The battle was over. Yeti corpses littered the snow, their twisted bodies sprawled across the clearing like the aftermath of a massacre. Luke stood silently, staring at the broken corpse of the Berserker Yeti. But he didn't linger.

His wounds—those that should have torn muscles and broken bones—were already gone. Restored the moment he leveled up.

One of the fallen yetis had collapsed directly over his kukris. He walked over, eyeing the body, then let out a low sigh.

"I'm an idiot," he muttered.

Instead of trying to lift the beast, Luke opened his system interface and tapped the kukri icon. In an instant, the blades vanished from beneath the corpse and reappeared in his hands, gleaming with cold, spectral steel.

He stared at them, almost embarrassed.

I could've done this from the start…

He'd been so used to relying on the magnetic return function that he completely forgot about the basic inventory recall. Granted, it only worked if he was close enough to the item—but still. It would've worked.

And instead, he'd used a broken fang like some caveman with a shiv.

He chose not to dwell on it.

Behind him, Allison finally rose to his feet, leaning heavily on his katana. A shallow cut bled at his temple, and his stance was shaky.

"I screwed up again…" he said, voice bitter. "One hit to the head and I was out of the fight. If you hadn't been there, we'd both be dead."

He gripped the sword tighter, frustration burning in his eyes.

Luke looked at him, then at the trail of yeti blood that stained the snow. The kid had fought hard.

"You made it through," Luke said quietly. "That matters. All you need now is experience. And that comes with time."

He thought back to the dungeon—the Forgotten Temple. That nightmare had nearly killed him, but it had sharpened him too. Hardened him in ways that were impossible to explain.

"You still played your part," Luke added. "You baited the yetis into our trap. If not for your double jump, we couldn't have pulled that off. And the final blow? I drove the fang into the wound you created."

Allison didn't respond at first. But slowly, some of the tension in his shoulders faded.

"And Charlie," Luke continued, glancing toward the trees. "That fang came from the punch she landed."

Right on cue, the skeletal warrior came stumbling out of the forest.

Armless.

Her once-intimidating form now looked strange, awkward even, with both arms torn from their sockets. She approached them, glanced at the fallen yeti, and then looked at Luke. Her eye sockets dimmed slightly.

Luke gave her a small smile.

"Looks like you're going to be on break for a while."

Maybe she'd regenerate if he returned her to his soul. Or maybe not. If she'd been completely destroyed, it might've worked—but like this? He wasn't sure. Either way, she wouldn't be throwing any punches soon.

They didn't linger in the clearing. If more yetis came—and they probably would—it wasn't safe to stay. When they finally left the forest and crested the hill beyond the tree line, Luke saw it. A dark shape on the distant horizon.

The wall.

Massive. Imposing. It stretched across the landscape like a silent guardian.

"That's it," Allison said quietly. "We've got a few days' walk ahead of us."

Neither of them could see what lay beyond. But somewhere on the other side of that wall was a city. And somewhere inside that city... the portal that would take them out of this frozen nightmare.

Luke exhaled, his breath fogging in the cold air. "Looks like we'll be walking for a while."

Allison nodded silently, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular.

Luke could tell he was probably navigating his system menu. The boy had mentioned leveling up his class after the battle.

That gave Luke an idea.

He opened Princess Charlie's status screen. She had also gained a race skill after leveling up.

This time, though, a choice appeared. Last time, when she reached Level 1, the system had simply assigned her a race skill without any options. But now…

Now I get to choose.

Race skills weren't tied to combat classes—they were bound to the very structure of one's body. Luke had two race skills himself: Identify and Demonic Perception. Not exactly offensive tools, but invaluable for awareness and strategy. Princess Charlie, so far, only had her own version of Demonic Perception.

They were support-type skills, useful but not offensive.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Until now.

When the new list appeared, Luke felt his eyes widen.

The first option caught his attention immediately:

[Skeletal Leap (Uncommon)]: The legs reinforce with additional bone, becoming stronger and more elastic. Grants the ability to perform high, agile jumps, useful for avoiding danger or reaching difficult terrain.

Luke blinked, impressed.

Mobility. Escape. Height advantage. Charlie could turn into a frontline jumper or even dodge in emergencies.

Race skills can be this useful? Do humans get something like this too?

He moved to the second.

[Skeletal Claws (Uncommon)]: The phalanges elongate and shape into sharp bone blades, turning fingers into natural cutting weapons. Enhances melee lethality with rapid, slicing attacks.

"Okay…" he muttered. "That's terrifying."

He couldn't help but glance at Charlie's skeletal hands, imagining those fingers transforming into bladed claws.

So undead can do this? Or is it something only Charlie gets because she's bound to me?

The more he used the system, the more questions piled up.

