Queen: "..."
Spectre: "..."
Salvator: "..."
Kyle: "..."
Su Yan: "..."
Staring at the collapsed Demon Spawn, the party members all had their jaws dropped on the ground in absolute shock.
While they were indeed shocked at the death of the monster however, what made them more aghast was the presence of the small, green arrow that pointed down on the young man's head.
The significance of that arrow was what shocked them senseless.
"That's a player!!!" Kyle yelped, his face horrified.
"It's actually a player?! Not an NPC?!" cried Su Yan.
Queen, Spectre, and Salvator's faces were also dumbfounded and they all stood in their spot as if paralyzed, trying to comprehend what in the world was happening.
"Ahahahahaha!" at that moment, a burst of loud laughter forced the five to regain their senses as their gazes were all focused at the chuckling figure standing before the dead demon.
As they looked at the young man, they all tried to see his face only to find it futile due to the presence of the blood that was smeared all over his face.
Kyle felt a chill in his back as he shivered when he heard the laughter.
His face, weapon, and armor dyed with blood, as that figure laughed after killing the Demon Spawn, it was as if he was the demon instead, not the dead monster.
"Why don't we get out of here? Lest this crazy guy finds trouble with us." Kyle recommended, his voice as quiet as a mosquito.
However, just as he had finished whispering his words, he suddenly saw that figure stop laughing and turn towards their direction.
'!!!!'
Kyle felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest when he saw the young man looking over.
At that moment, Queen and the others saw the pair of dazzling golden eyes sweep over them.
*****
'Oh? Players?' Sky thought as he stared at the five-man party tens of meters away.
"This is my first time meeting players," he muttered under his breath.
'Actually, this is my first time meeting other people after a long time.' sighing ruefully, he couldn't help but be saddened for being isolated from society.
The only time he had left his isolated training and to go back to civilization was when his master suddenly disappeared.
Other than that, before, he only ever had contact with ferocious animals of the wild, where he was forced to kill for food.
Wolves, crocodiles, snakes, bears, tigers, lions, it was countless in number.
After waiting, hoping for the old man to come back, which he found futile, he then decided to leave his secluded training and went back to civilization—towards New Era City and to the home address that the old man left on a piece of paper alongside a quite a few stalks of cash.
"Now that I think about it, did that old man steal that money?"
'That dirt poor old master. He has no money so where could he have run off to anyway...' he thought while remembering his master who always wore torn-up clothes, alongside his signature grin that seemed to be plastered on his face.
Of course, while he was sad about his lonely past, drifted away from the ever-growing world, he didn't regret it. After all, his current physical and combat attainments were due to his own reclusive training while growing up alongside his master.
Shaking his head, Sky left his thoughts and focused his attention on the players that stood from afar.
Taking the spoils that dropped from the Demon Spawn first, Sky thought for a moment before walking towards the group.
One step, two steps, three steps.
As he walked while staring at the five, a few status windows popped up in his vision.
____________________
[STATUS]
Name: Queen
Level: 13
Class: Warrior
---------
[STATUS]
Name: Su Yan
Level: 13
Class: Magician
---------
[STATUS]
Name: Kyle
Level: 11
Class: Knight
----------
[STATUS]
Name: Salvator
Level: 11
Class: Knight
----------
[STATUS]
Name: Spectre
Level: 12
Class: Assassin
____________________
"Pretty..." muttered Jaden in a daze as he stared at the woman leading the group.
Donned in armor, she held a spear nearly two meters long as she stood with her back straight. As her long black hair flew along with the wind, her breathtaking face presented itself before Sky.
Sky was totally attracted to her proud valiant temperament. She looked heroic wearing an armor despite her equipment being rudimentary.
After regaining hold of his senses, his eyes then swept the others in her group.
A beautiful magician.
A blond knight.
A brown-haired muscular knight with a shield.
And a masked assassin.
"Hmm, their levels are a bit low though..."
?!
The group heard Sky's words.
Immediately, glaring eyes focused on him, which was followed up by the appearance of his status window in their eyes.
In just a second, those glaring eyes that wished to pierce holes turned into shocked, dumbfounded ones.
____________________
[STATUS]
Name: Sky
Level: 40
Class: None
____________________
'Level 40?!!'
'And he doesn't even have class?!'
Unaware of their shock, Sky wiped the blood on his face, albeit not all of it, and displayed the most charming smile he could muster.
"Hello friends."
Since it was his first time meeting people, other than his master, in a while, the corners of his lips were somewhat stiff. Despite the amicable smile he displayed, the blood present all over him depicted a ferocious look instead.
However, it was a good thing that Sky's face wasn't one that you would see even on rare occasions.
Queen and Su Yan, the only women present, couldn't help but stare at that face with smudges of blood.
Seeing this scene, despite his rapid pounding chest, Kyle glared at Sky with displeasure.
On the other hand, Salvator, had a suspicious expression as he looked at the young man. 'Why does he look familiar..?'
Meanwhile,
"Your moves earlier," Spectre spoke as he played with the dagger in his hands. "While they were simple and easy, profound mastery lied beneath them."
"Oh?" Sky was surprised before a genuine smile appeared on his face. "You are a martial artist as well?"
Spectre's words were right.
"While your movement at the battle was simple and even looked easy to imitate, your usage of that 'simplicity' was without a single flaw." saying his words, Spectre's eyes narrowed. "I know of famous martial artists known all over the world, yet I believe that even those 'grandmasters', wouldn't be able to do what you just did."
