Modification Ability with Limited Practicality

In the spacious study.

Bright candlelight flickered gently, casting long shadows across the walls.

Sunan sat behind the desk, intently reading the book in his hands, "Extraction and Modification of Green Chameleon Abilities."

The chameleon got its name because it was adept at changing the color of its body at any time according to changes in its surroundings.

This physiological change was mainly achieved through regulation by the autonomic nervous system, expanding or contracting the pigment cells in its skin.

The Green Chameleon's color-changing ability was several levels stronger than that of ordinary chameleons, making it almost invisible.

Even standing in front of an ordinary person, it would be difficult to spot with the naked eye alone.

The author of this book had extracted the Green Chameleon's color-changing ability, modified and enhanced it, then transplanted it into the human body, allowing humans to gain a similar ability.

It had to be said that the idea was remarkably ingenious.

But in Sunan's view, the modified ability ultimately obtained was far from practical.

First of all, at its core, this ability merely changed one's outward appearance according to the environment. No matter how fast the transformation process was, it still took time, meaning there would inevitably be the slightest delay.

People with dull senses might not notice it, but Wizard Apprentices would definitely detect something amiss.

At the end of the day, this ability could only be used against ordinary people or knights. It was utterly useless against Wizard Apprentices and still a far cry from true invisibility.

True Invisibility Spells were Second Circle Spells, which Level Three Wizard Apprentices could learn and master.

Therefore, only those with no hope of advancing to Level Three Wizard Apprentice would attempt this kind of modification.

Moreover, Physical Modification Experiments were not something that could be carried out casually.

The human body could be said to be one of the most malleable bodies—after all, many wizards used human bodies as specimens in their Physical Modification Experiments—but once someone underwent physical modification, the difficulty of undergoing better modifications or bloodline fusion in the future would increase dramatically.

Thus, although many wizards and Wizard Apprentices did not mind modifying themselves, they were always extremely cautious about it.

If Sunan had to choose, he would certainly not modify himself with this color-changing ability.

Still, this book had considerable reference value and could serve as a useful guide for similar experiments in the future.

Putting away the book, Sunan took out the parchment scroll containing the Energy Rune, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the table.

After a pause, he opened a drawer and took out several gems, placing them on the table.

Energy Runes could only be cast by Level Three Wizard Apprentices because they were composed entirely of Energy Particles, placing extremely demanding requirements on the caster's ability to control Energy Particles.

Level 1 Wizard Apprentices, who could only sense Energy Particles, and Level Two Wizard Apprentices, who had only initially acquired the ability to control Energy Particles, naturally could not use them.

However, if an Energy Rune was given a carrier to improve its stability, then even Level Two Wizard Apprentices with poor control over Energy Particles could use Energy Runes.

Many players in his previous life had relied on this method to use Energy Runes beyond their level.

There were not many suitable carriers for Energy Runes, and gems were one of them.

"However, this turns Energy Runes into one-time consumables. Every use consumes a gem, which is painful enough."

Sunan picked up a gem and examined it against the candlelight.

Even so, if it meant mastering another powerful combat method, spending some gems was still worthwhile.

Even the mighty Storm Earl had been severely wounded by assassins and left near death. This world was far more dangerous than Sunan had imagined.

To ensure his own safety, the more combat methods he had, the better.

"I'll first study and master this technique. Once I advance to Level Two Wizard Apprentice, I'll immediately make Energy Rune Gems!"

Having made his decision, Sunan immediately cleared his mind of distractions and focused on reading the contents of the scroll.

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Five days later.

His Puppet Crafting learning progress finally reached 100%.

At the same time, a Puppet Crafting skill appeared on Sunan's panel.

Standing at the entrance of the laboratory, Sunan looked at the brand-new, complete set of puppet-crafting equipment in the room and nodded to himself.

After returning from the Blackstone Mining Area, he had copied the equipment blueprints and asked the city's blacksmiths to forge the equipment.

The equipment had been completed and delivered to the laboratory several days ago.

Now that he had successfully mastered Puppet Crafting, he could finally begin trying to craft a Blackrock Panther.

More than ninety percent of a Blackrock Panther's body was made of Blackstone Iron, which was also one of its main materials.

The other key material was an energy core.

For this, Sunan chose gems as the energy core.

After all, he had no Soul Crystals on hand, nor did he know how to make them.

Even if he did, he could not make them at present.

As the name suggested, Soul Crystals were crystals formed from condensed souls.

Their raw material was purified souls.

To make even the lowest-grade Soul Crystal required at least a thousand ordinary human souls.

Or several dozen knight souls.

Sunan currently had no means of achieving either.

He could only settle for the next best thing and use gems to make an energy core.

With complete experimental records and his newly mastered Puppet Crafting skill, Sunan successfully crafted a Blackrock Panther on his first attempt.

To his surprise, the Blackrock Panther could also be placed into the Synthesis Cube.

Blackrock Panther (Puppet/Novice Knight level), a puppet construct made from Blackstone Iron. It can move stealthily through Blackstone Iron veins and replenish energy and recover from injuries by consuming Blackstone Iron.

"Looks like all non-living objects can be synthesized and upgraded with the cube."

Sunan nodded to himself.

That way, he could use Blackrock Panthers to synthesize even more powerful puppets.

As for the description's "ability to move stealthily through Blackstone Iron veins," Sunan had already seen it in Angus MacLean's experimental journal.

It had disappointed him somewhat at the time, since he had always thought the Blackrock Panther possessed an ability similar to moving through rock.

"Then again, if it really could move through rock, it wouldn't just be a low-tier puppet."

Shaking his head, Sunan looked at the leftover Blackstone Iron in the corner.

"Crafting one Blackrock Panther requires around five tons of Blackstone Iron. For the gems, I can choose cheaper varieties. The total cost comes to roughly thirty-eight Gold Coin."

That much Gold Coin was enough to buy two or three fine warhorses.

But considering combat power, the Blackrock Panther was clearly more cost-effective.

"Forget it. Let Big Brother worry about the money. I'm only responsible for crafting puppets."

High-tier puppets could automatically absorb free Energy Particles from the air to replenish energy and recover from injuries, but the Blackrock Panther clearly lacked that ability. It could only achieve the same effect by consuming Blackstone Iron.

However, given the current concentration of Energy Particles on the Starlight Continent, Sunan estimated that even if he crafted a high-tier puppet, it probably would not be able to absorb enough Energy Particles from the air.