Jin didn't open the system the moment he entered his room, not because he was hesitating or avoiding it, but because there was no reason to rush into numbers when the result would not change no matter how quickly he looked at it, and more importantly because acting without control, even in something as simple as checking the system, was the kind of habit that led to mistakes later, so instead he walked to the sink first, turned the tap, and washed his hands slowly, the water running over his fingers as the dark stains loosened and faded, the redness dissolving into something thinner before disappearing entirely, leaving behind clean skin that no longer carried visible proof of what had happened, and only when he was done did he dry them and sit down properly, his posture steady, his breathing already back to normal, his mind clear enough to move forward without distraction.
He opened the system.
The panel appeared immediately.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Jin Vale
Level: 3
EXP: 79 / 210
Strength: 9
Agility: 14
Vitality: 16
Mana: 1
Free Stat Points: 45
Job: Rogue
Skills:
Common Extraction (Common)
The delayed messages followed without pause, appearing in sequence rather than all at once, confirming what he had already expected from the moment the system reacted in the forest, and Jin watched them without reacting outwardly, not because they didn't matter, but because reacting before understanding would only slow him down.
[Kill Confirmed]
[Kill Confirmed]
[Kill Confirmed]
[Kill Confirmed]
[Calculating Target Stats…]
The next lines appeared one by one, each target reduced to numbers that meant more than anything else about them.
[Target Stats Processed]
Target 1 Total Stats: 28
3% Extraction → +1 Stat Point
Target 2 Total Stats: 31
3% Extraction → +1 Stat Point
Target 3 Total Stats: 27
3% Extraction → +1 Stat Point
Target 4 Total Stats: 34
3% Extraction → +1 Stat Point
[Total Gained: +4 Free Stat Points]
Jin looked at the result for a moment longer than necessary, not because it surprised him, but because he needed to confirm it matched what he expected, and it did, because weak targets gave weak returns regardless of what they were, and the system treated everything the same way, reducing all of it into simple values that could be calculated without hesitation, and that alone was enough to settle the only question that mattered.
"Not efficient."
He said it quietly, not as regret, not as justification, but as a conclusion, because if something didn't give enough return, it didn't belong in his path forward, and that meant there was no reason to think about it further than that. Humans counted, but they weren't worth it at this level. That was all.
He closed the message panel and returned to the main status window.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Jin Vale
Level: 3
EXP: 79 / 210
Strength: 9
Agility: 14
Vitality: 16
Mana: 1
Free Stat Points: 49
Job: Rogue
Skills:
Common Extraction (Common)
Forty-nine.
He needed eighty.
Thirty-one more.
Jin leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze steady on the numbers without drifting into unnecessary thoughts, because the next step didn't require anything complicated, it required a simple decision based on what worked and what didn't, and right now the answer was clear enough that there was no reason to delay.
"Grind."
Weak enemies gave consistent returns. Stronger enemies gave more EXP but not enough stat gain at this percentage to matter as much as volume. That meant the fastest way forward was simple repetition. No shortcuts. No distractions.
Jin stood up immediately after that, not wasting time sitting around like most people would, and left the room without hesitation, moving through the school grounds with the same steady pace as always, not drawing attention, not interacting with anyone, because none of that helped him progress. The gates were quieter now, fewer students remaining compared to earlier, which worked in his favor, and he stepped inside without slowing, the shift in environment settling around him as naturally as before.
This time—
He didn't test.
He moved.
Direct.
The first goblin appeared, and Jin ended it in a single motion, the blade cutting across its throat cleanly as the body dropped without resistance.
[+1 Free Stat Point]
[+5 EXP]
He didn't stop.
Another followed.
Then another.
Then a group.
Jin adjusted his angle slightly, forcing them into a line before stepping in, cutting through them in quick succession, his movements tighter than before, faster in transition, not because his stats had increased, but because he had removed hesitation entirely.
[+3 Free Stat Points]
[+15 EXP]
No pause.
He continued.
A hobgoblin appeared ahead, and this time Jin didn't wait for it to act first, closing the distance immediately and ending it in two clean strikes before it could fully react.
[+1 Free Stat Point]
[+12 EXP]
Another followed.
Same result.
The difference now was clear.
He wasn't fighting.
He was processing.
Each encounter ended quickly, efficiently, with no wasted movement, no unnecessary observation, no hesitation, just execution that flowed from one target to the next as he moved through the ruins at a steady pace.
Time passed without him tracking it directly, measured instead by the number of enemies he cleared and the distance he covered, and when he finally slowed, it wasn't because he was tired, but because the density of enemies had dropped enough that continuing in the same direction would only waste time.
He opened the system.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Jin Vale
Level: 3
EXP: 149 / 210
Strength: 9
Agility: 14
Vitality: 16
Mana: 1
Free Stat Points: 73
Job: Rogue
Skills:
Common Extraction (Common)
Seventy-three.
Close.
But not enough.
Jin closed the panel immediately.
"One more round."
There was no reason to stop here. The gap was small, and finishing it now was more efficient than returning later.
He moved again, pushing into another section where enemies still appeared consistently enough to finish what he had started, repeating the same pattern without changing anything unnecessarily, because when something worked, changing it without reason only created mistakes.
By the time he stepped out of the gate again, the sky outside had shifted toward evening, the light dimmer, the school grounds quieter, most students already gone, and Jin walked through it without drawing attention, heading straight back to his room without checking the system again until he was inside.
Only then—
Did he open it.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Jin Vale
Level: 3
EXP: 174 / 210
Strength: 9
Agility: 14
Vitality: 16
Mana: 1
Free Stat Points: 82
Job: Rogue
Skills:
Common Extraction (Common)
Eighty-two.
Enough.
Jin selected the skill immediately, not hesitating, because this was the entire reason he had been saving instead of spending, and once the upgrade option appeared, there was no reason to delay.
[Common Extraction (Common)]
[Upgrade Available]
Cost: 80 Free Stat Points
New Rank: Uncommon
New Effect:
→ Absorb 5% of total enemy stats
Jin confirmed.
The system responded instantly.
[Upgrading Skill…]
[Upgrade Complete]
[Common Extraction → Uncommon Extraction]
The panel updated.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Jin Vale
Level: 3
EXP: 174 / 210
Strength: 9
Agility: 14
Vitality: 16
Mana: 1
Free Stat Points: 2
Job: Rogue
Skills:
Uncommon Extraction (Uncommon)
Jin looked at it for a moment, not thinking deeply, not analyzing every detail, just acknowledging the change, because five percent was not a small increase, and from this point forward, stronger enemies would finally matter more than volume, which meant his approach would change accordingly.
He closed the system.
And stood up.
Because now—
Grinding wasn't enough anymore.