Hauling himself up onto Phillip, Lucas turned to the others. “Okay then, I'll head in and take a look.”
Phillip trotted into the building with Lucas guiding him by the reins.
Entering the lobby, Lucas glanced around and couldn’t shake off an odd feeling.
“Just a moment ago, this place was a complete mess. Yet now…” He sighed, taking in the pristine surroundings. “System magic for you, I guess.”
“Let’s check the reward first.” Without hesitation, he summoned his prize, a Rare Skill from the boss monster.
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Please Select one of the below Skills.
- Chimeric Body
- Scorching Flame
- Winged Descent
- Dual Beast Assault
- Metalmorphosis
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Chimeric Body
Rank: Rare
Passive
Grants enhanced durability to bones and muscles, increasing resistance to both physical and energy-based attacks.
Scorching Flame
Rank: Rare
Active/Spell
Conjures a concentrated stream of fire capable of inflicting ‘Sear’ and reduces enemies' movement speed.
Winged Descent
Rank: Rare
Active
Summons a pair of temporary mechanical wings, enabling controlled flight for a brief period and significantly reducing falling speed.
Dual Beast Assault
Rank: Rare
Active
Infuses attacks with the combined essence of a lizard and a wolf, releasing an explosive energy wave that inflicts either 'Burn' or 'Stun' on nearby enemies.
Metalmorphosis
Rank: Rare
Passive
Increases your Machinery Affinity and enhances the ability to integrate organic materials with machineries.
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“Wow, as expected of Rare Skills,” Lucas said, rubbing his chin as he read through their descriptions. “Heh, looks like I can do magic if I want to.”
He pondered for a moment before shrugging. “Well, there’s only one obvious choice, right?”
Without hesitation, he selected
In an instant, all kinds of intricate details about biotechnology and its applications formed in his mind. At the same time, he felt an increased sense of familiarity with Phillip beneath him.
Sorting out his thoughts, he patted Phillip’s head. “Good boy.”
Phillip neighed softly at Lucas’s touch.
“It’s a shame I can’t pick another one. Chimeric Body sounds like it would’ve been perfect for me, a step closer to Great Mechanic Han,” Lucas mumbled while brushing his hand along Phillip’s head. “Well, it is what it is. Now, time for the main event.”
'Class Advancement,’ he commanded.
Immediately, a list of upgradable classes appeared before him, glowing faintly in the air.
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Available Class
Demolisher
Warmachine
Technician
Artificer
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“Just four, huh? Well, Demolisher and Warmachine sound like fighting Mechanics, while Technician and Artificer sound like research Mechanics,” he murmured, rubbing his chin in thought.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he complained, “You let me see the Skill descriptions but not the Class details. How are your players supposed to select a decent one?”
“Okay, if Artificer is what I think it is, then I have two fighting Mechanics, one pure science Mechanic, and one magic Mechanic. If I’m going to have an army of robots, I can just let them do the fighting, so I’ll cross out the fighting Mechanics,” he muttered under his breath.
‘Magic or no magic?’ His thoughts wandered as he drummed his fingers on Phillip’s head.
Suddenly, the cloudiness in his eyes cleared as a realization struck him. ‘Great Mechanic Han doesn’t play with magic, right? Then, it is settled!’
“Technician, I choose you!” Lucas shouted out loud.
As soon as he made his choice, the window disappeared, replaced by another.
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Please Select
- Final Stance
- Magnetic Vision
- Energy Strike
- Quick Construct
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Machinery Affinity II
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Passive
An upgraded version of ‘Machinery Affinitiy I’. Enhances the craftsmanship quality of all constructed machinery while establishing a basic connection to mechanical constructs. Provides innate mechanical knowledge essential for design and optimization.
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Special Note: The core of the Mechanic class.
Connecting Conduit
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Passive
Constantly channels ‘Mana Energy (Magnetism)’ to link and increase the overall strength of the machinery, while causing minimal damage to the machinery.
Special Note: The basic application of ‘Mana Energy (Magnetism)’ and a prerequisite to numerous advanced abilities.
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Final Stance
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
When a machinery’s durability drops below ten percent, it can be triggered to implode, creating a devastating explosion that damages all nearby enemies.
Magnetic Vision
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
Activates a unique magnetic vision, allowing the user to perceive and interact with magnetic fields and objects within a specific range.
Energy Strike
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
Fires a concentrated burst of energy from a weapon, capable of penetrating armor and shields. This ability can be linked to projectile-launching machinery.
Quick Construct
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
Summons a basic machinery using available resources. The machine’s duration is limited by the user’s energy or until it is destroyed.
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“Two choices? That’s generous.” A faint frown crept across his face as he studied the options in front of him.
Lucas crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Let’s go through them one by one. Final Stance can potentially be a strong card if used properly. Magnetic Vision sounds vague, but it’s a kind of vision skill, which means it’ll be helpful somehow. Energy Strike seems straightforward enough. Lastly, Quick Construct…”
“To be frank, this one sounds the least useful. I can technically 'Quick Construct' on my own. So I’ll cross this one out for now.”
