My Skills Can Evolve Infinitely in a Game-Like World

Chapter 26: Second Chain Mission & System Reminder

"Mission—Sunless Sect (2): Following your investigation, you’ve managed to obtain the location and a rough overview of the Sunless Sect’s stronghold."

"However, what you don’t know is that you may not have as much time as you think."

"Mission: Destroy the Sunless Sect’s stronghold within 72 hours."

"Reminder: Failure to complete this mission may have unintended and unwanted consequences."

Aurelius’ expression grew serious.

The previous overview Selene had given had already allowed him to grasp the severity of the situation.

Initially, he believed he might indeed have to sit back and wait for the Blood Temple to arrive before doing anything.

However, looking at the reminder near the end—and the countdown constantly ticking right below it—he knew he wouldn’t have such an opportunity.

None of the previous missions before had such a thing. This one was clearly special.

Even so, Aurelius had no wish to experience what would happen if he were to fail.

He strongly suspected that the "punishment" would not come from the Player Panel, but from the world itself. Or rather, reality.

Recalling the infamous reputation of the Sunless Sect and their actions of performing human sacrifices to please their deity, Aurelius shuddered.

Hiding his face behind the mask, he stared at Selene and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Are you sure it will take a few weeks for the reinforcements to arrive? Can’t it be any faster?"

A flicker of surprise flashed across Selene’s eyes, but she quickly shook her head.

"No."

"You should understand the structure of the Blood Temple very well. Although it is called an organization, it would be more accurate to call it a guild."

"Internally, some of us like to refer to it as the Assassin’s Guild," she joked before regaining her solemn countenance.

"A mission will have to be posted before any Assassins can accept it and form a team. In fact, this window is already a result of my own efforts and connections."

"Otherwise, the time it would have required would be far longer."

Although Aurelius had expected this answer, he inevitably felt disappointed.

It seemed that relying on the Blood Temple’s power to deal with the Sunless Sect was impossible.

At best, he could try to involve Selene, though even that was not set in stone.

Aurelius shook his head.

No longer in the mood to converse, he confirmed that Selene had nothing more to add and hurriedly left the building.

Soon, his figure blended into the darkness of the night once again.

However, unlike when he was heading toward this place, his mind was now occupied with thoughts.

The information about the Sunless Sect flashed within his mind, as well as every means he had at his disposal.

In the end, he discovered that the situation was even worse than expected.

The disparity between the two sides was massive.

He had absolutely no chance of winning against the cult at the moment.

Anyone else in his situation might have despaired. Aurelius, however, managed to remain calm and continued organizing his thoughts.

’Ultimately, the reason I’m so fearful is that I’m too weak. If I were a Rank 2, or even Rank 3 Awakener, I could just storm the suspected stronghold and eliminate the cultists with ease.’

’It’s only because of my personal lack of strength that I have to think for so long.’

Thankfully, Aurelius had just the way to improve his combat prowess.

Summoning the Player Panel with a thought, he glanced at the Experience and Skill Points he had just received as rewards and his pace subconsciously quickened.

--

Before long, Aurelius was lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

The black clothes and the mask he had previously been wearing were nowhere to be seen, having been stored in a hidden place for safety purposes.

Aurelius appeared to be dazed.

Yet in reality, his eyes were focused on the lines of text floating in his field of vision.

...

[Name: Aurelius Sol]

[Template: NPC (Common), Player]

[Title: Rabbit Killer, Fated Hero]

[Class: Arcanist]

[Sub-Class: Alchemist — Level 9/10 (0/100)]

[Rank: 1 / Level: 5/20 (0/600)]

[Base Stats:] Strength: 24, Agility: 43, Intelligence: 59, Vitality: 33, Luck: 15, Spirit: 690/690

[Abilities: Synthesis Lv. 1, Awakener’s Physique Lv. 3, Transmutation Lv. 3, Fireball Lv. 2, Light Refraction Lv. 1, Radiant Lance Lv. 1, Guardian Armor Lv. 1, Light Strike Lv. 1]

[Talents: Arcanist’s Heart Lv. 1, Alchemist’s Touch Lv. 1]

[Reputation: 2]

[Skill Points: 5]

[EXP: 1112]

[Relics: Red Hare Armor (Common), Blood Crown Fragment (Common)]

...

Several changes had taken place since Aurelius last looked at it.

Whether it was the enhancement in Base Stats, the fusion of skills, or the rewards he had just received, they were all evidence of the progress Aurelius had made over the past few days.

And now, it was time for him to enjoy the fruits of his own labor.

The very first thing Aurelius did was focus on the Sub-Class.

Then, without hesitation, he consumed a hundred of his EXP.

The familiar notifications emerged, congratulating him for his Level Up.

At the same time, the Sub-Class on the Player Panel changed.

[Sub-Class: Alchemist — Level 10/10 (Capped)]

This was the second time this had happened. Perhaps because of that, there was no prompt reminding him of its significance.

Despite this, Aurelius knew what it meant.

’Just as expected, it’s still impossible to fully focus on the Sub-Class.’

’At most, the main Class and the Sub-Class can Level Up concurrently, with the Sub-Class granting a short-term stat boost first.’

Aurelius nodded. This was something he had already anticipated and matched the analysis of TheoryMaster69.

Knowing he would have to upgrade it no matter what, Aurelius didn’t hesitate to pour the rest of his Experience into Arcanist.

[You’ve Leveled Up. You’ve reached Level 6.]

[You’ve gained: INT +3, STR +1, AGI +1, VIT +1]

Aurelius felt uncomfortable as he watched his Experience decrease.

It had previously numbered in the thousands, and he had believed it would be enough to last for a long time. But in a span of a couple of upgrades, it had nearly been exhausted.

The Arcanist Class appeared to be a bottomless abyss, sucking all his Experience in.

Fortunately, Aurelius quickly recovered.

Looking at the improvements to his Base Stats, he knew it was absolutely worth it.

At the same time, he knew that things were far from over just yet.

His gaze briefly paused on his five Skill Points before settling on his Skills.

A thoughtful look appeared on his face.