by <unknown>
The screen before Han Xiao lit up.
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Mechanic Advanced Knowledge: Advanced Material Composition
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“This is weaponry knowledge!”
Although it appeared that there was only one piece of advanced knowledge suited for Mechanics available, Han Xiao was happy enough to have it.
Now, no one in Stardragon will be able to stop me!
Han Xiao pressed enter without hesitation. Immediately, columns of texts and complex diagrams flashed across on the screen.
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Advanced knowledge detected.
[Advanced Material Composition]
Use 2 talent points to learn. Y/N
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“Yes!”
Han Xiao began to grow dizzy as all the knowledge on the screen started to transmit into his brain.
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Learning in progress, do not cancel.
1%… 12%… 37%…
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Although the entire process only took a few seconds, it felt much longer to Han Xiao.
Suddenly, Han Xiao flung his head back. The ‘upload’ had been completed successfully.
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Success! You have learnt [Advanced Material Composition], unlocking advanced Weaponry talents!
[Lv. 20 Novice Mechanic Advancement Mission Complete]
You may now choose one of the following three advancements: Cannonmaster, Technician, or Warmachine.
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These were the three paths available to Mechanics, and choosing one was an irreversible decision.
Cannonmasters specialized in long-ranged bombardment and heavy artillery. At higher levels, they possessed frightening firepower. It was commonly known in Galaxy that the key to winning or losing against Cannonmasters lay in range.
If the enemy Cannonmaster is within 100m, don’t hesitate—charge him down!
However, if he is over 1,000m away, it would be wise to proceed with caution.
And if he is 3,000m away… well, that won’t be the end of the world just yet, but any further and good luck, buddy.
Warmachines, on the other hand, employed technologically advanced combat weapons to fight at close range. From bio-armor to mobile suits, there were many ways for Warmachines to quench their thirst for melee combat.
Yet, when compared to the Technician, both of these paths steered away from the true essence of a Mechanic—invention.
Over 80% of blueprints were exclusive to Technicians, so choosing either path would mean forfeiting the ability to create many higher-level gear and machines.
The trade-off was that they were superior to Technicians in combat and, to most, more fun to play. After all, most people considered ‘manufacturing’ classes to be boring. Technicians were always the least popular class, until Version 3.0.
In Galaxy, Han Xiao had mained a Technician, preferring them to the other two paths, so he had already set his mind on the Technician path from the very start.
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Congratulations! You have succeeded in class advancement.
Han Xiao could feel an invisible, mysterious power wrapping around his body.
You are now a Technician (Lv. 1).
+30 STR, +1 DEX, +1 END, +3 INT
3 Attribute Points Gained
1 Talent Point Gained
You have completed the first advancement. Endurance stat-boost has increased:
1 Endurance = 15 Max HP
1 Endurance = 18 Stamina
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Although from start to end nothing appeared to have happened in the eyes of Gu Hui and the others, incredible changes had taken place within Han Xiao’s body. At present, the mysterious power enveloping him was not only granting him new power—it was awakening the dormant energy lying within his very cells, causing it to resonate.
Suddenly, the interface lit up.
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You have gained Energy Affinity: Metal!
You have acquired a new ability: Presence of Mind!
You have learnt Energy Training Technique!
You have learnt Intermediate Mechanic Affinity!
You have learnt Blueprint: Special Platinum Alloy!
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When the process ended, Han Xiao felt as though his body had been entirely remodeled.
He could now see with stunning clarity the tiny specks of dust on the keyboard, and even the previously unnoticeable buzz of the current running throughout the glass sphere room was now clearly audible to him.
“I did it!”
Han Xiao brought up the character information tab.
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Name: Han Xiao
Race: Human (Carbon-based)
Model: NPC (Launch countdown: 138 days, 3 hours & 51 minutes)
Level: 21
Experience: 181,000
Main Class: Lv. 10 Novice Mechanic/ Lv. 1 Apprentice Technician (0/50,000)
Health: 670/670
Stamina: 854/854
Attributes: 31 STR, 18 DEX, 38 END, 32 INT, 1 MYS, 5 CHA, 1 LUK
Unassigned Stat Point(s): 3
Energy: 160/160 (Lv. 3)
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(NEW) Energy Type: Magnetic – Gives a Bonus to Machinery Affinity
Lv. 1 (10 Energy) – [STR +1, DEX, +1, END +1, INT +1] Max Stamina +20, Damage (Machinery) +1%, Crafting Speed +1%
Lv. 2 (50 Energy) – [STR +3, DEX, +2, END +3, INT +1] Max Stamina +50, Damage (Machinery) +2%, Crafting Speed +2%
Lv. 3 (100 Energy) – [STR +3, DEX, +3, END +5, INT +2] Max Stamina +100, Damage (Machinery) +3%, Crafting Speed +3%
Energy Level: 98-104
Grade: Class E Superhuman
[You have finally taken the first step of transcendence. Don’t get too full of yourself, there is still a long way to go.]
