"Let Lily fetch the Valar Eagle's feather for you," Maestro wrote on paper. "And also the Golden Striped Water Leech …"

  The Golden Striped Water Leech would be used to make a Mash of them for the ingredient.

  "I know where the Golden Striped Water Leech is," Marvin replied. "Inside the body of the Seventh Hill, isn’t there an abandoned 'Sunken Palace' called Mocius?"

  "Yes," Maestro nodded. "That reservoir has been officially abandoned by the empire for a long time. They say it is haunted; the water drawn from it is red with a faint, bloody taste and is completely undrinkable. Our men have gone to explore it before, but most never returned … Are you saying there are Golden Striped Water Leeches there?"

  "Water leeches are found throughout the continent, and Golden Striped Water Leeches must live where people are abundant because they require a huge intake of blood," Marvin explained. "Normally, Golden Water Leeches in cities are quickly discovered and eliminated by the church when they prey on victims. But the underground reservoir of Zephandrel is an exception because some people keep fish there … Have you never tallied the number of fish?"

  "We have indeed noticed that each year the number of fish does not match the number of fry we release," Maestro said awkwardly. "We assumed it was because the reservoir connects with the outside, and some fish escape along the water channel."

  "So essentially, the Golden Striped Water Leeches are stealing our fish?" Lily exclaimed angrily. "I’m going to kill them all!"

  "Then you will suffer a huge financial loss," Marvin replied in a measured tone. "The spiritual essence of a dead extraordinary creature dissipates rapidly, and it loses its original value."

  "Ahem, Lily," Maestro blinked, "we could seal off that reservoir and then regularly hunt the Golden Striped Water Leeches, selling them to wealthy individuals like Master Fontaine."

  "Excellent," Lily said with bright eyes. "Respected Master Fontaine, since you desire the Golden Striped Water Leeches, you must have devised a method to collect them, right?"

  This fellow… the moment money is mentioned, she suddenly calls him "respected." Marvin inwardly grumbled but smiled outwardly and replied, "Of course, Golden Striped Water Leeches love warm, damp, dark places. Once they are sated with blood, they adhere to walls or ceilings, emitting a faint, striped, golden glow, hence their name. The method to deal with them is even simpler. A single shock grenade and a flashbang will stun their bodies and disrupt their spiritual essence, then a large net will suffice to haul them in."

  "I see," Lily began rubbing her hands together, clearly excited to use interesting weapons. Shock grenades and flashbangs were military-grade supplies, which the Thieves’ Guild could definitely obtain.

  "Then everything on the list is in order," Maestro said. "Garr Valley River Water, 10 pounds; Eden Fruit, 30 pounds; Panopea Abrupta, 70 pounds. These spiritual materials involve smuggled channels from abroad, so their price is 50 to 70 percent higher than local purchases. The Valar Eagle's feather and the Golden Striped Water Leech, normally 120 pounds each by market price, will be charged at half price for you on account of the clues provided. That brings the total to 230 pounds."

  "I will pay 30 percent upfront, that is, a 69-pound deposit," Marvin answered briskly. At that moment, all he needed was to quickly gather the elixirs. Whether by offering free information on spiritual materials or enduring a trivial monetary loss, it did not matter. "But the delivery must be tomorrow."

  "Alright." Before Maestro could reply further, Lily eagerly responded, extending both hands. Marvin smiled slightly and counted out 69 pounds in banknotes, stuffing them into her palm.

  "Consider this 69 pounds as my revenue for the feathers and water leeches!" Lily shouted at Maestro. "Advance payment for me!"

  Maestro ignored her outburst. Instead, he clapped his hands and called over a thief, instructing him to man a boat to send Marvin out.

  Sailing down the water-channel corridor, Marvin gazed at the dark water in the distance and asked nonchalantly, "What is Maestro’s status in the Thieves' Guild?"

  "He is our Duskwalk Mentor," replied the boatman respectfully.

  …

  Leaving the Aspa Reservoir, Marvin continued to the next location. In the team of five, the bloodline paths and elixir formulas of the other four had been determined; only his own remained entirely unrevealed. No one questioned him further, for deep down everyone felt that with Marvin’s insight, he had already prepared the most suitable bloodline path and elixir combination for himself.

  And indeed, that was the case.

  Marvin planned to choose the same bloodline path he had selected in his previous life while playing the game—a path called "Weapon Master." Extraordinary ones of the Weapon Master path can skillfully wield edged weapons, blunt weapons, bows, firearms, and shields. They are adept at offense, blocking, and evasion, capable of observing their surroundings and enemy information to devise tactical strategies, and possess a fierce combat instinct that allows them to anticipate imminent danger.

  The first sequence of that bloodline path is the Keystone Sequence, Prime Frame X. The elixir of this sequence greatly enhances the conversion efficiency of an extraordinary one's physical and mental strength, balancing improvements in explosive power, endurance, control, reaction speed, as well as intelligence and willpower.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  For extraordinary ones, the three most troublesome issues were: first, determining the correct order of the bloodline sequences; second, obtaining the corresponding elixir formulas; and third, gathering the materials specified in the formulas. For members of an extraordinary family or organization, the first two are usually no problem, and the third can be traded within the family network. For players, any problem that can be solved with money is trivial.

  In his previous life, Marvin was not a Renminbi warrior. He could smash the entire bloodline path with a wave of red banknotes. Thus, he must commit to memorizing every sequence in the Weapon Master path. The formula for the first elixir, "Prime Frame X," was as follows:

  Main Ingredient:

  One humerus from a Gaul Orge

  One tendon from the hind leg of a Fenrisulfr Wolf

  One portion of Remnant of Phantom

  Subsidiary Ingredient:

  Twenty milliliters of anhydrous ethanol

  Processing:

  Use the Remnant of Phantom to thoroughly corrode the Gaul Orge humerus and the tendon from the Fenrisulfr Wolf's hind leg. After adding the anhydrous ethanol and stirring evenly, let the mixture stand for 24 hours before drinking.

  This formula involved rather troublesome materials. Gaul Orges dwell in the mountains of Gaul, both inside and outside, while Fenrisulfr Wolves live at the far north of Scandinavia. Remnants of Phantoms lurk along the northern coasts of the southern continent. Collecting these on his own would require journeys in all directions.

  However, Marvin knew a shortcut.

  The three major Keystone elixirs commonly found in the Keystone Sequence are Strength X (which increased explosive power and endurance), Agility X (which increased control and reaction speed), and Intelligence X (which increased intelligence and willpower). Their corresponding main ingredients are exactly the Gaul Orge humerus, the Fenrisulfr Wolf hind leg tendon, and the Remnant of Phantom, respectively. Thus, in theory, if you can obtain the elixirs or extraordinary traits for Strength X, Agility X, and Intelligence X, you can substitute for the main ingredients of Perfect Physique X.

  So where can one get the three Keystone elixirs? In Zephandrel, of course. As the Ruler of the City of Myriad, Zephandrel's advantage lies in being the trading crossroads of East and West, located at the convergence of the northern, eastern, and southern continents. With its thriving commerce and trade, almost everything from around the world can be found here.

  Marvin strolled slowly down a street in Zephandrel's slum district, where most residents were impoverished outsiders—Anatolians or Thracians, along with Saxons and Yus. Naturally, local gangs were also present; this was the common plight of any city slum.

  At a crossroad on two unnamed streets, Marvin stopped before a street stall. He stared at the vendor's wares for a long while before coldly laughing:

  "Heh, gene agents?"

  "Respected sir, you are correct," the stall owner—a shifty-looking Yus with a short, scruffy mustache—said obsequiously, hands clasped in a fawning smile. "These are indeed gene agents from the Pendragon Church. Bloomcore I can increase your strength and endurance, Bloomcore II can enhance your agility and reaction speed, and Veilbreach I can boost your intelligence and willpower. What is even more miraculous is that, after scientific modification by Pendragon Church priests, all gene agents have none of the uncontrollable risks typical of elixirs. They can be ingested repeatedly. The more you take, the stronger you become."

  "Heh heh," Marvin said as he picked up a small bottle, shaking the liquid inside.

  He knew full well that it was not a genuine gene agent. This swindler named Herosoz had somehow acquired the elixirs for Strength X, Agility X, and Intelligence X. Instead of conducting proper business, he diluted the three Keystone elixirs with water and sold them under the guise of "gene agents." How many new players had been deceived out of their hard-earned money by this scoundrel?

  It was not until a certain player guild took him down that the scam was finally exposed.

  "How much?" Marvin asked.

  "Ten pounds a bottle," the swindler replied.

  "Give me one bottle of Bloomcore I," Marvin said, handing him a banknote. He took a bottle of "Bloomcore I" and drank it.

  "Nothing happened," Marvin said knowingly.

  "Gene agents do not work that fast," the swindler chuckled, "They require digestion by your stomach …"

  Before he could finish speaking, Marvin drew out Aphrodite from his cloak and pressed it against the swindler's forehead.

  "One Fake, and you pay tenfold. Understand?" Marvin said coldly. "Bring me one hundred pounds."

  "Uh …" The swindler's eyes darted about, knowing full well that he was not being duped but that Marvin knew the elixir was faulty and was deliberately baiting him. "My money is at home; I did not bring any with me …"

  "I knew you would say that. You don't get to leave so easily. Bring me along and fetch it," Marvin said, inwardly rejoicing. The swindler, his heart pounding with dread, quickly agreed.

  In the slum district, where there were no police patrols, Marvin discreetly pressed his handgun against the swindler's lower back. Unimpeded, he escorted the man all the way to his home.

  Using a key, Marvin unlocked the door and found five or six burly, tattooed men sitting inside, their eyes glaring hostile. At that moment, the swindler, now in custody, rolled on the floor and shouted, "A troublesome guy has come! Quickly, kill him…"

  Before he could finish, a spray of blood erupted from his body. Marvin had shot him accurately while he tumbled. The gang members in the room suddenly erupted, scrambling to draw their guns, but Marvin had already preemptively shot two of them with pinpoint shots.

  The remaining three eventually managed to pull out submachine guns and fired wildly toward the door, only to realize Marvin had already slipped out.

  "Chase after him!"

  One of the armed gangsters rushed out the door, scanning frantically, but Marvin was nowhere to be seen. Then, a wail sounded from behind—Marvin had circled to the side of the house and shot two more through a window. The last surviving gangster finally lost all the will to fight, and, crawling and rolling, he fled toward the distant street.

  At the moment he was about to round a corner, a bullet pierced the back of his head.

  These gangsters were used to preying on the poor, so Marvin felt no moral qualms in killing them. Calmly, he entered the swindler’s house and, with practiced ease, rummaged through boxes until he discovered a hidden compartment behind an oil painting in the second-floor study.

  Inside were three bottles of elixir. The bright red one was for Strength X, the deep blue for Intelligence X, and the pale green for Agility X. Each bottle appeared to have been used about one-third of its volume.

  Once an extraordinary trait is formed in an elixir, it cannot be divided further. If you pour out less than half of the elixir, the extraordinary trait remains in the original bottle, although some of its power will be lost.

  In other words, using these three bottles as the main ingredients for Perfect Physique X posed no problem. But the extraordinary power will likely be reduced to two-thirds of its original strength.

  Marvin collected the three bottles carefully, then left the house. Outside, he saw a large group of armed thugs charging toward him.