The night passed, and as the sun rose over the horizon, a sliver of light fell upon Chen Xu's face and the dense ranks of skeleton soldiers standing beside him.
"Phew, just in time." Chen Xu exhaled. After rushing through eight villages in a single night, he had essentially pulled an all-nighter, but the surge in his strength and the growing size of his skeleton army acted like a concentrated shot of adrenaline, keeping him in a state of high-octane excitement.
The night's harvest was impressive; his skeleton soldiers now numbered around 3,000. After capturing four consecutive pigmen villages, Chen Xu realized that their defensive forces were no match for his skeletons. He had switched tactics, swiftly attacking the next village while splitting his forces to garrison the ones already conquered, leaving about 300 skeleton soldiers in each.
【Raise Skeleton (Level 8): Summon a skeleton. If a corpse is consumed for the summoning, an additional bonus is gained based on the quality of the corpse.】
With the sheer number of summons and the time spent throughout the night, 【Raise Skeleton】 had jumped directly to Level 8. The skeleton soldiers remained two meters tall, but their bones had become significantly thicker and heavier, yet their speed had actually increased. This was the reason Chen Xu had been able to raid eight villages so quickly; the skeleton army only grew faster as the night progressed.
"Heh heh heh, my overtime work wasn't in vain! I, Chen Xu, have achieved all this through my own sheer grit and grind!" Chen Xu remarked shamelessly.
He then issued a command to the skeleton army to kill any living creature that approached the villages before finding a flat patch of ground to collapse and sleep.
He had no choice; the stench of the pigmen was too overwhelming. The houses smelled exactly like pigsties, forcing Chen Xu to use the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed.
...
Time flew by, and night soon fell once again. While Chen Xu was resting, the skeleton soldiers in several villages had intercepted a few horse-drawn carriages.
Judging by the clothing of the people and the goods they carried, they appeared to be traveling merchants from the town. To avoid giving the town's garrison time to react, Chen Xu decided to launch his attack on the town tonight.
'It just got dark, I'll wait a bit longer. 【Raise Skeleton】 should be close to Level 10.'
Chen Xu didn't just wait around idly; he focused his mind to command the skeleton soldiers from the eight villages to converge on the central town.
The skeleton soldiers surged toward the town in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized. Under the cover of darkness, they resembled a tide rising from the abyss, capable of swallowing every living thing in their path.
【Raise Skeleton (Level 10): Summon a skeleton. If a corpse is consumed for the summoning, an additional bonus is gained based on the quality of the corpse.】
"Finally, Level 10."
【Raise Skeleton has reached Level 10. You have gained 1 Skeleton Hero conversion slot.】
【Raise Skeleton has reached Level 10. The 996 talent has been triggered, granting the effect: Overtime Pay (You've worked hard for a long time. I've seen people work themselves to death, but I've never seen anyone as reckless as you). Choose one of the following three enhancements.】
【Cold Enhancement: Skeleton soldiers gain the power of ice. Attacks deal ice attribute damage and release a Frost Nova upon death.】
【Fire Enhancement: Skeleton soldiers gain the power of fire. Attacks deal fire attribute damage and release a Fire Explosion upon death.】
【Lightning Enhancement: Skeleton soldiers gain the power of lightning. Attacks deal lightning attribute damage and release Chain Lightning when attacked.】
"Is this... Nephalem power?" Looking at these familiar terms, Chen Xu was reminded of a grind-heavy game he used to play in his spare time back when he was a corporate slave in his previous life.
If he could add these powerful modifiers to his skeleton soldiers, his army would no longer be simple cannon fodder.
In that game from his past life, the most dangerous enemies weren't usually the final bosses, but the elite monsters that possessed strange and deadly modifiers.
"Should I choose Cold Enhancement or Lightning Enhancement?" Chen Xu pondered. In the game, Cold Enhancement was an incredibly annoying modifier. Without immunity to ice damage, being hit meant being slowed down. On the other hand, Lightning Enhancement was just simple, raw damage.
