"Ring, ring, ring!!!"
A loud alarm clock went off, jolting the four roommates awake.
Chen Xu leaped down from the top bunk, giving Zhao Siyuan on the bottom bunk a fright.
"Brother Xu, why are you so excited? When we came back last night, we saw you lying on the bed with the corners of your mouth twitching. We thought you'd gone and overdosed on some alchemist's defective experimental product," Zhao Siyuan said.
"Exactly, Brother Xu. Even if you awakened a rare class, there's no need to be happy for this long. After you, six more people awakened rare classes. Our year has a total of eight rare classes now."
Li Jun, in another bed, chimed in, "I heard that Blackrock Academy in the neighboring Blackrock City has ten rare classes, and the cities of Great Wetland and Saltwater Plain have quite a few as well."
"Our five cities belong to the same district. If you want to get into the Three Great Academies of Daxia, the competition this year will be quite fierce. You can't be careless in today's initial dungeon."
"He's right, Brother Xu. Since the Sea Race launched their invasion twelve years ago, the Daxia Military Academy—one of the big three—has been allocating a higher percentage of spots to the descendants of fallen soldiers to motivate and compensate the border guards. My dad said it might increase to sixty percent this year, which means fewer spots for everyone else," Wu Yong added.
Wu Yong's father was a squad leader in the Linghai Border Guard, so his information was reliable. However, Chen Xu didn't let any of this bother him.
"Don't worry, I know you guys are concerned, but your dear father's strength is already unfathomable. If you get into trouble in the future, as long as you aren't committing crimes or becoming one of Daxia's ten most wanted criminals, your father can still protect you," Chen Xu replied jokingly, maintaining the typical 'father-son' banter of the dormitory.
The reason for his confidence was that after being woken by the alarm, he had checked the level of his 【Raise Skeleton】 skill again.
【Raise Skeleton (Level 3): Summon a skeleton. If a corpse is consumed for the summoning, an additional bonus is gained based on the quality of the corpse.】
In less than nine hours, it had leveled up again. It was important to note that the higher a skill's level, the more proficiency was required to upgrade it. It seemed his talent, 【996】, was truly superior.
In his roommates' eyes, Chen Xu was just a top-tier student with potential, but in his own eyes, he was already someone capable of manufacturing high-end technology with his bare hands. Worrying about getting into the Three Great Academies was like someone asking if they could get a full scholarship to a top university after inventing a revolutionary microchip at home. It was almost laughable.
It wasn't that the Three Great Academies lacked prestige; it was just that for someone with a cheat like his, they were merely the starting line.
"Heh, look at you, acting all high and mighty. You'd better finish washing up and head to the Dungeon Hall. Today, the stage belongs to you rare classes," Zhao Siyuan teased.
"True. For the three of us, today's initial dungeon is basically just going through the motions. I'll most likely apply to the Linghai Border Guard Academy. In the current climate, if your class fits the criteria, you're basically in if you apply.
Old Zhao and Little Li don't have much backing at home, but they're both from the mage-type basic class, 【Wizard】. If they're willing to sign a directed employment contract and undergo a directed class change to 【Alchemist】, they can get into the Linghai Witchcraft Academy without any pressure," Wu Yong said. "On the other hand, someone like you, Brother Xu, needs to perform well today to fight for a spot in the Three Great Academies."
"What are the Three Great Academies? Just go and chill a glass of lemon tea for me. I'll be back before it even loses its frost," Chen Xu bragged.
At 10:00 AM, at the Linghai City Dungeon Hall, the graduating students of Linghai Academy had already gathered.
Headmaster Huang Tianchen of Linghai Academy and City Lord Mo Zijiang of Linghai City sat in the front row. Behind them sat various recruitment teachers from other advanced academies.
"Now that the students are all here, let us begin. I hope you all perform exceptionally," Huang Tianchen said. He gave a nod to City Lord Mo, who then activated the core of the Dungeon Hall, sending the students into their initial dungeons.
"I wonder how many children will manage to clear the initial dungeon this year," City Lord Mo said to Headmaster Huang. "The Sea Race has been getting more aggressive lately. We desperately need fresh blood."
"Haha, it's hard to say. There are eight rare classes on the surface, but as per tradition, we don't ask about the students' talent grades. We can only judge based on their actual performance," Headmaster Huang replied. "I'll have to trouble you, City Lord Mo, to control the dungeon core and project the live feeds for everyone here."
City Lord Mo activated the dungeon core again, and instantly, nearly ten thousand projection screens appeared within the Dungeon Hall.
...
Chen Xu felt a flash of white light sweep over him, and in the next instant, he was somewhere else.
