97: Red snap!

Lin Yu found that small booklet of skill books, found and learned Exquisite Finger Snap.

It was almost instantaneous.

Afterward, Lin Yu changed to a more open environment, just in case.

After preparing everything, he raised his hand.

A blank card appeared in his palm.

With his mind focused, the concept of snapping his fingers and a crisp sound was imprinted upon it.

Skill Card [Exquisite Finger Snap]!

It was effortless.

Next, was the core of his power.

The Ghost Card!

The Multiplication Card!

That familiar process, etched into his bones, started again. Cards appeared and disappeared in his hand with dazzling speed, and the surrounding air subtly distorted due to the superposition of energy.

One.

Two.

Four... One hundred twenty-eight... Five hundred twenty-four thousand two hundred eighty-eight... The last layer, perfectly embedded.

Your next card will take effect an additional one million forty-eight thousand five hundred seventy-six times!

The Exquisite Finger Snap Card, amplified to the extreme, emitted a dazzling white light in his palm, as if a whole new universe was contained within it.

He didn't hesitate for a moment.

Activate!

Snap!

A remarkably crisp finger snap echoed in the room. The sound wasn't loud, yet it seemed to pierce directly through his eardrums, exploding deep within his consciousness.

Immediately after, he felt a new connection, a sense of control he had never experienced before.

His attribute panel instantly refreshed.

[Exquisite Finger Snap (Gold)]

[Proficiency: Gold (1048576 / 100000000)]

[Proficiency Effect: Skill has no consumption, instant cast.]

[New Ability Unlocked: Micro-Object Manipulation]

[Micro-Object Manipulation: You can, by snapping your fingers, subtly move objects within a five-meter radius that weigh no more than five hundred grams.]

Lin Yu froze completely.

His gaze fell on a pen on the coffee table a few meters away.

He slowly raised his hand.

His will was highly concentrated.

Snap!

The pen on the coffee table trembled, and then, extremely slowly, like a drunkard, rolled one centimeter to the side.

It moved.

It really moved.

A jolt like an electric current instantly coursed through Lin Yu's entire body. This jolt was more intense than the feedback brought by the Lightning Spell before, and more exhilarating than any power he had ever felt!

Because that old soldier hadn't lied!

A useless non-combat skill, after millions of layers of proficiency, had evolved! It possessed real physical effects that could interfere with reality! From nothing, it had created value!

This proved that the foundation of the entire theory was sound!

If a million times could turn it gold and grant new abilities, then... what about a billion times?

What would that "ancient color" the old soldier spoke of be?

What kind of terrifying "evolution" would the skill undergo?

A wildfire named excitement ignited in his chest, burning away the last trace of doubt.

His thoughts were clearer than ever before, and his path forward, at this moment, was completely illuminated by a sacred light.

He had found it.

A true path to the divine throne.

He looked at the proficiency bar again.

One million was still very far from the one hundred million needed to advance to the Red Mythic level.

But this was just the next step. The true treasure lay in a more distant place.

One billion.

Ten billion.

Or even more!

He had to continue.

He had to witness it with his own eyes!

The ecstasy almost overwhelmed his reason, but his hands were as steady as a rock. Five years of solitude had already forged an iron will within him.

He took a deep breath, and the air seemed to carry the sweet taste of "possibility."

The process restarted.

A new blank card.

The imprinting of the skill.

The Ghost Card, Mirror, Multiplication.

This time, the cycle was faster, driven by a frantic and fervent energy.

One.

Two.

Four... The numbers soared wildly, transforming into a torrent of power, converging in his palm. He was no longer simply verifying a theory.

He was personally forging a miracle.

The light from the card in his hand grew more intense, illuminating his resolute face with sharp angles.

His eyes were fixed on that ultimate threshold of a billion times, a place no one had ever touched.

The second million-fold amplification was about to be completed.

Snap!

Another crisp finger snap.

Lin Yu's movements didn't pause in the slightest, his hands becoming blurs.

Blank card appears, imprints, Ghost Card activates, Mirror Duplication, Multiplication Card stacks... The entire process was smooth and fluid.

As if he had practiced it billions of times.

He didn't even need to think; his body's instinct drove him to complete all operations.

This was five years of monotonous dormancy, a memory etched deep into his soul.

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

Crisp finger snaps echoed continuously in the suite at a fixed frequency.

Each snap represented the superposition of one million forty-eight thousand five hundred seventy-six proficiency points.

Lin Yu's expression was devoid of joy or sorrow; he had entered a wondrous, ethereal state.

In his world, there were only cards and finger snaps.

Time, at this moment, lost its meaning.

Who knows how long passed.

When the ninety-sixth million-fold amplification was completed, when that crisp finger snap fell again.

On Lin Yu's attribute panel, that golden proficiency bar was finally filled.

[Exquisite Finger Snap (Gold)]

[Proficiency: Gold (100000000 / 100000000)]

Buzz!

A dazzling red light erupted from the panel.

Gold, faded away.

In its place was a deep, profound, mythic-tinged crimson!

[Exquisite Finger Snap (Red · Mythic)]

[Proficiency: Red (100000000 / 1000000000)]

[Proficiency Effect: Skill has no consumption, instant cast, can be cast regardless of any physical/energy environment.]

[New Ability Unlocked: Will-Activated Snap]

[Will-Activated Snap: Finger snap speed is greatly increased, and a finger snap can be generated wherever your will reaches.]

It was done.

Red Mythic level.

An ability was unlocked, and at the same time, the proficiency count would no longer change.

Lin Yu felt the brand new changes brought by the skill.

Ignoring any environment.

This meant that even if he was ten thousand meters deep in the sea, in the vacuum of space, or in the core of magma, as long as he wished, he could snap his fingers.

This skill had completely broken free from physical constraints.

As for Will-Activated Snap... Lin Yu's mind stirred.

Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap!

A series of dense, almost continuous finger snaps exploded out of thin air around his body!

Not with his hands.

But with his mind!

How interesting.

A hint of a smile finally appeared on Lin Yu's lips.

Was he considered a master of finger snaps now?

However, this was not the end.

His gaze fell on the brand new proficiency bar.

One hundred million to one billion.

A tenfold difference.