Chapter 58: Chapter 58: New Skills

If Bonefist reached Qi Sense Stage, it wouldn’t just be stronger physically, it might be able to use qi in some way.

His fingers twitched slightly at the thought.

But then reality settled back in.

Aiden stared at the gold coins in his pouch.

One hundred and thirty-seven.

Not even one thousand.

He laughed softly, though there was no humor in it.

“I can’t even afford one-twentieth of it.”

Aiden didn’t dwell on the upgrade cost for too long. There was no point getting stuck on something he couldn’t afford yet. Instead, he shifted his focus and opened the Skill Section.

The screen flickered, and a list of new abilities appeared.

His eyes slowly scanned the options.

There were new skills.

And they weren’t bad at all.

One in particular caught his attention immediately, a skill that directly attacked the brain, capable of stunning the target. A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Now this is more like it…”

He began reading carefully.

New Necromancer Skills

[Soul Rattle

Active Skills– Releases a pulse of necrotic energy that directly strikes the target’s mind. Causes intense mental shock and has a chance to stun the enemy for a short duration. More effective against weaker-willed opponents. High mana cost.]

[Corpse Detonation

Active Skills– Detonates a corpse within range, causing a violent explosion of bone fragments and necrotic energy. Damage increases depending on the corpse’s original strength before death.]

[Grave Grasp

Active Skills– Summons skeletal hands from the ground to grab and restrain enemies. Duration and strength scale with the user’s level and mana.]

[Bone Armor

Active Skills- Encases the caster in hardened bone plates, increasing physical defense significantly. Slightly reduces movement speed while active.]

[Life Drain

Active Skills– Drains vitality from a living target and converts a portion of it into mana and minor healing. Less effective against stronger opponents.]

[Death Mark

Active Skills– Marks a target with necrotic energy. All undead summons deal increased damage to the marked target for a limited time.]

[Fear Pulse

Active Skills– Emits a wave of death aura that instills fear in nearby enemies. Weak-minded opponents may panic or hesitate in combat.]

Aiden slowly exhaled.

These were far better than the basic skills he started with.

His gaze returned to Soul Rattle.

A direct attack on the brain. A stun.

Against bandits? Against body tempering fighters?

That kind of skill could decide a fight instantly.

He could already imagine it, an enemy charging at him, confident, only to freeze mid-step as their mind was struck by necrotic force.

Then Bonefist would crush their skull.

Aiden stood there for a long time, staring at the list of skills.

Each one looked tempting.

Soul Rattle would give him a clean stun. Corpse Detonation would turn the battlefield into chaos. Grave Grasp could pin enemies down before they even reached him.

But there was a problem.

Each of the new advanced skills required two skill points.

He only had two.

Which meant he could only choose one.

He clicked on Soul Rattle first, reading the description again. A direct mental attack. A stun. Perfect for one-on-one fights.

But he slowly shook his head.

“One-on-one isn’t my situation anymore.”

He wasn’t some lone assassin picking off isolated targets in the city. From now on, he would be fighting groups, bandits who moved in packs, ambushed caravans, and surrounded their prey.

If he got cornered again like before, a single-target stun wouldn’t save him.

His eyes shifted to another skill.

Fear Pulse.

A wave of death aura that instills fear in nearby enemies. Weak-minded opponents may hesitate, panic, or even flee.

Aiden imagined it.

A group of bandits rushing toward him, confident in their numbers. Then a sudden surge of necrotic pressure spreading from his body like a cold wind from a graveyard. Their steps faltering. Their eyes widening. Formation breaking.

And in that moment of chaos.

His undead would strike.

He exhaled slowly.

“This is better.”

Control the crowd. Break their morale. Turn numbers into weakness.

Without hesitating further, he selected Fear Pulse.

The screen flickered.

A faint chill ran through his body, starting from his chest and spreading outward. It wasn’t painful, just cold. Like something inside him had deepened.

He clenched his fist slightly. For a brief moment, the air around him felt thin, oppressive.

Good.

He dismissed the screen.

The cave no longer felt like a refuge. It felt small. Temporary. A place for recovery, nothing more.

Aiden stepped toward the entrance. Sunlight spilled across the ground outside, bright and warm against the darker shadows of the cave. He paused at the threshold, letting his eyes adjust.

The forest stretched endlessly before him, thick trees, uneven terrain, the distant cry of birds somewhere high above.

Somewhere out there were bandit camps.

Men who robbed, killed, and hunted the weak.

Aiden’s lips curved faintly.

“Let the hunt began.”

He stepped out of the cave completely this time.

Aiden raised his hand and summoned three basic-grade undead.

With his current level, summoning three at once no longer strained him like before. Now, he could maintain three basic skeletons without his mana draining.

Three skeletal figures clawed their way out of the forest floor, dirt and dead leaves falling from their bones. Their eye sockets were empty, but faint traces of necrotic energy flickered within them.

Aiden observed them for a moment, measuring his condition.

No mana loss.

“Good.”

Through his connection with them, he could sense their positions vaguely. Not with sight, but like faint threads tied to his mind. If they encountered living humans, especially ones with stronger life force, he would feel the disturbance immediately.

They’ll signal him.

He spread them out.

One moved east, slipping between trees with stiff but quiet steps. Another headed deeper north where the forest looked thicker. The third circled west, toward slightly higher ground.

They weren’t scouts in the traditional sense, but they were useful. If they were destroyed, he would know. If they sensed a concentration of life, he would feel it.

Aiden didn’t stay still either.

He adjusted the cloth wrapped around his wounded side and began walking southward at a steady pace. Not too fast. He still wasn’t fully healed. Each step had to be careful.

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