37: Chapter 37 Skeleton Soldiers, Promotion!

Boom!

A blood-red light shot into the sky.

Xu Qin squinted his eyes, watching the drastic changes in the bone pool.

The most noticeable change first was the bone blade; within the beam of light, the blade lengthened, and jagged bone spikes emerged along the spine of the blade.

Then came the bone shield, which transformed into bone armor that fit perfectly over the entire skeleton.

A few seconds later.

The light dissipated.

A being half a head taller than a normal Skeleton Soldier stood in the center of the altar.

Ding!

[Congratulations! Undead Hero promotion successful!]

[Skeleton Sword Guard · Hero]

Level: 1 (0 / 500)

Attack Power: 22 (Physical - Slash / Melee)

Defense: 14

HP: 180 / 180

Loyalty: 100 / 100 (Eternally Loyal)

Morale: None

Hero Trait:

[Blade Guard Commander: Can lead up to 500 Undead units to act independently. Command limit increases with hero level. Melee Undead units under command gain +2 additional Attack Power.]

Hero Skills:

[Bone Blade Storm (Active - AoE): Swing the long blade to unleash a 360° circular bone blade slash. All enemy units within an 8-meter radius take 25 points of physical damage. Cooldown: 12 seconds.]

[Death Battle Body (Passive): When HP is below 30%, attack speed increases by 50%, and each attack restores 3% of max HP.]

[Guard (Active - Single Target/Self): Deploy bone armor to block the next instance of damage for self or a designated allied unit (blocks up to 50 points of damage). Cooldown: 8 seconds.]

Xu Qin carefully analyzed the Sword Guard's attribute panel.

To be honest, it was quite a bit lower than the starting attributes of Tian Ming and the Minotaur.

But considering it started as a Skeleton Soldier... this was already a qualitative leap.

A Tier 2 Skeleton Soldier only has 12+9 attack, but now it has jumped straight to 22.

"Alright, it's better than expected."

Xu Qin looked down at the skills.

Bone Blade Storm is for clearing mobs.

Death Battle Body is the type of skill that makes one godlike when low on HP.

Guard... Huh? Eh?

This skill can be used on a "designated allied unit"?

That means it can protect the Minotaur?

Protect Tian Ming?

Or even protect me?

A thought flashed through Xu Qin's mind.

Tian Ming stands in the back row dealing damage, and the Minotaur tanks in the front.

And this Skeleton Sword Guard can stay close to protect Tian Ming, blocking those assassin-type monsters that suddenly rush to the back row.

"A Guard-type melee damage hero?"

Xu Qin re-examined the Skeleton Sword Guard in front of him.

It seems... the positioning is quite unique.

It can deal damage, temporarily tank damage, and is a "personal Guard" that can fight, tank, and protect others.

"Name..." Xu Qin thought for a moment.

Tian Ming, Minotaur. One mage, one tank. This one... what should I call it?

"You... shall be called Blade Guard."

Blade Guard nodded its skull.

"Alright, when Tian Ming returns, you will go out with it and let it show you the ropes of the battlefield."

After saying this, Xu Qin turned and walked to the Dark Altar, opening the hero enhancement interface.

The three hero avatars were lined up. Tian Ming, Minotaur, Blade Guard.

He clicked on Blade Guard first.

As a newly promoted hero, the skill tree was almost blank.

But the Level 3 altar provided everything at once, directly unlocking two optional new skills.

Xu Qin clicked to open them.

[New skills can be unlocked (Currently 2 options available):]

[1. Shadow Stab Dash (Active - Displacement/Attack): Dash forward 12 meters, dealing 30 points of physical damage to all enemy units along the path. Immune to all control effects during the dash. Cooldown: 15 seconds.]

[2. Guardian Line (Passive - Aura): All friendly melee Undead units within an 8-meter radius receive 6% physical damage reduction and an 8% increase in attack speed.]

Xu Qin read through them.

Whoa~ They're both pretty good.

Shadow Stab Dash is a displacement skill.

