Crunch.

Crunch.

The dim, eternally dark Graveyard of Bones.

A lone skeleton walked across the bone-strewn ground.

Its color was a pale gray.

Though it was entirely devoid of flesh, consisting only of slender bones, anyone who looked at it would get the impression of sturdiness. This skeleton stood out from the others scattered across the land.

This was John Shepherd.

In just a few hours, John had hunted and killed over a hundred skeletons in this area.

These skeletons not only provided him with thousands of experience points, but they also significantly enhanced his attributes.

At this moment, John’s status panel displayed the following:

[Name]: John Shepherd
[Race]: Undead - Skeleton
[Level]: 4 (32/400)
[Status]: Health 38, Mana 15
[Attributes]: Strength 3.5, Agility 4.0, Constitution 3.7, Spirit 1.5
[Talent]: Corruption (Unique Talent)
[Skills]: None

……

In just a few hours, John had gone from level 1 to level 4. His attributes, aside from his Spirit, had doubled or tripled, a remarkable achievement!

However.

John still felt somewhat unsatisfied.

At first, he had been able to absorb 0.2 attribute points from each skeleton. But over time, the amount he absorbed had decreased to 0.1.

Now, he needed to kill several skeletons just to gain 0.1 attribute points.

The benefits of his Corruption talent were diminishing.

This was easy to understand, though.

The outer layer of the Graveyard of Bones was populated by the weakest skeletons in the undead race, a group already at the bottom tier of the Second World monster hierarchy.

Weak Skeletons ranged from level 1 to level 3.

Ordinary Skeletons ranged from level 4 to level 6.

Strong Skeletons ranged from level 7 to level 9.

Even the so-called “Strong Skeletons” had pathetic attributes.

Take John, for example.

From level 1 to 4, his attributes had increased three times.

At level 2, his Constitution had increased by 0.5; at level 3, his Strength had increased by 0.5; at level 4, his Constitution had increased by 0.5...

In other words, with each level, a skeleton's attributes only increased by 0.5 points, and the increases were random.

Even if a skeleton reached level 9, the total increase in attributes would only amount to 4 points, compared to when it was level 1.

Spread across Strength, Agility, and Constitution, that would result in an average increase of about 1.3 points per attribute.

This meant that a level 9 Strong Skeleton would have an average Strength, Agility, and Constitution of around 2.0—far lower than John’s current attributes.

John’s Corruption talent worked by absorbing the essence from the bones of the skeletons he killed, enhancing his own skeleton.

When John was weak, every skeleton around him was either equal in strength or even stronger. Their bones were sturdier and more robust than his. Thus, absorbing their essence significantly boosted his power.

This was reflected in the increased attribute points on his status panel.

But as John leveled up and his attributes grew stronger, his bones became sturdier and more robust than the bones of the weaker skeletons around him. As a result, the essence he absorbed was no longer enough to boost his strength quickly.

This was reflected in the diminishing attribute gains on his status panel.

So.

The problem wasn’t that the Corruption talent was weak, but rather that the skeletons’ essence could no longer meet John’s increasing needs.

Based on his calculations, the skeletons’ attributes would need to be at least half of his own for their essence to make a meaningful impact on his growth.

Without a doubt.

Only level 8 or 9 skeletons could meet this criterion.

But here, on the outskirts of the Graveyard of Bones, even level 7 skeletons were rare, let alone level 8 or 9.

Without higher-level skeletons, he would be forced to continue hunting ordinary and weak skeletons, which would severely slow down his attribute growth.

He would need to hunt several ordinary skeletons or even dozens of weak skeletons just to gain 0.1 attribute points.

“It’s time to head deeper into the Graveyard of Bones.”

Glancing at his status panel once more, John gripped a femur he had taken from a level 7 Strong Skeleton and lightly strode toward the deeper regions of the graveyard.

……

The Graveyard was vast.

Even with John’s speed, it took him half a day to move from the outskirts to the inner layer.

Along the way, he killed a number of skeletons.

Though they didn’t provide much in terms of attribute points, they did help raise his level from 4 to 5, and his Constitution increased from 3.7 to 4.2, making it his highest attribute.

From the outskirts to the deeper regions of the Graveyard of Bones, the further he ventured, the denser the deathly aura became.

Likewise.

The denser the deathly aura, the stronger the undead it nurtured.

On the outskirts, level 1 to 3 skeletons were the norm, level 4 to 6 skeletons were rare, and level 7 to 9 skeletons were almost nonexistent.

But in the inner layer, level 7 to 9 skeletons were the norm!

With attributes that far exceeded those of a level 9 skeleton, John didn’t hesitate as he reached the boundary between the outer and inner layers. He immediately ventured deeper into the graveyard.

However.

John had only just stepped into the inner layer when he stopped in his tracks.

Because.

A special skeleton appeared in his line of sight!

“Level 9. Skeleton Soldier!”