Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 480 - 348: Devouring Crystal Grains, Soul Power Soars! (Part 2)

Of course, this was all on the premise that no other perceptive Mutated Undead creatures would discover the place. As the rocks collapsed, Fang Zhou took a few steps back to observe the changes around the crevice and confirm that it was properly buried. Afterward, he turned to look at the corpses of the Mutated Stiffened Spiders that his skeleton minions had collected, a bloodthirsty smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

This time, his harvest wasn’t just the purple crystal grains but also the corpses of dozens of Mutated Undead creatures. These Mutated Stiffened Spiders had guarded the fissure, allowing them to mutate and grow quickly. However, their traits had focused entirely on developing their exoskeleton armor, leaving their bodies brimming with corpse energy.

Even a mosquito is meat, Fang Zhou thought, refusing to pass up any opportunity to strengthen himself. He cracked open and tore apart the bodies of the Mutated Stiffened Spiders one by one, as if they were giant crabs. While savoring these corpses, he channeled his Corpse Armor skill, devouring each of them.

After consuming dozens of Mutated Stiffened Spiders of various sizes, Fang Zhou received another significant boost to his Four-dimensional Attributes, and his height grew to 3.1 meters. He now appeared even more massive and menacing. With a sharp crack, Fang Zhou clenched his Bone Fist and looked up at the Blood Moon in the sky.

The night was still young; the hunt had only just begun.

But first, Fang Zhou could learn two new Black Iron-level universal Combat Professional skills. From a list that included Vortex Strike, Vengeful Stance, and Trample, he chose Vortex Strike and Trample as his next learning targets without a moment’s hesitation.

The reasons were obvious. He had continuously encountered swarms of Mutated Undead creatures like Mutated Zombie Wolves and Mutated Stiffened Spiders. Relying on strategic tactics and the help of Olaf, Tidamia, Verus, and dozens of his skeleton minions, he had successfully defeated these creatures and benefited greatly. Through these intense and thrilling battles, however, Fang Zhou realized he was severely lacking in group attack methods.

This was especially true during the battle with the Mutated Stiffened Spiders. Although he could take down a spider in a single blow—relying on the sharpness of his Corpse Long Spear and the devastating power of Brutal Strike—his overall killing efficiency was still too slow. This had resulted in the loss of more than twenty skeleton minions in a short period of combat.

Fang Zhou didn’t know what kind of enemies he would encounter next. With the support of skills like Battle Qi Slash, Battle Qi Shield, and Brutal Strike, his skeleton Clone’s melee, ranged, and defensive capabilities were already very powerful. What it lacked most were area-of-effect and group attack skills. As one of the few premium group attack skills among the Black Iron-level universal Combat Professional skills, Vortex Strike would naturally be of great use.

As for Trample, it was a small-range control skill capable of inflicting a stun or slow effect on enemies on the ground or in the low air around him. It would have certainly played a crucial role in the chaotic battles he had faced.

After confirming his choices, Fang Zhou immersed his mind back into his main body, which was in the Concentration Meditation Room. He deftly opened his personal terminal and inserted the specially crafted Skill Key. As soon as the key connected, all the relevant knowledge and insights about Vortex Strike and Trample began to flow into his mind.

The transmission process ended quickly. Without any hesitation, Fang Zhou tapped the skill projection to begin learning Vortex Strike and Trample. As he did, several prompts popped up on his attribute panel.

"Detected that a Clone can learn from Skill Materials. Consume 200 Soul Power for rapid entry to Beginner level."

"Commence learning?"

"Detected that a Clone can increase Skill Proficiency from materials. Estimated consumption of 200 Soul Power for perfect absorption."

"Commence absorption?"

Facing these options, Fang Zhou unhesitatingly chose to consume 400 Soul Power to enter a state of a Burst of Inspiration. With the infusion of Soul Power, he felt a warm current surge through his body as the knowledge of Vortex Strike and Trample became crystal clear in his mind. Every detail of the movements and the timing for their execution became incredibly vivid.