With this, Blade Guard can instantly pass through the front line and rush straight to the back.

Combined with its innate "Guard" skill, it can fly to Tian Ming's side at critical moments to block a hit.

The passive aura adds buffs just by standing there. Plant it in a crowd, and the whole team gets the benefits.

Xu Qin wanted both of these new skills.

But... he subconsciously glanced at the resource bar.

elite soul core: 5.

Unlocking two skills costs 2. Upgrading five basic skills requires another 5. Blade Guard alone would consume 7. And there were only 5 left in stock.

Xu Qin didn't rush to upgrade.

He first switched to Tian Ming's page.

As expected. At the bottom of the skill tree, a new icon lit up.

[Level 3 Altar Unlocked: Hero Skill Tree Expansion (Second Item)]

[New skill available to unlock: Shadow Barrage]

[Shadow Barrage (Active - Multi-target/Ranged): Fires three shadow projectiles in succession, locking onto three different targets one by one. Each shadow projectile deals 40 points of Shadow damage and reduces the target's movement speed by 20% for 4 seconds upon impact. If all three hit, the third one deals double damage. Range: 30 meters. Cooldown: 8 seconds. Mana Cost: 90]

Hiss... Xu Qin gasped.

Three shots in a row? Locking onto three different targets?

If all hit, the last one deals double damage, which is 80 points. Totaling all three, that's 160 points per round. An 8-second cycle.

Tian Ming currently has a base magic attack of 62. Once he puts on the Nether Set and stacks the 15% magic bonus...

"Good guy, my Ming Ming's firepower is going to reach another level."

Xu Qin smacked his lips and switched to the Minotaur.

[Level 3 Altar Unlocked: Hero Skill Tree Expansion (Second Item)]

[New skill available to unlock: Bone Spike Counter]

[Bone Spike Counter (Passive): When receiving a melee attack, there is a 25% chance to deal 20 points of piercing counter-damage to the attacker and slow them by 30% for 3 seconds.]

Hmm, I remember this one. A passive skill that activates when hit. With the Minotaur's physique, just standing there, it's already hard to damage. Now, not only is it hard to damage, but it also pricks back.

Imagine it. A group of melee monsters ganging up on the Minotaur. Taking a dozen hits per second. Each hit has a 25% chance to reflect. That's an average of seven or eight counter-damages per second.

"The Minotaur is really not bad..."

Xu Qin finished reading the three skill lists. Shadow Barrage, good. Bone Spike Counter, good. Shadow Stab Dash, good. Guardian Line, also good. He wanted all four new skills.

It's just that the shortage of elite soul cores is a bit large. Only elite monsters drop these. And it's a low drop rate.

That time with Tian Ming, it was luck that he encountered thirty Scale Lizard Beasts. The base drop was 3, and with the 7x talent, it became 21. Otherwise... Crafting equipment? He wouldn't even be able to afford upgrading skills!

"Blade Guard." Xu Qin stood before the altar, looking at the straight-standing Blade Guard.

"You'll have to settle for less for now."

"You have three skills right now, which is plenty for fighting mobs. When I've saved up more soul cores, I'll max you out all at once."

Blade Guard nodded its skull. But Xu Qin always felt this nod was particularly obedient. Perhaps it was because the five of them had been following him since the first day.

Back then, it was just a bone minion that fell apart at a touch, carrying a rusty blade, kicked away by a Warthog, its ribcage shattered instantly. It had finally managed to become a hero. And the first thing that happens is a budget cut.

"...When the first batch of soul cores comes in, I'll prioritize you." Xu Qin added in a low voice.

Then he reopened Tian Ming and the Minotaur's pages.

Shadow Barrage. Bone Spike Counter. These two must be unlocked.

Tian Ming is the core of the army's firepower; one more offensive option means another layer of security. The Minotaur is the iron wall of the front line; the passive counter-damage allows it to become more profitable the more it gets hit. Two soul cores for two transformative skills, leaving three in reserve.