The sudden turn of events left him utterly shocked. He swiftly turned his gaze toward the direction from which the Bone Spear had flown.

Outside the Shelter, in the Thick Fog Jungle, a massive Skeleton Army had appeared at some unknown moment and was now pouring forth. At its center stood a young mage. Clad in a luxurious Mage Robe and holding a crystal ball that shone with a mysterious light, he was methodically casting magic against the Demon Battle Group that besieged the Shelter. Li Guang could hardly estimate how many skeletons were outside. He could only see what looked like an ocean of them, packed so densely they covered every inch of the land.

Stunned by the sight, Li Guang gripped his longbow tightly and shouted, "The Fiery Demon is dead! Reinforcements have arrived! Counterattack! Counterattack!"

His voice echoed through the Shelter, inspiring every human trapped inside. However, the ferocious Demon Battle Group reacted even faster than the refugees. A group of Little Inferior Demons spotted Fang Zhou. They screamed, raised their steel forks, and aggressively surrounded him.

Faced with these Abyssal creatures—their skin crimson and their eyes burning with evil flames—Fang Zhou showed no sign of retreat, calmly observing the scene. The Little Inferior Demons swarmed him, only to cry out in terror moments later. Beside Fang Zhou, a dozen long spears gleaming with a cold light had formed a small defensive phalanx, like an impregnable fortress. Immediately after, more than a dozen fully armed Long Spear Skeletons charged out from the fog. They formed an unyielding Spear Array and began to crush the Little Inferior Demons, each spear carrying an icy chill as it pierced the air with a sharp whistle.

Having lost their leader, the Fiery Demon, the Little Inferior Demons' fighting spirit had plummeted. Facing such a powerful new opponent, the few at the very front let out strange croaking noises before turning to flee in all directions. At that moment, the tide of the battle turned. The humans and the Skeleton Army, originally at a disadvantage, began to gain the upper hand, while the Demon Battle Group fell into an unprecedented crisis.

The five or six-meter-high wall stood under the night sky, an almost insurmountable chasm for any ordinary human. Yet, for the Little Inferior Demons from the Abyss, this was merely a small obstacle. These ugly little creatures had a pair of short, fleshy wings on their backs. While not capable of true flight, the wings granted them extraordinary jumping ability. With a single push from their legs, aided by their wings, the Little Inferior Demons could easily leap onto the wall and peer down at the human Shelter below.

Just as the Little Inferior Demons prepared to leap over the wall and into the Shelter, a violent explosion shattered the quiet of the night. Accompanied by billowing smoke, three large demons appeared before everyone: two Horned Demons with hideous horns and a Dog Demon exhaling a foul stench. Their eyes glinted fiercely in the darkness. Clearly, the explosion and smoke had not disoriented them. Instead, it only fanned the flames of their rage. Soon, they spotted their fallen leader. The corpse of the Fiery Demon lay silently in a pool of blood.

Anger and a desire for revenge drove these three demons. They roared thunderously, abandoned their plan to attack the refugees in the Shelter, and instead charged toward Fang Zhou—the Undead Mage who had dared to challenge them.

If this had been someone like Lu Renjia or Lu Yiyi, ordinary upper-level Apprentices with average combat power, facing three powerful demons along with dozens of Little Inferior Demons and Demon Children would have been a death sentence. Even the most experienced Apprentice-level Professional would struggle to escape unscathed in such a situation and might even be completely overwhelmed by the tide of demons.

However, Fang Zhou was not one of them. Though he stood alone, he had no such concerns. This was because he was surrounded by fifty Skeleton Warriors, loyal undead servants who were his strongest shield and sharpest sword.

To end the battle quickly and improve his mission rating, Fang Zhou decided to stop holding back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, the Berserker Heroic Spirit Mark in his mind began to emit a dazzling light. A radiant flash later, a Berserker Heroic Spirit named Olaf appeared on the battlefield. He was over two meters tall, his body formed from gnarled, knotted bone. Olaf's strength had also reached the upper Apprentice level along with Fang Zhou's.

Next, Fang Zhou raised his crystal ball high and began to chant. As he did, the energy within the crystal ball condensed, transforming into spectral lights that scattered over the fifty Skeleton Warriors. The spell, Crowned with Death, concentrated the power of all the Skeleton Warriors onto Olaf, instantly elevating his combat prowess to a new level.

Then, Fang Zhou unleashed three Aura Skills. The Brutal Aura made the Skeleton Warriors more ferocious, each swing of their swords seeming to carry the breath of death. The Iron Wall Aura enhanced their defense, rendering their bones unbreakable. And the Horror Aura plunged all surrounding creatures into fear, including the demons that were preparing to attack.

With the enhancement from these three auras, the Skeleton Army led by Olaf reached its peak combat effectiveness. Like an unstoppable torrent, they launched a fierce counterattack against the demons.

Before the Demon Battle Group could even react, Fang Zhou quickly tilted his head back and downed a valuable Spiritual Recovery Potion. As the potion flowed down his throat, a cool, refreshing sensation spread through his body. He then activated his Calm and Relaxed skill, and his Spiritual Power was instantly restored to its maximum.

Fang Zhou began a rapid-fire casting sequence. Only one skill was repeated: Death Ripple. This skill unleashed waves of destructive force, inflicting massive damage on enemies within its range. As Fang Zhou chanted, his hands swiftly formed complex hand seals, and it felt as if an unseen power was coalescing in the air. Upon the spell's completion, the space before him seemed to distort slightly. A moment later, a deep purple energy ripple spread out swiftly from his feet.

Wherever these deep purple ripples passed, the Little Inferior Demons wailed and collapsed. The waves not only penetrated their armor but also drained their life energy, bit by bit, until they turned to dust.

It wasn't that Fang Zhou was unable to summon more skeletons; the fifty fully armed skeletons led by Olaf were more than enough to handle the demoralized Demon Battle Group. As for the two Horned Demons and the one Dog Demon, they were particularly conspicuous on the battlefield, yet they played little role in the fight. With Fang Zhou's increase in power, Olaf's strength had also grown significantly. Under Olaf's leadership, more than a dozen melee skeletons quickly surrounded the three elite demons, drowning them in a sea of bones. Fang Zhou didn't even have a chance to use his Skeleton Flying Spear skill to pick off the elite demons before they were annihilated by the surrounding Skeleton Army.

In less than ten minutes, the once-imposing Demon Battle Group that had surrounded the Shelter was completely annihilated by the combined assault of Fang Zhou and his Skeleton Army. Some Little Inferior Demons tried to flee, but in Fang Zhou's eyes, every single demon's life affected his battle rating. He would not allow a single one to escape. Therefore, he cast several more rounds of Death Ripple, completely wiping out the last struggling demons.

Then, the scene before him froze. The Simulation Battlefield system prompt sounded again.

"Task complete. Duration: 18 minutes 30 seconds. Mission Rating: [Perfect]. Reward: 4.5 contribution points."

"First completion of [Shelter Defense Battle] on Easy difficulty. First Clear Reward: 6 contribution points."

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