Chapter 5: Secret Arts

Deep breaths...

Deep breaths...

Lucas had no idea what his current situation was. Not only had he transmigrated into the game "Epoch," but his game character could enter as well.

However, it was normal for the game character to be able to enter.

Forget it, no point in overthinking.

His character, Ela, was a max-level 120 powerhouse!

With a max-level expert leading the way, his own level would soar rapidly. Plus, if anyone annoyed him in the future, he could just bring out the big guns to put them in their place.

In this world, there weren't many who could stand up to a fully maxed-out Elarion.

Haha...

Lucas stood with his hands on his hips atop the clock tower, wanting to laugh heartily and mock the whole city as trash.

But then he remembered something and stopped laughing.

Ela's existence was limited by time. At level 120, he could only maintain it for 10 seconds, and at level 100, only for 10 minutes.

And then it would take a whole day to recharge.

Lucas, in Ela's body, stood inside the clock tower, planning how to enhance his real body's power.

To survive in this world, one must continuously grow stronger.

After searching for a long time without finding any instructions or prompts for leveling up his real body, Lucas could only seek solutions within the power system of "Epoch."

The power system in "Epoch" was vast and incredibly complex.

Broadly, it could be divided into:

Magic, Body Modification, Extraordinary Mutation, Mechanics, and Secret Arts.

Each of these five major categories was further divided into several or even dozens of subcategories.

Moreover, there were no clear boundaries between these power systems, and mixing them could produce countless power combinations.

Shelley belonged to Extraordinary Mutation, a laboratory product of crossbreeding between humans and the supernatural creature Medusa.

Zane was into Body Modification, with his two mechanical arms being the result of mechanical achievements.

As for Lucas's game character, Ela, it encompassed all five major power categories.

But which power system should his real body start with?

Actually, Lucas didn't have many choices.

Mages need to start training their magical power from a young age. Given Lucas's current age, it was a bit too late to start learning magic.

Body Modification has immediate effects. If you want to strengthen a part, you replace it, and it becomes strong. Lucas even replaced Ela's heart with an elemental fusion reactor in the game.

But in the game, you could replace anything at will, and if it failed, you'd just respawn, at most losing some materials. Lucas wasn't about to risk his own body like that, so he dismissed this option for now.

Extraordinary Mutation, if it causes rejection, is even more dangerous than Body Modification.

Many infants had died before one Shelley was successfully cultivated, and even then, it was a defective product.

Mechanics, whether steam technology or alchemy, Lucas knew nothing about, so this option was also temporarily off the table.

Finally, the only thing left for Lucas was Secret Arts.

Secret Arts is a way to gain power through specific rituals and sacrifices. Low-level Secret Arts can grant skills.

High-level Secret Arts can bestow some ancient bloodlines.

Elarion's enhanced bloodline: Wings of Time and Space, was obtained through a ritual and sacrifice to the Elf Lord, granting him a super bloodline.

Lucas had a strong interest in these Secret Arts that allowed one to gain power effortlessly.

Coincidentally, he had a lot of Secret Arts texts saved in his "Epoch" strategy guides.

Some of these guides included ways to obtain top-tier bloodlines.

However, the sacrifices required for top-tier bloodlines were also top-tier.

Lucas opened Ela's inventory.

It was filled with various potions, red bottles, blue bottles, and dozens of different status-enhancing elixirs.

There were also common tools and weapons. But there were no materials for performing Secret Arts.

All the materials, equipment, and potions were stored in the warehouse.

And the warehouse in Seawall District was located at...

Lucas opened the map of Seawall District and found where the warehouse should be.

Warehouse 35 in Windshield Alley was part of a harbor warehouse district. Upon entering, he needed to find the warehouse manager, Ron.

Talking to Ron would allow him to store and retrieve game items. So, now it was time to head to Windshield Alley and find Ron.

If he could locate the items he had stored in the game, his real body would undoubtedly soar in power.

Find the nearest virtual teleport anchor to Windshield Alley and... Teleport.

Lucas appeared on the rooftop of a building.

Having a virtual teleport anchor was convenient, saving a lot of travel time. Unfortunately, the virtual teleport anchors could only be used by Elarion; his real body couldn't even see them.

Standing high up, he judged the direction and located Windbreak Alley.

Let's go...

Thud! Lucas stumbled forward and fell face-first into the ground.

Darn, there was a height difference between his real body and Ela, so the stride and step distance were different.

Walking in Elarion's stride with his real body's habits, it was no wonder he tripped.

Sigh...

When players create game characters, some treat them as an extension of themselves for immersion, while others treat them as a way to fulfill their fantasies.

It's all personal preference. Lucas belonged to the latter.

He never expected that his beautiful character would one day become his... avatar.

Now, with the body structure different, he really needed to adapt.

Lucas got up from the ground, first doing a set of calisthenics, then jogging and jumping in place.

He slowly adapted to the new body and the power it held, which he had never truly experienced.

He could feel the energy stored in Ela's body, like a nuclear bomb, and once fully unleashed, it would be devastating.

And the intense battle lust, influenced by the fierce battle songs in his bloodline.

Breathing out slowly, Lucas, now warmed up, stood at the edge of the rooftop. Lightly leaping forward, his figure became a faint blur as he dashed out.

Windshield Alley was near Seawall Port's docks, and through there, one could enter the harbor's warehouse district.

The night was deep.

The warehouse district was closed, with security guards on duty at the gatehouse, and guards patrolling the storage area periodically.

When Lucas arrived at the warehouse district gate, he saw a guard smoking outside the booth.

"Excuse me, where can I find Ron?"

The smoking guard was startled. Someone had walked up behind him unnoticed. If it had been an assassin, his head would likely have been twisted off.

Remembering a colleague who had been assassinated a few days ago, the guard immediately drew a knife from his waist.

Turning around, he saw standing in front of him... an elf.

And a very, very beautiful elf.

The guard held the knife in front of him, warily asking the elf, "Who are you?"

Seeing the guard so nervous, Lucas raised his hands to show he meant no harm, even giving a friendly smile.

"I'm Ela. I'm here to retrieve items I stored with Ron."