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Specializations: [High Focus], [Lesser Mental Resistance], [Hard Worker]
(NEW) [Presence of Mind] – +5 INT
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Class Abilities:
– Basic Machinery Affinity Lv.5
– Basic Maintenance Lv. 10
– Basic Enhancement Lv. 10
– Basic Refining Lv. 1
– Overload Lv. 1
Blueprint: Sky Swallow Gliders Lv. 1
Blueprint: Prosthetic Limb Lv. 1
Blueprint: Lightweight Mechanical Arm Lv. 1
Blueprint: Rover Lv. 1
Blueprint: High Explosive Lv.3
Blueprint: Retractable Knife Lv. 2
(New!) Intermediate Mechanic Affinity Lv. 1 – +2% Production Quantity – +2% Production Speed
(New!) Strafe Lv. 1:
Cost: 3 Energy, 15 Stamina.
Cooldown: 12s
For two seconds, enables instantaneous movement within a 3-meter radius. Grants 15% bonus firing speed for the duration of the skill. Can only be used when equipped with a gun. (This skill can be activated even if you are on your last bullet.)
(New!) Blueprint: Platinum Alloy
Grade: Green
This material is made with advanced technology. It has high ductility and is suitable for making armor and various machines.
Crafting Requirement: Basic Refining Lv. 5
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Other Abilities:
Basic Combat Lv. 10 – +10% Damage (Barehanded), +2 STR, + 1 END
Basic Shooting Lv. 8 – +8% Accuracy (Ranged)
Grappling Lv. 5 – +7% Counter (Melee), +10% Damage (Barehanded)
Pre
cise Aim Lv. 1 – +3% Accuracy (Ranged), +2% Critical Rate (Ranged)
Special Ops Combat Lv. 1 – +6% Critical Rate (Melee), +4% Damage (Barehanded)
Stealing Lv. 1
(New!) Energy Training Technique – +10 Energy – 0/80 times (Each use costs 800 experience and 500 stamina)
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Talent Points: 16
Class Talent Tree
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Weaponry
Basic Assembly Lv. 1 (0/1)
Basic Mechanical Engineering Lv. 2 (0/1)
Basic Bionics Lv. 2 (0/1)
Basic Weaponry Knowledge Lv. 1 (0/1)
Basic Material Knowledge Lv. 1 (0/1)
(New!) Advanced Material Composition Lv. 1 (0/2)
[14 Talents Not Learnt]
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Energy
[20 Talents Not Learnt]
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Manipulation
[20 Talents Not Learnt]
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Reputations:
Germinal Organization – Hated (-1000)
Stardragon SDI (Division 13) – Neutral (300/1000) – Clearance Level 1
Legend: 0
Chapter 49. Squad Leader's Return |
180,000 experience—45,000 from the Black Spider mission, and the rest mostly accumulated from Han Xiao’s efforts in tirelessly crafting Retractable Knives and Highly Explosive Gunpowder. Currently, both blueprints were at Lv. 2 and Lv. 3 respectively. As they were cheap and easy to craft, they were much easier to level up in contrast to other blueprints like the Lightweight Mecha Arm, or the Rover.
A month had passed since Han Xiao arrived at the Western Capital. Since then, Han Xiao had earned an overall amount of 200,000 experience, which was equal to a third of what he had earned back in his 6-month stint with the Germinal Organization. Now, with over $1,500,000 in his possession, finances were the least of Han Xiao’s concern.
The first-class advancement was the biggest game changer as it granted the player an energy attribute.
Han Xiao lightly pressed his thumb towards his index finger. As soon as he did so, his index was enveloped by a sort of invisible air. It felt similar to a weak current, and Han Xiao could discern that it was magnetism. Magnetism was one of the attributes that a Mechanic could specialize in. Combat-wise, it was not as powerful as the destructive attributes of fire or lightning. Instead, its main use was in strengthening the Machinery Affinity of a Mechanic. It would eventually allow for automated crafting.
Energy Attributes were not limited to just the natural elements. Instead, they could be thought of more as ‘concepts’ of how each class uses energy. For example, the energy attribute for Psychics is [Spirit]. Furthermore, energy attributes could also be nurtured and changed. For example, a Pugilist who cultivated various techniques would be able to grasp the speed of wind, power of fire, or hardness of iron, etc.
[Abstract Thinking] and [Intermediate Machinery Affinity] were self-explanatory, while [Strafe] was an active defensive skill.
If Han Xiao had chosen the path of Cannonmaster, he would have gained three new skills. However, he only gained one: [Strafe], a defensive skill. Han Xiao was by no means a coward who did not dare to face the enemy head-on, but he did indeed prefer a dual-natured skill like this that could be used both offensively and defensively to other flashy and high-damage ones. Furthermore, gaining unlimited ammo, even if temporary, could prove to be useful.
[Energy Training Technique] was a common skill acquired after the first advancement.
It was a special type of ‘growth’ skill that did not have a level system. Instead, its effects could be improved through repeated usage/practice that expended experience, and each use increased the character’s energy, up until the skill’s set usage limit. The user’s energy attribute played an important part in the training effectiveness.
Most energy-related training techniques utilized such a growth system.
