Bone Whip

Su Mu was already used to such discussions.

Since the day he awakened his F-grade stone card, he has heard all sorts of opinions: mockery, regret, pessimism, amazement, and awe—they've all been the same few over and over.

He had long since learned to treat these sounds as background noise and not take them to heart.

He's getting ready to leave now.

The Land of Buried Bones have a twelve-hour cooldown period; he can't just wait here idly.

Although the monsters you grind outside aren't as high-level as those in the lair, every little bit helps.

Moreover, with Little Drill Wind already there, and now with the White Bone Spirit added to the mix, he doesn't need to take action himself at all. He can simply walk around slowly, and the monsters will be automatically cleared away.

But before that, he entered into meditation.

First, determine if the White Bone Spirit's weapon is compatible.

Su Mu's consciousness sank into the Dungeon Space. On White Tiger Ridge, the White Bone Spirit stood on the mountaintop, the plain-clad girl in human form quietly gazing at the distant Flower-Fruit Mountain. On her panel, the equipment slot was empty; the bone knife that had dropped from the Nightmare BOSS was still in a corner of the Soul Space, unequipped.

With a thought, he flicked the bone knife into the Dungeon Space.

The bone knife was an F-grade weapon with mediocre stats, +45 attack, and a slight deterrent effect against undead creatures. The White Bone Spirit caught it, the bone knife twirled in her palm, and then she gripped it tightly.

Su Mu looked at the control panel.

[Corpse Demon White Bone Spirit Equipment: Bone Knife (Rank F)]

[Combat Index: 219600 → 224800]

The improvement was slight, less than three percent. Moreover, the aura of the bone knife did not completely match the gray-white Soul Flames of the White Bone Spirit; the eerie green light on the knife blended with her gray-white flames, appearing out of place.

Su Mu frowned.

He tried changing the weapon's form. With a thought, the bone knife dissolved and reformed in the Dungeon Space, transforming into a bone spear. The White Bone Spirit grasped the bone spear, and its attributes surged again, but the increase was still limited. Moreover, the bone spear was too long, which didn't suit her agile, area-of-effect attack style.

Bone sword, bone claws, bone spurs.

Su Mu tried them one by one, each change requiring the consumption of Soul Power, but the increase was always less than five percent. These weapon forms were all too "solid" and did not match the White Bone Spirit's elusive, cold, and area-of-effect combat style.

He stopped and thought for a moment.

What is the White Bone Spirit's fighting style? Area-of-effect attacks, fire screens, and area suppression. She doesn't need a weapon for close combat; what she needs is a medium that amplifies her area-of-effect attacks.

Bone whip.

With a thought, Su Mu completely dissolved the bone blade in the Dungeon Space, reforming it into a long whip made up of dozens of bone rings strung together. The whip was slender and flexible, with intricate Soul Flame patterns engraved on each bone ring. When swung, the grayish-white flames flickered like a snake's tongue.

The change cost thirty Soul Points.

The White Bone Spirit gripped the bone whip and flicked it casually. The whip traced an arc in the air, and grayish-white flames spread out, leaving a scorched mark on the mountain path of White Tiger Ridge. The area covered by the flames was nearly ten percent wider than before, and the fire was more concentrated, no longer as scattered as before.

Su Mu looked at the control panel.

[Name: Corpse Demon White Bone Spirit]

[Rank: SS]

[Level: 11]

[Blood: 290400/290400]

[Attack: 25520]

[Defense: 14960]

[Agility: 22880]

[Combat Index: 241600]

[Equipment: Bone Whip (Rank F, Suitable)]

[Skills: Bone Claw Rend, Command of the Dead, Bone Reassembly, Transformation - Humanoid, Thousand-Faced Transformation]

[Note: This Corpse Demon, cultivated on White Tiger Ridge, possesses the form and soul of Lady White Bone. Its current form closely matches the concept of the "White Bone Spirit." Equipping the suitable weapon "Bone Whip" slightly enhances its area-of-effect attacks.]

Health increased from 264,000 to 290,000, attack increased from 23,200 to 25,500, defense increased from 13,600 to 14,900, and agility increased from 20,800 to 22,800. The overall increase was around 10%.

This is much better than the previous weapon trials.

But Su Mu looked at the panel and shook his head. It was still a bit short of SSS level. The note said "high compatibility" instead of "perfect". The bone whip was only suitable, not perfectly compatible.

To truly elevate her to SSS rank, it seems we need to acquire two more Thousand-Faced Skins, allowing her to transform into an old woman and an old man, thus completing the core concept of the White Bone Spirit's "three transformations." Alternatively, we could find more fitting material for White Tiger Ridge, truly transforming the mountain into the White Tiger Ridge from the original novel.

However, the value of this "Thousand-Faced Skin" item should be quite high, so I need to earn more money.

Su Mu snapped out of his daze and stood up.

He stretched his shoulders and walked towards the outskirts of the Land of Buried Bones. The chatter around the campfire behind him continued, but he no longer listened.

Behind him, in the shadows outside the entrance to the Land of Buried Bones, a figure with a high ponytail stood quietly in the darkness.

Shen Shishi leaned against the bony pillar, crossed her arms, and stared at Su Mu's departing figure.

"Nightmare dungeon, at least ten waves," she murmured to herself. "Plus, his previous record of killing a level 20 B-rank dungeon master... he's stronger than I thought."

She remained silent for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Damn it. This chase was clearly premeditated. Otherwise, I could have observed this boy more closely; he might have become an asset later. Now, too much contact with him will only harm him."

She raised her hand and pressed on the hilt of the sword at her waist, her eyes turning cold.

"It seems this matter should be settled by now."

She turned and disappeared into the depths of the dark red mist.