Chapter 106: Upgrade to Level 2 and Skill Selection

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Upgrade to Level 2 and Skill Selection

Gu Su carefully reviewed every Attribute on the Graveyard Demon’s panel, confirming the changes from its upgrade and the conditions for the next one. Without a moment’s hesitation, he moved on.

He had something far more urgent and exciting to do: raise his own Level.

Before this, although Gu Su had successfully become a player, he was trapped at the initial Level because he hadn’t bound a Talent. No matter how many battles he fought or how much loot he won, he could never gain a Level.

Day after day, he had toiled away—mining, farming, and exploring new lands—living like one of the lowest-ranking Game Workers in the Game World.

But things were different now.

With the Graveyard Demon repaired and its quality raised to White, it had become Gu Su’s bound Talent.

The White Quality Graveyard Demon directly raised his Level Cap to Level 10, completely shattering his previous limitations.

At the same time, the vast amount of Experience Points he had accumulated from past battles could finally be put to use. All of it could now be used to raise his Level instead of sitting idle.

This was undoubtedly a joyous occasion for Gu Su. It meant he could finally shed the embarrassing identity of a Game Worker and truly establish himself as a proper player in this Game World.

"Level up!"

Without a shred of hesitation or a second thought, a look of resolve flashed in Gu Su’s eyes as he decisively made his choice.

In the next instant, a dazzling golden light burst forth from within Gu Su’s body without any warning. It was soft yet not blinding, enveloping his entire being. The warm light seeped through his pores into every corner of his body, bringing an unprecedented feeling of comfort.

At the same time, a system notification chimed in his ear.

[Congratulations, you have successfully leveled up. Your new Level is 2. Your Life and Magic Power have been fully restored, all negative statuses have been cleared, your Constitution has increased by 1, and you may select one of the following four Skills as a reward.]

As the voice faded, Gu Su felt visible changes in his body.

His back, once slightly hunched from long-term fatigue, now stood much straighter. The exhaustion vanished instantly, replaced by an endless stream of power. It was as if he had slept for days, completely replenishing all his energy, and his whole body was filled with drive.

He even subconsciously clenched his fists, clearly feeling the power surging through his arms, and a strong sense of confidence welled up inside him.

’Even if I jumped from the double-layered walls of the Graveyard Demon right now and landed hard on the ground, I wouldn’t get hurt at all.’

This tangible increase in power was the effect of the +1 to his Constitution.

Gu Su could clearly perceive that after this level-up, his Constitution had nearly doubled. Both his endurance and his resistance to damage had taken a qualitative leap.

But even so, his attention didn’t linger on his improved Constitution.

Compared to the physical changes, he was far more interested in the four Skills offered as a reward.

As an Undead Mage, back when he had first chosen his class and reached Level 1, he’d had no right to choose a skill. The system had simply defaulted him to the Soul Summoning Technique. This was the starting skill for all Undead Mages and his core method for Summoning the Undead and building his team in the early stages.

But things were different now.

This time, upon reaching Level 2, the system presented him with four Skills to choose from freely. It was no longer a default assignment. This meant he could select the skill best suited to his desired development path and lay the foundation for his future growth.

However, Gu Su knew very well that as a player, there was a clear distinction between Skills, Magic, and Combat Techniques; they absolutely could not be lumped together.

The three served different functions and had different uses. Among all of a player’s abilities, Skills undoubtedly had the highest priority, far surpassing Magic and Combat Techniques. This was a universally acknowledged rule in the Game World.

’Don’t you see? Every time the Soul Summoning Technique levels up, a new branching option appears. That’s the difference!’

The four reward Skills before him followed this same rule.

Each Skill could be upgraded, and each upgrade would unlock new branching effects. These four Skills actually corresponded to the four completely different growth paths for an Undead Mage. Choosing the right one was equivalent to meeting the prerequisites for learning certain Magic or other Skills.

[Bone Spike: Active Skill, upgradeable. Consumes 1 Mana to unleash a spike made of bone, dealing 15 damage to an enemy.]

[Subordinate Corpse Explosion: Active Skill, upgradeable. Consumes 1 Mana and 1 corpse to trigger an area-of-effect Corpse Explosion, dealing 10 damage to all enemies within the blast radius.]

[Poisonous Qi: Active Skill, upgradeable. Consumes 1 Mana to launch a cloud of poisonous gas that can poison its target.]

[Weakness Curse: Active Skill, upgradeable. Consumes 1 Mana to cast Weakness Curse on an enemy, reducing their Attack by 30%.]

With just a single glance, Gu Su understood that his Luck was neither good nor bad.

These four Skills corresponded to the Undead Mage’s four main paths: the Bone Series, the Corpse Series, the Poison Series, and the Curse Series. Each path had distinctly different characteristics and development potential.

The Bone Series focused on physical Attack and Defense. Its initial Skills were basic Ranged Attack methods like Bone Spike and Bone Tooth. As the Skills leveled up, it would later unlock defensive and Control Skills like Bone Prison, Bone Shield, and Bone Wall.

In the later stages, it could even unlock powerful Ranged Attack methods like Bone Spear. The overall effect was simple and direct, balanced in both offense and defense, and suitable for head-on combat.

The Corpse Explosion path, on the other hand, specialized in large-scale area-of-effect attacks. Starting with the current Subordinate Corpse Explosion, it would gradually unlock more advanced Skills like Ordinary Corpse Explosion and Powerful Corpse Explosion. Its core advantage was the ability to detonate any available corpse.

As long as there were corpses on the battlefield, you could continuously trigger area explosions. The new corpses created by the explosions could then be used as material for more Corpse Explosions, creating a repeating cycle.

Moreover, Corpse Explosion not only dealt physical damage but also came with a shockwave and fire damage, with the potential to add other Attributes later. It was extremely practical and an excellent choice for clearing out mobs and controlling the battlefield.

The Poisonous Qi path followed a damage-over-time route. The current Poisonous Qi skill was just the beginning. Gu Su had a direct understanding of this area.

The Corpse Witches under his command were all masters of poison. He imagined that as this path developed, it would unlock large-area, continuous poison damage Skills like Poison Gas Bomb, Poisonous Fog, and Cloud of Death. These could subtly wear down an enemy’s Life, making them suitable for wars of attrition and clearing large areas.

As for the Weakness Curse path, it was a support and Control-focused route. Initially, it only reduced a single enemy’s Attack by 30%. Later, it would gradually unlock a wider variety of Curse Skills. Whether it was lowering Defense, slowing speed, or causing continuous life drain, even the Bone Dragon’s core ability, the Aging Curse, was an extension of this path. It was ideal for coordinating with teammates and weakening enemy forces.

Gazing down at the four skill options on his panel, Gu Su felt no indecision. He made his choice in an instant.

’I’ll prioritize Subordinate Corpse Explosion. In my view, a large-scale attack is what I need most next. After all, my Talent is the Graveyard Demon, so I’ll definitely be facing city-scale battles in the future.’

’In those situations, a wide-area attack is the most suitable option.’

’I have Corpse Witches for the poison aspect. I just need to master the large-scale clearing ability of Corpse Explosion.’

’This will also greatly reduce the pressure on my subordinates and allow me to seize the initiative on the battlefield.’

’So...’

"I choose Subordinate Corpse Explosion!"