Alright. At least the fusion was a success—now, let's see what this "weakness" I'm afflicted with really is.
Status
Attributes
Name: Bones [Weakend]
Race: Undead Revenant lvl 29
Class: Bonemancer Adept Lvl 38
Soul Weaver lvl 15
Profession: Mana Engraver lvl 13
Hp - 820 [8.2 hp/s]
Mp - 1020 [51.2+10.24 mp/s]
Sta - ∞
STR: 43
AGI: 15
END: 15
VIT: 82
INT: 102
WIS: 43
Free points:
Weakened [status] - The soul of the user is in a weakened state and susceptible to physical, emotional and mental conditions which may render a prospective user unduly vulnerable to persuasion and mind-influencing effects. The duration and the effectiveness of a weakened status may vary depending on the strength of the user’s soul.
“I see. It’s not too severe, but I'll need to be cautious of any mind-affecting spells for the time being. Now, let's see how Skully turned out…”
The Soul Core in his hand looked almost identical to before, except for the faint speck of light radiating from within. Without hesitation, Bones shaped a hole in the back of the elite lizardman's skull and inserted the core. Almost instantly, the core seemed to come alive, releasing thousands of mana tendrils that attached themselves to the bones, piece by piece. The skeleton twitched as if jolted by an electric current. After a minute, when all the bones were properly aligned, the jolting ceased.
Bones waited a moment longer, then established a Soul Link with the golem and used Identify. A new status screen appeared before him.
Status
Attributes
Name: Skully
Race: Elite Lizardman lvl 44
Soul Core: [Growth-type]
[Soulbound]
Core capacity: [10 000/10 000]
Hp - /
Mp - /
Sta - ∞
STR: 88
AGI: 132
END: 44
VIT: 88
INT: 1
WIS: 1
Free points:
Innate abilities:
Reinforced Strength [+1 STR per lvl]; [basic]
Reinforced Agility [+1 AGI per lvl]; [basic]
Increased Health Regeneration; [advanced]
Spearmanship; [advanced]
Shield Mastery; [basic]
"Oh! A bona fide status screen for Skully!"
His race is an Elite Lizardman, and his level is… forty-four? Bones hadn’t expected such a drastic increase. Skully's previous body capped at level thirty-eight, and the same should have applied to this one. But Soul Spark has pushed him to level forty-four from the start.
I do worry that this means Skully’s level might be fixed now—unable to level up further. There’s no experience bar on the status screen either. If that’s the case, I'll need to find new bodies for Skully whenever possible. But for now, I'm more interested in what else this screen reveals.
Soul Core: [Growth-type] - a new property added to Soul Core as a result from merging a Golem Core and a Soul Spark. Growth unlocks a limited access to system functions and the ability to develop.
Soul Core: Skully
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I see. The status screen is enabled by Growth, as is the ability to level skills. It’s hard to gauge just how much stronger the new body is compared to the old one, but it feels significantly more powerful!
From the established Soul Link, Bones could sense the new body's state more clearly—and he quickly realized that the body wasn't quite as powerful as the attributes data had initially suggested. The displayed stats likely reflected the Elite Lizardman’s abilities when it was still alive. Nevertheless, the discrepancy wasn’t significant. The new body also came with additional skills, which Bones decided to explore next.
"Skully, my boy, why don't you go through a few practice swings?"
Bones commanded, retrieving the spear Skully had previously used and tossing it back to him.
Skully skillfully caught and spun the spear, then began brandishing his weapon. Each swing produced a sharp and satisfying swoosh.
While Skully practiced, Bones observed carefully, tuning into the link between them.
Reinforced strength and agility. The enhanced strength was evident from the sharpness of those swings, a clear result of the advanced-tier Spearmanship. However, the movements were somewhat rigid, and the attack speed was slightly slower than before. Skully would need some time to adjust to the new body.
“I’ll try giving him a shield later. Maybe now he can make use of that Elite Lizardman shield I picked up back then. The increased health regeneration would be useful—except…”
Bones paused, noticing that both health and mana were missing from the display, replaced instead by something new—core capacity.
"Wouldn’t that make a skill that increases health regeneration completely obsolete?" he mused, frowning. Then his attention was drawn to the last skill, deepening his frown.
"Now, what is this? 'Insert skill'?" At a mere thought, a system message appeared:
A User may bestow a skill of his choice to share with Soul Core: Skully
"Oh my."
"Skully, stop, stop! Come here."
I can share a skill with Skully? That's... I've never read anything about sharing skills with minions before! Bones thought, excitement growing. I should think this through carefully. What skill would benefit him the most? An attack skill? No. A defensive skill, like Bone Aura, might be better.
As Skully stood motionless before him, a loud crash echoed in the distance, followed by the sound of screams. Bones exhaled in annoyance, walking past Skully and out of the grove. As he looked down the slope, he saw an overturned wagon beside the dirt road, near the stream, with a couple of figures moving around it. Skully approached and stood behind him silently.
Bones turned around, placing a hand on top of Skully's head, and shared a skill with him. "Come, let's see what this is about," he said.
They slid down the slope, silently sneaking along the road until they approached the scene. At first glance, Bones noticed that the wagon was large and well-made, the kind used to transport goods. A woman’s body lay on the snowy ground beside the wagon, covered in blood. Not far from her lay a second body—a boy.
A scream pierced the air.
Bones looked ahead, pinpointing the source of the scream. It came from behind the wagon, some distance away. Through his heightened senses, he detected three individuals locked in combat with a fourth. For a brief moment, the thought of intervening crossed his mind, but the instinct to save a life quickly faded. The indifference that had settled within him stifled any urge to interfere.
