The force threw Adam and the Lich apart, and both hit a tunnel wall with immense impact.
[You have taken -181 damage.]
'It's not even a direct attack but it took more than half of my health bar!' thought Adam in mild shock.
He immediately chugged a health potion and stood up to regain his bearings.
Adam checked where the Lich was thrown away; it ended up being slammed to the opposite end of the tunnel wall. And whatever was happening to it, it was clearly under immense pain.
Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag!
Judging by its current state, it seems to be in no position to raise or command its minions.
As much as Adam wants to attack it, the Necromancer's Heart has to be assimilated inside the Lich's body completely first. Otherwise, if he attacks now, all it will do is deal critical damage. Though it'll be immense damage, it will be far from what is needed to kill it. And then, Adam will be right back to fighting a Lich with insurmountable defense and nigh-infinite minions.
Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag!
No, he has to let the process be completed. Adam judged that the transformation would be completed the moment the Lich stopped screaming.
In other words, he has to wait. But unfortunately, it will not be a peaceful wait time. Before the Lich tried to cast Mass Undead Enthrallment, it had raised all the nearby undead and called them to its vicinity. While the Lich cannot give command at this moment, it didn't negate its previous order to flock towards where they currently at.
And now, a small army is headed to where Adam and the Lich are.
Fortunately for Adam, he was thrown back to the side of the tunnel where he stockpiled his weapons and various items before he started the fight. He picked up a javelin and aimed it at the Lich still screaming in agony.
Wooosh!
[You have dealt 381 damage to Lich Priest Novhekaar, Level ??]
While he needs the heart to assimilate with the Lich, it doesn't mean he can't attack its body. He threw the javelin at the Lich and it successfully stabbed through its stomach and stuck at the wall behind- pinning the Lich, and thereby severely limiting its movement.
But before he can throw another javelin, all manner of undead minions come jumping down from the hole at the clearing.
Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Mages, and at least over a hundred zombies- among other types of undead. Individually, they won't pose much of a threat at Adam's current level, but it will become troublesome if they swarm him.
Reacting quickly, Adam threw one of the remaining oil barrels he had at the area where the swarm of undead was about to land.
CRASH!
The oil barrel shattered and magnificently soaked the surrounding area in oil.
Fireball!
KA-BOOM!
Taking advantage of the explosion, Adam hurled another javelin at the Lich's body- adding another huge metal to pin its body to the wall. This time, it went through its shoulder.
He doesn't even care what damage the javelin inflicted. It's more important that the Lich is well and securely pinned to the wall, as it wails in pain.
Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag!
Next, he turned his attention again to the forming swarm. As the oil provided the perfect environment to burn the swarm, he added firepower to incinerate the undead.
Wall of Fire!
Flame Pillars!
His window notification shows that he's destroying the undead by the dozens. But it didn't let him fall into a false sense of security.
He threw yet another javelin at the Lich, adding one more peg to pin it to the wall- this time, he hit one of its legs.
Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag! Guurrrrrraaaaag!
As he does so, the lingering flames ensure no undead remains a threat to him. But still, he didn't let his guard down.
So far, the only undead that he has seen are skeleton minions and zombies. The high-leveled undead has yet to make an appearance and Adam refused to believe the Lich would only stick to skeleton minions and undead when it is capable of summoning higher undead beings.
And sure enough, just as this thought ran through Adam's mind, he sensed something approaching. It is an undead that he hasn't yet encountered in this life but one he knows quite a lot about.
It is called an Undead Warrior.
They are a type of undead minion but are on a higher level than the skeleton or zombies. Only the most powerful necromancers are capable of summoning an Undead Warrior so a Lich is capable of summoning one- or several.
Aside from the higher stats, what sets an Undead Warrior apart from the skeleton minions is its capability to use unique skills that it once had when it was alive.
In many ways, they are the equivalent of a Revenant. But while a Revenant is a naturally formed undead, an Undead Warrior spawned from a summoner's magic.
