162: Second upgrade, Deathrattle: Command

“I believe some of you have already seen similar items. This skill upgrade scroll is extremely precious.

The starting bid is five thousand magic crystals.”

Almost the instant the Masked Man’s voice fell, the number in mid-air flickered at a visible speed.

It wasn’t until the number soared to over twenty thousand that its ascent gradually slowed.

Just then, the number suddenly changed to thirty thousand!

Everyone looked towards the bidder, only to see a man wearing a pale mask slowly removing his hand from the button.

Gu Qinghan had made his move.

He immediately raised the bid to thirty thousand, which could directly deter less competitive opponents.

Bids of a hundred or even a thousand would encourage many to continue bidding with a hopeful mindset.

But by directly raising it to thirty thousand, some people around immediately shrank back into their seats in frustration.

However, it seemed Gu Qinghan wasn't the only wealthy one present.

A light female voice rang out, carrying a refreshing feeling that made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze:

“I want this. Forty thousand magic crystals.”

Gu Qinghan looked over. It was a woman with fiery red hair. Even with a mask, her undeniable charm was palpable.

What was magic was that her language was different from Gu Qinghan's, yet Gu Qinghan could clearly understand her meaning.

But soon, another voice spoke up:

“Fifty thousand. If you bid any higher, it’s yours.”

Gu Qinghan looked over. It was surprisingly the same short-haired, peach-eyed man from before.

The woman, not to be outdone, bid seventy thousand, while Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment before directly calling out a hundred thousand.

This was one-fifth of his total mana, but he felt it was worth it.

Gu Qinghan always remembered how much the previous skill upgrade had enhanced him.

And now, with this item, Gu Qinghan was confident he could elevate his strength to a level far surpassing others!

As soon as the hundred thousand price was announced, the scene instantly fell silent.

Even the fat man standing behind the jade platform looked at Gu Qinghan with surprise.

A portion of the magic crystals spent by the Professionals he brought in would be his reward!

Gu Qinghan, however, seemed oblivious to the varied emotions in the eyes around him, merely staring quietly at the red-haired woman in the distance.

His expression seemed to say:

“Keep bidding. I have plenty of money to play with you.”

The woman, after being looked at by Gu Qinghan like that, immediately raised her hand.

But the next moment, she still bit her red lips and angrily lowered her slender arm.

After a long silence with no further bids, Gu Qinghan acquired this skill upgrade scroll.

Gu Qinghan let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. He was truly afraid the woman would continue to compete with him.

Although he still had some mana, it might be useful to save it for later.

From the outcome, he won the psychological battle with the woman.

Otherwise, the price of this scroll might have been even higher.

The fat man came over, took one hundred thousand magic crystals from Gu Qinghan, and handed the scroll to Gu Qinghan.

Gu Qinghan wanted to use the scroll on the spot but found he couldn't.

It wasn't that the scroll was fake, but rather there seemed to be a magical force here that blocked his connection to his professional abilities.

However, Gu Qinghan didn't dwell on it. He stored the item back into his necromantic space and waited for the next auction items to appear.

The skill upgrade scroll was a climax; several subsequent items combined didn't amount to as much as one hundred thousand magic crystals.

However, as the auction progressed, Gu Qinghan discovered another item he could use:

[Transplant: Can extract effects from equipment or items and condense them into a separate item]

This item wasn't very popular, and not many people bid on it. Gu Qinghan eventually acquired it for less than three thousand magic crystals.

Gu Qinghan wanted this item to extract the poison effect from the fierce poison inner armor.

He could use various poisons, but the fierce poison inner armor's effect only manifested when he was hit, which was somewhat contradictory.

Afterward, several more items appeared on stage, but Gu Qinghan did not participate in the bidding for any of them.

It wasn't until the Masked Man had someone take away an item of equipment he held that he smiled and looked around, saying:

“The first half of the auction has concluded. Everyone can take a short break.

I’ll let you in on a secret: the items in the second half will be even more valuable!”

The Professionals around all remained silent, and then the outline of a door appeared before them.

Clearly, this meant for them to enter.

Gu Qinghan got up and walked in, immediately arriving in an equally luxurious hall.

What concerned Gu Qinghan the most was that many figures continuously appeared in this room.

They were all the Professionals who attended the auction?

At the same time, Gu Qinghan found that he could use his Professional abilities again.

“What does this mean?”

Gu Qinghan’s heart trembled slightly, but he wasn’t in a hurry to act.

He simply silently used his skill upgrade scroll, still choosing to upgrade his core skill.

When he killed Liu Song, he had actually already reached level 24, though there wasn't any significant increase in his strength.

[Death Whisper · Command: Consumes 50 mana, revives a powerful Skeleton Warrior to fight. Current maximum summon quantity: 72.

You can subjugate servants in a certain part of the Necrolands; they will fight according to your will.]

To Gu Qinghan's surprise, this upgrade did not improve the quality of the skeletons, but rather added a command effect.

He immediately used Vision of the Dead, gaining the sight of a skeleton.

The sky was black, and the ground was also pitch dark.

Beside him were the skeletons Gu Qinghan was familiar with, and even figures like Little Black Bear King.

This was a space filled with deathly silence. Gu Qinghan felt an immense sense of oppression just by looking for a few seconds.

But then, Gu Qinghan suddenly noticed white sprouts emerging from the ground before him.

He looked closely, only to realize with astonishment that they were not sprouts at all, but skeletons without a trace of flesh!

Unlike his own skeletons, these skeletons were covered in dirt.

Even when they first emerged, they swayed unsteadily.

As soon as they appeared, the glowing green soul fire in their eye sockets gradually lit up, and they charged towards Gu Qinghan's skeletons.

However, Gu Qinghan's skeletons were formidable at this time and instantly knocked down this skeleton.

This skeleton collapsed into a pile of broken bones, slowly sinking into the ground, as if it had never appeared.

But Gu Qinghan felt that a faint, almost imperceptible connection seemed to have formed in his mind.

In the necromantic space, an identical skeleton slowly appeared.

This connection was not too close and would not burden his spirit.

However, it was enough for Gu Qinghan to summon it to fight for him.

Gu Qinghan frowned slightly. Skeletons of this level were only about as strong as his Little Skeleton, perhaps even slightly weaker.

If this upgrade scroll was only like this, Gu Qinghan felt his hundred thousand mana would have been wasted.

But just then, the surrounding ground suddenly trembled, and pale skeletons emerged from underground, rushing towards them.

There were humanoid skeletons, white bones of unknown animal species, and even massive skeletons like giants.

Gu Qinghan immediately transformed half of his skeletons into Berserker Professionals, keeping the other half as Eye of the Sky.

The skeletons that emerged from underground were killed by Gu Qinghan's skeletons, establishing a faint, almost imperceptible connection with Gu Qinghan.

And most importantly, Gu Qinghan distinctly felt a faint trace of Necromantic Power entering his body from an unknown place.

In just half a minute, Gu Qinghan had gained at least dozens of skeletons of various appearances and a small wave of Necromantic Power.

He twitched his lips and murmured:

“It seems my subordinates are growing in number…”