Chapter 21: Skeleton Soldier
With the first skeleton successfully advancing in rank, more and more skeletons reached the experience threshold and absorbed enough eerie energy to evolve into skeleton soldiers.
When choosing the advancement path for the skeleton soldiers, Gu Xi aimed to enhance their strengths rather than balancing their development. Therefore, he directed all skeleton soldiers' advancement routes to emphasize their specific traits.
As a result, each of the four combat squads had their specialized skeleton soldiers.
Combat Squad 1’s skeleton soldiers still wielded a battle axe in one hand and a curved knife in the other. They now wore leather armor and had three throwing knives at their waists. These skeleton soldiers had learned a form of ranged attack, though it only covered less than ten meters, it was still ranged combat.
[Skeleton Soldier (Level 3, Summon): Experience (13/500), Attack 3+1 (melee weapons), Defense 1+1 (armor), Ammunition 3 (throwing knives), Health 19, Skills: Undead Creature, Backstab, Throw.]
Combat Squad 3’s skeleton soldiers were entirely different, with all their enhancements focused on their spears. Previously, their squad leader had acquired a spear, and now, after absorbing enough eerie energy, their spears had become even more formidable.
[Skeleton Soldier (Level 3, Summon): Experience (19/500), Attack 3+2 (bone spear), Defense 1, Health 19, Skills: Undead Creature, Disarm, Thrust.]
As for Combat Squad 4’s skeleton soldiers, they were the exact opposite of Squad 3’s, emphasizing the defensive capabilities of their shields and donning an additional layer of thick armor. If not for the swords in their hands, they might have been mistaken for heavily armored defensive skeleton soldiers.
[Skeleton Soldier (Level 3, Summon): Experience (6/500), Attack 3, Defense 1+3 (shield+armor), Health 24, Skills: Undead Creature, Shield Wall, Temporary Life.]
After these various advancements, Gu Xi reviewed the conditions of the four combat squads. Combat Squads 1 and 2 had suffered significant losses, while Squads 3 and 4 were in relatively good shape, having almost no losses and, due to their squad leaders’ upgrades, gaining several new positions.
[Combat Squad 1 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Health +3, Attack +1, Experience 18/200): Leader (1/1) Level 1 Skeleton Captain, Members (22/33) Level 3 Skeleton Soldier (3), Level 2 Skeleton (13), Level 1 Skeleton (6).]
[Combat Squad 2 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Attack +5, Defense +1, Experience 26/200): Leader (1/1) Level 1 Skeleton Captain, Members (21/39) Level 3 Skeleton Warrior (1), Level 3 Skeleton Soldier (9), Level 2 Skeleton (6), Level 1 Skeleton (5).]
[Combat Squad 3 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Attack +3, Health +4, Experience 198/200): Leader (1/1) Level 1 Skeleton Captain, Members (28/33) Level 3 Skeleton Soldier (8), Level 2 Skeleton (14), Level 1 Skeleton (6).]
[Combat Squad 4 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Defense +6, Experience 74/200): Leader (1/1) Level 1 Skeleton Captain, Members (40/45) Level 3 Skeleton Warrior (6), Level 3 Skeleton Soldier (9), Level 2 Skeleton (21), Level 1 Skeleton (4).]
The troops were uneven.
Seeing the information about the combat squads, Gu Xi couldn’t help but sigh. He had no idea what the third wave of enemies would be like.
He then directed his troops to rearrange their positions. The previously fallen skeleton corpses were repositioned on the street, and tables and chairs from nearby rooms were moved out to create barricades.
Combat Squad 3 stood behind Combat Squad 4, while Squads 1 and 2 lay in ambush inside the buildings. As soon as the enemy appeared, Gu Xi planned to drag out the fight, prioritize eliminating the enemy leaders, and use his skeletons to grind down the black specters.
However, Gu Xi could never have anticipated what the situation would be when the fifteen minutes were up.
This time, it wasn’t a large group of three to four hundred black specters that appeared, but a gigantic fusion of specters.
This specter was just as pitch-black as the previous ones, but its size was immense. It didn’t move upright but crawled on the ground with its joints bent backward.
Underneath it were eight massive arms moving like a spider. On its body, three pairs of arms held three heads. Though these heads were also pitch-black, their sizes and appearances showed that they were a man, a woman, and a child.
The specter, as large as a massive dump truck, had numerous writhing arms on its body, making it clear it was not to be trifled with.
As it entered the street, it charged forward like a train. The barricades set up by the combat squads couldn’t hold for a moment and were instantly smashed apart.
Gu Xi reacted quickly. Upon seeing this, he pointed to the skeleton corpses in front of the specter and chanted a spell.
“Lesser Corpse Explosion!”
But the specter moved too fast. Even though Gu Xi cast the spell at its feet, by the time the corpses exploded, the specter had already moved beyond the blast range.
“Combat Squad 4, hold the line!”
Gu Xi shouted as he cast a Bone Shield on himself and grabbed a club, rushing forward. The club in Gu Xi’s hand was the weapon of the high-ranking specter leader. When he held it, it quickly shrank to a size suitable for him.
[Bone Crusher (Green, Club)]
[Attack: 2-3]
[Equipment Requirement: Strength 2]
[Special: Crushing, has a 50% chance to crush the enemy’s bones, armor, or other defensive structures upon attack.]
[Description: Don’t underestimate the power of a club; many have perished under it.]
With the club in hand, Gu Xi felt brave enough to join the battle. Although the specter hadn’t attacked yet, its speed revealed it was a high-agility type.
High-agility enemies typically have lower health and attack power. They rely on dodging attacks and delivering multiple strikes in a short time. If such an enemy could be pinned down, there would be a chance to defeat it.
That’s why Gu Xi immediately had Combat Squad 4 advance. Their Shield Wall could withstand the specter’s charge. Once its speed slowed, Gu Xi planned to use the Bone Crusher to break one of its legs.
Then, it would be the classic strategy for fighting a boss. Despite the previous losses, Gu Xi still had 111 skeletons under his command. With their combined efforts, there was no reason they couldn’t defeat a single specter.
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