The skeleton of a skeletal soldier gave John Shepherd a total growth of 1.3 attribute points, including 0.1 points in his mental attribute.

Mental attributes might be the most important aspect of the Skeleton race, especially in the early stages. Skeletons are either fallen from other races (usually mid-to-high-level skeletons) or born from bones slowly nurtured by the aura of death (low-level skeletons).

For now, let’s set aside the mid-to-high-level skeletons. Low-level skeletons, like John Shepherd, generally only have a pathetic 0.1 mental attribute. This low mental attribute means they have no memory, no consciousness, and no awareness to hunt down other skeletons and level up. Their progression mainly comes from the constant nourishment of death energy in the Graveyard of Bones.

Skeletons like these are naturally incapable of providing John with any boost to his mental attribute. If John is considered an anomaly among the Skeleton race, then the skeletal soldier he killed would be considered a genius among them.

Perhaps because its initial mental attribute was higher, or perhaps when leveling up, its 0.5 attribute points randomly landed in mental attributes, allowing the skeletal soldier to develop a sense of self and the concept of upgrading.

Because of this, while other skeletons were driven purely by instinct, this skeletal soldier actively hunted and immediately attacked John Shepherd when it spotted him.

But that’s not the main point.

The main point is that from this skeletal soldier, John gained information on a class advancement!

[Template]: Skeletal Soldier
[Rank]: Basic Class Template
[Bonus]: +50 Health, Strength1, Agility1, Constitution*1
[Ability]: Bone Armament

“Bone Armament: As basic combat units of the Skeleton race, each skeletal soldier has the ability to transform bones into weapons.”

As John suspected, having a class template and not having one makes a world of difference among skeletons.

The +50 health boost alone doubled John’s health! This is largely due to his constitution being far higher than the average skeleton. For a regular skeleton, this health boost would mean a threefold or fourfold increase in their total health!

The attribute bonus is equally impressive. Each level-up grants +1 to strength, agility, and constitution, giving a total of 3 attribute points per level. This is six times the growth rate of an ordinary skeleton, which only receives 0.5 attribute points!

And we haven’t even mentioned the Bone Armament ability that comes with the skeletal soldier template. This single ability is enough to greatly enhance the combat prowess of skeletal soldiers!

If it hadn’t been for John’s final critical strike, which shattered the soul fire—a known weakness of the Skeleton race—there was no way he could have won against the skeletal soldier.

“Skeletal.”

“Skeletal Soldier.”

As the class template appeared, information about the class advancement also surfaced in John Shepherd’s mind.

As a basic class in the Skeleton race, the requirements to become a skeletal soldier are simple: 1. Reach level 10; 2. Have 2 points in any two of the following attributes: strength, agility, or constitution.

If both conditions are met, the class advancement happens automatically (System class advancement). If only one condition is met, the skeletal soldier class advancement information must be obtained to change classes manually. The easiest way to get this information is by killing a skeletal soldier (Manual class advancement).

Two ways to change classes: the first is achievable, but the second method of advancing early is extremely difficult. You either need strength far beyond that of a skeleton, like John Shepherd, or incredibly good luck to encounter a weakened or dying skeletal soldier.

Whichever way you choose, once you complete the class advancement, you will transcend the rank of the weakest monster in the game—Skeleton—and become a not-so-weak monster—Skeletal Soldier.

…

“You have obtained the class advancement information for the ‘Basic Class Template - Skeletal Soldier.’”

“Class advancement requirements met.”

“Do you want to advance your class to ‘Skeletal Soldier’?”

Suppressing the excitement within him, John chose to advance his class.

In the next moment, a surge of heat was born from nothing and flowed into his body. Then his skeletal form began to undergo drastic changes!

Perhaps it took a second, or maybe a long while.

When John finally regained consciousness, his class advancement was complete.

Compared to before the change, John Shepherd’s skeletal body had undergone a massive transformation. His height increased from just over 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet, and his bones became noticeably sturdier. Although his body was still composed of thin, bloodless bones, they now gave off a solid, robust feeling.

At this point, his Status Panel displayed the following:

[Name]: John Shepherd
[Race]: Undead - Skeleton
[Template]: Basic Class Template - Skeletal Soldier
[Level]: 5 (117/500)
[Status]: Health 96, Mana 16
[Attributes]: Strength 3.7, Agility 4.3, Constitution 4.6, Mental 1.6
[Talent]: Corruption (Unique Talent)
[Skills]: None

Although John still didn’t have any skills, his Status Panel was now much more complete.

As for skills...

Bone Armament is an ability, not a skill. Like how humans naturally breathe and fish live in water, Bone Armament is an innate ability of skeletal soldiers, more akin to a talent than a skill, so it doesn’t appear in the Status Panel.

Regarding its function…

With just a thought, John immediately felt streams of bone essence flowing through his body. In just a few breaths, a large blade appeared in his hand.

The blade was nearly 2 meters long. John’s hand gripped a half-meter-long handle, while the rest was the blade itself. Kind of looks like a longer katana. The meter-long blade was entirely bone white, condensed from the hardest parts of John’s skeletal structure. Despite being made of bone, the edge and tip of the blade gleamed with a sharp glint!

The weapon formed by Bone Armament is not fixed in shape but changes according to the habits and will of the skeletal soldier. From the moment it is created, the weapon becomes the exclusive weapon of that skeletal soldier.

As for the strange, oversized blade in John’s hand…

If any player from Second World saw it, they would surely recognize it. The odd-shaped blade didn’t match the art style of the game’s world at all—it was the infamous weapon from the ancient Orient, the devastating Reaper Blade!

The Bone Reaper!