A pitch-black darkness, lonely enough to evoke terror.
“Am I dead?”
Li Xiuman's groggy consciousness struggled to think.
On his very first day of transmigrating to another world, he had been killed by a bone dragon's breath. He was probably the most miserable transmigrator in history.
No, he refused to accept such an end.
He had clearly transmigrated to a world of magic and fantasy. How could it end just like this?
[Ding! Consciousness awakening... ]
In the darkness, a faint light flickered, spelling out a line of words.
Then, as if triggering a chain reaction, more shimmering characters emerged from the darkness like a swarm of fireflies.
[Ding! Your race has been converted to Low-Tier Skeleton]
[Name] Li Xiuman Pound
[Race] Low-Tier Skeleton
[Level] Lv.1/Lv.10 (Low-Tier Skeleton level cap is Lv.10)
[Class] None
[Strength] 4/10
[Constitution] 4/10
[Spirit] 8/10
[Evolution Requirement] Species evolution can be achieved after Strength, Constitution, and Spirit are maxed out.
[Skills] Bone Manipulation Lv.1, Appraisal Lv.1
[Status] Enslaved (Named and enslaved by the evil bone dragon, Pound), Bone Degradation (Without the nourishment of a living body, bone quality begins to degrade. Over time, Constitution and Strength stats will decrease.)
[EXP] 0/100
[Description] A frail, terrifying, and tattered skeleton. Even the handsome face, your sole redeeming quality, is gone. Canon fodder enslaved by the evil bone dragon, Pound. Will likely collapse and fall apart in about a year.
The darkness was illuminated.
An unfamiliar sight filled his vision—or rather, his eye sockets.
At the bottom of a gloomy canyon, across a rocky ground, hideous and terrifying skeletons wandered around, presenting a scene straight out of hell.
“I've been resurrected?”
Li Xiuman raised his hand.
But what met his gaze was not a body of flesh and blood, but a pair of withered, blackish-yellow bone arms.
The bone arms were pitted and uneven, cracked in several places, and missing portions of bone as if they might shatter at any moment.
“I've become a skeleton!”
Shocked, Li Xiuman's body swayed as his mind reeled in panic.
It took a long time for him to calm down. Sitting on the ground and looking at the surrounding skeletons, he began to think.
Although he had become a skeleton, he still retained his consciousness and intelligence.
Compared to being dead, this outcome did not seem entirely unacceptable.
At least he was alive. As long as he was alive, there was hope.
Having calmed down, he began to assess his current situation.
He opened his status window. This panel, which resembled a game interface, was something he had possessed ever since he transmigrated to this world.
It was also his greatest secret and reliance.
After transforming into a skeleton, at least this panel remained, giving him a chance to turn things around.
He suspected that his ability to regain his memories and consciousness after becoming a skeleton was entirely thanks to this panel.
Compared to before, his name now included the surname "Pound," which was likely a change that occurred during his conversion by the bone dragon, Pound.
Furthermore, his status now showed [Enslaved] and [Bone Degradation].
Once his Strength, Constitution, and Spirit all reached 10 points, he would have the chance to evolve.
In short, his current goals were to level up, evolve, and increase his strength.
“If I want to level up, I need to obtain experience first, right?”
“Which means hunting other monsters and the like?”
Li Xiuman cast his gaze upon the other skeleton monsters around him and tried to cast [Appraisal] from his skill bar on one of them.
The space beside that skeleton flickered, and several rows of shining characters appeared.
[Name] Pound's Low-Tier Skeleton
[Level] Lv.3
[Skills] Hard Bone Lv.1
[Status] Enslaved, Bone Degradation
[Description] A Low-Tier Skeleton enslaved by the evil bone dragon, Pound. Its bones are very hard. Will likely collapse in about 2 years.
Simply put, he couldn't beat it in a straight fight.
But not being able to beat it in a fair fight didn't mean he couldn't play dirty. Aside from him, none of the skeletons here possessed intelligence.
After all, they didn't even have brains anymore.
He quietly followed behind this skeleton.
He waited until the skeleton's status bar showed [Fatigued], and it lay down on the ground.
A short while later, [Asleep] was added to its status.
He looked around to make sure there were no other skeleton colleagues nearby.
He quietly picked up a large rock and crept over to the Low-Tier Skeleton's head.
Confirming the skeleton's status once more, he raised the large rock high.
Due to a lack of strength, his skeletal arms began to tremble slightly.
“Hah!”
He swung the rock down with all his might, aiming straight at the sleeping Low-Tier Skeleton's head.
Clang!
A sound louder than expected echoed through the spacious cavern, causing the eerie blue flames in Li Xiuman's eye sockets to flicker.
Several cracks appeared on the skull of the skeleton, and its status changed from [Asleep] to [Stunned].
What was this called? This was called entering a deeper sleep.
Without hesitation, he exerted himself again. His arm bones creaked as he raised the rock once more.
“Crack!”
The second strike.
This time, the skeleton's skull split open and caved in.
[Ding! Killed Low-Tier Skeleton]
[EXP +30]
Li Xiuman raised his head, looking warily around, especially in Pound's direction.
He reasoned that the death of a skeleton would not attract Pound's attention.
But a deduction was, after all, just a deduction.
Time flowed silently as he waited. With no reaction coming, Li Xiuman gradually put his mind at ease.
Looking at the motionless skeleton on the ground, its bones were clearly in much better shape than his own pitiful self.
Li Xiuman crouched down and detached the right arm of the skeleton.
After weighing it in his hands twice, he detached his own tattered, blackish-yellow right arm.
Since he was a skeleton and had no pain receptors, he only felt a slight tugging sensation as his right arm popped right off.
Next, he aligned the dead skeleton's right arm with his own shoulder and activated [Bone Manipulation].
The two parts fused together seamlessly.
This arm was slightly smaller than his original one, but with [Bone Manipulation], that was no issue at all.
Controlling the bones of his right arm to adjust themselves, it quickly matched his original arm perfectly in both size and appearance.
A small trickle of energy surged from the joint of his right arm.
[Ding! Obtained skill: Hard Bone Lv.1]
[Constitution +1]
A white light flashed across his entire body. The blackish hue faded slightly, and some of the tiny cracks closed and healed.
He could actually obtain skills this way!
The flames in Li Xiuman's eye sockets flared up suddenly as a dangerous thought bloomed in his mind.
To escape the evil bone dragon, Pound, he needed to lay low, wait for the right moment, and most importantly, obtain strength.
The bone dragon, Pound, had converted countless skeletons, many of whom possessed highly useful skills.
This wasn't a dragon's den; this was practically a skill treasury!
If he could obtain enough skills and bide his time, he would eventually break free of Pound's control.
Once he did, the world would be his oyster.
Once he got out of this skeletal dragon's nest, he would finally be able to enjoy his grand adventure in this magnificent other world!
Li Xiuman raised his head. Deep within the pitch-black cave, the blue flames inside his eye sockets blazed fiercely.
Rate on N.U.
