The white light faded, and the scene gradually froze into view.Before Gu Ning was a vast, pitch-dark plain shrouded in a thin, misty fog. Visibility was limited, but he could vaguely make out the rolling outline of distant mountains, like the spines of giant beasts.
The Dead Bone Mountains were huge. Even for Awakeners on foot, crossing the entire map would take several days.
Gu Ning opened his map — a key difference between the Borderlands and the spirit realm planes was that Awakeners could bring real-world items inside.
Using this feature, the military had set up rest camps at various points throughout the Dead Bone Mountains. The locations of each camp were marked clearly on Gu Ning's map.
"My current position should be called the Black Plain."
Gu Ning looked ahead. "The map marks hazardous and forbidden zones within the Dead Bone Mountains, along with recommended exploration levels for each area. The outer regions are suggested for level 1 Awakeners, the middle for level 2, and the deepest parts for level 3…"
This clear gradation in danger levels was due to differences in the concentration of spirit energy particles. The outer areas had low concentrations, the middle zones higher, and the deepest, most dangerous places—especially several hazardous spots—had the strongest concentrations.
If spirit realm creatures were like fish, then spirit energy particle concentration was their nutrients. They instinctively gathered where the concentration was highest, but these creatures also had territorial instincts. Only the strongest had the right to occupy the richest zones, and so on.
Of course, this was not a game—sometimes unexpected events happened, and monsters from the deepest zones would occasionally wander into the middle or even outer areas.
Ahead, a rotting skeleton dragged a rusty curved sword, stumbling about without noticing Gu Ning.
Gu Ning stepped forward and swung his bone hammer a few times, quickly smashing the rotten skeleton to pieces.
Monsters in the Borderlands didn't drop treasure chests, but Awakeners could scavenge their corpses and strip off their equipment!
Of course, this equipment was in an [Unsealed] state—Awakeners could not complete the spirit energy particle resonance step, so the gear couldn't be properly used and was only good for makeshift weapons or firewood.
Gu Ning bent down and picked up the rusty curved sword from the rotten skeleton's corpse.
[Rusty Curved Sword (Unsealed)][Quality: Rough (Gray)][Equipment Slot: One-Handed][Requirement: Basic Strength 3][Attributes: Attack Power 1–2][Additional Skill: Fragile — Equipment durability decreases more easily.][Durability: 9/20][Description: This curved sword is severely rusted. Only the ignorant would consider it reliable.]
At the same time, Gu Ning received a prompt from the spirit realm will:[This equipment is not sealed and cannot resonate with spirit energy particles.]
Though Gu Ning could hold the sword, its extra attributes were inactive.
However, scavenged equipment from the Borderlands could still be collected and packaged to sell to abandoned equipment recycling companies. These companies dismantled and melted down gear to convert it into spirit metal materials.
If lucky, finding rare equipment on powerful monsters allowed the use of a drop of [Beeswax] to perform a second sealing. Sealed equipment could then be used normally by Awakeners.
Of course, there were different grades of [Beeswax], with high-grade [Golden Beeswax] being expensive—sometimes costing as much as a piece of gold equipment itself. Whether secondary sealing was worthwhile depended on the situation.
Gu Ning tossed the gray curved sword into his storage space and moved on, soon spotting several more rotten skeletons.
The virtual dungeon he had previously explored, [White Bone Catacombs], was based on the Dead Bone Mountains Borderland. Monsters like rotten skeletons, skeleton soldiers, and death bone mages all originated from the Dead Bone Mountains.
The first, second, and third levels of the White Bone Catacombs corresponded roughly to the Dead Bone Mountains' level 1, 2, and 3 zones.
One key difference: the White Bone Catacombs were virtual dungeons—useful for training combat specialties and skill proficiency, but they didn't grant professional experience or loot. The Dead Bone Mountains, on the other hand, were a real Borderland, granting valuable professional experience, i.e., leveling, plus loot and materials.
After walking for several hours on the Black Plain, Gu Ning entered the level 2 zone—the midsection of the Dead Bone Mountains.
This was a fairly open valley named "Black Mist Valley" on the map.
Gu Ning first located the camp in Black Mist Valley, a bunker set up by the military.
To prevent the camp from being destroyed by newly spawned monsters during the Borderland's closed period, the military had dug downwards when building the camp, making it a bunker.
Inside, dust and cobwebs were everywhere, showing it hadn't been used in a long time.
Since no Awakeners entered for three months in real time, and time inside accelerated, it was probably several years since the bunker was last occupied.
The bunker was empty except for simple military cots and small tables made of stainless steel. Though basic, it was still suitable for temporary rest, and its concealment helped avoid wandering monsters.
Though Awakeners could fight well without sleep for days, if their mental energy dried up, rest was necessary to recover. So having a rest spot was important.
Gu Ning took the key, stepped out of the bunker, and locked its iron door behind him.
This bunker was temporarily his.
The military forbade Awakeners from damaging public facilities, with heavy penalties for violators. So the iron door could prevent others from sneaking in to some extent.
"Black Mist Valley has a lot of monsters, mostly level 1 and 2—perfect for my training."
Gu Ning strode forward, holding a stone in his hand. Seeing shadowy monster shapes in the mist, he threw a stone to lure them over.
After learning the [Spinning Throw] skill, Gu Ning's stone throws were accurate even without activating the skill. That was the difference combat skills made for Awakeners.
Soon, a group of skeleton monsters followed him. Most were ordinary skeleton soldiers, accompanied by two skeleton warriors.
"Chitin skin, activate! Flesh armor, activate!"
Strands of blood-red energy were drawn from the surrounding monsters and absorbed by Gu Ning, forming a crimson shield.
Two minutes later, all skeleton soldiers lay dead, and the two skeleton warriors were near death.
After killing one skeleton warrior, Gu Ning had the other on the verge of death. The latter knelt, leaning on its greatsword, waiting for time to pass to restore health.
Gu Ning extended a finger, and a drop of crimson blood appeared at his fingertip.
"Pure Blood Dominion!"
The blood drop fell atop the skeleton warrior's head, quickly seeping into its skull and spreading through its body.
The remnants of the warrior's soul fire flickered violently, as if struggling in will.
Seconds later, it stood up and solemnly stood by Gu Ning's side, dragging its greatsword.
Gu Ning received a notification: he gained 2 points of Vitality Source. Including the one from the dead skeleton warrior, his total Vitality Source rose to 83/100.
Gu Ning allocated all 7 free attribute points granted by the Pure Blood to the skeleton warrior's Strength.
Crack crack!
Bones exploded in sound as the skeleton warrior's bones thickened and enlarged, and the soul fire in its eye sockets burned brighter.