Skeleton Warrior

Chapter 16: Skeleton Warrior (Please bookmark and follow~)

Sha Sha~

Tall trees swayed, white mist drifted, the depths of the forest mysterious and treacherous.

Only when standing on his own territory, able to overlook everything through the god's-eye view, could he feel some sense of safety.

As the third-person perspective gradually pulled back into an overhead view, Mu Yuan's game character stepped into his territory.

In front of the computer, he rubbed his slightly sore wrists.

Night had fallen. Baijiang City was brightly lit, the roar of motorcycles passing by outside the window.

The daylight in Eternal World was also fading from the horizon's edge, darkness falling, shadows enveloping the land. The mist churning under the night sky was like countless gaping maws, ready to devour anything that stepped into them.

Various monsters were gradually becoming active, their calls rising and falling, weaving together into a terrifying symphony.

"Deathbone is much stronger, but going out still requires caution, and efficiency is low."

Today, his exploration team had expanded slightly—a combination of 2 Skeleton Soldiers + 3 Little Skeletons + 1 Falcon.

And he had conducted two explorations.

The reason for two trips, with a return to rest in between, was that his game character couldn't handle it. He had eaten a Crimson Blood Fruit yesterday, and his physical fitness had improved a little, but the rough road conditions in the wilderness were still too difficult. Mu Yuan had to focus intently while controlling his game character; otherwise, if he tripped over something carelessly, he'd fall flat on his face.

It was all the road's fault!

Of course, the low exploration efficiency was also related to his excessive caution. As long as he felt even slightly off, Mu Yuan immediately executed a strategic retreat, so exploration was slow.

But compared to yesterday, he had already uncovered many dark areas today.

Mu Yuan opened the map.

The area outside his territory was still shrouded in white mist, so he naturally couldn't see any units, but the fully black screen of the explored areas would fade, revealing the terrain and environment at a glance on the map.

"North side, continuing north from yesterday's Fruit Tree Forest, there's a small Goblin Camp."

"Small as it is, it's still a camp-level threat. From a distance, there are at least several dozen goblins—something we can't provoke right now."

Before discovering the Goblin Camp, Mu Yuan's squad had also killed some lone goblins.

These ordinary goblins were just as weak as Little Skeletons; the Skeleton Soldiers cut through them with a crisp crunch.

When they found the Goblin Camp, Bone Two, that reckless fool, charged straight in.

"Kaka kaka~"

Charge! Smash them all, every single one, into pieces!

Mu Yuan guessed at the meaning; it was probably wrong. He didn't think Bone Two was that smart. He suspected the guy didn't have thoughts at all—just a headlong rush, charging endlessly.

He shouldn't have given that fool the name "Two."

Well, most ordinary troop types, and even low-level rare troop types, were like this.

They only had some basic combat instincts; you couldn't expect much.

It was Deathbone who had raised his expectations.

"So, Deathbone, from now on, all new skeletons are yours to train. Do a good job."

Mu Yuan patted Deathbone on the shoulder.

Deathbone, entrusted with this "heavy responsibility," was very pleased. His soul fire flickered with excitement, and he thumped his armor loudly, indicating he would not let this trust down.

Mu Yuan, having become a hands-off boss without even painting a grand vision, smiled and nodded.

He had heard that troop types that awakened self-awareness had higher talent, stronger learning ability, and were more likely to break through, but they also had certain flaws.

They were too smart.

Smart troop types sometimes looked down on weak lords, ignored commands they didn't like, demanded daily wages, or disliked work and wanted to slack off and lie flat.

In summary, troop types with self-awareness had higher ceilings but also more demands.

"Really? Doesn't seem that way?"

Mu Yuan rubbed his chin.

As long as Deathbone was willing, this wasn't exploitation of employees.

No, how could he use the word "exploitation"? This was training. Precisely because Deathbone had awakened self-awareness, he needed more training opportunities to unleash his potential.

And Mu Yuan was just providing a few small training opportunities.

Unable to assault the Goblin Camp, Mu Yuan could only send out the Falcon, a filler unit, to scout. Unfortunately, he didn't understand bird language, nor did he have any self-aware troop type that understood bird language to translate, so he couldn't quite grasp the Falcon's meaning.

He only roughly figured out that there were at least several dozen goblins in the camp, and no fewer than three types of goblin troop types.

Goblins, Great Goblins, and Goblin Spearmen.

Goblin Spearmen were two-star troop types. Their lethality might not be strong, but they had ranged capability.

While the Falcon was scouting the Goblin Camp, it almost got shot down by the spearmen, and now it had lost a bunch of feathers.

"This Goblin Camp is too close to the territory. Once I have the strength, it must be dealt with first, or they'll come knocking sooner or later."

