Chapter 702: Melee Skills Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio After giving it a good look, Han Sen grew fond of the concept of Sonic Thunder Punch. Although he didn’t have a thunder build, he could easily simulate the silver fox’s energy flow to possess the element of thunder. If he did that, Sonic Thunder Punch would come easy to him. Han Sen thought this skill could really work, but he didn’t dare buy it there in the Saint Hall. If he ended up using it in Divinity’s Bout, it’d be easy for someone to look up the records of who bought it in recent times. Usually, purchase logs were kept secret in the central computers, in accordance with the laws of the Alliance; but just to be safe, Han Sen went to ask Li Xinglun. He had hacked the military’s virtual Skynet, so it was only natural to assume he could provide some advice on how to proceed. Han Sen wasn’t going to mention the specific skill he wished to purchase, just ask how he might go about buying something from the black market anonymously. Li Xinglun was well-versed in such topics and shady deeds, so he was able to explain a few simple and effective methods Han Sen could use for what he wished to do. Han Sen checked out a few of the places that Li Xinglun mentioned, and they were indeed black market trading grounds. Buying stuff there, however, was a risky ordeal. Trades there were not protected, and there were no guarantees, warranties, or records of such purchases. There was also the possibility he wouldn’t even receive the stuff he ordered. Monetary transactions weren’t secured, either. Plus, the black market never did face-to-face trades. In short, there were some tall risks in using it. As a result, Han Sen gave up on his idea of purchasing something from the black market. He would instead visit the free trade sections and see if he could buy Sonic Thunder Punch there. It was not uncommon for people to sell second-hand goods there, including hyper geno art and geno solution. Han Sen searched for Sonic Thunder Punch there, but he was out of luck. Not a single person was selling it second-hand. He searched through the S-class hyper geno arts, as well, and received quite a few hits. Many people were selling second-hand hyper geno arts and geno solution, just not the skill he had come for. When it came to buying second-hand hyper geno arts, however, there were a few clauses would-be buyers had to be aware of. There was no way of knowing whether or not hyper geno art copies were complete, and there was no way of knowing whether or not the accompanying geno solution matched. Scams and misleading transactions were common there, due to the lack of official support. Therefore, a buyer had to be a little street-smart when buying stuff there. At least, if he bought something there, no one would be able to tell where the product came from or went to. Following Li Xinglun’s suggestions and methods, Han Sen would be able to buy anything he wanted without any traceable evidence. Although he had to find out if the products being sold were real or fake, it would be easier to do so when making face-to-face transactions. In the free trade zone, Han Sen was unable to find Sonic Thunder Punch. What he did find, however, was another hyper geno art that stood out to him. The hyper geno art that enticed him was called Elephant-Disc Punch. Han Sen had heard about this skill before, as it was a legendary skill hailing from ancient times. The scrolls said that back then, people thought that the world was built on a disc that rested on the back of an elephant. The elephant was everything, whereas the disc was time and space. Although it was little more than a myth, the skill that had been written down on the scroll was extremely difficult. It had many illegible portions and missing text, so it was quite incomplete. But the one Han Sen found was close to completion. The geno solution could mitigate any shortages of the host caster, so they would be equipped to cast the skill. But as for the skill itself, not many people could learn it, and the power of the skill was weaker than they expected, anyway. Someone had researched the leftover portions of the scroll, and said that some manner of elephant blood was necessary to finish learning the skill. They took nutrition from the elephants and put it in the geno solution, which allowed others to learn the skill. But the power and depth were quite poor. The Elephant-Disc Punch was in the A-class section, due to its inability to fulfill the requirements necessary of an S-class skill. But the skill was a great way to strengthen one’s body, and in this facet, was no worse than most S-class hyper geno arts. So, the people that could not afford S-class skills would often opt for this one instead. Han Sen was feeling hopeful and rather excited. He thought to himself, "The Elephant-Disc Punch is so in-depth. If I simulate the bone elephant’s energy flow, I wonder if I’ll be able to cast the true strength of Elephant-Disc Punch? If I can cast its true power, I doubt anyone would be able to tell it was from a little-known A-class skill." Han Sen followed Li Xinglun’s suggestions and bought a used Elephant-Disc Punch and geno solution from a second-hand community. It was an ordinary, A-class hyper geno art, and he was able to check its authenticity on Skynet. After checking it, he no longer had to worry about the possibility of purchasing a fake product. The Elephant-Disc Punch was fairly common, actually. He could have bought it in the Saint Hall, but he wanted to buy it second-hand so he could get acquainted with the process of buying things that way. By doing this, he would be ready for when he needed to purchase Sonic Thunder Punch. After a while, Han Sen received the skill and geno solution. After that, he compared it to the stuff available on Skynet to ensure it was legit. Han Sen used the geno solution and got to work on practicing Elephant-Disc Punch. He tried to combine it with the bone elephant’s flow. By doing this, Han Sen discovered something amazing. Whenever he used the bone elephant’s energy, he could not control his power and instead had to blast it all out at once. But the more he continued to use the bone elephant’s energy to practice Elephant-Disc Punch, the more he could control its energy. Han Sen was pleased. If he could more effectively control the energy and power of the bone elephant, then he wouldn’t be entirely drained of energy after a single punch. By being able to control the strength of the punch, he wouldn’t be wasting his power. All he would have to do was cast what he needed. Han Sen gave up on buying Sonic Thunder Punch now, since his time was limited enough as it was. In less than a month, Divinity’s Bout would start and he would have to practice with the Elephant-Disc Punch as best he could. With the energy flow of the bone elephant, the Elephant-Disc Punch possessed power of massive proportions; all the while the energy influx and efflux came under greater control. When the two abilities combined, their power increased. The more Han Sen practiced, the better he got. A single punch packed enough strength to sunder a mountain, or so it felt. Regardless, the power was massive. The Elephant-Disc Punch was incredibly in-depth, and it wasn’t any worse than his Dual sword skill. In some ways, it was even better. Han Sen practiced with his little angel every day. The Elephant-Disc Punch continued to gain power in that time, as well. Although he kept losing to her, he applied many changes and fixes. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 At least Han Sen could compete with the little angel and not get wrecked. That month flew by, and all the shelters had now named their top combatants. It was time for Divinity’s Bout to begin.