Chapter 24 – Appear in Reality, Skeleton Emperor!

After reading the expert commentary from Firsthand and witnessing the race against time by other top newcomers, Mu Yuan felt a sense of urgency.

But anxiety was useless.

Top spenders had the backing of Eternal World Lords and real-world financial conglomerates. They could continuously Charge forward, and even if they accidentally fell into the abyss, they could at least preserve their lives.

Ordinary players like him couldn’t afford such risks. Every step had to be carefully considered; a single misstep could lead to irreversible consequences.

All he could do was make the most of his time while remaining steady, developing his territory.

Mu Yuan browsed through the impressive feats of these outstanding newcomers, many of which left him in awe.

He paid special attention to the newcomers within White Cloud Province.

These newcomers’ landing sites on the Eternal Continent would likely be in the same region as his. If he aimed to rank on the leaderboard during the trials and compete for the world’s rewards, these individuals would be his rivals.

「Newcomer ‘I Have the Potential of an Emperor’: Review reason: Exceptional micro-management skills, achieved a flawless victory with 8 three-star units against over 20 enemies. Outstanding personal ability.」

「Newcomer ‘Shatter Darkness with Thunder’: Review reason: Possesses a hidden command talent. Under his leadership, units can unleash greater destructive power than usual.」

「Newcomer ‘In the Name of Li’: Review reason: …Inherently gifted, has recruited rare-tier units, and repeatedly achieved glorious victories against overwhelming odds.」

「…」

The reviews of these outstanding newcomers provided by Firsthand Intelligence were mostly based on information they had publicly disclosed and verified.

Unlike Mu Yuan, an ordinary and unnoticeable player, some second-generation gamers with profound backgrounds and extraordinary performances since childhood had long been the focus of attention in the supernatural community.

Admittedly, the selection mechanism of the Eternal World was entirely random, but second-generation gamers with ‘special talents’ were exceptions, having a significant probability of being chosen.

“If both parents are supernatural players with considerable strength, their children have a certain probability of being born with special abilities, such as water manipulation, telekinesis, or flight; abilities that extend the range of archers; or the capability to establish a Mental Link with units for remote control, and so on.”

“Civilian players also have an extremely small chance of possessing talents, though most are latent and must be gradually uncovered as the player’s rank increases.”

Mu Yuan stroked his chin. “So, I just have a slight evolutionary special ability, nothing like cheating.”

However, aside from these naturally spotlighted prodigies, some newcomers voluntarily disclosed their information.

Their purpose seemed to be…

“Building momentum?”

“To secure more investments?”

Of course, he was an exception. Aside from freely available resources, Mu Yuan wanted nothing else. He simply wished to be a quiet, independent Lord.

It seemed that because Firsthand Intelligence’s post had received official recognition, many newcomers took the opportunity to promote themselves in the comments.

Not all of them were outstanding newcomers.

The weaker ones hoped to receive a bit of investment to help them pass the official resource assessment and subsequently overcome the Lord trials.

The stronger ones aspired to make the list. Being reviewed by Firsthand was, for many newcomers, a tremendous affirmation.Soon, I’ll receive an invitation from a major corporation to become CEO and reach the peak of life.

A new player commented below,

“This Lord has recruited a rare-tier Skeleton Warrior! [image1.jpg], [image2.jpg]. Check out how strong and handsome it is! Who else can compare!”

Mu Yuan clicked on the images, revealing a majestic skeleton clad in silver-gray full armor, wielding a greatsword with a bone spear strapped to its back.

Another player had recruited a rare unit type, and it was also a Skeleton Warrior.

But something seemed off?

Below the post were numerous admiring players.

“Front row worshiping the expert.”

“Expert, please notice me.”

“This expert hasn’t made it to the review rankings yet? Looks like a dark horse!”

“More than just a dark horse – this is a top-tier dark horse!”

“Dark horses appear every year, but this one came early.”

“Wait a minute” – while newcomers were showering praise, veteran players examined the images carefully and noticed, “Your Skeleton Warrior’s aura seems a bit lacking? Its sword grip posture isn’t quite right either… and it’s somewhat short.”

Mu Yuan also noticed this.

He initially thought Deadbone Emperor was simply different from other Skeleton Warriors, which would be normal since it’s a future emperor.

But upon closer inspection, he realized this warrior somewhat resembled… a Skeleton Soldier.

