Chapter Seven: The Skeleton King atop Skeleton Mountain
Under the blazing sun, the wild mountains stretched endlessly, and a group of skeletons wielding longswords and carrying small shields ambled leisurely through the hills.
To put it plainly, Oxhorn Village really was nestled close to these mountains, and its population was pitifully sparse.
This cluster of skeletons was, of course, Young Master Li Ren himself. Ever since he absorbed so many attributes and gained so much experience, he no longer felt pain in his back, his feet wouldn’t fall off, and he had strength for mountain climbing. He could scale five peaks in one breath without even panting. Then again, with nothing but a skeleton body, he didn’t even have breath—so the notion of panting was moot.
But it wasn’t entirely surprising that so few players came to Oxhorn Village. One glance at the suffocating, oppressive landscape surrounding it made things clear. Aside from the monsters forcibly spawned in the areas near the starter village, every bit of the terrain was bleak and treacherous. To the north lay the Voodoo Marsh, a vicious place where the toxins in the air alone could suffocate any player under level fifty. Not to mention the ancient Mud Monster Matriarch dwelling there, a level three hundred beast whose abilities were anyone’s guess. With such a menace guarding the marsh, who would dare venture in and throw their life away?
The other three sides offered little respite: a patch of plain, a modest forest, and Li Ren’s destination—the Illusion Mountains. Within these mountains, monsters and magical beasts abounded. Even the outermost region—Li Ren’s own Skull Mountain—was guarded by level one hundred fifty Skeleton Kings. Who could hope to enter such a place?
It was, simply put, a death sentence!
New players in Oxhorn Village were like fallen angels, doomed to grind through every monster in the starter zone before embarking on a long trek to distant towns in search of gentler experience zones. Only a single narrow path led out. If you thought about teleporting, you’d better pay up—the nearest teleport point cost ten gold coins. Ten gold! For a level ten player, scraping together even a single silver coin was an accomplishment. Ten gold was a thousand silver coins!
Almost every new player born in Oxhorn Village began their journey by cursing the heavens for five minutes, then sprinting off to level up, only to get beaten by skeletons. There was nothing novel about it. Now, with those tormenting skeletons gone, Oxhorn Village had lost even that memorable distinction, becoming all the more low-key.
“I don’t know why, but when I hit level twenty, the advancement button’s still greyed out, insisting I have to go to Skull Mountain to proceed. Wasn’t it supposed to be free advancement? What nonsense is this!” As Li Ren trudged along, he clenched a blade of wild grass between his teeth, which he’d plucked from the roadside. He chewed on it, swallowed it, and it dropped through his empty bones to the ground. Then he’d pick another, repeating the process. If someone tried to track him by these clues, it would be perfectly fitting.
The mountain path grew rougher as he walked, and Li Ren glanced ahead, recognizing that his destination was close. He picked up his pace slightly.
The moment his foot stepped into the bounds of Skull Mountain, a system prompt sounded in his ear: “Please proceed to the deepest level of the Skull Cave to meet the Skeleton King and complete your advancement quest.”
Hearing that advancement was available, Li Ren was delighted. As for meeting the Skeleton King, he wasn’t concerned; it was just an NPC, surely some meaningless dialogue before he could advance. What could possibly hinder him?
He made his way through wandering skeletons—all with names highlighted in green, meaning they were completely non-hostile and friendly. From the lowest level ten skeleton grunts at the base to the level twenty skeleton soldiers on the slopes, then skeleton mages, archers, squad leaders, and a dizzying array of other titles—all appeared. The highest level among them was the level one hundred thirty skeleton guards.
Li Ren scratched his head in surprise. How could the system design such a vast level range in one area? Was it expecting a player strong enough to kill the Skeleton King to start with level ten grunts and slaughter their way up? What purpose did those low-level mobs serve? It made no sense.
Still, since the system had designed it this way, he wasn’t about to worry. He couldn’t attack these skeletons anyway, so fretting about it was pointless.
