The Logistics Hall of the Academy was a chaotic blend of a slaughterhouse and a stock exchange. Students from the Combat Department dragged in bloody carcasses, while Alchemy students haggled over bundles of herbs.

  When Julian walked in, dragging the massive corpse of the Iron-Hide Boar on a floating wooden sled (a basic rental tool), heads turned. Not because of the monster—Level 3 boars were common—but because of who was dragging it.

  "Isn't that the F-Grade guy?" someone whispered. "The one with the broken resonance?"

  "Did he find that pig dead? There’s not a scratch on it."

  Julian ignored the chatter. He walked straight to the appraisal counter. The clerk, a bored-looking senior student with a "Grade C" badge on his chest, didn't even look up from his ledger.

  "Name and item," the clerk grunted.

  "Julian Thorne. Iron-Hide Boar. Complete carcass."

  The clerk, whose name tag read 'Venn', finally looked up. He sneered when he saw Julian. "Look, fresh meat. Listen, if you found a corpse in the woods, we only pay 10% value. Rotting meat isn't worth my time."

  "It was killed twenty minutes ago," Julian said, his voice level. "And it is not rotting."

  Venn walked around the counter, tapping the boar’s rocky side with a metal rod. "No external wounds. No blood. Did you poison it? If the meat is tainted, I'm charging you a disposal fee."

  "No poison. Kinetic liquefaction."

  "Liquefaction?" Venn frowned. "Whatever. If I can't see the wound, I can't verify the kill. Plus, skinning these things takes hours. The hide is fused to the muscle. By the time we peel it off, the value drops by half."

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  Julian adjusted his glasses, fighting the urge to snap back. He needed this money. Insulting the clerk wouldn't help.

  "The value holds if the extraction is perfect," Julian said calmly. "May I demonstrate?"

  Venn’s face turned red. "Excuse me? I'm a Logistics Major. I know how to butcher a—"

  "Step back," Julian interrupted.

  Julian placed his hand on the boar's neck. He didn't need a knife. He needed a specific frequency.

  The connective tissue between the skin and the muscle had a different resonant frequency than the dense rock-skin or the soft meat. It was a structural weak point—a layer of fascia that held everything together.

  [Skill: Internal Oscillation]

  [Target: Subcutaneous Fascia Layer]

  [Frequency: 45 Hz - Shear Wave]

  Julian hummed low in his throat. His mana pulsed.

  *Zzzzzzt.*

  A strange sound, like a zipper being undone, echoed through the hall.

  Julian grabbed the thick scruff of the boar’s neck and pulled. With a wet, sliding sound, the entire Iron-Hide skin—rocky plates and all—slid off the meat body like a loose jacket. It was a perfect, seamless peel.

  The Logistics Hall went silent.

  The meat underneath was red and tender, completely undamaged by knives. The skin was a perfect, whole sheet, with no cuts or holes.

  [Ding!]

  Skill Proficiency: [Anatomy] unlocked.

  Venn stared at the separated skin, his mouth open. "That... that's a Perfect Grade pelt. Even the instructors damage the edges..."

  "Assessment?" Julian asked, wiping his hand on a rag.

  Venn swallowed hard, his arrogance gone. "A standard boar is 20 Credits. With a Perfect Pelt... and undamaged tusks... The Alchemy Department will pay a premium."

  He hurried back to the register, typing furiously.

  "150 Credits. And... 10 Contribution Points."

  The murmurs behind Julian grew louder. 150 Credits was a month's allowance for a wealthy student. For an F-Grade commoner, it was a fortune.

  Julian took the credit chip. He didn't smile. He didn't gloat. He simply nodded. "Efficiency is its own currency."

  He turned and left the stunned crowd behind. He had money now. And the first thing he needed wasn't food or clothes.

  He needed a conductor.

  Julian walked straight to the "General Goods" section, bypassing the rows of shiny swords and magical staffs. He stopped in front of a dusty shelf labeled *Musical Instruments & Bardic Supplies*.

  He picked up a slender, silver rod. It was a tuning fork, made of low-grade Star-Steel, intended for tuning lutes.

  [Item: Bard’s Tuning Fork]

  [Material: Star-Steel Alloy]

  [Conductivity: High]

  [Damage: 1-2 (Blunt)]

  "That's 5 Credits," the shopkeeper said, confused. "You learning to play the harp, kid?"

  Julian flicked the fork. It rang with a pure, clear tone that resonated with his mana perfectly.

  *Ping.*

  "No," Julian smiled—a genuine, small smile this time. He placed the coins on the counter. "Just a physics experiment. Thanks for the deal."

  He walked out with the tuning fork humming in his pocket. He was learning to amplify.

  Author's Note: