Mechanical Alchemist

In the dimly lit basement, Su Lun retrieved the alchemy equipment he had brought back from the black market.

This was a set of spider arms that, while unimposing when retracted, stretched out nearly eight meters.

Under the flickering light of the gas lamps, a dark, non-golden metallic luster reflected off the eight spider limbs. Upon closer inspection, each limb was densely engraved with intricate and mysterious runes.

The reason why a "Forging Master" was needed to craft this equipment lay in those runes. Engraving so many runes on such narrow spider limbs was definitely beyond the capabilities of an ordinary craftsman.

Although Su Lun was still far from a master in alchemy, his eye for quality was not lacking.

He could see that on these spider limbs, there weren't just single-layer runes but also interwoven, multiple layers of rune techniques.

It was like overlapping several different patterns on the same piece of paper, where each pattern had to remain distinct and complete without affecting the others. This required extremely high rune-carving skills.

Su Lun was very satisfied with the appearance of this equipment, its low-key and stable color, especially since it also met various professional needs.

With the identification from the All-knowing Eye, he was not afraid of any hidden issues left by the treacherous deputy dean of the black tower in the equipment.

And indeed, just as the designs had described, even with some special materials, there were some minor attributes enhancements.

[Eight-Armed Spider Spear]

Detailed description: First-tier dark gold quality alchemy equipment, requires high-level control skills; containment value rating A+ or above, dark spiritual power value 1350 points, mutation rate less than 8%; once merged, overall body toughness +25, elemental resistance +20, agility +12, toxin resistance +50%;

....

The profession of an alchemist is very ancient.

They explore the mysteries of nature, seeking the ultimate truths of the material world, but they do not focus on personal cultivation.

The great ancient alchemists also found that frail bodies were a shackle that limited their study of alchemy, while also making them weak in combat.

Some combat-oriented magicians thought of using special biological parts grafted onto their bodies to enhance their attributes.

But because direct transplantation would cause the body to have a rejection reaction with alien organisms.

Until a certain ancient era, a mysterious and powerful high-tier alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, came up with a method. He used the Space Law + the Law of Equivalent Exchange to develop a special type of equipment fusion method that could "deceive" the body into not rejecting it.

This method allowed external equipment to exist on the host in a form of "spatial markings". It remained sealed on normal days, and when needed, the seal was undone, and powered by dark spiritual power for use.

Subsequently, through generations of alchemists' improvements, this gradually evolved into the current system of "Cursed Mark Equipment".

And the "new-style magicians" are even more extreme, they no longer settle with biological limbs but think of replacing some or even all body parts with machinery...

....

After consuming a [Mutation Tolerance Enhancement Potion], Su Lun determined that the success rate of the fusion had reached 97%.

He did not hesitate and began setting up a five-pointed star alchemy formation on the basement floor with materials he had prepared beforehand. Like before, he started by muttering the universal alchemist incantations, then guided the formation to function.

"Abide by the Law of Equivalent Exchange, praise the glory of the primal creator, witness the miracle of creation through alchemy..."

After the five-pointed star lit up, a mystical "chemical reaction" began. The Eight-Armed Spider Spear gradually dissolved into the light of the formation, then slowly merged into his body.

Soon, the light of the formation dissipated, and the equipment fused perfectly.

Su Lun clearly felt a comfortable sensation akin to being soaked in warm water, and upon checking his attribute panel, he saw a significant increase in toughness and resistance.

This also meant... he was tougher to beat up now.

For instance, where a gunshot might have once pierced a fist-sized hole in his skin, it would now likely make a much smaller hole, greatly increasing his chances of survival.

With the successful fusion of the equipment, Su Lun was now truly a first-tier professional.

He thought for a moment, then formed seals with both hands, changing into eight different sorcerer's seals.

The essence of a "sorcerer's seal" is to guide the dark spiritual power inside the body along a specific trajectory, thereby quickly consolidating an alchemy formation and unlocking the "spatial markings" of the equipment.

Each sorcerer's seal represents a specific flow trajectory of dark spiritual power.

Different equipment sealing combinations also vary, following the distinctions of the "Earth Wind Water Fire" four elemental sources. Su Lun's Eight-Armed Spider Spear, derived from the earth-based "metal property" equipment, required eight seals aligned to form the "Pentagram Flash Gold Formation".

