He had heard her transmission to her master that night.
She had seen him attack the other skeleton tonight.
This succubus... This skeleton... Must die!
In this instant, the goals of the skeleton and the succubus were perfectly aligned.
“Shadow Thrust!”
Triss raised her hand, and sharp black spikes erupted from the ground, thrusting toward Li Xiuman.
Li Xiuman's legs moved like phantoms, agilely dodging the attacks of the black spikes.
“Hmph, Shadow Bind!”
Triss sneered. Then, those hard, sharp black spikes softened, wrapping around Li Xiuman like ropes.
“Incinerate.”
Li Xiuman swung his sword, and flames instantly engulfed the entire bone sword.
Because the bone sword was formed from his own rib, mana flowed seamlessly into the entire blade.
The bone sword blazed furiously, unleashing a magnificent strike amidst the crackling of flames.
One by one, the pitch-black ropes were severed.
“Fire Magic! How is that possible? Aren't you just a Low-Tier Skeleton!”
Triss's face paled in horror.
Before a biding skeleton bared its fangs, no one knew its true ferocity.
Li Xiuman thrust viciously toward Triss's chest.
Caught off guard, Triss shook off her contempt and beat her wings, flying high into the air.
What if he could use Fire Magic? As long as she was in the sky, she was invincible.
She had to use her real strength and quickly dispatch this bizarre skeleton.
How could Li Xiuman give her the chance to fly?
The bone sword in his hand wriggled and grew once more, transforming into a sharp, slender spear.
Next, he gripped the spear with his left arm, activating [Great Strength].
The flames in his eye sockets flared violently as he threw the spear with brutal force.
The spear, engulfed in eerie blue flames, drew a faint blue line through the air, piercing straight through Triss's bat wings.
Before the succubus could even react, she plummeted toward the ground.
“Quagmire!”
Reacting quickly, Li Xiuman slammed his hands onto the ground, activating Earth Magic and Water Magic simultaneously.
The ground where Triss was falling instantly turned into a swamp, swallowing her without making much noise.
At this moment, Triss finally realized the danger. Ignoring the consequences, she opened her mouth, intending to call out to the other succubi to draw attention.
But the moment her mouth opened, the thick mud—a mixture of soil and water—poured into her throat.
“Mmh! Mmh!”
She was unable to scream.
Li Xiuman stepped forward, gripped the succubus's neck, and cleanly slit her throat with the sharp claws his fingertip bones had transformed into.
Blood gushed out.
Li Xiuman felt no discomfort at all. He didn't let go until the succubus's body stopped struggling and grew cold.
Looking at the succubus's shapely body soaked in the swamp, Li Xiuman, who felt absolutely no fear or unease, couldn't help but reflect.
Perhaps from the very moment he was turned into a skeleton by Pound, he had permanently lost some part of his humanity.
But soon, Li Xiuman's brief melancholy was washed away by the lovely numbers ticking up on his status screen.
[Ding! Slain Low-Tier Succubus, EXP +1400]
[Ding! EXP maxed out. Level increased to Lv.8]
[Ding! EXP maxed out. Level increased to Lv.9]
[Free Stat Points +2]
After grinding the succubus's body to dust and scattering her ashes, Li Xiuman activated Earth Magic to return the swampy ground back to normal.
Then, he cleaned up the scene.
After all, succubi were intelligent creatures. The disappearance of a succubus might not be as easy to gloss over as that of a skeleton.
Next, he retrieved his rib-spear and scorched it with fire to burn away any bloodstains.
Then, he reverted the rib-spear back to its original rib shape, aligned it with the break, and reattached it.
He couldn't just throw away his bones; he'd end up calcium deficient.
Afterward, Li Xiuman left the area, reverting to his act as a dimwitted, freeloading Low-Tier Skeleton.
He also reflected on the flaws in tonight's operation.
After mastering magic, he had become overconfident and careless, which was why he had been noticed by the succubus.
In the past, he had always cautiously followed and stalked his targets, only making his move once they fell asleep.
With the power to easily dispatch his targets, he had grown complacent.
He had to correct this flaw, or it would cost him sooner or later.
While wandering aimlessly, Li Xiuman pondered this shortcoming of his.
Triss's disappearance did not seem to cause any waves.
Perhaps to Pound and Lucia, a Low-Tier Demon wasn't as important or conspicuous as he had imagined.
Nevertheless, Li Xiuman still prudently kept a low profile, not venturing out to hunt other skeletons for several days.
Only after a week had passed and he was certain that Triss's disappearance had indeed gone unnoticed did he resume his hunts.
In truth, Li Xiuman would have preferred to lie low for a while longer.
However, time waited for no one.
If the agreement between Triss and her master still stood, her master's subjugation force would attack in just a few days.
That was the moment he had been waiting for. If he missed it, there was no telling when another opportunity would present itself.
Thus, to seize this fleeting chance, taking some necessary risks was vital.
But when taking risks, one had to be all the more cautious.
Li Xiuman carefully selected and hunted skeletons.
Maintaining a hunting pace of two to three skeletons a day, Li Xiuman finally reached Lv.10 on the third day.
[Name] Li Xiuman Pound
[Race] Low-Tier Skeleton
[Level] Lv.10/Lv.10 (The level cap for a Low-Tier Skeleton is Lv.10)
[Class] None
[Strength] 10/10
[Constitution] 13/10
[Spirit] 10/10
[Free Stat Points] 0
[Evolution Requirement] Race evolution is available once Strength, Constitution, and Spirit are maxed out
[Evolution Paths] Low-Tier Earth Skeleton, Skeleton Swordsman, Low-Tier Ocean Skeleton...
[Skills] Bone Manipulation Lv.1, Appraisal Lv.1, Great Strength Lv.1, Swiftness Lv.1, Quiet Steps Lv.1, Swordsmanship Lv.1, Elemental Resistance Lv.1, Fire Magic Lv.1, Water Magic Lv.1, Earth Magic Lv.1
[Status] Enslaved, bone decay
[EXP] 1120/1000 (Level up after evolving and choosing a class)
[Description] A Low-Tier Skeleton who has mastered magic, possesses low-tier elemental resistance, and has basic swordsmanship. Underestimating him will cost you. He can probably last about 8 years before crumbling to pieces.
Li Xiuman did not possess any Lv.2 skills.
According to his observations, only Mid-Tier Skeletons and succubi above Lv.10 possessed Lv.2 skills.
Lv.2 skills were on par with Tier 1 magic, which classless Low-Tier Skeletons under Lv.10 were incapable of mastering.
Li Xiuman was in no hurry to evolve or choose a class.
Who knew what physical changes would occur once he evolved?
At that point, even a fool would realize something was wrong. Who would believe that he had randomly evolved out of nowhere?
Even if they accepted his sudden evolution, what if they began paying close attention to him, strengthening their enslavement and surveillance?
Then he would truly never have a chance to escape for the rest of his life.
He had no desire to work as unpaid, lifelong labor for the bone dragon.
Rate on N.U.
