Adrian sat on his bed, seemingly staring at the wall in thought. However, what he was truly invested in was not the plain wall of his room, but rather the glowing interface before him which only made itself visible to its owner.
He had spent several minutes browsing through the System Store, even looking up some fantasies with the search function.
And after a long while of his idleness, Adrian finally gave up and sighed.
'I really need some TP.'
He glanced towards the clock that he had designed the previous day and interpreted the time to be 7:15 AM.
He had used the position of the moon to estimate a reference time on the clock, from which he would take as the time from then on.
And comparing the time the clock read with the state of the day, Adrian was confident his time did not deviate too much from the actual one.
He had requested to be left behind at home today to get some rest, with the option of showing up at the forge whenever he felt like.
'This is the perfect opportunity to start planning properly.'
His gaze swept across the softly glowing System interface still hovering before his eyes. He had seen wonders in the store — creations that blurred the line between magic and technology. But amidst that awe came a clear realization.
'Most of the advanced inventions in that store rely on one thing — magic crystals.'
Magic crystals were more than just pretty stones glowing with power. In this world, they were the beating heart of progress. A natural conductor of energy, these crystals acted as fuel, core, and catalyst all at once.
They powered enchanted tools, fueled spells, and served as the core ingredient for most magical constructs. Even the magic equipment he'd seen in the store ran off magic crystals. And for mages? They were sacred.
Mages used them to cultivate mana and replenish their reserves, they could even absorb the crystal's essence to strengthen their own affinity.
Which meant, if he wanted to truly bring his ideas to life — if he wanted to build machines that could rival or even support magic — he needed a steady supply of them.
'There are two ways I can get my hands on them,' he continued in thought, recalling the books he read. 'One, buy them — though that's stupidly expensive with how high the demand is. Or two… go get them myself.'
The forest beyond the village is filled with magical beasts. And every single one of them had a magic crystal in their body which is basically their life core. So if you manage to kill one, you could harvest the crystal.
That was why adventurers existed. People risked their lives daily hunting magical creatures for crystals, rare materials, and wealth.
The stronger the beast, the purer and more valuable the crystal. It was a risky path… but one that could make a person rich beyond measure.
'Of course, there's a catch. You can't enter the forest legally without an adventurer license and you don't get one unless you show significant combat ability or magical skill.'
'I need to have both eventually.'
He tapped the screen again and navigated to a section of the store titled: [Knowledge Trees]. One of the trees caught his eye — a category labeled "Ballistic Engineering."
A new screen opened before him, branching out like a web of ideas. Concepts and modules like [Black Powder Construction], [Barrel Alignment Theory], [Advanced Trigger Mechanics], and [Magical Integration in Firearms] filled his vision — each requiring hundreds or even thousands of TP to access.
But one stood out to him as within reach.
[Fundamentals of Ballistics]
>> Unlocks basic blueprint for a single-shot firearm
>> Teaches foundational knowledge of pressure, chambering, and propulsion
>>Cost: 100 TP
Adrian added it to his watchlist and let out a slow, satisfied breath.
'Okay. That's my goal. I need that knowledge if I ever want to stand a chance in the wild… or make real progress with magitech. So now, I need to earn those 100 Tech points.'
He went out of the room to grab a quill and a sheet of parchment and dipped the nib in ink, ready to brainstorm.
'I've already made a clock. But I can't mass-produce it yet without teaching them what time is all about and it's not easy to make either.'
He tapped the quill against his chin.
'I need practical inventions. Everyday tools that people in this village would kill to have.'
After thinking for a while; one by one, ideas soon began coming to him and he began to write:
Mechanical Drill.
Pumping Machine.
Sewing Machine.
Fan.
Batteries.
Light Bulb.
Bell System.
By the time he finished writing them out, Adrian leaned back with a proud grin.
'These should keep me busy for the next few weeks and since they're much better than the clock, they should earn up to 100 TP.'
He glanced at each idea again and began mentally stimulating them.
'The mechanical drill should be easy to make and sell to craftsmen.'
'Villagers would definitely appreciate faster water access through the pumping machine.'
'The sewing machine would be tough, but if I can simplify it enough, every tailor will want one.'
'For the fan, I'll need something to rotate the blades and that's where a battery comes in.'
But making a battery was the trickiest of them all. 'I'll need to study natural conductors and insulators. Maybe even do a few experiments with minerals. Copper and acid-based reactions? It's been so long since I looked at those formulas…'
'For the Light bulb, I'll need to see if I can create a filament that glows when charged. But for now, even simple candle-enhancers will do.'
'And the bell system won't be too complex, maybe activated with a pull cord or pressure plate.'
Adrian nodded firmly.
He reached for a fresh piece of parchment and began sketching rough blueprints — gears, levers, coils, tubes. They were all messy drafts, but the logic behind each was sound.
By the time he was done outlining, the clock read 12:03 PM.
'Huh. Already midday… I'll take a quick nap and once I wake up… the real grind begins.'
And with that, Adrian closed his eyes, already looking forward to his next few weeks.