Chapter 37 - Breaking Limits!

Leon motioned for Lucas to sit down and meditate. "Now, you will have to follow my instructions to the letter. This potion is very hard to come by, and if you get do stumble on one, follow the procedure that I am about to teach you", he said. Lucas nodded his head as he listened to his instructions keenly.

"Now, circulate your Aura through your muscles. Then, as you're circulating it, down the potion", he said. Lucas listened to his instructions and did it by the letter. After he downed the potion, he felt something in his stomach, spreading throughout his body.

"Now you must be feeling a warm sensation in your stomach spreading around your body. Wait for a few minutes, and after you feel the warmth in every inch of your body, begin to infuse the warmth into your muscles. If possible, try infusing it into your bone marrow", he said. Lucas was stunned when he heard that.

"Should I try to infuse my Aura along with this?", he thought. "No. Absolutely not. Although this will reduce the risk factor when you're trying to infuse your Aura, that will use it up, resulting in.. well nothing", said Valentine as he heard his thoughts.

"I see", Lucas thought as he withdrew his idea about infusing his Aura alongside the potion, and focused on the warmth that was still spreading through his body. As soon as he felt it throughout his body, he began to infuse it into his muscles. "If I can penetrate it into my bone marrow, then when I'm trying to infuse my Aura, won't it be easier?', he thought.

As soon as he began to infuse, his body began to scream. "Persevere, Lucas. Do not stop", said Leon from the side. He wanted to scream out loud, but he grit his teeth hard. He felt all of his muscles expand and contract at the same time. "What in the hell is this feeling?", he thought as he didn't stop channeling his Aura through.

After he felt it seep into his muscles, he wanted to take a step further. "Bone marrow, here I come", he muttered as he began to channel. But as soon as he tried, he felt nothing. "Huh?", he thought. "Maybe if I had another potion, I could have doubled the benefit", he thought as he opened his eyes.

"I can't channel it anymore", he said to Leon. "To be able to channel to such extent in just his muscles, I'm afraid that his bone marrow won't be able to handle it", thought Leon in astonishment. After the process, Lucas felt tired for a few minutes. But after that, Lucas began to feel rejuvenated.

"Is this the power of the potion?", he thought. He then took out the next potion, ready to go through the same process again. After the process, he called out his Status window to look at the amount of increase he had.

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 110/220]

[MP: 100/220]

[Level: 10]

[Job: None]

[Title: Defying The Odds, Master Of Stealth]

[EXP: 3950/5000]

[System Level: 2/10]

[Strength: 43]

[Stamina: 43]

[Agility: 43+19]

[Perception: 41]

[Magic: 43]

[Stat points to be used: 0]

"An increase of 120 points? That's a lot for my first time. I hope that if I do get a potion in the future, I will be able to add more points. But if what Master says is true, then coming across one or two during my journey is going to be quite fruitful", he thought.

He then thought back to Leon's words. "Dungeon's Island in Country Namata, huh? Seems like that will be my destination for now", he thought. "Go to the Adventurer's Guild and register yourself. There you will find missions that you can take up for some money. Maybe you might make some good friends", said Leon. Lucas nodded his head.

He then left the room to go and say his goodbyes to Forge Master. He entered the Iron Forge and saw Henry working on a weapon. "The kid will be leaving today. I want to be able to gift him an armor", he said as he was hammering away. Lucas didn't enter his room and stood outside, waiting for him to finish.

"Ah, this will go well with his weapons. And these boots might give him the little edge that he always needs", he thought. Lucas knocked on the door and waited for Henry to open it. "Come in", he said with a motion of his hand. Lucas entered the room and looked around.

"Forge Master, I thank you for all your hard work, teachings, and guidance that you have given me and to this kingdom. I only hope that you will be able to do what you love, and continue serving this kingdom", he said. Henry was moved and touched by Lucas's words.

"A fine young lad indeed. Knows when to give his gratitude when due", he thought as he smiled at Lucas. "You don't need to thank these old bones. I'm glad that I was of help", he said as he motioned for Lucas to take a seat.

"I have something for you. Since you will be venturing out there, you are going to need some gear, and I have made the perfect gear for you", he said as he walked to his table. It was covered with a cloth, and the contents underneath were hidden.

He removed the cloth partially and revealed a pair of black Vans. "This was made by three people and not just me. I do not have the skills to tailor and engineer something this ingenious. Thus, I sent it to someone I knew and they made the base. I just had to add in the parts that had to be done by me", he said as he presented Lucas his first gift.

"It looks like just any normal shoe would. And I like the style too. A simple black Vans. But how would this be like the armored boot?', he muttered as he was inspecting the shoe. "Put it on your feet and tap the heels together, like the very old Nazi salute", said Henry as he was rubbing his hands in glee.

"I put a lot of thought into this masterpiece. You can't be walking around in armor all the time, and thus I came up with this idea. What if, something that you use every day is your armor? And that's when I came up with this plan. It was in the works for a long time, and I finally completed it", he said with a proud smile on his face.

Lucas did as he said and tapped both his heels. Soon, the shoe turned into an armored boot. It was black and had some orange lines running on the sides. It looked cool, and Lucas was elated. "Now to turn it back, tap the front of the shoes as you did", he said. He then followed and saw the boot turn back into a normal Vans.

"Ingenious!", he exclaimed out loud. "To think that something like this even existed!", he was screaming at the top of his lungs. "But how?", he asked Henry. Henry smiled at the kid but didn't give any answers. "You may find the answers during your venture", he said as he smiled.

He then opened the cloth, revealing a plain black leather jacket. The leather jacket had orange lines on the sides, and it looked quite comfortable to wear. "It follows the same principles as your boots. To activate the armor, you have to tap this badge on the right side", he said as he pointed out to a badge.

"That's your Blacksmith Mark. But won't people think that this is available for everyone?", he asked. "Well, I don't do it for everyone. Only those who are willing to pay me good money will be able to get their hands on this baby. But you, on the other hand, have privileges", he said and came next to Lucas's ear. "And they last even after you are banished from the palace", he said with a chuckle.

Lucas was taken aback. His heart was filled with warmth. All the years that he had no Magic, all the mocking and pain he felt, were washed away. Tears began to roll from his eyes, and he wiped them off on his sleeve. "Thank you, Forge Master", he said with snot from his nose.

He then wore the jacket and activated the armor. "I am still working on the full set. You will get a pair of pants, and a watch too. Of course, they will change. I will let you know when they are ready. And if you do find someone to collaborate with, let me know so that I can send you the procedure", he winked.

Lucas smiled. He then looked at the armor. The same orange lines were running along with the armor, and he took out his swords. As soon as he wanted to place it on his back, he heard a whirring noise. Then, a holder came out and clasped at the sheathes of his blades, attaching them to his back. "Wow!", he thought. He began swinging his swords and was amazed. "Such flexibility", he thought.

"After you learn to channel your Aura into your weapons, this will be a very good asset to your arsenal. They're not a growth type, thus they are stuck at the King Level which is right above the Legendary Level. If you're making one, just make sure that it's above the King Level", he said.

Lucas nodded his head and thanked him. He then left to look at his room, the place he spent most of his time in. "I'm going to miss this place", he thought as he fell onto the bed.. "Let's meet Grandma before I leave", he thought and went towards the Heart Family's graveyard.