Level 7 Skeleton

"A corpse?"

The steward picked up the dark cane beside the desk and said as he walked, "The Wanted Criminal you killed caused quite a few incidents in several cities before fleeing to Blackstone Town. I didn't expect him to die by your hand.

"The Appointment Letter from headquarters will take a little longer, but we can give you some benefits first. For example, a legal skeleton."

Wu Heng's heart stirred at that.

"I can have an Undead Summon now?"

"Not yet, but you can summon it first. In this weather, the corpse won't keep well. If you want to take it away, you'll need to wait for the official appointment."

So he could summon it first, but only receive the skeleton once the formal appointment came through.

It seemed the Adventurer's Guild held considerable influence in various places.

They were so certain the higher-ups would approve his membership and allow him to own a skeleton.

"Mm." Wu Heng nodded, then added, "One of his accomplices escaped last night."

"The Blackstone Town guards will search the crowded district, but you should be careful as well."

"Alright."

The two headed out together, went down the stairs, and entered an underground space.

Several Iron Beds stood in the cold, damp room. One of them held the Wanted Criminal Wu Heng had killed.

They must have confirmed his identity again. His clothes had been stripped off, leaving him naked on the bed.

"Begin the conversion." The steward stood at the doorway, leaning on his wooden cane.

Wu Heng said nothing more. He stepped forward and cast Bone Manipulation Technique.

The Summoned Creature's abilities greatly exceeded the summoner's range of ability. Instability increased...

A System Prompt appeared, and his Mental Power began draining rapidly.

At the same time, the corpse's flesh started peeling away, revealing the white bones beneath.

The conversion soon ended, and the broad-boned skeleton slowly sat up.

Ghostly blue Soul Fire flickered in its hollow eye sockets.

Skeleton Rogue (Level 7)

It was a Level 7 skeleton, and its name had changed. It was no longer the standard Skeleton Warrior, but a Skeleton Rogue.

That was likely related to its profession in life.

Its Soul Fire also meant it possessed a Basic Soul, just like the converted Teddy.

The skeleton climbed down from the Iron Bed, swept its hollow gaze over the two people present, then walked to Wu Heng's side.

Standing nearby, the steward said, "You truly are gifted. You can't take this skeleton away yet, or it may cause trouble."

"I understand." Wu Heng directly ordered the Skeleton Rogue, "Stay here and obey Mr. Yazde's commands."

The blue Soul Fire flickered. The skeleton nodded slightly, then retreated to the side and stood in the corner like a statue.

The steward smiled. "Let's go. We should head out first. It's not suitable to stay here for too long."

Wu Heng nodded and followed him out of the cellar.

"Alright, that's all for today. When the Appointment Letter arrives, I'll have someone notify you." The steward paused slightly before continuing, "Oh, and the guards in the hall have already left. I'll also arrange for someone to explain things to the Town Hall."

"Thank you." Wu Heng thanked him.

When he returned to the hall, the guards were indeed gone.

The whole thing felt somewhat unreal.

He had killed a Wanted Criminal, and somehow it had led to this entire chain of events.

But for now, the Adventurer's Guild was helping him.

If things truly went as the steward had said, it could indeed change his current circumstances.

As for whether becoming an adventurer was good or bad, it was hard to say. He could only take things one step at a time.

By the time he returned to the crowded district, it was already afternoon.

After treating himself to a good meal at the tavern, he headed back to his residence.

Back at his residence, he took out the Skill Book he had exchanged for.

Acid Splash

(Description: Releases a ball of acid, dealing powerful acid damage to the target.)

It differed somewhat from the mage spell he had imagined, but it was no big deal.

Throwing sulfuric acid seemed pretty damaging, and it carried a certain insulting quality too.

He opened the book and began reading.

The book was not thick, but it contained quite a lot of content. It was densely packed with writing and several diagrams explaining the principles.

In truth, once he came into contact with them, spells were not as profound as he had imagined.

A spell could be understood as an independent effect conversion. The caster reshaped the energy pervading the surroundings, then manifested it in a specific manner.

Once that step could be completed, the corresponding spell could be cast.

The difficulty was that all of it had to be completed in a fleeting instant. On a real battlefield, no one would have time to spend three to five minutes chanting in preparation.

Wu Heng carefully read through it from beginning to end. When he turned to the final page—

A prompt appeared.

Skill unlocked: Acid Splash

The moment the prompt appeared, Wu Heng let out a breath of relief.

Just like the profession book, reading it through once from start to finish unlocked the corresponding ability.

If he really had to study and analyze it himself, learning a single skill would take far too much time and effort.

Name: Wu Heng

Profession: Necromancer

Level: 3 (94/2700)

Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 11, Constitution 13, Intelligence 16, Perception 10, Charisma 13.

Skills: Bone Manipulation Technique, Acid Splash.

After checking his attributes panel, he saw that Acid Splash had indeed been added to his skills.

In addition, he had reached Level 3, and all of his attributes had improved considerably.

He closed the book and headed straight to the Zombie World.

Zombie World.

The Skeleton Squad stood rigidly atop the building like rows of Terracotta Warriors.

They were all still bare white bones. If they were fully outfitted with armor, helmets, and proper weapons, they would look even more like Terracotta Warriors.

At the very least, their stiff upright posture was practically identical.

The Skeleton Dog ran over from behind the Skeleton Squad, sat on the ground, and looked up at him. Its bony tail wagged nonstop, scraping against the floor with a swish-swish.

Wu Heng rubbed its skeletal head, then walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down.

Likely because of yesterday's survivors, the Zombies in the residential complex had been drawn away by the bus and rushed out to chase it.

Only five or six Zombies remained below, wandering about aimlessly.

Looking at the Zombies, he decided to test the skill's effects.

He gathered Acid Splash and cast it at one of them.

A dark green ball of acid flew down from the rooftop and struck the ground beside a Zombie with a smack.

Although it had missed, the area covered by the acid visibly began to corrode.

But the effect only lasted a few seconds before disappearing.

Roar!

The Zombie was startled by the sudden attack. It hunched its back and roared in all directions.

But it failed to spot the man and Skeleton Dog peeking over the rooftop.

"The effect is pretty average." Wu Heng muttered.

He no longer felt like continuing the test.

He put on the armor taken from the Wanted Criminal, then placed his previous, slightly inferior armor onto the Sword-Wielding Skeleton.

"Follow me." With a wave of his hand, the skeletons behind him immediately moved and followed him into the stairwell.

Creak!

The tightly shut stairwell door opened with a teeth-grinding sound.

The wandering Zombies immediately turned toward the stairwell. Roaring one after another, they charged inside.

But the moment they entered the stairwell, countless cleavers came crashing down.

They were hacked straight to the ground.