Energy was indeed an integral part of Superhumans. It largely decided a character’s grade and power level. The early levels of energy stages are as follows:
Lv. 1 -10
Lv. 2 – 50
Lv. 3 – 100
Lv. 4 – 200
Lv. 5 – 400
Lv. 6 – 1000
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Not only did reaching the next energy level give each player bonus stats, there were also extra benefits that could be unlocked upon reaching certain levels.
Lv. 1 was the bare benchmark, and while Hila was only Lv. 30, her energy level had already reached 500 ouna, roughly five times more than Han Xiao’s. One of the reasons for this was the Energy Training Technique system.
Platinum Alloy was a new material-type blueprint acquired through [Advanced Material Composition]. The alloy itself was green in color, and it was well-suited for making armor due to its sturdiness. Its crafting requirement was Lv. 5 Novice Refining.
Of the 180,000 experience at hand, Han Xiao decided to spend 25,000 to reach Lv. 10 Agent. This gave him a number of stats (+2 STR, +2 DEX, +3 END, +1 CHA), as well as 1 talent point and 1 assignable stat point.
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Advancement detected! Delete [Civilian] Class?
Y/N
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The [Civilian] class was simply one of the default starting classes for new characters. It functioned as a tutorial class that could be deleted upon the first advancement. The experience that a player put into the [Civilian] class would be refunded upon deletion, unless the unknowing player had maxed it out.
“Delete, I guess,” mumbled Han Xiao to himself. There was nothing to lose from deleting it.
The [Civilian] class subsequently disappeared from the information window, leaving it to reflect only a max level [Agent], as well as Han Xiao’s character level of 21.
Next, Han Xiao inputted another 45,000 experience points to raise [Basic Shooting] to Lv. 10, which gave him 10% Accuracy, +2 DEX, and another talent point.
In short, Han Xiao had just spent 70,000 experience points, but he still needed to save 64,000 for the [Energy Training Technique], leaving him with… yup, give me a second…
47,000 more experience points!
“I’ll keep them for now,” muttered Han Xiao, lamenting how quickly the experience points vanished.
Fortunately for him, there was still the High-explosive Gunpowder that he had been stocking up on. It would ensure a steady stream of experience ahead.
…
When the time was up, Gu Hui promptly escorted Han Xiao back upstairs, where Feng Jun had been waiting.
Suddenly, Han Xiao remembered something.
“Oh right. I heard that it was a guy called Korat who stirred up this incident. Help me get word out that I won’t be selling anything to this person.”
Feng Jun grimaced.
“Do you think I’m a messenger or something?”
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
“Aren’t you?”
Feng Jun opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“Fine,” he groaned.
…
“He says he’s blacklisted me?”
Korat laughed coldly, seemingly unfazed.
All along, he had only been concerned with personal gain, and he did not see how Han Xiao could ever pose a threat to him.
…
With the resolution of the incident, Han Xiao returned to the workshop, where three days went by peacefully.
Having just advanced, Han Xiao spent the time adjusting to his newly upgraded body. With his past life’s experience, he quickly got in sync and began to train with the [Energy Training Technique]. Each training expended experience points, as well as stamina. As stamina recovery rate was limited, and Han Xiao had to continue with manufacturing, he could only train up to two times a day.
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You have trained with [Energy Training Technique] once.
Mastery: 81%
Stamina: +3
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Training effectiveness depended on the main stat of one’s class. The main stat for Mechanics was INT, so he devoted four unassigned points into INT, raising its total to 36. Previously, Han Xiao had needed to put quite a few points into STR and END, but that was only for the purpose of escaping the Germinal facility. From now on, he could focus solely on INT.
The effectiveness of [Energy Training Technique] was divided into three stages:
+1 Stamina for lower than 40% Mastery
+2 Stamina for 40%-80% Mastery
+3 Stamina for 80% and above Mastery
Han Xiao was right on Stage 3.
As Han Xiao had no other outlet to sell the Retractable Knife for now, and a few days had already gone by, he felt that it was about time to release the gunpowder. By now, he had produced thousands of bullets.
He was just about to ring Li Ya Lin up when she beat him to it.
“Leader is out of the hospital. He’s called us up.”
…
Han Xiao found himself the last to arrive at the secret ops team meeting room, where, other than the trio, was another man. The man’s face was extremely square, and he seemed both righteous and stern. He looked extremely reliable and currently had his lips pursed.
“So, you are Han Xiao?”
The team leader’s eyes were filled with both unhappiness and caution as he examined Han Xiao.
Han Xiao was caught off guard by him. Suddenly, Li Yao tugged on his sleeve and muttered to him, “He has the final say in who can join secret ops, but since your case was special, and you had the approval from the higher ups without going through him, he’s a bit—uh—unhappy. But don’t worry. Leader might be strict, but he’s not a bad person.”
That explained things.
Han Xiao was given a second shock when he turned to look at Li Yao. Li Yao’s entire body was wrapped in bandages, and he looked very much like a giant rice dumpling, with only his eyes and mouth revealed. It was an extremely pitiful state.
“Who beat you up?” asked a bewildered Han Xiao.
Suddenly, Li Ya Lin coughed.
Li Yao looked as though he was about to say something but changed his words. “I— I fell down.”
