I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 110: and... that’s how He learned how to gaslight himself.
Si Hon stood at the edge of the Magic section, his gaze sweeping across the space as the atmosphere shifted once more.
Unlike the chaos of Martial Arts or the eerie stillness of Comics, this place carried a different kind of presence— calm, almost serene... but laced with something sharp beneath it.
The air felt heavier, like it was quietly observing everything that stepped into it. Shelves of books stood in elegant rows, faint glows pulsing from some of them as if they held something alive within their pages.
Most of the people here were women, their movements composed, focused, almost graceful as they read or browsed.
There were a few men scattered among them, but noticeably fewer— outnumbered, quieter, more cautious. No one was fighting here. No one was rushing.
But that didn’t make it safe.
If anything— it felt more dangerous.
Above him, the stream windows flickered wildly back into motion, stacking over one another as messages poured in faster than before.
「Woah, we’re back?! (〃ﾟ3ﾟ〃)」
「DUDE!!!! THIS GUY FIGURED IT OUT!!!」
「No way... he’s only had the system for like a week and a half...? This progression is insane!!」
A bright notification flashed across the stack—
「Dinohappy6781wow sent a Super Chat:
Wow... now tell us how.」
Another one followed immediately, louder, more chaotic—
「Acardthatwasmaxxedoutwithcash sent a Super Chat:
OHHH MY GOD!!! MY SI HON!!! HE’S GROWN!!! (ᗒᗩᗕ)!!!!」
Si Hon tilted his head slightly, looking up at the flood of messages, his eyes scanning the overlapping windows before a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"(⌐■-■)... Seems like this passive or skill...? I got... is pretty amazing."
He exhaled slowly, then shifted his gaze forward again, briefly glancing at the people around him— still reading, still calm, still dangerous in their own quiet way.
He didn’t linger on them. Instead, he looked back up at the stream.
"It was like this."
And just like that—
His thoughts pulled him back.
***
(DUDE Is free falling — falling.)
The wind roared past his ears as he fell.
"Fuck!"
The world spun in fragments— shelves, books, flashes of movement, all blurring together into a chaotic mess beneath him.
His grip tightened instinctively around the book in his hand, but his mind struggled to keep up, thoughts crashing into each other without forming anything useful.
Then—
A window appeared.
Right in front of him as he fell.
「.......STRATEGY GUIDE
HINT: One of your skills doesn’t require a weapon or a medium to activate. Think simpler. Or... if that’s too hard— just convince yourself it works aka... Gaslight yourself.」
"What?" Si Hon snapped, eyes locking onto the message even as he continued to fall. "What kind of explanation is that?!"
Before the window could linger—
It was shoved aside.
Mimi popped into view, her small chibi form practically bursting with urgency as she pushed the guide away with both hands, her expression scrunched in frustration.
「IT’S YOUR ALL-DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT SKILL!!! (ᗒᗩᗕ)!!!」
The Strategy Guide window flickered off to the side, almost sulking. 「(눈‸눈)」
Even in free fall—
Si Hon blinked.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"Ah."
His gaze dropped to his right hand.
There was nothing there.
But—
That didn’t matter.
He closed his eyes for a split second, forcing the image into his mind— weight, grip, presence. A sword. Something to anchor the motion. Something to believe in.
He didn’t hesitate.
He accepted it.
And in that instant—
Three familiar skill windows appeared beside him, steady and clear.
「One-Breath Focus — Perfect concentration for one second
Calm Mind — Panic reduced
Stamina Flicker — Energy equivalent to one full breath」
His eyes snapped open— sharp, clear, and completely focused, as if everything unnecessary had been stripped away in a single instant. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
The panic that had been clawing at him vanished just as quickly, replaced by something steady... controlled. The rushing wind, the spinning shelves, the overwhelming drop beneath him— all of it seemed to slow, not in the world itself, but in his perception of it.
And then—
He moved.
Not in the way a body moves, not with muscle or force, but with something deeper— intent. His existence shifted, like a page being turned rather than a step being taken. For the briefest moment, his figure flickered in midair, the space he occupied warping just enough to feel wrong... more like I’m yapping for words.
Then he was gone.
The fall stopped as if it had never happened.
In the very next second, Si Hon reappeared on the sand below, right beside Edur, his feet landing firmly, smoothly, without impact. No stumblre. No imbalance. Just a quiet, A whoosh, like he had always been there from the start.
For a moment, he didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
He just stood there, chest rising once, steady, the weight of what had just happened settling into him piece by piece.
The noise around him— the distant fighting, the shifting footsteps— slowly returned, but it felt... farther away now.
Realization crept in.
Then relief.
And finally—
A slow grin spread across his face.
Then a firm hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him out of that brief, quiet, exciting moment.
Edur.
Si Hon glanced at him, then at the book still clutched in his hand, as if only now remembering it was there. Without hesitation, he reached forward and pressed it into Edur’s grasp, his movements quick but deliberate.
"Uncle— take this. Read it," he said.
Edur blinked, caught slightly off guard as his fingers closed around the book. He looked down at it, then back up at Si Hon, his brows knitting together as if he was about to question everything at once.
"Wait— what did you just— we’re talking later."
But before the words could fully leave his mouth—
Si Hon was gone.
No build-up. No warning. Just a faint flicker, like reality skipped a frame.
And in the next instant—
He reappeared.
Not in the chaos of the Martial Arts section anymore, but standing calmly within the Magic section, the shift in atmosphere immediate and unmistakable. The air here felt heavier, quieter, almost refined— but it did nothing to dull the expression on his face.
Because now—
He was grinning.
Not the small, subtle kind from before, but something sharper, brighter— laced with excitement, with realization, with the thrill of someone who had just discovered a rule no one else understood yet.
