"Achievement Task: First Confrontation with the Dark Lord, obtained Alchemy (Fullmetal Alchemist) LV1."
The long-absent system notification made Dudley pause, his expression becoming peculiar.
Alchemy? Fullmetal Alchemist?
This was a work that could truly be called a masterpiece. A scene appeared before Dudley's eyes—a bean sprout and steel armor, the classic tall-and-short duo.
That was a world where alchemy was highly developed. The "alchemy" of that world was completely different from traditional alchemy in the Harry Potter world—it involved understanding, decomposing, and reconstructing the internal laws of matter.
For example, given iron, alchemists could use transmutation circles to create iron swords. Broken mirrors could be made whole again, and even cut apples could be restored to their original state.
However, alchemy in that world had to follow the law of "Equivalent Exchange"—using only iron could only create iron swords and materials of the same composition. You couldn't create something that didn't exist, because alchemy couldn't create something from nothing.
"Equivalent Exchange" meant that to obtain something, you needed to exchange it for equal value. If the price wasn't sufficient, any part of yourself—body parts, memories, anything—would be taken as compensation.
Things like the Harry Potter world's Transfiguration spells that turn buttons into beetles were impossible, but don't underestimate alchemy for that reason. Theoretically, as long as you could understand the substance itself and had sufficient materials, you could transmute anything. Theoretically, using 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 3% nitrogen, 1.5% calcium, 1% phosphorus, 0.35% potassium, 0.25% sulfur, 0.15% sodium, 0.15% chlorine, 0.05% magnesium, 0.0004% iron, 0.00004% iodine, plus trace amounts of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic, you could transmute a human.
Of course, human transmutation was forbidden—and purely theoretical. But by adjusting the carbon content ratio in an iron block, you could transmute a steel blade.
In a sense, alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist was academic in nature. If your brain wasn't sharp, you couldn't master alchemy well.
"Understanding the internal laws of matter and walking the path to truth is essential for becoming a spellcaster."
The system's explanation was reasonable, as always. The alchemy inheritance wasn't just a standalone skill—it was a legacy of knowledge.
Dudley closed his eyes, quietly absorbing the knowledge that had suddenly appeared in his mind. After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes. A different gleam flashed in his gaze. After receiving the alchemy knowledge, he felt as if the entire world had changed.
He casually drew some patterns on the ground, then broke off a corner of a wooden bed and placed it in the center of the pattern.
Transmutation circle—the first step of alchemy.
An amazing scene unfolded. Accompanied by a faint glow, the piece of wood became a wooden sword. Dudley seemed unsatisfied. The transmutation circle glowed again, and the wooden sword shattered into countless transparent crystals.
Diamonds.
Wood is composed of carbon, and diamonds are also made of carbon. Understand, decompose, reconstruct—this was alchemy from the FMA world.
He casually picked up the diamonds from the ground. These crystals slipped from Dudley's fingertips, falling to the floor with crisp sounds. Only then did Dudley nod with satisfaction.
First attempt at alchemy—the results looked excellent. A power system no less impressive than the magic of the Harry Potter world.
A smile appeared on Dudley's face. Finally, he had some special abilities. The diamonds in the transmutation circle kept changing—sometimes back to wood, sometimes to wooden swords, sometimes back to diamonds. He experimented with obvious delight.
However, the system's surprises weren't limited to just alchemy.
Ding.
The system notification sounded again.
"Forced back the Dark Lord, obtained the mysterious Zoldyck Family—Assassination Techniques LV1."
Now it's giving rewards directly without draws? Alchemy was fine, but why this?
The Zoldyck Family from the long-running Hunter x Hunter series—the world's number one assassin family. Every member, including the gatekeeper, was incredibly powerful. They all lived on Kukuroo Mountain, a well-known tourist attraction.
Getting this family's assassination techniques was undoubtedly a powerful reward, but... Since it's from Hunter x Hunter, why not just give me Nen abilities?
Nen was the biggest feature of the Hunter x Hunter series—a technique anyone could learn through hard work, capable of achieving incredible power. For example, powerful Nen users could take rockets to the face.
The key point was that Ripple (Hamon) and Nen were both life energy—their fusion would definitely produce a qualitative change. Just give him Nen, and Dudley was absolutely confident that in a few years, he could punch through this world with pure physical ability.
What good were assassination techniques?
Dudley looked displeased. He didn't like these sneaky techniques—he preferred bold, direct fighting styles. Like boxing, like Iron Mountain Lean...
However, after roughly reviewing the Zoldyck family's assassination techniques, Dudley's eyes began to shine with interest.
This is incredible!
Dudley slowly closed his eyes and began adjusting according to the knowledge in his mind. The next second, his body began shrinking at a visible rate, from his original two-meter frame to a 1.9-meter state.
Muscle control.
The most basic ability of the Zoldyck family is the ability to adjust all muscles in the body, causing physical transformation. You could change from a muscular giant to a harmless-looking person. You could also transform originally slender arms into muscular ones.
In the Hunter x Hunter series, Killua could adjust his physique. However, this change was limited, and weight couldn't be altered.
Currently, Dudley could only return himself to his state from a few months ago, but that was enough—he'd been worrying about his increasingly large physique.
"Spellcasters must maintain constant vigilance. Concealing oneself is essential."
Dudley nodded, once again agreeing with the system's explanation. "Makes sense."
The Zoldyck family's assassination arts were far more than just muscle modification. Each technique could greatly enhance Dudley's own strength.
The Zoldyck family's assassination approach differed from traditional assassins. Their style was more like another character from Dudley's memory.
King Hassan.
Using a quote to explain: "What is the perfect assassination? Kill everyone alive inside."
So while the Zoldyck family residence was a tourist attraction, each family member's photograph could sell for 100 million on the black market.
Having gained this knowledge, Dudley was confident that when he met that person again, he would definitely give him a big surprise.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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