Global Necromantic Specialist

[Level: 4 (99.00%)]

Marsh glanced at his stats. He was on the verge of leveling up again.

Around him, 13 skeleton warriors moved relentlessly, cutting down monsters left and right. Experience points trickled in steadily.

Compared to his earlier progress, this upgrade felt faster. In just 50 minutes, his experience bar had jumped from nearly empty to full.

"The number of skeleton warriors has increased, the monster density is higher, and the speed at which they're being killed hasn't slowed," Marsh analyzed.

"This is why the rate of upgrading hasn't just maintained—it's actually increased."

Marsh had now ventured into the deepest part of the novice dungeon. Monsters here were primarily Level 6 or 7. The only ones he hadn't encountered yet were Level 8 monsters.

The denser population of monsters in this area caused his experience gain to accelerate. His skeleton warriors, acting as tireless champions, wiped out everything in their path.

The only downside? The monsters in the novice dungeon didn't drop any loot.

"Novice dungeons aren't designed for rewards," Marsh thought to himself. "They're here to train new professionals in combat basics. That's why the monsters here are all weakened versions."

The exception to this rule, however, were the Level 8 monsters at the dungeon's end. These monsters retained the same strength as those found in the wild.

The design was intentional. By the time a professional reached Level 8, they'd have gained enough combat experience to handle these tougher creatures. The goal was to give them a taste of the real danger that awaited in the wild.

With another flash of light, Marsh leveled up to 5.

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[Level: 5 (0.00%)]

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The surge of power was immediate. His attributes increased, and the strength of his skeleton warriors rose as all their stats gained an additional 100 points.

[Kill Level 7 Brown Bear, Experience +70]

[Kill Level 7 Brown Bear, Experience +70]

The skeleton warriors didn't pause for Marsh's level-up. They continued scouring the area for monsters, killing everything in sight.

Since entering the dungeon, Marsh's army hadn't rested for even a moment.

But Marsh noticed something concerning. "The rate of leveling up has slowed."

At Level 4, killing a Level 7 Brown Bear had given him 0.2% experience per kill. With just 500 kills, he could level up.

Now, at Level 5, the same monster only yielded 0.1% experience per kill. He would need to kill 1,000 monsters to level up again.

"The upgrade speed has doubled," he calculated.

Marsh sighed. "For most professionals, reaching Level 12 in a single week would be nearly impossible at this rate. Even if they leave the dungeon for the outskirts of Xihai City, there wouldn't be enough time."

His mind wandered to the minimum requirement for Xia Jing Academy—Level 12.

"To hit Level 12 in a week, I need to reach Level 8 within three days, then head to the outskirts of Xihai to hunt higher-level monsters."

Marsh frowned as he thought about his sister, Lin Mohan. "She reached Level 16 last year. That was an insane achievement."

Shaking his head, he refocused on his task. Marsh cast his summoning spell again, exhausting his mental energy to add three more skeleton warriors to his army.

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[Skeleton Warriors: 16/40]

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With 16 skeleton warriors hunting across the dungeon, the time spent finding monsters far exceeded the time spent killing them.

"More monsters to kill, huh?" Marsh grinned. "That's fine. If I divide the work among my warriors, it won't take long."

By his estimate, he could reach Level 6 within an hour.

Marsh pressed forward, his skeletons sweeping through the dungeon like a tide of destruction. No monster hidden in the grass or shadow of a rock could escape their sharp blades.

After some time, the terrain began to change. The endless prairie gave way to a dense forest.

"This must be the dungeon's final area," Marsh muttered.

The forest was home to the dreaded Level 8 monsters—unweakened and just as strong as their counterparts in the wild.

"It's been 6 hours and 42 minutes since I entered the dungeon," Marsh noted. "I've already reached its final area. No one else could have gotten this far."

He estimated that most other professionals were still hovering around Level 3. Even Jeny, with her exceptional talent, was probably only nearing Level 4.

Marsh smiled to himself. "No one can upgrade faster than me."

His skeleton warriors marched ahead into the forest. Marsh followed behind, eager to see how his undead army would fare against the Level 8 monsters.

As he stepped into the forest, something unusual happened.

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The skeleton warriors, who had been so efficient in detecting monsters earlier, found nothing.

"Not a single enemy?" Marsh frowned.

He followed his warriors deeper into the forest, scanning the dense trees for any sign of movement.

Suddenly, a branch lashed out like a whip, striking toward him at lightning speed.

Marsh had no time to react. The attack connected—yet he felt nothing.

The branch recoiled harmlessly as if it had struck an invisible barrier.

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[Passive Skill: Damage Transfer]

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Marsh smirked. "Right. I almost forgot about that."

His unique passive skill ensured that any damage he took was automatically transferred to his summons. Until all his skeleton warriors were destroyed, he was effectively invincible.

"It's a divine skill," he mused, "not much worse than a god-level talent."

The attacking branch snapped as one of Marsh's skeleton warriors retaliated. In the shadows, a massive treant revealed itself, its wooden form towering over the forest.

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[Treant (Level 8)]

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"So this is what I've been waiting for," Marsh murmured, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

His skeleton warriors surged forward, engaging the treant in battle. Marsh observed carefully, analyzing the creature's strength and tactics.

This encounter would prepare him for the wild beyond Xihai City.

For Marsh, every moment was a stepping stone toward greatness. And in his mind, one truth was clear: No one could upgrade faster than him.

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