67. A formidable foe appears! Known as "Perception!"
Now that I’ve acquired a new skill that might allow me to master Perception, let’s put it to the test immediately.
Suuu—hah.
Good.
Perception active.
Ghoooo—!
No, no!
Off, off—!
[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Parallel Thinking LV1' upgraded to 'Parallel Thinking LV2'.]
[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Perception LV4' upgraded to 'Perception LV5'.]
Zee—hah.
Headache.
Yes.
Parallel Thinking skill level remains at one.
Given past performance, level one was not something I expected to achieve.
Felt almost unchanged.
Though I did level up Parallel Thinking, Perception rose simultaneously.
That’s useless.
Perception level up increases information intake—can’t handle that much.
Even if Parallel Thinking levels up, Perception rises too—endless cat-and-mouse.
Perception gains level every time it activates. Growth speed defies logic. Not just cat-and-mouse. More like being left behind.
Pride’s effect must be accelerating progress even further.
But seriously—what even is this thing called Perception?
It’s a monster.
I can’t even react.
Never thought a foe of Earth Dragon rank would be this close.
No chance of winning.
For now, just wait for Parallel Thinking to level up.
Can’t seem to split thought processes yet. No way to gain proficiency except staring at鉴定 results while thinking.
Perception could raise it—but that’d be counterproductive.
Mm.
Still, the idea itself isn’t wrong.
If cognitive ability is enhanced, detection should become usable—presumably.
Even so, I thought parallel thinking was the most promising among the skills listed.
Hmm.
Better check the list again.
Points have decreased. The number of displayed skills is lower than before.
Still, a considerable number remains visible.
Most skills are probably trainable at 100 points.
Except for a few high-performance ones, and certain extreme skills.
Though Pride—those extreme skills—was oddly obtainable at 100 points.
Which skills would be effective for enabling detection?
'Calculation Processing: Enhances cognitive processing ability.'
'Memory: Improves recall capacity.'
That’s about it.
Surprisingly few.
And Memory feels… different somehow.
That leaves calculation processing as the only viable option. But even if I acquire this, will I truly be able to master detection?
Hmm.
Even parallel thinking—what I thought was the most promising—has turned out like this.
Calculation processing seems largely useless at lower levels.
Ah—wait.
Isn’t calculation processing essentially math?
If I just do mental arithmetic, can’t I gain it?
Yes.
Walking around idly isn’t doing anything anyway. Might as well try.
Then I’ll keep calculating powers of two.
Two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four…
…eight thousand one hundred ninety-two, sixteen thousand three hundred eighty-four, um, thirty-two thousand seven hundred sixty-eight?
Getting difficult now.
Next?
Hmm?
《Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Calculation Processing LV1' acquired.》
Oh!
Good. Good.
Goal achieved.
Hmm.
Should I try it once, just to test?
Probably won’t work, but I’ll go ahead—try it and see what happens.
Soo, haa.
Good.
Detection: on.
Gubelabba!
Impossible, impossible!
Off, off—!
[Skill level-up: "Calculation Processing LV1" has advanced to "Calculation Processing LV2".]
[Skill level-up: "Parallel Thinking LV2" has advanced to "Parallel Thinking LV3".]
[Skill level-up: "Detection LV5" has advanced to "Detection LV6".]
[Skill level-up: "Heretic Resistance LV2" has advanced to "Heretic Resistance LV3".]
Zee, haa.
Headache.
This is impossible.
Impossible, impossible.
Head splitting.
Pain. No more.
Ah, no way.
Wait—what happened to Pain Reduction?
I’ve endured near-death experiences before. If even I can’t bear this pain, what kind of pain is it?
Then again—why is Heretic Resistance increasing?
Is that it?
Is that all? So the attack from Prognostic is considered heretical?
Can we even call it an attack anymore?
It’s increasing resistance, after all.
Let’s think seriously.
If Heretic Resistance is rising, that means Prognostic’s effect isn’t just influencing thought—it’s directly impacting the soul.
Could half of this headache be coming from the soul itself?
Ugh, terrifying.
Don’t tell me I’ll end up soul-wasted if I keep this up?
Don’t leave me a shell of a person, please.
《Mastery level reached. Skill 'Prediction LV3' upgraded to 'Prediction LV4'》
Ah, yes.
Good. The effect of Prediction isn’t guessing correct answers anymore.
Safe.
Still just prediction—safe.
We’ll treat it as safe.
Hmm.
But if that’s the case, are there any soul-related skills that could withstand Prognostic?
But soul-related skills aren’t listed anywhere.
The only one I have is Heretic Resistance.
Heretic Resistance is the only option, I suppose.
...How do I increase it, though?
Ah.
No good.
I'll stick with the original plan—boost Parallel Thinking and Computation Processing skills.
Probe activated, both skills increased. That means they're at least functioning.
Until then, seal the Probe again.
Using it recklessly is dangerous.