Chapter 8: Steel + Skeleton = ?

Bai Qi gazed at the mechanical armor in front of him, reflecting on his recent training. He took out a pen and paper and started to sketch. Soon, a brand-new design for mechanical armor appeared in his hands.

This time, he'd discarded some unnecessary defense armor, keeping only the basic structure. Then he reconsidered the whole weight distribution; there should be no more loss of balance during high-speed movement as experienced before.

Bai Qi looked at the black giant egg quietly lying in the courtyard and began the transformation.

Since the economy hadn't caught up yet, he'd have to rough it out for a while.

Because he was just making adjustments, Bai Qi quickly completed the transformation, while the Black Iron Egg in the courtyard cracked open.

Alpha skillfully crawled out from the Black Iron Egg, allowing his body to absorb the shell of the Black Iron Egg. The initially dull skeleton due to continuous training instantly became crystal clear.

"It must be because of the Evolution Egg. Otherwise, how would a commonly used technique in the Undead Department have such a special effect?"

Seeing what happened to Alpha, Bai Qi immediately understood and then proceeded to install the new armor.

"Come, let's see how effective it is."

Crack-a-lack.

Alpha nodded, then began running quickly around the courtyard. He encountered any obstacle without slowing down, just using his flexible joints to change shape and dodge.

"Once I have money later on, I'll replace Alpha's armor with a lightweight metal one. The effect should be considerably improved."

Bai Qi nodded in satisfaction, unconsciously picturing future scenarios in his mind. But soon, he came to his senses.

With his current resources, he couldn't afford to acquire the rare metal needed for light and defensive gear. The priority was to enhance Alpha's power as much as possible and get his Beast Master license.

"The armor is fine for now; the next step is the weapon."

Bai Qi summoned Alpha to his side and again brought out the Black Iron Egg to envelop Alpha, all while considering what weapon to equip Alpha with.

"Alpha's speed is extremely fast, but its body is very fragile, not suitable for heavier weapons, and the remaining material also doesn't allow for it. So, wait a second!"

Halfway through his thoughts, Bai Qi suddenly remembered something. He looked sharply towards Alpha, who was already thoroughly covered by the Black Iron Egg, a regretful expression on his face.

He was so focused on what weapon to equip Alpha to that he'd forgotten to first take off the mechanical armor on Alpha.

Hopefully, this wouldn't affect Alpha's evolution; otherwise, it would be a huge loss.

Worried about Alpha's condition, Bai Qi lost his mood to keep fiddling with the weapon. He paced back and forth around the Black Iron Egg, afraid he'd miss something.

Crack!

Finally, under Bai Qi's anxious gaze, the Black Iron Egg cracked open again, but Alpha did not immediately emerge like before.

Upon seeing this, Bai Qi quickly stepped forward, only to see a figure suddenly leaping out of the eggshell and landing steadily in front of him.

If it wasn't Alpha, who else could it be?

Seeing that Alpha was unharmed, Bai Qi breathed a sigh of relief, and then noticed that Alpha's originally pale white bones seemed to have some metallic luster.

Was it affected after all?

Bai Qi furrowed his brows, his spirit power locked onto Alpha, and a new set of information appeared in his mind.

[Name]: Shadow Bone Spike (Alpha)

[Race]: Undead Department

[Growth Level]: Zero Stage Five

[Bloodline Level]: Low-level Elite

[Racial Skills]: Bone-breaking Reformation (Proficient), Steel Skeleton (Beginner), Shadow Lotus Skill (Beginner)

[Condition]: Evolvable

Was this... racial evolution?!

Though he had heard that the bloodline level would undergo changes in the beast's race when breaking through significant boundaries, Bai Qi had only read about it in books, not expecting to experience it himself.

Bai Qi could barely hide his elation, leaping in cheer, and Alpha, sensing his Beast Master's mood, was also dancing in joy.

However, Bai Qi was ultimately a pragmatic man, and his rationality soon overcame his emotions. He quickly became calm and started studying Alpha's evolution.

Besides its race evolving from the most ordinary of skeleton soldiers into Shadow Bone Spikes, the bloodline level had also been upgraded from a servant to a low-level elite.

It took him one time to go from low-level servant to mid-level, two times from mid-level servant to high-grade, and six times from high-grade servant to low-level elite.

1, 2, 6....

He couldn't detect any pattern from it.

Plus, there was the factor of the mechanical armor.

Bai Qi glanced at the mechanical armor that had completely integrated with Alpha and felt a twinge of regret.

If he had known that the Evolution Egg had this ability, he would have designed a full body armor for Alpha, even if it meant selling everything.

Bai Qi fiercely pulled at his hair, forcibly directing his attention onto Alpha's skills.

There were still three skills, but apart from Bone-breaking Reformation, the other two skills had changed.

Skeletal Hardening had turned into Steel Skeleton. The effect was similar to Skeletal Hardening, but there seemed to be an inclusion of steel properties, which was probably due to the absorbed mechanical armor.

The original Stealth had unexpectedly changed into Shadow Lotus, which left Bai Qi somewhat puzzled.

[Name]: Shadow Lotus

[Introduction]: This is a Shadow Department skill. It can erase the user's presence, hiding in shadow and control the skeleton to attack the enemy,

an active attack skill!

A bright light flashed across Bai Qi's eyes. He pointed towards a big tree in the courtyard and said, "Alpha, use the Shadow Lotus!"

Alpha nodded and immediately vanished into a residual shadow. Bai Qi then saw a flower made of bone emerge from behind the tree's shade, gently twisting around it.

The lush green tree was instantly shattered, leaving a mess on the ground. Alpha quickly reverted to its original form, and the Fire of Soul in its sockets was dancing with glee.

Alpha had finally become stronger!

Feeling the joy radiating from Alpha, Bai Qi couldn't help but burst into a wide grin.

The Shadow Lotus consumed a high amount of energy and was evidently more effective when used for sneak attacks. However, this did not conceal its formidable power.

At the very least, it was a perfect trump card.

As for regular battles, given Alpha's speed, as long as it was paired with a bit of weaponry, it should be enough.

What weapon?

Shadow Bone Spike.

The best pair for an assassin was undoubtedly the dagger.

Bai Qi instantly decided on Alpha's primary weapon, and sensing Bai Qi's thought, Alpha twirled its palm, and two Bone Daggers appeared in its hands.

Okay, no more fretting about where to find materials for weapon making.

The Bone Daggers coupled with the Steel Skeleton wouldn't be inferior to typical metal ones.

Bai Qi patted Alpha on the head. With a sudden spark of inspiration, he returned to his workshop, grabbed the remaining materials, and threw them into Alpha's hands, announcing, "Alpha, let's evolve once more."