Ultimately, Chen Xu chose 【Cold Enhancement】. After all, 【Raise Skeleton】 was only the most basic summoning skill for a Necromancer and was typically used for cannon fodder units.
Even with these enhancements, later skills like Summon Skeleton Mage, Summon Death Knight, or Summon Frost Wyrm sounded far more powerful than 【Raise Skeleton】.
Therefore, Chen Xu planned to turn his skeleton soldiers into the most frustrating cannon fodder possible. With a horde of 【Cold Enhancement】 skeletons, once they closed the distance, the enemy wouldn't be able to fight effectively or even run away.
"I also have a Skeleton Hero slot. I'll use it immediately; every bit of strength counts."
A summon hero slot was a point earned for every ten levels of a summoning skill. Generally, hero units possessed higher attributes and the ability to command other summons in battle.
The existence of hero units was the foundation that allowed a Necromancer to function as a one-man army. After all, a human brain wasn't a supercomputer; micromanaging an entire legion's every move was a feat only a Supreme Commander could achieve.
Chen Xu withdrew one skeleton soldier into his Necrotic Space and then applied the Skeleton Hero conversion.
【Skeleton Hero conversion successful. Obtained Skeleton Hero. Type: Blade and Shield Warrior. Please bestow a name.】
"I have to name it... let's go with Bone Guard One." Chen Xu scratched his head and summoned Bone Guard One from his Necrotic Space.
"My Lord, Bone Guard One awaits your orders." As soon as he emerged, Bone Guard One knelt on one knee before Chen Xu and bowed.
Visually, Bone Guard One was much larger than a standard skeleton soldier, standing at a height of four meters with a massive shield and bone blade.
His body was no longer just bare bone; he wore a suit of armor and a helmet.
Chen Xu nodded and checked Bone Guard One's specific attributes.
【Skeleton Hero: Bone Guard One (Level 1)】
【Skills: Command, Hold Fast, Shield Bash】
【Command (Level 1): The Skeleton Hero can command 1,000 skeleton soldiers and slightly enhance their attributes. Simultaneously, the Skeleton Hero gains attribute bonuses based on the number of soldiers under his command.】
【Hold Fast (Level 1): When engaged in stationary combat, the Skeleton Hero and surrounding skeleton soldiers gain extra defensive attributes.】
【Shield Bash (Level 1): Uses the shield to strike a target. When used against units smaller or lower-level than the Skeleton Hero, it guarantees a stun effect.】
"It seems the Skeleton Hero has its own independent level. I wonder if it can be boosted by the 996 talent."
"My Lord, ever since you granted me this sublimation, a surge of energy has been continuously strengthening me. Though it was faint at first, it is gradually increasing."
"Oh! So the 996 talent works on hero units too! Heh heh heh, truly, if the heavens had not birthed Chen Xu, the path of necromancy would be an eternal night!"
The growth of a hero unit normally required experience points.
This usually meant either siphoning a portion of the professional's experience or consuming specific attribute items, such as Soul Fire or Shadowbone Grass.
Because of this, even though hero units were powerful enough to rival professionals of the same level, very few people could afford to raise them. Most would only pick one or two special hero units to cultivate.
But for Chen Xu, who possessed the 996 talent, this wasn't an issue. He could rely entirely on his talent to level up his hero units, saving him all the resources required for their growth.
Although Bone Guard One didn't understand why his master was laughing, he joined in to please him: "Heh heh heh!"
"Everything is ready. Bone Guard One, I am assigning 1,000 skeleton soldiers to you. Follow me and we shall raze this pigman town!" Chen Xu waved his hand, and the surrounding soldiers began to move.
"My Lord, I can actually command all the skeleton soldiers, though I can only receive attribute bonuses from 1,000 of them. If my Lord permits, let Bone Guard One conquer this town on your behalf."
Chen Xu was delighted to hear this. "Heh heh heh, Bone Guard One, you truly are a fine general. Very well, I shall wait here for your triumphant return."
Receiving his orders, Bone Guard One led several thousand skeleton soldiers and marched toward the pigman town.
Rate on N.U.
