CHAPTER 200 - MUTANT BLACK SKELETON (INFANTRY)

Duan Meng showed less hostility than Li Chunming. She even sent Han Wu a private message to exchange information.

[Duan Meng: Han Wu, what kind of unit did you summon?]

Han Wu frowned. He had never met her before and didn’t trust her, so he had no intention of being honest.

[Han Wu: My core race is the locust, and I summoned one of their mutated forms called the Heavenly Demon Insect. They act as Lancers here, wielding sharp horns. They can fly and fight fiercely.]

Duan Meng already knew about Han Wu’s core race and had witnessed the Heavenly Demon Insects slaughtering enemies during the small test after Han Wu’s transfer.

[Duan Meng: My core race is the Elite lizardmen. I summoned their mutated version, the Stony Lizardmen. They serve as Technicians here. They’re not strong, but they excel at gathering resources.]

Han Wu had seen Stony Lizardmen before. Apparently, their gaze could petrify any life forms. They were weak in combat but invaluable as support units.

[Han Wu: Why do you want to know this?]

Duan Meng answered honestly.

[Duan Meng: My brother is also a student at Imperial College. I asked him for advice before our major class, and he said we should focus on upgrading our shelter as much as possible and acquiring a powerful altar. We need to upgrade the altar too, because a terrible calamity will strike on the fourth day.]

[Han Wu: Calamity?]

[Duan Meng: Yes. According to my brother, the calamity usually involves a powerful beast attacking your shelter. You can survive it easily if your shelter reaches Level 5 or if you can summon Heroic units from your altar. Once you make it through the calamity, you’ll unlock the ability to trade with others.]

Han Wu didn’t fully believe it since Saliya had never mentioned it before. More importantly, he had never found any record of it himself. Still, since Duan Meng had taken the time to explain it carefully, he chose to accept it as truth.

[Han Wu: There are two more days before the calamity. I will do my best to prepare.]

[Duan Meng: Han Wu, I know you are strong. After the calamity, could I purchase some of your powerful units?]

Han Wu frowned. Why does she need to buy units from me? Is she trying to learn my army’s weaknesses to defeat me?

Seeing that he hadn’t replied, Duan Meng grew anxious. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

[Duan Meng: I’m not trying to buy your core race. I only want to purchase a few powerful altars from you. Since you’re strong, you should be able to collect high-level ones. If you have any you don’t need, I’d like to buy them. I promise I’ll offer the best price.]

Han Wu considered her request and agreed.

[Han Wu: Alright. I’ll contact you if I acquire any.]

[Duan Meng: Great. I hope you survive the calamity.]

Duan Meng ended the conversation with a smiling emoji.

After their conversation, Han Wu pondered the looming calamity. If it were real, he would need to prepare quickly. A fragile shelter or weak units could spell his downfall.

He didn’t want his major class to end so soon. He chose his third altar slot carefully, weighing his options. Ultimately, he selected the powerful half-dragons, which were excellent starting units, and spent 500 Gold Coins to activate the third altar.

[Altar confirmed. Level 1 Lancer Altar: Half-Dragons. It can summon 2 Elite half-dragons daily.]

Due to their strength, he could summon only two per day. As the altar activated, two half-dragons appeared, gripping their lances.

Han Wu quickly inspected their stats.

[Half-Dragons (Lancer). Elite life form. Skill: Thunder Lance. Extremely powerful dragon life forms with an affinity for lightning. They revere species with pure dragon blood.]

Han Wu nodded with satisfaction as he reviewed the half-dragons’ starting stats. If he had them yesterday, he would not have had to face the Boulbear alone.

The half-dragons looked intelligent. Noticing Han Wu’s gaze, they knelt down. “We await your orders, Master.”

Han Wu loved units that took initiative. “Patrol the area and locate powerful altars for me.”

The two half-dragons nodded in understanding. As units summoned by altars, they instinctively recognized their significance. They departed while Han Wu stayed inside the shelter, directing the ten Scorching Dwarves to gather more resources.

The Scorching Dwarves worked diligently, and he amassed a substantial stockpile. Still, when he calculated their pace, frustration crept in. Even if they labored nonstop for an entire day, they could not collect 2,000 Wood, 1,000 Stone, and 1,000 Gold Coins. He would have to wait until tomorrow to upgrade his shelter.

The calamity loomed just two days away. He wouldn’t have time to raise the shelter to Level 5 in time. Summoning a Heroic unit also looked out of reach. With only three Level 1 altars, he didn’t have the means to summon one.

Han Wu was wrestling with this dilemma when his Skeleton Knight returned with urgent news. They had discovered a massive Chainsaw Ant nest and were calling for backup. Without hesitation, Han Wu grabbed a hammer and axe from the Scorching Dwarves and ordered the two half-dragons to regroup with him.

By the time he arrived, the two half-dragons were already on site. Alongside two Skeleton Knights, a Bonehound, and a Boulbear skeleton, they formed a formidable force ready to assault the nest.

Chainsaw Ants swarmed out to defend their home but fell one by one to the half-dragons’ Thunder Spear. Han Wu pressed forward, gathering resources as he fought deeper into the sprawling nest.

The nest was so vast that Han Wu could stand upright without issue. He directed his units, and they battled relentlessly for three hours before reaching the nest’s deepest chamber. There, a glittering altar shaped like a queen Chainsaw Ant awaited. The Chainsaw Ants tried to protect it, but the Skeleton Knights intercepted them.

