Otherworldly Skeleton Evolution

Three kilometers outside the Snowy Forest, Luo Beiming trudged through the snow, leading a 500-man assault team. Rubbing his hands together, his expression was gloomy at this moment.

A Silly Cutie’s Skeleton Warhorse was simply too fast. Having failed to intercept her at the city gate, they could now only trail behind, choking on her dust. This left Luo Beiming extremely displeased.

Why? Why did all the good fortune seem to fall into A Silly Cutie’s lap?

Number One Under Heaven!

Second on the Weapon Rankings!

Fastest Clear Record Holder for the Goblin Pursuit Battle!

Fastest Clear Record Holder for Nightmare Difficulty Calamity Demoness!

Leader of the first guild established on the server!

Number one on the server-wide Rich List!

And she even had a black skeleton bodyguard that could fight ten people at once!

Not to mention her luxurious equipment, now she even rode such a swift warhorse?

This Skeleton Warhorse’s speed was unbelievably fast, leaving them hopelessly outpaced. Among their group of 500, not a single person could keep up.

With no other choice, Luo Beiming had to reluctantly spend 200 gold coins from his own pocket to buy a Furywind City warhorse for Eighteen. Only then could they barely match their pace. The pain he felt from this was immense.

A Silly Cutie was utterly unreasonable! Completely unreasonable!

Glaring at the willow leaf sword in his hand, a sudden urge to hack someone welled up in Luo Beiming’s heart. However, recalling the preparations they had made this time, he forcibly restrained himself.

“Beichuan, are you absolutely certain that skeleton can use Mana Link?” Luo Beiming asked.

“Without a doubt, Master,” Luo Beichuan replied confidently.

“Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were both killed by just three of his Explosive Flames! But right before Xiao Liu died, he managed to hit the black skeleton with an Ice Blade Art. The damage seemed quite high. I suspect the black skeleton’s magic defense isn’t too strong. This time, we brought a team of mages with 180 magic attack. There’s no way he survives!”

“Mm, I see.” Luo Beiming stroked his chin, lost in contemplation.

After a long while, he finally spoke again.

“For him to know both Phantom Blade Flash and Mana Link, and possess such frightening damage output… An ordinary person would truly be helpless against him.”

“However…” A cold smile played at the corners of Luo Beiming’s mouth as he withdrew three puppet scrolls. “With these Siege Troll Puppets that have 100,000 HP and magic immunity to tank damage and block his vision, along with the 500-mage team I’ve called in to rain spells down upon him, do you think he stands a chance, even if he doesn’t die outright?”

“That is, unless… he knows the invincible mage divine technique, Dragon’s Descent?”

Puppet scrolls were exceedingly rare, only obtainable from hidden quests. They were typically reserved for city siege battles.

These three scrolls were hard-earned spoils that Luo Beiming had painstakingly acquired from several lords, making them priceless treasures. Currently, they were likely the only three in existence on the entire server.

Luo Beiming was confident that with these three Siege Troll Puppets at the forefront tanking damage, the black skeleton would undoubtedly be unable to break through their blockade, sealing his fate!

…

“The Snowy Forest lies just ahead. The ice bears here are mostly around level 40, with formidable defense and ample HP. Exercise caution as we approach the level 50 story area, the Demon Fiend Castle,” Jiang Cheng warned as he brought the warhorse to a halt, turning to explain the situation to A Silly Cutie.

“Okay, I understand,” A Silly Cutie responded, nimbly dismounting from the Skeleton Warhorse. Drawing her staff, she promptly joined Jiang Cheng in clearing out the surrounding monsters.

Within a span of two hours, Jiang Cheng guided A Silly Cutie on positioning, seizing opportunities, and honing her combat skills while systematically eliminating the creatures inhabiting the Snowy Forest.

[Congratulations on slaying the Snowy Troll. Gained 400 experience points and 400 evolution points. Awarded an additional 140 experience points and 140 evolution points for defeating a monster 7 levels higher.]

[Congratulations, you have advanced to level 34.]

Over the course of those two hours, they vanquished more than 5,000 wild monsters, amassing 2.7 million experience points and evolution points, resulting in a level up.

Upon leveling, her attributes increased by 100 HP, 100 MP, 10 attack points, and 5 defense points. Moreover, she acquired 35 strength points and an Enlargement skill.

【Enlargement】

Quality: Elite

Level: 1

Skill Type: Active

Skill Description: Consumes 300 mana. Upon activation, enlarges the body tenfold for 10 minutes, increasing strength, defense, and magic defense by 100 points each. 1-day cooldown.

Recognizing the potential of this skill, Jiang Cheng resolved to develop it further. Without hesitation, he invested 5,500 evolution points to raise it to level 10.

