Beginning

Bang!

A dull thud exploded, and the goblin, baring its teeth and swinging a beast bone as it tried to vault the decaying fence, had its head split open like a rotten watermelon smashed by a heavy hammer.

Scarlet blood mixed with milky white brain matter splattered everywhere, some clinging to the broken fence planks, some even splashing onto Gu Su's clothes.

He didn't even blink, a confident smile gracing his face instead.

[You killed a weak Goblin (Level 1), gaining 7 experience points.]

The cold system notification chimed, and Gu Su's smile widened.

This level of spectacle was nothing to him, a seasoned "game laborer" who had toiled in the trenches for years. Forget exploding goblins; when he commanded zombie miners in the haunted caves, the twisted specters and half-rotted corpses there were a hundred, even a thousand times more disgusting.

More importantly, this fresh corpse was his true target.

Gu Su raised a hand, pointing at the still twitching goblin corpse. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he commanded in a deep voice, "Soul Summoning!"

Pale gray necromantic energy surged from his fingertips, like invisible tendrils, instantly coiling around the corpse.

With a "crackling" sound of bones grinding, the goblin's flesh and blood visibly withered and dissolved, finally exploding with a "bang" into a pool of foul-smelling blood.

A withered yellow skeleton crawled out of the blood, a faint will-o'-the-wisp flickering in its empty eye sockets. It stood there crookedly, looking exceptionally frail.

[You successfully cast Soul Summoning (Level 1), gaining Skeleton (Level 0) * 1, Soul Summoning proficiency +1 point.]
[Skeleton (Level 0, Summon): EXP (0/100) Attack 1, Defense 1, HP 10, Skills None]

This thing wasn't even a proper skeleton soldier, the lowest rank. It was merely a moving pile of bones.

Yet, this frail skeleton was enough to scare the remaining goblins outside the fence out of their wits. Their previously clamoring "eat meat" shouts abruptly ceased. Their little green eyes were filled with terror, and the stones and branches in their hands clattered to the ground. They turned and scrambled back into the thick fog, not daring to look back.

"Trying to run?" Gu Su sneered, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Kill!"

Why let such easily obtained flesh and blood escape?

With his command, the skeleton immediately began to pursue with stiff, "clack-clack" steps.

The skeleton wasn't fast, but it was tireless. It soon pounced on the slowest goblin, pinning it to the ground. However, the skeleton's frame was too light. The goblin struggled wildly, its sharp claws gouging the earth and kicking up dirt. It was about to break free.

Seeing this, Gu Su didn't hesitate. He vaulted over the rickety fence and rushed forward, picking up a pointed stone from the ground. He brought it down hard on the goblin's head.

Splat—

Another dull thud, and the second goblin died on the spot.

[You killed a weak Goblin (Level 1), gaining 6 experience points.]

Gu Su bent down, picked up the beast bone club dropped by the goblin, weighed it, and casually handed it to the skeleton beside him.

"Take this and keep chasing. Bring back at least one more corpse!"

The will-o'-the-wisp in the skeleton's empty eye sockets flickered. It obediently took the beast bone club, slung it over its shoulder, and turned to re-enter the churning fog, its figure quickly disappearing.

Gu Su, meanwhile, dragged the fresh goblin corpse back to the fence and unceremoniously tossed it into the graveyard like garbage.

After doing this, he didn't return immediately. Instead, he squatted down, his gaze fixed on the spot where the skeleton had been born. A patch of goblin flesh and blood and muddy earth, reeking of a strong, foul stench, remained.

"Can't waste a single bit of anything now," Gu Su muttered to himself.

He picked up a sharp shard of stone from the ground and carefully scooped up the blood-stained soil, even scraping off the bloodstains splattered on the fence. He gathered everything and tossed it all into the graveyard.

This desolate graveyard lacked everything. This blood-soaked soil, imbued with necromantic energy, might just be the best nourishment for it.

Just as Gu Su threw the last handful of bloody soil into the graveyard, "clack-clack" footsteps echoed from the fog. The skeleton emerged, carrying the beast bone club and dragging a blood-soaked goblin corpse in its claws.

Gu Su nodded in satisfaction, took the corpse and threw it into the graveyard, then waved at the skeleton. "Continue."

Without hesitation, the skeleton turned and disappeared back into the fog.

Only then did Gu Su vault back over the fence, enter the graveyard, and begin processing his spoils. He selected the most ordinary Level 1 empty grave and placed the two goblin corpses side-by-side inside.

A shocking sight unfolded. As soon as the corpses landed, the soil around the edge of the empty grave seemed to come alive, churning and gathering towards the center of the pit. In just a moment, the open grave was completely filled, forming a small mound. Even more bizarrely, the soil in front of the mound automatically indented, then slowly rose, forming a tattered black tombstone.

There was no name on the stone, only a line of crooked, blood-red characters that shimmered with an eerie light in the dimness:

Skeleton Squad (2/10).

Gu Su nodded with satisfaction.

Before coming, he had spent considerable time investigating the details of the Graveyard Demon.

As the most basic foundation for a necromancer, the grave mound mechanism of this creature was actually quite standardized.

Fresh corpses buried within would transform into corresponding undead based on the grave mound's level.

Level 1 grave mounds produced skeletons, level 2 produced zombies, and level 3 grave mounds could birth the lowest-tier ghosts.

Although the types of undead transformed could occasionally deviate due to the corpse's peculiarities, they fundamentally wouldn't stray from this scope.

What lay before him was the most basic model.

At most, if the corpse was stronger in life or carried weapons and armor, the resulting undead would have a more substantial foundation.

Not like the previous skeleton, which was as brittle as a mere pile of bones.

At this moment, Gu Su couldn't be bothered with such trivialities. He raised his hand, pointed at the tombstone before him, and commanded in a deep voice, "Come out!"

The instant his voice fell, the bulging grave mound emitted a soft "crackling" sound.

The loose soil automatically churned to both sides, revealing a dark, gaping entrance below, much like a slowly opening maw.

Following this, two withered yellow skeletons emerged from the mound with stiff gaits. Eerie flames flickered in their empty eye sockets as they obediently stood before Gu Su.

[Empty Grave automatically used your Raise Dead (Level 1), obtained Skeleton (Level 0) * 2, Raise Dead proficiency +2 points.]

Once the skeletons had completely exited the grave pit, the churning soil quietly closed, reverting back to the inconspicuous small mound, as if the preceding scene had been mere illusion.

Gu Su paid it no mind. His gaze swept over the two skeletons, who were also bare-handed. He turned and picked two reasonably usable beast bone clubs from the scattered "loot" on the ground, tossing them over casually.

"Take these." He pointed towards the direction where the thick fog churned, his tone an unquestionable command.

"You two go too. Remember, after killing the goblins, bring their corpses back to me intact, not a single drop of blood or flesh missing!"

The two skeletons tilted their heads, their bony hands firmly gripping the bone clubs. They bowed slightly to Gu Su before stepping forward, one after the other, disappearing into the vast white mist.