He stood still, waiting. Soon enough, the struggle ended. The three figures had swiftly overpowered their opponent, rummaging through his belongings before turning their attention toward the wagon.
The three robbers, relaxed and unaware, were making their way toward the wreckage, casually chatting and lowering their guard. It was a mistake Bones intended to exploit fully. His plan was simple: he would circle around to the left, quickly taking out two of them, while Skully would handle the third on the right.
Without a word, Bones signaled to Skully, and they silently moved into position, ready to strike.
But as the first robber came into view from the right, Skully suddenly dashed forward. A faint hue of mana enveloped his spear, and before the robber could react, Skully was upon him with a ferocious and precise thrust. The spear impaled the robber, the force of the impact sending him flying back several meters.
The other two robbers, startled by the sight of their fallen comrade, drew their weapons, preparing to retaliate. But before they could take a single step, Bones moved in from behind, piercing one through the chest with his lance. He then used the butt end of the lance to knock the other robber back a step, before smashing the side of his face with a powerful swipe, sending him tumbling into the stream below.
With the robbers dispatched, Bones turned his attention back to Skully and reestablished the Soul Link. He noted that Skully's core capacity had dropped by a margin and was slowly recovering. In the last skill slot, Bones saw the addition of Mana Manipulation—a gamble that had paid off. Since Skully's power source was mana, sharing this skill made perfect sense. Now, Skully could not only wield mana but manipulate it directly.
"That was a bit much," Bones remarked, referring to Skully's powerful, overcharged thrust. "But you sure can pack a punch!" He glanced at Skully and added, "Think you can handle looting that body while I check on the others?" Bones wasn’t sure if Skully would respond, but the golem remained motionless, awaiting further commands.
"Alright, just stay put then," Bones muttered, turning his attention to the unconscious robber partially submerged in the stream. As he rifled through the man's pockets for valuables, he paused, spotting a tattoo on the man's neck—a hooded figure with a coin for a head. The sight of it sent a jolt of recognition through Bones. It was the mark of the Thief's Guild, something Solin had told him about months ago.
"The Thief's Guild!" Bones exclaimed quietly. This revelation was unsettling. The Thief's Guild usually operated within city limits, not out here in the wilderness, robbing and murdering travelers. Another disturbing detail caught his eye—the patches of skin where he had struck the man appeared wrinkled and loose.
Curious, Bones reached out and touched the loosened skin, and it began peeling away. Beneath it was a substance that felt more like a cream than actual skin—a clever disguise. As he continued peeling, the youthful face of the robber was replaced by that of an older man.
"A mask… a disguise?" Bones murmured, momentarily taken aback. He moved to the other two robbers, checking their pockets and inspecting them for the same tattoo and disguise. While he found nothing particularly valuable on them, the discovery of the Thief's Guild tattoo and the use of disguises confirmed his suspicions. These weren’t just common bandits; something more organized was at play here.
A weak cough drew Bones' attention, pulling his gaze back to the previously unconscious man. The force of the earlier blow had critically injured him, leaving a deep crack in his skull. Bones hesitated for a moment, weighing his options, before deciding to dismiss Skully. He approached the injured man and knelt beside him, considering his next move.
"Hang on!" He yelled, pretending to fumble through his jacket as if searching for something. After a moment, he produced a healing potion and carefully administered it to the robber. Bones waited, watching the man's pallor improve. After a minute, he offered to help the man get to a healer in the nearest town, but the robber weakly raised a hand, stopping him.
The man struggled to breathe, gasping for air, and after a deep breath, he muttered, "N-no, not town. East… t-ten kilometers ea-," before losing consciousness again. Bones considered the cryptic directions, then took the harness off the horse that had been pulling the wagon and saddled it. He hoisted the unconscious man onto the horse's back and set off eastward, following the vague instructions.
After about an hour of searching, Bones found a shabby-looking entrance to a bandit camp at the foot of a hill. His approach hadn't gone unnoticed; a group of five bandits emerged to confront him. Bones reined in the horse, raised his hands, and waited as the group surrounded him. Four of them held their weapons at the ready, while the fifth, apparently the leader of the group, stepped forward to question him.
"What business do you have here?" the bandit demanded, eyeing Bones suspiciously.
Bones kept his voice steady as he explained, "I have no business here, but circumstances brought me to your camp." He shifted slightly, allowing the bandits to see the injured man slumped behind him on the horse. Recognition flashed across their faces as they saw one of their own, wounded and barely conscious. They quickly moved to take him off the horse and carry him inside.
The fifth bandit, still wary, turned back to Bones. "Come. The leader will want to hear about what happened." He gestured for Bones to follow.
Bones nodded, realizing this was an opportunity. He dismounted and followed the bandits into the camp, successfully infiltrating it.
The camp was surrounded by a crude wooden fence, with two watchtowers flanking the entrance. Inside, the camp was as rough as Bones expected. Tents served as living quarters, each with a fire pit where men huddled for warmth. There was a blacksmith's forge and a woodworking station, but the centerpiece was the bandit's mess hall, housed in the largest tent. The only proper structure in the camp was a two-story wooden building, likely the leader's residence.
The bandit leading Bones gestured toward the building ahead. "We're here. Follow me." He waited for Bones to dismount, his gaze watchful. With weapons still drawn, the other bandits remained vigilant as they escorted Bones inside the leader's residence.