Two skeletons emerged from the swirling gray mist. The one on the right remained a familiar bruiser, but the one on the left gripped a recurve bow carved from jagged, bleached marrow.
[Your F-rank skill 'Summon Bone Minion' has successfully Sublimated into D-rank skill: 'Summon Skeleton Soldier'.]
[Summon Skeleton Soldier]
Rank: D (Level 6)
Type: Active
Effect: Summon a Skeleton Fighter or a Skeleton Archer to fight for you.
Cast Time: 3 seconds
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Cost: 200 Mana
(Note: Skeleton attributes scale with the player’s Spirit stat.)
"Ranged support, at last." Ethan Sorel couldn't suppress the grin spreading across his face.
Those 5 Gold Coins were the best investment he’d ever made. While the Ossian Legion had shredded the Mistwood Boa Rex quickly, it was only because the boss was a massive target. Against smaller, more agile enemies, his skeletons ended up tripping over each other just to get a hit in. With the addition of the Skeleton Archer, his formation finally had depth.
Ethan raised his staff, the air humming as he channeled the new skill.
[Summon Skeleton Soldier]
Twin vortices of pale gray energy swirled into existence. A Skeleton Fighter and a Skeleton Archer stepped out in unison. Their bones possessed a polished, metallic luster compared to the brittle frames of his previous summons. The Fighter gripped a standard-issue Bone Blade that gleamed with a cold, predatory light, while the Archer carried a quiver of bone-tipped arrows and a longbow nearly as tall as itself. Eerie blue flames pulsed within their hollow eye sockets.
[Skeleton Fighter]
Strength: 637 | Constitution: 637 | Agility: 637
Health: 7,644/7,644
Attack: 956 | Physical Defense: 319
▸ Skill: [Crushing Blow] (Rank E, Rank 7) – Deals 190% physical damage. CD: 30s.
▸ Block Rate: 8%
▸ HP Regen: 3.1/sec
(Note: Warrior-class skeletons receive a massive bonus to Strength scaling.)
[Skeleton Archer]
Strength: 637 | Constitution: 637 | Agility: 637
Health: 6,370/6,370
Attack: 764 | Physical Defense: 319
▸ Skill: [Double Shot] (Rank E, Rank 7) – Fires two arrows simultaneously, each dealing 86% physical damage. CD: 30s.
▸ Charm: 23
(Note: Ranger-class skeletons receive a massive bonus to Agility scaling.)
Ethan slipped on the [Ring of Virulent Venom], feeling a sharp mental clarity as his Spirit jumped by ten points. While the base stats of the summons remained tethered to his own, the class specializations changed everything. The Fighter’s raw attack power had surged by 50%, and its durability was up by 20%. The Archer’s panel didn't show attack speed, but Ethan could see it in the way the creature moved—fluid, twitchy, and lethal.
"My Calamity Legion is finally starting to look the part," Ethan muttered. "Autonomous combat—go!"
With a mental command, the pair vanished into the fog. The Archer initially sprinted ahead, its superior Agility carrying it across the forest floor like a phantom, but it quickly checked its pace, allowing the Fighter to take point. Ahead of them, the twenty-odd skeletons from his previous summons had already engaged the dungeon’s denizens.
[You have slain a Level 8 Elite 'Goblin'. Over-level Bonus: +50%. Experience +60.]
Ethan’s experience bar began to flicker and climb. He followed the sounds of slaughter at a leisurely pace, his staff glowing every thirty seconds as he systematically replaced his old minions with the upgraded Soldiers.
Even with his massive mana pool of 7,080, the high cost of the D-rank skill eventually drained him dry before he could hit his unit cap. Without mana potions, he had to rely on his high Spirit for passive regeneration. It took time, but eventually, the transformation was complete.
[Summon Capacity: 93/100]
[Evasion: 22%]
An army of 40 Skeleton Fighters and 60 Skeleton Archers moved like a wall of bone through the Goblin territory.
[Goblin]
Level: 8 (Elite)
Health: 2,800
Attack: 96 | Phys Def: 58 | Mag Def: 45
Skill: [Throw]
(Note: Territorial natives that attack any intruders on sight.)
The Goblins were glass cannons compared to the previous mobs. They hit harder, but they folded like paper under the weight of the legion. A Fighter could put one down in three swings; an Archer needed only four arrows. With their 30% faster attack speed and the advantage of range, the Archers were turning the forest into a shooting gallery.
The thick mist of the Inferno-difficulty dungeon, which should have been a death trap for most players, was irrelevant. Ethan had so many eyes on the field that the fog couldn't hide a thing. A small detachment of skeletons followed behind the main line, acting as porters to loot every scrap the Goblins dropped.
Ethan realized he was essentially a spectator. The "Inferno" difficulty felt more like a Sunday stroll. Bored, he opened the chat interface to see what the rest of Starter Village #9527 was up to.
