Chapter 5: 005 Talent Awakening
On the Rotting Corpse Plain, Dean McKenzie struggled to push off the corpses piled atop him, reaching towards a point of light.
[You have activated one Light Point and have received the equipment [Skeleton Wand]!]
The next second, a wand about fifty centimeters long, fashioned entirely from bone, topped with a small skull, materialized in his hand.
The moment the wand appeared, its attributes were displayed in front of Dean.
...
Equipment: Skeleton Wand
Quality: Common
Level: 5
Usage Requirements: Necromancer
Durability: 150/150
Attributes:
1, Mana Recovery Level 1 (1 point/5 minutes)
2, Skill [Summon Skeleton] +1 level (Maximum Level 3)
...
It took a while for Dean to express his awe at the attributes of this equipment.
"It seems like my luck has really turned around recently!"
Although Dean didn't know much about professional mages, he knew the item in his hand was indeed a valuable one.
The moment he grabbed the wand, he felt a surge of power flowing into his body from it.
At the same time, Dean naturally discovered that he seemed to have mastered a new skill, and the information about this skill appeared before his eyes.
...
Skill: Summon Skeleton
Level: 1
Chant: Servant of Bones, the Immortals, explore the essence of death
Effect: Summon 1 undead creature (Skeleton) of level 3
Mana Consumption: 20 points (Summon) (1 point/30 minutes) (Existence)
...
Looking at this skill, Dean's eyes lit up.
He wanted to try it out right away, but upon checking his mana, he found he only had 5 points left, which was not enough to use the Summon Skeleton skill.
"So those two Bone Fang attacks just now consumed 16 points of mana, averaging 8 points per attack. Looking at it this way, my 21 points of mana really don't last long!
Right! Talent! My talents seem to have been unlocked."
Dean recalled the system prompt that had flashed before his eyes, and immediately opened his attribute panel to check his talents.
...
Talent: Extraction (1 Level) (0/1000)
Status: Activated
Effect: Can extract attributes from targets killed within 30 minutes.
Mana Consumption: 20 points
Cooling Time: None
...
"Well, I'd better stop the bleeding first, find a place to hunker down."
Although he was interested in this talent, the 20 points of mana consumption effectively quelled Dean's desire to try it out.
Furthermore, it brought Dean back to the immediate issue at hand.
Although he had achieved victory and reaped great benefits, he had also paid a hefty price.
The kick from the corpse had left him in pain, and his right arm had been bitten with blood pouring from the gaping wound. Worse yet, the wound was showing signs of decay.
Given his current condition, Dean felt he'd be in dire straits if another zombie appeared.
Next, forgetting about the possibility of infection, Dean used the dirt on the ground to cover his wound, tearing off his shirt to bind his arm.
Then, despite his revulsion, he smeared himself all over with the blood and flesh of the corpses.
Only then did he stagger back towards the hut.
Although the rundown hut had just been broken into, proving its lack of security, it was his only shelter.
But at least, in such an environment, it could provide Dean McKenzie some psychological comfort.
Of course, crouched in this tiny, dilapidated house, Dean McKenzie dared not let his guard down for a moment.
He was constantly alert to his surroundings.
Fortunately, it seemed Dean McKenzie was lucky. For the next hour, nothing happened besides a rotting corpse passing about a dozen meters away.
And this peaceful hour successfully allowed Dean McKenzie's mana to recover from 5 points to 20 points.
Indeed, the [Mana Recovery] of the Magic Wand was 1 point every 5 minutes, but Dean McKenzie found that he seemed to be able to naturally recover, albeit more slowly, about 1 point every 20 minutes.
After an hour, he had just accumulated 20 points.
Dean McKenzie immediately used [Skeleton Summoning].
"Servant Bone Immortal, explore the ultimate truth of death!"
As Dean McKenzie raised his wand to chant, a grey magic circle flashed before his eyes, and a slightly shorter, dumbfounded, unarmed skeleton appeared before him.
...
Name: Pale Skeleton
Level: Level 3
Servant: Dean McKenzie
Attributes:
Strength: 1.2, Agility: 1, Physique: 0.8
Attack: 1.2
Defense: 0.4
Skill: None
Description: This is what you'd call a...qualified cannon fodder.
...
Although, whether from its appearance or attributes, this skeleton seemed woefully inadequate.
But after successfully summoning it, Dean McKenzie felt considerably more relieved.
At the very least, its existence made Dean McKenzie feel less lonely.
"Kinda cute, eh?"
He satisfyingly patted the little skeleton's pale head and continued to crouch inside the dilapidated house.
After crouching in this tiny, broken-down house for just over another hour, Dean McKenzie's mana had recovered to about 16 points. By then, he was unwilling to keep staying in such a position.
"Two or three hours have passed. Although the injuries on my body have not worsened and the rot on my hand has stopped,
Hunger has set in, and my physical strength is gradually diminishing. I have to get out!
I need to look for something to eat or drink."
Although three days without food and water may not necessarily lead to death,
Hunger followed by exhaustion will put me in an extremely precarious and passive state.
Even though Dean McKenzie has a bit of a gambler's personality, he would not choose to gamble in the most stupid way. So, after saving up enough strength, he finally left the dilapidated house.
At the same time, Dean McKenzie was a skilled gambler. He already had a plan in place before he decided to venture outside. He had a clear idea of how to obtain necessities.
"When the old man dropped me off, he didn't provide me with any supplies. Either he didn't think of it, didn't want to, or couldn't.
Eliminating the first two possibilities, only one remains.
The so-called Secret Realm may not allow any survival supplies to be brought from outside. Evidence of this is the fact that I carried a water bottle with me, but it was not transported in with me.
With the inability to bring supplies from outside, theoretically, there should be ways to obtain them in a Secret Realm.
So, what I need to do next is find these supplies.
If I truly can't find any, then I'm going to have to think about using those rotting corpses instead."
While speaking, Dean McKenzie looked down at the Skeleton Wand in his hand.
"If even a wand can be conjured, it would make sense for these corpses to produce some food, right?"
Following this, Dean McKenzie left the dilapidated house with the little skeleton.
Formally initiating his exploration of the Rotting Corpse Plain.
Initially, Dean McKenzie thought that finding supplies would be difficult. But to his surprise, he made a discovery soon after he and the little skeleton cautiously left the house.
He saw another dilapidated house.
A small, rundown house with a clear fountain outside, a small tree full of hanging bread loaves, and a delicately-made wooden chest.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone