A blue screen flickered into existence.
It glitched constantly.
Like an old computer riddled with viruses.
Yet it remained partially readable.
More importantly...
It was written in a language he hadn't seen in a very long time.
Korean.
The words were written in Korean.
[Name: ███ (Unnamed)
Fragment No. 1 - Sculpting Skill - (Unofficial Name)]
[Rank 1 Gu]
[Primary Path: ███ (Unnamed)]
[Ability:
Can enhance precision and cutting, allowing its user to create sculptures of higher quality.
Traditional sculpture is built upon two fundamental processes: carving (the removal of material) and modeling (the addition of material, such as clay).
This Gu embodies the concept of "carving."
The sculptures it creates can be used as materials and auxiliary ingredients in Gu refinement.
At its current Rank 1 state, it can only produce supplementary materials that slightly influence the refinement process, adding a faint "flavor" to the final recipe.
[Extra:
Every path has an origin.
Fire Path has the Fire Gu.
Wisdom Path has the Wisdom Gu as its origin.
Strength Gu is the origin of Strength Path.
As one of the fragments—one of the pieces that once composed the true origin of this profound meaning, which itself forms one of the countless truths known in this world as a "Path," itself part of the Tao—this is the Sculpting Gu (Immortal Gu).
Authorities granted as the First Fragment of Truth:
1 - Increases the user's comprehension of the "--- Path."
2 - Can detect natural Gu belonging to the "--- Path," including other fragments, provided they are close enough.
3 - Possesses authority over Gu of the "--- Path" that are not themselves fragments.
4 - As one of the Origin Fragments, the user's aperture becomes a major concentration point for the power of this Path compared to the outside world, giving it a chance to spontaneously produce copies of this Gu.
(These copies will not possess the unique authorities of the First Fragment. Owning multiple copies will not increase the user's abilities and each additional copy will consume Artistic Value independently.)]
[WARNING: THIS GU MUST BE FED IMMEDIATELY.]
"Part of a greater Gu...? An Origin Gu, apparently."
A multitude of thoughts swam through Weed mind like a school of fish in the deep sea, but he refused to let himself be distracted and carried away by them; instead, he singled out and focused only on what truly mattered.
"So its main ability is simply assisting the user?"
"In other words... it helps me sculpt? Like the basic Sculpting Skill?"
His memories immediately recalled the Sculpting Skill from Royal Road.
That was exactly what it did.
It allowed players to create sculptures and served as the foundational skill for every sculptor class in the game.
[...co...rrect...]
The screen flickered violently.
[...to be fundamental... is to become the foundation...]
"Fragment No. 1 - Sculpting Skill."
"So that's the name you gave yourself?"
"Why not simply call yourself 'Sculpting Skill Gu' or something?"
[Checking...]
[Name Updated.]
"So you can do that."
"Then give your Path a name as well."
"Leaving it unnamed feels... inappropriate."
Without thinking much, he answered,
"If it's based on the Sculptor class..."
"Just call it Sculptor Path..."
"...No."
"Path of Art?"
Weed quickly remembered that Painting Path already existed.
"...Never mind."
"I hereby name it..."
"Sculpting Path."
[Updating...]
[Sculpting Skill Gu]
[Path: ]
[...]
[]
[]
Ignoring the repeated windows that had already appeared several times, Weed stopped wasting his attention on them.
There were far more important things to consider.
Namely...
What exactly should he do now?
And how could he profit from this?
"No offensive abilities..."
"Nothing that directly helps cultivation..."
"At least not yet."
He quietly pondered.
"However... producing additional Gu could become a steady source of income."
"I could sell them to interested Gu Masters..."
"Or use them as refinement materials or evolution ingredients."
Simple.
Yet incredibly useful.
"Besides, it's not as if this Path will forever lack combat abilities."
"Every properly established Path must eventually satisfy the six fundamental requirements—including offense and defense."
"That means if I continue developing this Path..."
"...it won't remain merely a production-oriented Path."
For the first time since arriving in this world...
He felt truly fortunate.
Or rather...
The second time.
If awakening an B-grade aperture counted as the first.
This time...
He had an opportunity to go much farther.
To escape mediocrity.
The mere possibility filled him with excitement.
And greed.
The greatest obstacles to creating new refinement recipes were, above all else...
Time.
Resources.
Materials.
The latter two could be solved with enough Primeval Stones and Gu.
Time...
Could simply be conquered through hard work.
But Weed wasn't naïve.
Producing multiple Gu with identical abilities?
The clan would discover it the moment he tried selling them.
Even if he only used them as refinement materials...
Showing up with countless unfamiliar Gu would inevitably invite questions.
"Where did you get those?"
"What Gu are these?"
"Who gave them to you?"
"No one?"
"Then how did you obtain them?"
"It can only be an inheritance."
"As a member of the clan, you have a duty to report it."
It was dangerous.
He needed an excuse.
"If I lie about what my Gu can actually do..."
"Maybe I can get away with it..."
"Better yet..."
"Mixing truth with lies has always been far safer than telling a complete lie."
"If I use Blade Path—or perhaps Sword Path—to open a small sculpture business..."
"...I'll have a perfectly reasonable explanation for how I discovered part of this Gu's abilities."
"...without revealing everything."
"At the same time..."
"I can avoid suspicion while steadily developing myself."
A brand-new, unexplored Path meant many things.
Some good.
Some very dangerous.
But a Path capable of generating refinement materials from the very beginning...
That was an investment worth making.
He simply needed to understand all of its conditions.
Jumping headfirst into a muddy river...
Was simply asking to become a crocodile's dinner.
"How many copies can you create?"
"How much do I need to feed you?"
"And how often?"