And right now, it is obvious that the Undead Warrior came here to protect its summoner.
At a glance, it looks quite like a zombie in that it is an undead with rotting flesh clinging on to its bones. But where it differs from the mindless zombies is that the Undead Warrior has some semblance of intelligence and is relatively nimble and agile.
Despite the fire burning on the landing area in the center of the clearing, this one made the effort to jump at a certain angle so it landed at the very edge of the fire. Upon landing, while it did take some damage, it didn't burn to death as the skeleton and zombie minions did.
As soon as its feet touched the ground, it smartly rolled away from the fire, which significantly lessened the damage it took from the fiery trap. Then, it took a stance with its shield and stood between its master and Adam.
It is trying to prevent Adam from pegging the Lich with yet another javelin.
At level 109, Adam can immediately detect the basic information of his new opponent.
Undead Warrior- Murmillo Secundus Lvl. 102
HP: 1620/1800
It's wearing what appears to be a once-brightly decorated heavy helmet that fully covers its face. It is bare-chested but its right arm is completely covered in a thick leather guard.
As for its lower body, it is wearing nothing but a loincloth held securely by a thick leather belt- not unlike what a modern boxing champion belt looks like. And finally, it is wearing a pair of leather boots that extends up to the knee to cover its rotting legs.
For its weapon, it is equipped with a huge rectangular shield in its left hand and a short sword in its right.
'With a huge shield like that, I'll have trouble if I just stick to a longsword,' thought Adam.
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Instead of using his longsword, Adam ditched it and instead picked up one of the weapons he scattered in the area.
Old Lorikan Halberd (Common)
Type: Halberd
Damage: 110
Weight: 8
Durability: 80/80
Requirements: 14 STR, 14 DEX
Description: A weapon designed to combine the axe and spear, thus requiring strength and dexterity in equal measure. Ideal for thrusting and sweeping attacks.
Since the enemy is a defensive type, Adam decided to fight it from a distance with a halberd. With its short sword, it will have a difficult time attacking Adam due to its limited reach. And this is particularly made advantageous for him if-
Firebolt!
Fireball!
[You have dealt 78 damage to Murmillo Secundus Lvl. 102]
[You have dealt 98 damage to Murmillo Secundus Lvl. 102]
-if he staggers the undead warrior with fire spells before initiating melee combat. Although his spells didn't deal any significant damage thanks to the undead warrior's shield, it still caused it to stagger due to the spell's impact.
Flame Aura!
Fire Enchantment!
Blazing Will!
Adam did not hold back in activating all his buffs; if there was one undead warrior now, there was no doubt that there were several more coming his way. He needs to end the fight as soon as possible.
He got into a mid-range distance and started the attack with a thrusting attack with his halberd.
Clang!
His opponent blocked it with its shield, preventing any significant damage from being dealt. He then followed up with a sweeping attack, targeting the undead warrior's feet. Although its feet are protected with leather boots, he aims to trip his opponent.
Swish! Slash!
Clang!
The undead warrior anticipated the attack. After Adam's sweep was blocked by its shield, it dodged the attack and rolled forward to close in on the distance.
This time, it was the undead warrior's turn to attack. It swung its short sword towards Adam.
Slash!
Clang!
Adam easily took a step backward and let the blade get caught in between the spear tip and axe section of his halberd. He then took advantage of this brief blade clash to push the undead warrior's sword arm in hopes of disarming it.
But clearly, the undead warrior is a seasoned veteran in its life. It knew what Adam was aiming for so it didn't try to fight Adam's push but instead let his arm follow the force trajectory and nimbly let the attack slide. This made Adam slide forward but with the dangerous end of his weapon harmlessly passing the undead warrior.
Now, Adam is within its striking reach with his halberd awkwardly drawn forward. The Undead Warrior greeted him with its own thrusting attack.
Thrust!
