Chapter 159 - 118: Black Arrow’s Transformation, Hidden Class

Chapter 159: Chapter 118: Black Arrow’s Transformation, Hidden Class

Shen Xing saw Qin Lang’s reminder and replied with an ’OK’ emoji in the group chat.

’This is the last day. At my previous pace, taking first place shouldn’t be a problem.’

’Of course, even if I don’t get it and someone surpasses me, that’s fine. I absolutely can’t take any risks. Playing it safe is the priority.’

Shen Xing silently reminded himself, then put on his glasses and logged into the game.

WHOOSH...

Orange firelight dispelled the darkness before him, as if he had instantly switched to another world.

As usual, Shen Xing opened the leaderboard to check his rank.

[First Place: Lachlan Dowton, Total Points: 14,582]

[Second Place: Dolores Jones, Total Points: 14,115]

[Third Place: Shen Xing, Total Points: 14,042]

[Fourth Place: Asada Hitomi, Total Points: 13,690]

[Fifth Place...]

...

’Looks like those two grinded all night again. They’ve pushed me down to third place.’

’But the gap isn’t that big, just about five hundred points. I should be able to catch up quickly.’

Shen Xing closed the leaderboard. He then prepared to summon Skeleton Archer Black Arrow to use today’s Sacrificial Evolution charge.

After all, some of the core combat units in his territory were almost maxed out. Dahou and Blood Roar, for instance, had already reached Boss ★, the limit for their current Tier.

Hellish Roar and Hei, both Tier Two creatures, had already reached Boss Three-Star, which was also their Tier’s limit.

The only ones left who hadn’t reached their limit were Black Arrow, Great Demon, and Two Demons.

However, when Shen Xing looked around the territory, he couldn’t find the skeleton anywhere.

"Black Arrow? Where’s Black Arrow?"

He shouted to the Skeleton Archers patrolling the city walls.

Just then, Hei, clad in grayish-black armor and riding a gray warhorse, trotted over.

"Lord, Black Arrow is injured. It’s currently healing in the hot spring," Hei said, his voice raspy from behind his faceplate.

"Injured?" Shen Xing was a little surprised.

"Yes." Hei nodded. "A new type of monster appeared last night. It looked like a Walking Dead, but it was much more powerful."

"It was incredibly fast and its body contained an intense cold aura. Just getting near it made you feel a chill and your whole body would stiffen up."

"That special Walking Dead was about to charge the farmland to attack the slaves, but Black Arrow rushed over and intercepted it."

"In the end, right as it was about to die, the monster self-destructed right next to Black Arrow."

After hearing the story, Shen Xing frowned slightly. "Take me to see Black Arrow."

"Yes, Lord."

Hei replied respectfully and turned to head toward the Outer City District.

They soon arrived at the hot spring area in the south.

Unlike its usual steamy atmosphere, Shen Xing felt waves of cold air even before he got close, as if a block of ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ice was inside, radiating an astonishing chill.

When he entered the hot spring building, he saw that the water, which was normally steaming, had actually formed a thin layer of ice.

And at the edge of the pool, a pale white skeleton was soaking.

Seeing Shen Xing approach, Black Arrow struggled to lift its head, the Soul Fire in its eye sockets flickering weakly twice.

It seemed to want to stand, propping its hands on the edge, but its bones were frozen, making it impossible to straighten up.

Moreover, the movement caused several cracks to instantly appear on its frozen skeleton, as if it would completely crumble in the next second.

"It’s that serious?" Shen Xing’s voice was grim.

"Yes," Hei replied. "That special Walking Dead’s self-destruction was very powerful. Black Arrow was already on the verge of collapse."

"I poured a large amount of the Power of Death into it just to barely keep its Soul Fire from dissipating."

"But even so, it won’t last much longer."

Shen Xing fell silent.

’I know the monsters in the Fog are treacherous. One moment of carelessness and you’re done for.’

’So many Lords were wiped out last night, so it’s inevitable that my own territory would suffer some casualties.’

But seeing Black Arrow in this state still made him feel uneasy.

After all, this little skeleton was a veteran of his territory.

’It’s a bit slow-witted, but it follows my orders without question and always executes them perfectly.’

Shen Xing rested his chin in his hand, wondering if there was any way to save it.

A moment later, a thought suddenly struck him, and his eyes lit up.

’Previously, Hellish Roar and Blood Roar were also injured in battle, but their wounds were completely healed after they underwent a Potential advancement.’

’So, could I use Sacrificial Evolution to try and pull Black Arrow back from the Ghost Gate?’

’But... their injuries only looked serious at the time; they weren’t fatal.’

’Right now, though, this little skeleton is on its last breath, about to kick the bucket. I don’t know if it will have any effect.’

’It’s a long shot, but I have to try.’

With that thought, Shen Xing opened his Talent Interface and selected Black Arrow as the target.

[Use ’Sacrificial Evolution’ to upgrade the territory’s Soldier Type ’Black Arrow’ to Boss ★?]

[This evolution requires the sacrifice of Agility x100.]

[Warning! The target is in a near-death state. This evolution has an extremely high probability of failure.]

...

Shen Xing’s brow furrowed when he saw the warning.

’As expected. The chances of saving a critically wounded, dying soldier this way are slim.’

’Still, even with an extremely high probability of failure, it’s not entirely hopeless.’

"Black Arrow, I’m about to perform a Potential evolution on you. The process will be quite dangerous."

Shen Xing looked at the small skeleton before him, his voice serious. "If it succeeds, not only will your injuries recover, but your strength will also reach a whole new level."

"But if it fails... that’s just your fate. Do you understand?"

Soaking in the water, Black Arrow heard its Lord’s words, and the Soul Fire in its eye sockets flickered weakly once more.

Then... as if it had made some kind of decision, it nodded with all its might.