[Hero blessing activated. Nullifying curse. Mentality restored.]

'What was that? Where am I?'

"I'm telling you, its eyes just lit up." a female spoke with a shaky voice. She was afraid of something.

"There's no way. I just smashed its body to bits." a male responded with a deep voice.

"It doesn't matter, we got what we came for, so let's get out of here." a different male spoke.

'What are they talking about? Who are they?' As soon as he thought those words, he felt his body heat up, as if his core temperature was rapidly rising.

"What the hell? Why is it glowing?" the same female asked.

As the heat increased, he felt a tugging sensation on the joints where his limbs would be followed by a slight shove.

"Holy fuck. It just came back together. How is that possible?" the first male yelled out.

He heard feet shuffling and metal hitting against rock. He couldn't bear not being able to see what was happening. The heat that was heating up his body began moving to his eyes. He didn't feel his eyes open, simply everything coming into focus.

His eyes landed on the male between the others. A large bodybuilder of a man. He was wearing silver armor on his chest and the rest of his body was covered with what looked like leather weaved with fur. He had a large, double-sided ax in his hands. He couldn't tell what his facial features were due to the absence of sufficient light, but he could tell he wasn't happy about this predicament, as his jaw was clenched.

The male on his right was a few paces behind him and had on dark green clothes. They were connected and draped past his waist like a tunique. A wooden bow had an arrow already perched and a sack of arrows occupied his back. His long hair was tucked behind his ears, which came to a sharp point. Something Cade found very odd, but peculiar.

The female on the left wore a lavish red dress that came down to her ankles. Her neckline came down in a V-shape, stopping slightly above her chest, filling out the dress a bit. Her hair was a mix between blue and purple, a strange combination with the dress. She was holding a wooden staff that had a glowing, red gem imbued within the tip of the staff, the light casting a red glow over her face, the light flickering in her eyes.

They were all staring at him, as if he was a ghost. Which reminded him of the only thing that should matter. He looked down and his heart skipped a beat. Well, his non-existent heart because he was staring right through his rib cage.

He could see everything. Rather, through everything.

He was a skeleton.

Bare, naked and exposed.

No wonder they were staring at him like that. He would too. He looked back up and good thing he did. The ax wielder was swinging the giant weapon down at him. How did he not hear him approach? He lunged out of the way and flew further than he wanted. His body was extremely light.

"It's faster than before for some reason." the male in the middle said. "Slone, use your arrows."

Clearly the leader.

The pointy-eared person, Slone, drew back the arrow and released it. It landed at his feet, creating a crack in the stone ground.

Cade looked up at him. His jaw made the movements one would make to talk, but nothing came out. 'No vocal cords. Fuck.'

"Is it trying to talk?" the female asked.

"Freeze." As soon as Slone spoke that word, ice erupted from the arrow and wrapped itself around his left ankle. Cade did not feel the chill of the ice like he would normally. With the nerves gone, he probably wouldn't feel anything. He hit the ice with his bare knuckles, but only managed to create small fractures in the ice.

"Buff me, Mary." the ax wielder spoke.

"Okay, Marx." Mary replied. She began whispering to herself and the gem on the staff glowed brighter. As Marx advanced, his body was engulfed in the same red light. He swung his ax, faster this time.

Cade had a feeling he could dodge the ax, but not without receiving damage. As the ax reached his head, he leaned back and the ax slammed into the ice, sending him flying backwards from the shockwave.

As he shook his head, a red screen appeared before him. It was see-through and didn't disturb what he was supposed to be looking at, like in the darkness with Silian. He stared at it, reading the white words displayed.

[Durability has decreased to 94%]

'Durability?' He thought. He tried to get back up and fell on a bony ankle instead. His left foot was gone.

A shadow fell over him.

Cade awkwardly dove out of the way as the ax swung down at him again, barely dodging the huge blade. It sent chunks of rock flying as it split the floor where it landed. He looked about and located the female. That girl, Mary, was troublesome. Whatever she was doing with that weird staff was making Marx stronger and he didn't like that.

He got on his hands and began hobbling towards her. He needed a weapon, bare handed fights will probably not work, as he is nothing but a skeleton and there's no protection. He did not like attacking females, but he didn't really have a choice right now.

