Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 897: Chapter 896: Hidden Skill Acquired!

Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn’t know Asuna’s thoughts. After returning to his room, he opened the inventory and took out all the miscellaneous items like needles and threads he bought while shopping, examining each one.

As Fang Zheng and Asuna had discussed earlier, every game has its priorities. Take NPCs, for instance. The protagonist is always the most detailed, followed by the heroine, and then other supporting roles. As for those NPCs or shopkeepers running around the streets, they are usually created using a template, with a random hairstyle and skin color put on.

The same goes for weapons and equipment. The gear you buy on the street obviously can’t have cool particle light and shadow effects; otherwise, who would fight bosses for gear? Generally speaking, the more important something is in most games, the more detailed it is, and the less important things are naturally simpler.

However, the production of these items classified as ”miscellaneous” is not that simple. This is not just for the sake of realism, which means that game designers must have hidden something within that players haven’t discovered.

While thinking this, Fang Zheng picked up a feather pen, gently stroking it to feel its smooth and soft texture. Then, he spread out a scroll, dipped the feather pen in the ink he bought, and started drawing swiftly.

For Fang Zheng, drawing wasn’t difficult. After all, before becoming a game planner, he was also responsible for character design, scene design, and equipment settings, so drawing was a piece of cake. Before long, Fang Zheng had drawn the structure of a longsword on the parchment, then put down the pen and looked at the parchment in front of him.

”............”

No changes occurred, which was normal.

Fang Zheng didn’t say much more and continued to take out another parchment scroll to continue drawing. As a game planner and designer, he already had ideas about triggering hidden skills, and now the main issue was to verify if his ideas were correct.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Fang Zheng was still focused on drawing designs. He had plenty of energy and didn’t mind skipping meals for a day or night. As for leveling, given the safety limit of rank 20, Fang Zheng’s current rank was enough for combat. Even if his rank fell due to a few days without leveling, he could just find some time to quickly level up; it wasn’t important.

On the contrary, learning the hidden skills—if it was as Fang Zheng thought, it would bring a storm of change in the entire game world. At that point, Fang Zheng was almost 100% sure he could safely lead this group out of the virtual world.

Of course, the premise is that they don’t act recklessly.

Looking at the pitch-black night sky outside the window, Fang Zheng picked up the feather pen again and continued his drawing work.

This drawing lasted for two days.

”.........Mr. Fang Zheng hasn’t come out yet?”

Looking at the closed door, Aoba asked somewhat uneasily, and in response, Leafa shook her head.

”I don’t know either... but Mr. Fang Zheng seems to have said he was researching something very important...”

”Isn’t today the day when the holiday ends and training starts? Why hasn’t Mr. Fang Zheng come out yet...”

This time Yuki also started complaining. They gathered early in the morning planning to start training, but to their surprise, Fang Zheng hadn’t shown up...

”Looks like training won’t happen today, so I’ll go back and sleep for a while...”

Seeing that Fang Zheng didn’t show up, Gabriel immediately returned to her lazy self, planning to sneak back to her room, but was quickly caught by Asuna’s swift hand.

”Wait, Miss Gabriel, where are you going?”

”Let go of me, that guy’s not here, let me go back to sleep!”

”No way! Mr. Fang Zheng said before that you have to be the first to participate in training after the holiday! If you don’t complete the training... you’ll lose DKP!”

”Nooooooo!!!”

Hearing Asuna’s reply, Gabriel immediately wailed.

At the beginning of the guild’s establishment, Fang Zheng borrowed part of the DKP systems from domestic online games and modified it according to this world. Under his leadership, the Dark Moon Sword resembled more of a company. Players earned DKP by contributing to the guild, which could be exchanged for some equipment or even make some reasonable requests.

For example, some production-oriented player tasks might need to be completed after combat, but they themselves aren’t good at fighting. In such cases, they would need the raid group or combat team to come in, which would cost some DKP.

