Chapter 14: The Origins of Gru

Chapter 14: The Origins of Gru

Seeing the resolute look in Li Bin’s eyes, Gru realized that his strength had aroused suspicion. He did not answer Li Bin’s question directly, but instead asked, “Master, may I look at the information the system has provided you about me?”

Li Bin hesitated for a moment, but eventually opened the information about Gru supplied by the system.

Gru, male, Skeleton Sharpshooter, Level 8/3, Undead hero, warrior type, skeletal frame, wields a longbow as weapon, extremely swift movement speed;
Combat Attributes: Strength 18, Agility 26, Constitution 10, Intelligence 8, Perception 14, Charisma 10;
Campaign Attributes: Attack 5, Defense 2, Knowledge 1, Wisdom 1, Leadership 3;
Special Skills: Unknown;
Normal Skills: Advanced Archery, Basic Logistics, Basic Scouting, Basic Tactics;
Accompanying Troops: Currently commands a mixed squadron;
Battle Banner: A fully drawn bow.

After reading this, Gru chuckled and said, “So this is what the system has on me. It seems they aren’t all-knowing after all.”

As he spoke, Gru added a line under Special Skills: Phantom Undead Sharpshooter—by investing certain resources, can upgrade any undead archer unit to a Phantom Undead Sharpshooter.

He then composed himself and said to Li Bin, “Master, you surely remember the ancient battlefield you built Ghost Butterfly City upon?”

“I remember,” Li Bin nodded.

“In fact, that ancient battlefield was, nearly ten thousand years ago, the final battleground between the Elven and Human factions,” Gru said calmly. “I was one of the Elven commanders in that war, a training officer for the Elven special unit—the Phantom Archers. During that battle, our entire Elven force was wiped out, myself included. I lay buried under that field for ten thousand years.”

Gru didn’t need to elaborate further; Li Bin already understood most of it.

Gru was a unit that Li Bin had trained directly from the Skeleton Archer Tower after building Ghost Butterfly City. At the time, with no other corpses available, many skeleton soldiers were assembled from negative energy and the remains from the ancient battlefield. It was inevitable that Gru’s corpse was unearthed and reforged into a skeleton sharpshooter. Later, while patrolling the territory, Gru’s original abilities allowed him to quickly rise in level. He was then selected by Li Bin to join the mixed unit, and everything that followed, Li Bin had witnessed with his own eyes.

Having grasped the whole story, Li Bin couldn’t help but feel fortunate. The Phantom Archers were legendary even among the Elves, renowned for their incredible speed, mastery of triple-shot, vast range, and stealth abilities. The method of training such units had long since been lost, yet unexpectedly, one of his subordinates was a Phantom Archer instructor.

After pondering for a moment, Li Bin said, “Gru, train a Phantom Undead Sharpshooter for me right here.”

“I’ll need one unit of crystal and five hundred gold coins,” Gru replied directly, pulling a Skeleton Sharpshooter over.

Li Bin handed over the required items. Gru piled the crystals on the ground, pushed the Skeleton Sharpshooter into them, and immediately a beam of red light shot out from the crystals. When the Skeleton Sharpshooter emerged, he was utterly transformed.

The once white bones had turned a dark violet, draped with a green cloak seemingly crafted from tree bark. The skeletal longbow had become a composite metal bow. His speed was clearly faster than that of the original Skeleton Sharpshooter.

Li Bin checked the attributes of the newly created Phantom Undead Sharpshooter. The level had jumped to 7, attack rose from 13 to 17, defense increased slightly from 14 to 15, movement speed went from moderate to fast, and the unit now carried 30 arrows.

Most impressive was the range, which had doubled from 150 meters to 300 meters, and new special abilities—triple-shot and knockback—were added.

Li Bin could already envision the impact a unit of Phantom Undead Sharpshooters would have on the battlefield. He said to Gru, “You don’t need to bother with the mixed unit anymore. Lead a squad of Phantom Undead Sharpshooters directly. Just tell me whatever you need.”

“Understood,” Gru nodded.

Li Bin could tell Gru seemed to have more to say, and was about to ask further when Shenling returned, holding a Level 4 City Core, her face alight with excitement. “Master, look what I managed to exchange for!”

Li Bin took the City Core and, upon seeing it was of the Sanctuary type, couldn’t help but smile wryly. Now his territory included the Undead Ghost Butterfly City, the Barbarian Spider City, the Elven Dwarven Village, and with this Sanctuary City Core and the Inferno City Core he’d obtained earlier, his city affiliations were a chaotic blend.

If he weren’t an Undead player by nature, his morale would likely have plummeted, making it impossible to mobilize any troops.

After some thought, Li Bin put away the City Core and asked, “Did Damon say anything when you went up?”

“No, but he seemed very excited, especially after receiving your authorization letter. He was so elated he didn’t know what to do, and it took three tries before he handed me the City Core,” Shenling answered honestly.

“I see,” Li Bin said, understanding Damon’s feelings. Damon had gained the most from this campaign, having captured and taken full control of a city he’d coveted for years. For a hero whose livelihood depended on inherited cities, this was the ultimate reward.

“But Master, Mr. Damon did seem to want to invite you up for a while,” Shenling added.

“No, we should be leaving. We’ve been out for quite some time, and I don’t know how things are at Ghost Butterfly City,” Li Bin replied with a smile.

At that moment, Ted, who had been scouting ahead, returned with his unit and reported, “Master, we’ve found the exit to the passage and secured the surrounding area.”

Li Bin nodded, and with his organized troops, quickly left the area.

Li Bin’s decision to leave was wise. At that moment, in the newly conquered Yuada City, the commander of the Walnar Principality’s direct forces was touring the city with Damon as his guide.

“Damon, I heard you’ve acquired seventy percent control of Yuada City this time, is that right?” the Walnar commander asked as they walked.

Damon smiled and replied, “Not quite that much. I still need to allocate some control to my subordinates as rewards for their service.”

“Is that so? But I’ve also heard you’ve been consorting with the evil Undead. Care to comment on that?” the commander asked coldly.

“Well…”

“Enough with the excuses. Kill him and give me another ten percent control, and I’ll speak well of you to those above. Otherwise, you know how we deal with those who collude with the evil Undead.”