Nerina showed up outside the door with lunch in her hands. He wondered where the girl had gone, and it seemed like Hana had asked her to get everyone’s lunch. She placed the dishes on the stone table before taking her seat on one of the stools.

“Thanks, Nerina,” he said to the girl and she just nodded in reply.

He wondered if the girl was shy or simply couldn’t speak, but he swore he had heard her voice before. She was talking to other girls just fine, but she also didn’t try to hide her red face. Maybe she didn’t realize it?

It was odd when the girl just stared at him for a moment before turning to eat her lunch. The slightly pointed ear made it obvious, but he didn't think anyone could be this weird.

Not even for half or quarter elf. It felt like she was in her own world all the time. It made him want to know more about her but he didn’t want to come across as pushy.

The silence made his previous thoughts continue during lunch. Maybe he didn’t need the [Aspiration Point] to get the skill. Compared to one other skill he had acquired, he knew more about metal than spearfishing.

Metallurgy was very important in robotics as he had to choose the right material for the right job or part of the machine. In fact, metallurgy could be the major roadblock of any invention.

The Tesla turbine, for example, was doomed because of its material problem. The genius invention was unscalable because there was no material that could withstand the sheer tension the turbine generated on a much bigger scale. It was ahead of its time for at least a few centuries, not until carbon nanotube production became commercially viable.

Both everyday and industrial inventions depended, if not heavily on metallurgy. Nothing could be built without knowing how to mix metal to create a superior alloy.

The silver spoon in his hand wasn’t one hundred percent silver because the pure metal would be too soft. It was usually alloyed with copper to both retain the shine while increasing its hardness. In fact, all metals in daily use were mostly alloys instead of pure metal.

Adrin realized he needed to take this into account while trying to insert his mana in between the atoms. He didn’t need to force the bond to break as he only needed the bonds to shift to the nearest atom as in what would happen in cold forging. He also reminded himself as no metal or alloy had perfect atom lattices, and he had to consider the crystal grains too.

Bending the spoon with mana could be done by nanoscale mana injections and rearrange the atom into the desired shape. Maybe a simple ‘L’ bend would be a good start.

Adrin was completely focused on his thoughts until someone shook his shoulder.

“Why are you staring at the spoon?” Nerina asked.

“I’m just thinking about something,” he replied.

Her concern had actually saved him from a huge blunder. Adrin was about to bend the spoon in front of the girl using his mind. If he had succeeded, it would have blown out of control.

He then excused himself to take a walk as he slipped the silver spoon into his pocket. Adrin walked out of the building and took a random direction while continuing to think about his idea of metal shaping.

It couldn’t be that easy, right?

But it made sense when he thought about it. No one could ever say it was ‘easy’ because of a simple fact. Metallurgy was not even close to easy.

His knowledge about metal was the result of centuries of research done by hundreds of the brightest minds in human history. Material science was often related to vastly successful businesses, and one of the most tightly guarded secrets.

A certain electric car giant and its unique alloy came to mind.

He was just applying only intermediate knowledge at best, but that was already the combination of a lot of time, resources, a clever mind, and pure luck. The truly hard part was already done, and he was just benefiting from them.

Adrin soon found the stone wall and leaned his back on it.

To get the [Hack] skill, for example, he needed to intimately know how the movement was executed and was able to do it himself. He had hacked thousands upon thousands of wood in his past life, and realize it or not, he knew exactly how to get the best out of it.

Another example was the aim assist. It was a combination of theoretical knowledge and real-life experience. He knew how to program a virtual laser pointer, how a laser came to be, and how the laser pointer was able to move in sync with the tool in his hand.

On the other hand, the [Cleanse] spell had demonstrated how mana and magic in this world worked. The complicated magic circuit represented the complete instructions it needed to follow or go through in order to get the desired result. He didn’t have a clue how it worked, but the spell still came out as it was designed.

Knowledge is power. It just became literal in this world.

The hard part of bending the spoon with his mind was actually doing it. His theory and steps might be solid but the execution was another thing completely.

Just like he was at the table, Adrin lost track of time and the world as he tried to get the spoon to bend according to his mind. It was no longer a need, but an obsession.

Not for his survival or his dream, just pure curiosity. The things he could make or achieve if he could shape metal were unlimited.

