Under Lin Mu's command.
Ninety Steel Skeletons surged toward the depths of the cave like an iron-gray tide released from a floodgate.
They rumbled forward.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
The uniform clatter of metal echoed through the enclosed passage.
Loose stones shook free from the walls and pattered to the ground.
Before long.
A few shadows flickered around the bend ahead.
Five enormous Corrosion Rats.
Their greasy fur reeked of a sharp, sour stench as they bared their pointed teeth.
Close behind them.
Two Cave Spiders, each as large as a millstone.
Eight compound eyes gleamed with a menacing green light.
Thick venom dripped from their opening and closing mandibles.
These monsters, ranging from LV.5 to LV.6.
In a novice Dungeon, they would be enough to throw any low-level adventurer party into disarray.
And might even exact a terrible price.
However.
When their vaunted claws and fangs struck the Steel Skeletons' gleaming metal bones.
"Clang! Clang!"
They did little more than spray a string of sparks, leaving only faint white scratches that were almost impossible to notice.
"-1 HP!"
"-2 HP!"
Pitiful damage numbers floated above the skeletons' heads, as if mocking the monsters.
The Steel Skeletons, by contrast.
Attacked with brutal simplicity.
Several skeletons strode forward.
The steel blades in their hands swept down without a hint of flourish, cutting through the air.
"Thwack!"
"Skreee—!"
Every slash easily tore through the monsters' flesh.
Leaving dreadful wounds that went deep enough to expose bone.
Almost one hit per monster!
For a while, the cave.
Held nothing but the monsters' shrill death cries and the "crack" of shattering bones.
Lin Mu's experience bar surged at a speed visible to the naked eye.
[Necromancer Lin Mu has reached LV.5!]
In less than half an hour.
After clearing several waves of similar monsters, the familiar notification chimed in his mind.
Lin Mu didn't hesitate.
He spent three of his five newly earned free attribute points on Intelligence and two on Constitution.
His maximum HP and MP increased once again.
Then.
He eagerly equipped the LV.5 gear in his backpack, which had been waiting impatiently for him.
The Rapid Healing Ring, Silent Black Stone Necklace, Fire Lizard Guardian Breastplate, and Swift Wind Boots!
In an instant.
A powerful sensation, far surpassing anything he had felt before, flowed through him like a warm current!
Ninety-nine HP regenerated every second. He was practically impossible to kill!
His perception range had increased by a staggering 92 meters. Not a single rustle within nearly a hundred meters could escape him!
With +99% fire resistance, he could practically ignore most fire damage at his current level!
A 95% boost to his movement speed made him feel as light as a feather, as if the wind itself were at his heels!
"Awesome!"
As Lin Mu savored the surging power within him.
He took out the skill book he had received as an official reward: Grasp of Bones.
[Ding! Learn the skill "Grasp of Bones"?]
"Learn it!"
[Grasp of Bones] (Level 1): Consumes 25 MP to summon a skeletal hand at a designated location. It grabs, then explodes, dealing 30 physical damage within a 2-meter radius.
The [Description Tamperer] talent activated!
A more detailed description appeared before him.
[Grasp of Bones] (Level 1): Consumes 25 MP to condense old bones with Death Force at a designated location, forming a skeletal hand that bursts from the ground. It quickly grabs nearby enemies, then the bones explode, dealing 30 physical damage to enemies within a 2-meter radius.
"Change '2-meter radius' to '9-meter radius'!"
The skill description blurred, then reshaped itself.
Lin Mu put his newly earned skill point into Grasp of Bones.
[Grasp of Bones] (Level 2): Consumes 27 MP to summon a skeletal hand at a designated location. It grabs, then explodes, dealing 35 physical damage within a 9.2-meter radius.
Then he opened his Class Panel.
[Name: Lin Mu]
[Class: Necromancer]
[Level: LV.5, Experience: 38/800]
[HP: 200/200]
[MP: 280/280]
[Strength: 2]
[Agility: 9] (Battle Boots +5)
[Intelligence: 28]
[Constitution: 20] (Breastplate +3, Necklace +2)
[Free Attribute Points: 0]
[Skill Points: 0]
[Equipment: Withered Wood Staff, Fire Lizard Guardian Breastplate, Swift Wind Boots, Rapid Healing Ring, Silent Black Stone Necklace]
Lin Mu couldn't wait to test his new skill's power.
Not long after he continued deeper into the cave.
Just ahead.
Three LV.6 Cave Ogres charged at him, roaring and swinging thick wooden clubs.
They were powerfully built.
Their skin was a dirty gray-green.
A revolting, fishy stench rolled off them.
Lin Mu raised a hand and pointed.
"Grasp of Bones!"
As mana surged.
"Rumble!"
The ground suddenly burst open.
A giant claw, formed from countless pale bones.
Burst from the earth with overwhelming force!
The skeletal hand was several meters across, its five fingers twisted and menacing, radiating a dense Death Aura.
Almost as soon as it appeared, it surrounded all three Cave Ogres and a broad area around them!
"Uwaah?!"
The ogres clearly hadn't expected such a sudden turn of events, and let out a terrified roar.
The next second.
The giant skeletal hand clenched tight!
"Boom!"
A dull explosion echoed through the cavern.
Countless bone fragments flew in every direction.
The three Cave Ogres screamed in agony.
A modest damage number appeared above each of them.
A single hit wasn't lethal to such thick-skinned ogres.
But the skill's terrifying range made Lin Mu's eyes light up!
"Not bad! If I modify it a few more times and boost Grasp of Bones' damage, it'll perfectly make up for my lack of area attacks!"
Lin Mu thought to himself.
The Steel Skeleton horde handled the frontline and absorbed damage.
Bone Tooth let him precisely eliminate high-priority targets.
Then there was Grasp of Bones, with its wide-area clear.
And he had his own powerful regeneration, absurd perception range, and terrifying resistance to the elements.
His tactical setup had become flawless!
From then on.
With the help of his 92-meter perception range.
Lin Mu could always sense the distribution of monsters in the passages ahead before he reached them.
He could even clearly distinguish the strength of different monsters' auras.
He directed the skeleton army to strike with precision.
Every encounter.
Ended swiftly in an overwhelming rout.
His experience climbed rapidly.
As they ventured deeper.
The cave grew darker and more eerie.
Strange black stones began to appear on the walls.
Their edges were sharp, and their surfaces were covered in twisted patterns.
They radiated a faint negative energy.
Within Lin Mu's perception.
Faint whispers seemed to seep from those black stones.
Their voices were filled with despair and malice, constantly assailing his mind.
The whispers finally fell silent when he reached the edge of a vast underground lake.
The foul lake water was a strange shade of dark green.
The remains of unknown creatures floated on its surface.
An abnormally swollen and twisted monster crouched by the lake, gnawing on a rotting corpse.
[Mutated Ghoul Elite] (LV.8, Elite Monster)
[HP: 1200]
[Traits: Venom Spit, Rapid Movement, Putrid Aura]
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