Chapter 26: The Experiment in Flesh Enhancement

Chapter 26: The Experiment in Flesh Enhancement

In the lore of the Starlight Continent, the Book Month (August) is dedicated to knowledge and wisdom.

As the Book Month approached, Su Nan began to busily enrich himself.

First, he focused on learning new spells.

Currently, he only knew two first-level spells: "Charm Person" and "Shield."

The former's effects were evident from its name.

The latter, "Shield," could conjure an invisible, transparent, tower-shield-sized barrier that floated around him, providing 360-degree protection and automatically deflecting attacks from all directions.

Since the Shield spell created a force field, it could even block incorporeal attacks like mental shocks and soul damage.

Considering his safety, Su Nan naturally chose to learn "Shield" first.

[Reading the "Shield Spell Model," Shield learning progress +0.02%]



First-level spells were significantly more complex than cantrips.

Su Nan estimated that, with the help of an active potion, it would take him about forty days to master the Shield spell.

Learning Charm Person would likely take a similar amount of time.

The second task was to craft rune gems.

For his first attempt, Su Nan chose the relatively stable Earth energy particles.

He selected a black opal, which was well-suited for force field protection.

"Unfortunately, the Starlight Sapphire is too expensive, costing over a thousand gold pieces. Otherwise, using a Starlight Sapphire would have been much more effective."

Su Nan thought with a tinge of regret.

Using a Starlight Sapphire as the base would increase the final product's power by at least fifty percent.

But that would be a waste of money, and he didn't have the financial means yet, so he opted for the black opal instead.

Black opals have a green base with black spots and golden specks, giving them a unique and beautiful appearance.

As Su Nan infused the gem with the earth-colored energy rune, the gemstone instantly emitted a hazy glow.

The glow lasted only a few seconds before quickly dissipating.

At first glance, the black opal seemed unchanged, but upon closer inspection, a layer of intricate, mysterious patterns could be seen on its surface.

[Successfully crafted a rune gem, "Magic Item Creation" learning progress +0.5%]



"Hmm?"

Su Nan was slightly taken aback.

How did he trigger the "Magic Item Creation" skill?

But then he quickly understood.

Energy runes were a form of enchantment, and combining them with a gem to create an item could be considered a magic item. Therefore, triggering the "Magic Item Creation" skill wasn't surprising.

"I thought I'd need to find relevant books to trigger this skill, but I managed to activate it by accident."

Su Nan looked at the rune gem in his hand.

Despite its small size, the gem contained a concentrated amount of Earth energy particles.

Activating the energy inside would instantly create a layer of earth elemental protection around him.

Compared to spells that required preparation time, rune gems that could be instantly activated were undoubtedly more practical in combat.

The only drawback was the cost.

Considering he already had the Shield spell for defense, Su Nan only crafted two Earth rune gems before moving on to create offensive rune gems.

His offensive spells were all cantrips, which were becoming less effective as he leveled up. Rune gems would help fill this gap.

Lightning, fire, frost, and shadow.

Except for the fire rune, which used a red zircon for its affinity with fire, the other three offensive energy runes were crafted using rubies, which were well-suited for evocation spells.

Su Nan crafted three of each type of offensive rune gem as a backup.

Additionally, he created two plant-based rune gems to aid in healing injuries.

Including the gems that were destroyed due to errors, Su Nan ultimately used eighteen gems, totaling over three hundred gold pieces.

"Crafting rune gems is a gold sink."

Su Nan sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, he had the support of the entire Blackstone City; otherwise, he wouldn't have the means to craft rune gems or even gather wizarding books.

Creating the rune gems took a considerable amount of time, and when he finally came to his senses, it was already deep into the night.

Seeing the situation, Su Nan manipulated the energy particles to clean his body. He then returned to the meditation room, preparing to use meditation as a substitute for sleep and to recover the mental energy he had spent creating rune gems.

After advancing to the next level, Su Nan continued to maintain his four-hour daily meditation limit. However, as his mental energy grew higher, its rate of increase became slower. Now, on average, he could only gain 0.01 to 0.02 points of mental energy per day, even with the help of an active potion.

"Advancing to a third-tier Apprentice Wizard requires successfully constructing nine star rings and having mental energy of at least 30 points."

"At this rate, it will take at least a decade, or even longer, to advance."

Advancing from a second-tier Apprentice Wizard to a third-tier Apprentice Wizard in just over a decade would be considered remarkable on the Starlight Continent. However, Su Nan was not satisfied. He was already considering whether to synthesize higher-tier potions to assist his meditation. But doing so would require a significant monthly expenditure, which even a wealthy family might struggle to afford.

"Unless I reclaim the Flashland and expand my territory's income."

Su Nan narrowed his eyes, the thought flashing through his mind. A moment later, he shook his head, clearing his thoughts and focusing on his meditation.

The next day, Su Nan went to the room where the giant lizard was kept. Confined in a narrow, cramped cage and subjected to daily blood and energy extractions, the giant lizard had endured a miserable month. When it saw Su Nan enter, it only lifted its eyelids slightly, then lay motionless on the ground, appearing utterly despondent.

Su Nan opened the metal cage, using Mage Hand to lift the giant lizard out and carried it to the spacious laboratory, placing it on the experimental table. This table, specially made to accommodate the giant lizard's massive size, was over ten meters long.

Although he had decided to transform the giant lizard into a magical pet, Su Nan did not act immediately. When any creature is transformed into a magical pet, it awakens at least one spell-like ability, which is primarily determined by the creature's inherent abilities.

For example, feline creatures usually awaken illusion or shadow-stepping abilities when transformed into magical pets. Serpentine creatures generally awaken poison-related spell-like abilities. The giant lizard, with its dragon lizard bloodline, Su Nan speculated, would likely awaken a spell-like ability related to physical enhancement.

For an Apprentice Wizard, such a spell-like ability is undoubtedly one of the least desirable. There are many ways for Apprentice Wizards to enhance their physical strength, making it unnecessary to waste a valuable awakening opportunity. Therefore, Su Nan planned to first perform physical modifications on the giant lizard to grant it an additional ability, which might help it awaken something other than physical enhancement during the transformation process.

For the direction of the physical modification, the book Extraction and Transformation of the Abilities of the Green Chameleon he had obtained earlier would be useful.

"Although you are not a chameleon, you belong to the lizard family, so you should have a good affinity for the ability to change color."

Su Nan waved his hand, and a cage on the table behind him floated over and landed in his palm. Inside the cage was a Green Chameleon, a creature that, while not a magical being, was relatively rare. He had to ask Mu Zhuo from the Fire Fox Guild to find enough for his experiments.

With another wave of his hand, a sharp scalpel appeared in his grasp. The giant lizard finally sensed the impending danger and began to struggle frantically, but its weakened body could not break free from the Mage Hand's grip. Realizing its fate, it let out a mournful cry, its vertical pupils revealing a human-like plea.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. After the experiment, you will become much stronger."

Su Nan cast a Sleep spell, and the giant lizard's eyelids fluttered a few times before it quickly fell into a deep sleep, no longer struggling. The sound of the scalpel cutting through flesh soon filled the laboratory.

Please support me by voting and recommending!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end