cautiously approached, activating [Skill: Basic Analysis] on the ground.
[Phenomenon: Old Trail]
[Trace Analysis: Multiple types of footprints, including humanoid and four-legged animal (possibly a pack beast).]
An's heart pounded. Humanoid. This was the first concrete proof of the existence of a society, a civilization somewhere nearby.
He was standing at a crossroads in his life, quite literally. On one side was the deep forest, dangerous but whose rules he was beginning to understand. On the other was the trail, leading to a completely unknown world, a place with other intelligent beings who might not welcome a pale green goblin with sharp teeth.
The fear of the unknown crept into him. But it was quickly suppressed by a stronger emotion: the curiosity of an analyst before a huge, unexplored dataset.
He took a deep breath, placing his bare, calloused foot on the trail. He didn't know where it would lead, but for the first time since coming to this world, he felt he was no longer wandering. He was heading in a direction.