Of course, Adam isn't an amateur either. He dodged the attack and caught the Undead Warrior's sword arm. Then, he boldly let his halberd go in exchange for trapping the Undead Warrior's arm and pushing its shield arm away with his legs.
Once again, he caught an undead using a modern-day arm-locking technique. The undead warrior is caught in a lock, unable to resist or escape.
And unlike the Heretic Revenants that he fought a few days ago, an undead warrior has no resistance to holy attack whatsoever.
Fire Breath!
And so, Adam's Fire Breath dealt enormous damage as well as inflicting a burning status on his opponent. It wasn't just the Fire Breath that dealt damage either, since Adam's Flame Aura is in effect, their mere physical contact already started inflicting a steady holy-attribute damage over time to its opponent.
Fire Breath!
Despite its 1600 HP, it immediately dwindled due to the intensity of Adam's holy and fire-attributed elemental attack. After a few seconds, the undead warrior was defeated.
Ding!
[You have defeated Murmillo Secundus Lvl. 102. You have absorbed...]
The window notification confirmed his victory. That was enough for Adam to let go of his fallen opponent. Then he picked up his halberd and reached for another projectile.
He did not waste his opportunity to peg the Lich with yet another javelin.
Guurrrrrraaaaag... Guurrrrrraaaaag... Guurrrrrraaaaag...
This time, the wailing seems to have slowed down. No doubt, the process of assimilation is nearing its completion.
But Adam has very little time for respite and absolutely none for relief. He can sense several more Undead Warriors headed his way.
Just like the first undead, the other Undead Warriors tried to smartly land at the very edge of the flames- but Adam was prepared this time. While his first opponent was able to land and roll away quickly, Adam waited for most of them to be in mid-air before he made his move.
First, he threw an oil barrel at where the group was trying to land. Then, he cast his spell.
Wall of Fire!
Flame Pillars!
The Wall of Fire erupted from where they were about to land, thereby making the undead warrior's strategy of landing at the edge useless. Meanwhile, the Flame Pillars were guided by Adam to chase the undead and close in on them to ensure they take additional sustained damage. Then, the oil barrel ensured that the flame spread to a wide radius so the undead warrior would be in a circle of intense flames.
And just like that, over a dozen undead warrior has fallen.
[You have slain Samnite Appius Lvl. 105. You have absorbed...]
[You have slain Laquearius Corvinus Lvl. 106. You have absorbed...]
[You have slain Hoplomachus Septimus Lvl. 103. You have absorbed...]
[You have slain Retiarius Sextus Lvl. 104. You have absorbed...]
[You have slain Secutor Laurentius Lvl. 108. You have absorbed...]
[You have slain...]
[You have slain...]
[You have slain...]
Fortunately, his holy flames are dealing immense damage to the undead. It would have been troublesome for him to fight several undead warriors at the same time.
After the dozen or so undead warriors succumbed to his lingering AoE spells, Adam approached the Lich.
It was the first time he was getting close to the Lich after peppering it with several javelins.
Guurrrrrraaaaag... Guurrrrrraaaaag...
Its wailing has noticeably slowed down. Adam is certain that the assimilation is almost completed.
Guurrrrrraaaaag... Guurrrrrraaaaag...
'It wouldn't be long now.' thought Adam.
He can sense the mana fluctuation in the Lich's body slowing down. In a minute or so, he is certain the assimilation of the heart would be completed- thereby making the Lich once again definitively mortal and, therefore, killable.
Guurrrrrraaaaag... Guurrrrrraaaaag...
Adam chugged a mana potion and checked his remaining items. He doesn't have many usable items left, and he knows that the last few seconds will determine how the fight will be concluded.
At this point, every few seconds of the fire burning would mean a few more seconds for the Lich to fully assimilate the heart. He has already thrown the last oil barrel at the group of undead warriors so now, he has no choice but to use oil flasks to prolong the flames just a bit longer. However, he still made sure to keep a few oil flasks on his person.
