Nine Hundred Bone Teeth, All at Once!

For now, he put those thoughts aside.

While he still had time, Lin Mu returned to the old house.

He tidied up a few things.

He ate, then returned to his new place.

At midnight, his talent refreshed.

First, Lin Mu changed the [Fear Whisper Ring]'s "all attributes reduced by 5%" to "all attributes reduced by 9%."

Next was [Resurrect Skeleton].

[Resurrect Skeleton] (Level 3): Costs 55 mana. By channeling several strong streams of Death Aura, summons 10 skeletons assembled from steel bones out of thin air to fight for you. They move slowly, have sturdy frames, and are extremely difficult to damage. Maximum number: 90.

Lin Mu focused his thoughts.

"Change 'summon 10' to 'summon 90'!"

Buzz—

The description on the Class Panel changed once more.

[Resurrect Skeleton] (Level 3): Costs 455 mana. Summons 90 Steel Skeletons to fight for you. Maximum number: 90.

Lin Mu nodded in satisfaction.

Combined with the [Withered Wood Staff]'s nearly 100% mana cost reduction, each cast now cost less than five mana.

He could summon all ninety [Steel Skeletons] at once, instead of casting the spell repeatedly as before. It was far more efficient.

And there wasn't much to gain from leveling up [Resurrect Skeleton] for now.

Lin Mu didn't waste a precious skill point.

He went straight to a major overhaul of [Bone Tooth]!

Looking at the description, "summons 100 sharp teeth," a smile tugged at his lips.

"Change 'summon 100' to 'summon 900'!"

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

Nine hundred bone teeth, all at once!

Lin Mu's heart raced.

This meant that even against a highly defensive target, even if the damage was forced, a single [Bone Tooth] could deal at least 900 damage in an instant!

It was an astonishing single-target burst!

After its previous modification, the [Withered Wood Staff] already had 9–9 attack power and 99% mana cost reduction. There was no better way to modify it for now.

Lin Mu also made minor adjustments to his remaining equipment, one by one.

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

Defense: 9–9.

Special Effect: Restores 99 health per second.

(Defense minimum increased)

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

Constitution: +2

Special Effect: Increases perception range by 99 meters.

(Perception range further increased)

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

Defense: 10–15

Agility: +5

Special Effect: Movement speed +99%

(Movement speed bonus has reached the modification limit)

His new skill was [Grasp of Bones].

[Grasp of Bones] (Level 2): Costs 27 mana. Summons a skeletal hand at a designated location. After it grabs its target, it explodes, dealing 35 physical damage within a radius of 9.2 meters.

Lin Mu's eyes settled on "radius of 9.2 meters."

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

Modification successful.

He immediately invested one skill point in it.

[Grasp of Bones] (Level 3): Costs 29 mana. Summons a skeletal hand at a designated location. After it grabs its target, it explodes, dealing 40 physical damage within a radius of 10.1 meters.

Lin Mu smiled with satisfaction.

Once his talent refreshed tomorrow night, he could increase [Grasp of Bones]'s range to over ninety meters in one go!

That would be a true map-wide attack skill!

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

He carefully examined its description and decided to moderately increase the damage multiplier of its special effect, [Heavy Cleave].

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

Buzz—

The equipment description was completely transformed.

[Cave Lord's Bone Axe] (LV.10, Purple, for melee classes only)

Attack: 80–90

Strength: +12

Constitution: +6

Special Effect: [Heavy Cleave]: Consumes half your stamina. Your next attack deals 400% damage to the target and has a 30% chance to inflict [Hamstring] (Hamstring: Reduces movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds).

Its damage had doubled!

"This should fetch an even better price now."

Lin Mu put away the bone axe, considering his next steps.

"Tomorrow, I'll sell this axe at the Trading Hall. Once I have the money, I'll level up immediately, reach LV.10 as soon as possible, complete my class advancement, and learn [Resurrect Skeleton Archer]!"

The next day, Lin Mu woke up feeling refreshed.

Without delay, he took a taxi to the Xilin Professional Trading Hall.

