Chương 23: Bone Synthesis

"Gaaaah."

"?!" Gryg stared as Alex let out a strange, guttural, and ghostly groan. His open jaws trembled while his entire skeletal body rattled. His bones vibrated as he held his mouth wide in awe.

"Why are you trembling? What's wrong?" she asked.

"It was delicious," Alex replied.

"What?!"

"The stone. It was exquisite. Not in the way I once tasted real food, but it carried a rich history within it."

"Eh?"

"It let me see far more than just the stone itself. I saw where it came from, how it was shaped, and even brief glimpses of the hands that worked on it."

"You can see the memories of the materials you absorb?!"

"Yes. That was, without question, the most delightful meal I have ever had. I cannot help but— G-Gaaahhh…!"

"Enough! You are acting creepy again!" Hearing her clear annoyance, Alex quickly straightened his posture and apologized.

"My apologies. I must have gotten carried away again." He paused for a moment.

"Still, it makes me somewhat relieved."

"…What?"

"I had a deep fear, perhaps even a quiet contempt, that I had completely lost what made me a person."

"…"

"But that was wrong. Although I have changed so much, there is still something deep within me. There is a heart."

"…!" Gryg's eyes widened as a faint silhouette suddenly emerged around Alex for a brief moment. She rubbed her eyes, but the image remained, growing clearer as Alex continued speaking from the depths of his soul.

"Thank you, Gryg," he said in a plain yet sincere voice.

"For accompanying me."

"…Huh?" Her eyes widened further as the silhouette sharpened. For a fleeting instant, she saw the ghost of a young human man. He had short black hair, pale skin, tired and shy-looking eyes, and an awkward, gentle smile. He looked nothing like what she had imagined the skeleton to have been in life. He appeared nerdy and dorky in an oddly endearing way.

"Alex?" She reached out instinctively, but the illusion vanished as quickly as it had appeared, as if it had never existed.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Ah! No, nothing." She pulled her hand back and shook her head, still wondering about that cute, unassuming human. Could that really have been Alex when he was alive? Well, he was already dead. It did not matter anymore.

"Are you going to sit there and absorb everything?" Gryg asked.

"It will be quick," Alex answered.

"Once we finish, we will move on and deal with the dungeon. I wonder, though. No new quest has appeared. Will we receive nothing for taking down the boss?"

"I have no idea," Gryg replied.

"The system chooses when to give quests. There is no real way to cheat it. You can try to trigger one as much as you want, but it might never appear. We just have to go with the flow."

"So the system only gives quests when you least expect them," Alex said thoughtfully.

"Interesting. Well, let us continue." Alex examined the materials he had gathered and carefully decided how to use them. He focused on enhancing durability and magic conductivity in his arms while directing the strongest reinforcements to his thorax, legs, and spine. The skull seemed least important for now, though he considered using it to improve mana flow. He needed to think strategically about what each part of his body would specialize in.

"Let's begin." He applied the hardest materials first. He reinforced his thorax and spine with Golem Stone and Wyvern Scales to keep the core of his skeletal frame sturdy and well-protected. He also incorporated iron taken from the weapons and armor the trolls had carried. Ding! [Your Thorax Bones have been reinforced with Magic Repelling Golem Stone, Wyvern Scale, and Iron.] [Bone Density +43%] [Magical Resonance +38%] [Bone Durability +45%] [Impact Resistance +50%] [Bone Adaptability +36%] [Minor Elemental Magic Resistance gained.] [Minor Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Minor Mana Regeneration gained.] [Thorax Bone Synthesis Limit: 54/100] Ding! [Your Spine Bones have been reinforced with Magic Repelling Golem Stone, Wyvern Scale, and Iron.] [Bone Density +42%] [Magical Resonance +39%] [Bone Durability +44%] [Impact Resistance +49%] [Bone Adaptability +37%] [Minor Elemental Magic Resistance gained.] [Minor Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Minor Mana Regeneration gained.] [Spine Bone Synthesis Limit: 53/100] Alex felt his spine grow stronger and more flexible. Though slightly heavier, the new strength felt remarkably better. His thorax now possessed the hardness of solid armor.

While his existing stats already boosted his bones, these fresh bonuses multiplied their effects, making him several times tougher overall. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Beyond the percentage increases, he gained abilities similar to skills. These had no tiers, but they strengthened whenever he absorbed compatible materials. His thorax and spine could now regenerate automatically after taking damage, though the process still required time.

This regeneration could be accelerated with nether and mana. Most importantly, they could now generate and store their own mana, expanding his usable pool. Gryg noticed the change immediately.

