Zhao Lun lay motionless under a thick layer of white bones, already still for over ten minutes. Though he was a little bored, he had no choice. He had to wait patiently for the right minion to add to his collection.
Honestly, Zhao Lun wasn't quite accustomed to the changes in the Bone Wastes. Just a few hours ago, it had been a desolate, black wasteland, unworthy of its name. But after retreating into his cave for a few hours, he returned to find that everything had completely transformed.
There was no sign of the barren land anymore. Instead, as far as he could see, the area was covered with a layer of thick white bones, of various shapes and sizes. Zhao Lun scrutinized the surroundings and realized that, in just a matter of hours, the entire Bone Wastes had been covered with this eerie bone layer. It was then that he truly understood—he was in a real Bone Wastes.
What shocked Zhao Lun even more was the sudden appearance of the skeletons. Just hours ago, he had struggled to find any skeletons, but now, as soon as he stepped out of the cave, he saw large groups of them. Skeletons clashed in groups, some two or three together, engaged in fierce battles. The scene was so chaotic and lively that Zhao Lun almost thought he was hallucinating.
Could it be related to the undead he had encountered earlier?
Zhao Lun almost instinctively connected the appearance of these skeletons to the undead he had met just a while ago. However, there were no answers to his questions from the undead, and he didn't particularly need them at this moment.
The fact that he had transmigrated into a skeletal mage was already a bizarre occurrence. Since he had accepted that, what was there to resist in terms of changing environments? Moreover, this didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.
Of course, it wasn't all good. The sudden change in environment meant that the area he had previously scouted was no longer relevant. It seemed he would have to start his exploration from scratch. However, the growing number of skeletons provided him an opportunity—he could catch a few minions to enhance his power.
Zhao Lun quickly discovered that the number of skeletons around him was overwhelming. There were so many that he couldn't possibly scout the area properly. As a result, he decided to lower his expectations and focus on capturing a few minions to improve his strength.
Speaking of capturing minions, although Zhao Lun had never actually attempted it before, he had been thinking about it for days. He believed that he shouldn't just grab any skeleton randomly—he had to be strategic about it. Otherwise, he would waste one of his limited minion slots. After all, he had never used the "minion" ability before, and who knew whether the minions could even be replaced once captured.
This meant that choosing the right minions was crucial.
Zhao Lun had encountered only a few types of skeletons: skeletal mages, giant axe-wielding skeletons, and skeletal archers.
For the time being, Zhao Lun had decided to focus on these three types. First, he ruled out the skeletal mage, which he referred to as a "spellbook" skeleton. He wasn't about to waste his time cultivating a type of minion that was weak in the early stages and could drop spells upon death.
Next, the giant axe-wielding skeletons were also off the table for now. While Zhao Lun was confident that he could defeat one, he didn't think he could make one submit to his control for the necessary 10-second chant time required to bind it as a minion.
That left only the skeletal archers. Although Zhao Lun knew that there were other types of skeletons, he felt that the skeletal archer would be the most suitable choice for his first minion.
First of all, skeletal archers were undoubtedly among the top in terms of power at their level. Even better, most of their power was concentrated in their bow. With a quick strike to disarm them, they would be entirely at his mercy.
So, Zhao Lun buried himself deep under the thick layer of bones, quietly waiting for his prey.
In truth, lying on the ground wasn't exactly pleasant. While he could no longer feel the hard bones pressing against him, the lingering remnants of human instinct made him uneasy. He couldn't help but wonder where these bones had come from. Were they taken from the bodies of the dead? Some of them didn't even resemble human bones.
He forced himself to focus on his newly learned, albeit imperfect, "Stun" spell.
Speaking of the "Stun" spell, perhaps the previous encounter with the undead had motivated him. After returning to his cave, Zhao Lun dove into studying the spell. Thanks to the skeletons' lack of need for food or rest, Zhao Lun spent over ten hours completing the magic circle for the "Stun" spell, finally mastering this level-0 spell.
To ensure a surprise attack at any time and to distract himself from the uncomfortable thoughts of the bones around him, Zhao Lun began preparing the "Stun" spell as soon as he buried himself under the bones. He wanted to make sure he could strike quickly when the time came.
However, Zhao Lun's luck seemed to be running low. He had been lying on the ground for over an hour, yet he hadn't seen a single skeletal archer. He had chosen a relatively secluded area to ensure safety for capturing the skeletal archer, but in that hour, at least a dozen other types of skeletons passed by.
There were giant axe-wielding skeletons, long spear-wielding skeletons, large sword-wielding skeletons, and even a skeletal mage. When Zhao Lun saw the skeletal mage, his eyes gleamed with excitement, and he almost jumped out. But for the sake of his minion plans, he restrained himself.
Even though he had waited patiently for over an hour, still no skeletal archers appeared. Zhao Lun couldn't help but grow frustrated. Several times, he almost got up and moved to a different location. But just when he was about to give up, his eyes suddenly lit up brighter than when he had seen the skeletal mage earlier.
His target was coming!
Peering through the gaps in the bones, Zhao Lun saw a skeletal archer strolling leisurely toward him. It was the first time he found the skeletal form so terrifyingly cute, and his mood instantly lifted.
"Come here, come on, just a little more…"
Zhao Lun muttered to himself, focusing all his attention. He ensured that his "Stun" spell was ready for use at any moment. His excitement and anticipation grew as the distance between him and the skeletal archer shrank.
Fifteen meters, twelve meters, ten meters, five meters.
"It's almost time!" Zhao Lun thought, eagerly watching the skeletal archer step into his trap.
"Whoosh!"
But just as the skeletal archer was three meters away, it suddenly stopped, raised its bow, and shot an arrow with lightning speed...