Chapter 16 – Skeleton Warrior

Rustle~

Tall trees swayed as white mist drifted, making the depths of the forest appear profoundly mysterious and unpredictable.

Only when situated within his own territory, able to survey everything from a god’s-eye view, could Mu Yuan feel somewhat secure.

As the third-person perspective gradually elevated into an overhead view, his game character stepped into the territory.

In front of the computer, he rubbed his slightly sore wrists.

Night had fallen. Baijiang City was brightly lit, and the roar of motorcycles passing by echoed outside the window.

In the Eternal World, daylight gradually faded from the horizon as darkness descended, shrouding the land. The churning mist under the night sky resembled giant, devouring mouths, eager to swallow everything that ventured within.

Various monsters grew increasingly active, their cries rising and falling like a terrifying symphony.

“Deadbone has grown stronger, but we still need to proceed with caution when venturing out, and the efficiency remains low.”

Today, his exploration team had slightly expanded, consisting of 2 Skeleton Soldiers + 3 Little Skeletons + 1 hunting falcon.

They had conducted two explorations.

The reason for two trips with a break in between was that his game character couldn’t endure continuous exploration. Although he had eaten a Crimson Blood Fruit yesterday, slightly improving his physical condition, the rough and wild terrain was still difficult to traverse. Mu Yuan had to focus intently while controlling his game character; otherwise, a single misstep could cause him to trip and fall with a thud.

It was all the road’s fault!

Of course, the low exploration efficiency was also due to his excessive caution. At the slightest hint of something amiss, Mu Yuan would immediately execute a strategic retreat, making the exploration process rather slow.

However, compared to yesterday, they had uncovered several dark areas today.

Mu Yuan opened the map.

Areas outside the territory remained shrouded in white mist, preventing him from seeing any units. But the previously explored areas, once completely dark, now revealed their terrain and environment clearly on the map.

“To the north, beyond the fruit grove we found yesterday, there’s a small Goblin Camp.”

“Though it’s small, it’s still camp-level. From a distance, I could see at least several dozen goblins—a force we can’t afford to provoke right now.”

Before discovering the Goblin Camp, Mu Yuan’s team had eliminated some lone goblins.

These ordinary goblins were as weak as Little Skeletons, and the Skeleton Soldiers cut through them with crisp cracks.

When they found the Goblin Camp, Bone Two, the reckless one, charged forward immediately.

“Crack, crack, crack~”

Charge! Crush them all, every single one!

The meaning was Mu Yuan’s guess, and it was probably wrong. He didn’t think Bone Two was that clever; he suspected this guy didn’t even have thoughts, just a tendency to rush in recklessly.

He shouldn’t have given this fool a name with “two” in it.

Well, but most ordinary units, even low-Rank rare ones, were like this.

They retained only some combat instincts—one couldn’t expect too much from them.

Deadbone had raised his expectations.

“So, Deadbone, from now on, you’ll be responsible for training all the new skeletons. Do a good job.”

Mu Yuan patted Deadbone’s shoulder.

Entrusted with this “important task,” Deadbone was thrilled. His soulfire flickered excitedly as he thumped his armor, vowing not to fail the mission.

Having delegated the responsibility without even making empty promises, Mu Yuan smiled and nodded in approval.He had heard that military units that have awakened self-awareness possess higher natural talent, stronger learning abilities, and are more likely to achieve breakthroughs, but they also come with certain drawbacks.

They are simply too clever.

Clever military units sometimes look down on weak lords, ignore commands they dislike, demand daily wages from their lords, or prefer slacking off and avoiding work.

In summary, military units with self-awareness have a higher ceiling but also more demands.

“Is that so? I don’t really feel that way.”

Mu Yuan stroked his chin.

As long as Deadbone was willing, he wasn’t exploiting his employees.

Wait, no—how could he use the word “exploit”? This was training. Precisely because Deadbone had awakened self-awareness, he needed more opportunities to exercise and unleash his potential.

And Mu Yuan was merely providing a few small training opportunities.

Unable to tackle the Goblin Camp, Mu Yuan could only send out a falcon for reconnaissance. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak bird language, nor did he have any self-aware military units that understood it to translate, so he couldn’t quite grasp the falcon’s meaning.

He only roughly understood that there were at least several dozen goblins in the camp, with no fewer than three types of goblin military units.

Goblins, Great Goblins, and Goblin Spear Throwers.

Goblin Spear Throwers were two-star military units. Their killing power might not be strong, but they possessed ranged capabilities.

During the falcon’s reconnaissance of the Goblin Camp, it was nearly shot down by a spear thrower and ended up shedding a lot of feathers.

“This Goblin Camp is too close to the territory. Once we have the capability, we must prioritize dealing with it. Otherwise, they will eventually come knocking at our door.”

