Skills with no cooldown? I become the Undead Scourge!

Early the next morning, Lu Ran and Qin Wuyao headed to school together for the usual assembly.

Though Lu Ran saw little point in attending—he was already the undisputed top ranker on the Novice Leaderboard—rules were rules.

He noticed Liang Shaoyu’s absence. Wang Yujiao was missing too.

From that day onward, no one in Blackflame City ever saw Wang Yujiao again. Her whereabouts remained a mystery.

Unsurprisingly, Lu Ran, now Level 13, still dominated first place.

Qin Wuyao held steady at second with Level 11.

As for the third-ranked student? A measly Level 8.

The gap was staggering.

After the assembly, Lu Ran brushed off the swarm of classmates trying to cozy up to him and hurried home with Qin Wuyao.

The three guild leaders, already waiting, sprang to their feet. The five of them dove straight back into the dungeon—Death Mine on Hard Mode, grinding at breakneck speed.

By evening, Lu Ran finally hit Level 15.

The moment the notification flashed, the guild leaders and Qin Wuyao crowded around him, eyes alight with anticipation.

Lu Ran knew exactly what they were waiting for.

With a mix of excitement and nerves, he opened his skill panel.

The Level 15 skill had unlocked.

[Skill: Netherblood Spear]
[Cooldown: 30s]
[Mana Cost: 20]
[Effect: Channel the deathly aura of the Netherworld to conjure a blood spear. After charging, tear through the Nether Realm to unleash it, dealing 100% of base spell damage. Maximum charge time: 8 seconds. Each second charged increases damage by 50%!]

The others practically vibrated with impatience.

“Well? What is it?”

“Is it the Blood Spear at Level 15?”

“Oh right, I remember now—the Necromancer’s first real offensive skill!”

“Doesn’t it have a charge mechanic?”

“Who cares about charging? What’s the new trait?!”

Lu Ran was familiar with the Blood Spear.

Thirty-second cooldown. Eight-second max charge. At full power, it dealt 500% of its base damage—a massive spike.

This skill marked a turning point for Necromancers.

The difference between one with Blood Spear and one without was night and day.

Pre-Level 15, Necromancers were stuck relying on Skeletons and Corpse Explosion. Their only CC skill had a long cooldown and short duration.

But with Blood Spear? They gained a devastating single-target nuke.

Now they could pin enemies with Skeletons, lock them down with Necrotic Grasp, then obliterate them with a fully charged spear.

Even in parties, they weren’t just dead weight anymore—they could hang back and charge their spears safely.

That’s why nobody wanted to team with Necromancers before Level 15… and why their stock skyrocketed afterward.

Next, Lu Ran checked his trait panel.

[Trait: Relentless Resolve]
[Effect: Removes the maximum charge time limit for channeled skills. Charge indefinitely.]

“Holy shit.” Lu Ran couldn’t help but swear.

Blood Spear was already strong.

But this trait? A match made in heaven.

No charge limit. Infinite scaling.

What did that mean?

Lu Ran could hold a Blood Spear indefinitely, stacking 50% more damage every second.

One minute? 3000% damage (30x).

Ten minutes? 300x.

An hour? 3000x.

“Well? How busted is it? What’s the effect?” Lei Tai practically drooled with curiosity.

Lu Ran simply shared the panel.

A few seconds of silence.

Then—

“Infinite charging?” Liu Xinxin’s voice wavered. “So his damage scales… forever? Given enough time, is there anything in this world he couldn’t one-shot?”

“My little brother never disappoints!” Ye Hongyi roared with laughter, yanking Lu Ran into a crushing embrace. His face sank into her soft chest, her unique fragrance flooding his senses. He coughed, fighting off distracting thoughts.

“Damn shame he’s still low-level,” Lei Tai grumbled. “Otherwise, he could waltz into Black Dragon Mountain Range, charge a spear for a bit, and delete that damned dragon.”

Liu Xinxin, ever the voice of reason, asked, “Blood Spear’s base damage scales with your Spell Power. What’s yours at now?”

Lu Ran checked. “600.”

“50% increase per second… One minute would be 18,000 damage. Ten minutes: 180,000. An hour: 1.08 million.”

Lei Tai gulped audibly. “Uh. My max HP is only 600k…”

This from the top tank in China—the indomitable Shield of the Battle Banner Army, an SSS-ranked Guardian Knight with over 600,000 HP.

And a Level 15 Necromancer could one-shot him?

“Relax, you’re a tank. Your magic resist is sky-high,” Ye Hongyi teased.

“Yeah, but Lu Ran isn’t limited to one hour. He could charge for ten. Or a full day. Ten hours? 10 million damage.” Lei Tai looked ready to cry. For the first time, his class’s famed durability felt like tissue paper.

If he couldn’t survive it, who could?

“And let’s not forget,” Lei Tai added grimly, “this kid’s still in scrap gear at Level 15. Imagine his Spell Power at endgame. That spear would—”

A collective gulp.

Qin Wuyao, quiet until now, piped up: “Lu Ran’s cast range must be around 40km after today’s grinding. Does… Blood Spear work at that distance?”

Silence.

Then—

“Sniping enemies from another continent,” Lei Tai breathed.

“Charge a spear all day, then drop it on someone’s head from 40 kilometers away!” Ye Hongyi’s eyes gleamed.

Only Lu Ran remained still, a single thought echoing in his mind:

This isn’t a Blood Spear.

It’s a goddamn intercontinental ballistic missile.

Liu Xinxin smiled sweetly. “Lu Ran, you should keep a spear charged whenever you’re free. Just in case.”