Chapter 181: Time Hourglass & Epic Relic Forging

On the other side, Aurelius did not know what Elena had done after his departure, much less that it should have been impossible for him to become an Awakener, raising several questions.

Having revealed his identity as an Awakener, a weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders.

Even while walking, his steps had become steadier, different from the past, when he was tense at all times.

In fact, this didn’t make much sense.

Nothing had actually changed.

His strength remained the same, while the dangers surrounding him had not suddenly disappeared.

However, the change in his mentality after his "secret" had been revealed made him breathe a sigh of relief.

He felt a strange sense of freedom.

At the same time, the reveal had solved several problems.

’In the future, my mother will no longer worry about my safety. Moreover, she will no longer try to stop me from going to the Imperial City and contacting the Sol family.’

Since his advancement, Aurelius had been filled with confidence.

Now, he didn’t merely want to go to the capital because of the Sol family’s summoning order.

Besides wanting to deal with the matters of his own family and elevate his and Elena’s status, he was also yearning for the supposed opportunity in the capital.

’For so many forces and organizations to have gathered in such a hurry, there must be something extraordinary hidden beneath.’

The fact that the last trailer had specifically mentioned this massive gathering only served to pique Aurelius’ interest even further.

He had a feeling that the Imperial City would become the center of many major events.

Whether they were related to the Players, the mysterious gathering, or even the hidden forces of this world, Aurelius didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

By the time he had finished analyzing everything, Aurelius found himself sitting in his room, the door locked.

After organizing his thoughts, he looked at the item Elena had previously gifted him.

It was a small hourglass, with strands of sand slowly dripping from one side to the other.

Had anyone else seen it, they would have mistaken it for a simple tool or merely an ornament.

However, being an Alchemist himself, and with ample experience at that, Aurelius knew full well that it was not ordinary.

The ordinary, unassuming hourglass was a Relic! And quite a powerful one at that!

...

[Time Hourglass (Rare): A Rare Relic forged using Sand of Time and many extraordinary materials. Having been in contact with several powerful beings during its lifetime, it has been bathed in their auras, obtaining several of their characteristics.]

[Effects:]

[Time Freeze: Once per day, the user can pause time for one to three seconds. The area affected depends on the user’s strength. The duration of the pause depends on the opponent’s power.]

[Time Reversal: Once per week, the user can turn their state back by three seconds, invalidating any negative statuses and recovering from all injuries.]

[Time Dimension: The user can store skills or other abilities within the Time Hourglass. Then, they can release them with just a thought, requiring no casting time, consumption of Mana (Spirit), or cooldown.]

...

A Rare Relic related to Time.

Although Aurelius had already sensed its value through Alchemist’s Touch, he couldn’t help but be shocked upon reading the description.

Especially when he sensed the several effects accompanying the Relic.

In his mind, this item was not any weaker than the sealed Sea God’s Trident.

’If it were not for the lacking materials used during its forging and the lack of a higher-level power, I’m afraid this item would have long become an Epic Relic...’

Aurelius was confident in his assessment.

Even though he hadn’t used Transmutation frequently due to his lack of time, he was still an experienced Alchemist.

Moreover, possessing many Skill Points and preparing for the future sale of Relics to the Players, he had upgraded this skill several times.

Given a blueprint, Aurelius was confident he could forge any Relic that hadn’t reached the Rare rank.

His progress sounded somewhat lacking.

At the very least, Common and Elite Relics were unlikely to provide him with much strength.

However, that was because Aurelius’ strength was extraordinary.

Any other Rank 3 Awakener would receive a significant boost from every Elite Relic.

As long as Aurelius was willing to reveal his identity as a top-tier Elite Alchemist, countless people and organizations would rush to curry favor with him.

Whether they were the churches, the noble families, or even cults, they would treat such an Alchemist with respect.

’Unfortunately, respect is not something I lack.’

’All I need is strength.’ Aurelius shook his head.

He had no intention of becoming famous for his Alchemy.

For him, Alchemy was merely a way to improve his strength and that of those around him. Anything else was a byproduct.

Aurelius shook his head.

He stared at the Time Hourglass on the desk and considered its uses.