Next came the third skill.

[Bone Knuckles (Uncommon)]: The bones in the hands become denser and more durable, amplifying striking power and physical resilience in close-quarters combat.

Luke frowned.

It wasn't bad—if anything, it would make her punches stronger. But with Iron Fist already in her arsenal, it felt redundant. Sure, stacking both might boost her damage, but it would also pigeonhole her into a specific combat style.

And once she started using weapons again?

She'd be stuck with two skills she wouldn't fully utilize.

He needed flexibility—not brute force.

Then came the fourth.

[Vertebrae Whip (Rare)]: A segment of the spine can detach and transform into a whip-like bone weapon.

Luke winced.

It was creative. Unique. Creepy as hell. But not practical.

She already had powerful melee tools. Unless she lost her arms again—which, given how often it happened, might not be out of the question—it just didn't feel worth it.

I need something that lets her adapt. Stay versatile.

His eyes reached the final option. And the moment he read it, a thrill surged through his chest.

This was it.

The one.

[Basic Bone Regeneration (Rare)]: By consuming HP, the skeleton can restore lost limbs and mend broken bones, ensuring its body never remains incomplete for long. The greater the injury, the higher the cost.

Luke stared at the system notification, then glanced over at Princess Charlie. She was sitting quietly nearby, shoulders slumped, her skeletal form incomplete—both arms torn off during the battle.

She tried not to show it, but it was clear. She was upset.

Luke looked back at the skill again.

It would be idiotic not to choose this…

But he didn't rush the decision. He forced himself to break it down, pros and cons.

It wasn't true regeneration. It was a sacrifice.

HP would be the currency for recovery. That meant Charlie could rebuild her body—at a price.

And in a real fight? That price could be deadly.

If she had just lost a limb and was already low on HP, using this skill could push her to the brink. Worse, it could leave her one hit away from shattering completely.

It was a double-edged blade. A powerful trump card—if used at the right time. But not something to rely on recklessly.

Luke narrowed his eyes.

HP doesn't regenerate naturally…

At least, not that he'd noticed. Since the moment he got the system, there hadn't been a single day he hadn't taken damage. So any natural recovery—if it existed—was practically invisible.

If anything, it might be something absurdly slow, like one point every 24 hours. Stamina came back with rest. Mana regenerated slowly depending on your total MP pool. But HP? It was a resource that once lost, stayed lost... until healed by outside means.

Still—

When weighed against the alternatives, this skill wasn't just useful.

It was necessary.

A fallback. A survival tool. A way to keep Charlie in the fight even after devastating damage.

Without hesitation, he selected it.

[Princess Charlie has acquired the Race Skill: Basic Bone Regeneration]

This skill will show its true value later on…

As Luke analyzed the numbers, the possibilities unraveled in his mind. The more Vitality Charlie has, the less HP she'll lose with each use. At some point, she'll have so much health that the cost won't even matter—

Unless...

What if it's percentage-based?

His strategy would collapse instantly. His dream of turning her into a walking mountain of HP—useless. If the skill drained a fixed percentage instead of flat numbers, there'd be no escaping the tradeoff.

Still, it was powerful. Worth the risk.

He glanced at Princess Charlie. Despite her skeletal form lacking facial features, something about her felt brighter, more animated. He couldn't explain it—but he could feel her emotions radiating through their link.

That connection between master and servant… it lets me feel what she feels.

Luke opened her status interface:

Name: Princess Charlie Level: 3 Rank: F Class: [Warrior (Lvl 5)] Race: Skeleton Titles: [Servant of the Dark Lord] Health Points (HP): 167/190 Mana Points (MP): 40/40 Stamina: 113/130

Stats: Strength: 21 Agility: 12 Endurance: 13 Vitality: 19 Perception: 6 Intelligence: 4 Free Points: 1

Almost immediately, she began to activate the new skill. A soft glow pulsed from her shoulder sockets. Bone began to stretch and twist from the exposed ends, slowly shaping into full arms. But something caught Luke's eye.

It's consuming HP, yes… but also MP.

Mana and Health were being drained simultaneously.

So it wasn't just a matter of stacking Vitality. Even if Charlie had a massive health pool, she'd still need a reservoir of mana to rebuild herself—especially in drawn-out battles.

I'll need to invest in her Intelligence too. She's not just a tank anymore. She's a regenerating tank.

Luke allocated the spare point into her Intelligence.

Stats Updated (Princess Charlie) Intelligence: 4 -> 5 Free Points: 1 -> 0

He closed the screen and glanced over at Allison, who was still locked in thought, likely reviewing skill options after leveling up.

Time to see what I got from that berserker.

Luke opened his own inventory, and what he found made his eyes widen.

Now this… this is actually useful.

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