Sylvie's breath came short as the words on her translucent status screen pulsed with an intensity she had never seen before.
[Tinkerer's Blessing] has reached maximum proficiency. Unlocking new potential…
[Tinkerer's Blessing] has evolved into [Tinkerer's Archive].
Her heart pounded, her pulse hammering in her ears as she stared at the glowing text. Archive? The word alone sent a ripple of curiosity and anticipation through her mind. This wasn't just an improvement. It wasn't a simple upgrade. It was a complete transformation.
Then, without warning, the world around her blurred.
It wasn't darkness. It wasn't unconsciousness. It was clarity.
A thousand locked doors in her mind burst open at once. Memories, once fragmented and distant, suddenly surged forth in perfect, seamless clarity. She could recall the scent of oil and metal clinging to the air in her repair shop, the rough texture of old circuit boards beneath her fingertips, the reassuring weight of a multimeter in her grip as she worked late into the night. Every single device she had ever repaired, every mechanism she had ever dismantled and put back together, every blueprint she had ever studied or sketched in hurried notes—it all flooded back to her as though she had lived it just yesterday.
She gasped, her fingers trembling as she pressed a hand to her forehead. This is insane.
No more vague recollections. No more half-remembered principles struggling to piece themselves together. Her past life—her knowledge—was whole again.
And yet, at the core of it all, she could still feel the familiar presence of her ability, but now, it was sharper, deeper, more intricate. The foundation of [Tinkerer's Blessing] remained, but its limits had shattered. She could still enhance, analyze, and repair objects with magic, but now she could recall and reconstruct anything she had ever worked on in her past life with the precision of a master engineer. It was no longer just a blessing. It was an archive, a library of every invention, every technique, every experiment she had ever encountered.
Her breath hitched as a realization struck her like a lightning bolt.
I can build everything.
Excitement crackled through her veins as she wasted no time putting her new strength to the test. Her gaze darted around the room before settling on her father's old dagger, resting on the nearby table. The very same dagger he had given her before leaving for duty. The very same dagger she had attempted to analyze before, only to be met with frustrating resistance.
Now, it practically called to her.
Snatching it up, she ran her fingers along the worn hilt, the metal cool against her skin. The moment she focused, a flood of information crashed into her mind like a tidal wave.
Nothing.
Her brows furrowed. It resisted her analysis just as before.
Something was wrong.
Then, realization struck her. The dagger had been damaged—its properties locked behind that imperfection. It wasn't that she couldn't analyze it. It was that it needed to be restored first.
Her pulse quickened. This was her chance.
Taking a deep breath, she channeled her mana into the dagger, willing it to return to its original state. The moment she did, the metal responded. It drank her mana greedily, a shimmering ripple running along its length as the cracks and dull edges mended themselves. The weight in her hand shifted, growing sturdier, more refined, sharper. It was as if the blade had come alive, awakening from centuries of slumber.
Then, the process finished, and her knees nearly buckled.
A sudden wave of fatigue crashed over her, making her sway. She blinked hard, gripping the table to steady herself. That—that took way more mana than expected.
A quick glance at her status revealed the damage.
Mana: 15 → 7
She had lost a full eight points just from restoring it. She thought it wouldn't make a dent after her upgraded aspect gifted her with an increase in her mana pool size.
Her breathing was uneven, her limbs suddenly heavy. She was under half her reserves now, and she felt it. The tiredness gnawed at the edges of her focus, a dull weight pressing on her skull.
But it had worked.
She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to stay upright, and turned her gaze back to the blade. Now, she could finally—
The information flooded into her mind.
Item: Shifting Fang
Properties: Form Manipulation (Requires Mana Input)
Description: A rare ore-infused blade capable of shifting into various forms. Only activates upon bonding with a mana wielder.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Wait, wait, what?!
Her grip tightened as she turned the dagger over, feeling the impossibly smooth craftsmanship, the way the metal almost seemed to respond to her touch. This wasn't just a simple weapon. This wasn't just a relic.
This was more than just a weapon—it was a shapeshifting tool, a craftsman's dream given form.
Sylvie gaped at the transformed blade in her hands, her mind racing. This wasn't just convenient. This was like having an entire Snap-on truck condensed into a single object, a limitless arsenal of high-end tools at her fingertips. Back in her old life, she had drooled over those trucks rolling into the shop, stocked with every tool she could ever want—precision wrenches, high-grade ratchets, torque guns that could practically unscrew the laws of physics. But they all came with one soul-crushing downside: the Snap-on man.
That guy was a menace. Friendly enough, sure, but always lurking with that too-patient smile, ready to remind you about your tab. No matter how much she resisted, she always ended up throwing more money at tools she couldn't technically afford but absolutely needed. It was a love-hate relationship, mostly leaning toward financial regret.
Her heart pounded as she whispered, "Form manipulation…" If this thing could change its shape based on mana input, then—
She didn't hesitate.
Inhaling deeply, she willed her mana into the dagger.
The response was immediate.
The metal shimmered, shifting like molten silver, the sharp edge retracting, folding into itself before reshaping into something entirely different. Before her very eyes, the blade transformed, stretching and expanding, the structure twisting as if alive.
What had once been a dagger was now—
Sylvie's jaw nearly dropped.
A clamp-like mechanism. Almost like a vice grip.
A tool. A real, functioning tool.
Then, the drain hit.
Another three points gone.
Mana: 7 → 4.
Her vision swayed as a crushing exhaustion sank into her bones. Her breath came out in ragged gasps. She was way too close to zero now. That was dangerously low.
A sharp headache flared behind her eyes, and her limbs trembled as if she had just sprinted miles without rest. The dagger—the clamp—felt heavier in her grip.
But the shape held.
It didn't revert. It stayed.
Sylvie barely caught herself on the edge of the table, her breath coming in harsh gasps. Holy shit. That had drained almost all her reserves.
She exhaled sharply, pushing herself upright, her body screaming in protest. Even with the sheer exhaustion weighing her down, a wild grin spread across her face.
It worked.
Then—
"Uh… what the hell was that?"
Sylvie's head snapped up just in time to see Sylas standing in the doorway, staring at her with an expression that could only be described as horrified curiosity. His eyes flicked to the transformed dagger—now a clamp—still resting in her grip.
"Did… did that knife just move?"
Sylvie blinked, still slightly dizzy. "Sort of."
Sylas took a hesitant step forward. "Knives aren't supposed to do that."
She exhaled slowly, her fingers tightening around the dagger. She had only scratched the surface of what this thing could do.
She grinned.
Let's see what else you can become.
[Updated Status]
Name: Sylvie
Age: 8
Class: Unawakened
Attributes:
• Strength: 4
• Intelligence: 10 (↑3 from unlocking full past-life knowledge)
• Agility: 5
• Mana: 10 → 15 (↑5 due to upgrade in aspect)
• Dexterity: 11
Aspect:
• [Tinkerer's Archive] (Rank 1) [Upgraded from Tinkerer's Blessing]
• Perfect Recall: Complete and flawless memory of all past-life knowledge.
• Magical Enhancement: Can imbue magical properties into objects, refining their function.
• Advanced Analysis: Breaks down an object's material composition and structure.
• Mental Processing Boost: Increased ability to sort vast amounts of technical data without fatigue.
Equipment:
• Shifting Fang ( Form Manipulation) – Can shift into different forms if mana is inputted with an image in mind.