In the end, Zhao Lun gave in—gave in to reality, and even more so to the unstoppable loyalty of his two mutated skeletons. After Phyllis helped reassemble Greatsword No. 1's bones, Zhao Lun picked himself a new sparring partner: an ordinary Level-4 greatsword skeleton.
It didn't take long for him to realize just how terrible his melee skills were. Even with equal strength, he was completely overwhelmed in under three minutes.
Stung by the reality of his weakness, Zhao Lun angrily stopped Olis—who was already charging in to "finish the fight" by dismantling this new sparring partner, same as last time. Wielding his bone greatsword, Zhao Lun threw himself back into the fight.
Four minutes later, he was defeated again. Gritting his teeth, he immediately went back for another round.
Five minutes after that, yet another crushing loss had Zhao Lun completely fired up. Roaring, he swung his greatsword and charged once more.
Perhaps this kind of raw, no-holds-barred combat was exactly what he needed. Zhao Lun fought like a madman, attacking recklessly, losing again and again but always throwing himself right back in. To him, this ordinary Level-4 greatsword skeleton had become an unbreakable raid boss. In that moment, it was as if Zhao Lun had been transported back to his past life—back in front of his computer, burning through the days of his youth.
Yes, Zhao Lun was a mage at heart. And he loved this identity. But in the Underworld, living alone and facing life-or-death challenges every single day, he'd built up shadows in his heart—frustrations he'd never truly vented. That was why his fighting style was so reckless, why he could exchange polite words one moment and drive his staff through a bronze skeleton's skull the next.
And as it turned out, Zhao Lun had a real knack for melee. After an hour of nonstop fighting, he was gradually picking up his opponent's attack patterns, learning how to counter them. He still couldn't beat the greatsword skeleton, but he could at least hold his ground without being taken down instantly.
Two hours in, he finally spotted an opening. One swift slash, and his opponent hit the dirt—his first victory against the Level-4 greatsword skeleton.
"Ha! Again!"
Hooked on the rush, Zhao Lun dove back into combat.
By the three-hour mark, he could easily defeat the Level-4 greatsword skeleton. His rapid improvement was thanks not just to his frightening combat talent, but also to the fact that his raw strength was already close to his opponent's—and the greatsword skeleton's attack patterns were rather stiff.
Zhao Lun knew this, so after his win, he called over a spear skeleton, a great-axe skeleton, and a bone-shield skeleton to train against. One hour later, he'd beaten all three in turn, and finally allowed himself a short break.
After reviewing his gains, Zhao Lun summoned the reassembled Greatsword No. 1. He figured he was now strong enough to take revenge with his own hands.
Reality quickly proved him wrong. Elite-class skeletons were far stronger than ordinary ones. Greatsword No. 1 had him on the defensive from the very start, beating him so hard he could barely catch his breath. Zhao Lun began to wonder if his four hours of intense training had been a complete waste of time.
Off to the side, Olis and Phyllis watched Greatsword No. 1 hammer Zhao Lun. The flames in their eye sockets practically blazed, but under Zhao Lun's repeated orders, they restrained themselves—for now. Four or five minutes into the fight, they still hadn't jumped in, though from the look of them, it wouldn't be long.
Zhao Lun didn't give them the chance. After holding out for another minute, he called Greatsword No. 1 off and stood there, greatsword in hand, thinking.
He knew the truth: it wasn't that he hadn't improved—it was that Greatsword No. 1 was too strong. The gap in physical ability was simply enormous. Not only was his opponent far stronger, he was also much faster. Power crushes all; no matter how much Zhao Lun trained, his current skeleton body simply couldn't match Greatsword No. 1 in pure melee.
Fine. If pure melee won't cut it, I'll add in my real specialty. Let's see who's beating who this time. Greatsword No. 1—again!
With a sweep of his greatsword, Zhao Lun charged.
Obeying the command, Greatsword No. 1 swung without hesitation, his blade smashing down as Zhao Lun closed in.
Clang! Zhao Lun caught the blow on his own sword, though the force made his bones tremble. He didn't care.
Now!
The flame in his eyes flared. In less than half a second—the time it took to block that swing—he unleashed a Stun spell. Greatsword No. 1's eye-flames dimmed, his blade suddenly heavy and slow. Seizing the moment, Zhao Lun struck his opponent's hand, knocking the weapon away, then spun and delivered a clean roundhouse kick that sent Greatsword No. 1 sprawling.
One round. Victory.
Zhao Lun, however, wasn't satisfied—not because he thought he could win faster, but because the coordination between his spells and melee still felt awkward.
Melee, for him, was a last line of defense. If he was fighting with a sword, it meant he was ready to risk death. That made it all the more important to master close-quarters combat, to turn the tables when it mattered most. And if pure melee had its limits, then blending magic with swordplay was the only way forward.
If he could master this hybrid style, he'd be able to crush enemies at range with magic and still give them hell up close. But magic-melee integration wasn't easy. Yes, he'd beaten Greatsword No. 1 in one round, but the awkwardness in the transitions was obvious. Against someone like Olis, he wasn't sure he could pull it off.