He eyed the level one hundred thirty skeleton guards, their weapons gleaming with golden light, every bone clad in tight armor. The very sight of their sharp blades sent chills down his spine—they were clearly top-tier weapons, and the guards wielded them in abundance. Li Ren longed to snatch one for himself, but with such a level gap, he’d be dead in a heartbeat if he dared.
Descending into the Skull Cave, he followed the map, navigating the complex terrain for nearly an hour.
The Skeleton King resided in the lowest level of the cave—a grand, ancient hall. Two rows of skeleton guards stood at the entrance. When Li Ren arrived, they paid him no mind, allowing him to stride forward unhindered.
Judging by the size of the hall, the Skeleton King would need to be wary of being mobbed by a hundred players at once in the future.
“If he’s so afraid of dying, why design a place that can be besieged? Couldn’t he have made it smaller? What an idiot!” Li Ren grumbled inwardly.
But he wouldn’t dare say such things to the Skeleton King’s face.
He entered the hall, its sixteen massive pillars holding up the entire chamber, each carved with countless ferocious skulls, lifelike and vivid. The Skeleton King sat upon a colossal throne directly opposite the entrance.
Li Ren strolled over at a measured pace, even taking time to admire the stone columns as he approached the throne. He stopped as he drew near, expecting some plot trigger. The Skeleton King should speak, perhaps grant him some item or ability, and then he’d advance. But after waiting a while, something felt off.
The Skeleton King remained seated, its green ghostfire eyes flickering in hollow sockets, and the atmosphere was unnaturally quiet—so quiet it bordered on eerie.
Li Ren shivered unexpectedly. He realized the Skeleton King seemed to be staring at him, studying him intently, and the sensation was unsettling beyond words.
He bowed his head deeply, not knowing why, but doing so felt as if he’d laid down a great burden.
Sure enough, after a short wait, the Skeleton King spoke, and its first words nearly scared Li Ren half to death: “You don’t seem to be a true member of our skeleton tribe.”
Li Ren’s heart skipped a beat. “What?! Since when did NPCs get so clever? It can tell my identity? And the way it speaks doesn’t sound like an NPC at all! What the hell is wrong with this system?”
Thinking back on his recent experiences, he forced himself to accept it, though the reality was hard to swallow. It was just a game—was all this really necessary?
Li Ren didn’t reply; he had no idea how to answer.
“Well, even if you’re not, you’re one of us now. How does it feel being made of bones? Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
Li Ren felt dizzy. Such a conversational style was truly unique—there was no right way to respond!
“Looks like you’re here to advance. Advancing will benefit you greatly, so I ought to make things a bit tricky for you, just to keep things interesting.”
The Skeleton King, perched on its throne, propped its dry chin in one hand, as if pondering something.
“How about this: Go outside and max out all your beginner skills, then come back and I’ll let you advance. Know that I’m doing this for your own good, dear~”
Li Ren’s scalp tingled. Watching the Skeleton King’s bony face, hearing it speak in such a tone—the contrast was striking. From the moment he entered, he hadn’t said a word before being ushered out.
He glanced at the line of weapon skills on his attribute panel, feeling rather dampened…
All things considered, though, this was decent treatment. The Skeleton King had arranged a training ground for him, complete with targets—the skeleton guards flanking the throne.
The level one hundred thirty monsters stood motionless, allowing Li Ren to use all sorts of magic and weapons, striking them again and again. Most attacks resulted in misses, and his proficiency didn’t increase. But if luck was on his side—or as he liked to say, if he was inspired—he’d land a hit, and a -1 would float above the guard’s head, causing his skill proficiency to jump up dramatically.
Meanwhile, upon the throne, the Skeleton King watched a crystal ball displaying Li Ren’s actions. Whenever a -1 appeared above a guard’s head after a while, the Skeleton King nodded with slight satisfaction, lost in thought.