“Is your Skeleton Soldier wearing warrior armor?”

A veteran player pointed out, “This is clearly just an ordinary three-star Skeleton Soldier wearing specially imitated warrior armor. Almost fooled me.”

“Even if your armor imitation is perfect, a Skeleton Soldier is still a Skeleton Soldier. It specializes in using sabers, and the bone spear you equipped is just for show… Skeleton Soldiers don’t possess any throwing techniques and probably don’t even know how to hold a bone spear properly.”

But setting all that aside, this Skeleton Soldier wearing warrior armor was still… quite handsome.

Its combat effectiveness was estimated to be somewhat stronger than ordinary Skeleton Soldiers.

After all, it was the Skeleton Warrior · Youth Edition.

Mu Yuan pondered, “My previous attempt to exploit game bugs failed, preventing me from stockpiling equipment. But thinking from another perspective, if I weren’t short on money and could craft such armor for Skeleton Soldiers, would it reduce the points consumed during their evolution?”

Maybe I can try this when I have money in the future, but not now.

Such armor that can be sent into the game world isn’t cheap.

Wait, there’s also the cross-border transportation tax… thinking about it makes it even more expensive. Exploiting bugs is indeed quite difficult.

…

The night passed without incident.

Mu Yuan ate fruits and cultivated in the real world, while Deadbone consumed Soul Sand and cultivated in the Eternal World. Everyone had a bright future ahead.

The next morning,

Mu Yuan woke up early and continued arranging exploration and resource collection missions for himself and Deadbone, making full use of their time.

When they returned from exploration and the game character needed rest due to fatigue, Mu Yuan prepared to go out.

“I need more Little Skeleton Remnant Souls, and preferably can purchase some cultivation system materials that can assist training and bring improvements to Deadbone.”

Such as Replenishing Fruits and similar items.

There were many similar cultivation materials and training aids available. Previously, he didn’t have the conditions, but now with over one to two hundred Soul Sands in his pocket plus some materials and treasures, he should definitely buy some supplements for Deadbone.

Not necessarily matching the spending of heavy pay-to-win players, but at least he shouldn’t let his child suffer.Mu Yuan piled up the Remnant Souls and Materials that might be sold in front of the Lord Altar for easy access. Watching Deadbone diligently studying techniques, he pondered, “Should I summon Deadbone to the Real World? Although the overall environment in Xuan Nation is relatively safe, having strength at hand is always reassuring.”

Most importantly, after several days of reinforcement, Mu Yuan felt he was almost capable and wouldn’t have his body drained.

In that case, who could resist the temptation of seeing their own skeleton’s heroic demeanor in person?

He said to Deadbone, “Bone, I’ve prepared a complete monster encyclopedia, a comprehensive military strategy guide, and a nine-year compulsory education set for you. How about it, interested in coming to my place to take a look?”

Deadbone eagerly nodded with a clattering sound.

With that settled, after Deadbone handed over his tasks to the other skeletons, Mu Yuan drew it into the Lord’s Mark, and along with it, he also brought in Bone Two and Bone Three.

As soon as they were drawn in, he sensed an intangible connection spanning Blue Star and the Eternal World.

He was somewhat astonished.

He had actually tried this before. Back then, when he drew in Deadbone, which was still Little Skeleton, the connection was very faint. He also had a premonition that if he truly summoned Deadbone to the Real World, his weak Mental Energy and body would be drained.

But now…

“It feels surprisingly easy? The connection is much stronger than before.”

“The connection with Bone Two and Bone Three isn’t weak either, several times stronger than during their Little Skeleton phase, but still far weaker than with Deadbone.”

“So… could it be related to evolution? Because of evolution, the bond between Deadbone and me has grown closer, naturally making the summoning easier.”

In that case…

Mu Yuan closed the windows and drew the curtains tight.

He took a deep breath, standing in the center of the room, holding a fragment of Soul Sand the size of a fingernail.

With a light flick, the Soul Sand spun through the air like a coin.

“In my name, I call upon~

“The future Skeleton Emperor, Master of Bones, Dominator of Death, Ruler of the Netherworld, Guardian of the Other Shore… Deadbone, manifest in the Real World!”

A low voice echoed in the bedroom as mysterious patterns materialized in the air.

A wind began to surge.

(End of Chapter)