Chapter Eight: The Completion of Free Advancement

“Oh my god! Damn it, you son of a—! How can you torment people like this?! Is there any humanity left in you?! Damn it! Can’t you be gentle? Just a little gentler!”
The air atop Skull Mountain resounded incessantly with curses, intertwined with cries of pain—not just curses, but a symphony of agony and pleas for mercy, occasionally punctuated by profane outbursts.
The reason for this cacophony of wailing and howling began when Li Ren started practicing his basic skills.
At first, the skeletal elite guard was like a wooden post, quietly enduring every blow without ever retaliating. But once Young Master Li Ren had pushed all his weapon skills to level two—their peak—he needed to advance further before he could continue improving. That was when his personal nightmare arrived, and he finally understood the true intent of the Skeleton King.
He wanted to protest! This was outright abuse! Why did the system have an Armor Mastery skill at all? And why did Armor Mastery have so many categories—cloth, leather, chainmail, plate? Why?!
Li Ren had just donned a suit of plate armor, still testing its fit and admiring how dashing he looked, when the previously inert elite guard suddenly moved. The ground shook as the guard swung a heavy cudgel straight at Li Ren.
With a loud clang, Li Ren went flying, tumbling over ten times, his body twisted into a pretzel within the heavy armor under the force of the guard’s club. Of course it hurt—how could it not!
Even as a skeleton, with his sensitivity settings dialed so low that he felt nothing when his bones were detached and reattached, he couldn’t endure the overwhelming force of such a blow. Just that one strike left Li Ren reeling, his senses spinning.
“Wait! Wait!” Li Ren hadn’t even gotten up before the second blow landed, another solid whack that sent him flying again.
Despite each strike almost reducing his health to nothing, after every swing the elite guard released a wisp of grey energy that drifted into Li Ren, instantly restoring his HP. More astonishing, his experience points were climbing rapidly, the progress bar dancing with joy—remarkable indeed.
Unlike weapon skills, armor mastery worked differently. With weapons, as long as you could break through defense, your skill improved significantly. With armor, unless you could block an attack—even just one point of damage—the improvement was substantial. But facing a level 130 elite guard, Li Ren at level 20 had no chance.
Block? Did he really think a level 20 skeleton could defy the odds? Keep dreaming, kid!
He barely managed to fill up his plate armor mastery before the elite guard finally ceased its assault.
Li Ren collapsed to the ground—who could survive such training? It was lethal!
Thinking about the remaining types—chainmail, leather, cloth—if even sturdy plate armor left him so battered, how could he survive in the others? Li Ren wanted to rest a bit longer, but the elite guard seemed to operate on a timer. Seeing Li Ren motionless, it swung its cudgel again, this time with no healing effect, forcing him to watch his health bar dwindle as he shrank away.
Cursing under his breath, he switched to chainmail, only to endure another round of earth-shaking torment.
Seated on his throne, the Skeleton King watched Li Ren and the elite guard’s spectacle, chuckling to himself, “I’ve sacrificed an elite guard for you. Let’s see just how far you can grow. You, outsider—perhaps…”

Leaving aside the strange Skeleton King, while Li Ren struggled with his level 25 frame against a level 130 giant skeleton, the player world was anything but peaceful.
Bright City’s tavern, one of the players’ favorite haunts. Here, drinks and beverages tasted almost identical to those in the real world—sometimes even purer. With their modest prices, these taverns became popular hubs for relaxation and gossip.
“Hey, have you heard? That guy Soren, the fastest leveling player, is about to found a guild.”
“What? So soon? Didn’t the system say it’s extremely difficult to form a guild here? The server’s barely opened—how can they already be founding one?”
“Heh, you don’t know the half of it. I even know where the guild charter was found!”
The diners around were drawn to the slightly chubby middle-aged man’s words. Seeing the growing attention, he deliberately teased them before continuing.
“It’s not surprising you don’t know—the guild charter is incredibly rare. Supposedly, you must be over level 50 and defeat the Woma Chief for a slim chance to drop it.”
“But wait, Soren’s only level 33 right now. The others aren’t higher either, so even in a group they couldn’t beat the Woma Chief.”
Impatient players chimed in.
“Hmph! What do you know? Do you even know Soren’s stats?”
Their curiosity fully piqued, as in the Land of the Gods, unless you were truly acquainted, you couldn’t see another’s stats. It was the most crucial information.
“Come on, fatty! Are you going to kill us with suspense?” Amid the uproar, the middle-aged man gestured for silence, lowered his voice, and said, “Don’t spread this around carelessly.”
Everyone agreed, and he continued, “A friend of mine was leveling up and found a skill book. That book lets you see others’ stats, though it’s chance-based. One day, he ran into Soren and checked—do you know what he saw? A full 20 points in luck!”
“What?! Twenty? Isn’t fifteen the max?”
“As for why his luck’s so high, who knows? But don’t forget, some gear boosts luck. High luck in this game—well, you know the effects.”
While everyone struggled to accept Soren’s twenty luck points, the middle-aged man went on, “That guild charter? Soren opened a dark-gold chest in the Spider Cave and got it! Alongside the charter, he found a purple sword. He’s got it right now—if you ever meet Soren, you’ll see it for yourself. That sword is stunning!”
Fatty sighed as if he’d witnessed the sword and the charter emerging from the chest himself. The crowd whispered and exchanged rumors, while quiet figures in the corner quickly spread the news through various channels. The middle-aged man soon left, but Soren’s stats and the guild charter were instantly circulating among the players.

In a private guest room, the middle-aged man stood before a youth, bowing respectfully. The lively, gossipy look had vanished; even if he went out again, no one would recognize him.
“Reporting, young master, I’ve spread the news. Soren should be in trouble soon.”
“Good. That arrogant Soren, refusing to sell me the guild charter. But besides the charter, that treasure is enough to stir envy. If he wants it all to himself, he can’t blame me. Who wins or loses is yet to be decided.” The youth’s lips curled in a cold smile, then he vanished from the room. In the middle-aged man’s friend list, a contact named Third Sword had just logged off.
“Are you sure the news is accurate?”
“Absolutely. We’ve checked—multiple sources confirm it’s true.”
“Hmph, so it’s come to this. Looks like plenty will join the fray! The guild charter—how interesting.” The speaker paused, a lazy voice tinged with a cold edge. “Arrange our people. Keep an eye on Soren. The charter and that luck-boosting item—we’ll join the competition!”
All intelligence eventually converges at a pinnacle, and the reactions of those at the top ripple through all lower ranks. Before long, every player, whether informed or oblivious, was moving under the influence of these rumors. A storm was brewing across the player world, waiting for its greatest eruption.
“You done training?”
“Yes, finished. Definitely finished, and I’m almost finished myself!”
“Not bad. Looks like you’ve gained something.” Seated on the throne, the Skeleton King waved his hand, summoning the elite guard who had sparred with Li Ren. He extended a withered finger, pointing it at the guard’s skull.
A flash of red light—instantly, the red flames in the guard’s eyes were extinguished, and its skeleton collapsed into a pile of bone shards.
Suddenly, the Skeleton King’s empty hand held a crystal, shining with bright silvery-gray light.
He tossed the crystal casually to Li Ren, who instantly recognized it—it was the blood crystal formed from the level 130 elite guard! My god! A level 130 monster! A level 130 elite monster! What on earth just happened?!