Left with no other option, Michael advanced behind his Skeleton Warriors, ordering them to escape the diagram's range.
Unfortunately, the damned thing activated too fast, and two summons were affected.
Surprisingly, no damage was dealt, but both were afflicted with the Terrified and Vulnerable status.
Seeing the Dreadful Skeleton hack at the incapacitated minions, Michael had no choice but to order Pathfinder to support Goon No. 1 and No. 2 while Goon No. 3 kept the Captain busy.
To his dismay, the remaining monster wasn't a normal weak Skeleton but a strange Captain with a potion symbol under its health bar.
The system provided the answer immediately, making Michael curse aloud.
[ Skeleton Captain (Minion) - Level 3
*Shield - Generates a shield protecting from all incoming attacks, equal to 50% of total Life. ]
Sighing, he lobbed two more Blight balls, one at his enemy and one at the Captain Goon No.3 was facing.
The enemy didn't take any of that disrespect as it pushed with its shield through the ball and slashed down on Michael.
Seeing the incoming strike, he parried with his shield, knowing he had to keep the fucker inside the defiled area. Damage kept showing above the monster's head, but there was no time to read it, as the second slash was already on its way.
Using the scythe to deflect the incoming blow destabilized him. Still, he quickly gathered his bearings and cast Bone Splinters twice, after which he pushed with his own Buckler onto the Captain's, hoping to destabilize him as well.
"Motherfucker! It's like hitting a wall!"
The effect left a lot to desire, but it did disrupt the Captain enough for Michael to throw another three casts of Bone Splinters before another slash of the enemy's sword hacked at him.
Furious about the monster's high HP, Michael evaded and quickly equipped his two-handed scythe. His one-handed weapon and the Buckler were stored in the Equipment inventory, just like the many times he practiced.
"Let's see you eat this, you fucker!"
The blade of the scythe aimed at the neck of the Captain, and it was a resounding success as the monster died instantly. Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate as the mini-boss roared and summoned another five normal Skeletons from the nearby rooms.
Michael reacted with three casts of Bone Splinters that quickly ended the last Captain Goon No.3 was facing and activated his Raise Skeletons once more on its Corpse.
"Fortunately, my summons facing the Boss are still above 50% HP. What the fuck is this creature!?"
[ Dreadful Skeleton (Elite) - Level 8
*Terrifying: Summons three spell circles on the ground. Targets affected by it would fall into 'Terrified' status. ]
"..."
Michael was rendered speechless by the description. He understood it was an Elite monster since it was almost twice as big as the regular mobs.
But what the hell was that 'Terrifying' for? Also, with how big it was, was it only an Elite and not the Boss? Then, how bigger was the Boss if he encountered it?
Thinking back to the three diagrams and the Terrified status of the minions caught in its activation, he pieced everything together.
"Elite or not, it's nothing fancy since it's already down to 60% of its HP."
Ignoring his curiosity, he cast Blight on the Elite since the previous DOT effect on the area expired, then once again used Raise Skeletons on the Captain he killed to heal and buff the minions.
He had to ignore the incoming Skeletons the Elite summoned through its roar, as taking down the bigger threat was more important.
Michael would be in for a terrible time if the enemy would once more cast his skill or summon yet another pack of undead.
Gritting his teeth, he had Pathfinder go and block the incoming mobs while throwing a Blight ball in front of it.
Then, turning his eyes to the Elite, he peppered it with Bone Splinters until he unfortunately drew its aggro. With no Buckler to block and no balls to deflect the incoming two-meter sword, Michael side-stepped and watched as the weapon cut into the stone floor as if it were tofu.
Sweating hard at the destruction and wondering how the fuck did his minions survive against it at all, he aimed his two-handed scythe at the Elite's knees and hacked with all his strength.
"The bigger they are, the bigger they fall!"
Watching the monster stagger and fall to one knee, Michael threw another Blight, followed by over five Bone Splinter casts before it finally collapsed.
Unfortunately, there was no time for a break, as Pathfinder collapsed under the attack of multiple enemies, leaving him with only three active summons.
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Using Raise Skeletons on the massive Corpse of the Elite, Pathfinder rose from the dead once more! Well... he couldn't know if it was the same Skeleton since they all looked the same...
Cleaning up the remaining mobs took another five minutes, during which Michael ensured his Skeletons and Essence were topped up.
Then, turning his eyes to the place of the fallen Elite, Michael grinned widely as he saw a piece of equipment on the ground.
"Something from an Elite can't be garbage. Give daddy something good!"
[ Harmonius Strider's Handwraps
Hands: Handwraps
57 Item Power
----------------------
28 Armor
+4 to all Attributes ]
Picking it up, his grin went even further, threatening to split his face. He equipped the new piece and went on his way, having Pathfinder V2.0 lead the way.
Things didn't go as well as the beginning of the dive, as more and more Archers spawned in the rooms ahead; a bolt even pierced through his right arm from one side to the other.
