After Zaid tried his hand a few more times against several evolved beasts and zombies, he managed to succeed ten times with the same skeleton. Through those attempts, he learned that the same skeleton had to be the one to kill all 100 enemies. Whenever he tried using a different skeleton for the job, the count would reset.
He also had to be careful not to let the other skeletons interfere in any way. If another skeleton landed a hit or helped kill the enemy, the requirement wouldn't count.
Taking another look at the requirements, he saw:
[Kill Unranked enemies using 1 Skeleton Summon without interfering. 10/100.]
[Kill First Order enemies using Skeleton Summons without taking part yourself. 0/3.]
[Kill Unranked enemies from a distance using only the Skeleton Summon skill. 0/50.]
Zaid stared at the notifications for a few seconds before sighing.
'Ten down, ninety to go. And I still have two other requirements to worry about. Looks like becoming a Necromancer isn't going to be as easy as I thought.'
He dismissed the notifications and turned toward the clinic.
'I should go back. They've probably finished by now.'
As Zaid walked back toward the clinic, he couldn't help but think about the skeleton he'd been using.
At first, he'd assumed that commanding an undead army would be as simple as pointing at an enemy and telling them to attack. Now, he was beginning to realize that there was much more to it.
If he wanted his skeletons to become truly effective, he would have to learn exactly how they interpreted his commands.
'Maybe I should start experimenting with different orders once we get back. If I can figure out how much freedom I can give them without making them stupidly reckless, they'll become much more useful.'
By the time he reached the clinic, he found everyone already standing outside and waiting for him.
"What's up, guys? Did I keep you waiting long?" Zaid asked.
"No. We just finished gathering all the supplies," Chen He replied.
"Great. So, what now?" Zaid asked.
"I think we should head to the cafeteria and get some food before we head back to the gym," Wei Jun said thoughtfully.
"Hmm, not a bad idea. I second that," Liang Peng agreed.
The others nodded in agreement, and soon they started moving.
Thankfully, it didn't take them long to reach the cafeteria since Zaid had mostly cleared the path in that direction earlier.
During the roughly ten-minute walk, Shangguan Bing Xue and Chen He took turns picking off any enemies that were too far away for the members who specialized in close combat to reach.
Whenever a zombie or mutated beast wandered too close, Wei Jun, Liang Peng, Bai Zemin, or one of the other close-range fighters would quickly deal with it.
The journey was surprisingly quiet.
Eventually, the large cafeteria building came into view.
"Looks like we're here," Wei Jun said.
The group slowed down as they approached the entrance.
Zaid glanced through the glass doors.
From the outside, the cafeteria looked completely abandoned.
Walking in, the veteran evolvers took the front while the four newer additions followed behind them. The ordinary survivors came next, with Zaid's skeleton soldiers bringing up the rear.
The first thing they noticed was the state of the dining hall.
Rows of tables and chairs were scattered throughout the large room, many of them overturned. Empty trays littered the floor, and several of the lights above flickered weakly.
Zaid looked around.
'Well... this place definitely hasn't been untouched.'
Shangguan Bing Xue immediately began giving orders to the survivors, explaining which supplies they should prioritize and how they should divide the work.
"Food and bottled water first. Anything that can be stored for a long period should be brought back immediately. Don't waste time carrying things we don't need."
The survivors quickly got to work.
Zaid, meanwhile, walked over to one of the tables that hadn't been overturned and sat down.
He rested his scythe against his shoulder and watched the others work.
For once, he wasn't particularly interested in doing anything himself.
He'd spent enough time experimenting with his skeletons for one day.
'Besides, knowing when to rest is a good habit.'
--------------------------------- Girls' Dormitory --------------------------------
A group of five girls was hiding inside a small closet meant for cleaning supplies.
They were huddled closely together, their faces pale with fear as they desperately tried to keep themselves quiet.
Outside the closet, the slow shuffling of a zombie could be heard.
But what followed that sound was something none of them associated with the mindless undead.
A loud, high-pitched cackle echoed through the hallway.
"KAH KAH KAH HAH HAH KAH KAH HAH!"
The girls immediately froze.
Whenever the strange laughter rang out, they instinctively moved closer together.
None of them dared to speak.
None of them dared to breathe too loudly.
They could only pray that whatever was outside would lose interest and move on.
-------------------------------------- Library ------------------------------------
On the second floor of the university library, a man sat comfortably in a large leather chair.
Several men lay scattered across the floor around him, groaning as they nursed various injuries.
The man in the chair, however, appeared completely relaxed.
A frightened woman sat on his lap, tears streaming down her face as he casually groped her behind.
A dark smile sat on his face.
-------------------------------------------------- Cafeteria ----------------------
After some time, the survivors had finished gathering everything of value they could carry.
Food, bottled water, medicine, and other useful supplies were packed and distributed among them.
Shangguan Bing Xue checked the supplies one last time before nodding.
"That should be enough. Let's head back."
The group began making their way toward the gym.
The path back was relatively peaceful, with only a few scattered zombies appearing along the way.
Whenever one appeared, the nearest fighter quickly dealt with it before they continued moving.
Zaid walked near the middle of the group, occasionally glancing toward the skeletons behind them.
His mind was already focused on his next experiment.
'Ten out of a hundred...'
He smiled slightly.
'I've got plenty of time to figure this out.'
However, none of them noticed that they were not the only group moving through the university.
Somewhere behind them, a pair of eyes watched from a distant window.
And in another part of the campus, that strange laughter echoed through the empty halls once again.