Zarek didn't wait to be allocated a new room. He and Priya weren't stupid enough to leave anything they needed in their accommodations, so they just directly went to the top floor and took one of the corner suites.
Priya gave him a look, but in the end, she didn't say anything as she lounged on one of the chairs. This suite was a lot less personable than the one they had entered before, so all things considered, she was far more relaxed here.
But when she saw Zarek immediately find a corner for himself and begin practicing his Talent, she pushed herself up and went to a private room.
There was no time to rest in this world. One moment of rest meant one sliver weaker, and one sliver weaker meant that your odds of dying were just that much more.
Priya had always been a diligent student. It wasn't difficult for her to transfer those thoughts of hers over to this new life. Plus… she was finding that learning and mastering her new strength was a lot more fun than staring at a textbook all day anyway.
…
'It really is different. Fascinating.'
—
[Talent {Temp Duplicate} has shown great progress]
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>[Temp Duplicate: F]
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>[Temp Duplicate: F+]
—
[Talent {Harmonic Recall} has shown great progress]
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>[Harmonic Recall: F-]
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>[Harmonic Recall: F]
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>[Harmonic Recall: F+]
—
The progress that Zarek had made in just about four hours was nothing short of astonishing. Even he didn't plan on improving with such speed.
When Growth stats were below A, they were known as "Slow Growth" Talent, Stats, Skills, or otherwise. Truthfully, Zarek would even lump A Class Growth Potential in with that, but that was because his view of the world was much higher than most others.
As far as Zarek was concerned, real strength started at S-, whether that was in regard to stats, Talents, Growth Potential, or otherwise.
He had reached that level in every one of his lives, and every time he entered it, he felt like he was just getting to the starting position on a race that went to infinity.
There was a reason that the S Class had the most detailed levels—from S- to SS-, all the way up to SSS+.
But even though his views were so high on the world, this was the first time Zarek had seen such beautiful synergy. It made him smile, knowing that his odds of success had just gotten much higher.
His C Class Scouting Skill allowed him to analyze items with much greater depth than usual. When he activated it, he could observe an item in great detail, then activate Harmonic Recall.
Harmonic Recall deepened his connection with the item, as he understood it not just as it existed now, but as it had once been.
He could also fine-tune Harmonic Recall, looking not just at the item overall, but down to the very materials that made it up. He didn't just have to observe a couch—he could look at the wood that made up its frame, the cushion that formed its interior, the springs that stopped it from compressing too much, even the fabric or the leather that coated it.
The range Harmonic Recall could go back was limited when you were overlooking an entire item, but Zarek realized that the more specific you got, the more detailed and the further back the visions seemed to go.
When he touched an artistic steel lamp by the side, he felt like he was just that close to finding the exact location the raw iron that it had been tempered from originated.
At first, this confused Zarek. Why would there be such a difference? He would have never been able to answer this question had his sensitivity to the stream of time not been so exceptionally high.
—
[Talent {Harmonic Recall} has shown great progress]
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>[Harmonic Recall: F+]
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>[Harmonic Recall: E-]
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>[Harmonic Recall: E]
—
It was like he was staring at those pillars all over again—the pillars the Rebirthers represented, but on a level that was completely different.
These pillars were much smaller, almost like hidden currents within a river, trapped beneath the surface and unable to make the largest waves.
But they were the true movers and shakers of this item's life.
When the steel, or the copper wires, or the glass that made up the incandescent light bulb came together, their former lives mattered less. They were also mass-produced items that had little care and attention placed into them.
By comparison, when they became this luxury item, they had intention put behind them. They were specifically curated by the luxury brand that crafted them, then specially chosen by the condominium company that used them as decoration here.
Every one of those actions was akin to a Rebirther taking a new step. By comparison, the items that had once made it up were akin to the non-Rebirthers who—though they might be powerful in their own right—could only be at the behest of their whims.
The materials that made up the individual parts became unimportant, and thus their histories were far easier to see. By comparison, the history of the item overall was much more difficult to see through.
At the start, with an F- Harmonic Recall Mastery, Zarek could only see three seconds back. At F, he could see a full ten seconds. At F+, he could see half a minute.
When he broke through the E Class, there was a qualitative change. From half a minute at F+, he could see a full minute back, and then a full five minutes at E, before a full ten minutes at E+.
However, this was just for the item overall. If he honed in on the specific materials, it felt like even years back wasn't an issue at all. The trouble was that there were large gaps and missing pieces he would never be able to fill in.
It was inconsequential in the grand scheme, but when it synergized with Temp Duplicate…
—
[Talent {Temp Duplicate} has shown great progress]
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>[Temp Duplicate: F+]
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>[Temp Duplicate: E-]