The group made their way down the tunnel and immediately separated into their pre-planned roles. Hector's team led the way, considering their knowledge of this new passage. Theodore followed closely behind.

Hans and Carol were whispering to one another in the rear of the group. Mark walked silently alongside Elise and Hannah, who were ordered to keep a lookout. Not that they could do much, since all anyone could see were dark tunnels.

Theodore gave Hector one of his golden healing potions, though its colors appeared more muted than the one Mark had. "Take this," Theodore said.

"Thank you, boss." Hector immediately drank it, healing up the rest of his wounds, then passed the leftovers to Jack. But the man refused to take it. His head lowered to avoid meeting his leader's eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

"Guilt," Annabelle whispered to Mark. "He was supposed to be watching Victor."

Mark raised a brow. Jack, feeling guilt? Mark never thought he'd see the day. Eventually, some prodding from his teammates made Jack accept the potion. But he somehow looked more depressed than the first time Mark had seen him.

The group regained their focus when a group of skeletons appeared halfway. "Is this a leader?" Mark whispered.

"No," Annabelle replied. "But these skeletons have wandered quite far."

They needed to spend their energy efficiently. Hans and Carol went in first, killing as many as they could before they stepped back and let a wave of magic kill off the rest. Then, they continued moving onwards, only to encounter another group.

Hector guarded Hannah and Jack while they had their share of battles. Theodore alone could handle a group of undead without expending much mana. They pressed forwards like this, taking turns to maximize everyone's recovery. Mark was surprised at how well they all meshed together. And they were improving the more they fought.

Countless groups of undead fell by their hands, and they were still ready for more. Their speed was not lacking either. When they came across their first group with an undead leader at the helm, Theodore helped them finish the battle in a couple of minutes. Though there were a few close shaves, he always made sure nothing happened.

Many of them accumulated good experience and managed to improve on the next battle, slaying the second undead leader relatively quickly. Then they were able to focus their attacks on the rest. Mark's group managed to continue their relentless speed for another half hour, eradicating a third and fourth undead leader at Level 15.

Congratulations! You have reached Level 16.

Mark Winters - Level 16

Class: Mage (Common)

Stats - 3 Free Stat Points

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 5

Endurance: 11

Vitality: 11

Intelligence: 36

Wisdom: 9

It seemed that having a skill differentiated a leader from the rest of the rabble, even though most had reached Level 10. They made battles a lot harder to finish. But they also granted much more experience.

Even so, Mark could tell the group was starting to tire. Elise was the first to have ragged breaths after an hour of strenuous travel. Hannah was next, and then the two warriors, Hans and Carol. Remarkably, Annabelle, Hector, and Jack were still holding strong. Though both him and Theodore remained steady, they both understood their formation might fall apart soon.

"I have to rest," Elise mumbled. She supported herself on the wall, but another fight and she'd collapse. "So tired."

"We are good to have gotten this far," Theodore said. A frown was on his face, but his eyes were glimmering. "But the highest undead monster I've seen has only been Level 15. The rest were much lower leveled."

"We're almost there," Jack said, breathless. "Let's keep going."

"Not happening," Theodore said. He put a hand up. "Something's up front."

A skeleton with soul flames noticeably brighter than all the other undead stepped out from the darkness, flanked by a group of three Level 15 skeleton warriors. Its teeth repeatedly clacked together, as if speaking.

Theodore's eyes narrowed. "Get back," he said. Then he charged in. His sword swept towards one of the warriors, only for it to parry his attack. Though he continued to swing his weapon, the skeletons knew to support one another. They forced him back after a round of combat.

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But Theodore had other tricks up his sleeve. Magic manifested itself into a cone of burning flame, erupting in their direction. Fire singed their bones but failed to damage them heavily. Instead, a familiar sheen appeared on their shields, and lessened the impact of the spell as the three warriors stood shoulder to shoulder.

"Hannah," he shouted. Then Theodore rushed in and slammed the full force of his body into the shields. Though he was quickly forced back, his magic shield protected him, and Hector rushed in to fill the gap. Spellfire from both Mark and Annabelle covered his retreat.

Hannah's blade caught the light from a nearby torch as it jabbed at the leader skeleton's eyes. But the monster twisted its body around and dodged. Seeing this, she immediately vanished, successfully avoiding a rain of javelins aimed at her location.

"Won't be easy to kill those three," Theodore said. "We need more people." He gave a nod to Hans and Carol.

Though their arms ached, the two of them moved together under Hector's direction to provide support. They managed to distract the three skeleton warriors again, buying time for Hannah's second attempt. Her blade erupted from an unseen direction, but this time, the weapon held an unnatural sheen.