Returning to a familiar place, Lin Mu felt entirely different this time.

As soon as he stepped inside, an excited female voice called out from nearby.

"Mr. Lin... Mr. Lin! Y-you're here!"

Liu Feifei hurried over like a butterfly that had spotted honey.

Her face was wreathed in a saccharine, slightly exaggerated smile.

She was like a completely different person from the dismissive, perfunctory woman he'd first met.

Lin Mu's reputation in Xilin City had grown considerably.

In particular, his SSS-Rank rating and his feat of clearing the [Wailing Cavern] with an SS-Rank had already spread throughout the Classer community through various channels. Liu Feifei had naturally heard about it.

The young man before her had become a dazzling rising star in Xilin City.

His future was limitless!

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

Lin Mu nodded calmly. He wasn't at all surprised by Liu Feifei's change in attitude.

"Please come this way, Mr. Lin! We'll do things the usual way. I'll fetch the Chief Appraiser right away!"

Liu Feifei ushered Lin Mu toward the VIP Appraisal Room with practiced efficiency.

She was afraid of slighting this important customer.

Before long, the same Chief Appraiser, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, hurried over.

The Trading Hall manager, Liu Qing, followed close behind, having heard the news.

"Mr. Lin, what a rare guest!"

Liu Qing greeted him with a warm smile and extended her hand.

"You're too kind, Manager Liu."

Lin Mu had intended to give her a brief handshake.

To his surprise, Liu Qing gripped his hand tightly.

Her fingers lightly brushed his palm before she let go.

"What surprise have you brought us this time, Mr. Lin?"

Liu Qing's strange look made Lin Mu feel a little uncomfortable.

He'd never experienced anything like this before!

Rather than waste time, he took the [Cave Lord's Bone Axe] straight out of his storage space.

"Buzz!"

Purple light rippled across the appraisal room under its soft lighting.

A heavy, weighty aura of power spread through the room.

The Chief Appraiser and Liu Qing both narrowed their eyes.

"A level 10 purple two-handed axe!"

The Chief Appraiser took the bone axe and examined it closely.

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

He sucked in a sharp breath.

"Th-this [Heavy Cleave] damage... it's incredibly high!"

He exclaimed in shock, looking at Lin Mu in disbelief.

Liu Qing was equally astonished.

She knew just how precious purple weapons were, especially top-tier ones with such powerful core skill effects!

"Mr. Lin, isn't the special effect on this bone axe... a little too powerful?"

Liu Qing asked tentatively, her sense of Lin Mu's mystery deepening.

"It's all right. Maybe the boss was just that strong."

Lin Mu gave an ambiguous answer.

Liu Qing studied Lin Mu for a long moment.

She didn't press him and instead said thoughtfully:

"This [Cave Lord's Bone Axe] is exceptional in quality. The [Heavy Cleave] effect in particular is enough to multiply its value. Without a doubt, it's another extraordinary item!"

She paused, then named a price.

"Our Trading Hall is willing to offer 700,000 Nova Coins for it! What do you think, Mr. Lin?"

Seven hundred thousand!

That was even more than Lin Mu had expected.

The axe's reputation as an "extraordinary item," along with Liu Qing's desire to win him over, had clearly raised its value.

"Deal."

Lin Mu agreed without hesitation.

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

It was best to turn these worldly possessions into cash quickly.

"Excellent!"

Liu Qing clapped her hands and immediately arranged for the finance department to make the transfer.

Before long, another 700,000 Nova Coins appeared in Lin Mu's Classer account.

Including what he had saved before, his total assets had now surpassed 1.2 million!

"Mr. Lin, if you acquire any more equipment like this... anything out of the ordinary, please consider our Trading Hall first."

Liu Qing's manner was respectful, her tone sincere.

"We can offer you the fairest prices and provide information and conveniences that are hard to find on the market."

"I will."

Lin Mu nodded.

With the deal done, he didn't linger and left the Trading Hall.

"The most urgent thing is to level up as quickly as possible and complete my class advancement!"

"I can't wait to get my hands on the Skeleton Archer—and find out what my level 10 class advancement quest will be!"