"Your bones look a little more metallic now. Is that normal?"

"I assume so. They have a metallic sheen, right? That is interesting."

"That is definitely more than just interesting," she muttered.

"I wonder if you will become completely metallic later. Maybe a golden skeleton or something."

"That would not be good. It would make me too easy for enemies to spot."

"Yeah, I guess so." After finishing the core reinforcements, Alex moved on to his arms. He used Golem Stone, Wyvern Scales, Monster Cores, and Golem Cores. As he absorbed the cores, his hands flared with phantasmal energies and a deep red glow representing raw strength. Suddenly, his arm bones expanded, becoming significantly larger, tougher, and heavier. They were no longer thin and fragile.

"Oh! This must be the Troll's Strength combined with the Golem's Phantasmal Power from their souls. Interesting." Despite the much larger and heavier arms, Alex's overall frame remained perfectly balanced. He felt considerably stronger. Now he could fight with full power without worrying about breaking his limbs. Ding! [Your Left Arm Bones have been reinforced with Magic Repelling Golem Stone, Wyvern Scales, Monster Cores, and Golem Cores.] [Bone Density +46%] [Magical Resonance +47%] [Bone Durability +16%] [Impact Resistance +15%] [Bone Adaptability +44%] [Mana Affinity +51%] [Spirit Affinity +53%] [Minor Elemental Magic Resistance gained.] [Minor Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Minor Mana Regeneration gained.] [Minor Troll's Might gained.] [Minor Phantasmal Power gained.] [Left Arm Bone Synthesis Limit: 60/100] Ding!

[Your Right Arm Bones have been reinforced with Magic Repelling Golem Stone, Wyvern Scales, Monster Cores, and Golem Cores.] [Bone Density +47%] [Magical Resonance +46%] [Bone Durability +15%] [Impact Resistance +17%] [Bone Adaptability +45%] [Mana Affinity +52%] [Spirit Affinity +52%] [Minor Elemental Magic Resistance gained.] [Minor Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Minor Mana Regeneration gained.] [Minor Troll's Might gained.] [Minor Phantasmal Power gained.] [Right Arm Bone Synthesis Limit: 61/100]"Perfect." Alex's skull seemed to form an almost eerie smile as he examined his new arms. They had taken on a slightly reddish hue, becoming hard like stone while remaining surprisingly flexible and responsive to his movements.

"It's truly a strange feeling, but one full of delight," he murmured with satisfaction. He had caught fleeting glimpses of the troll's life during the absorption process, along with strange visions of a knight from ancient times. In those images, the knight fought desperately against endless waves of monstrous creatures made of obsidian that poured from a tear in the sky. A valiant king stood at the front lines, leading his army into a war they could never hope to win.

"Were those glimpses of the memories from the ghosts trapped inside the golem cores I absorbed?" Alex wondered aloud, rubbing his skeletal chin thoughtfully.

"So these golems originated from another time and were transformed into monsters inside this dungeon by the system. They were likely already dead long before they arrived here."

"Really?" Gryg asked, overhearing his quiet reflections.

"I've never heard of the system doing something like that, but it is not surprising. It could also be that those knights who died in that war were brought here by their king."

"Hmm…" Alex nodded slowly.

"Well, I should finish this and enhance my legs next. They are the most important part. I will use everything I have left for them. They support my entire weight and everything else I do, so they need to be as strong and durable as possible." Alex decided to commit all his remaining materials to his legs, including the Healing Grass he had not used before. He was curious to see what kind of effect the grass would have when combined with everything else. Ding!

[Your Right Leg Bones have been reinforced with Magic Repelling Golem Stone, Wyvern Scales, Monster Cores, Golem Cores, Mana Crystals, Spirit Crystals, Healing Grass, and Iron.] [Bone Density +65%] [Magical Resonance +67%] [Bone Durability +76%] [Impact Resistance +77%] [Bone Adaptability +73%] [Mana Affinity +71%] [Spirit Affinity +70%] [Minor Elemental Magic Resistance gained.] [Minor Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Minor Mana Regeneration gained.] [Minor Troll's Might gained.] [Minor Phantasmal Power gained.] [Minor Terrain Adaptability gained.] [Left Leg Bone Synthesis Limit: 77/100] Ding! [Your Left Leg Bones have been reinforced with Magic Repelling Golem Stone, Wyvern Scales, Monster Cores, Golem Cores, Mana Crystals, Spirit Crystals, Healing Grass, and Iron.] [Bone Density +67%] [Magical Resonance +68%] [Bone Durability +74%] [Impact Resistance +76%] [Bone Adaptability +75%] [Mana Affinity +73%] [Spirit Affinity +70%] [Minor Elemental Magic Resistance gained.] [Minor Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Minor Mana Regeneration gained.] [Minor Troll's Might gained.] [Minor Phantasmal Power gained.] [Minor Terrain Adaptability gained.] [Right Leg Bone Synthesis Limit: 77/100]"Minor Terrain Adaptability. I see," Alex noted with approval. He felt his legs becoming heavily reinforced and significantly stronger.

