26. Nine Hundred Bone Teeth Unleashed!

He set those thoughts aside for now.

Taking advantage of the time he had, Lin Mu went back to the old house and packed a few things simply.

After eating, he returned to his new lodgings.

At midnight, his talents refreshed.

Lin Mu first modified the [Fear Whisper Ring]'s "all attributes decreased by 5%" to "all attributes decreased by 9%."

Next was [Resurrect Skeleton].

[Resurrect Skeleton] (Level 3): Consumes 55 mana. By channeling multiple strong currents of deathly aura, summons 10 skeletons assembled from steel bones from the void to fight for you. They move slowly, have a sturdy structure, and are extremely difficult to damage. Maximum limit: 90.

Lin Mu focused his mind.

"Change 'summons 10' to 'summons 90'!"

Hum—

The description on the class panel shifted again.

[Resurrect Skeleton] (Level 3): Consumes 455 mana. Summons 90 steel skeletons to fight for you. Maximum limit: 90.

Lin Mu nodded in satisfaction.

Paired with the [Withered Wood Staff]'s nearly one-hundred-percent cost reduction, the actual mana consumed per cast was less than five points.

He could now summon a full ninety [Steel Skeletons] in one go, no longer needing to cast repeatedly like before—efficiency had skyrocketed.

And temporarily upgrading [Resurrect Skeleton] wouldn't yield much benefit.

Lin Mu didn't waste precious skill points.

Instead, he went straight for a major overhaul of [Bone Tooth]!

Looking at the description that read "summons 100 sharp teeth," a slight curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Change 'summons 100' to 'summons 900'!"

[Bone Tooth] (Level 3): Consumes 907 mana. Summons 900 bone teeth from underground, stabbing forward in a linear area, each dealing 4-6 physical damage.

Nine hundred bone teeth erupting at once!

Lin Mu's heart warmed.

This meant that even against high-defense targets, even with forced damage reduction, a single cast of [Bone Tooth] could instantly deal at least 900 damage!

A terrifying single-target burst!

The [Withered Wood Staff] had already been modified last time—its attack power was now 9-9, and its cost reduction was as high as 99%. There was no better room for improvement for now.

As for the remaining equipment, Lin Mu made fine adjustments one by one.

[Rapid Healing Ring] (LV.5, Blue)

Defense: 9-9.

Special Effect: Recovers 99 HP per second.

(Defense lower limit increased)

[Silent Black Stone Necklace] (LV.5, Blue)

Constitution: +2

Special Effect: Perception range increased by 99 meters.

(Perception range further enhanced)

[Swift Wind Boots] (LV.5, Blue)

Defense: 10-15

Agility: +5

Special Effect: Movement speed +99%.

(Movement speed bonus reached modification limit)

The new skill [Grasp of Bones].

[Grasp of Bones] (Level 2): Consumes 27 mana. Summons a bone hand at a designated location. It grasps and then explodes, dealing 35 physical damage within a radius of 9.2 meters.

Lin Mu's gaze landed on "radius of 9.2 meters."

"Change 'radius of 9.2 meters' to 'radius of 9.9 meters'!"

Modification successful.

He immediately invested a skill point into it.

Grasp of Bones (Level 3): Consumes 29 mana. Summons a skeletal hand at a designated location that grips and then explodes, dealing 40 physical damage within a 10.1-meter radius.

Lin Mu smiled in satisfaction.

By tomorrow night, when his talents refreshed, he could modify the attack range of this [Grasp of Bones] all the way to over ninety meters!

That would be a true map-wide skill!

Finally, Lin Mu's gaze fell on the purple [Cave Lord's Bone Axe].

He carefully examined the axe's description and ultimately decided to appropriately modify the damage multiplier of its special effect, [Heavy Cleave].

"Change 'deals 200% damage to the target' to 'deals 400% damage to the target'!"

Whoosh—

The equipment description was completely renewed.

Cave Lord's Bone Axe (LV.10, Purple, Melee Class Only)

Attack Power: 80-90

Strength: +12

Constitution: +6

Special Effect: [Heavy Cleave]: Consumes half of stamina. The next attack deals 400% damage to the target, with a 30% chance to inflict [Hamstring] (Hamstring: reduces movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds).

The damage had doubled outright!

"Now, this should fetch a better price."

Lin Mu put away the bone axe, calculating in his mind.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the trading hall to sell this axe, recoup the funds, then immediately level up, reach LV.10 as fast as possible, complete the class change, and learn [Resurrect Skeleton Archer]!"

