The skeletal warhorse neighed in pain, slamming its front hooves down and kicking up its hind legs with a sudden, violent strike!
Gu Ning's chest caved in dramatically under the blow, sending ripples through his entire skeleton like a fluid. Two distinct hoof prints even protruded from his back.
The immense force sent him flying backward, blood spurting from his mouth. That kick was brutal—easily dealing over 100 points of blunt damage. Considering the skeletal warhorse had a two-level advantage over him, it inflicted an additional 20% damage.
Fortunately, Gu Ning had already activated [Fluid Skeleton], which specifically reduced blunt damage. Even so, he still lost more than 50 HP.
Taking a 50-point hit all at once was entirely different from slowly losing 50 HP over time. The greatest risk was that a powerful single blow could cause additional injuries.
Clutching his chest, Gu Ning coughed.
[Your ribcage is fractured. This will affect your physical exertion efficiency.]
The notification from the Will of the Spirit Realm echoed clearly in his mind.
Gu Ning straightened his posture. Although he had no formal combat training, a lifetime of enduring illness had forged an incredibly resilient will. A rib fracture wasn't enough to take him out of the fight.
The skeletal warhorse had taken a [Spinning Strike] to the front leg—an extremely high-damage slash. The leg was nearly severed, leaving the beast limping like a lame mule.
A crippled front leg didn't just slow the horse down; it also reduced the effectiveness of its trampling, side kicks, and other attacks, making it far less threatening.
The real problem now was the noise from the fight—it had drawn the attention of other monsters from the third level's entrance. One by one, ghostly soul-fires flickered to life. Accompanied by hoarse, rasping groans, three to five staggering figures began to approach.
Most of the monsters on this third level were around Level 3. While many were still standard types, the proportion of elite variants had increased sharply. Some were even enhanced elites.
The skeletal warhorse, for example, was clearly not a mere Level 3 elite—it was likely a Level 3 Enhanced Elite, on par with Lieutenant Zweig from before.
Gu Ning took a step forward, blocking the choke point. He took a deep breath and switched his [Adaptive Evolution] from fluid skeleton to Keratin Skin, then activated [Flesh Armor].
He had to hold the line against the just-awakened monsters—to buy time for the Skeleton Warrior.
The skeleton warrior swung its massive sword, hacking at the warhorse blow by blow. With one leg crippled, the skeletal warhorse could barely dodge. Its side kicks and hoof strikes had lost most of their power—it could only take the hits, occasionally letting out a miserable whinny.
At the same time, Gu Ning ignored the monsters approaching from behind. He raised his bone mace and continued smashing the skeletal warhorse. With his tankiness, even if he didn't dodge at all, he could survive several minutes of being mobbed.
Finally, the skeletal warhorse let out a long, anguished cry and collapsed, its bone sockets extinguishing as the soul-fire within vanished.
A Level 3 virtual treasure chest turned into a beam of light and merged into Gu Ning's body.
Just as he turned around to deal with the approaching monsters behind him, a furious roar echoed from deep within the catacombs.
The roar didn't come in any known language. It was a unique, rhythmic pulse—but somehow, Gu Ning could understand the meaning behind it, as if it were a kind of psychic wave.
"Who dares to touch my beloved steed?! I swear I'll tear you limb from limb!"
The strange resonating roar shook the entire third layer of the catacombs. One after another, sleeping skeletal monsters awakened, grabbing their weapons and charging toward Gu Ning at the entrance.
"Shit."
Gu Ning cursed under his breath. He hadn't expected that the skeletal warhorse was actually the mount of the third-level boss—and worse, the trigger for a full-blown monster riot. Killing it had enraged the boss and triggered all the creatures on this floor into a frenzy.
The skeletal warhorse had likely been patrolling its territory when Gu Ning just happened to stumble upon it. Bad luck.
He had no choice but to end the trial. A flash of light enveloped him, and his figure vanished.
The scene shifted. He entered the result screen.
The background was a creepy graveyard gate, ghost flames flickering in the distance—clearly the entrance to the first level of the Bone Catacombs.
Swish, swish, swish—
Rows of virtual treasure chests appeared neatly before him. Three Level-1 chests and four Level-2 chests had already been opened, with their virtual rewards displayed behind them.
Only the final Level-3 chest remained unopened.
Gu Ning chose to open it.
[Congratulations, Recruit (Gu Ning), you've received the reward: Unstable Shield Skill Book. Please collect it from the appropriate Shen Ce Army division.]
"Unstable Shield?" Gu Ning's eyes lit up. He had never seen this skill book on the Shen Ce Army's exchange list.
What did that mean?
It meant that the skill book was a rare item hidden from his current authority level—he couldn't even see it before now!
All the chests faded, and one final reward appeared as text in front of him.
[Congratulations, Recruit (Gu Ning). Based on your exceptional performance, you've earned one entry qualification to the Boundary Zone: Deadbone Mountains. Please claim it at the appropriate Shen Ce Army division.]
This was the special reward Qilin had mentioned—the qualification to enter a real Boundary Zone!
The Bone Catacombs just now had only been a virtual dungeon, modeled after the Boundary Zone, designed to hone one's combat proficiency. It didn't grant actual level experience, and all rewards were virtual and had to be exchanged afterward.
But the real Boundary Zone was a true secret realm where the Spirit Realm and the real world intersected—a treasure trove of opportunities!
The countdown finished. Gu Ning exited the Bone Catacombs instance. The environment shifted again—he was back at the end of the underground tunnel, in front of the Black Iron Gate.
The massive gate remained tightly shut. Gu Ning gave it a push—didn't budge an inch.
It looked like he'd only be able to open it again if he earned another qualification to explore the Bone Catacombs.
"Holy crap, you're amazing!" came Heihu's exaggerated voice.
"I thought Mad Dog was the unbeatable monster of the second cohort," Qilin added. "But I didn't expect someone like you to show up. It's a shame you're a year too late—otherwise, you might've rivaled him."
Qilin and Heihu were joined by Su Xiaoxiao, who had come running with them from the tactical research center just to greet Gu Ning.
This was the halo of power at work. In the era of Psionics, individual strength was everything. The strong commanded respect wherever they went.
"Xiao Gu Ning," Su Xiaoxiao said with a warm smile, "Instructor Qiu has temporarily rated your potential as S-Class—that's the highest rating our organization gives to rookies."
She handed him a beautifully crafted wristwatch. "Here, your personal information terminal. Your ID card is embedded in it. You'll be able to check your honors, access restricted materials, and browse military exchange items."
Before the Psionic Era, these terminals were simply called smartphones.
Of course, these were far beyond any normal phone. The personal terminal issued to Gu Ning—Stellar II Super—was shockproof, drop-resistant, equipped with iris recognition, AI assistant, psionic recording, and could connect to psionic signal networks. It had full signal coverage even in Boundary Zones or wilderness areas.
Gu Ning accepted it without ceremony. While a high-end terminal might be trivial to other Awakened, for someone like him—who had started with nothing—it was a godsend.
"You look a bit worn out. Want to rest first? You can redeem your virtual rewards later," Su Xiaoxiao said, looking at Gu Ning's slightly pale, handsome face. Her hidden maternal instincts were clearly activated.