“Moreover, without clearing the camp, it’s not advisable to detour and continue exploring north. If we encounter unexpected situations and need to retreat strategically, we could easily be cut off by the goblins.”

For the second exploration, Mu Yuan chose the west.

In the west, lone wild monsters like gray wolves, goblins, and cave dwellers were much fewer, but there was a rare type of monster—the two-star Poison Spider.

They were as large as millstones, terrifying in appearance, and capable of spitting venom.

The venom wasn’t a skill, but it was toxic.

Other players might be reluctant to face these Poison Spiders—they were too venomous, and once a military unit was poisoned, recovery was troublesome—requiring a significant amount of Soul Sand, making it not worth the effort.

Coincidentally, Mu Yuan’s skeletons weren’t particularly afraid of poison.

So, Mu Yuan and Deadbone, along with the other skeletons, rampaged through the Poison Spider Forest, killing at least twenty Poison Spiders.

But as they ventured deeper, the environment of the Poison Spider Forest gradually changed. The trees and leaves took on a black-purple sheen, and in the distance, they could see massive spiderwebs spanning branches dozens of meters high.

How large must those spiders be?

Mu Yuan chickened out.

Deadbone also felt that a strategic retreat was a viable option.

So, they retreated.

Mu Yuan took out an A3 sheet of paper and began sketching on it. He first drew a circle to represent his territory, then marked a cross to the north for the Goblin Camp.

As for the west, what they had explored so far was merely the outermost edge of the black-purple forest. He couldn’t estimate how large the forest was or whether even more terrifying giant spiders lurked deeper within.

He named it the Poison Spider Forest and noted that it was not advisable to venture too deep.

By the end of the day, he hadn’t found the Root of Filth, but he had slain many lone wild monsters and cleared numerous areas, reaping significant rewards.

Mu Yuan tallied them one by one.”Soul Sand 39.6g, and only one Remnant Soul dropped because we haven’t encountered any high-level, high-star monsters… or perhaps this is the normal drop rate?”

“As for Materials, we found three ordinary-grade Hemostatic Herbs with significant healing effects, though they don’t seem to work on skeletons.”

“Also, 4 Antitoxin Fruits, 5 Mind-Calming Herbs, and 3 Replenishing Fruits.”

These were all ordinary-grade Materials, but their values varied greatly. The first three were far inferior to Crimson Blood Fruit, while the last one, Replenishing Fruit, was even more valuable than Crimson Blood Fruit.

「Replenishing Fruit (Ordinary): Cultivation Material. Slightly increases a troop’s energy.」

Though the effect was slight, Replenishing Fruit was typically used by Professional Tier troops. Mu Yuan estimated it could significantly boost Deadbone’s endurance.

Crimson Blood Fruit was also a cultivation Material, but its compatibility with skeletons wasn’t just poor—it was nonexistent.

“As for Soul Sand, priority goes to Deadbone and the two Skeleton Soldiers. The other Little Skeletons will have to go without for now. Funds are still tight.”

“With Deadbone’s talent and effort, it should reach Level 4 tomorrow—almost the mid-stage of Apprentice Tier.”

Another step closer to the Great Perfection of Apprentice Level 9, half a step away from Professional Tier.

The future looked promising.

No, the present was already promising.

No diligence or hard work would be in vain. Evolution Points would repay with genuine brilliance.

“It’s time to reveal your power, Evolution Points.”

Currently, the territory had 15 skeletons, producing roughly one unit of Evolution Points every 4 hours. Moreover, his expeditions with Deadbone and the other skeletons—exploring, fighting, and wreaking havoc—had accelerated this process.

The Evolution Points were now sufficient.

It was time to unveil the true power.

「Evolution Points: 5.23」

“Deadbone, step forward. Do not waste this power. Continue to strive and persevere. May you one day become a true… Skeleton Emperor.”

Mu Yuan painted a vivid picture for it: a Skeleton Emperor sitting alone upon an imperial coffin, back turned to all living beings, angling across eternity.

Skeleton Emperor?

The young Deadbone was filled with longing. It stepped forward, clenched its fist, and placed it over its chest in a vow.

Its armor was scarred and battered, stained with dried blood, and its standard-issue saber was slightly chipped… all testaments to countless battles over the past two days.

It was already a battle-hardened skeleton.

The next moment, a warm, miraculous, great, and invisible power descended. Deadbone transformed into light once more, its Skeleton Soldier form beginning to change within the dazzling white radiance.

The armor grew more menacing and majestic, its Aura increasingly terrifying.

「Ding!」

「Notification: Your troop ‘Skeleton Soldier’ has been influenced by Miracle Power, undergone metamorphosis, and evolved into ‘Skeleton Warrior’.」

(End of Chapter)