Otherworldly Skeleton Evolution

“Oh gosh, how did he pull that off?”

Watching Jiang Cheng effortlessly slay the Skeleton Bear with such grace and ease, Zhang Mengmeng found herself mimicking his movements with her hands while murmuring to herself.

“First, he draws the Skeleton Bear’s aggro, waits for it to rear up, and dodges the moment it slams down.”

“Then, a swift strike at its leg joint, disarming its leg. As the Skeleton Bear falls, a final blow decapitates it, landing a critical hit…”

“Seriously? Can you even do that? What kind of sorcery is this?”

Seeing Jiang Cheng’s smooth execution as he relentlessly cut down the Skeleton Bear on Fierce Bear Mountain, she was inspired by a bold idea.

She thought, if Jiang Cheng could do it so effortlessly, why couldn’t she?

Well, reality hit her like a truck.

Jiang Cheng’s moves, though they appeared simple, were actually the result of extensive practice, coupled with his god-tier awareness and experience, making it all seem so effortless.

And the consequences of Zhang Mengmeng trying to imitate them were…

Mind: Locked and loaded.

Eyes: Got the blueprint.

Body: Absolute rebellion.

When it came to drawing aggro, she couldn’t control the Skeleton Bear’s range of aggression and ended up pulling three at once, narrowly avoiding being killed and getting sent back to the respawn point.

After finally luring just one, she confidently attempted to dodge the Skeleton Bear’s strike using the learned technique.

The next moment, she was flung three meters away, landing on a rock and questioning her life choices.

Thus, she finally understood; she was nothing but a failure…

Not even comparable to a mere Skeleton.

For three hours, Zhang Mengmeng passed her time in a daze, swinging between confusion, fleeting joy, and overwhelming self-doubt.

By now, her level had reached 7.

She glanced at the level rankings.

Far ahead of all other players…

First place: Level 7, A Silly Cutie.

Second place: Level 6, Xia Dongli.

Third place: Level 5, Yin Dog Xuan Yue.

The level rankings only listed players of level 5 or higher. And in just three and a half hours, only three people had surpassed level 5.

And she was in first place!

“Oh my goodness… My level actually surpassed Xia Dongli, one of the Twelve Gods of the game?”

Even now, she felt like she might be dreaming.

Xia Dongli was widely recognized as a gaming legend, one of the Twelve Gods of the online gaming world.

Moreover, he was a bit of a madman, with his greatest passion being leveling up.

In his own words: “I have money, I have people, I have skills, I have strength, I have everything, yet I feel no joy.”

Life was so mundane and boring; only leveling up could make me feel fulfilled and excited.

This was a person who immersed himself in leveling up every day, expending all resources solely for the sake of leveling up and dominating the game level rankings.

And yet, she, a mere common player, had surpassed him?

If she were to tell her friend who was playing The Great Wasteland, wouldn’t her jaw drop?

She had overtaken all others in the server, thanks to a single Skeleton!

Surpassing the leveling god, Xia Dongli!

For a common player like her, this was almost unimaginable in the past.

The Twelve Gods of the gaming world were supposed to be the ones she looked up to.

Yet now, she had left them all behind.

“I’ve hit the jackpot.”

Zhang Mengmeng looked at Jiang Cheng’s heroic demeanor as he slaughtered the Skeleton Bear, her eyes brimming with admiration.

Now, she had become nothing more than a passive fish, following behind Jiang Cheng and shouting encouragement…

“Could this Skeleton be the reincarnation of my idol, Jiang Cheng? Why else would his skills and tactics be so impressive?”

Jiang Cheng had been her idol before, the one she always aimed to surpass.

His skills and instincts had once dominated various games, earning him the title of the “Great Demon King of the Ladder” in various leaderboards.

In the game “Mythic” with a 60% realism rating, he had single-handedly created sixteen professions within three years, leveling each one to the maximum before climbing to the top of the leaderboard!

He was a legendary figure who had ascended to the ranks of the Twelve Gods of the gaming world.

If not for a sabotage that led to a severe accident, the current Gods would be mere novices compared to him.

Until now, her greatest admiration still lay with Jiang Cheng, the gaming deity.

But alas… Just a week ago, Gaming Daily reported a tragedy: the fallen gaming deity Jiang Cheng had died suddenly from overworking while power-leveling.

When Zhang Mengmeng heard the news, she was devastated.

She cried for three days and three nights without cease, unable to pull herself together.

If not for the fact that she was starving, it might have taken her at least a year or two to slowly forget.

“Oh, how I wish the legendary Jiang Cheng could rise again.”

Zhang Mengmeng looked at the Skeleton killing monsters alone, feeling somewhat melancholic.

Of course, she knew such a thing was impossible, so she could only think it in her heart.

Where in the world could one find such a good deal? To be reincarnated into a gaming world after death, and then coincidentally summoned as a Skeleton by her?

The very thought seemed absurd…

Shaking her head, Zhang Mengmeng continued to focus intently on Jiang Cheng’s actions, the more she watched, the more amazed she became.

“Ah, his divine predictive ability, his divine awareness, they’re just leagues ahead of that Zhang Haoming.”

Zhang Haoming had been her classmate in high school, always considering himself a master due to his exceptional gaming skills. He was quite the influential figure at Tianhai High School, being renowned for his gaming prowess.

She had witnessed Zhang Haoming’s impressive skills firsthand, and it was undeniable that he was formidable. He could easily outstrip her by a mile in gaming prowess alone.

But now, she had a feeling that compared to Jiang Cheng, Zhang Haoming was nothing but a novice.

If Zhang Haoming were to encounter Jiang Cheng, it probably wouldn’t take three moves before Zhang Haoming was forced to kneel.

“So, what’s the deal with this Skeleton anyway?”

Zhang Mengmeng stared off into space, lost in thought.

“Level 7, experience deducted, time to move on.”

“Evolution Points have also reached 2000? Perhaps it’s time to evolve.”

After slaying a Skeleton Bear, Jiang Cheng paused to contemplate his next move.

[Expend 1000 Evolution Points, Evolution Path: Skeleton Heavy Infantry, Skeleton Sword Guard, Skeleton Assault Guard.]

“New evolution paths have emerged,” Jiang Cheng thought, focusing his attention.

[Evolution Path 1: Skeleton Heavy Infantry.]

[Attribute increase: 500 HP, 30 Attack, 50 Defense.]

[Additional skills: Blade Awakening, Hunt.]

…

[Evolution Path 2: Skeleton Sword Guard.]

[Attribute increase: 300 HP, 50 Attack, 20 Defense, 10 Agility.]

[Additional skills: Swift Blade Art, Dual Blades.]

…

[Evolution Path 3, Skeleton Assault Guard (Hidden Evolution Path).]

[Attribute increase: 300 HP, 100 Magic, 50 Attack, 50 Defense, 20 Agility.]

[Additional Skills: Assault Armor, Plunder.]

“There’s even a Hidden Evolution Path?” Jiang Cheng’s interest was piqued.

Compared to the previous two, this Hidden Evolution Path boasted significantly stronger overall attributes. Moreover, the skills seemed quite impressive too!