Chapter 1: Summoning the Special Skeleton

Yunhua University, located in the university town of Leijiang City, is a second-tier institution in the national ranking.

In one of the male dormitories at Yunhua University, Yue Zhong was tidying up his clothes in front of a mirror, ensuring his appearance was presentable.

As he adjusted his outfit, Yue Zhong quietly wondered, "I wonder what kind of trouble that little rascal has in store for me this time?"

It was Sunday, and in this dorm room furnished with six iron bunk beds, Yue Zhong was alone. His roommates had already left to enjoy their weekend. Yue Zhong himself was preparing to go out for his tutoring job to earn his living expenses.

"Mortal ants, I am a god! I despise watching you weak humans live in peace and tranquility. From this moment on, I will cast you into the hellish divine demon system. Struggle! Struggle with all your might, grow stronger, and use your efforts to amuse me. Only by constantly growing stronger will you survive. Otherwise, perish! Now, the countdown begins! 5…"

A strange voice suddenly echoed in Yue Zhong's mind. As the voice spoke, Yue Zhong's vision blurred as if time had frozen. Everything around him seemed to slow down, and his thoughts seemed to halt, leaving only that voice in his head.

"4."

"…"

"1. The game officially begins, ants. Struggle to survive."

With the end of the voice, Yue Zhong snapped out of that bizarre state.

"What's going on?" Yue Zhong was filled with terror. He stared at a one-meter-long wooden stick in his hand—this stick that had appeared out of nowhere proved that what he had just experienced wasn't his imagination.

"Beginner's Wooden Stick, beginner's equipment. Level 1 beginner's weapon. Attack power: 0–5. Durability: 100/100. Use this weapon wisely to survive."

"Yue Zhong: Male."

"Level: 1."

"Occupation: None."

"Title: None."

"Strength: 9 (10)"

"Agility: 10 (10)"

"Vitality: 9 (10)"

"Stamina: 8/8 (10)"

"Spirit: 12 (10)"

"Endurance: 10 (10)"

As Yue Zhong focused his thoughts, a strange stream of information instantly entered his mind.

Holding the one-meter-long wooden stick, an ominous feeling washed over Yue Zhong. He dashed to the dorm room door and locked it.

Then, he quickly opened his roommate's cabinet and took out a telescope.

Since the dormitory across from Yue Zhong's was the female dorm, many rooms in his building were equipped with telescopes.

With the beginner's stick in hand, Yue Zhong walked to the window and looked out.

It was around two or three in the afternoon. Most students were either out on dates or sleeping in their dorms, so there were very few people walking on the paths.

"Help!!"

A piercing scream echoed from outside. Yue Zhong turned toward the sound and saw a scene that sent chills down his spine.

A girl in a white T-shirt was surrounded by eight other girls who were frantically biting her. Blood stained the white T-shirt as the girl struggled and screamed, but she couldn't break free from the circle.

"What's happening?" Yue Zhong was horrified. He immediately raised the telescope to get a closer look.

Through the lens, Yue Zhong clearly saw what was happening.

The eight girls biting the white T-shirt girl had blank, lifeless eyes. They were like wild animals, tearing chunks of flesh from the girl and swallowing them.

The gruesome sight made Yue Zhong nauseous and filled him with fear.

Suppressing his fear, Yue Zhong continued to observe.

After the eight girls had bitten the white T-shirt girl into a bloody, mangled mess, they finally stopped and dispersed, wandering aimlessly. They moved slowly, slower than an average person, but their group behavior made it nearly impossible to escape once surrounded.

"Is this a zombie apocalypse?" Yue Zhong thought, chilled by the sight of these slow-moving, blank-eyed, blood-covered girls who resembled the zombies from Resident Evil.

Soon, Yue Zhong's speculation was confirmed. The white T-shirt girl, now unrecognizable and lifeless, slowly got up from the ground. Her eyes were blank as she staggered aimlessly down the path.

"This is bad. They're zombies." Yue Zhong's heart sank. If the entire campus was filled with these things, surviving would be extremely difficult.