Adrin looked up to the night sky for a moment.

Yes, he needed this. He gripped the spoon tight in his hand and closed his eyes. Even if he failed, he should try and try again.

He sat down on the dirt when his legs began to ache. He had no need for light as he only needed [Mana Sense] to know if he had injected it right. Adrin was trying to use the least amount of mana he could to do the simple bend as he wanted it to be practical.

There would be no use if his skill cost tons of mana just to shape metal a little bit. It would be a major blockade to what he wanted to do. Building a mecha, or more specifically, its parts.

He was taking a rest from staring at the metal when a eureka moment hit him. If the air had mana then the spoon itself should contain mana. He only needed to use that and top it off with the surrounding mana.

After who knew how long, something clicked inside him. The spoon bent exactly as he intended. Barely any mana was used from his surroundings.

Adrin couldn’t believe it when it came out.

Metallurgy acquired.

Metallurgy [Level 1], +6% Metal Affinity.

---

Elemental Affinity discovered.

Metal Affinity [35%]

Crystal Affinity [52%]

---

Crystal Affinity reached a minimum threshold.

Crystal Meld acquired.

Crystal Meld [Level 1], +2% Crystal affinity.

Crystal Affinity [54%]

Adrin wanted to scream so much until his muscles began to cramp. He had to force himself to take deep breaths and celebrate it quietly inside his head. He felt like going crazy and was acting crazy but luckily there was no one to witness it.

Adrin calmed down after a few exciting jumps and punches in the dark.

He opened his status.

Name: Adrin || Age:17 || Villager [level 3]

Life: 50/50 || Stamina: 70/70 || Mana: 10/?

||

Strength: 6 || Intelligence: 5 || Agility: 5

Willpower: 15 || Perception: 3 || Dexterity: 5

Endurance: 4 || Vigor: 5

||

Metal Affinity [35], Crystal Affinity [54]

||

Bodybuilding [3], Arithmetic [1], Melee weapons [1], Spearfishing [1], Marksmanship [1]

Mana Sense [3], Crafting [2], Cooking [1], Farming [1], Lascivious [1]

||

Hack [1], Throw [2], Aim Assist [3], Sneak [2], Metallurgy [1], Crystal Meld [1]

He had no idea what [Crystal Affinity] was or what [Crystal Meld] could do, but he always could find out later. Now, the real test.

With a flick of his mind, the spoon turned into a silver ball, thanks to the skill.

After his success, Adrin had an idea why the skill he got was called [Crystal Meld].

To those who studied them, a rock or stone was a natural substance composed of solid crystals of different minerals. It had been fused together by an immense pressure into a solid lump. In theory, the skill could be used to shape both stone and crystals.

He touched the stone wall and turned a small section of the wall into sands. Another flick of his mind and the wall was filled and turned solid again.

Because of his deep understanding of materials, both skills were in his possession. He was going to rock the world with it.

Adrin walked back with a big smile on his face. It was already dark but he found his way without any trouble. There were enough [Lightstones] in the small town to light everything.

He saw her familiar back first before recalling what he had told Hana.

Emilia turned around as if she could sense him. The girl rushed at him with a bright smile before jumping into his arms. They ended up spinning a few times while in each other's arms.

“Hey, you, missing me already?”

“You bet,” she answered and kissed him in front of everyone. He lowered her down before she embarrassed them both even more. Emi chuckled at him.

“What about your father?”

“He was angry at first but he just shut up with a few gold coins, I guess that’s how much I was worth to him,” Emi said with a little sadness in her voice.

“I won’t trade you for anything.”

“I know,” she smiled again. “And thanks to you, I’m an apprentice mage now,” she added with an excited shriek.

“You don’t tell me that you are lovers,” Hana probed as Emi let his arm go.

“Are we?” Adrin asked Emi and she nodded a few times. “I guess we are,” he chuckled.

“Wait, how does this work?” Hana questioned.

“Well, Adrin has another lover back in the village,” Emi said with a tinge of red on her cheeks.

“You don’t have to tell her that,” Adrin said.

“I guess the room problem is solved now?” Hana chuckled.

‘Why is her face red?’ Adrin wondered. 'Is she excited about something?'

His stomach rumbled. All this brainstorming had made him hungry.