CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 163: MUTATED SKELETON WARLORD? FRENZIED SWEEP!

Nodding with satisfaction, Fang Zhou found a Simulation Pod, updated his projection, and entered the Abyss Difficulty instance of the Horn Demon Outpost.

A dense fog, one he hadn’t seen for some time, rose once again.

The earth trembled and dust filled the air.

[Summon Skeleton] activated!

Fang Zhou expertly summoned 60 Skeletons, arranging them in a neat formation around him.

Then, he selected a Servant with the most vigorous Soul Fire. A mysterious purple light floated in his eyes.

The stillness in the air seemed to awaken as the Power of Death gathered on this fortunate Skeleton Servant, the one chosen to become the vessel for a Heroic Spirit.

CRACK.

CRACK.

Amid the sound of cracking bones as the skeleton grew, Olaf—wielding double axes and exuding a frenzied aura—successfully descended upon the battlefield.

Unyielding flames of war burned in its eye sockets as it silently took its place as Fang Zhou’s guardian.

Fang Zhou then drank a Spiritual Recovery Potion and activated the [Calm and Relaxed] skill, restoring his Spiritual Power to eighty percent.

With all preparations complete, he lightly waved his Magic Staff, commanding the Skeleton Army—now far larger than ever before—to shatter the dense fog and charge directly toward the Horn Demon Outpost.

...

In the training ground, some students finally noticed Fang Zhou’s activity.

One student exclaimed, "Look, Lord Fang is at it again! He’s challenging the Horn Demon Outpost on Abyss Difficulty."

Another student with an indifferent expression said dismissively, "Hasn’t he cleared it dozens of times already? He’s been able to solo it for a while now. What’s so surprising?"

"This time is different!" The student who had first spoken exclaimed, leaning in to get a closer look at the live feed of Fang Zhou’s impressive lineup. He couldn’t help but gasp.

"Whoa, Lord Fang summoned at least twenty more Skeletons than before, and he even has an imposing, double-axed skeleton guardian beside him. Strange, I’ve never seen this double-axed skeleton in the previous Cave Hunts."

"What?!" The previously dismissive student’s expression changed instantly.

He hurriedly looked at the battle feed and exclaimed in surprise, "I thought Apprentice-rank skeletons couldn’t have weapons! Aren’t Black Iron-rank Skeleton Warriors the only ones that can form bone armaments? So how can Fang Zhou, who is just a Middle-Rank Apprentice, summon a skeleton with weapons?"

A student muttered to himself, "Maybe it’s just a Mutated Skeleton. The world is vast and full of wonders. With a monstrous talent like Lord Fang, nothing that defies common sense should be surprising. Let’s just see what this Mutated Skeleton’s combat power is like."

The student who first noticed Olaf let out a soft sigh and said, "How long do you guys think it’ll take Lord Fang to clear it this time?"

A student replied, "His previous best was 18 minutes, which ranked him second on the all-time speedrun leaderboard, just behind the three-person team of the [Flame Dragon Knight] Wen Jiu. I bet this time, Fang Zhou might even break Wen Jiu’s record. He could take first place on the all-time leaderboard by soloing a team instance!"

Hearing this, all the observing students held their breath, their eyes glued to Fang Zhou’s live feed.

...

CRACK.

CRACK.

Fang Zhou and his Skeleton Army quickly approached the Horn Demon Outpost, which was teeming with sentries.

Under a volley of precise Bone Spear shots, the six Little Inferior Demon sentinels outside the outpost only managed to let out a single warning cry before Fang Zhou instantly killed them.

Then, amidst an unnerving grinding of bones, the Skeleton Army swarmed into the outpost.

[Berserker Heroic Spirit] Olaf led the charge, spearheading the Skeleton Army to corner the arriving Giant Axe Heavy Armor Horned Demon and its Demon Army in the outpost’s main hall.

The Heavy Armored Giant Axe Horned Demon let out a thunderous roar. At its command, the Demons gathered around it grew agitated.

Little Inferior Demons and Demon Children shrieked, waving their sharp claws and Magic Wands as they surged like a tide toward the skeleton defensive line.

Without the slightest hesitation, Olaf strode forward, heading straight for the Heavy Armored Giant Axe Horned Demon.

Its bone axes drew two arcs of cold light in the air. Its Soul Fire then pulsed violently, and it let out a soul-piercing cry that instantly drew the Horned Demon’s full attention.

[Taunt] activated!

Olaf successfully provoked the Horned Demon’s rage. It abandoned any thought of commanding the Little Inferior Demons and Demon Children and charged straight toward Olaf.

The duel between them was like a reenactment of an ancient war, every collision shaking the very foundations of the hall.

Though Olaf’s frame was not as massive as the Heavy-Armored Axe-Wielding Horned Demon’s, empowered by the Heroic Spirit and his Frenzy Golden Body skill, it staunchly withstood the Horned Demon’s heavy blows while constantly searching for a chance to counterattack.

This scene deeply shocked all the students watching Fang Zhou’s stream.

In Fang Zhou’s previous clearing runs of the Abyss Difficulty Horn Demon Outpost, he always commanded his Skeleton Army to tightly encircle the Horned Demons and wear them down bit by bit.

Although he never failed, it always lacked a certain punch.

But this time, a single, double-axed skeleton was easily holding off the fully armed Heavy-Armored Axe-Wielding Horned Demon, leaving it roaring in fury but utterly helpless.

This left the watching students with a single burning question—

What in the world is this strange, double-axed skeleton?

...

Meanwhile, Fang Zhou was not idle.

Due to the limitations of his current rank, the Olaf he had summoned could only access the Golden Body Series skill tree.

Its Defense Power was formidable, but its Attack Power was lacking.

With Olaf’s strength alone, it would be difficult to defeat the Heavy-Armored Axe-Wielding Horned Demon quickly.

Fang Zhou was naturally well aware of this.

The Simulation Battlefield was different from previous Cave Hunts; there was no need to plan for a protracted battle.

Furthermore, since he was aiming to set a speed record, he had no intention of conserving his Spiritual Power.

Seizing the moment while the Horned Demon Boss was successfully taunted by Olaf, Fang Zhou lightly waved his Magic Staff, casting the fully perfected Skeleton Shackles skill.

Several twisted, snake-like bone chains shot up from the ground, tightly binding the panting Heavy-Armored Axe-Wielding Horned Demon.

It roared at the sky, struggling furiously, but the Skeleton Shackles, which had absorbed the best attributes of the Spirit Cage Skill, were extremely resilient.

With the chains crisscrossing and reinforcing one another, the Horned Demon found it impossible to break free, no matter how much it struggled.

Furthermore, a faint humming emanating from the bone chains greatly interfered with the Horned Demon Boss’s attempts to channel its Magic Power.

Now was his chance to finish it.

Fang Zhou immediately pulled a faintly glowing Charging Scroll from within his robes.

These pieces of Marvel Equipment were also an important part of a Professional’s combat power and could naturally be projected into the Simulation Battlefield.

As he chanted the spell, runes on the scroll flared to life. An invisible energy surged into his body, causing a deathly brilliance to swirl around his pale fingers.