When he got a few feet from her, he pushed off of his good foot and crashed into her, a yelp escaping her lips. The pair tumbled back, but he had a plan already in mind. He sprung up and crawled towards the staff. Grabbing it, he began bending it over his knee and it broke in half with a crisp snap, red light flickering where it had broken. Was it supposed to be this feeble?

"No! Do you know how expensive that was?" Mary reached for her ankle and pulled out a dagger, raising it high. As she swung down, his combat instincts kicked in. He grabbed her wrist, squeezed and twisted, a loud pop followed. She yelled and dropped the knife, which fell into his bony hand. As soon as he had it, he thrust into her stomach, and she let out a forced grunt. He sliced to the side, and she fell over with a thud.

A blue screen popped up.

[117 EXP collected]

"Mary!" Marx yelled out. "You damn skeleton! I'll destroy you for that!" Marx heaved the ax over his head and lunged at him. Cade began crawling back as fast as three limbs would allow, dagger scraping against the floor.

He heard a whistling sound and looked to his right. An arrow was flying towards him. Was it his imagination or was the arrow moving slower than what it should be? He swung the hand with the dagger in it, and the arrow bounced off the blade. Changing directions, it impaled itself in Marx's left eye and he yelled out in pain, causing him to drop his ax as he reached for his face.

Now was his chance. Cade reached for the ax and tried to lift it, but it wouldn't budge at all.

A red screen popped up.

[Insufficient power level. You are unable to use this weapon.]

He kept yanking at it, but nothing happened, except the same message popping up again and again.

[Insufficient power level. You are unable to use this weapon.]

[Insufficient power level. You are unable to use this weapon.]

[Insufficient power level. You are unable to use this weapon.]

Not seeing any results, he gave up and made his way towards Marx. The dagger will have to do. Marx was trying to pull the arrow out, but Cade advanced first and began stabbing Marx in the neck over and over and over, not stopping until he received the strange message again.

[258 EXP collected]

He stopped stabbing and stared at the messages. He couldn't make sense of them. He received EXP by taking a life? What even was EXP? Even though he had spent a majority of his life in the military, he wasn't sure how he felt about how remorselessly he had just killed three people, but he had never gone against his instincts and training, since that's how he had stayed alive until that point. That's all that should matter. Plus, they had attacked him first, this was self-defense.

His thoughts were interrupted when an arrow passed through his ribcage, scrapping a rib bone and knocking it off. It skidded to a halt a few feet away as the arrow flew into the dark void beyond his vision.

[Durability has decreased to 89%]

Even though Slone froze for a few seconds after watching his comrades being massacred, he was still a threat with his ranged attacks. He couldn't use the ax and the dagger already had chips in it. It'll probably break after another hit or two. Such weak equipment.

When Cade gave Slone a quick look-down, he didn't see any weapons that could be used in the case he lost his bow. As Mary had stated before, he was faster than the original skeletal host and this gave him the edge needed to knock the opponents off their senses, since it looked like they were expecting an easy fight.

With a plan in mind, Cade threw the dagger as soon as Slone reached for another arrow. He dropped the bow with a yell as the dagger impaled him in the left shoulder. Cade charged Slone and leaped at him, throwing a right fist at his chin, knocking him back. Slone hit the wall behind him and slid down. Slone either had an insane glass jaw or Cade was stronger than he anticipated.

He hobbled his way towards Slone and yanked the dagger out of his shoulder. He thrust the dagger into his neck and left it there.

[171 EXP collected]

He hobbled back towards the ice patch, which had melted as soon as Slone stopped struggling. Picking up his foot, a message popped up.

[Would you like to activate auto-reassembly? Yes/No]

'Auto-reassembly? Interesting. Yes,' he replied.

At those words, the foot slipped out of his hand and merged back with the base of the ankle, the cracks mending seamlessly. He also felt a slight shove from behind as the missing rib flew back into place.

[Durability has reached 100%]

He balanced on his now repaired leg. Good as new.

