Chapter 148: Putting The Bones To Test

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After absorbing, or well, eating, a pile of bones from even Dark Spirits themselves, Vlad underwent a great growth of his own skeleton, as he gained more runes within it, and its flexibility, durability, strength, regeneration, weight, and more increased exponentially.

Ding!

[You have used the power of Gluttony to devour thousands of different Bones, which have been absorbed by your [Ancient Blood Demon Skeleton]!]

[Your Skeleton's Stats have greatly improved.]

[Your [Bone Durability] has increased by +1.000!]

[Your [Bone Flexibility] has increased by +600!]

[Your [Bone Strength] has increased by +600!]

[Your [Bone Regeneration Speed] has increased by +500!]

[Your [Bone Weight] has increased by +10Kg.!]

[Your [Blood Demon Runes] has increased by +10!]

He had never played a game with such a weird growth system; one where even bone could develop and gain stats. This quickly told Paul that this game wasn't something normal at all, and that perhaps there were millions of people working on it, or perhaps an incredible Supercomputer.

Above all, the trial he underwent, and its reward seemed to have been made for him, somehow. It was as if the trial itself, or the holders of the legacy of the Blood Demons, had created this specifically for him.

Maybe it also had to do with him fighting skeletons themselves… Coincidence or not, he might never know for sure.

However, the growth in Skeleton Stats wasn't the only thing he had obtained, as he felt the runes within his skeleton align and combine, becoming something greater.

A new power within his very bones.

Ding!

[Your Bone Stats have developed enough after absorbing the bones of many other beings; you have developed a new {Bone Ability}!]

[You learned the {Bone Ability}: [Bone Construction]: [You can manipulate your own Bones or the Bones you touch using Arcana and Blood Energy to transform their shape and form and combine them into several shapes and for many usages. The Durability and Effects of your own bones are based on your Skeleton's Stats, while other bones are based on their own basic durability. Separating your Bones from your body is now also possible, but you must regrow them again, or you might end up atrophied.]

Vlad's face showed some perplexity as he glanced at the new Ability he obtained. He thought that he would only make his bones stronger, but there was something more to it; he could learn Bone Abilities as his Skeleton grew stronger!

"A Bone Ability? Seriously? This is… not bad, actually! Interesting even, but it seems to come with some conditions. Though it doesn't specify I can raise them as skeleton soldiers, I could give it a try," thought Vlad with a smile.

"What's wrong with your face? Did you get something good?" Chris, who was nearby, noticed Vlad making quite a weird, smiling face.

"H-Huh? Did I look weird?" Paul became embarrassed. "A-Ah, well, I obtained a new Bone Ability."

"B-Bone Ability?" Chris wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, what? I thought you were growing your blood core and bloodline? What's this bone ability?"

"You can develop your bones, Vlad?" Asked Ermelinda. "I didn't know that! Actually, I've heard that Players that chose to be Skeletons have the special growth system where they develop their Bones and make them stronger…! Also, I think there's a core? Nether Core or something, or a Soul Heart? I don't remember."

"Hmm, yeah, Skeletons and Undead are pretty common Player choices around this Realm but we don't see them around cities like these because they would get kicked out or hunted," laughed Gofumina. "But there are other shadier cities out there. Have you heard of the Dark Moon Necropolis? It's a dangerous city underground where bandits and undead live together. We used to live there with the rest of my band. It wasn't a nice place."

"I had no idea such a place existed; I guess I should have researched more…" Vlad nodded. "Sounds like an interesting place though; if they sell goods that you can't find anywhere else, it might be worth going on a trip there one day. Do they?"

"Yeah, they sell all kinds of illegal goods," laughed Gofumina. "But you're also risking getting scammed, robbed, or kidnapped. A vampire princey like you would immediately get a lot of attention, bad attention."

"That doesn't particularly bother me much," Vlad shrugged. "I can always mask my identity wearing my full-body armor anyway. To them I will simply look like a weird knight that floats around using magic."

"Hah… I guess so," shrugged Gofumina. "So what with your bones?"

"Yeah, I want to see what they do!" Ermelinda nodded.

"I hope it's not a boner or something…" Chris squinted his eyes.

"I-It's not a joke…" Paul facepalmed. "Look."

He decided to show off his newly acquired ability, opening the palm of his right hand and showing the girls how a small, clear, red-colored bone started emerging from his flesh.

It hurt, though, as the bone tore through his muscles, cartilage, and skin, but the pain by itself was quite dulled in the game, so Paul could bear with it; the blood was quite exaggerated.

"Uwaaah?! W-What are you doing with your hand?!" Ermelinda was scared, however.

"I-Is this really intended?" Gofumina wondered.

"Wow… I didn't think it would be this graphic," Paul muttered. "Well, just wait a bit."

The red bone from his hand quickly grew longer and longer until it reached one meter, and then Paul broke it off his hand with his other hand, and then his hand slowly regenerated back to normal thanks to his Chimera Body Self-Regeneration Abilities.

"My new ability lets me expand and manipulate my own bones," he explained. "I have no idea how this will ever be useful, but… Look."

He showed them how he easily changed the shape of the bone spear in his hand, condensing all the bone into a white-colored sphere, clearing all the red color, which was blood.

"O-Ooohh!" Ermelinda was quite surprised, clapping her hands. "Wow, that's interesting! I had no idea that was even possible…"

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