Gabriel was lazy but not stupid. She understood that if she didn’t follow the system, she’d fall into a vicious cycle, making it hard to get good equipment if her DKP was deducted. For Gabriel, who loved to laze around all day and was a total homebody, it was like hitting her Achilles’ heel...

And now, Fang Zheng relied on this to train Gabriel to be obedient. If you want to quit the guild, do it; if you don’t, then obediently do your tasks for me.

If you want to quit the guild—fine, but repay your debts first!

Fang Zheng was completely unaware of Gabriel’s wailing. In fact, he was sitting at his desk, drawing design after design.

This was inherently a very tedious task, and Fang Zheng had been drawing for nearly two days and nights, using up several hundred parchment scrolls in the process. However, he did not feel bored. On the contrary, Fang Zheng even felt a bit nostalgic—it was reminiscent of the time during elementary school when he was bored and wrote the character ”正” on the dress of a trainee teacher and was later punished to write it a thousand times by the class teacher...

Yes, but that trainee teacher was quite pretty back then.

While reminiscing about his past ”heroic deeds,” Fang Zheng once again sketched out a weapon design on a parchment with the feather pen.

”Ding!!”

But at that moment, suddenly, a voice rang in Fang Zheng’s ear, followed by a line of system notifications appearing in front of him.

[Hidden skill activated: Cartography]

[Player gained hidden skill: Cartography LV1]

Seeing the information prompt in front of him, Fang Zheng was momentarily stunned before suddenly realizing. When he looked again at the scroll in his hand, he was surprised to find that it had transformed from [Ordinary Parchment Scroll] into [Sharp Longsword Manufacturing Blueprint]!

Sure enough, it succeeded!!

Seeing this scene, Fang Zheng excitedly clenched his fist and waved his arm, then quickly and hurriedly stood up, pacing back and forth in the room. For Fang Zheng, having his prediction come true felt wonderful, just like solving a difficult problem after spending a lot of time on it... but wait, this is just the first step!

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng hurriedly opened the door—only to be startled by the crowd gathered at the door.

”Mr. Fang Zheng!!”

Seeing Fang Zheng come out of the room, the girls also breathed a sigh of relief, while Fang Zheng, who hadn’t fully come to his senses yet, looked at them in surprise.

”What’s going on? What are you all doing here?”

”You haven’t come out for two days, and it’s already time for training today...”

Aoba timidly reminded him, while Ester silently nodded.

”I tried to contact you, but Master did not respond.”

”Oh... sorry.”

Upon hearing Ester’s complaint, Fang Zheng realized he had a lot of missed communications and messages, but at that time, he was too busy drawing designs and reminiscing about his heroic past to notice.

”Training is temporarily suspended for today. I have something more important for you to do.”

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng also quickly forced himself back to his senses and looked at the girls in front of him. Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s words, everyone was stunned, then their expressions immediately became serious, knowing that Fang Zheng had never changed plans at the last minute before. If he suddenly decided to cancel training, it must be because there was something more important that needed their attention.

”I need you all to go down immediately, gather everyone, and conduct an investigation.”

”...Investigation? Investigate what?”

”Hobbies and areas of expertise.”

Fang Zheng clapped his hands, then looked at the girls before him who were now wide-eyed with surprise.

”Some people like singing, while others enjoy dancing, or perhaps making handicrafts... whatever it may be, everyone should have some hobbies. What you need to do now is investigate these and gather all the information to give me by evening. This is the top-priority task; I’m heading out now!”

After saying this, Fang Zheng quickly walked towards the gate, and just as he was about to go down the stairs, he seemed to think of something, turned back, and glanced at Gabriel.

”Oh right, Gabriel, when I return, I want to see at least ten completed investigation forms from you. If you can’t do it, you know the consequences.”

”............”

Upon hearing this, Gabriel, who had just escaped Asuna’s grasp and was about to sneak back to her room, immediately froze.