The Skeleton Army Sweeps Through the Secret Realm

Time and space twisted, heaven and earth spun.

When Lin Mu regained his vision, he found himself in a dead, gray world.

The sky was leaden, with no sun, no clouds.

The earth was cracked, and countless massive rock formations floated in midair, defying the laws of physics.

Beneath his feet was not solid ground, but a huge, floating fragment of land.

The air was thick with an aura of nothingness and finality, pressing down on the heart.

[Welcome to Void Secret Realm - Independent Space No. 7.]

[Assessment Mission: Survive and earn points.]

[Current Points: 0]

[Assessment Countdown: 2:59:59]

A translucent panel appeared in the upper right corner of Lin Mu's vision.

He closed his eyes. His perception range, a full ninety-nine meters, spread out like an invisible spiderweb.

Soon, he "saw" the first batch of "prey."

On a nearby floating land fragment.

Over a dozen pitch-black creatures, shaped like leopards, were silently roaming.

[Void Shadow Beast] (LV.15)

HP: 3100/3100

Traits: Void Shift (chance to dodge physical attacks), Swift.

Weakness: Vulnerable to energy attacks and mental shock.

"Interesting."

A smile tugged at Lin Mu's lips.

He didn't act immediately, instead casting his gaze further out.

This shattered world stretched endlessly.

Similar void creatures roamed everywhere.

Scoring high in three hours by relying on personal strength alone would indeed be difficult.

But he was a Necromancer.

Lin Mu raised the [Withered Wood Staff] in his hand.

"Then, game over."

The staff swung in a smooth arc.

"Awaken!"

Boom—!

The earth trembled violently!

Nine hundred [Steel Skeleton Warriors], clad in heavy armor and wielding steel spears, surged from the ground around him like a tidal wave!

The scene was as if the gates of hell had opened, and the Undead Scourge had descended!

The clatter of metal rang out, jarringly loud in this dead world!

But that wasn't all.

Lin Mu swung his staff again!

Ten skeletons that looked somewhat fragile appeared behind the Skeleton Legion!

[Skeleton Artillerymen]!

They knelt on one knee, expertly propping the cannon barrels—thicker than their own bodies—on their shoulders, aiming into the distance.

These were the debut of his two new unit types. Lin Mu immediately checked their stats.

[Steel Skeleton Warrior]

[HP: 9527/9527]

[ATK: 5580-5880]

[DEF: 5090]

-----------------

[Skeleton Artilleryman]

[HP: 680/680]

[ATK: 7320-8530]

[Defense: 220]

A Skeleton Legion, composed of nine hundred Heavy Infantry and ten artillerymen, had taken shape.

Thus, it was complete!

[Death Prayer]!

Lin Mu chanted softly, and the intangible rhythm of death swept across the entire field!

The Soul Fire of every skeleton soldier and artilleryman surged violently!

Attack, defense, speed—all attributes increased by 1004%!

"Full army, advance!"

Lin Mu gave the order, like a Lich King issuing a divine decree.

Nine hundred skeleton warriors marched in perfect unison, their steps swift as phantoms.

They swept outward in all directions!

They leaped between Floating Islands as if walking on flat ground!

Soon, the first Skeleton Squad encountered the dozen or so [Void Shadow Beasts]!

The shadow beasts' prized ability to phase through attacks was as fragile as paper before absolute numbers and power!

A Steel Spear thrust, a flash of silver light!

The shadow beast couldn't even let out a mournful cry before being torn to shreds in an instant!

Lin Mu's score jumped from 0 to 12.

At the same time.

At the entrance plaza of the [Void Secret Realm].

A massive crystal screen displayed the real-time rankings of the twenty-nine new students.

Five minutes had passed.

Most people's scores were still a pitiful 0.

Only a handful had barely managed to reach 1 or 2.

"Look! Lu Hu scored first!"

Behind Lu Hu's name, the score had changed from 0 to 3.

"Luo Tian scored too!"

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

Luo Tian's name showed his score instantly jumping to 7!

As expected of a holder of a golden talent!

Just as everyone was marveling at Luo Tian's terrifying efficiency.

Something unexpected happened.

In the row belonging to Lin Mu, the originally quiet number "0".

Suddenly began to flicker wildly!

12!

35!

98!

245!

571!

1098!

The numbers jumped so fast they dazzled the eyes!

It was as if they weren't a score, but a string of meaningless gibberish!

The entire plaza fell into an instant, dead silence!

Everyone's eyes were fixed on that screen.

Their expressions shifted from shock, to daze, and then to a fear as if they'd seen a ghost!

"Th-this... the hell... is going on?!"

Zhao Lei, who had come to watch the test, his voice trembled.

"Cheating! He's definitely cheating! The system has a bug!"

Even Mu Wanqing, who had always been calm and composed, suddenly straightened up.

Her beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with an unbelievable storm of shock!

She knew Lin Mu was formidable, but how could she have known he would be this heaven-defying!

The silence lasted only three seconds.

Then, the entire plaza erupted like a pond hit by a depth charge.

"Heavens! Am I seeing things, or has the world gone mad?!"

"Over a thousand points?! It's only been ten minutes!"

"I took this exam two years ago, and after three hours, my total score was under five hundred!"

"The number's still climbing! Two thousand! Three thousand!!"

Zhao Lei clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms, but he felt no pain.

Because an emotion called "Fear" was frantically devouring his sanity.

"Impossible... this is absolutely impossible..."

Slap! Slap!

"Why did I have to provoke him!"

He slapped himself, muttering, his voice tinged with tears.

Inside the secret realm.

"Boom--"

Lin Mu sat leisurely on a floating rock, legs crossed high.

His Skeleton Legion had already become the most efficient harvesting machine.

With him at the center, they radiated outward, sweeping the entire independent space clean.

Under his command, the Skeleton Artillerymen delivered precise long-range bombardment on areas dense with monsters.

The roar of exploding shells rose and fell in waves.

[You killed a Void Ripper (LV.17), +15 points]

[You killed a Void Lurker (LV.16), +13 points]

[...]

[Necromancer Lin Mu's level increased to LV.16!]

The flood of notifications made him feel a bit bored.

"Still too slow."

Lin Mu frowned.

He felt the monsters in this space weren't even enough for his legion to kill.

Just then, a massive energy reaction suddenly appeared in his spiritual link with the Skeleton Legion.

It was an ancient altar floating deep in the void.

On the altar coiled a beast the size of a small mountain, its entire body made of void crystal!

[Void Crystal Beast] (LV.25, Elite Boss)

HP: 98000/98000

Traits: Crystallized Shell (80% physical damage reduction), Void Energy Core (explodes violently upon death)

"Finally, something decent."

Lin Mu's eyes lit up.

With a thought, the three nearest skeleton warrior squads, totaling two hundred and ninety-seven Steel Skeletons, immediately turned and charged toward the altar!

But just as the skeleton army was about to reach the altar, the entire gray world shuddered violently!

An icy mechanical voice rang out across the entire independent space.

[Detected abnormal energy consumption in Space No. 7, far exceeding the threshold.]

[Activating emergency protocol--"Purification" procedure.]

[Abnormal target:--Examinee No. 0713.]

As the voice finished, the lead-gray sky above Lin Mu's head suddenly split open with a massive crimson rift!

A presence far more terrifying and savage than the Void Crystal Beast poured down from the rift!