Lord: Sequence Master

After clicking on the entertainment icon, Rosen discovered that even viewing the content required spiritual energy. Novels demanded an absurdly high amount, followed by TV series, with movies and anime consuming the least. Interestingly, even films of the same length varied greatly in the amount of spiritual energy required to activate them.

Upon closer inspection, Rosen noticed a pattern: the larger and more complex the scenes within the film or anime, the more spiritual energy was needed. Conversely, smaller, more confined settings required far less energy. For instance, activating a multiverse movie like Marvel or an expansive anime world like Pokémon would demand astronomical amounts of energy. On the other hand, a film set primarily in enclosed spaces, such as Saw or Escape Room, required significantly less. After just a few days of accumulating energy, Rosen would have enough to activate one of these smaller-scale films with his self-regenerating spiritual energy.

Without hesitation, Rosen chose Saw as his first target, given that it required the least energy and would serve as his first virtual Spiritual Realm creation.

He exited the entertainment menu and opened the third icon, which led to a painting software program—designed specifically for creating virtual Spiritual Realms.

Rosen picked up a drawing tablet and began sketching from his vague memories of Saw 1. However, he quickly encountered a problem. Despite his spiritual awakening enhancing his memory, the 3 points of spiritual energy he possessed at Sequence 9 were insufficient to fully recall a movie he had watched many years ago.

Thus, he would need to accumulate spiritual energy first to activate the viewing rights for Saw 1, then use the movie as a reference for his drawings. Activating Saw 1 required 10 points of spiritual energy, which would take him roughly five days to gather.

At his current recovery rate, assuming he conserved at least one point of spiritual energy daily, he could expend and recover up to two points per day. However, if he overtaxed himself by using the last point, the consequences could range from severe headaches and extreme drowsiness to a loss of control over his extraordinary essence, leading to a dangerous backlash.

Five days was neither too long nor too short, and Rosen decided to stay inside the mysterious study without venturing out. The refrigerator was stocked with enough snacks to last him 10 to 15 days.

Leaving now would only make him vulnerable, placing him at the mercy of others. The wealthy socialites and aristocratic women who had once eagerly supported him weren't looking for love. No matter how skilled Rosen was, he wasn't valuable enough to cause a frenzy among noblewomen merely for his charm.

Rosen knew their true intentions. They hoped that once he transitioned into a more esteemed profession, he would father a daughter for them—someone who could marry their sons and secure their lineage. Once they achieved that, they could discard him and inherit his hereditary title with minimal cost. Since many competed for the same prize, the noblewomen had to vie for their chance.

There were winners and losers in this competition, and Rosen suspected that his failed spiritual awakening and the faulty materials used in the ritual were the result of sabotage by one of the losing families, determined to destroy what they could not possess.

Rosen opened the study's refrigerator, opting to eat the most perishable items first. After satisfying his hunger, he began honing his drawing skills bit by bit.

The study was stocked with boxes of drawing supplies, ensuring Rosen wouldn't run out anytime soon. However, as he spread out a sheet of paper and prepared to start sketching, he hesitated.

In his previous life, Rosen had spent years honing his artistic skills and had grown confident in his fundamentals. To make a living, he had drawn mostly commissioned works, scenic pictures, or portraits of beautiful women. His experience was focused on creating aesthetically pleasing images. However, recreating something like Saw within five days required a completely different style—one rooted in darkness and horror.

Although he had never specialized in this type of artwork, he had once casually sketched a few 3D images of Sadako from The Ring.

After recalling his previous work, Rosen prepared a set of colored pencils to attempt a 3D painting of Sadako as practice. Yet, within minutes, he found himself staring at the finished product, his heart racing and skin crawling.

Normally, completing such a piece would take him hours, especially since he hadn't practiced in some time. But this time, it had only taken him a few minutes.

And that was with his limited familiarity. With more practice, the final result could be produced even faster.

"Is this the power of the extraordinary Sequence?" Rosen muttered, gripping the brushes in his hand, excitement swelling within him.

For an ordinary artist, painting required planning, sketching, outlining, and slowly building up colors. Completing a work on the first attempt usually required countless failures, with each mistake serving as a learning experience.

But now, as Rosen started drawing, his extraordinary essence from the Artist Sequence flowed into his hand, merging with the brush. The brush became an extension of his body, perfectly in sync with his mind. This allowed him to transfer the image in his mind directly onto the paper with unparalleled precision.

Moreover, through the use of spiritual flames, Rosen could project a mental image of Sadako and use those flames to sketch the draft, while his brush flawlessly imprinted it onto the paper.

Rosen never imagined drawing could be so effortless.

He picked up four brushes again, one between each finger, and retrieved another sheet of paper. In less than two minutes, he had produced another lifelike 3D image of Sadako.

"This... isn't right!" Rosen muttered thoughtfully as he examined the image.

If merely transitioning into the Artist Sequence allowed him to become a human printing machine, why did the legendary noble artists still spend years perfecting their craft?

Sensing the innate ability called "Spiritual Attachment" within his extraordinary essence, Rosen realized that this was the core ability all Sequence 9 artists possessed. It seemed he would need to gather more spiritual energy and investigate this ability further.

Infusing one unit of spiritual energy into his extraordinary essence, Rosen picked up a brush to draw an egg. This time, as the "Spiritual Attachment" ability activated, the brush felt as heavy as a mountain. Each stroke caused the space on the paper to tremble slightly. A simple egg took him half an hour to complete.

No matter how well an artist rendered an egg, the result would always look fake upon close inspection. Even the most skilled artists could only mimic reality so closely. Yet, as Rosen stared at the egg he had drawn, he couldn't tell whether it was real or a drawing.

This was the power of Spiritual Attachment—it gave life to still objects, imbuing them with spirituality.

Reaching out, Rosen grasped the egg. Though it was merely a drawing, he felt as though he was holding a real egg. He tapped it against the table, cracking the shell and allowing egg whites and yolk to spill out. He could even smell the faint odor of raw egg.

Tentatively, he licked the egg. It tasted exactly like a raw egg.

However, after a few seconds, the egg disappeared, as did the yolk and whites. Only the taste remained in his mouth, and the egg on the paper reverted to an ordinary drawing.