Undead Evolution (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Watching the Ghoul Shadow Head fall in battle, Gu Xi finally let out a sigh of relief.

Although the Ghoul Shadow Head hadn't put much pressure on Gu Xi's frontlines from the start, the presence or absence of a leader still had an impact on the Black Ghoul Shadows.

With the Ghoul Shadow Head killed, Gu Xi could clearly feel the pressure on both frontlines lessen significantly.

"Kill!"

By now, all of Gu Xi's troops had been thrown into the battlefield, and he had no intention of pulling back any battle squads to reposition them. Instead, he issued the order for a full assault.

Battle Squad 2, which had been surrounding the Ghoul Shadow Head moments ago, immediately raised their longswords and charged toward the rear half of the Black Ghoul Shadow formation.

The Black Ghoul Shadows in the back were just turning around to counterattack Battle Squad 1, never expecting anyone to come charging back at them from behind.

In the ensuing chaos, Battle Squad 2 easily killed over thirty Black Ghoul Shadows before finally drawing their attention. The Black Ghoul Shadows turned back and clashed with Battle Squad 2's skeletons.

Compared to Battle Squad 1's skeletons, these wielders of Two-Handed Swords had stronger melee capabilities. Facing the returning Black Ghoul Shadows, they didn't retreat but instead surged forward, their swords slashing upward relentlessly.

The Black Ghoul Shadows weren't backing down either, meeting Battle Squad 2's skeletons head-on in a direct confrontation.

Seeing such a golden opportunity, Battle Squad 1's controller pursued the Black Ghoul Shadows from behind and launched their attack.

The two battle squads worked like the upper and lower millstones, grinding down the number of Black Ghoul Shadows without pause.

On the other side, the Black Ghoul Shadows encountered a defense as solid as rock. Battle Squad 4's Round Shields blocked their attacks, while Battle Squad 3's Long Spears precisely struck every Black Ghoul Shadow the moment their attacks halted.

It could be said that the battle on this side was going much smoother than the one in the rear.

Protected by Battle Squad 4, Battle Squad 3's skeletons didn't need to worry about enemies getting close.

And Battle Squad 4's skeletons only had to focus on defense; any Black Ghoul Shadows killed would also grant them a share of the experience.

If they sensed danger on the front line, they could simply fall back a bit, and new Roadblocks would stop the pursuing Black Ghoul Shadows, reducing the pressure on these skeletons.

Then they would start another round of killing Black Ghoul Shadows.

Seeing this, Gu Xi didn't bother redeploying his troops. All four battle squads had developed their own tactics and coordination, and as their levels rose further, Gu Xi believed they would work together even better.

No wonder people said that once a Necromancer had an army, the battles would go smoothly from there.

Watching the kill notifications popping up one after another, Gu Xi couldn't help but nod.

No matter how much the skeletons gained, every enemy they killed gave Gu Xi 1 experience point.

In small skirmishes, this might not compare to Gu Xi personally using Corpse Explosion, but on a large battlefield, the experience would skyrocket.

Setting that aside, in just this short moment, Gu Xi had gained 327 experience points.

Adding the experience from the previous wave and the kill on the Ghoul Shadow Head, Gu Xi realized he was close to leveling up again.

That was a good thing. As long as he gained one more level, he could master a new skill, making the upcoming tasks much smoother for Gu Xi.

With that thought, Gu Xi's gaze drifted into the distance.

Luna had said that Aryadovi was 2.9 Square Kilometers in size, and the block they were standing on now was less than one percent of that.

Once these Black Ghoul Shadows were cleared out, he would have to push outward until he reached the edge of Luna's Control Range.

What else he might encounter inside, Gu Xi had no idea, so he had to prepare everything thoroughly.

Just as Gu Xi's mind wandered to this matter, a ding sounded in his ear.

[Ding! Temporary Task: Dead City progress has changed. Second wave of enemies defeated. The Third Wave of enemies will appear in 15 minutes. Please prepare for battle.]

Snapping back to reality, Gu Xi quickly raised his head.

Another victory.

"Clean Up the Battlefield. Use all the Ghoul Qi Beads. Check the battle squads for losses; replenish any casualties. Place the skeletons' corpses out on the street."

Gu Xi issued the orders immediately.

There was still one more battle to come.

Based on the strength of the Black Ghoul Shadows just now, Gu Xi could be sure that the Third Wave of Black Ghoul Shadows would only be stronger.

Although the battlefield hadn't been fully cleared yet, Gu Xi could already see that Battle Squad 1 and Battle Squad 2 had taken heavy losses this time. If he didn't quickly boost their combat power and set up a proper formation, the next battle would be very difficult.

So first, optimize the troops, then reposition the battlefield. Gu Xi had to drag the fight to the most advantageous ground for himself.

Receiving Gu Xi's orders, the skeletons didn't hesitate. They quickly moved forward to collect the Ghoul Qi Beads from the ground.

Without needing Gu Xi to arrange it, the Ghoul Qi Beads were split in half—the skeleton heads of each battle squad took one half, and the remaining skeletons shared the other.

Meanwhile, Gu Xi walked toward the spot where the Ghoul Shadow Head had fallen.

When the Ghoul Shadow Head died, it had left behind the Large Wooden Club it had been carrying.

Gu Xi wanted to see what that thing was.

Just as Gu Xi was walking over, another sound reached his ears.

[Ding! Guided and strengthened by eerie power, a Level 2 Skeleton has reached the threshold for advancement. Please choose the advancement direction for this skeleton.]

Gu Xi turned his head and saw a skeleton among the group glowing with a faint purple light.

That skeleton belonged to Battle Squad 2. At that moment, he was still crushing Ghoul Qi Beads in his hands, absorbing the eerie energy within, completely unaware of what was happening.

When Gu Xi looked at this skeleton, he noticed two different shadows appearing behind it—these were the two advancement directions for this skeleton.

One direction was the standard Skeleton Soldier, a single-handed sword in hand, clad in rusted armor, with a hat slightly too large that kept slipping down from time to time.

The other direction was the Two-Handed Sword Skeleton Soldier. When standing, its longsword was planted into the ground, wearing leather armor but no helmet, leaving only its skeletal face exposed.

Seeing these two types, Gu Xi immediately understood the situation.

Both advancement directions produced Skeleton Soldiers, but their focuses were clearly different.

The standard Skeleton Soldier direction emphasized balance, while the Two-Handed Sword Skeleton Soldier clearly weakened defense in favor of enhancing sword techniques.

Gu Xi hesitated only for a moment before making his choice.

[Skeleton Soldier (Level 3, Summoned Creature): Experience (9/500) Attack 3+1 (Two-Handed Sword), Defense 1+1 (Leather Armor), HP 19, Skills: Undead Creature, Sword Mastery, Execution.]