Fang Zhou closed his eyes and began to mentally simulate using these two skills. Guided by his mind, he felt the rotational power of Vortex Strike as it was unleashed and the earth-shattering impact of Trample’s landing.

A few minutes later, Fang Zhou opened his eyes. He had already grasped the essence of Vortex Strike and Trample; now he just needed to familiarize himself with them in actual combat. With a thought as swift as the wind, he focused on the skills bar on his attribute panel, his gaze landing on Vortex Strike and Trample.

[Vortex Strike] (Black Iron Level, Skilled): Gathers Battle Qi throughout the body, condensing it onto the weapon. Spin the weapon rapidly like a top, inflicting continuous damage to surrounding enemies. Movement is possible while using Vortex Strike. Skill effect, attack range, duration, and other parameters depend on Skill Proficiency, Battle Qi strength, and Power attributes.

[Trample] (Black Iron Level, Skilled): Gathers Battle Qi throughout the body, condensing it into the feet. Create a powerful shockwave by stomping fiercely on the ground, causing one-time damage to nearby enemies on the ground and in low altitudes. This inflicts a slow status and has a chance to cause a stun, rendering them immobile for a short period. Skill effect, control probability, attack range, etc., depend on Skill Proficiency, Battle Qi strength, and physique attributes.

The simple and clear skill descriptions immediately gave Fang Zhou insight into how to use Vortex Strike and Trample. Just as Instructor Lu Hu had recommended, both were exceptional Black Iron-level universal Combat Professional skills, completely on par with Heroic Charge, Block and Counterattack, and even Brutal Strike.

Understanding this, Fang Zhou impatiently re-immersed his consciousness into the skeleton Clone within the Corpse Hills. He wanted to test the practical combat effectiveness of these two newly learned skills with his Clone.

「Atop the Corpse Hills.」

With the help of his dozens of skeleton minions, Fang Zhou quickly located several wandering Skeleton Warriors and zombies. However, looking at these feeble Undead creatures, he shook his gruesome head in disappointment. Although these zombies and Skeleton Warriors were at the Middle Rank of Black Iron, their attacks were like a mere scratch to his skeleton Clone. Its Corpse Body had evolved several times, multiplying its racial Combat Power Coefficient, so they were unable to inflict any effective damage.

Still, as Fang Zhou stood upon the Corpse Hills and scanned his surroundings, he found no other suitable opponents for a real combat test in the area. He couldn’t find a worthy adversary like the previous swarm of Mutated Stiffened Spiders, so he reluctantly selected a zombie with the strongest aura to be his glorious sparring partner. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Zombies, as a type of Undead creature, are slow and have low intelligence, but their direct combat ability far exceeds that of ordinary Skeleton Warriors. Nevertheless, in Fang Zhou’s presence, it was still as weak as a newborn. Of course, while this zombie was far from powerful, it was sufficient for testing the newly mastered Vortex Strike and Trample skills.

Holding the Corpse Long Spear, Fang Zhou slowly approached the zombie. Seeing him draw near, the zombie emitted a low growl and stumbled forward to meet him.

Fang Zhou raised his long spear, preparing to test the Vortex Strike skill. He channeled his Battle Qi, condensing it onto his long spear before spinning his body rapidly. A powerful force spread from the tip of the spear, forming a swirling vortex of destructive energy. Fang Zhou revolved quickly around the zombie, each rotation accompanied by a fierce gust of wind.

Caught in the Vortex Strike, the zombie couldn’t get close to Fang Zhou. With each contact, its body was sliced by the long spear, sending flesh and gore flying. After he unleashed the Vortex Strike, the zombie’s body was cut to shreds.

Fang Zhou continued to practice, gradually mastering the rhythm and force of the skill, allowing him to precisely control each rotation within the optimal attack range.