"This is the basic exoskeleton armor? On the third day, the completion rate was only 13%... Lynn has indeed studied mechanical science... but can this be considered in-depth research?"
Martha carefully browsed through her friend's learning records, furrowing her brows.
The so-called basic exoskeleton armor was equivalent to writing a "Hello, World" program when learning a programming language in Lynn's previous life.
It had some technical value, but not much essentially an entry-level project for beginners.
"Moreover, his technique… it's that of a novice. His movements are clumsy, and his thought process is too simple. Any mechanical apprentice who has seriously studied for a few years would be far more proficient than him."
Martha muttered to herself, feeling somewhat disappointed.
However, when she glanced at the records for the fourth day, her eyes suddenly lit up.
On that day, Lynn's completion rate for the basic exoskeleton armor had skyrocketed to 83%!
In just one day, the difference in progress was staggering, leaving Martha in shock.
"Huh?"
She immediately clicked on the details to examine them more closely.
"This level of proficiency… it's a huge leap. Is this the same 'beginner' from yesterday? Did someone else take over his account?"
A trace of suspicion flashed through Martha's mind as she continued flipping through the records.
Lynn's progress was simply too fast. If he were truly a novice, this level of improvement was almost unbelievable.
Could it be that he had studied mechanical science in depth, just as he had claimed?
But if that were the case, why was he so terrible in the first three days?
Had he forgotten a massive amount of knowledge due to a long period of inactivity?
If so, just how long had it been?
From what Martha knew, Lynn wasn't even a formal wizard when she first met him. At most, he couldn't be older than thirty-five.
Could someone forget so much in such a short time?
Pondering this, Martha continued reviewing the later records, and what she saw on the fifth day shocked her even more.
Lynn's understanding of mechanical science had become far more sophisticated practically reaching the level of a mechanical apprentice who had undergone years of systematic training!
And he had even begun attempting the "Challenge Rankings."
"Challenge Rankings?" Martha raised an eyebrow in confusion.
This ranking system was similar to chess puzzle challenges, requiring participants to repair a damaged mechanical device within a set time limit.
The faster they completed the challenge, the better their score, which determined their ranking.
"Usually, the first few levels aren't too difficult. Around the 13th level is where it truly starts reaching the level of a mechanical wizard."
Martha analyzed the situation, knowing that Lynn was a natural wizard and that mechanical science wasn't his specialty.
Even if he had some experience, he shouldn't be able to progress through so many levels in just a few days.
She estimated that, at best, Lynn could push through to the 9th or 10th level in one go. After that, he would likely hit a bottleneck and have to slowly grind his way forward.
Sure enough, as she continued reading Lynn's progress logs, she saw that on the fifth day, he had successfully cleared the 10th level.
But after that, he stalled and remained stuck there, unable to advance further.
"So this is his limit?"
Martha nodded slightly, finally forming a general understanding of Lynn's level of mechanical knowledge.
While he had indeed studied mechanical science, it wasn't in-depth.
"Now that he's a formal wizard, his learning ability has improved dramatically. If he dedicates around six months, he should be able to reach the level required to pass the citizen assessment."
Martha estimated that with her and Darwin's guidance, he might even reach that level faster.
For most others, it would take at least a year to reach that stage.
However, just as she was finishing her analysis, Lynn's records suddenly started updating rapidly, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"He cleared the 10th level?! In just 3 minutes and 21 seconds? That's… an excellent time! He's about to break into the top 100 rankings!"
Martha's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Top 100?!"
Her heart skipped a beat.
This wasn't just the level of a formal wizard anymore!
Since the creation of the Challenge Rankings, all mechanical wizards' records have been included.
Breaking into the top 100 meant that Lynn had surpassed a significant number of Second-Level and even Third-Level wizards!
"How is this possible?"
Martha's eyes widened further, struggling to comprehend what was happening.
Just yesterday, Lynn had been stuck at the 10th level, progressing slowly, and now his score had skyrocketed as if he had suddenly transformed into a different person.
"Lynn is a natural wizard… How could he possibly have such deep knowledge and talent in mechanical science?"
Martha found it hard to believe.
She still remembered how clumsy and unskilled he had been when first starting. Yet, within just a few days, he had displayed an astronomical level of improvement.
"First Darwin, now Lynn…"
Martha couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Could it be…" A strange realization dawned on her, and her face flushed slightly.
"This bastard knew I'd be watching his progress and deliberately messed with me?"
Her cheeks tinged red as frustration and amusement mixed inside her.
"This damn guy…"
Martha gritted her teeth, muttering under her breath. In the end, she simply closed the friend progress tracker, refusing to look at that ridiculous record any longer.
.........
On the other side, in Darwin's bedroom, within the virtual world.
Cold mechanical glows flickered all around, exuding an atmosphere of steel and precise operations.
This was a typical workshop, with various tools and half-finished projects scattered throughout. Broken mechanical constructs lay haphazardly on the desk, each carefully disassembled, awaiting repair.
Lynn sat at the workbench, completely focused on adjusting the mechanical device in front of him.
He was currently working hard to overcome the challenge of the thirteenth level, his hands moving deftly among the mechanical components. His skilled movements reflected his deep understanding of mechanics.
However, just as he was immersed in his work, he suddenly sniffled and let out a sudden sneeze.
This unexpected reaction made Lynn pause for a moment.
For a formal wizard, sneezing was extremely rare it meant he had likely overexerted himself, pushing his body beyond its limits.
