Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 309 - 257: Calamity Squad, Power Surge!

Fang Zhou stood in the center of the room, coldly watching everything unfold. Only by swiftly eliminating these Little Inferior Demons could the subsequent plans proceed smoothly. As the last Little Inferior Demon fell, its eyes lost their light, and its life energy dissipated into the air.

Activating his Soul Realm, Fang Zhou carefully examined the surroundings to ensure no demons had luckily survived. His sharp gaze swept over every inch of the battlefield like a hawk. Only after confirming nothing remained alive did he retract the light of his Soul Realm.

Then, without looking back, he reactivated his Skeleton Wings skill and dashed toward the Horned Demon BOSS.

By now, his companions, Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang, had successfully lured the Horned Demon BOSS into the courtyard corridor. The corridor was wide and deep, its stone walls carved with ancient runes and patterns. The Skeleton Wings fluttered gently, and within a few breaths, Fang Zhou arrived at the pre-set battlefield.

He once again executed his familiar combo: Skeleton Shackles followed by a Skeleton Flying Spear.

The Horned Demon BOSS, who had just been chasing Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang into a sorry retreat, was proudly preparing to deliver its opening line. However, the silence effect from the Skeleton Shackles skill immediately muted it, preventing it from uttering even a single blasphemous word.

Thanks to Fang Zhou’s high Spirit Attribute, Skill Proficiency, and luxurious equipment, his Skeleton Shackles were now far too powerful for the Horned Demon BOSS in this simple-difficulty dungeon to resist. A hint of terror flickered in the Horned Demon BOSS’s eyes, but it could not make a sound, only watch helplessly as the black shackles snapped silently onto its body.

The subsequent Skeleton Flying Spear, incredibly sharp after its Extreme Enhancement, tore through the air with a piercing whistle. It plunged straight through the scale armor on the Horned Demon BOSS’s chest, piercing its heart. Although its scales were hard, they were as fragile as paper before Fang Zhou’s enhanced spear.

The Horned Demon BOSS’s body trembled violently for a moment before it lost all life energy, crashing down with a boom and sinking into eternal slumber.

Before Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang’s incredulous eyes, the once imposing and formidable Horned Demon BOSS was struck by the Skeleton Flying Spear. Unable to withstand the immense impact, its massive body crashed to the ground. The impact was like a mountain collapsing, sending dust flying and making the entire Simulation Battlefield tremble.

The scene had unfolded so suddenly that both teammates were left stunned. They could hardly believe their eyes; the once arrogant and powerful enemy had been defeated so easily.

Almost as soon as it fell, a notification from the Simulation Battlefield System rang out.

"Mission complete. Time: 5 minutes 30 seconds. Clearance Evaluation: [Perfect]. Reward: 3 Contribution Points."

"Calamity Squad members Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang have completed their first clear of [Horn Demon Outpost] on Simple difficulty. First Clear Reward: 4 Contribution Points."

"Congratulations, Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou, Junior Sergeant Bai Xiaochan, and Junior Sergeant Meng Hongzhuang. Your team, the Calamity Squad, is the second team in your grade to clear [Horn Demon Outpost] on Simple difficulty. Excluding Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou, all team members will receive an additional Grade First Clear Ranking Reward of 9 Contribution Points and have received an Achievement Blessing: Simulation Battlefield loot drop probability increased by 1%, for a cumulative total of 6%."

"Congratulations, Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou, Junior Sergeant Bai Xiaochan, and Junior Sergeant Meng Hongzhuang. Your team, the Calamity Squad, cleared [Horn Demon Outpost] on Simple difficulty in just 5 minutes and 30 seconds, securing the number one spot on the all-time speedrun leaderboard. You are projected to receive an additional monthly ranking reward of 6 Contribution Points."

"Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou triggered a loot drop and received [Apprentice-Level Crystal Ball] x1, exchangeable for 10 Contribution Points."

"Junior Sergeant Bai Xiaochan triggered a loot drop and received [Level 1 Emerald] x1, exchangeable for 10 Contribution Points."

"Junior Sergeant Meng Hongzhuang triggered a loot drop and received [Level 1 Refining Stone] x1, exchangeable for 10 Contribution Points."

"After a 5-minute wait, the Calamity Squad may challenge Normal difficulty."

A series of system notifications echoed in their ears. Although they hadn’t claimed the grade’s first-clear reward—an honor Fang Zhou had already taken for himself—it was still expected that they would be the second team in their grade to complete the challenge. Since Fang Zhou had already received the grade’s number one first-clear ranking reward, clearing it again with Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang didn’t allow him to exploit any loopholes for a second one.

However, Fang Zhou didn’t much care about that. What truly delighted him was that their team, Calamity, now held the top spot on the all-time speedrun leaderboard.

Fang Zhou raised an eyebrow, though he wasn’t surprised by the result.

This is a team dungeon. No matter how efficient I am alone, it can’t compare to a well-balanced, three-person team that covers both offense and defense. Besides, the all-time speedrun ranking is calculated based on each team member’s best performance, meaning they can keep challenging it to set new records. The teams who made it onto the leaderboard are all experts at the peak of the Apprentice Middle Rank. They have optimal skill and equipment setups, seamless teamwork, and know the clear-process for the Horn Demon Outpost like the back of their hands. In contrast, here I am, an Undead Mage, leading two novices who just broke through to the Apprentice Middle Rank, and we easily surpassed those veterans to take the top spot. It isn’t surprising at all. It just proves the potential and strength of our trio.

Fang Zhou shook his head slightly, clearing away the complex thoughts to focus on their results. After a quick calculation of their earnings from the run, minus the entry fee for the Simulation Battlefield, his net profit was a surprising 17 Contribution Points. Such a result was already quite impressive for their first collaboration.

His gaze fell once more upon the massive, ferocious corpse of the Horned Demon, and a sense of accomplishment washed over him. He waved to Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang in the distance, signaling that they could leave. However, when he turned to leave the Simulation Battlefield, he found Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang still standing in place, seemingly lost in a state of profound shock.

Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang were among the top students in the first year of Sea City Military Academy, accustomed to being the center of attention wherever they went. Today, fighting alongside Fang Zhou, they had been mentally prepared to be carried. They knew they might just be along for the ride while he did all the work. What they hadn’t expected was for Fang Zhou’s strength to be so overwhelming that they had virtually no opportunity to contribute at all.

This was especially true for Bai Xiaochan. She had intended to use her Music Magic, hoping to play some battle-enhancing tunes for Fang Zhou to speed up their clear time.

She had been so confident, so eager to prove her value to him. But she never imagined her Skill Proficiency would be so much lower than his. Her casting speed couldn’t possibly keep up with his rhythm. By the time they kited the Horned Demon BOSS into the courtyard corridor, she had just pulled out her Apprentice-level violin. Before she could even begin playing, a blinding white light flashed past. A thick, sharp Skeleton Flying Spear shot from Fang Zhou’s hand, piercing the Horned Demon’s body like a lightning bolt and killing it instantly. In that moment, the violin in her hands felt utterly useless. Her plan to earn his praise vanished into thin air. She stood there in a daze, a complex mix of emotions swirling within her. She was awestruck by Fang Zhou’s power, yet also felt a pang of disappointment at her own inability to contribute.

The two young women stood quietly in place, unable to recover for a long time.