At first glance, the Black-Iron Skeleton standing before him didn't look any different from the one he summoned that afternoon.
Its appearance hadn't changed—still looked like it had crawled out of a garbage heap.
But appearances could be deceiving.
[Black-Iron Skeleton Warrior]
[Strength: 150]
[Agility: 150]
[Spirit: 150]
[Constitution: 150]
[Skills: None]
Though the exterior remained the same, its stats had undergone a complete transformation.
All attributes had increased tenfold.
Strength, agility, and spirit aside, a tenfold increase in constitution meant the skeleton's vitality and defense had skyrocketed.
With the damage-transfer skill in play, killing Mark Lin would now be incredibly difficult.
Mark Lin summoned the Black-Iron Skeleton from his Summon Space and confirmed that its stats had also multiplied by ten.
The full-body amplification worked across the board.
With 10 Spiritual Power remaining, Mark Lin summoned a third Black-Iron Skeleton.
Then, he began to meditate.
Meditation was the best way to restore Spirit—it could even replace sleep.
Many students at the academy had mastered this.
At dawn the next day, Mark Lin awoke on time.
His Spirit had fully recovered.
The three Black-Iron Skeletons stood loyally in front of him like sentinels, unmoving.
With soul-fire flickering in their skulls, a chill swept through the room, dropping the temperature by several degrees.
"In summer, this would actually be pretty nice. No need to worry about the heat."
Mark Lin thought to himself, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
He used Summon Skeleton once more and called forth a fourth Black-Iron Skeleton Warrior.
Then he stored all four skeletons back into the Summon Space.
With 10 Spiritual Power in reserve and four fully amped Black-Iron Skeletons at his command, Mark Lin figured that would be more than enough.
150 Strength Points—comparable to a level 7 or 8 knight or warrior.
A bus was already waiting at the school gate to take them to the dungeon site.
By the time they arrived, the place was already packed.
No. 1 High School wasn't the only school whose students came here for the newbie dungeon. Nearly every student in West Sea City who had just completed class advancement was here.
West Sea City had a total of six high schools, and over 800 students underwent class advancement the previous day.
The majority became Life-Oriented Classes professionals.
Fewer than 200 made it here—less than a third.
The students gathered while the teachers went to handle the dungeon entry registration.
"Old Lu, looks like you've hit the jackpot this year."
"A rare main-Combat Class wasn't enough—you've even got a unique Hidden Class. You're on a roll."
"Your No. 1 High School's been impressive lately. Last year it was Mary Lin getting into Summer Capital Academy. Planning to knock on their door again this year?"
A group of principals stood together, chatting excitedly.
Charles Lu was all smiles. "Snow Xia and Mark Lin are both exceptional. If possible, I hope they can both make it into Summer Capital Academy."
"Snow Xia? That the young miss from the Xia family?"
"And Mark Lin... that name sounds a lot like Mary Lin."
Charles Lu nodded. "Snow Xia is the eldest daughter of the Xia family. And Mark Lin is Mary Lin's younger brother."
"No wonder. The Xia family's bloodline is impressive. And those siblings—remarkable talent."
Simon Gao nudged Mark Lin. "Wanna team up?"
Mark Lin shook his head.
Simon Gao feigned outrage. "You looking down on me, huh?"
"I'm sincerely inviting you. If you don't give me a good reason, I won't let this slide."
He looked like he was mad, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his playful mood.
Mark Lin ignored him. Sure enough, two seconds later, Simon Gao dropped the act.
"Come on, Boss, seriously—why not team up with me?"
"Teaming up slows down leveling. Solo grinding is faster," Mark Lin replied coolly.
Simon Gao frowned. "How would you know that?"
"Read a lot," Mark Lin said—an unusually long response for him.
Simon Gao scratched his head, not fully convinced.
Just then, Snow Xia chimed in, "Mark Lin is right. In a two-person team, even though you kill monsters faster, the EXP gets split between both players."
"The speed boost from teaming up is only about 50–60%, but the time to find monsters remains constant. So overall efficiency actually drops."
"According to experiences passed down by veterans, soloing is better for dungeons below level 10. Teaming up only becomes efficient after that."
Her explanation was clear, and Simon Gao wasn't stupid—he understood after a moment's thought.
Just then, Charles Lu walked over.
"Except for Snow Xia and Mark Lin, all combat-class students must bring Support students when entering the dungeon."
"Don't think you can solo all the way. When you start tackling high-difficulty dungeons, you won't survive without support."
"If you never team with supports now, don't expect them to help you later. That's not how it works."
"Let me be blunt—better to team with classmates you know than rely on strangers. At least classmates won't abandon you in a crisis."
Charles Lu's words were clear—and true.
Those who had planned to solo now reconsidered.
If combat-class students refused to bring support, then support students would level extremely slowly.
Someone asked, "Why don't Snow Xia and Mark Lin need support?"
Charles Lu cleared his throat. "Snow Xia is aiming for Summer Capital Academy—she needs to level up quickly."
She wouldn't be staying long in the newbie dungeon—two days at most, then she'd move on.
"As for Mark Lin... I don't understand his class or know his combat power. You can ask the support students yourselves if they'd be willing to team with him."
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