Guurrrrrraaaaag...
A few more undead warriors came jumping down. But Adam intercepted them with well-timed AoE spells.
Wall of Fire!
Flame Pillars!
Even if those who escaped the most intense flames still caught fire. Adam then kept them at bay with mid to long-range combat with his halberd and waited until the DoT took them down. As the fire has holy-attribute included, it didn't take too long for the undead to perish.
Guurrrrrraaaaag...
Then, the wailing finally stopped.
Adam used the oil flask he saved up and threw it to the noticeably dwindling flames. He then cast Wall of Fire and let it linger for as long as his mana would allow it- making sure to chug a mana potion as needed. In this way, there is a sustained flame where the undead can land and would hopefully make quick work of them.
Wall of Fire 3
Description: Conjure a wall of flames that does 120 points of damage for 30 seconds. Duration could be extended by using more MP
Cost: 120 MP initial cast, 20 MP per second after the duration expires
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Now, Adam turned his attention back to the Lich. It has stopped wailing and seems to have recovered its faculties despite being still severely weakened.
He could tell with certainty because it just hurled a Dark Arrow and Dark Spear at him, but he was able to dodge it with little issues.
Firebolt!
Guurrrrrraaaaag!
Adam tested the waters by aiming a Firebolt at the Lich. And upon the impact of the spell, it screamed in pain.
'Good.' thought Adam. 'I can feel pain once again.'
Of course, the Lich is still literally pinned to the wall by several javelins. Saying that it is in pain is an understatement. But now the Lich is vulnerable to both physical pain and holy-attribute. This is because it is once again a living being, yet still has the qualities of an undead- namely that of its weakness to the holy and flame.
There is no more need to delay.
Flame Aura!
Fire Enchantment!
Adam charged at the Lich with his halberd and stabbed it directly in its heart. And then, just a split-second before the tip of the halberd pierced the now-existing heart of the Lich, he tore two scrolls.
Divine Shield!
Barrier!
Using a defensive scroll was due to his previous experience of being thrown away by a strong force upon attacking the Lich in melee. This time, Adam prepared a defensive scroll after attacking the Lich.
And immediately, it became obvious that his decision had been correct.
SLAM!
BANG!
RUMBLE!
A strong force once again emanated from the Lich. At this moment, is it no longer an exaggeration to say that the Lich has become a bomb incarnate due to the force it is emitting. Luckily, Adam's double shield was able to withstand the impact. But not for long; he can see that cracks are beginning to form in the shields conjured by his scrolls.
He didn't wait around, he chugged a Haste Potion and immediately ran away from the Lich. He has dispelled the Wall of Fire he kept going- there is no more need for it anymore. If any undead came down from the hole above, the force coming from the Lich would have been enough to destroy them.
BANG!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Adam felt the entire tunnel shaking. Afraid of being buried alive, he ran away as far and as fast as he could.
BANG!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
It is clear that the Lich is about to die and all the energy within it is looking for an exit. And the exit of said energy happens to be underground...
BANG!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Although Adam is not looking back while running, he can tell that several rocks have already fallen within the Lich's immediate vicinity.
But while it is dying, it is not dead yet; he hasn't received a status notification window for it yet. And so he kept running.
BANG!
RUMBLE... RUMBLE...
The shaking of the tunnel has very slightly slowed down, but he didn't take any chances. He still didn't stop running.
RUMBLE... RUMBLE...
He wanted to create as much space between him and the dying Lich as much as possible.
RUMBLE...
And after a few more seconds of intense running, the rumbling in the tunnel has stopped. It seemed that the worst had come to pass.
Finally, he received the notification he was waiting for.
Ding!
[You have slain Dark Priest Novhekaar, Level 300. You have absorbed 350,000 Essence.]
Right after receiving the confirmation that he defeated the Lich, a series of messages flooded Adam's notification window.