"And without clearing the camp, it's not wise to detour and continue exploring north. If an accident happens and I need to retreat strategically, the goblins could easily cut off my escape route."

For his second expedition, Mu Yuan chose the west side.

On the west side, there were far fewer lone wild monsters like Gray Wolves, Goblins, and Cave Dwellers, but a rare type of monster had appeared—the two-star Poisonous Spider.

They were as large as millstones, terrifying in appearance, and could spit venom.

The venom wasn't a skill, but it was poisonous.

Other players might have been reluctant to face these Poisonous Spiders; they were too toxic, and recovering a poisoned unit was troublesome—it would consume a lot of Soul Sand, making the cost outweigh the gain.

As luck would have it, Mu Yuan's skeletons weren't particularly afraid of poison.

So Mu Yuan, along with Deathbone and the other skeletons, rampaged through the Poisonous Spider Forest, slaughtering at least twenty Poisonous Spiders.

But as they ventured deeper, the environment of the Poisonous Spider Forest gradually changed. The leaves of the trees took on a black-purple sheen, and in the distance, they could see giant spider webs strung between branches tens of meters high.

Just how big would that spider be?

Mu Yuan's courage faltered.

Deathbone also felt that a strategic retreat wasn't a bad option.

So they withdrew.

Mu Yuan took out a piece of A3 paper and began to write and draw on it. He first drew a circle to represent his territory, then marked an X on the north side to indicate the Goblin Camp.

As for the west side, what they had explored so far was merely the outermost corner of the black-purple forest. He couldn't estimate how large this forest was, or whether even more terrifying giant spiders lurked deeper within.

He named it the Poisonous Spider Forest and noted that it was not suitable for deep exploration.

After a full day, he hadn't found any Filth Root, but he had killed quite a few lone wild monsters and swept through many areas, reaping a decent harvest.

Mu Yuan tallied everything up.

"39.6g of Soul Sand. As for Remnant Souls, since I didn't encounter any high-level or high-star monsters, only one dropped... or maybe this is the normal drop rate?"

"For materials, I found three Common Grade Hemostatic Grasses, which have significant healing effects, but they don't seem to work on skeletons."

"Also, four Detoxification Fruits, five Mind-Calming Grasses, and three Replenishing Fruits."

These were all Common Grade materials, but their value varied greatly. The first three were far inferior to Crimson Blood Fruit, but the latter, Replenishing Fruit, was even more valuable than Crimson Blood Fruit.

"Replenishing Fruit (Common): A cultivation material that slightly increases a unit's energy."

Although it was only a slight increase, Replenishing Fruits were mostly used by Professional Grade units. Mu Yuan estimated it could bring a considerable boost to Deathbone's endurance.

Crimson Blood Fruit was also a cultivation material, but its compatibility with skeletons wasn't just poor—it was nonexistent.

"As for Soul Sand, I'll prioritize supplying Deathbone and the two Skeleton Soldiers. The other Little Skeletons will have to go without for now. I still don't have enough money."

"With Deathbone's talent and effort, it should reach Level Four tomorrow—essentially Apprentice Mid-Stage."

He was already one step closer to Apprentice Ninth Level Great Perfection and Half-Step Professional Grade.

The future looks promising.

No, the present looks promising.

All the hard work and effort won't be in vain; Evolution Points will repay them with true brilliance.

"Time to show your power, Evolution Points."

Currently, the territory had fifteen skeletons, producing one unit of Evolution Points approximately every four hours. Additionally, leading Deathbone and the other skeletons on expeditions, fighting, and rampaging accelerated the process.

The Evolution Points were already sufficient.

It was time to reveal true power.

"Evolution Points: 5.23"

"Deathbone, step forward. Don't let this power go to waste. Keep up the effort, and I hope that one day you'll become a true... Skeleton Emperor."

Mu Yuan painted a picture for it: a Skeleton Emperor sitting alone atop an imperial coffin, back turned to all living beings, fishing alone through the ages.

Skeleton Emperor?

The young Deathbone was filled with longing. It stepped forward, clenched its fist, and placed it over its heart in an oath-like gesture.

Its armor was covered in scratches and scars, stained with dried, clotted blood. The standard-issue battle blade it carried was also chipped... These were the marks of honor from countless battles over the past two days.

It was already a battle-hardened skeleton.

The next moment, a warm, miraculous, and great formless power descended. Deathbone's entire skeleton once again turned into light. Amidst the dazzling white glow, Deathbone's Skeleton Soldier form began to change.

Its armor became more ferocious and imposing, its aura growing increasingly terrifying.

"Ding!"

"Notification: Your unit 'Skeleton Soldier' has been affected by a miraculous power, undergoing a transformation. It has evolved into a 'Skeleton Warrior'."