{Something is wrong. There’s something I'm missing... Why is my mental status not at the peak of the Bachelor’s degree? I can tell my Synergy has just reached Newbie’s degree, it isn’t at the advanced or the intermediate level but only at the beginning.} - Kyon sighed. There were only two possible explanations: either his current body, or rather his brain, wasn’t developed enough to hold this array of Synergy, or this world restricted his abilities.

In this body, Kyon happened to have Synergy of Newbie’s degree. It was the first degree, the very start in his world. He was too underdeveloped to go beyond his limits, but Kyon was glad it wasn’t worse.

With Synergy of the first degree, he could control lots of aspects of body activity. He could test his hormone balance, manage his metabolism, regulate his growth, and much more. He was even able to stop his own heartbeat.

However, if he had a fit of anger or something amazed him to a greater extent, he wouldn’t be able to block the strong emotions at once. It would take at least 10 seconds. The destruction of hormones wasn’t a fast process, and the boy was too emotional by his nature.

In fact, Synergy had a small reserve of physical power. It couldn't influence the matter directly. That's why it couldn't be used in a “straightforward manner.” It would never grow bones, nails or hair out of nothing. It just provided instructions to the body where to send the necessary enzymes. Then it acted as a “foreman,” giving orders, redirecting everything to the right place. Above all, it was the energy of information.

There were cases when those who had Synergy turned into drug addicts, continually feeding the brain with various neurotransmitters like hormones of happiness, pleasure, relaxation, etc. The natural selection didn’t spare these exceptional individuals. Kyon managed to pass this phase because his masters helped him develop indestructible principles. No undeserved pleasure. If pain or emotional depression was justified and did not affect the effectiveness, it could not be suppressed. Another thing, a silly incident like hitting a pinkie toe on the nightstand. It was ok to reduce pain then. What was the purpose of it, anyway? Could it teach to steer clear of the nightstands?

With each new degree, Synergy’s quality changed. It was like a change in the states of aggregation, after which t appeared a whole range of new possibilities.

Kyon closed his eyes and tried to grasp all Synergy he had under his control.

{It's odd. In my world, Synergy was focused inside the brain, and now it is concentrated in a rotating sphere in the core of the brain. The bodies in this world must be wired differently.}

Kyon released his sea blue energy and sent it through the veins and arteries to scan the state of his body. Surprisingly, he found 9 more spheres in the inactive state: {The sphere in my head is like a whirlpool. The rest of them have a feeling of a light breeze. How should I activate them? According to the book, local people distinguish only nine elements. I happen to have one extra element. Besides, it is the only active one at the moment. How should I call it? Hmm, let it be the element of mind.}

The spheres were located in the centers of the organs, one of them was in the navel.

The scanning of his body revealed damaged cells, several bad lumps, microtraumas, bacterial infections, synaptic dysfunctions, and so on. It would take more than 30 minutes to cure.

{I have such a weak body with lots of internal mistakes and all sorts of infection... If it wasn’t me, this body wouldn’t last more than two months. I have to clean it first. It will reduce my energy consumption by about one third and strengthen my immune system. I suppose I’ll cope in three days.}

Kyon had already made plans on how to use Synergy in the near future. Unfortunately, Synergy of the first degree was rather weak and had limited reserve that had to be restored for two hours. So, Kyon had to put off activating the nine inactive spheres until better days. He started total body cleaning from all the junk instead.

Sea blue energy gently embraced the target, flowing inside it. If it came across a virus or a useless germ, it quickly destroyed the intruder, disintegrating it into elements. If Synergy found pathologic accumulations, it delicately cut them off. They got into bloodstream and then excreted from the body in the urine and feces.

When the cleaning process was complete, his body would consume 1/3 less energy. It would also boost his immune system, as well as general body resistance.

Kyon didn't need to concentrate on the task all the time. He had given the order, and Synergy ran like the antivirus software in the computer – automatically.

…

The cook opened the door with her key and brought in three portions of breakfast, waking up the other patients. Yesterday’s patient looked much better today. He resembled a mummy in all his bandages, though.

Martha came in after breakfast with a mysterious smile on her face. She was hiding the same bag behind her back:

«Good morning! You look much better than yesterday. How are you feeling?» - The doctor rattled cheerfully, addressing only Kyon.

The other two patients looked at each other.

«I feel great because a beautiful woman is taking care of me!»

His confidence and well-delivered speech caught Martha off guard. He had a charming voice! This boy could take the stage in the capital instead of rotting in the mine.

Martha blushed, pleased at the unexpected compliment:

«You flatter me... By the way, I promised to bring more books, remember? I have them... and something else.»

She sat on his bed and emptied the contents of her bag. There were all sorts of things: card games, a jigsaw puzzle, modeling clay, crayons and paper, a wooden construction kit, a couple of easy books…

Martha kept her eyes on Kyon, waiting impatiently for his reaction.

