A desolate and terrifying darkness enveloped everything.
"Am I dead?"
Kyo's groggy consciousness struggled to piece together his thoughts.
On the first day of transmigrating to another world, he had been killed by a bone dragon's breath. He might just be the unluckiest transmigrator ever.
No, he refused to accept this ending.
He had crossed into a world of magic and fantasy—how could it end like this?
[Ding, consciousness beginning to awaken...]
In the darkness, a faint light appeared, forming a line of text.
Then, as if triggering a chain reaction, more glowing characters emerged from the darkness, like fireflies.
[Ding, your race has been transformed into a low-tier skeleton]
[Name] Kyo Pound
[Race] Low-tier Skeleton
[Level] Lv1/Lv10 (Low-tier skeletons have a level cap of Lv10)
[Class] None
[Strength] 4/10
[Constitution] 4/10
[Spirit] 8/10
[Evolution Requirement] Strength, Constitution, and Spirit must reach max points to achieve racial evolution
[Skills] Bone Transformation Lv1, Appraisal Lv1
[Status] Enslaved (Named and enslaved by the evil bone dragon Pound), Bone Degradation (Without the nourishment of living flesh, bones begin to degrade. Constitution and Strength will decrease over time)
[Experience Points] 0/100
[Description] A weak, creepy, and tattered skeleton. Even the one advantage of a handsome face is gone. A cannon fodder enslaved by the evil bone dragon Pound. Probably has about 1 year before collapsing into a pile of bones.
The darkness was illuminated.
An unfamiliar scene entered his field of vision.
At the bottom of a dim canyon, on rocky ground, terrifying skeletons roamed aimlessly, creating a hellish landscape.
"Did I come back to life?"
Kyo raised his hand.
But what he saw wasn't a body made of flesh and blood—it was a pair of yellowish-black bone arms.
The arms were pitted and cracked in places, with some bones missing, as if they might shatter at any moment.
"I've become a skeleton!"
Kyo's body shook in fear, his spirit trembling violently.
After a long while, he finally calmed down, sitting on the ground and observing the skeletons around him, deep in thought.
Even though he had become a skeleton, he still retained his consciousness and intelligence.
Compared to outright dying, this outcome wasn't entirely unacceptable.
At least he was alive, and as long as he was alive, there was hope.
Once calm, he began to summarize his current situation.
He opened his status panel, a game-like interface that had appeared when he transmigrated to this world.
It was his greatest secret and reliance.
Even after transforming into a skeleton, this panel remained, giving him a chance to turn things around.
He suspected that the reason he had regained his memories and consciousness after becoming a skeleton was due to this panel.
His name now included "Pound," likely a result of being transformed by the bone dragon Pound.
Additionally, his status now included [Enslaved] and [Bone Degradation].
When Strength, Constitution, and Spirit all reached 10 points, he would gain the opportunity to evolve.
In short, his current goals were to level up, evolve, and increase his strength.
"To level up, I need to gain experience, right?"
"That means hunting other monsters, or something similar?"
Kyo turned his gaze to the other skeleton monsters around him and tried using the [Appraisal] skill from his skill list on one of them.
The space beside the skeleton flickered, and a few lines of glowing text appeared.
[Name] Pound's Low-tier Skeleton
[Level] Lv3
[Skills] Hard Bones Lv1
[Status] Enslaved, Bone Degradation
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[Description] A low-tier skeleton enslaved by the evil bone dragon Pound. Its bones are quite hard. Probably has about 2 years before collapsing.
In short, he couldn't win in a direct fight.
But just because he couldn't win didn't mean he couldn't outsmart it. None of the other skeletons here had intelligence, after all.
They didn't even have brains anymore.
He quietly followed behind the skeleton.
When the skeleton's status changed to [Fatigued] and it lay down on the ground, its status soon shifted to [Sleep].
After checking his surroundings to ensure no other skeleton "colleagues" were nearby, he stealthily picked up a large rock and crept up to the low-tier skeleton's head.
Double-checking the skeleton's status, he raised the rock high.
His bony arms trembled slightly due to his lack of strength.
"Ha!"
With a forceful swing, he brought the rock down on the sleeping skeleton's head.
Clang!
The sound was louder than he expected, echoing through the cavern and causing the faint blue flames in his eye sockets to flicker.
Cracks appeared on the skeleton's skull, and its status changed from [Sleep] to [Stunned].
This was what you called entering a deeper level of sleep.
Without hesitation, he mustered his strength again, his bony arms creaking as he lifted the rock once more.
Clang!
The second strike.
This time, the skeleton's skull cracked and caved in.
[Ding, low-tier skeleton killed]
[Experience +30]
Kyo looked up, alert, scanning his surroundings, especially in the direction of Pound.
He guessed that the death of a skeleton wouldn't attract Pound's attention.
But a guess was still just a guess.
Time passed silently as he waited, and when no movement came, he gradually relaxed.
Looking at the motionless pile of bones on the ground, it was clear that this skeleton was in much better condition than his own pitiful state.
Kyo crouched down and detached the skeleton's right arm.
After weighing it in his hands, he removed his own tattered, yellowish-black right arm.
Since he was a skeleton and lacked pain receptors, he only felt a slight tug as his arm came off.
Then, he aligned the skeleton's right arm with his shoulder and activated [Bone Transformation].
The two parts were precisely connected.
This arm was slightly smaller than his original one, but for Kyo, who possessed [Bone Transformation], this was no problem.
With a slight adjustment to the bones of his right arm, the size and appearance soon became identical to his original.
A small surge of energy flowed from the connection point of his right arm.
[Ding, obtained skill: Hard Bone Lv1]
[Constitution +1]
A white light flashed across his entire body, and the darkened hue faded a little, with some tiny cracks also healing and recovering.
He actually gained a skill!
The flames in Kyo's eyes flared up, and dangerous thoughts surged in his mind.
To escape the evil Bone Dragon Pound, what he needed was patience, timing, and, most importantly, strength.
The countless skeletons transformed by Pound’s hands included many with exceptionally powerful skills.
This wasn’t a dragon's lair; it was a treasure trove of skills!
Once he acquired enough skills and waited for the right moment, he could break free from Pound’s control.
At that point, the sky would be his limit—he could leap like a fish in the ocean, soar like a bird in the mountains.
Once he escaped this skeletal dragon’s den, he could once again enjoy the grand, breathtaking journey of this otherworldly adventure!
Kyo raised his head, and in the pitch-black cave, the eerie blue flames in his eyes burned fiercely.