Han Wu grabbed the altar and stored it away. They fled the nest and kept running until the Chainsaw Ants finally gave up the chase.

Back in his shelter, Han Wu took out the Chainsaw Ant Altar and inspected it.

[Level 4 Infantry Altar: Chainsaw Ants. It summons 1,000 Common Chainsaw Ants daily. It can also be used to upgrade an Infantry Altar.]

Without hesitation, Han Wu used it to upgrade his Level 1 Infantry Altar: Skeletons. The altar quickly absorbed experience points, leveling up twice to reach Level 3. Now it appeared even more ominous, with faint black mist curling from the jade-white skeleton engraving.

When Han Wu checked the altar again, he discovered that he could now select between two upgrade paths. Three initial options appeared before him.

[Option 1: Double the amount of summoned skeletons.]

[Option 2: Summon 50 additional Iron Skeletons.]

[Option 3: Increase summoning rate of mutated skeleton variants.]

The second option promised fifty Iron Skeletons daily, a tempting boost. The third piqued his curiosity about the types of mutated skeletons he could summon. Still, he stayed pragmatic and chose the second option.

After his first choice, three new options appeared.

[Option 1: Double the amount of summoned skeletons.]

[Option 2: Summon 2 additional Skeleton Knights.]

[Option 3 (Rare): Summon a Unique mutated skeleton variant, the Black Skeleton.]

Han Wu noticed the Rare label behind the third option and selected it without hesitation. Once he confirmed his choice, the information for the Level 3 Infantry Altar: Skeletons transformed dramatically.

He could now summon 100 Common skeletons, fifty Iron Skeletons, and one Unique Black Skeleton each day. Having already summoned the 100 Common skeletons, he still had the Iron Skeletons and the Black Skeleton available. He summoned all of them at once.

Next, he merged the fifty Iron Skeletons into five Skeleton Knights while inspecting the Black Skeleton.

[Unique Black Skeleton (Infantry). Skills: Black Iron Bones, Corpse Poison. A mutated skeleton variant. Its bone hardness far exceeds that of its peers, and its attacks carry corpse poison with powerful corrosive effects.]

“Not bad,” Han Wu said, approving of its strength. Although it could not summon additional skeletons like the Skeleton Knights, it boasted far stronger offensive capabilities.

Han Wu felt more confident facing the coming calamity. He also realized just how crucial stronger altars were. Upgrading it to Level 3 had already doubled his combat power. What would happen at Level 10? Eager to find out, he ordered his army to search for more Infantry Altars to upgrade his own.

Night fell quickly.

Han Wu ate his fill alongside the Scorching Dwarves and the two half-dragons before settling down in his shelter. Meanwhile, the skeletons remained busy carrying out his orders. Using the Scorching Dwarves’ tools, they tirelessly gathered resources from the surrounding area. As undead, they did not suffer fatigue, making them perfect for such labor.

However, their activity soon drew the attention of a pack of wolves. The alpha towered over two meters tall, massive and imposing. The wolves watched the skeletons closely, unsure what they were. They only noticed that these skeletons looked thinner than their usual prey.

The pack grew restless, pacing with hunger. None dared attack without the alpha’s command. After a moment of consideration, the alpha let out a sharp howl, signaling the pack to strike. The wolves sprinted and quickly attacked the Skeleton Knights that were cutting down trees. The Skeleton Knights retaliated at once, fending off against the wolves.

The Black Skeleton was a special variant, and its ebony bones blended seamlessly into the darkness; even the alpha failed to notice its presence. It slipped silently through the shadows, emerged at the alpha’s side, raised its fist, and drove it into the alpha’s skull with brutal force.

Its bones were naturally dense, seemingly reinforced with iron. The blow was enough to knock the alpha unconscious in a single strike.

Without hesitation, the Black Skeleton drew the Dogtooth Dagger and finished the job while the alpha lay motionless. Meanwhile, the other Skeleton Knights continued their fight. None had suffered injury, and they dispatched the wolves with ease. Once the battle ended, they raised fresh skeletons from the corpses to swell their ranks.

Han Wu praised them when he learned what had happened, which sparked the Black Skeleton’s dissatisfaction. It had been the one to kill the alpha, yet the Skeleton Knights received all the praise. Feeling indignant, it swiftly grabbed the skeleton formed from the wolf alpha’s corpse and even signaled to Han Wu that it was its killer.

He chuckled and decided to reward the Black Skeleton with the alpha wolf’s skeleton. Overjoyed, it mounted the wolf skeleton and dashed out of the shelter.

Watching its retreating figure, Han Wu had a bold idea. Perhaps he could use the Warring Kingdom Civilization’s rules to organize a proper Skeleton Knight brigade.

Dawn arrived, and Han Wu finally gathered enough materials to upgrade his shelter. He spent 2,000 Wood, 1,000 Stone, and 1,000 Gold Coins. In return, his shelter underwent a dramatic transformation. The wood piled neatly, and the stones stacked themselves with precision. His Level 4 shelter had become a mansion!

The upgrade not only expanded the shelter’s size but also granted him one additional spot to place an altar.

Han Wu commanded a powerful army, but his altar acquisition rate remained slow. He considered this weakness carefully and chose the Dark Curse Bugs Altar. They could fly, hide in the shadows, and launch dark-attribute attacks, making them ideal scouts.

Just as he was about to activate the altar, Han Wu realized he had spent all his Gold Coins. Panic gripped him. The calamity was approaching, and he lacked the funds to prepare.