The next day, Lin Mu woke up in high spirits.

Without any delay.

He took a taxi directly to the Xilin Professional Trading Hall.

Returning to this familiar place, Lin Mu's mindset was already different.

The moment he stepped into the hall.

A surprised and delighted female voice came from not far away.

"Mr... Mr. Lin! You, you're here!"

Liu Feifei, like a butterfly that had discovered honey.

Hurriedly greeted him.

Her face was plastered with a sweet, slightly exaggerated smile.

A world apart from the perfunctory and dismissive attitude of their first meeting.

Lin Mu's reputation in Xilin City now.

Especially the feats of his SSS-grade rating and SS-grade clear of [Wailing Cavern].

Had already spread through the professional circles through various channels. Liu Feifei had naturally heard of it.

The young man before her.

Was already a dazzling rising star in Xilin City.

With limitless potential!

"Mm, I'm here to sell a piece of equipment."

Lin Mu nodded calmly, showing no surprise at the change in Liu Feifei's attitude.

"Right this way, Mr. Lin! Same as before, I'll go get the chief appraiser right away!"

Liu Feifei eagerly led Lin Mu toward the VIP Appraisal Room, moving quickly.

Afraid of slighting this major client.

Soon.

The chief appraiser with the gold-rimmed glasses from last time hurried over.

Behind him followed the trading hall manager, Liu Qing, who had come upon hearing the news.

"Mr. Lin, a rare guest indeed!"

Liu Qing said with a warm smile on his face, extending his hand proactively.

"Manager Liu, you're too kind."

Lin Mu intended a simple handshake.

But unexpectedly, Liu Qing held on quite tightly.

Her finger lightly scraped across Lin Mu's palm before letting go.

"I wonder what surprise Mr. Lin has brought us this time?"

Liu Qing's strange gaze made Lin Mu feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He had never experienced anything like this!

So he didn't waste words.

He directly took out the [Cave Lord's Bone Axe] from his storage space.

"Hum!"

Purple light rippled under the soft glow of the appraisal room.

A dense, heavy wave of power spread out.

Causing both the chief appraiser and Liu Qing's eyes to narrow simultaneously.

"A LV.10 purple two-handed axe!"

The chief appraiser took the bone axe and examined it carefully.

When he saw the "400%" damage description of the [Heavy Cleave] effect, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He drew in a sharp breath.

"Th-this... the damage of this [Heavy Cleave]... is actually this high!"

He exclaimed in shock, looking at Lin Mu with eyes full of disbelief.

Liu Qing also showed a surprised expression.

He deeply understood the rarity of purple equipment, especially this kind of top-tier piece with a powerful core skill effect!

"Mr. Lin, this bone axe of yours... aren't its special effects a bit too strong?"

Liu Qing asked tentatively, his sense of mystery toward Lin Mu deepening even further.

"It's alright. Maybe that boss was just too powerful."

Lin Mu answered ambiguously.

Liu Qing gave Lin Mu a deep look.

He didn't press further, instead pondering for a moment before saying:

"This [Cave Lord's Bone Axe] is of excellent quality, especially this [Heavy Cleave] effect, which doubles its value. Without a doubt, it's another oddity!"

He paused and gave a price.

"Our trading hall is willing to offer seven hundred thousand Nova Coins to acquire it! Mr. Lin, what do you think?"

Seven hundred thousand!

That price was even a bit higher than Lin Mu had expected.

It seemed the reputation of an "oddity," along with Liu Qing's desire to win him over, had added considerable value to this axe.

"Deal."

Lin Mu nodded simply.

His current goal was to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

These external possessions were best cashed in fast.

"Straightforward!"

Liu Qing clapped his hands with a smile and immediately arranged for the finance department to make the transfer.

Soon.

An additional seven hundred thousand Nova Coins appeared in Lin Mu's professional account.

Combined with his previous savings, his total assets had now broken through the one million two hundred thousand mark!

"Mr. Lin, if you ever come across any more... special equipment in the future, please prioritize our trading hall."

Liu Qing spoke with a respectful attitude and sincere tone.

"We can not only offer the fairest prices but also provide you with some hard-to-find intelligence and conveniences on the market."

"I will."

Lin Mu nodded lightly.

The transaction was complete.

Lin Mu didn't linger long and soon left the trading hall.

"The top priority now is to level up as quickly as possible and complete the class advancement!"

"Skeleton Archer, and that unknown level 10 advancement quest—I can't wait any longer!"