Whether it was Time Freeze or Time Dimension, both could play a great role in combat.

Time Freeze could completely disrupt the rhythm of a battle.

Even if the Time Freeze only lasted for a few seconds, that amount of time was enough for Aurelius to kill an enemy several times.

As for Time Dimension, it was even more extraordinary.

Aurelius could feel that he was capable of storing dozens of skills within the hourglass.

Then, whenever he wanted, he could unleash them all at once.

The lack of casting time and Spirit consumption made this ability extremely valuable.

An enemy might be able to sense an ordinary spell being prepared, but there would be no warning when Aurelius released a stored skill.

’It’s no wonder my mother asked about the type of my Class. With the Time Hourglass in hand, a Mage’s strength will transform.’

’With adequate preparations, fighting above one’s Rank is possible!’

Despite this, what Aurelius valued the most was actually the second effect—Time Reversal.

For no other reason than that it had synergy with one of his other Skills.

Netherworld Seal.

’If I can recover from any injury, the risk of engraving Netherworld Seals is far lower than expected. Even if something goes wrong, I should be able to activate the Time Hourglass and recover.’

Aurelius’ eyes gleamed.

Only he knew how powerful the Netherworld Seal was.

He could be certain that as long as he engraved enough Seals on his body, fighting against Rank 4 warrior Classes based solely on his physical strength was possible!

All that held him back from doing so was the risk of the engraving.

Now, with the Time Hourglass in hand, that was no longer an issue.

Aurelius had the impulse to immediately "seek death" again.

Fortunately, he quickly restrained himself.

There was no need to rush.

The Time Hourglass was only one of the many gains he had made today.

Besides the Skill Points and Experience obtained through the Players, there was also something else.

Aurelius’ mind stirred, retrieving an item from the System Inventory.

The next instant, a gray stone appeared in his hand.

Soul Stone.

It was a precious material that could hide the fluctuations of one’s aura.

It was perfect for lower-Ranked assassins, allowing them to get close to their opponents without being detected.

An Assassin with a Soul Stone in hand was a terrifying opponent that few people would want to meet.

Yet for Aurelius, the Soul Stone had another, more important purpose than hiding one’s aura.

"I’ve finally gathered all the materials to forge the Mystery Cloak..." He whispered, and with a thought, several other items emerged.

Metals. Minerals. Liquids.

Even fruits and bizarre mists.

A small mountain of extraordinary materials gathered in front of Aurelius.

Some he had obtained on his own. Others had come from the inheritance of the Undead Knight.

Finally, most of them had been found by the Players.

Given their immortal nature, Players could take risks that other people could not. Thus, their efficiency was far higher than that of the people of this world, even if they were weaker.

With the Soul Stone delivered today, Aurelius had gathered all the required materials.

After so long, he finally had the chance to obtain a second Epic Relic.

One that he could forge on his own, nonetheless!

...

[Mystery Cloak (Epic): A Relic developed and forged by an Assassin of the Tudor Empire. It has superb concealment effects, granting its user immunity against Insight-based Skills and Talents.]

[Note: As part of an ancient inheritance, it may contain other mysteries.]

[Effects:]

[Four Skills (Please forge the Relic to learn more)]

[+25 Agility, +200 Spirit (Mana)]

...

The materials had already been gathered.

Transmutation had been upgraded to Level 8.

Nothing was missing.

Aurelius could begin the forging immediately!

Of course, before that, it didn’t hurt to try and increase his chances a little.

With a thought, Aurelius summoned the Player Panel.

He began pouring his EXP into his Sub-Class.

[You’ve Leveled Up. Your Sub-Class has reached Level 26.]

[You’ve gained: ...]

[You’ve Leveled Up. Your Sub-Class has reached Level 27.]

[...]

"Congratulations! Your Alchemist Sub-Class has advanced to Rank 3."

"Gained: ..."

Aurelius paused for a moment.

Then, he continued onto the next step.

The Mutated Demigod’s Physique was activated.

A second later...

"Ding!"

"Transmutation has been successfully engraved onto your body!"

"The power of Transmutation has increased! The success rate of Transmutation has improved massively!"

"It has become easier to activate Transmutation!"

"Affinity with all extraordinary materials has increased significantly!"