Since there were no more visible threats, he simply set on the ground with an invisible sigh. Everything had happened so fast, he wasn't sure what to make of them. He came from one battlefield to another and has not had a single chance to get himself together and the chance that he gets is done with some sort of magic trick? He shook his head and looked about at the damage that he had done. Three dead bodies in a cave with a walking, talking skeleton. If others showed up and saw this, they wouldn't hesitate to attack, just as did this group of unfortunate souls.

He needed to clean this up.

Since he was in a cave and not in a familiar place, he didn't know how much time had flown by as he stacked everything into separate piles. He had dragged the three bodies into a hole in the ground that he found. They were visible, but only if you were looking for them.

He left the ax alone, as it was still too heavy for him to pick up, apparently. The dagger had crumbled to pieces after he killed Slone, so he only had the Bow and the broken staff left for weapons, both of which had interesting messages that popped up when he picked them up and examined them.

[Basic Hunting Bow] A bow made out of Kilt Wood. It has a flexible body and is mainly used by the Elves, a tribe known for their hunting expertise, although anyone can use this basic hunting bow.

[Staff of Gredion (Broken)] A wooden staff made from the bark of the Druiden Tree. The red gemstone is common among Conduits who can purify mana gems. No Mana Core detected, unable to wield.

The bow turned out to be the only useful weapon, as he didn't know what this Mana Core was nor did he know what his current capabilities were.

[Would you like to view your Status? Yes/No]

He perked up when the message popped up. Did it work in sync with his thoughts? Although he never said Status, did this System the Celestial mentioned connect similar words? If so, it'll make discovering things much simpler.

'Yes.' He replied.

A large, blue screen popped up.

[Name: Cade Winters]

[Species: Skeletal Feng]

[Title: Hero]

[Rank: F (0/12,500EXP)]

[Durability: F (100%)(0/1,000EXP)]

[Strength: F (0/2,000EXP)]

[Dexterity: F (0/2,000EXP)]

[Stamina: E (0/2,000EXP)]

[Mana Core: No Core (0/1,000EXP)]

[EXP Available: 546]

[Skill(s): Surge (S), Purity (C)]

[Bank: 0]

As he looked over this display, not a lot of the things he saw made sense. At least he retained his name, which saved a headache. As for everything else, he was confused. He tried saying the name of the things shown, but nothing happened. It seemed not everything was connected through thoughts or words.

Since the display looked like a computer screen, he wanted to try something. He tapped on [Skeletal Feng] to see what would happen. As soon as his bony finger connected with the smooth screen, a separate display appeared.

[Skeletal Feng] You are a Skeleton, thus you do not suffer from the effects of the world like the rest of Humanity. Since Skeletons are among the weakest of the Feng, your frame is fragile and is prone to fall apart if not properly protected. Fortify and strengthen your frame to mitigate the damage received. As Feng brought about the destruction of Urostar hundreds of years ago, they were inflicted with a mental restraining curse. As you were granted the [Hero] blessing, the curse has been lifted, restoring your mental fortitude.

'Immunity to curses? Is that what that message that woke me meant? It did say this species was cursed. One thing that bothered him was that it said he was the weakest among the Feng, whatever they were. If he was this weak and could still kill three armed assailants, how strong were the other species?'

He shook his head and continued reading. He wanted to know everything there was to know before he proceeded. He didn't know what lay waiting in the darkness. As he read, he tapped on words that appeared important, but only those that were in brackets would show a display with an explanation.

[Hero] Your blessing has become a [Title] and your perks have become [Skills]. Possessing a [Title] is extremely rare. There are a total of 87 beings with a [Title], with only 12 currently alive. Fights between [Titles] are not recommended as one must die for it to be a victory. Currently, 9 [Titles] have formed a guild and are working together to eliminate Feng. Even though you are a [Title], you are still a Feng. Do not throw caution to the wind if you come across another [Title].

'I'm not the only one who's met this Celestial being, it seems. Were they also from a different place like me? That would be nice, but I'll ask if I meet one of them. If they don't kill me first cause of my looks.'

[Rank] Your current Rank is F. Collect 12,500EXP to progress to Rank E. Rank requirements will be unlocked once you have made the needed progress. Rank is visible to everyone, regardless of circumstances. Higher Ranks have higher perks within Humanity.