"How far away can you detect Gu from your own Path?"
"And the other fragments?"
"Do naturally occurring Sculpting Path Gu even exist?"
...
Plans began to form inside Weed's mind.
But they were interrupted by a beep.
[Hungry... please... food.]
The Gu was pleading for food.
Weed stood up and picked up the small self-defense dagger he kept hidden inside his room.
He knew how dangerous this world was, and he hated the idea of being caught completely defenseless if someone decided to ambush him.
Looking around the room, he searched for materials he could use.
He remembered the three primeval stones in his pocket and how better materials would naturally produce better results.
"Could I even use those as materials?"
No.
Not now.
Experiments could wait.
His gaze landed on a wooden bench in the corner of the room.
Moving skillfully while making almost no sound, he quickly sliced off its four legs, leaving himself with four thick wooden blocks.
With quick and precise movements, a shape emerged within seconds.
Unfortunately...
Instead of something beautiful, what appeared was a crude, grotesque figure.
It vaguely resembled a man holding a sword.
But everything about it was wrong.
Misshapen.
Ugly.
Even its arms weren't the same length.
Weed held the statue in front of his abdomen, where his aperture was located, deliberately teasing the Gu.
Like dangling a juicy piece of meat in front of a hungry dog.
The Gu analyzed it.
[Trash Statue of a Warrior??]
[Quality: Horrible]
[Material Quality: Low]
[Artistic Value: None]
[Represents... a human?
Perhaps it was supposed to depict a warrior holding a sword. It is impossible to tell.
Created with absolutely no effort, inspiration, or meaning.
Complete garbage that wouldn't even be useful as fake artwork for money laundering.]
"I'm sorry, my friend, but I don't work for free."
"You know... I respect both art and the artist."
[???]
"Why would I feed a Gu that isn't even mine?"
"Especially one that hasn't even been refined."
"You're hungry, sure... but what's in it for me?"
"Open your defenses so I can enter you."
"...Not sexually."
[...]
[Request accepted.]
Lee Hyun focused his will on his aperture, just as his teacher had taught him.
However, instead of forcing the Gu's will down with primeval essence...
He felt it willingly lower its guard.
The connection between them formed instantly.
It felt like gaining a new organ.
Or perhaps...
An extra arm.
Weed poured primeval essence into the Gu.
The world suddenly looked different.
Form.
Essence.
Meaning.
Everything seemed clearer.
He felt as though he understood them better.
Yet he still couldn't explain why.
It was like trying to explain the difference between purple and red to someone born blind.
Holding another piece of wood, he began carving.
His hands moved almost entirely through muscle memory from a life that now felt strangely distant.
With the help of the Sculping Skill Gu, everything became easier.
It was as if imagination itself could now become reality.
His precision had reached the point where he felt capable of slicing a single sheet of paper from an entire block of wood.
Then...
He repeated the process with another piece.
"As promised."
"Here."
He carved two statues.
The first depicted a fully armored samurai standing proudly with a saber in one hand.
The statue looked almost alive.
As if it could begin marching into battle at any moment.
The carvings on the armor were so precise they almost looked sharp.
[Honorable Samurai Statue]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Material Quality: Low]
[Artistic Value: Low (170)]
[A statue created by the artist Lee Hyun/Weed.
A magnificent work despite the poor quality of the materials.
It depicts an honorable samurai prepared for battle.
Created from the artist's own combat experience, it possesses remarkable realism.
Can be used as refinement material, adding the concepts of "Honor," "Blade," and "War" to creations.]
The second statue portrayed a ferocious wolf moments before pouncing on its prey.
The carving was so detailed that even individual strands of fur were visible.
[Quality: Good]
[Artistic Value: Low (105)]
[Material Quality: Low]
[A statue of a ferocious wolf created by Lee Hyun/Weed.
Its creator infused it with the fury of a wild beast.
Can be used as refinement material, adding the concepts of "Beast," "Wolf," and "Fury" to creations.]
Holding the wolf statue in one hand, Weed summoned the Gu with the other.
The moment they drew close...
The statue rapidly aged.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Meanwhile, the Gu looked healthier and healthier.
[Artistic Value: 50...]
[27...]
[11...]
When it finally reached zero...
The statue crumbled into dust.
"So overfeeding it simply wastes materials."
The Gu inside his aperture looked much more alive now.
Its wooden surface no longer appeared dry.
Its golden glow had become noticeably brighter.
[Thank you, Master...
...but I'm still not satisfied.
One more meal, please.
That should be enough.]
"It still talks... and it actually sounds much more articulate now."
"No problem, you little glutton."
"But first..."
"I'm going to collect my two hundred primeval stones."
Weed quietly left his room.
As he reached the dormitory exit, he found two guards who were practically falling asleep while pretending to do their jobs.
The moment they noticed someone approaching, they immediately straightened their posture.
"Halt."
"Identify yourself, outer disciple."
The guard on the right spoke.
"Lee Hyun."
"Rank 1 Outer Disciple."
"Rank 1 Initial-stage Gu Master."
"I greet my seniors."
He bowed respectfully, following the etiquette expected in this world.
"I've come under my instructor's orders regarding a mission assigned by him."
------
Author:
This might be the longest chapter I've written so far, but it was important for it to be quite detailed, as it serves as a bridge to what lies ahead.
(Spoiler) Here is what I'm planning for the upcoming chapters: 1—the protagonist establishes some sources of income; 1.5—demonstrates the use of these avenues; 2—he hones his mastery of the sword; 3—a combat lesson where Weed can demonstrate his skills; 4—he creates his first authentic Gu using the Path of Sculpting.
I'm also thinking about a story arc involving an inheritance, but that's more for the future.
Thanks for reading my fanfic.