Even the skeleton could not detect this attack, and the dagger found purchase in the monster's ribs. Hannah buried it there, slipping away before a sword could take her neck.

Creeping black magic crawled up the skeleton's bones and swam on its skull. The weapon had been imbued with some sort of corrosive, corruptive enchantment. With Theodore's melee team hammering away at the three skeleton warriors, Mark was free to unleash his spells on the unprotected skeleton general with his Mage teammates.

Right as the skeleton turned to powder, Elise cried out in pain and crumpled into a ball on the floor. It was clear she had overtaxed herself. Even Annabelle's eyes and fingers were twitchy. Only her discipline kept her going.

Mark was completely fine though. Even with good contribution in nearly every fight, he remained without symptoms. He did feel a little sore from all the walking, but it was nothing a little magical meat couldn't solve.

Theodore roared, and an eruption of magic blasted the skeleton warriors back. The man had accrued several wounds on his body but that did not stop him from taking more hits just to land another strike onto the warrior. His relentless assault allowed him to smash its skull into dust.

Hector swung his axe and a magical roar blew through another warrior's shield, ending its unlife. The third skeleton, now alone, floundered under the glowing attacks of both Hans and Carol. They had gained a tenth level, and were now showing it in full force.

Mark silently took care of the rest of the skeletons who tried to attack. The fight soon finished afterwards.

"Good job, everyone." Theodore's breath was low but measured. He immediately drank a healing potion and wiped his lips with his hands.

"Think there'll be more?" Mark asked, taking a quick look around. All the Warriors except for Hector looked exhausted. Both Mages were lying on the floor. And Hannah's weapon had melted away after afflicting the skeleton leader with its essence. Only Theodore and himself remained in excellent condition.

"Yes, but we cleared most of the skeletons out already," Hector said. "Boss, we are actually almost there this time."

"But we haven't seen any sign of the ambushers yet," Theodore said, glancing around their location. His eyes landed on a random spot, then shot wide open. "Unless they've already snuck past!"

A Flame Arrow soared from his hands and pierced the wall behind them, revealing nothing but air. But Theodore's expression was hawkish. He seemed to see something nobody else had.

"A handprint was on the wall," Theodore said. He glanced back into the tunnel where they came from. "Hannah, go back there and keep a lookout."

"But my weapon," she said softly. Her voice carried a tinge of fear. "I'm unarmed."

"Go," Theodore ordered. His gaze turned stern. "We need you there as a scout. Keep in mind we might all die here without everyone contributing all they can," he reminded everyone. "Please."

Hannah finally nodded after a few tense moments of silence. Though she looked convinced, many were distrustful of her fleeing on her own. As a Rogue, that was quite feasible.

Mark was thinking of another option, however. Should he take the chance to break away from his teammates and secure all those bodies they left behind? Every time he walked away, he felt his heart ache.

"I'm planning an ambush," Theodore said. "Might be able to get the jump on them first."

"Hannah will be able to find them first, right?" Elise said. Her voice had become extremely quiet.

Nobody responded. None of them had managed to detect that handprint except for Theodore. They were dealing with experts in stealth.

"I doubt it." Mark made the choice that would give him the most returns. "I think you should all keep going. I will go back and buy you some time."

"What?" The others exclaimed. Theodore's brows remained furrowed as he stared at him.

"Mark, you're gonna sacrifice yourself?" Hector's expression morphed into one of respect. "You have our undying admiration," he said.

Even Jack looked impressed. The man had always avoided his eye, but was now giving him a deep, respectful nod.

Theodore nodded. "I don't know what you're planning, but you're always welcome here."

Mark didn't think it was anything difficult. He had seen the undead hordes and found them weaker than he had expected. Even though he lacked Theodore's raw might, his staying power in battle was second to none.

They would be fine if he left them alone. "I've made my decision," he said. "Don't worry about me and go."

"Thank you," the others chimed in. Elise blinked away tears and wanted to rush up to hug him, but he pushed her away. Hannah gave him a small smile.

"Sorry for not being strong enough," Theodore said. He dug around his pocket for a small token. "I can only give you this for support, but I'm not sure if it'll be of any use."

Mark picked it up and looked it over. One one side, the token carried a golden sheen while a face stared back. Its eyes seemed to follow him whenever he moved the coin. On the other side, a silver sheen glimmered, and a weird creature appeared with some hazy words.

"Good luck," Theodore said. With a salute, the man's back faded away with the rest of the group. Mark was alone from now on.

But that was just fine. It was what he preferred, after all. He, too, sank back into the darkness, to pursue corpses, castles, and carnivorous vines.