Otherworldly Skeleton Evolution

“Shuying, where are you? Come out, it’s time to grind monsters!”

An Xiang Yun’s shout startled An Xiang Shuying.

Glancing at the equipment on A Silly Cutie, Shuying’s eyes held a hint of reluctance.

But to keep this secret, she decided to find an excuse after the monster hunting session to come back here alone.

She hastily crawled out of the cave, nearly running into An Xiang Yun who had come looking for her.

“Shuying, what are you doing here?”

“N-nothing, I was just… relieving myself,” An Xiang Shuying replied, her cheeks flushing red.

“Hurry over, a particularly majestic Blood Skeleton spawned on the other side. The master guessed it might be a hidden boss and wants us to coordinate with him,” An Xiang Yun urged.

“A hidden boss?” An Xiang Shuying furrowed her brow, her heart growing even more anxious.

This place was truly mysterious, with ancient ruins and now hidden bosses?

Arriving in front of the stone peak with An Xiang Yun, An Xiang Shuying immediately saw the so-called hidden boss.

Chilling, profound, bloodthirsty!

These were her first impressions upon laying eyes on Jiang Cheng.

Flames blazed fiercely in his empty crimson eye sockets. Its entire skeletal frame seemed to have just emerged from a pool of blood, sending chills down her spine.

Inverted bone spikes emitting an eerie blood-red glow adorned his joints.

A blood-colored cape billowed behind him, transforming into streaks of blood in the wind with each movement.

“Wow, is it just me or does this hidden boss look really cool?” An Xiang Shuying couldn’t help but exclaim.

“You think so too?” An Xiang Yun glanced at her curiously.

“You too?” They exchanged glances, seeing a hint of admiration in each other’s eyes.

“But…why is he holding a bamboo tube and fruit in his hands?” An Xiang Shuying asked.

“Probably some weird quirk of the hidden boss.”

The two returned to the team, and Qi Tun Tianxia was overjoyed.

With four undead mages and himself, a top-tier advanced swordsman with 60 attack points, he was confident they could take down this Blood Skeleton.

“Each of you summon 10 skeleton soldiers. I’ll command you in waves of 9 to surround him and draw aggro, leave one spot open for me to attack.”

The Great Wasteland mechanics allowed only ten units to surround a single target, so Qi Tun Tianxia planned to gradually whittle down Jiang Cheng’s health through alternating waves of soldiers.

“A hidden boss can drop skill books and Rare-Grade gear! Give it your all, everyone,” Qi Tun Tianxia rallied the team.

“Bing’er, you summon first, followed by Yan’er, Shuying, and Yun. Stagger the timing – we absolutely cannot let the skeleton soldiers disappear at the same time or he’ll regenerate health.”

As Qi Tun Tianxia issued commands, he steadily approached Jiang Cheng.

“Wow, you’re so knowledgeable! As expected of the Fist Sage’s disciple,” Bing’er praised.

“I never knew there were such techniques for summoning skeleton soldiers. It’s my first time learning this,” Yan’er chimed in.

“Skill books and Rare-Grade gear? We’ll strike it rich! Following the master was the right call.”

Bing’er and Yan’er exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement.

“Uh oh, the Blood Skeleton seems to be coming towards us!”

An Xiang Yun, cautious by nature, had been observing the blood Skeleton while Qi Tun Tianxia was commanding.

“Coming our way? Impossible. Even hidden bosses have fixed territories and wouldn’t leave their designated act—”

Qi Tun Tianxia stopped mid-sentence as Jiang Cheng, initially over 500 meters away, had closed the distance to just 50 meters during his planning.

Suddenly, Qi Tun Tianxia felt a stinging slap to his pride.

Could a hidden boss at this stage have a range of over 500 meters?

Embarrassed, Qi Tun Tianxia faced the incredulous stares of his teammates, his confidence wavering. “Don’t worry about him, Bing’er, start summoning.”

“Okay,” Bing’er obediently responded.

Despite his repeated oversight, the girls still had blind faith in Qi Tun Tianxia as the Fist Sage’s disciple.

“Lord of the Undead, heed the summoner’s call. Grant me the power of the undead!”

When Jiang Cheng was only forty meters away, Bing’er raised her staff, and ten skeletons appeared on the ground, gradually converging into ten basic Skeleton soldiers.

“Bing’er, let the Skeletons engage, I’ll distract him from the side!”

“You got it.” Bing’er replied with a playful wink, a hint of smugness on her face.

She then commanded the ten skeletons to shamble lazily towards Jiang Cheng, her heart filled with anticipation.

Any true gamer couldn’t help but get fired up at the prospect of facing a boss.

Bosses represent loot, skill books, gold, a sense of achievement, and in some cases, a direct conversion to real money.

Not to mention the envy of friends and classmates; bosses could bring players so much.

The feeling of secretly defeating a boss and then getting a legendary equipment drop was truly fulfilling.

The girls were just common players, so naturally, they couldn’t resist the allure of a boss.

Moreover, this was a hidden boss with higher drop rates than common bosses!

“Spread out in a fan shape, keep a ninety-degree angle. Surround him but leave one spot open for me.”

As Qi Tun Tianxia and the skeletons approached Jiang Cheng, now only ten meters away, he prepared to command the final assault.

Qi Tun Tianxia calculated the distance in his mind, ready to surround Jiang Cheng at any moment.

Such skeleton bosses typically lack area-of-effect abilities, so he had no fear of splash damage.

“Nine meters!”

“Eight meters!”

…

“One meter!”

“Surround him!”

With Qi Tun Tianxia’s command, they quickly took their positions.

His massive iron sword thrummed with anticipation, ready to slash down the instant the first skeleton drew aggro.

But in the next moment—!

The cloak behind the Blood Skeleton fluttered, and a crimson sword slashed down on the leading skeleton soldier.

“-1054!”

“-128!”

“-128!”

“-128!”

…

Ten red damage numbers instantly appeared.

“Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter……”

In an instant, only nine Skeleton soldiers with a hundred health points each remained in front of the blood Skeleton, all their health depleted at the same time, emitting a dense sound.

On the ground lay scattered skeletons.

Qi Tun Tianxia, with his level 10 and a whopping 235 health points, was not directly hit and therefore didn’t die.

But he too froze in shock.

“What the hell kind of damage is that!?”

When he regained his senses, he instinctively began to retreat, stepping back.

With the basic skill of a swordsman, Gale Step, activated, his movement speed increased by 50%.

In that instance, he displayed the fundamental qualities of a skilled expert – disengage and flee upon a failed strike.

Yet before he could leap away, Qi Tun discovered that the Blood Skeleton had long predicted his escape route and already blocked his path!

A dazzling blood-colored blade flashed, searing his eyes and forcing them shut.

“-485!”

Under the astonished gazes of the girls, Qi Tun Tianxia vanished in a burst of light!

…

At Shenghe Club, an eighteen-year-old boy jolted awake inside a luxurious nutrient pod, ripping off his helmet as he shot upright.

Disbelief painted his handsome face.

“What…just happened?”

“Was that move…”