'So, your Rank determines your standing in this world? Looks like I have a low Rank. At least it says what I need to raise it.'

He continued reading, as he was sure everything would make sense as he spent more time in this world.

[Durability] As you are a skeleton, you do not suffer from the things that living things suffer from. However, you are weak against most physical attacks. Acquire armor or strengthen your body to mitigate damage received during combat. Your Durability will reach 0% if your skull is destroyed. As long as your skull is in one piece, auto-reassembly will be possible. The closer the parts are to the skull, the faster the auto-reassembly process will be.

As long as his skull was intact, he could call his bones back to him? If he could call them back, could he also send them to places? If so, this would make fighting much easier. He wasn't sure how it would exactly work, but he wanted to give it a try regardless.

Cade raised his arms in front of him and grabbed his right wrist. Since he couldn't feel pain, he wasn't worried about the next part. Twisting, he removed the wrist from the joint and a message popped up.

[Durability has decreased to 95%]

Friendly or enemy damage, the System tracked both. Good to know.

The next part was important, if he couldn't do it, he had no complaints, but he'd still be disappointed.

He intensified his focus on that hand and mentally tried to imagine the hand lifting. Nothing happened. He shook his head and tried again. After a few minutes of attempting to make his hand levitate, nothing happened. He dropped his head in disappointment. Seemed he didn't have telekinetic control over his bones like he had hoped. With his theory bashed, he reattached the hand to his wrist.

[Durability has reached 100%]

With his understanding of [Durability] at a happy level, he continued reading.

[Strength] This Stat determines your overall strength and power. You can use EXP to raise it respectfully. Requirements will be displayed accordingly.

[Dexterity] This Stat determines your overall bodily functionality and combat mastery. You can use EXP to raise it respectfully. Requirements will be displayed accordingly.

[Stamina] This Stat determines your overall speed and movement. You can use EXP to raise it respectfully. Requirements will be displayed accordingly.

These so-called Stats were essentially his individual abilities. [Stamina] was a grade higher than the rest, so he understood why his body felt light and why the others claimed he was faster than before. Similar to how the System graded his Rank, these would prove beneficial the higher the grade was.

[Mana Core] Your Mana Core has yet to awaken. Use 1,000EXP to awaken your Mana Core.

As he read Mana Core, it provided him no information regarding what Mana Core was or how to use it. It simply stated what he'd need to awaken it. Maybe once he awakened it, it'll explain everything, or so he hoped.

[EXP Collected: 546]

Even though there was no explanation, he didn't need one, as he understood that all the EXP he collects is automatically stored here for him to later use to raise his rank, stats and skills.

[Skills: Surge (X), Purity (C)]

[Surge] The EXP you collect will be tripled, helping you grow at a faster rate than the rest of Humanity. This is a passive skill with a max rank. No further action required.

His growth rate was tripled? Even though it appeared like a cheat, he didn't really care if it helped him gain power as the weakest Feng. He would use this opportunity very well.

The last portion on this Status was [Bank]. It seemed even this world had a form of currency, and he wondered what it looked like.

As he sat on the ground, he did a double check of all the information and than a triple check. Things like his Rank, Stats, and Skills he would keep a close eye on to learn more about once they rise in level. Everything else he felt he didn't need to monitor.

Satisfied with this new knowledge, he wanted to know more about the mechanics of these screens. Since he could touch them, he made a swiping motion on the screen, but it simply shifted places and did not vanish. Was it mental? He thought about the screen disappearing and it did. He mentally called the screen back and it showed up. After making the screens appear and disappear a little longer, he could call any screen he wanted with his mind. Thus, he made a mental note to have only the essential screens show and keep the others hidden.

As he felt satisfied with everything, he stood up and made his way towards the two piles he had made. One pile for the clothes and one pile for the weapons. As he scanned them, he could only use the equipment Slone was wearing. Once he had put on the boots and green tunique, he put the bow and arrow satchel over his back. He didn't know if he looked good, but it was better than being exposed to the world.

He knew that the System hadn't shown him everything he wanted to know, he was confident with the information he learned, nonetheless. As such, he felt he was ready to explore whatever lay ahead.

First, he would need to find a way out of this cave.