Suddenly, loud banging came from the door.

"Danger! Zombies!" Yue Zhong's heart raced. He quickly pushed a wooden computer desk in front of the door to block it.

With a crack, the thin wooden door gave way, and two claws pierced through.

"Such strength!" Yue Zhong was terrified and leapt back.

The dorm doors at Yunhua University were thin, but it was nearly impossible for an ordinary person to pierce them bare-handed. The zombies' strength far exceeded Yue Zhong's expectations.

The claws that had pierced the door flailed wildly, accompanied by the sound of banging on the door.

Yue Zhong's eyes flickered. Gritting his teeth to overcome his fear, he rushed to the door and swung the beginner's stick with all his might at the zombie's claws.

It took Yue Zhong over a dozen hard strikes to sever the zombie's claws, and its arms went limp.

As the zombie's arms fell, there was a loud crash. The thin wooden door was smashed open by a head. A short-haired student zombie with a gaping wound in its head and blank eyes thrust its head inside, snarling and struggling toward Yue Zhong.

"Xu Zheng!" Yue Zhong instantly recognized the zombie as his classmate and star soccer player who lived in the next dorm. They weren't close, but just twenty minutes ago, they had been chatting. Now, Xu Zheng was a zombie.

"I'm sorry, but I have to survive." Looking at the struggling zombie, Yue Zhong's eyes flashed with complex emotions. With gritted teeth, he raised the beginner's stick and swung it with all his might at the zombie's head.

Yue Zhong's strike twisted and mangled Xu Zheng's head.

Almost immediately, a small black book and a black coin burst from Xu Zheng's body and fell near the corpse. A faint white glow, invisible to the human eye, also flew from Xu Zheng's body and merged into Yue Zhong.

Quick to react, Yue Zhong dashed forward, picked up the black book and coin, then stepped back.

"Level 3 Skill Book: Summon Special Skeleton. Skill Description: Consumes 10 points of spiritual energy to summon a special skeleton from the world of the dead to fight for you. The special skeleton's initial level is 1, with six base attributes of 10, 10, 10, 10/10, 10, 180/180. Skill cooldown: 10 days. Do you wish to learn this skill?"

As Yue Zhong picked up the black book, a strange stream of information entered his mind. He immediately made a choice: "Learn now."

"Before reaching level 30, you can only learn three active skills in total. Are you sure you want to learn the Summon Special Skeleton skill?"

"Yes!" Yue Zhong answered without hesitation. Right now, survival was his only concern. Anything that could increase his strength was a priority.

The zombies were incredibly strong, capable of breaking through even wooden doors. Hiding in the dorm wasn't safe. Yue Zhong needed power to survive. He could worry about the future later.

As Yue Zhong made his decision, the Level 3 Skill Book: Summon Special Skeleton vanished, transforming into a black light that entered his forehead.

Yue Zhong felt a bronze-colored skull rune appear in his mind. As he focused on it, a prompt sounded in his head: "Do you wish to summon a special skeleton? This will consume 10 points of your spiritual energy."

"Yes!" With a thought, Yue Zhong activated the Summon Special Skeleton skill.

In the next moment, a series of mysterious incantations spilled from Yue Zhong's lips. A massive portal appeared in the air, emanating an overwhelming aura of death. Just brushing against that aura sent a chill through Yue Zhong.

At the same time, Yue Zhong felt a slight headache as his spiritual energy was drained by a mysterious force, leaving him dizzy.

From the portal emerged a humanoid skeleton, its body completely bone with black mist filling the spaces between. Its eyes glowed with two soul fires.

The moment the strange skeleton stepped out of the world of the dead, Yue Zhong felt a mental connection with it.

"Special Skeleton Level 1.

Strength: 10 (10)

Agility: 10 (10)

Muscle Activity: 10 (10)

Stamina: 10/10 (10)

Spirit: 10 (10)

Endurance: 5 (10)

Skill: Bone Utilization Technique."

The special skeleton glanced at Yue Zhong, then walked over to the zombie Yue Zhong had killed and plunged its skeletal claws into the corpse.