The bones of a single Skeleton Soldier had given Lucas a total of 1.3 attribute points in growth.
This included 0.1 points in Spirit.
Spirit might be the most important attribute for the skeleton race, at least in the early stages.
The skeleton race was either formed from the fallen members of other races (usually mid-to-high-tier skeletons) or born from the bones of the dead, nurtured and cultivated by the pervasive aura of death over time (low-tier skeletons).
Setting aside the mid-to-high-tier skeletons, the low-tier skeletons, like Lucas, mostly had a pitiful 0.1 Spirit attribute.
A Spirit attribute of 0.1 meant they had no memory, no consciousness, and no awareness to actively hunt other skeletons to level up. Their leveling was primarily due to the constant nourishment and cultivation from the ubiquitous aura of death in the Land of Buried Bones!
Such skeletons naturally couldn't provide Lucas with Spirit attributes.
If Lucas was an anomaly among the skeleton race, then the Skeleton Soldier he had killed was a genius among skeletons.
Perhaps its initial Spirit attribute was higher, or maybe the random 0.5 attribute points from leveling up had landed on Spirit, giving the Skeleton Soldier a sense of self and the concept of leveling up, allowing it to grow gradually.
This was also why,
While other skeletons acted purely on instinct, the Skeleton Soldier actively hunted and, upon spotting Lucas, immediately charged at him.
Of course.
This wasn't the main point.
The main point was... from this Skeleton Soldier, Lucas had obtained the class advancement information for a class template!
[Template]: Skeleton Soldier
[Tier]: Basic Class Template
[Bonuses]: Health +50, Strength *1, Agility *1, Constitution *1
[Ability]: Bone Armament
"Bone Armament: As a basic combat unit of the skeleton race, every Skeleton Soldier has the ability to transform bones into weapons."
Just as Lucas had guessed.
Within the skeleton race, having a class template versus not having one were two entirely different concepts.
The 50 Health bonus directly doubled Lucas's health!
And this was despite his Constitution attribute far surpassing that of ordinary skeletons. For other skeletons, this 50 HP bonus would mean their health increased several times over!
The attribute bonuses were the same.
For each level gained, Strength, Agility, and Constitution each increased by 1, totaling 3 attribute points per level. This was six times the pitiful 0.5 attribute growth of ordinary skeletons!
Not to mention, the Bone Armament ability that came with the class template.
This alone was enough to drastically increase a Skeleton Soldier's combat power!
If it weren't for the final decisive strike that shattered the soul fire—the absolute weak point of the skeleton race—Lucas would have stood no chance against a Skeleton Soldier.
"Skeleton."
"Skeleton Soldier."
With the appearance of the class template, Lucas's mind was flooded with information related to this class advancement.
As a basic class of the skeleton race, the conditions for advancing to a Skeleton Soldier were simple:
1. Reach level 10.
2. Have two of the three attributes—Strength, Agility, and Constitution—reach 2 points.
Once these two conditions were met, the skeleton would automatically advance to a Skeleton Soldier. (System advancement)
If only one condition was met, the skeleton would need to obtain the Skeleton Soldier's advancement information to advance. And the simplest way to obtain this information... was to kill a Skeleton Soldier! (Self-advancement)
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Of the two advancement methods, the first was manageable, but attempting the second method to advance early was no small feat.
Either, like Lucas, one had to possess strength far beyond that of ordinary skeletons, or one had to be lucky enough to encounter a crippled or nearly dead Skeleton Soldier.
Regardless of the method, once the advancement was completed, it marked a leap in tier. From the weakest monster in the game world—a skeleton—to a slightly less weak monster—a Skeleton Soldier.
...
...
"You have obtained the class advancement information for the 'Basic Class Template - Skeleton Soldier.'"
"Advancement conditions met."
"Do you wish to advance to 'Skeleton Soldier'?"
Just as Lucas finished reviewing the information about the Skeleton Soldier class template, the system's prompt sounded in his mind.
Suppressing his excitement, Lucas chose to advance.
In the next moment.
A warm current materialized out of nowhere and flowed into his body.
Immediately after.
His skeletal body began to undergo drastic changes!
It might have been a second, or it might have been much longer.
By the time Lucas regained awareness, his advancement was complete.
Compared to before the advancement, Lucas's skeletal body had undergone significant changes.
His height had increased from just over 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters, and the bones that made up his body had thickened considerably. Despite still being fleshless and slender, his frame now exuded a sense of sturdiness.
At this moment.
His attribute panel had changed to:
[Name]: Lucas
[Race]: Undead - Skeleton
[Template]: Basic Class Template - Skeleton Soldier
[Level]: Level 5 (117/500)
[Status]: Health 96, Mana 16
[Attributes]: Strength 3.7, Agility 4.3, Constitution 4.6, Spirit 1.6
[Talent]: Erosion (Unique Talent)
[Skills]: None
Aside from still lacking skills, Lucas's attribute panel was now quite complete.
As for skills...
Bone Armament was an ability, not a skill.
Just as humans are born with the ability to breathe, and fish are born to live in water, Bone Armament was an innate ability of the Skeleton Soldier, more akin to a talent than a skill, so it wouldn't be displayed on the attribute panel.
As for its function...
With a thought.
Lucas felt streams of bone essence flowing within his body. In just a few breaths, a large blade appeared in his hand.
The blade was nearly two meters long.
Aside from the half-meter-long hilt in Lucas's hand, the rest was the blade itself.
Over a meter long, the blade was entirely pale white, formed from the hardest bone in Lucas's body. Despite being made of bone, the blade's edge and tip exuded a sharp, menacing aura!
The weapons formed by Bone Armament weren't fixed in style but were shaped by the Skeleton Soldier's habits and will.
From the moment of its creation, the weapon formed by Bone Armament would become the Skeleton Soldier's exclusive weapon.
And the peculiar large blade in Lucas's hand...
If any players were present, they would immediately recognize it. This oddly shaped large blade, which clashed with the art style of 'The Second World', was unmistakably a replica of a legendary weapon from the history of ancient China—the Mòdāo!
Bone Mòdāo!