Please add this to your favorites, recommend it, vote for it, and use any other means you can to help promote it.
"We can't fight them head-on. We need to split them up and take them on separately!"
Watching the swarm of harpies rush toward him, Gu Su's mind raced. In moments, he had made his decision.
There were thirteen harpies, plus a magic-wielding leader. If they attacked as a group, even the Skeleton Squad's excellent teamwork wouldn't prevent losses. Their only chance to kill them was to split them up.
His gaze quickly swept over the Skeleton Squad beside him. He immediately picked out two Elite Skeletons, pointed toward the other side of the woods, and gave a decisive order.
"You two, act as bait and run that way.
"Try to draw the harpies' attention as you go. Lure away as many as you can.
"If they refuse to split up, do whatever it takes to buy time and give me a chance to cast Raise Skeleton!"
Gu Su had already thought it through:
The corpses of the dozen or so harpies he had just hunted were still scattered through the woods. With his current level 1 Raise Skeleton success rate, if he had enough time to cast the spell, he could summon at least six harpy skeletons.
Then his forces would have a clear advantage. Even if they had to fight head-on afterward, they would have a solid chance of winning by outnumbering the enemy two to one.
The two skeletons received their orders and immediately charged out of hiding without hesitation, sprinting toward the far side of the woods.
They ran swiftly, swinging the iron-tipped spears in their hands and pounding them against the tree trunks along the way.
A steady series of muffled thuds rang out. They deliberately made as much noise as possible, determined to draw the harpies' attention.
Sure enough, the sudden noise instantly diverted the harpy swarm's attention.
The magic-wielding harpy leading the group narrowed her blood-red eyes at the two fleeing skeletons and gave a sharp command. Then she flapped her electricity-wreathed wings and charged after them with six ordinary harpies.
The remaining six harpies landed in the woods and bent down to deal with their companions' corpses.
To them, their dead companions were both kin and an indispensable food source. They naturally weren't willing to abandon them.
Now!
A fierce glint flashed in Gu Su's eyes. He raised a hand and waved to the Skeleton Squad hidden around him.
The next second, skeletons burst from behind tree trunks and out of the bushes, wielding cleavers and spears as they charged straight at the seven harpies, drawing their attention head-on.
The six harpies realized at once that they had fallen into a trap.
They shrieked furiously, abandoned the corpses, spread their claws, and flapped their wings as they lunged at the approaching skeletons.
But they were outnumbered, and both sides had already landed on the ground, with no time to take flight. The Skeleton Squad, meanwhile, had long since mastered its teamwork.
The skeletons paired off, one holding an enemy at bay while the other went in for the kill, repeating the tactics they had used to hunt isolated harpies.
One harpy lunged at a skeleton, only for the skeleton to brace its spear against her neck, stopping her cold.
The other skeleton beside it seized the opening and swung its cleaver hard into the base of her wing. A flash of steel, a shriek, and the harpy's wing was severed. She lost her balance and crashed to the ground. Before she could struggle back up, another blow finished her off.
The other harpies met the same fate. No matter how fiercely they fought back, they couldn't escape the skeletons' two-on-one attacks. Their shrieks rang out one after another, and before long, every harpy lay in a pool of blood, unable to fly again.
Gu Su hurried over to a harpy's corpse. He murmured the incantation for Raise Skeleton as faint gray necromantic energy began to gather around him.
"Raise Skeleton!"
Gu Su gave a low shout. The gray necromantic energy around him surged, pouring like a tide toward the scattered harpy corpses in the woods.
Under the power of Raise Skeleton, the six harpy corpses that had just been killed burst apart all at once. Flesh and feathers flew as six clusters of gray energy enveloped their bones and rapidly pieced them back together.
[You cast Raise Skeleton (Level 1) 6 times and obtained 5 Skeletons (Level 0). Raise Skeleton proficiency +6.]
The system notification sounded as expected, and Gu Su was delighted.
He had been lucky this time. Six casts of Raise Skeleton had produced five skeletons. They didn't even have weapons, but they were more than enough to serve as bait.
Gu Su raised a hand and signaled for them to be sent straight to the front lines.
By now, Gu Su could hear a flurry of wingbeats and sharp, angry cries coming from deep in the woods.
The harpies were back.
Sure enough, the moment Gu Su looked up, the furious harpies burst out from the other side of the woods.
Their wings beat with a whoosh that shook the branches and leaves, and their shrieks were sharp enough to pierce his eardrums.
Gu Su narrowed his eyes and quickly counted them. Of the original seven harpies who had chased after the bait—the magic-wielding leader and six ordinary harpies—only six had returned.
A bloodstained iron-tipped spear was embedded in the magic-wielding harpy leader's chest. Black blood dripped down the shaft, and the pale blue electricity around her had weakened. She was clearly badly wounded.
Looks like the skeletons had managed to trade lives with them.
Gu Su quickly assessed the situation.
The bait skeletons had fought to the death, taking out an ordinary harpy and seriously wounding the magic-wielding leader. That had eased the pressure on this battle considerably.
This was his chance!
A fierce glint flashed in Gu Su's eyes as he gave a low, decisive order.
The five newly summoned skeletons, unarmed, charged forward first to draw the harpies' attention.
The Elite Skeletons armed with cleavers and spears fell back in formation, encircling the harpies as they watched for an opening and prepared to launch a surprise attack. A new fierce battle was about to erupt.
Having been tricked by the bait and lost one of their companions, the harpies were already blinded by rage.
Their blood-red eyes brimmed with savagery, and their shrill cries sent fallen leaves fluttering through the woods.
They had already suffered from the Skeleton Squad's teamwork, and their leader was badly wounded, yet they still charged recklessly, flapping their wings as they dove at the skeletons. They looked ready to tear the bones before them to pieces.
The five newly summoned skeletons had been ready for this. They immediately rushed forward and clung tightly to the five ordinary harpies at the front.
They had no weapons, but they didn't care whether they lived or died. No matter how the harpies flailed and clawed at them, tearing at their bones with their talons, the skeletons refused to let go. They held their enemies in place by sheer force.
That gave the skeletons behind them a chance to attack the harpies pinned down in front.
At the same time, the three remaining Elite Skeletons armed with iron-tipped spears joined forces with the magic-wielding skeleton and charged at the badly wounded magic-wielding harpy.
They took advantage of her severe injuries and sluggish movements, giving her no chance to cast any lightning spells.
The magic-wielding harpy saw them coming and struggled to flap her wings and dodge, but blood continued to seep from the spear in her chest. The pale blue electricity around her grew weaker by the moment, and she was already far slower than before.
In an instant, three sharp iron-tipped spears plunged into her body, piercing the base of her wings and her abdomen. Black blood gushed out, splattering on the ground with a sizzling sound.
Gu Su spotted the perfect opening. He dashed out from behind a tree, gripped the Plague Cutter in both hands, and activated its burst effect. The chainsaw roared to life and spun furiously into the harpy's body.
Before you continue