Deathbone was not a skeleton who wallowed in self-pity.
Since the fighting method combining these two skills was not stable enough, he would find a way to improve it and make it reliable.
Mu Yuan was quite satisfied with the destructive power of this strike.
He had never seen a Professional Grade troop unleash its full power, but he figured even a Professional Grade powerhouse would have a hard time enduring Deathbone's attack.
A high-proficiency Cleave combined with a high-proficiency Charge really could work miracles through sheer force.
Of course, this strike also consumed more energy than usual.
It was not merely a combination of two skills. Deathbone had even increased the skills' energy output.
"A regular Rare Troop Type can only use its skills in a conventional manner, even if it possesses them. But once a troop awakens intelligence, it can gradually figure out more advanced ways to use a skill."
"For example, increasing the energy output while using a skill."
This was not easy.
A skill was like a preconfigured model with a set level of power. Even the slightest alteration could cause the whole program to crash. To increase a skill's energy output, the user had to figure it out independently and grasp the balance point.
Deathbone had not only increased the energy output but had also combined two skills.
The difficulty was far more than double.
Very few troops could accomplish this much. However, quite a few veteran players who had used an Inheritance Stone could figure out tricks involving energy output, skill combinations, and the like.
After all, players were essentially troops that had awakened self-awareness. They had reference materials, could spend money to seek guidance from powerful experts, and had years of practice. It was only reasonable that they would learn these techniques.
As for Deathbone, he did possess the Appearance of an Emperor. So it seemed reasonable that he could study these techniques in just two or three days...
Like hell it was!
Mu Yuan was deeply shaken, and he also gave himself a thumbs-up for his nurturing ability.
Without the encouragement and treasure expenditures of Great Lord Mu, could Deathbone have reached this point today?
At most, he would have gotten halfway there.
Ahem.
Of course, Deathbone had also consumed quite a lot of resources over the past few days. He alone had eaten more than ten precious Abundant Fruits, leaving Dole drooling enviously nearby.
But precisely because of those Abundant Fruits, Deathbone's energy reserves had increased considerably.
With only the Cleave skill, he could now unleash eight consecutive strikes before exhausting his energy.
He was no longer a three-strike skeleton.
However...
If he combined Cleave with Charge and increased the energy output, then... Deathbone seemed to have only enough strength left for two strikes.
That was still too few.
Whether it was enough or not, Deathbone did not care. He only cared whether it was reliable.
Deathbone took out the Shaman Staff again and swung it, casting a fireball.
A simple thing like Fireball Spell was naturally easy for him to use as soon as he acquired it. The incantation before casting was even shorter than the Goblin Shaman's.
But no matter how short it was, he still had to chant.
The fireball's flying speed was not fast enough either. Its power was sufficient, but Deathbone seriously doubted whether this thing could kill anyone.
This move was not reliable enough either.
But how could he make it absolutely foolproof? He asked the mentor of reliability, Great Lord Mu, for advice.
Mu Yuan: "..."
Your reliability is already above mine. I can't teach you. I really can't.
Mu Yuan could only search through his memory again and again. Combining that with his rich experience from reading three thousand webnovels, he finally cobbled together... no, finally summarized some suggestions for reference.
He explained them to Deathbone.
Deathbone seemed to understand.
Mu Yuan wiped away his sweat. He had finally managed to muddle through it. Wait, wait. This skeleton isn't actually going to figure something out, is he?
Deathbone had always been reliable when it came to being reliable. Mu Yuan did not think Deathbone could come up with anything outrageous, but neither was he worried that Deathbone would go astray.
Most of Deathbone's time was still spent cultivating by absorbing Soul Sand.
Mu Yuan, meanwhile, tirelessly patrolled his territory over and over.
Every now and then, he bathed a troop in the light of evolution.
Under this miraculous light, Bone Two evolved into the territory's second Skeleton Warrior.
"Now, the territory has two Skeleton Warriors and twelve Skeleton Soldiers. Even with a direct frontal charge, this lineup could crush the Goblin Camp from that day."
"Next, should I evolve more Skeleton Soldiers and promote Bone Three to a warrior, or accumulate resources for a while and let Deathbone advance to the next stage?"
"Let's wait and see. We'll decide according to the situation."
Compared with the skeletons, there were fewer Slimes. But after nearly half a day of accumulation, they had also fulfilled the requirement for one unit.
Mu Yuan called over a Little Slime that looked particularly pleasing to him.
He also called Dole over to watch.
Dole stared with its adorably foolish big eyes. The next moment, white light blossomed, and a tiny Slime began expanding rapidly, swelling until it reached roughly the same size as Dole.
"Σ(°△°|||) Eek!"
It hurriedly backed away several steps, but before long, it could not help inching forward again, circling its fellow Slime.
"How is it? Did you suddenly learn anything, or develop any insights?"
"Gurgle?"
What insights, gurgle? I'm just a Slime, gurgle.
Mu Yuan fell silent.
He really should not have expected anything from a Slime. Dole was even dumber than Bone Two! He had called Dole over because he wanted to see whether observing an evolution could help complete Dole's missing skills.
It sounded somewhat absurd, but if it were Deathbone, it might not be impossible.
Expecting that from a Great Slime was simply wishful thinking.
After sending the adorably foolish Dole away, Mu Yuan looked at the regular Slime before him.
"Hint: Your troop 'Slime' has bathed in the light of miracles and evolved into 'Great Slime'." "Hint: Great Slime has learned the skill 'Pounce'."
--
"Pounce: Instantly unleash several times its normal bouncing power. By leaping high into the air and crashing down, it inflicts tremendous impact damage on enemies."
"This skill pairs quite well with Great Slime's tonnage."
"An ordinary monster wouldn't be able to withstand having that bulk come crashing down on it... It's a pity Dole didn't obtain this skill."
Dole still had potential, and its future looked promising.
However, perhaps he could try again in a couple of days, after Dole evolved to the next stage, and see what changes occurred.
The next day,
Mu Yuan studied the map. Looking at the vast stretches of darkness outside, he began planning the most efficient scouting route.
The era was about to change.
Before, they could only explore on foot. Not only was it slow, but they also had to move cautiously, because he feared that one careless step would bring them face-to-face with a powerful monster and result in an instant game over.
This was not him scaring himself, nor had he simply caught Deathbone's excessive cautiousness. There really had been cases like this.
The player guide Eighteen Tips for Beginners mentioned that three years ago, an outstanding Whale Player had accumulated several Rare Troops before the Novice Trial even began.
Perhaps his development had gone too smoothly, or perhaps he had been overly confident in his own strength. The Whale Player newbie took his troops and pushed straight through, sweeping away the surrounding monsters. Finally, one day, he ran into an iron wall.
He encountered a wandering Black Knight.
The Black Knight slaughtered the Whale Player newbie's troops as easily as chopping vegetables, then, under the horrified gaze of the newbie, beheaded his game character with a single sword strike.
To this day, the grass on the grave of this newbie, who had been written into the textbook, had already been cut down again and again.
It had indeed been an accident, but the newbie had also been a little too reckless.
Players were creatures that could not afford to be reckless in the slightest.
Mu Yuan silently committed this to memory. Of course, there was no need to tell Deathbone about this case. The skeleton was already cautious enough.
"Normal exploration is fraught with difficulty, but starting today, the territory will enter the Exploration 2.0 era."
"Let me see your limits, War Falcon!"
A great bird spread its wings and rose into the air. After circling twice above the territory, it plunged straight into the thick gray fog outside the village.
The era of aerial troop reconnaissance had begun.
Thanks to 'Chen Weimian' for the 500-coin tip~
Before you continue