"Could it be that my body has been running continuously for too long, and I sneezed?"
Frowning slightly, Lynn pondered for a moment before muttering to himself, "It must be a sign of overloading. The further I go, the worse my condition will get... Looks like I should take a break after pushing through a few more levels."
He had no idea that far away in the Reed Marshes, someone sitting in a flying vehicle was silently watching his progress, their mind filled with exaggerated assumptions, cursing him under their breath.
Unaware of the outside world's reactions, Lynn remained fully immersed in his task.
His current goal was to push through as many levels as possible and see how far he could go.
"If I clear the thirteenth level, I'll meet the requirements for the citizenship assessment. But to be safe, I should try to reach the fourteenth level."
He thought to himself, his hands never pausing as he continued to fine-tune each component with precision and care.
As the levels increased, the knowledge and skills required for mechanical repairs became more complex, and the difficulty steadily escalated.
Yesterday, he had been stuck on a tricky problem at level ten, spending an entire night and half a day to solve it.
After persistent effort, he not only strengthened his weak points but also gained many new insights.
When he cleared levels ten and eleven, he felt as if he had reached a new level of understanding, his grasp of mechanics improving significantly.
In particular, at level ten, he had used his newly acquired knowledge to find a shortcut, completing the repair in an impressively short time.
The repair system even notified him that he had ranked among the top, with an outstanding performance.
Learning knowledge was one thing; being able to apply it successfully was another.
Click!
Just then, the mechanical construct in front of him emitted a crisp sound the biggest problem had been resolved!
Lynn held his tool, skillfully adjusting the components and integrating various materials to complete the repair.
Each movement was precise and swift.
As the final detail was completed, a faint glow flashed across the screen, displaying a message: "Level 13 Cleared." This confirmed that Lynn had successfully conquered this challenge.
"...I did it."
Lynn let out a small sigh of relief, a rare satisfied smile appearing on his face.
He knew that passing level thirteen marked a new milestone he had essentially qualified for citizenship!
However, at that moment, a sudden notification popped up, catching his attention.
It was a message from an anonymous user.
"Boss, have mercy... stop smurfing in the lower ranks, I'm broke... I've lost all my magic stones... sob sob..."
Lynn blinked, scanning the seemingly random message with confusion.
It took him a moment to realize that this system had a ranked mode in addition to the tower-climbing challenge, and he had accidentally entered this mode.
The system automatically matched players against opponents, and the winner could take magic stones from the loser.
As for the criteria for winning and losing, Lynn wasn't entirely sure he hadn't paid much attention since enabling ranked mode.
Whenever the system notified him of a victory, he would just glance at it briefly, assuming that since the magic stones belonged to Darwin, he wouldn't be withdrawing them anyway it was just "rental fees" for using Darwin's system.
But now, this anonymous message left him puzzled:
"Did I just set a new record at level ten and get matched with some unlucky guy?"
Lynn frowned slightly, finding the situation both amusing and unexpected.
Despite his curiosity, he didn't dwell on the message and instead refocused on his goal of advancing to level fourteen.
He knew there were still two weeks before the official challenge at the Well of Machinery, and he planned to spend the next week honing his mechanics skills.
Judging by his current progress, he was even a day ahead of schedule.
On the seventh morning, bright sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over Lynn's bed.
He slowly opened his eyes, his deep gaze carrying a trace of clarity.
Last night, he had successfully cleared level fourteen and exited the virtual world, enjoying a refreshing bath and a full night's rest.
Today, Lynn was heading to the citizenship assessment site to officially become a citizen of Mechanical City.
After washing up, he sat at the dining table, savoring the breakfast prepared by Bethany with care.
Perhaps because she was staying in someone else's home, Bethany had been particularly mindful of her attire during this period, wearing a long dress made of soft, delicate fabric.
The hem of the dress concealed her slender legs, revealing only her fair ankles.
She stood quietly by the table, waiting for Lynn to finish his meal.
Before long, Lynn wiped his mouth and spoke calmly:
"Bethany, pack up. We're moving to a new home today. The house next to Darwin's is still vacant we'll be living there."
Bethany was momentarily stunned, surprise flashing across her exquisite features.
Though she was a maid, she had spent enough time in Mechanical City's Fifth Layer to understand some of its rules and environment.
For instance, only official citizens of Mechanical City could own property here. No matter how many magic stones one had, purchasing a home was impossible without citizenship.
Did this mean that Master Lynn had already qualified for citizenship?
For a First-Level Wizard, obtaining citizenship in Mechanical City was no small feat.
After all, not every formal wizard had the talent for mechanics, let alone the patience to study what many considered a dull and tedious subject.
Moreover, from past conversations between Lynn, Martha, and Darwin, Bethany had gathered that her master wasn't even a Mechanical Wizard, but rather a Nature Wizard...
While she didn't fully understand the implications, she knew one thing: citizenship was a rare achievement, even among First-Level Wizards.
Previously, she had assumed she would be staying at Lord Darwin's place for quite some time.
But unexpectedly, in less than a week, Master Lynn was already set to become a citizen of Mechanical City...
She recalled how, during their earlier conversations, Lady Martha had sounded doubtful about Master Lynn's chances of achieving this goal so quickly.
Yet now, when Lynn casually gave his instructions, Bethany felt an inexplicable sense of trust. Without hesitation, she obediently nodded and replied:
"Understood, Master Lynn. I will have everything packed and ready for when you return, so we can move in right away."
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