"Combat Mastery has leveled up."
While being surrounded and beaten, Gu Ning received a notification: his Combat Mastery had increased to Basic Level 4.
However, there was no progress at all in his class experience bar—it remained stuck at Level 1, 56%.
"It seems that this virtual instance based on the Borderland doesn't grant class experience, but it does refine combat proficiencies! I wonder if it can also train combat skills... theoretically, it should."
Gu Ning went around tapping the virtual treasure chests one by one, causing them to dissolve into streams of light.
[Congratulations, newcomer (Gu Ning), you've received: Skill Book – Jump Slash. Please collect it at the appropriate division of the Divine Strategy Army.]
[Congratulations, newcomer (Gu Ning), you've received: City Guard Shield (white-tier standard equipment). Please collect it at the appropriate division of the Divine Strategy Army.]
[Congratulations, newcomer (Gu Ning), you've received: Lucky Bags ×2 (contains 128 Honor).]
Not every skeleton dropped a virtual treasure chest. In fact, only those stronger ones equivalent to the standard model skeleton soldiers had a chance to drop them.
Gu Ning re-etched a Flesh Sigil onto his Iron Thorn Shoulder Pads, a process that took half an hour and consumed 4 points of mental energy and 40% of his Blood Battle Qi.
Mental Energy is a power derived from the "Spirit" attribute—each point of Spirit equals one point of mental energy. Fortunately, Gu Ning's Spirit was relatively high at 9 points. For most tank-type Awakened, producing 4 points of mental energy to carve a sigil would be nearly impossible.
Blood Battle Qi is a special kind of energy used for physical combat skills. Its recovery rate depends on the amount left. When usage is low and reserve is high, it regenerates quickly. But once usage exceeds 50%, and reserves drop below half, regeneration slows significantly. If depleted completely, recovery becomes extremely slow, requiring full rest.
"That's about all the loot from the first floor. Time to check out the second."After resting briefly, Gu Ning stepped into the entrance to the second floor of the Bone Crypt.
About an hour earlier.
Tactical Research Room.
Watching the green dot representing Gu Ning sprint through the first floor of the crypt, both Qilin and Black Tiger were stunned.
"One-shot strategy?" Qilin muttered. "That bold, huh?"
"Maybe he used a stealth skill to sneak past everything?" Black Tiger speculated.
"That's not possible. Monsters have to be killed to generate virtual treasure chests. Gu Ning knows that." Instructor Qiu said firmly. "I believe Gu Ning has an area-damage skill. Combine that with high defense, and his all-in strategy makes sense."
"That would also explain why he tested the damage of the Rotten Bone Skeletons at the start…" Qilin said, suddenly enlightened.
"Damn, what kind of skill is that strong—wiping out the entire floor in one go? Isn't he overconfident…"Before Black Tiger could finish his sentence, a notification popped up on the large screen:
[Congratulations, newcomer (Gu Ning), has cleared all monsters and completed Bone Crypt – First Floor. Time: 5 minutes 24 seconds.]
"What?!" Qilin and Black Tiger's jaws dropped.
Even Instructor Qiu couldn't stay calm. He stood up and shouted, "Quick, check the fastest rookie clear time for the first floor!"
"I think the record for our Jiangnan Region was 7 minutes 56 seconds, set last year by 'Mad Dog,'" Qilin muttered. "He just shaved off two and a half minutes—how is that even possible?"
Soon, Su Xiaoxiao found the data.
"Fastest clear record for Bone Crypt First Floor across the seven national regions: 4 minutes 58 seconds."
"So close! Just 26 seconds short!" Instructor Qiu slapped his thigh in frustration. "Gu Ning spent over a minute testing the Rotten Bone Skeleton's attack power... If he hadn't, he could've broken the national record!"
As a soldier, Instructor Qiu had a special obsession with the word record. It symbolized the highest, fastest, and strongest—supreme glory one could pursue in times of peace.
Who would've thought—a tank class could even challenge the national record?
Breaking the Jiangnan regional record was already rare, but the missed opportunity left a bitter aftertaste. This record only applied to first-time attempts at the Bone Crypt—there were no second chances.
"Why isn't Gu Ning out yet… wait, don't tell me he's trying the second floor?" Qilin wondered. "Monsters there are mostly Level 2 and will suppress him by level."
"It's not just level suppression," Black Tiger added, "Monsters on the second floor are on a whole new tier. Even the weakest are as strong as standard skeleton soldiers. You also get elite Skeleton Warriors and even Bone Mages."
"I only cleared it last month after hitting Level 4—it's insanely difficult."
"You were just playing it safe," Instructor Qiu snorted. "With your combat mastery, you had a good shot even at Level 3."
"I was traumatized by the Bone Mage," Black Tiger admitted. "Its Crippling Curse is disgusting…"
Staring at the unmoving green dot on the screen, Su Xiaoxiao started fantasizing about Gu Ning's handsome face again. "Do you think our little Gu Ning can clear the second floor?"
"With the strength he showed on the first floor, as long as he plays it safe, it's definitely possible," Instructor Qiu said with admiration. "Maybe we're about to witness another newcomer clear the second floor."
An hour passed.
"He's starting!" Su Xiaoxiao said excitedly.
On the screen, the green dot had entered the second floor of the Bone Crypt.
"He's being much more cautious this time… wait, what the f—?"
Seeing the dot start sprinting again, even the normally composed Qilin lost his decorum.
Black Tiger looked baffled. "Why? Is it even possible to 'one-shot' the second floor?"
"In theory, no," Instructor Qiu said. "There are nearly a hundred undead monsters, including two Bone Mages, three Skeleton Warriors, and a horde of standard Level 2 skeleton soldiers. A freshly awakened rookie shouldn't survive that without cheating."
"He's reached the final area. He's stopped… must be surrounded now."Qilin sighed. "Looks like he's about to get kicked out."
The green dot on the screen blinked erratically, like a flickering candle in the wind—everyone imagined Gu Ning buried under a pile of undead, desperately struggling.
"If only he'd taken it slow… there might've been a chance."
But before Instructor Qiu could finish, a bold line of text suddenly appeared and enlarged across the screen:
[Congratulations, newcomer (Gu Ning), has cleared all monsters and completed Bone Crypt – Second Floor. Time: 10 minutes 17 seconds.]