Subsequently, he expended 1 silver coin, 100 evolution points, and 10,000 enhancement points to perform a breakthrough evolution, transforming the skill into Troll Transformation.

【Troll Transformation】

Quality: Rare

Level: 1

Skill Type: Active

Skill Description: Consumes 700 mana. Upon activation, transforms the user into a troll for 30 minutes, enlarging the body twentyfold, increasing strength by 300 points, defense by 200 points, and magic defense by 200 points. 1-day cooldown.

Shockwave: While in Troll Transformation state, normal attacks have a 15% chance to trigger a shockwave, reducing the movement speed of enemies within a 3×3 meter range by 30%.

“Not bad at all.” Jiang Cheng nodded in satisfaction.

Next, he allocated the remaining 4,300 enhancement points to strengthening his hand bones.

Perhaps due to a stroke of good fortune, after 9 enhancements, he unexpectedly gained 2 socketing slots. The hand bones also received a 200-point boost to their attack power. Combined with the plundered strength, Jiang Cheng’s attack now reached a staggering 2,054!

Furthermore, the 4,300 enhancement points triggered a mutation, granting him a legendary-grade talent – Divine Wind Hands!

【Divine Wind Hands】

Quality: Legendary

Agility +100

Attack Speed +130%

Description: Normal attacks have a 1% chance to trigger Divine Wind Shadow, unleashing three consecutive normal attacks, each dealing 5% of the damage dealt by the previous attack.

Although the damage output of this triple strike was relatively low, it could still be utilized to activate passive effects. The only drawback was the discouragingly low probability of triggering it.

After socketing the Heart of Calamity and Calamity Rune into his hand bones, unlocking the Spell Grandmaster and Spell Critical Hit talents, Jiang Cheng sank into momentary contemplation.

“There are insufficient enhancement points for further upgrades at present,” Jiang Cheng remarked to A Silly Cutie. “Little Cutie, the monsters have been cleared out as well. Look at you, your face is all flushed from the cold. You must be getting hungry. Let’s find a spot to rest for a bit.”

“Mm, Skeleton Big Brother is so considerate. Why don’t we start a fire beneath that snowy fir tree over there?” A Silly Cutie suggested.

Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement.

The two made their way to a towering fir tree blanketed in pristine white snow. Clearing a patch of ground, they retrieved some firewood from their inventory and ignited a crackling bonfire to warm themselves.

Seizing this opportunity to rest, Jiang Cheng didn’t let it go to waste. He took the time to review and summarize the combat experience they had just gained for A Silly Cutie’s benefit.

“You’ve grasped the basics of Synchronous Summoning, but your execution still lacks refinement. Steady practice will help you improve.”

“However, always keep in mind some fundamental principles. Before engaging in battle, never rush in recklessly. First, carefully observe your opponents’ physique, movement speed, and movement patterns to identify their weaknesses.”

“Prior to initiating an attack, use normal magic orbs to gauge the damage dealt. Always prioritize targeting the head, abdomen, and heart – these are a monster’s critical points…”

As he finished his explanation, Jiang Cheng noticed A Silly Cutie resting her cold-flushed cheeks on her hands, gazing at him with rapt attention. A sense of gratification welled up in his heart.

Having found a diligent student eager to learn was truly fortunate, even if her innate talent was somewhat lacking.

“The experience gained from outer region wild monsters can’t compare to that from dungeons. However, their advantage lies in sheer numbers and a sizable base level. They will undoubtedly yield more ordinary equipment and gold than dungeon runs.”

“Once we secure Luoyun City, you can lead a group of vetted guild members here to level up and farm for gear.”

“Oh… I understand.” A Silly Cutie obediently nodded as she stuffed a mouthful of beef into her mouth.

“I’ve revived 82 troll skeletons here. Drink some mana potions and fuse them,” Jiang Cheng instructed, gathering the 82 three-meter-tall troll skeletons and handing them over to A Silly Cutie.

The physique of skeletons revived by the Necronomicon was entirely dependent on the original targets. Snowy Trolls towered over 10 meters in height, so naturally, the troll skeletons they transformed into also exceeded 8 meters.

Unfortunately, apart from their sturdy defenses, ample HP, and Enlargement skill, they lacked any particularly outstanding talents or abilities. At best, they could serve as suitable templates for fusing meat shields, but fell short of being ideal candidates for primary skeletons.

“Oh, hold on a moment, Skeleton Big Brother,” A Silly Cutie interjected. Retrieving the legendary-grade skill enhancement scroll, she promptly applied it to Undead Fusion Art.

In an instant, the skill slot for Undead Fusion Art was suffused with a resplendent golden radiance.

[Congratulations on using a legendary-grade skill enhancement scroll. Undead Fusion Art has evolved into the legendary-grade skill, Nether True Fusion Art.]