The lobby was a disaster of open spaces and vulnerabilities. Three entrances, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a ceiling high enough to allow a troll to stand comfortably. From a defensive standpoint, it was a nightmare.
But through the eyes of an Architect, it was a canvas.
Activating the [Basic Blueprint] skill stripped the world of its superficial skin. The colours faded, replaced by a ghostly blue wireframe that revealed the structural truth of reality. Load-bearing pillars glowed with a reassuring solidity, while the shattered glass doors pulsed with a red warning of weakness.
The System was not just a game interface; it was a layer of physics that could be manipulated. A hand placed on the granite reception desk triggered the [Deconstruct] ability. The stone did not break; it simply dissolved. It unravelled into streams of glowing blue particles that flowed into the inventory, stacking neatly as raw materials.
Silas watched with his mouth hanging open, looking decidedly like a fish out of water.
"Magic," he whispered.
"Engineering," was the correction.
Using the harvested stone, a waist-high wall was erected across the broken entrance. It was not a masterful creation. It looked like a pile of rocks held together by spectral glue, but the System recognised it as a valid structure. A barrier had been established.