Chapter 8: Experimentation 2
[Healing] [White Skill: Holy Category]
When using the skill, the user is covered in a holy layer of golden light that heals all physical damage.
I looked at the brightest skill before me with eyes devoid of excitement. It was the "Healing" skill, and its primary function was clear from its name... healing. Simply put, I had now become a "mobile hospital."
I chuckled lightly at this thought, then began thinking of a way to test the skill's effectiveness. I only had one option: inflict some minor wounds on myself.
I moved slowly towards some glass fragments scattered on the ground, remnants of one of the destroyed house windows. I picked up a relatively large, sharp piece of glass and gently waved it towards one of my fingers... but nothing happened. No injury, not even a simple scratch.
I guessed the reason was the recent increase in my physical strength; perhaps my new body was no longer affected by such surface force. So, I decided to use more force in the next strike.
A scratch!
The shard finally managed to pierce my skin. Blood began seeping slowly from the tip of my finger, like an old man sneaking out of his house with feeble steps.
And suddenly, what I had been waiting for happened...
The injured area began to glow with a faint golden light. The light swirled gently around the wound, enveloping it in a soft spiral of holy energy. Over time, this light began to condense, then headed directly towards the wound, as if embracing it and dissolving into it.
From my angle, I saw a golden flash wrap around my finger, then suddenly disappear. Followed by an amazing sight: the wound began to slowly heal, as if time was rewinding to restore my finger to its original state.
The feeling of healing was strange... as if a group of ants were walking on my finger. A sensation that made my body shudder involuntarily, but I ignored it, as if it were just an annoying itch.
...
After finishing this pleasant skill experiment, I moved directly to the next skill, which radiated a mysterious black light. It was like a small black hole, from which only utter darkness could be seen, as if you were looking into the abyss itself.
And as indicated near its name and before its category, it was classified as a [Black Skill: Death Category], and this alone was enough to give it an aura of mystery and horror.
[Summon Skeleton]
When activating the skill, the user summons a skeleton from the underworld.
Current Skeleton Level: 1.
I looked at the words before me, reading them over and over with increasing excitement. The idea of fighting alongside an assistant I could trust, without fear of betrayal or a stab in the back... was truly thrilling.
I raised my hand forward, then shouted loudly:
[Summon Skeleton]!
Rumble! Clatter!
The ground around me began to shake violently, as if a great event was about to be born in this place. I looked around trying to understand what was happening... but nothing was clear.
I planted my feet in place, anticipating the result with concentration, looking in every direction cautiously, ready for any surprise.
And suddenly, I noticed a small fissure forming under my feet. It wasn't there a moment ago, but I was sure it was the cause of these successive vibrations.
I got a bit confused. Is this what's known in novels as a dungeon break? Where monsters seep from the depths of the earth like locusts, destroying everything? But aren't these collapses supposed to happen from the gates around me? Why is this happening from underground?
I swallowed my saliva slowly, sweat beginning to drip from my forehead. A strange feeling began to seep into me... a mix of tension, fear, and confusion. A very bothersome feeling.
I gritted my teeth hard, suppressing this perplexing feeling. The features of my face changed from tension to confidence, and I braced myself for what was coming. I moved away a bit from the fissure and began observing it with the eyes of a hunter awaiting his prey.
Then the fissure moved again.
Clatter! Crack!
The ground shook again, accompanied by a strange cracking sound. It was similar to the sound I heard before... the sound that preceded the appearance of the giant eye in the sky. I knew this sound originated specifically from this fissure, but I could do nothing but wait.
Boom! Expansion!
Boom! Expansion!
Muffled explosion sounds began to seep from all directions. I looked around quickly but didn't see anything tangible that could be their source. It seemed as if the sound existed, but the physical cause behind it was invisible.
I refocused on the fissure before me and noticed it was beginning to expand rapidly.
From a small fissure not exceeding a centimeter, it turned into an opening five meters long and over two meters wide. It was no longer just a fissure... it could now be called a "hole" in every sense of the word.
I cautiously advanced until I reached the edge of this hole, then looked down.
And the scene I saw was nightmarish in every sense...
It wasn't just a black void as I expected, but a completely different world: cracked earth, intersected by rivers of red lava, and thick black smoke rising from the fissures as if the earth itself was breathing anger. There were scattered bones, and huge skeletons partially buried in the dust, as if this place had witnessed a forgotten war thousands of years ago.
And suddenly, the ground shook again. But this time, the tremor wasn't general... its center was the hole itself.
I let out a long sigh, trying to calm my racing heartbeat, then took a step back. But before I could move more, a column of darkness rose from the depths of the hole, as if something was being forcibly pulled from the underworld towards the surface.
Then I saw it...
A pale bony hand emerged first, gripping the edge of the hole with force, followed by a long arm covered in black cracks, then the complete skeleton appeared, climbing slowly... as if time meant nothing to it.
It was slightly taller than a normal human, surrounded by a faint black aura resembling smoke rising from glowing embers. Its eyes, or what remained of them, were two dark sockets, but inside them a weak red light flickered and faded with every breath, as if it had a soul... or remnants of one. In its hand, it held a cracked bone sword, suggesting it had survived many battles.
It stood before me in silence, unmoving. It made no sound and performed no hostile movement. It just looked at me, or rather, directed its skull towards me, awaiting orders.
I took a step towards it, then said hesitantly:
"Do... you hear me?"
It didn't answer.
But suddenly, a transparent window appeared before me, as if the "Third Eye" was responding on its behalf:
[Skeleton - Ordinary]
Obedience: 100%
Skills: [Bone Punch] – [Bone Cleave]
Summon Duration: Unlimited (Permanent follower until death or dismissal)
I looked at the window which classified it as an "ordinary skeleton," and perhaps... what I initially thought was correct. This skeleton would evolve into a stronger version as my level increased, or maybe I would later get new types of skeletons. Who knows what fate holds... we will wait and see.
I directed my gaze to the list of skills it possessed and pressed on them, and the detailed description appeared:
[Bone Punch]
The skeleton advances and throws a punch with its old bony arm, causing 150% damage.
[Bone Cleave]
The skeleton attacks with its old, dilapidated sword, causing 200% damage and reducing enemy defense by 20%.
I read the description before me and didn't find anything truly exciting, just some numbers that increase attack or reduce defense. But it's enough as a start.
I kept thinking as I reread these descriptions, trying to imagine the best way to utilize them... and I completely forgot the fact that I had obtained this skill just minutes ago.
I laughed at myself for this. Here I am, obtaining skills out of nowhere, and I started planning strategies for their use as if I were an experienced general.
And while I was immersed in my thoughts and rosy dreams...
What I had been eagerly awaiting finally happened...