Sky remained silent as he looked at the assassin with interest.
"That's even more so with the current level of our virtual body, which is inferior to our real ones. " Spectre said. "To control the flow of the battle against such a high-leveled monster like it was nothing, at this stage of the game, could be said to be impossible."
Su Yan and Kyle looked at the assassin in surprise.
'This martial arts madman is actually praising someone at such extent?' they both thought.
Even Queen and Salvator were taken aback.
They were all close friends in real life, so they all knew each other's identity.
For that guy, who was a figure feared in both the martial arts community and in the military, for him to say such things.
It only meant one thing.
'A terrifying person.'
As they all looked at the young man with a face that was out of this world, they couldn't help but feel a chill run through their spine.
Sky only laughed in response to Spectre's words.
*****
Meanwhile, at the Ancient Undead Plateau—
Two figures could be seen, current in the heat of battle.
Clack clack!
After taking the bones of his slain enemies and integrating them into his own body, Abaddon's height had increased a few inches and its bones had improved, seemingly sturdier than before.
Currently sitting atop a skeleton horse, Abaddon fought a Level 55 undead monster called [Bone Terror].
Different from the skeleton horse that appeared in front of Abaddon a while ago, the one mounted was smaller, and no flames were present on its bony hooves.
As Abaddon swung the [Rusted Claymore] in his hands, the [Bone Terror], an undead twice his size, swung the bone ax in its grasp.
Bang!
Neighh—
Abaddon was flung a few meters away like a ragdoll.
Clack!
Fragments of his [Rusted Chestpiece] were chipped off as a few of them started falling apart.
"Weak!" yelled the skeleton knight with a burning skull who was watching from afar.
The skeleton knight had his arms folded as he sat atop his skeleton horse, which was twice as big as the skeleton horse that Abaddon mounted.
Abaddon's jaws moved as he stood up and climbed his mount with difficulty.
"How do you expect to become stronger when you can't even kill such a trifling skeleton?!" the skeleton knight roared.
Clack!
Abaddon's skull shook as if denying that he was weak.
"Oh? You disagree?" the skeleton knight guffawed. "Then prove me wrong! Kill that Bone Terror!"
Clack clack clack!
Abaddon whipped the reins of his mount as they charged forward.
His sword flashed with blue light as it swung through the air.
The Bone Terror's red eyes flashed as its huge body that was covered in bone armor moved. The monster roared as it welcomed the sword with its ax.
Clang!
It was a deadlock.
But right then, Abaddon's skeleton horse rose up as its hooves descended onto the Bone Terror.
Thud!
Abaddon followed it up with another [Chop] as his sword started illuminating once more. Taking advantage of the situation, he stabbed his sword forward, intending to pierce through his enemy's bone armor.
Kruooooo!
The Bone Terror was forced back as the claymore pierced through the gaps of its bone armor.
However, this, in turn, enraged the monster as its bone ax suddenly flashed with a crimson light. Its red eyes that hid behind its bone helmet shone as the ax smashed towards Abaddon.
Abaddon was able to instinctively react thanks to Sky's training as he tried to parry the ax.
Clang!
Crack!
Upon collision, the Rusted Claymore cracked due to the overbearing strength behind the bone ax, which continued on towards Abaddon, smashing into his armor.
Seeing Abaddon's armor being shattered as the ax caved itself into his chest, the skeleton knight shook his head.
"It's been hours, and you've even won against multiple Skeleton Warriors at the same time, but how come you're not getting stronger."
Despite being undead, the skeleton knight's expression was so depictive it was as if he was a real human, and not just an AI.
However, despite how advanced his AI was, how could he have possibly known that Abaddon's master had already forgotten to check its own skeleton summon's level let alone allocate the free stat points.
Due to this, only Abaddon's sword mastery and combat senses improved, which allowed him to fight against undead that was higher level.
Of course, whether this was a good thing or not, that will be seen in the future.
Or would it be right now?
At that moment, Abaddon, who was kneeling on the ground and had difficulty standing up, was suddenly shrouded in darkness.
A black vortex appeared above it, which continuously ejected dark smoke that encased Abaddon.
The skeleton knight was taken aback.
"Wait... don't tell me..."
*****
At this moment, Sky, who was walking alongside Queen and her party, suddenly stopped as a surprising notification window appeared in his vision, completely taking his focus and attention.
[The skill Skeleton Summoning Level 1 has maxed out its skill proficiency!]
[Skeleton Summoning Level 1 has leveled up to Skeleton Summoning Level 2.]
[The skill Skeleton Summoning will be updated shortly, please wait a few moments.]
[Abaddon is undergoing evolution...]
[Evolution complete!]
[The stats of Abaddon have increased significantly!]
[Due to certain influences, Abaddon has obtained the class Skeleton Knight.]
[Due to certain influences, Abaddon's Beginner Sword Mastery has evolved to Intermediate Sword Mastery.]
[Due to certain influences, Abaddon has learned the passive skill 'Beginner Riding Mastery'.]
[The class bonus effect will increase Abaddon's strength, vitality, and intelligence by 10.]
[The class bonus effect will unlock the stats 'Charisma' and 'Fighting Spirit'.]
[Skeleton Summoning (Lv. 2) has been updated!]