Empowered by these dual skills, the Skeleton Army became even more indestructible and invincible.

The battlefield was strewn with demonic remains and filled with their wails, while the Skeleton Army gradually assumed a victorious posture. After the countless cannon fodder units, the Little Inferior Demons, were all exterminated, the battle entered a new, more intense stage.

The Horned Demons and Dog Demons, massive demons of astonishing power, began to reveal their ferocious nature. Their muscles tensed in the heat of combat, and a savage light gleamed in their eyes.

However, even when faced with such formidable opponents, Fang Zhou's Skeleton Army did not retreat a single step. With their unique tenacity and fearlessness in the face of death, the Skeleton soldiers launched wave after wave of attacks. Neither the sharp horns of the Horned Demons nor the claws of the Dog Demons could halt the seemingly endless charge of the Skeleton Army.

Every collision was accompanied by the sound of metal striking bone, and every fallen skeleton was instantly replaced by a new one. This continued until the Horned Demons and Dog Demons could no longer hold out, falling one by one in the unyielding battle.

Fang Zhou caught the Horned Demon Commander off guard, tightly restraining it with his Skeleton Shackles skill. Though it struggled desperately, its enormous body seemed weak and powerless against the invisible bonds.

Then, the Berserker Heroic Spirit, Olaf, stepped forward. Wielding his heavy War Axe like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky, he cleaved off the Commander's head with thunderous force.

Having lost its leader and the protection of the melee demons, the Fiery Demon leader tried to find a glimmer of hope amid the chaos, attempting to break through the encirclement. However, without its frontline meat shields, its massive body became a perfect target for the Skeleton Archers.

Countless arrows flew from all directions, each carrying deadly force, mercilessly penetrating its body. The Fiery Demon leader let out a desperate roar, but it was quickly drowned in the dense arrow rain, ultimately turning into a pile of charred remains.

As the last demon wail faded into the night sky, Fang Zhou and his Skeleton Army had achieved a complete victory in this head-on confrontation.

The only price was the loss of half his Skeleton Army. After all, these skeleton soldiers were merely pawns that he could easily replenish, a loss that only cost him a fraction of his Spiritual Power. If it had been an army of flesh and blood, such heavy casualties would have brought it to the brink of collapse, making it a pyrrhic victory at best. But for Fang Zhou and his Undead Army, this was just a small price to pay on the road to victory.

Throughout the battle, Fang Zhou had slaughtered all the demons with a powerful, head-on approach. Consequently, the Shelter's guards and refugees suffered no casualties.

Watching the Demon Legion vanish among the hills, the Shelter's guards halted their pursuit.

Then the screen froze, and a series of system notifications appeared.

"Mission Complete. Time: 20 minutes. Clearance Rating: [Perfect]. Received clearance reward of 13.5 contribution points."

"First-time clearance of [Shelter Defense Battle] on Hard difficulty. Received first-clearance reward of 18 contribution points."

"Congratulations, Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou! Your team is the first in your grade to clear the [Shelter Defense Battle] on Hard difficulty. You have received the grade-first clearance reward of 45 contribution points and the achievement blessing: Simulation Battlefield Loot Drop Chance +1% (Total: 11%)."

"Congratulations, Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou! You cleared the [Shelter Defense Battle] on Hard difficulty in 20 minutes, placing you 1st on the all-time speedrun leaderboard. Your estimated monthly ranking reward is 27 contribution points."

"Loot drop triggered. Received [Low-level Soul Calming Potion] x15, redeemable for 30 contribution points."

"You may challenge Abyss Difficulty in 5 minutes."

First in the grade to clear it!

First on the all-time speedrun leaderboard!

Fang Zhou's expression was calm as he pushed open the lid of his pod, only to find that the second-year students had completely surrounded his Simulation Pod. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity and admiration, eagerly awaiting the appearance of this new hero.

When Fang Zhou's figure emerged from the Simulation Pod, Lu Renjia immediately stepped forward. His eyes were filled with excitement and admiration. "You're truly amazing, Fang Zhou!"

Fang Zhou smiled and waved his hand, his movements relaxed and natural, his tone tinged with humility. "Thanks for the compliment, Senior Brother Lu, but now isn't the time for that. We need to prepare quickly. Next, we're challenging the Shelter Defense Battle on Abyss Difficulty."

Hearing this, Lu Yiyi, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Got it, Fang Zhou. Fortunately, Lu Renjia and I already managed to raise our battle rating on Hard difficulty to 'Good,' which was just enough to qualify us to challenge Abyss Difficulty. Lu Renjia and I will enter the Simulation Battlefield now. Please wait for us, Fang Zhou!"

With that, Lu Yiyi pulled Lu Renjia along, and they hastily found an empty Simulation Pod. They climbed in and began anxiously adjusting the equipment and skills of their virtual projections.

Fang Zhou gave a polite nod to the surrounding second-year students, then turned and stepped back into his own Simulation Pod.

The second-year Mage who had wanted to befriend Fang Zhou gripped his Magic Staff tightly and sighed to himself.

Get one step ahead, and you stay ahead forever. In this world teeming with powerful individuals, anyone surpassed by a prodigy like Fang Zhou would likely never have a chance to get ahead of him again.

These ordinary second-year students had been in their cultivation for nearly a year and had long understood the delicate balance between talent and effort.

Talent was an innate advantage that determined the highest realm a person could reach. Effort, on the other hand, was the accumulation of hard work that determined how solid one's foundational skills were. All they could do was continuously raise their own baseline through sweat and struggle, while hoping that constant combat would awaken their latent Talent.

***

Meanwhile, Instructor Lu Hu was silently observing everything from a distance. He quickly compiled Fang Zhou's performance in the Shelter Defense Battle on Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties, then packaged the precious video files and sent them to the academy's Principal, Su Tiankuo.

He was confident that with such iron-clad facts, Principal Su would surely agree to let Fang Zhou operate solo.

***

Inside the Simulation Battlefield, Fang Zhou, Lu Renjia, and Lu Yiyi had successfully formed a team, naturally named the [Calamity Squad].

Fang Zhou, Apprentice Upper-tier Undead Mage.

Lu Renjia, Apprentice Upper-tier Warrior.

Lu Yiyi, Apprentice Upper-tier Archer.

The two of them had truthfully disclosed all their equipment and skill configurations to Fang Zhou, assuring him that they would follow his orders without question.

Fang Zhou nodded, satisfied with their attitude. He himself would naturally be the main force in the upcoming battle. But Lu Renjia and Lu Yiyi were, after all, well-trained students from Sea City Military Academy; they could certainly be of some help.

Before they entered the Abyss Difficulty Simulation Battlefield, Lu Renjia spoke to Fang Zhou. "Fang Zhou, although Lu Yiyi and I have never challenged Abyss Difficulty, we've gathered some intel from our year's Seed Students. Abyss Difficulty is completely different from the other three difficulties. Even though it's still called the Shelter Defense Battle, the terrain, the enemies you face, and the allies you have are all different.

"Some scenarios might give you a Shelter with complete defensive fortifications to rely on, but it's only filled with the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Other scenarios might drop you in a Shelter that's already a pile of ruins with no geographical advantage, but you might have an NPC armed force to assist you.

"Regardless of the scenario, the difficulty is extremely high. For an Undead Mage like you, Fang Zhou, who can summon hundreds of skeletons, a scenario with defensive structures to rely on is definitely the most advantageous."

Fang Zhou nodded, agreeing with Lu Renjia's assessment. However, that variable was completely randomized by the Simulation Battlefield System. Even he had no idea what situation to expect.

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