Chapter 47: An Unexpected Gift
If the system wanted to use its power to read Mark’s thoughts, it would probably get so pissed that it wouldn’t bother with Mark for a very long time. More specifically, a few days, because Mark was already a disciple of the Cultivation Academy, and the system couldn’t ignore a disciple.
Of course, with its arrogant personality, the system believed that other people were the ones who should be trying to figure out what it was thinking. A great system like itself obviously wouldn’t lower itself to look through the memories of inferior beings.
"Great System, do you have a way?"
Seeing the system just laughing and rambling nonstop, Mark urged it on. There was no way he could memorize that huge pile of text by himself.
[Of course there are plenty of ways. For a great system like me, all it takes is a blink to help you memorize everything.]
Even though the system’s tone was incredibly cocky, those cocky words put a big smile on Mark’s face.
If the system could really do that, Mark would be able to leave this damned place quickly. Even without a body, he couldn’t just let his naked soul float around in the middle of the road.
[But...]
The system suddenly changed its tone, and the joy that had just appeared on Mark’s face immediately vanished. What kind of weird stunt was it planning this time?
[You still need to work hard to be worthy of being a disciple of the Cultivation Academy. So I can only temporarily increase your brain’s memorization speed by a thousand times so you can memorize the cultivation technique. Remember, this buff only exists while you’re memorizing the cultivation technique.]
The system really had considered letting Mark remember everything in an instant, but then it thought that anything gained too easily would also be forgotten easily. Making Mark spend time studying and memorizing it thoroughly, while remembering the system’s contribution, was the most reasonable approach.
"Thank you, the greatest System in my heart. With your help, I feel much more confident, but I have a question."
Mark had thought the system was about to pull some crazy stunt again, but increasing his memorization speed by a thousand times really was a good thing.
But the problem was that even if he spent his entire life, Mark wasn’t confident he could accurately memorize the hundreds of lines in the cultivation technique. Memorizing that many words without making a single mistake wasn’t something anyone but a memorization genius could confidently claim.
[You’re worried about your memory, right? Relax. Something this small isn’t even worth mentioning to a great system like me. I guarantee that as long as you memorize it, you won’t forget a single word until the day you die.]
The system became even more smug when it managed to easily guess what Mark was thinking without even reading his thoughts.
As soon as the system finished speaking, Mark’s soul glowed even brighter. This was the memorization buff, and the system had temporarily granted it to him.
"A thousand thanks to the greatest System in the universe. My admiration for you flows like a mighty river, endless and unceasing."
Mark immediately flattered the system with a cheerful smile. If he couldn’t forget it, then he wouldn’t have to worry about mixing things up while cultivating and dying a horribly unfair death because of it.
[Good. Keep those sincere words coming. Say them louder with confidence. Everyone in this world should know about my greatness.]
The system tossed out those words before putting on a profound act and disappearing in front of Mark. It even added mysterious light and sound effects to make itself look more like an enigmatic god.
The system’s performance made Mark’s eyelids twitch a few times. This system looked incredibly annoying, but it was actually very useful.
The only problem was that if you wanted the system to be useful, you had to know how to flatter it. Nexus was the exception because he didn’t need anything, so he didn’t need to flatter the system.
"This feels amazing. Is this what people with photographic memory feel like when they’re memorizing something?"
Mark blinked several times, staring in disbelief at the words that had seemed impossibly hard to memorize just moments ago, but now only needed a single glance for him to remember them.
Of course, the greater the amount, the harder it was to memorize. Based on Mark’s own estimation, in his current state, he could definitely memorize any passage of several hundred words within three minutes without making a single mistake.
"How strange. My soul obviously doesn’t have a brain, so why does my intelligence feel no different from when I still had a body? And the system clearly didn’t change my soul, yet it can still give me this ability. Could it be that this ability was mine all along? Then the system... Ah!"
It was obviously just a memorization buff, not a thinking buff, yet somehow Mark immediately started analyzing things after receiving it.
But before he could figure out much, the system suddenly appeared in front of him, making Mark jump.
[Not bad, mortal. But you didn’t arrive at that conclusion through reasoning just now. It was your soul’s intuition. The ability to remember everything at a glance is something souls naturally possess, but it only applies to souls in heaven. You’re on Earth, so only the system’s extraordinary power can temporarily unlock that ability.]
The system saw that Mark’s reasoning was about to head in the direction of looking down on it, so it immediately appeared to correct his inappropriate thoughts.
"I’ve always believed you’re the greatest. I actually thought that when you resurrected me, you improved my soul while bringing it back to Earth."
Mark easily noticed the system’s urgency, so he casually threw in a few flattering words. If the system ended up with a bad impression of him, his path of cultivation in the future would become much more difficult.
The system hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. Admitting it had misunderstood the situation now would be far too embarrassing, so it put on its profound act once again.
[I suddenly appeared just now to test your loyalty and faith. Since you’re this sincere, the system won’t be stingy either. You’re far too weak, you insignificant brat. After you finish learning the cultivation technique, I’ll give you a weapon to use for now. I guarantee it’s better than any weapon you’ve ever owned.]