They now matched his arms in toughness and thickness, gaining a soft reddish glow and a metallic sheen that enhanced their formidable appearance.

"Next is my skull. For that, I will use these." Alex was not finished enhancing his body yet. He picked up the Five Elemental Magic Crystal Ball and the Sinister Cursed Staff. Although he could have kept them attached externally, they had nearly broken during the earlier golem attack. He chose instead to absorb them completely and make them permanent parts of his skeletal structure.

"Bone Synthesis." He placed the Crystal Ball and the Staff close to his head and activated Bone Synthesis, merging both items into his bones and skull with a shocking new result. FLASH! [Absorbing [Five Elements Crystal Ball (D Grade)] and [Sinister Cursed Staff (D Grade)]...] He had used Alchemical Nether beforehand to temporarily enhance the two items, just as he had done earlier with his sword, allowing for a deeper fusion into his skull.

"Woah!" Gryg exclaimed in shock. Alex's skull shone with brilliant light. Rainbow-colored crystals grew within his empty cranium, glowing brightly from his eye sockets, while cursed wooden energy spread across the outer layer and formed a pair of small, black wood-like horns.

"What the…?!" Gryg muttered, visibly shaken by Alex's transformed appearance. His once plain white skull had been replaced by a darker, more imposing version adorned with wooden horns and a radiant rainbow-colored jewel embedded in his forehead.

"How do I look?" Alex asked.

"Sinister," Gryg replied.

"I suppose that was inevitable." Ding! [Your Skull Bones have been reinforced with the Relics: [Five Elements Phantasmal Crystal Ball (C Grade)] and [Sinister Cursed Nether Staff (C Grade)]!] [Bone Density +22%] [Magical Resonance +223%] [Bone Durability +26%] [Impact Resistance +21%] [Bone Adaptability +17%] [Mana Affinity +250%] [Spirit Affinity +230%] [Greater Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Wood Magic Affinity gained.] [Greater Dark and Curse Magic Affinity gained.] [Greater Mana Conductivity gained.] [Minor Bone Regeneration gained.] [Greater Mana Regeneration gained.] [Greater Phantasmal Power gained.] [Skull Bone Synthesis Limit: 100/100]"Impressive," Alex said, clearly satisfied with the results. The outcome was astonishing. He had gained immense power concentrated within his skull, but that power translated fully to his overall strength. What mattered more was that his skull had even acquired regeneration abilities. Even if it were blown to pieces, it would slowly piece itself back together on its own.

Above all else, the enhancements exceeded his expectations. Not only had he fully absorbed the relics, but the temporary evolution through Alchemical Nether had amplified their effects, granting him even greater power.

"It worked, right?" Gryg asked.

"It sure did," Alex replied confidently.

"The Five Elemental Affinity and the Cursed and Dark Affinity boosts are now mine permanently. Plus, my Magical Resonance is incredibly high now."

"Well, that's amazing…" Gryg said with admiration.

"So you can absorb relics directly into your body?!"

"I can, though I would not do it all the time," Alex explained.

"They consume a large portion of the Limit Percentage. Two relics were enough to fill my skull to 100%. I will need to find a way to upgrade Bone Synthesis to Tier 2 to increase the maximum limit."

"So there are limits. I see," she nodded.

"Welp, for now, we're finally done, right?"

"We are," Alex confirmed with a nod.

"I think I am confident enough now. Do you want to take on the boss?"

"We should," Gryg replied eagerly.

"I want to get out of this damn dungeon already and catch a huge beast to eat. Like a Mountain Boar or something. Or maybe a couple of them."

"Your appetite is truly admirable," Alex commented with amusement.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's move." Gryg and Alex wasted no time. They finally made their way toward the Boss Room with renewed purpose. However, before they could reach the deeper areas of the dungeon, they entered a vast chamber filled with dozens of golems armed with swords, scepters, and shields. It was the perfect moment to test all the growth Alex had achieved the previous night.

"Bone Golems, go." The first step, of course, was to test his precious bone golems in combat.