Necromancer: Becoming a God Starting with Skeleton Clone

Chapter 38 Inlaying Gems, Pioneering the [Horned Demon Outpost]

"Successfully learned the skill 'Resurrection of the Dead'."

【Resurrection of the Dead】(Apprentice Level, Beginner): Consumes necromancy to heal undead creatures under your command. The healing effect and number of creatures healed depend on your spirit attribute and skill proficiency.

Fangzhou sighed inwardly, realizing that one should not underestimate the heroes of the world.

Without the help of an attribute panel, Su Xinyan was able to develop such a practical new skill solely through her talent and hard work. She must never slack off in the future.

However, Fangzhou smiled slightly.

This research report clearly demonstrates that Su Xinyan possesses genuine talent and is definitely a very reliable person to consult with.

I can take advantage of her more in the future.

Fangzhou then took out a small iron box containing a transparent gemstone that was entirely azure blue.

This is a Level 1 Sapphire that dropped in the Lesser Demon Camp on Abyss difficulty.

On the way back, Fangzhou had already looked up information about gems.

After entering the mythological era, humanity mined many different types of energy gems from Earth and the mythological world.

These gems, when inlaid into equipment, can provide a variety of bonus effects.

For example, the sapphire in Ark's possession can increase the maximum mental strength.

In addition, there are moonstones that can enhance spell effects, and wind crystals that can increase movement speed.

Emeralds, which can increase the speed of mental energy recovery, etc.

Due to the limitations of the world's rules, different types of gems can be socketed into different parts of the equipment.

By properly combining these gems, you can further enhance your strength.

Fangzhou weighed the gem in his hand.

This first-grade sapphire can be perfectly set in the apprentice mage's hat, further increasing his mental power limit.

Unfortunately, while anyone can set gemstones, there is a high chance of failure for laypeople who try it directly.

Only by mastering the [Inlay] skill can you guarantee a high success rate.

However, to learn the [Inlay] skill, you must also have a part-time job as a [Blacksmith].

As a junior apprentice, Fangzhou doesn't yet have the ability to take on part-time jobs, so naturally he can't learn this [Inlay] skill.

He shook his head slightly.

It seems I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if any instructors or senior students at the military academy work part-time as blacksmiths.

Just then, a notification appeared in the properties panel.

"A resource that can be enhanced has been detected. You can consume 10 points of soul power to enhance it."

"Shall we begin the enhancement?"

Fang Zhou was overjoyed. His soul power was indeed strong, and it could actually ignore the limitations of the [Inlay] skill!

In that case, upgrade my attribute panel!

He removed his apprentice mage hat and placed a first-grade sapphire on it.

With the consumption of 10 points of soul power, the mage's hat and the sapphire merged into one.

[Apprentice Mage Hat] (Gray, Inferior Quality, Level 1 Sapphire*1): An apprentice mage hat inlaid with a Level 1 sapphire, which can slightly increase the maximum mental power.

Fangzhou put the mage's hat back on and was delighted to feel that his mental power limit had increased significantly.

This is only the effect of one level 1 sapphire. If all 8 pieces of apprentice equipment can be socketed with the corresponding gems, one's strength will surely make another small breakthrough.

Unfortunately, F-level access does not qualify one to exchange for gems.

Fang Zhou sighed. He could only wait until he was selected as a military academy prospect and his privileges were upgraded before considering exchanging for gems.

......

The next morning, Fangzhou arrived at the training ground again, ready to challenge the apprentice-level simulated battlefield.

The training ground was just as bustling and crowded as it was yesterday.

The vast majority of first-year students were immersed in the fun of exploring new dungeons.

Upon seeing Fang Zhou enter, the students all showed expressions of envy.

Having broken through four levels in a single day and topped two leaderboards, Fangzhou must have already been designated as a "seed" candidate for the military academy.

Someone's eyes gleamed with longing: "The Ark expert is here again. Is he here to explore the [Horned Demon Outpost]?"

Some people said sarcastically, "How is that possible? [Horned Demon Outpost] is a team-based simulated battlefield where three people can team up. You can imagine how difficult it is. How could Ark possibly clear it alone!"

Someone immediately retorted, "Heh, the Ark boss isn't an ordinary person like you or me. What seems impossible to us might be something he can do with ease."

On the training ground, the trainees were buzzing with discussion. They were all curious whether Ark could clear the [Horned Demon Outpost] as smoothly as yesterday.

Fang Zhou ignored the gossip of others. He nodded and greeted a few familiar cadets, then found a simulation pod and logged into the simulated battlefield.

After re-uploading the projection, Ark updated the bonuses from the [Level 1 Sapphire] and the newly learned [Resurrection of the Dead] skill.

Yesterday, Su Xinyan had already told him that the [Horned Demon Outpost] was different from the single-player mode of the [Little Demon Camp]; it was a team instance designed for three-person teams.

Fangzhou wasn't really confident about whether he could complete the game solo; he was just trying his best.

Success is naturally better, but failure can also help identify shortcomings and find directions for future efforts.

Once everything was ready, Ark looked at the second teleportation portal that had appeared before it.

"【Horned Demon Outpost】Easy Difficulty (Apprentice Mid-Tier), Team Mode"

Fangzhou touched the portal with the projection and immediately received a notification.

"Corporal Ark, this simulated battlefield is a team mode and is quite difficult. We recommend participating in a team of three. Confirm entry?"

Currently, Fang Zhou is the only apprentice in the entire first year. Where can he find two teammates?

Fangzhou smiled, decisively paid 2 contribution points as an entry fee, and started the challenge directly.

Meanwhile, outside the simulated battlefield.

Both instructors and first-year students focused their attention on the big screen, intently watching the Ark's battle livestream.

Yesterday, Fang Zhou swept through the [Little Demon Camp] on four different difficulties in a row, becoming the only student to clear the Abyss difficulty level. Moreover, he topped the speedrun leaderboard for each difficulty level, far surpassing Ye Fan, Meng Hongzhuang, Gu Zhi Qiu, and others.

With battle footage as proof, everyone was convinced of Ark's strength.

However, the [Horned Demon Outpost] that Ark is challenging today is, after all, a three-player dungeon at the mid-level Apprentice level.

In the eyes of most people, although Fangzhou has made an incredible breakthrough to the intermediate level of apprentice in just one month, he still has a lot of potential to be explored in terms of both mental attributes and skill proficiency, and is far from reaching his limit.

He wanted to complete the [Horned Demon Outpost] solo, even on easy difficulty, but his chances weren't very high.

......

In the simulated battlefield, Ark slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a thick fog.

He didn't look around at his surroundings, but immediately and alertly conjured two skeletal shields to protect himself. Then, he waved his staff and began to cast [Summon Skeleton] repeatedly.

The Summon Skeleton skill has reached the [Perfect] level, allowing the user to summon several skeletons at once, and the casting speed has also been greatly improved.

Soon, the Ark summoned 20 robust skeletons.

This time, his projected strength was not suppressed, and the skeletons he summoned were all mid-level apprentices. The toughness of their bones was significantly improved compared to yesterday.

Surrounded by the skeletons, Ark finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to observe its surroundings.