The essence of arcane arts is a form of curse.
Using the language of arcane arts to combine mystical items, one can awaken the mysterious energy within them and apply it to the recipient.
Since mystical items come in all shapes and sizes, and arcane arts lack the structured principles of magic, they are an experiential form of practice. Behind every mature and controllable language of arcane arts lies countless failures.
These failures often come with life-threatening risks.
Most arcane practitioners may spend their entire lives without discovering a single language of arcane arts.
Having one or two unique languages of their own is the ultimate dream for all arcane practitioners.
However, as a "fearless of death" player, Luke didn't have as many concerns.
Professional arcane players could even compile a collection of failed languages of arcane arts called "Ten Thousand Ways to Die" and showcase it online for everyone to admire.
Arcane arts, with continuous player development, rapidly grew from being an obscure system in the era to a popular one. With abundant resources available, more and more top-tier items were provided for players to experiment and consume, resulting in the emergence of various insane languages of arcane arts.
In the later stages, limitless arcane arts became the most dominant power system in the era.
Just look at the Time-Space Wings of the Azure Clear Sky to understand how overpowering late-stage arcane arts could be.
However, the current conditions did not allow Luke to complete overly fancy languages of arcane arts.
He could only choose a language that would quickly provide him with a certain level of self-preservation from the available materials.
An unexpected discovery in the Whisperer's Secret Room made Luke determined to perform the chosen language of arcane arts.
Lineage: Gluttonous.
The name sounds impressive... because it is an arcane art developed by players, and the name is also given by players.
It wasn't too high-end, but it suited Luke's current situation well.
Sunny took out the black wooden carving they had purchased from the Whisperer's Secret Room and placed it in Luke's hands.
Though it felt a little strange to control both bodies at the same time, they managed to interact in simple ways.
Luke held the wooden carving with both hands, positioning the snake head towards himself.
A rhythmic drumbeat echoed in the secret room.
Then, in the flickering candlelight, ghostly images of troll-like creatures wearing animal skull masks appeared. They surrounded Luke, drumming their waists and performing a ceremonial dance.
They chanted in a synchronized and rhythmic manner.
In Luke's hand, the snake carved on the wooden surface began to move. It slithered upwards, coiling around the cylindrical wood. The snake's head remained fixed on Luke, its red forked tongue flicking.
Sunny approached and placed a small piece of meat in front of the snake.
The snake swiftly devoured the meat.
Suddenly, it contorted in agony.
A pair of dragon horns pierced through the snake's skin on its head, and four dragon claws emerged from its abdomen.
The black snake skin flipped inside out, transforming the tiny snake scales into large crystalline dragon scales, taking on a red color.
It raised its head and let out a faint dragon roar, spewing out a jet of dragon breath resembling a lighter's flame.
A pair of fleshy wings unfolded from its shoulders.
The small snake, after consuming the dragon meat fed by Sunny, transformed into a creature resembling an Eastern dragon. It flew around Luke, flapping its wings, before finally landing on the back of his right hand.
Its tail wrapped around his wrist, and the dragon body gradually imprinted itself.
A red dragon-snake tattoo remained on Luke's right hand and wrist.
At this moment, the dancing trolls' movements shifted into a joyful rhythm.
They twisted their bodies, beat their waists with increasing urgency, and danced closer to Luke.
One by one, they merged with Luke.
The drumbeats and ghostly images gradually faded away.
Luke, at this point, felt a surge of restlessness rising from the depths of his being. His muscles writhed uncontrollably, and his bones crackled.
The excruciating pain left him unable to make a sound.
Sunny handed him a bottle of Concentration Potion, which he took a sip from.
Then she handed him a bottle of Stamina Potion, which he gulped down.
The effects of the potions quickly took hold. The pain persisted, but it became bearable.
The changes in his body's functions rapidly drained his stamina and energy. Whenever he couldn't endure any longer, he would request another potion from Sunny to drink.
At this moment, Luke began to feel fortunate that he hadn't chosen an advanced language of arcane arts. If he had truly attempted it, he would have perished in an instant.
The pain and bodily transformation persisted.
Two hours passed before the situation gradually stabilized.
Luke's clothes were drenched in sweat, and there were over a dozen empty potion bottles strewn on the ground.
At the same time, Luke sensed the changes that the arcane arts had brought upon him.
Although his body and appearance didn't undergo any obvious changes, the sense of power and heightened senses he felt were something he could only experience through Sunny.
Though it still didn't compare to Sunny's level at 60, compared to his previous self, it was like entering a completely different realm.
Roughly stronger than a two-star hero, slightly inferior to a three-star.
Once the physical burden brought about by the increase in strength completely subsided, Luke couldn't help but let out a long exhale.
Then he raised his right hand and looked at the tattoo on the back of it.
Gluttonous: It is an arcane art developed by players based on a troll race called Carnivores from the Mandel Jungle. The name was also coined by players.
While possessing the Gluttonous lineage, players gain the strength and formidable regenerative abilities of trolls.
The Carnivore trolls also possess a special ability—they can temporarily gain the strength of the creature they eat by consuming its meat.
This ability stems from their totem of worship, the Svinburnbari Snake.
Players refer to it as the "Greedy Snake."
Carnivore trolls preserve the deceased Svinburnbari Snake, an aged serpent, within a specific tree in the Mandel Jungle. During the growth of the tree, the Svinburnbari Snake becomes one with it, forming the snake's pattern on the outer layer of the tree trunk.
The pattern appears as if it had been carved into the wood.
The Carnivore trolls cut off a section of the wood, which, through a ritual, allows them to obtain the ability to gain the power of the creature the Svinburnbari Snake consumes by eating its meat.
The meat must be raw and abundant.
The ritual itself is a form of arcane art.
After a player acquires this arcane art and improves it through experimentation, they create the Gluttonous lineage, a troll bloodline arcane art.
Players with the Gluttonous lineage don't need to consume raw meat themselves; they only need to feed the totem snake to gain the power and store it for a certain period.
When the snake on Luke's hand was in its dragon form, it represented a portion of the power of the Red Dragon Nierkoln sealed within the dragon-snake's body.
Luke released the sealed power of the Red Dragon.
The dragon-snake flew out from the back of his
hand.
It roared, no longer emitting the previous "whimpering" sound, but a true dragon's roar.
Its body instantly grew larger, circling around Luke's body before rapidly transforming into sparks and penetrating his body.
Luke's eyes turned into dragon pupils, emitting golden light.
His skin was covered in a layer of red dragon scales.
His face displayed slight draconic features, and with each breath, sparks spewed out of his nostrils.