Also, because he had previously harvested the soul of assistant professor Rosa from the Black Tower Academy, he had acquired the skill [Quick Seal Formation]. Although it was his first time forming seals, there was a strangely familiar feeling. The eight seals were orderly and the dark spiritual power within his body surged rapidly.

The sealing was quick and precise, and in less than two seconds, the five-pointed star formation at his feet lit up.

As the light faded, eight fierce dark golden spider limbs suddenly appeared from Su Lun's back.

"So this is what it feels like to possess equipment..."

Su Lun felt incredible as eight spider spears emerged from his spine, and even the skin on his entire back became tough.

It didn't feel like wearing external equipment; rather, it was as if he had spontaneously grown eight arms that his brain could manipulate at will.

The ability to multitask allowed Su Lun to quickly get into the groove, as he controlled the spider limbs and carefully began to scale the wall.

The spider legs were covered in sharp velvety hairs and barbs, so gripping and ascending the wall was effortless.

Having previously killed the Spider Queen in the cave and stripped the "Intermediate Spider Climbing" skill, Su Lun found wall climbing with spider limbs to be completely smooth. After his body got slightly accustomed to the operation, he became increasingly agile.

With eight legs alternating on the wall, his speed increased rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he had vaulted up to the ceiling and was hanging upside down there.

"Such a fast speed!"

Joy appeared on Su Lun's face.

After a brief trial, he was shocked by his own speed of movement.

Eight legs running were at least several times faster than his previous two legs and many times more agile.

After a brief test, his straight-line running speed had roughly doubled, but the increase in agility was far more dramatic. With eight spider legs, he could move past obstacles with ease, abruptly stop, change directions, leap, and climb...far outperforming two legs, with his obstacle-crossing capability multiplied manifold!

And after mastering it, he could even accelerate further.

If he had this spider limb attachment when he previously explored the cave, would he have had to run from the monsters?

Even if he couldn't defeat them, just by running, those deformed monsters couldn't keep up with him.

Su Lun had even envisioned a tactic perfectly suited to this spider leg attachment—"Kiting Flow"!

Striking while running, striking while chasing...

Coupled with his sharpshooter's long-range shooting ability, this three-dimensional mobility dramatically boosted his combat power.

Whether outdoors or in the city, it was an unprecedented ability for preserving life and pursuing foes.

...

However, the spider spears served more than just mobility; their attack power was not weak either.

The eight spider spears featured retractable "Toxic Spikes."

These spikes, engraved with "Armor-Piercing Runes" and "Durability Runes," could easily penetrate iron plates.

Su Lun leapt down from the ceiling, and the eight spider limbs spread out to cushion and absorb the impact, allowing his body to land smoothly without any shock.

At that moment, he operated a spider spear stabbing toward an old steam pipe not far away, penetrating it as easily as if sticking into soft mud.

"Such strong piercing power..."

Su Lun looked at the gleaming sharp spike on the spider spear with fascination in his eyes.

Although his marksmanship had been decent, his close combat abilities weren't particularly outstanding. Now, with this spider limb attachment, his close combat capabilities had surged dramatically.

Could an enemy with two arms defeat him with ten? Especially since he now had super elongated arms with a span of four meters each, eight spears stabbing simultaneously, instantly turning someone into a bloody sieve...

At that moment, Su Lun also took out a puppet manipulated by steel wires.

Although the spider limbs lacked fingers, having an extra eight limbs with the hardened velvety hair and barbs on the spider spears, which were meant for manipulating spider silk, made them as smooth and flexible as fingers, if not more so.

Now, controlling the steel wires, one spider limb could even control multiple wires, and with several limbs working together, he could manage even more wires.

This allowed Su Lun to control two puppets while freeing up both hands to hold guns.

"Now, with my hands completely free, I can manipulate puppets and cast spells while fighting..."

The more Su Lun experimented, the more enthusiastic he became; he also seemed to want to test the limits of his control, pulling more and more wires.

But soon, he couldn't help but laugh and cry.

After controlling four puppets, the wires were everywhere, in a chaotic mess, almost binding him up.

It was his first attempt at multitasking with eight tasks, and his skills weren't proficient enough, clearly straining his capacity.

However, even so, Su Lun was quite satisfied.

After all, the "Multi-tasking" skill could be improved by practicing...

He was very pleased with this eight-limbed spider spear attachment.