It had been a week since he became a skeleton.
As a turncoat in Pound's skeleton army, Li Xiuman had silently shattered the skulls of ten skeleton colleagues.
Though it seemed like a lot, to Pound's skeleton legion, this minor number of skeletons was not even worth mentioning.
Li Xiuman's current status panel was as follows.
[Name] Li Xiuman Pound
[Race] Low-Tier Skeleton
[Level] Lv.3/Lv.10 (The level cap for a Low-Tier Skeleton is Lv.10)
[Class] None
[Strength] 5/10
[Constitution] 5/10
[Mind] 8/10
[Free Stat Point] 1
[Evolution Requirements] Species evolution can be achieved once Strength, Constitution, and Mind are maxed out.
[Skills] Bone Manipulation Lv.1, Appraisal Lv.1, Hard Bone Lv.1, Great Strength Lv.1, Swiftness Lv.1, Quiet Steps Lv.1
[Status] Enslaved, Bone Degradation
[EXP] 60/300
[Description] A fragile, terrifying, yet versatile skeleton. Cannon fodder enslaved by the evil bone dragon Pound. Can probably last about 1.5 years before crumbling apart.
[Quiet Steps Lv.1] was something Li Xiuman had harvested from the left leg of a Lv.3 Low-Tier Skeleton.
This skill was able to greatly conceal his movements while stalking and running.
For Li Xiuman, who frequently stalked other skeletons due to his professional needs, it was highly practical.
With this skill, combined with his [Swiftness] and [Great Strength], he often did not even need to wait for a skeleton to fall asleep. He could just stride over on his long legs holding a stone block and smash it down.
Today, however, Li Xiuman did not stalk other skeletons to deliver a sneak attack like usual.
This was because a group of guests had arrived at the bone dragon's lair today.
These guests were different from the brainless skeletons. They had goat horns, slender tails covered in fine scales, and a pair of pitch-black bat wings on their backs.
If Li Xiuman had not guessed wrong, these were likely succubi, a race of demons.
This group of succubi flew in the air, scanning the skeletons one by one as if they were appraising merchandise.
Li Xiuman was very familiar with this kind of gaze, because just three minutes ago, he had been looking at the other skeletons with that exact same look.
“Damn it,” Li Xiuman thought, retracting his neck as he hid among the crowd of skeletons, hoping he would not be too conspicuous.
However, no matter where a versatile skeleton went, they always exuded that damn, unique, and inescapable charm.
Every inch of his smooth, white bones seemed to declare to others how unique he was.
This was also thanks to a certain skeleton's personal hygiene standards, which drove him to always keep himself clean.
Li Xiuman was selected by a succubus.
Before he could even escape Pound's clutches, Li Xiuman had fallen into the clutches of a succubus.
“Appraisal.”
[Name] Lucia Pound
[Race] High Demon
[Class] Mage - Elementalist
[Level] Lv.34/Lv.40 (Tier 3 Mage; level cap for a High Demon is Lv.40)
[Description] A High Demon servant of the evil bone dragon Pound. She is the epitome of destruction and evil, specializes in elemental magic, and possesses extensive magical knowledge and an investigative spirit.
“Good quality. This will make an excellent research subject.”
Lucia tapped Li Xiuman's skull and spoke with satisfaction.
Li Xiuman could only pretend to be brainless.
If anyone realized he possessed intelligence, he would likely never have a chance of escaping Pound's clutches for the rest of his life.
However, the prospect of being used as a research subject made his future seem utterly bleak.
Li Xiuman was brought to a plaza enclosed by stone walls. Aside from him, there were other skeletons mindlessly wandering back and forth within the confined space.
Having played the role of a skeleton for so long, Li Xiuman naturally began to wander around in a very convincing manner.
Meanwhile, several succubi were also patrolling among the skeletons.
The levels he appraised were generally above Lv.10, and they possessed intelligence.
These succubi all carried the surname of "xxx Lucia," and those of higher levels would even have the suffix "Pound" added after Lucia.
They seemed to be low-tier and mid-tier succubi enslaved by Lucia.
“Keep a close eye on these skeletons! They are crucial research materials!”
Lucia gave a strict instruction before flying off again.
Confined to this limited space and monitored by the succubi, Li Xiuman also lost his chance to ambush his colleagues to level up.
He could only linger near the succubi under the guise of a brainless skeleton, gathering information from their conversations.
After some time spent eavesdropping, Li Xiuman finally figured out Lucia's research project.
She wanted to research and breed a special skeletal species: Elemental Skeletons.
Unlike ordinary skeletons, Elemental Skeletons were a rare, special skeletal species capable of using elemental magic.
The Low-Tier Skeletons in this plaza were all consumables...
To be precise, in Lucia's estimation, it was practically impossible for these skeletons to transform into Elemental Skeletons; they were merely cannon fodder samples used to collect experimental data.
Lucia's departure was precisely to go out and collect materials for her experiments.
And the first experiment on this batch of skeletons was scheduled for three days later.
In the blink of an eye, the first experiment was about to begin.
Over those three days, under the watchful eyes of the succubi, Li Xiuman had no opportunity to ambush his skeleton colleagues.
Thus, neither his level nor his stats had changed.
But during those three days, Li Xiuman had not been idle.
He had taken advantage of a few of his lovely colleagues falling asleep to knock them unconscious and quietly swap out their limbs.
The mindless skeletons did not even realize that their bodies had been altered.
Currently, the skills on Li Xiuman's four limbs had been replaced by [Hard Bone], [Self-Healing], [Resilience], and [Fire Resistance].
They were all purely defensive survival skills.
By intentionally and unintentionally lingering around the succubi, he had managed to obtain vital information.
The first experiment was related to fire, so he had specifically sought out a [Fire Resistance] skill to equip.
The first experiment officially began, and the High Demon Lucia reappeared at the experimental grounds.
Compared to three days ago, Lucia had not changed at all.
She had no intention of wasting words on Low-Tier Skeletons. With a wave of her hand, two succubi grabbed one of the skeletons.
Lucia walked up to the skeleton, reached out a hand, and pressed it against its head.
“Liquid Fire.”
Flame poured down over its head like boiling syrup, and the skeleton struggled frantically, its bones scraping and clashing together to make a bone-chilling sound.
Soon, the Low-Tier Skeleton stopped moving and collapsed to the ground, reduced to charred black remains.
Li Xiuman felt his nonexistent scalp go numb. He carefully checked his skill list again, and only after confirming that the skills he had painstakingly prepared were still intact did he feel a trace of relief.
“It couldn't even survive the beginning? Truly useless.”
“Next.”
Lucia's voice was seductive and pleasant to the ear, but Li Xiuman could not find any charm in it at all.
Soon, the second unlucky victim was dragged up. It blankly raised its head, the flames in its eye sockets burning quietly.
Once again, Lucia reached out her hand and pressed it against the skeleton's skull.
The same magic, Liquid Fire, poured down. This skeleton did not even last as long as the previous one; its legs stiffened, and it collapsed, dead.
“...Next!”
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