After several moments, Lucas’s frown softened into a smirk. ‘This is it, then. Let’s do this.’
His final choices were
Confirming his choices, the system windows dissolved into white particles before rushing into his body. But before he could indulge in the high of newfound strength, a flurry of system windows flooded his vision.
“Gugh!” Lucas groaned as a sudden influx of energy surged through his body.
His body was hot.
Extremely hot.
He could vividly feel the energy tearing his cells apart and reconstructing them. Each reformed cell became stronger, tougher, and more resilient.
As the burning sensation eased, a calming chill coursed through his body. It was like showering in cold water on a scorching summer day. It was awesome.
<‘Circuit Expansion’ has replaced ‘Connecting Conduit’.>
Regaining his senses, Lucas felt different,
His five senses were sharper than ever. His muscles brimmed with energy. Most importantly, his mind was clearer than it had ever been. Ideas swirled in his head, and what was once incomprehensible now became vividly clear. Numerous conceptual thoughts he had began to take concrete form.
“Is this how the second advancement feels? This is wild…” he muttered, summoning his status window.
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Lucas Kun
Level 42
Class: Mechanic
Title:
Forerunner, Talented Crafter
VIT - 53
POW - 8
AGI - 14
INT - 115
WIL - 45
Free Points: 15
Talent: Avid Reader.
Class-Exclusive Skill:
Oversurge Protocol - Lv 1
Magnetic Vision - Lv 1
Energy Strike - Lv 1
Machinery Affinity II - Lv MAX
Circuit Expansion - Lv MAX
Skill:
Knowledge - Lv 6
Combat Fundamentals - Lv 4
Matrix Simulation - Lv 9
Analysis - Lv 8
Eternal Suffering - Lv MAX
Steel Flesh - Lv MAX
Artisan Touch - Lv MAX
Gearmaster - Lv MAX
Metalmorphosis - Lv MAX
Psionical Sense - Lv MAX
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Circuit Expansion
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Passive
Constantly channels ‘Psionical Force’ to link and increase the overall strength of the machinery, while causing minimal damage to the machinery. Machinery affected by this skill can withstand stress from overclocking-related abilities without sustaining immediate damage.
Special Note: The basic application of ‘Psionical Force’ and a prerequisite to numerous advanced abilities.
Special Note: Current overclocking-related ability: Oversurge Protocol.
Psionical Sense
Rank: Unique
Passive
Increases Psychological Resistance and Psychological Immunity. Increases Magnetism Affinity and Psychic Affinity. Improves precision and control over Psionical Energy.
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Reading through the Skills' descriptions, Lucas was in awe.
And
increased just too many attributes.
“Heh, this upgrade is totally insane. Let’s just put the points into INT.” While he was reveling in his newfound power, he suddenly thought of something.
“Didn’t I have a Skill Enhancement Ticket?” He pulled out a green ticket with an open book illustration and a plus sign. “Totally forgot about this. Should I use it on Psionical Sense? It’s Unique now, which I guess is a grade or two higher than Rare. If I upgrade it, it’ll either reach Epic or Legendary.”
Shrugging, he tore the ticket. “Might as well. It’s a chapter of upgrade galore after all.”
‘Psionical Sense,’ Lucas answered straight away.
The system window disappeared as he felt a gush of energy race through his body.
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Perfect Psionical Sense
Rank: Legendary
Passive
Increases Psychological Resistance and Psychological Immunity. Increases Machinery Affinity and Psychic Affinity. Improves precision and control over Psionical Energy. Reduces mental fatigue, enabling sustained use of Psionical Force without exhaustion
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Although the Skill description only changed the rank and added a new sentence, Lucas could feel the qualitative leap in his control of Psionical Energy. He was certain his other attributes mentioned in the Skill were also upgraded as well.
Eager, he looked around and saw piles of debris scattered on the ground. He aimed his hand at the debris, and numerous metallic scraps burst out from it, flying toward him. Sending a flicker of his Psionical Energy, the metallic scraps swiftly morphed into a pistol.
He held the pistol and channeled another flicker of his Psionical Energy. An energy beam burst from its barrel, blasting a hole in the wall.
“Neat,” he smirked, twirling the makeshift pistol and blowing on the barrel.
Satisfied with his upgrades, he patted Phillip’s head. “Alright there, buddy. Let’s go.” The horse neighed before trotting toward the reception counter, with a directory board standing next to it.
Looking at the directory, he saw that the server room was located on the seventh floor. “If I want information, this is the best place,” he mumbled as he guided Phillip toward the elevator. Fortunately, the elevator was wide enough for a metal horse to enter.
He pressed the seventh-floor button, but there was no response. Raising an eyebrow, he sent a spark of Psionical Energy to the elevator. A faint motor hum reverberated beneath his feet as the elevator jerked into motion. He felt the faint pull of gravity as it began its ascent.
“Huh, rather convenient, isn’t it?” he said, patting Phillip’s head while waiting for the elevator doors to open.