Fusion Experiment

Aside from collection, the Chaos Encyclopedia also has an important function: fusion.

It uses one monster as the base and another as material, fusing two different monsters together to randomly inherit characteristics from both.

The newly generated monster will possess the consciousness and main physical features of the base monster, and its attributes will be improved to a certain extent.

However, if the attributes of the two differ too much, the improvement in attributes will be negligible, or even non-existent.

These conclusions were all drawn from the notes of the Demon King Kolas Wallger.

Caelan is currently so actively catching monsters precisely to use fusion to enhance the combat power of the monsters he possesses.

However, there are only three types of materials available for fusion right now: Skeleton Soldier, Skeleton Crawler, and Kobold.

Among them, Kobolds are the most numerous, with over fifty; Skeleton Soldiers, including the Skull, number only five; and there are six Skeleton Crawlers.

But Kobolds are very important laborers and cannot be used indiscriminately. Considering that Kobolds will be needed for construction later, Caelan decided to temporarily use only one team of five Kobolds for experimental fusion effects. At the same time, he instructed Stone to bring Fat Tiger along whenever he went out daily, to catch some live monsters.

It was clear that Stone was very displeased, so Caelan gave him another task: to bring back some large pieces of stone from outside.

The reason was that when Caelan woke up in the morning, he saw a small piece missing from the castle gate's portcullis, and he initially speculated that it had been eaten by the Iron Head placed at the entrance.

But I've strayed from the topic.

In any case, that night, after finishing all his tasks, Caelan went to the mezzanine where the Great Magic Array was previously located, dressed in a black robe, and with a very villainous aura, began his fusion experiment.

When catching Skeleton Crawlers, one was run over by an Iron Head. It is now in a state where its Strength and Agility are both zero, so it has no other use than as fusion material.

The monster chosen as the base was naturally the Skull, which had been fused once before.

【Skull · Low-Tier Undead】

【Race: Undead】

【Level: 5】

【Strength: 82】

【Agility: 30】

【Stamina: 51】

【Durability: 93】

【Magic: 0】

【Talents: Undead, Soul Devour】

82 points of Strength is not low for its level, and it comes with a bone blade made of fragmented bones, making its combat power relatively strong.

Coupled with the effect of 【Undead】, if dozens of low-level monsters like Kobolds were to attack without thinking, they would all be slowly worn down and killed by it.

It is one of Caelan's primary conventional combat forces at the moment, even more useful than the Iron Head.

Using the already shattered Skeleton Crawler as material for fusion was also a relatively safe choice.

Caelan first released the Skull, which stood there blankly, still with its combination of two arms on one side and an arm plus a bone blade on the other.

Then came the crushed Skeleton Crawler, which looked like a puddle of rotten bones that had been buried in the ground for many years.

Given enough time and placed in an area rich in death aether, it might even be able to get back up.

But it was unnecessary for Caelan.

He opened the Handbook, infused it with magic, and used the Handbook to construct runes around the Skeleton Crawler, decomposing it into aether flow, which then gathered on the Skull.

After this period of magic literacy, Caelan could roughly understand what the process was about.

Of course, he still didn't understand how it was actually achieved.

In any case, the light enveloped the Skull, forming a light cocoon. After about ten seconds, the light gradually dissipated.

The Skull that appeared within had undergone some further changes in appearance.

Originally, after one fusion, the Skull's height had reached 1.8 meters. This time, Caelan estimated it had directly reached a little over 2 meters.

Some barbs had grown on its cranium, and its shape was more like an animal's Skull, likely influenced by the Skeleton Crawler's head, which was either a lizard or something else; it gained another arm, below its original single right arm, so now both sides were symmetrical; a tail grew out from behind its coccyx, and the tip of the tail had sharp barbs, looking like a bony meteor hammer; a layer of fine bone plates grew over all the bones on its body, like an added layer of armor.

And in terms of attributes, there was some improvement compared to before.

【Skull · Undead】

【Race: Undead】

【Level: 8】

【Strength: 99】

【Agility: 27】

【Stamina: 71】

【Durability: 103】

【Magic: 0】

【Talents: Undead, Soul Devour, Immunity】

Strength, Stamina, and Durability all increased to some extent, and its level increased by three, but Agility decreased instead of increasing.

This might also indicate that fusion does not necessarily guarantee attribute improvement.

Caelan guessed that it was likely because the shattered Skeleton Crawler had no mobility, and the bone armor and added arms and tail instead increased the Skull's weight, leading to a decrease in Agility.

However, the drop wasn't much, so it was acceptable.

Moreover, the Skull also inherited a talent from the Skeleton Crawler.

【Immunity: Immune to abnormal statuses.】

A simple and effective talent.

The scope of abnormal statuses here is very broad; it's not just paralysis, sleep, confusion, and the like. According to the records in the book, even polymorph spells can be immunized by this talent. It is a talent often carried by high-level Undead.

Speaking of which, after this fusion, the 'Low-Tier Undead' suffix after the Skull's name changed to 'Undead.' I wonder if this can be considered a form of evolution.

However, actual combat power definitely cannot be determined by just looking at the attribute table here. Whether it's a mule or a horse, you still have to lead it out and let it run.

Caelan summoned another Skeleton Crawler, Level 11.

"Come on, let's see them fight."

Caelan stepped back while giving the command.