The world chat was still reeling from the announcement of "Whitenox" soloing a Silver-tier boss. Speculation ran wild about his rewards, but new voices were beginning to drown out the old noise.
[One-Cut Silencer]: LFM for Mistwood First Clear. Must have A-rank Talent or higher. Level 5+ only.
[GrandDominion]: I am forming the 'Dominion' Guild. We’re going to run this game. If you want a future in Myriad Realms, DM me now.
[TurtleBlackhead]: Who the hell do you think you are? The game just started and you're already looking for wagies?
[GrandDominion]: I have an S-tier Talent. That’s who I am.
To silence the doubters, GrandDominion posted a skill link.
[Born Sovereign (S-Rank, Unique Innate Skill)]: Allows the free creation of a Guild. All members receive a 20% bonus to EXP, 20% bonus to loot drops, and a 20% boost to Attack/Spell Power. The stronger the Guild’s collective power, the greater the personal attribute bonus for the Sovereign.
[TurtleBlackhead]: ...Boss? Can I call you boss? I'm in!
[NotLost]: Sent you a friend request, GrandDominion. Let's talk.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. The "Born Sovereign" talent was impressive, especially the feedback loop that buffed the leader based on the guild's strength.
Then, a system-wide broadcast surged to the top of the chat, glowing with a golden border that demanded attention.
[WealthSupreme]: Buying high-level equipment and skill books! Price is no object. If you have what I want, I have the Gold. Whitenox, if you're reading this, name your price for that Silver-tier loot!
[LuRenJerk]: Holy sht, who is this guy? A broadcast message costs 1 Gold per minute!
[LootMeNot]: I’ve been grinding for hours and I don't even have 100 copper. This guy is burning Gold just to talk?
[GrandDominion]: WealthSupreme, join Dominion. You can have the Vice-Leader spot. We need a treasury like yours.
The chat exploded. For a moment, WealthSupreme’s sheer display of opulence eclipsed Ethan’s combat achievements. Even GrandDominion was openly thirsty for the man’s backing. While Ethan likely had gold from his system rewards, this WealthSupreme had appeared out of nowhere with a fortune.
Back in the forest, GrandDominion scowled at his interface as his invitations went ignored. "Arrogant bastards," he spat, his eyes darkening. "Whitenox, WealthSupreme... enjoy your head start. Once we leave the Starter Village, you'll learn that a single player is nothing against a Dominion."
He took a deep breath, cooling his temper. His S-rank talent could grow. If he played his cards right, it could eventually reach SSS-rank. He began mass-accepting the flood of friend requests. He didn't care about quality yet; he just needed warm bodies to fuel his Sovereign feedback.
Meanwhile, Ethan stared at the broadcast. A talent that starts you with capital?
Curious, he dug through his mountain of rejected friend requests. He found the one from WealthSupreme and checked the attached message.
[WealthSupreme]: Whitenox, man, you looking for a team? Join me and I’ll cover every piece of gear and skill you ever need. I’ll even give you a 100 Gold Coin signing bonus.
Ethan whistled. A hundred gold in the starter zone was an astronomical sum. He decided to bite and sent a friend request back. Within a second, the notification popped: [Accepted].
[WealthSupreme]: Whitenox! Glad you reached out. I’ve already got an S-tier combatant in the squad. We won't slow you down. If 100 Gold isn't enough, how about 200? I just need to verify that SS-tier talent of yours.
"How deep are this guy's pockets?" Ethan muttered. He typed back: Is your talent money-related?
[WealthSupreme]: Put it this way: money is just a high score to me. Join us, sign the contract, and the world is yours.
To prove his point, WealthSupreme shared a partial link to his talent.
[The Golden God (SSS-Rank, Unique Innate Skill)]
1. Golden Bough: Once per day, shake the Golden Bough to receive 1–999 Gold Coins. Small chance to drop unique treasures.
2. Flowing Coffers: Your carried currency increases by 1% daily (compound interest).
3. Dead Man’s Vault: You do not drop gold or items upon death.
4. [Locked]
5. [Locked]
Ethan felt a rare pang of shock. An SSS-rank talent. Statistically, only one in a billion players reached that height. In all of Azure Prime, there were probably fewer than twenty people with that kind of power.
The compound interest alone was game-breaking. If WealthSupreme hoarded enough, he could eventually buy the entire world.
However, Ethan also noted the guy’s naivety. Both GrandDominion and WealthSupreme were far too comfortable flashing their talents. In a world where players could eventually steal or mimic abilities, such arrogance was an invitation to a knife in the back.
Ethan had no intention of joining a team, but he had just found the ultimate customer. He looked at the rare gear and skills sitting in his inventory.
"Well," Ethan smirked, "time to see just how much a 'Golden God' is willing to pay."