Chapter 48: Undead Warrior
We’ve reached #13 on the new book charts! Here’s an extra Chapter in hopes of breaking into the top ten!
——————————————
Gu Su waited quietly outside the Combat Outpost.
After just two or three minutes, the simple door of the outpost, built from Beast Skins and wooden stakes, was pushed open. The newly transformed Undead Warriors marched out in neat, orderly ranks. Every step was steady and powerful—a stark contrast to their previous stiff, shuffling forms.
These Undead Warriors had been completely reborn. Their appearance had undergone an earth-shattering transformation, and the difference between them and ordinary Undead was obvious at a glance.
Leading the procession were the Skeleton Warriors. Regardless of whether they had been Ordinary Skeletons or Elite Skeletons before, they now all shared the same appearance.
They all wore well-crafted leather Helmets, the edges of which were stained with dark patterns by a deep red, corrupting fluid. A small Dark Green Crystal Stone was embedded in the brow, glowing with an eerie light and securely protecting their skulls and faces.
They wore simple yet sturdy Battle Armor, their shoulders covered with jet-black Metal Armor. Sharp spikes protruded from the armor’s edges, emanating a biting chill. The armor itself was covered in fine scratches, as if it had endured hundreds of battles.
In their left arms, they firmly held round Black Iron Shields. The shield faces were smooth and hard, engraved with a simple skeleton pattern, and even had a few arrows stuck in them.
In their right arms, they wielded Longswords, the blades of which gleamed with a faint, bone-white luster.
Upon closer inspection, they were revealed to be Long-bladed Bone Swords forged from thick Beast Bones. The cutting edges were reinforced with metal and honed to an incredible sharpness, with dark, uncleaned stains still clinging to them.
Unlike the Ordinary Skeleton Warriors, the skeletal bodies of the Elite Skeleton Warriors had a pearly white sheen, and their joints were wrapped with reinforcing black leather cords.
And while the skeletal bodies of the Ordinary Skeleton Warriors were grayish-white, they were still exceptionally hard.
This entire setup was clearly a modification in the direction of light infantry—agile, with both offensive and defensive capabilities. They stood tall and straight as they walked, no longer hunched and stiff like before.
What was even more striking was the faint, dark green halo of light that swirled around each Skeleton Warrior. This was the unique energy fluctuation of an Undead Warrior, instantly distinguishing them from Ordinary Skeletons and radiating a powerful aura.
Following the Skeleton Warriors were the Walking Dead Warriors, who had a completely different appearance.
The rotting, damaged, and sloughing flesh on their bodies had now been neatly filled in with a grayish-white mixture of humus and vine fibers.
They were more burly and robust than before, their skin a dull, bluish-gray stretched taut over their skeletons, with the faint outlines of Bone Spikes visible just beneath the surface.
In one hand, they held a Wooden Shield as thick and heavy as a door, reinforced with wraps of thick hemp rope. Its surface was covered in dents of varying depths, and its edges were left exceptionally rough, capable of withstanding heavy impacts.
In the other hand, they dragged a heavy Warhammer over a meter long. The body of the hammer was jet-black, forged from a mixture of refined iron and Beast Bone. Its edges were studded with protruding iron spikes, and the hammerhead was carved with a ferocious beast-face pattern. The mere sight of it was enough to inspire dread.
With every step they dragged it, the Warhammer made a harsh, scraping sound against the ground.
Clearly, the Walking Dead Warriors had been transformed in the direction of heavy infantry.
Although their heavy equipment greatly increased their Defense and Attack Power, it also slowed their movement speed. Each step landed with a heavy thud, making them much slower than the original Walking Dead, but it also gave them an unshakable steadiness.
Looking at this completely renewed and imposing team of Undead Warriors before him, a satisfied expression appeared on Gu Su’s face, and he slowly nodded.
This was exactly the combat strength he wanted. His previous investment of Resources had clearly not been in vain.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Su gave his orders decisively. "Walking Dead, return to your posts. Handle the supplies at the graveyard yourselves.
Skeleton Soldiers, prepare for battle. White Crow, lead the way. We’re moving out."
With such an Undead Team, capable of both offense and defense, now at his command, Gu Su’s confidence swelled.
His usual caution was now bolstered by a newfound sense of certainty.
He was itching to take this newly formed unit out to clear the area. ’On one hand, I need to test the combat abilities of the Undead Warriors,’ he thought. ’On the other, I want to collect more corpses to completely fill Gravepile Number Four.’
Gu Su calculated inwardly, ’This time, once Gravepile Number Four is full, I refuse to believe it’ll spawn another Skeleton Minion with a non-combat Talent!’
Just as the team was about to step through the main gate of the Graveyard Demon, Gu Su suddenly stopped and turned to give instructions to the Walking Dead Warriors staying behind.
"When the other five Elite Skeletons return, have them go directly to the Combat Outpost for transformation.
I’ll cover the cost of all the required supplies."
With his instructions given, he delayed no further and was the first to stride through the gate, followed by thirteen Skeleton Warriors and three Magic Skeletons who had recovered their Mana.
As he was leaving, Gu Su even turned back to grab a shopping cart filled with Corroding Mycelium.
The lesson from before was still fresh in his mind; who was to say he wouldn’t encounter another base that could be devoured, like the Orc Camp?
If he did, this Corroding Mycelium would be extremely useful.
Unfortunately, for the rest of the journey, Gu Su’s Luck didn’t continue its previous smooth run.
Within a one-to-two-thousand-meter radius of the Graveyard Demon, Gu Su had already led his forces to wipe out all large beasts and groups of humanoid creatures, leaving not a single trace behind.
To find suitable targets, the White Crow had to fly farther and scout a wider area.
This meant that even though Gu Su now commanded a more powerful Undead Team, it would be difficult to achieve much in the short term. Their gains might not even match those from the previous clearing operations, making for a somewhat inauspicious start.
Gu Su led his Undead Team through the wilds for over an hour, crossing high slopes and passing through dense forests, only to end up hunting just three large-bodied wild boars.
Although the three boars had tough hides and thick flesh, and were quite formidable in battle, their defeat also served as a testament to the Skeleton Warriors’ strength.
Against this type of beast, the Skeleton Warriors coordinated flawlessly. Their offense and defense were well-organized, and it didn’t take them long to finish the job.
But a haul like this obviously fell short of Gu Su’s expectations.
Without delaying any further, Gu Su decisively assigned two Skeleton Warriors to carry the three boar carcasses back to the Graveyard Demon to be used for future Undead conversions and Resource reserves.
Watching the two Skeleton Warriors depart, Gu Su raised an eyebrow and quickly began to calculate in his mind.
’There are no more targets nearby. Instead of wasting time here, I might as well go check out those places I discovered earlier but never had the chance to investigate.’
Among them, the image of a large building, densely entwined with and ultimately collapsed under the weight of Fluorescent Vines, instantly surfaced in his mind.
’I was too busy clearing the Orc Camp and transforming the Undead Warriors to check it out before. Now that the army is formed and there are no targets nearby, it’s the perfect time to go investigate.’
’I’ve got nothing better to do right now, so I might as well go take a look.’