Chapter 112: Energy Fields
He could even see scratches and tiny imperfections on the surface.
Perhaps this was what the complete version of Enhanced Cognition was truly supposed to be.
In addition, Joo Joowon discovered that he could now see what could only be described as "biological light."
Or perhaps it could be called an aura?
After thinking about it for a moment, he decided to call it an energy field.
This energy field resembled the halo surrounding the sun.
It had shape but no substance.
It seemed both present and absent at the same time, yet under the perception of Mental Power it was incredibly obvious.
Joo Joowon could not determine whether this was the complete version of Enhanced Cognition, whether all people whose Mental Power naturally exceeded ten points would gain this ability, or whether it was perhaps a combination of both.
He carefully examined the cactus, looked at himself in the mirror, and finally moved to the window to observe the zombies wandering the streets below.
After that, he more or less figured out the situation.
These energy fields could not be seen through reflective objects such as mirrors.
They only appeared when directly observing the original body itself.
The energy fields surrounding living creatures were not made up of a single type of energy either.
Taking Joo Joowon himself as an example, there were several different types of energy surrounding his body.
Part of it came from his equipment, while another part originated from himself.
However, the two did not remain separate.
Instead, they blended together naturally.
The closest comparison was once again the halo around the sun.
The center of the field was formed by his own body’s energy, while the outer rings consisted of colorful halos created by his equipment.
Those colors were incredibly difficult to distinguish.
Without careful observation, it was almost impossible to determine which piece of equipment each color belonged to or even what quality that equipment possessed.
The energy field generated by the body itself was even more difficult to identify.
Unlike equipment, it possessed no color at all.
Yet it radiated a bright and burning sensation similar to staring directly at the sun.
It almost felt as though Mental Power would melt away if it approached too closely.
After concentrating on it for a while, Joo Joowon gradually figured out how to perceive both the attributes and intensity of these energy fields.
When he sensed his own energy field, the feeling it produced was similar to a swallow returning to its nest.
To him, his own aura seemed to possess a calming effect that made both his body and mind feel comfortable.
When he examined Bomi’s energy field, however, the sensation was completely different.
Its aura felt light and gentle.
Yet hidden beneath that softness was a faint but unmistakable bloodthirsty restlessness, as though it were warning others not to underestimate it.
When his Mental Power approached too closely, he even experienced the illusion of staring directly into the sun, as if his senses were being overwhelmed by blinding light.
The energy field surrounding the foxtail grass felt even stranger.
Joo Joowon could not determine whether it was strong or weak at all.
There was only a single impression.
It smelled good.
This was the first time Joo Joowon had ever experienced Mental Power itself giving off signals of hunger.
Did that mean that, unlike the cactus, the foxtail grass was truly some kind of heavenly treasure?
Joo Joowon was not entirely sure.
The feeling was simply too vague.
What if it was bait instead?
After all, the plant kingdom contained countless species that deliberately released sweet fragrances in order to lure prey into traps.
Through these energy fields, Joo Joowon was able to roughly determine that Bomi’s level was definitely lower than his own.
However, because he lacked enough examples for comparison, he could not judge exactly how many levels separated them.
Unfortunately, this ability also had a range limit.
Ten meters was approximately the maximum distance.
It was impossible to use it for long range observation or to look at a zombie from afar and immediately determine whether or not he could defeat it.
Even more frustrating was the fact that it was practically useless in actual combat.
Trying to determine whether a monster was an elite or a lord level creature through its energy field took significantly longer than using the temporary version of Enhanced Cognition had before.
After all, Enhanced Cognition only required him to look at the color of the glow surrounding an object.
Energy fields, however, were far more complicated.
Joo Joowon had to personally judge the strength of the field, determine what quality of equipment each outer halo represented, and figure out which equipment slot that halo corresponded to.
Of course, if all of the equipment worn by a target happened to share the same quality, the process became much easier and required far less time.
Regardless, this newly developed ability still felt somewhat underwhelming to Joo Joowon.
What bothered him even more was the fact that the glow produced by his own equipment could not be hidden at all.
In other words, if other people eventually discovered this method of observation as well, then given enough time they might be able to completely figure out all of his secrets.
Would this be the appraisal skill built into the game?
The thought left Joo Joowon feeling extremely uneasy.
How was he supposed to hide the glow emitted by his equipment and prevent other players from judging the quality of what he was wearing?
He had no interest in pretending to be weak in order to lure enemies into underestimating him.
Still, having all of his secrets laid bare in front of other people gave him a profound sense of insecurity.
Unfortunately, with the limited information currently available to him, Joo Joowon had no way of solving this problem.
Fortunately, this method of observation required a certain level of understanding and control over Mental Power in order to work at all.