【Entered Initial Dungeon】
【Dungeon Name: Decagon Hegemony】
【Dungeon Description: In the final years of a dynasty, the old emperor has suddenly passed away. The new emperor has ascended the throne but lacks the support of the masses. Warlords from all sides have declared independence, leading to endless chaos.】
【Clear Conditions: Choose a faction and conquer the world.】
【Since this is an initial dungeon, a hint is provided: The elephant eats the tiger, the tiger eats the cat, the cat eats the mouse, and the mouse eats the elephant. Although reality is not a game of chess, the conflict between the beastman races is an excellent entry point.】
"Decagon Hegemony, huh?" Chen Xu recalled the content from his dungeon theory classes.
Decagon Hegemony was a strategy and warfare-type dungeon. The official guide suggested choosing a kingdom to join based on one's class characteristics to achieve national unification.
For example, melee physical classes like warriors and knights could join the Tiger Clan of the Kingdom of Wei. The Tiger Clan was the original imperial family and possessed rich resources. Combined with the characteristics of the Tiger Clan's army, which synergized well with physical classes, the chances of clearing the dungeon were high.
Agility-based classes like assassins and scouts could choose the Rat Clan of the Kingdom of Yin or the Eagle Clan of the Kingdom of Lie, influencing the war by attacking logistics and harassing the rear.
However, for Chen Xu, none of these guides were necessary. There was only one thing he needed to do: find a safe place and build an army!!!
Chen Xu summoned his ten skeleton soldiers from his space. With 【Raise Skeleton】 at Level 3, the skeleton soldiers now had bone helmets in addition to their blades and shields, and their frames had become thicker and sturdier.
Chen Xu was currently surrounded by towering trees, likely in some mountain forest. He commanded three skeleton soldiers to guard his position while the other seven moved out to clear any threats on the mountain.
At the same time, Chen Xu didn't stay idle. Skeleton soldiers rose from the ground one after another. Before long, he had an additional 150 skeleton soldiers.
These 150 skeletons were the limit for summoning without corpses. Fresh corpses usually contained the mental remnants of living beings, allowing a Necromancer to use them for cost-free summoning.
The seven skeletons he had sent out had already located several animals on the mountain. This time, Chen Xu kept five skeletons by his side for protection and sent the rest of the army to surround the detected locations, waiting to trap their prey.
Three hours later, the skeleton clearing squad had finished their task. Chen Xu had summoned over 300 more skeleton soldiers using the corpses. Except for some birds that couldn't be caught, every creature on the mountain had joined Chen Xu's undead legion.
"Sigh, if only I had skeleton archers," Chen Xu lamented. "My heart bleeds seeing those plump birds fly away."
Chen Xu looked up at the sun, which was still quite blinding. Although skeleton soldiers weren't weakened by sunlight, Chen Xu felt that a few hundred skeletons were still too few. If there was a large town nearby instead of a small village, he might not be able to take it down.
So, Chen Xu ordered the skeleton soldiers to hide while he retreated into a cave he had just cleared, waiting for the sun to set before sending them out to scout the surrounding area.
...
"The Heavy Knight Xu Wu's dungeon is 【Wild West】. That kid is lucky; it's a dungeon that suits him perfectly. He might even be able to contract a Kodo beast."
"The Scholar Liu Heng's dungeon is 【The Overbearing Fox Loves Eating Offal】. Although it's an initial dungeon suited for scholars and cultivators, the foxes in there are all obsessed with looks. As for student Liu... I hope his strength is up to par."
"The dungeons for the other rare classes are also suitable. It seems lucky people stay lucky."
"Sigh, isn't that the truth? And usually, lucky people aren't lacking in strength either."
"Ahem, teachers, regarding the matter of luck, even those old masters in Daxia haven't reached a conclusion yet. Let's not discuss it further and focus on the candidates' situations," City Lord Mo interrupted, seeing that the discussion was drifting toward superstition.
"Eh? Look at that Necromancer. He started with ten skeleton soldiers, and now he's summoned over a hundred more. I'm afraid his 【Raise Skeleton】 isn't a Level 1 skill. Could his talent be the type that accelerates skill leveling or buffs summoning skills?"
"Or perhaps he was born with powerful mental energy, allowing him to maintain more summons?"
"Hmm, regardless of which it is, it's a massive boost for a Necromancer. It looks like we have a frontrunner for the first spot this year."
...
While the recruitment teachers outside were still debating, Chen Xu had already napped for a while in the cave. Outside, the sky was gradually darkening.
Another hour passed, and the sunlight no longer protected the land. Chen Xu stepped out of the cave. As night fell, the Necromancer began to take over the world.
He immediately commanded a squad of skeleton soldiers to jump into a nearby stream and float downstream with the current.
Before long, Chen Xu heard sounds through the shared hearing of the skeleton squad. He directly controlled the squad to climb out of the water, revealing the source of the noise: a small village with about forty or fifty wooden huts. Based on the theory he had learned in class, they should be pigmen.
While Chen Xu maneuvered the skeleton squad to scout the village's perimeter, he commanded the undead army in the forest to enter the water and float down. He himself walked along the bank under the protection of five skeletons.
The stage was set, and the actors were in place. All that remained was for the show to begin. Once the last light in the village was extinguished, the curtain would rise.
Rate on N.U.
