LEVEL 0 IMMORTAL-Chapter 149: You See The Art of Stone

Elias opened the bag and checked out the clothes that she had made for him, not surprised that she was able to make multiple items of clothing in a single day.

She had made three outfits for him, and their materials all appeared both practical and luxurious at the same time. Elias could see faint trails of Lumina travelling through the clothes, and while it did not mean they were equal to what the Commander was wearing, it meant that these clothes would be very durable, and may have several unknown effects.

Elias picked up the first set, which comprised a tunic, trousers, vest, footswear and, surprisingly, a hat. Remembering Lyssa’s reaction when he spoke or smiled, he chuckled, because the one item he was looking for had been conveniently placed alongside each set of clothing she had designed and made for him.

Elias spread out each piece of clothing to admire them, his eyes widening a bit when he saw the first nuggets of surprise that Lyssa had placed in them.

The dark grey tunic was high-collared with long sleeves, and it was cut close to the body but with enough give that he should have unrestricted movement. Touching it, Elias noted that the fabric should be a heavy cotton-linen blend, and at the elbows and shoulders, there were leather patches, most likely for reinforcement.

A closer look at every seam would reveal tiny, nearly invisible stitching in a slightly darker thread that formed geometric patterns along the seams, and Elias noted that the tiny stream of Lumina that permeated these clothes came from these stitches.

"Oh wow, she did not teach me how to do that. Okay, Lyssa, first nugget found."

Placing the tunic gently to the side, Elias picked up the trousers and was glad to see that they were loose-fitting work trousers in matching charcoal, with multiple hidden pockets sewn into the seams. The knees were also reinforced with the same leather as the tunic.

From just these two pieces, Elias immediately knew that this was going to be his craftsman set, and he would be wearing these nearly every day, and picking up the vest next was all the confirmation he needed.

The vest was sleeveless and made with an oiled brown leather, fitted to his new broad shoulders. It had more pockets than seems reasonable, all concealed, perfect for holding tools, small knives, and alchemical components.

Elias was not aware that a smile was growing on his face as he checked each piece of clothing, and he picked out the footwear, which were sturdy, knee-high leather boots with thick soles, practical for stone work and moving around the city. Lyssa was not so good at making shoes, so this must be the work of another of his teachers, although he could not confirm who, but he was sure to thank them.

And the final part of this set was the hat. Elias had worn hats in the past, but this one was also the same as most that he had worn, except for the obvious quality.

It was a soft, wide-brimmed leather cap with a low crown, designed to be pulled down low over his brow, with a simple leather cord that could be cinched under his chin if needed.

The style of this set of clothing was practical, durable, and understated, and Lyssa had clearly designed it to let Elias move through the lower districts without drawing every eye.

Elias did not bother checking the last two sets at the moment. From glancing at them, they were much more luxurious, and he did not think he needed them any time soon, so he kept the bag aside and quickly wore the first set and adjusted the hat over his head.

He was glad that the hat had enough room after he folded his long red hair and tucked it underneath the hat. Elias wanted to cut off his hair, but the thought seemed to trigger a sort of repulsion inside him, and when he thought about where this repulsion was coming from, he tracked it to his Heavenly Vein Art, Crimson Vein Dominion.

It was unknown when this art had linked itself to not just his blood and veins, but also his hair and fingernails. Cutting his hair would reduce the vein completion rate of his Heavenly Vein Art, and Elias figured out that if he waited until the forging of his flesh was complete, then he could see how to properly manage his hair.

Before then, he would need to learn how to fold and knot it so they would not become a hindrance during battle. His internal clock informed him that it was six in the morning and the sun was rising.

He locked his front door and then carried his workbag into the last room, where he took out the stoneblade and held it close to his eyes.

This blade was the reason he had chosen the Art of Stone when he recognized the faint runes that were upon the core of the art. Unlike the blade, he could not read the words on the core of this Art, and he figured that this was because the blade was most likely a key.

Elias figured that this blade was most likely the key to this Art, and now he was going to find out if his gamble was going to pay off.

He quickly recalled the Art of Stone from the list of Active Legacies that was recorded on his Status Screen, and went over it one more time.

Common-Grade Art: The Art of Stone (Sealed)

Grade: Common-Grade (Sealed)

Core Concept: Endure

Effects:

Stone Skin (45% physical damage reduction while armored)

Crushing Endurance (Sealed)

Iron Will Anchor (Sealed)

Rebellious Burden (Sealed)

God-Slayer’s Shatter (Sealed)

Nothing about this Art made any sense on the surface. It was rated as a common grade, but it had five abilities at the start, even greater than the four abilities given to him by Crimson Vein Dominion, but Elias was not even placing his Void Scripure into the picture that gave him two abilities, knowing that if he had all seven scrolls, he would have fourteen base abilities from the start.

Commander Yseult had said Common Grade Arts did not have a core, and due to the fact that it was sealed, Elias was thinking that the Art of Stone might be a peak-level Heavenly Vein Art whose potential might exceed that of Crimson Vein Dominion.

He still recalled the vision of the Blood Sovereign destroying an entire kingdom, and he wondered if the potential of the Art of Stone was greater than that, or perhaps it was geared more towards defense than offense.

Elias sighed and set the blade aside before gently taking off all the clothes he had just worn and carefully folding them before placing them on his bed. He returned to the center of his room and shifted any equipment lying around until he had almost ten feet of open space.

He would like to do this in a more secure and personal location, but at the moment, this was the only place he had that fulfilled this need. Now that he was a Siphon, it meant that he could fully access the Old Districts, and he heard that some of those ancient buildings could be bought.

Pushing all of these random thoughts away from his mind, Elias focused on the stone blade in front of him, and he wondered what steps he should take.