{They are toys for preschool age. Does she really take me for a child? She meant well, anyway… She brought all this rubbish with good intent... It must have been difficult to get all this stuff. I will pay her back in full one day.}

Feigning surprise, Kyon sat closer to Martha with a radiant smile, and whispered in her ear:

«Did you buy all this in the morning?»

Martha was taken aback and whispered:

«How did you know?!»

He didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize the toys were new. There was no trace of dust or damage, no hint that someone might have been using them.

«It’s my little secret. Alright then, I will return the favor and also make a gift for you. But you have to come back in two hours and say the secret phrase to Borya. You must tell him: “I like Kyon.” Only then you can get my gift.» - Kyon whispered back.

Martha looked at Kyon incredulously. Was he really the boy who, no later than yesterday, looked at Mob with fear? He was a totally different person now.

«What are you up to, little rascal? What makes you think I would say something like that?» - Martha did her best to look genuinely angry, but the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks betrayed her.

Kyon chuckled:

«You will love my gift, Martha! Believe me!» - It went unnoticed for her that he had called her by name. His ringing laughter with no hint of pretence made Martha smile, too. What gift was he going to give her?

Time to lift the veil of secrecy hadn’t come yet. However, Kyon wanted to boost her curiosity even more. He picked up a book and never looked at Martha again. She lingered by his bed a bit. Then she sighed: «Oh... I didn’t think you are like this» and went to her office.

Kyon was pleased with himself. It was a good game.

All this time, the two miners kept exchanging meaningful glances. It was their biggest jaw-dropping moment, and they had a hard time keeping a straight face. Well, well, the kid was nobody’s fool! At one point, Borya felt a sharp pang of jealousy, but he quickly came to his senses. He would never take the boy for a possible rival. Later on, he asked Kyon to give him the jigsaw puzzle. It was getting a bit too boring to lie around all day. Mike joined him in his simple diversion.

It was one hell of a scene, two ugly thugs (one of whom was all bandaged up) sweating over undone puzzle pieces.

Kyon had just finished reading when he suddenly heard a sound transmitter buzzing in Martha's office.

He thought it was a phone, but the electricity had not been invented in this world.

«Martha speaking.»

«Bob here. Is Kyon all right? I’ve just received a report from the headquarters that his recently applied tracking formation is out of order!»

«What?! There must be some mistake... The formation was applied only yesterday... How is it even possible?»

«That's just the point. I have no idea!» - Martha could hear the dog bark in the distance. - «I'll be there soon. Just wait, Martin will get it all sorted out.»

«OK.»

Martha came to Kyon, who had put aside the books, and touched his forehead anxiously. {There’s no energy inside the formation, indeed... What happened?} - Shaking her head, she returned to her office, puzzled.

Kyon could hear her conversation on the sound transmitter. With Synergy, his hearing was better than usual.

{Does the flash that I see before falling asleep "demagnetize" the formation on my forehead? It’s too bad! The energy in this world is too unpredictable. I can do nothing about it!}

According to Bob, Martin was a master of his craft. And Martin said himself that energy in the formation should be enough for 50 years. Now that it was completely dead, it was equivalent to a high-quality lamp burnout on day one.

In his previous life, Kyon’s master had a similar zeal for his work. If there was a detail to clear up, he wouldn’t set his mind at rest until he had found the root cause. And he couldn’t care less about the possible consequences of his “curiosity.”

If Kyon left things to chance, the “remarkable” slave with no special rights, protection, or family would soon get his skull crushed. He could also be sold at the black market, where cruel people would quickly decide his fate. Above all, Kyon didn’t like the absence of choice and dark, cloudy prospects. His current situation made him shudder and wince painfully. At times like this, he always got it together and started using his brain, looking for the solution that would save him from the impending storm.

{If Martin doesn’t find anything unusual in my surroundings, he'll probably decide that the reason is me. He might decide I have some special innate body, like the man from the book. And if he goes digging into my brain, he'll probably find the tenth element. Even if I survive, what's next? Knowing Martin's character, he will try to cash in on me, in other words, sell me at the black market. They will use me as a guinea-pig! No... No. No. I am not cool with this idea. I must do something. I wonder if he will share this information with Bob... A lot might depend on this.}

Kyon put on his thinking cap, trying to come up with the most effective action plan.

Shortly afterwards, he took some modeling clay and a block from the wooden construction kit. It looked more or less solid. He furtively slipped them into his pocket and began to draw something with a pencil on a piece of paper. The two miners tried to look over his shoulder, wondering what he was drawing so enthusiastically, but Kyon noticed them and immediately folded the paper, hiding the picture. Then he handed it to Borya:

«Borya, give this piece of paper to Martha when she says she likes me. Wait until she says it. And don’t look inside, will you?» - Kyon asked casually.

«I must be hearing things. Is Martha going to tell me something?» - Borya theatrically cleaned his ear with his little finger.