Thinking it would be awesome to snap the bolt like they do in movies, Michael tried to look cool and almost fainted from the pain as a result.
He hurriedly drank a Weak Healing Potion that numbed the pain and brought up his Life, regretting that he had to use a vial for such a stupid reason. Luckily, he picked up a Potion Orb just minutes later, returning his stash to full.
Unsurprisingly, his initial route brought him back to the same main room that branched into three paths.
"Luckily, I already reached Level 4. I can finally get the Enhanced Blight to slow down enemies. That should help with kiting."
Walking through the pillars of the big room, he watched as the opened door on the north wall revealed a strange red container ahead.
The Sanctuary helped him identify the barrel holding red liquid.
[Healing Well]
And that was all the information he got. Still, it was enough to understand its purpose.
"I wonder..."
Some experiments followed with Michael emptying a vial of Weak Healing Potion and refilling it from the well while the system recognized it as a proper HP potion.
He also made a cut twice on his left hand, and the first drank directly from the Healing Well, resulting in the immediate closure of the wound, while the second time, he submerged his wounded palm in the liquid to see if the results would be the same.
"Same result, but after drinking it, the pain subsides as well, while after submerging the wound in the liquid, there were still some traces of pain in the healed location. This means that oral ingestion is better than external usage. Makes sense, but it's still good to know."
As for the sudden experiments, the main reason behind them was the fact that the timer on the Quest vanished. That meant he was either close to his objective or would reach the Boss's room after walking down the stairs in front of him.
He began his descent by calming his breath and ensuring he was mentally ready. The corridor was cold, giving Michael a creepy feeling with every step he took.
Lucky for him, it wasn't too long, and he managed to reach the second underground floor. There wasn't much difference from the first floor, but it should be expected since the entire Dungeon should follow the same style.
"However, what's not normal, is the goddamn demonic pentagram that seems to be made out of molten lava on the floor..."
Swallowing hard, he had Pathfinder walk over and poke at the drawing with his blade. When nothing happened, Michael still took a detour and walked closer to the other wall of the room, just to be safe.
More pillars greeted him, and he almost cursed when he saw the room split in two directions again.
Luckily, the natives of these damned rooms were here to guide him. Seeing their dog-like appearance but scorpion-like tails, Michael felt creeped out, even if they looked weaker than the Skeletons.
[ Hellion (minion) - Level 8 ]
Knowing its name didn't help much, as its appearance was disturbing, to say the least.
Even more annoying was that they were fast, and Skeletons couldn't aggro them.
After killing five of them and sustaining some scratches and bites on his legs, Michael turned around and drank more potion from the Health Well, ensuring he was in top shape before moving forward.
Flipping a gold coin, he decided to go left and explore first. The natives were exceptionally welcoming over there as well.
"More of these small fuckers! Just seeing them annoys me greatly..."
[ Fallen (Minion) - Level 8 ]
Once more, they threw themselves at him and his Skeletons with wild abandon, making Michael wonder if he somehow killed their parents in the previous rooms.
Over five were killed again, but surprisingly, one just came back to life after being shot down by a cast of Bone Splinters.
A rattling sound followed its resurrection, pointing out a Fallen with longer horns holding a staff.
[ Fallen Shaman (Minion) - Level 9 ]
The monster fell like rotten wood after a Blight and a couple of Bone Splinters. Still, Michael couldn't help but complain about how stingy this Dungeon was. From five Hellions, five Fallen, and a Fallen Shaman, he only gained a Potion Orb and 35 gold coins.
Shaking his head, he continued further, disposing of another eight more Fallen, which rewarded him with the dust on the floor. He was surprised to see that his XP bar was over 30% filled, meaning he was getting closer to another level up.
His stroll through the Dungeon ended abruptly in one of the larger rooms as a Fallen twice the size of a regular one glared at him, eyes full of hatred.
Its shriek called upon another five normal demonlings to attack while the big boy raised its cleaver to the ceiling in an all too familiar motion.
"Fuck! Elite!"
[ Fiery Fallen (Elite) - Level 9
*Mortar: Randomly throws five fireballs toward an area occupied by an enemy. ]
It doesn't take a genius to understand that this Elite wouldn't summon diagrams on the floor but rather try to blast him with fire-related spells.
Sure enough, three circles were soon indicated by the system under his feet, his minions', and blocking his escape path.
Cursing, he had his Skeletons charge forward, effectively avoiding three meteors that appeared out of thin air. The impact shook the room, almost making him stumble.
Experience with the previous Elite helped his current situation, as he had his minions round up the six monsters, after which he pelted them with two Blight casts to ensure the radius of the defiled zone affected all of them.
After that, it was easy pickings as the Skeletons focused on killing the small fries first, and Michael used their Corpses to heal and buff them.
"This went much better than the previous run-in. My only question is, where the hell are my drops!?"
Nothing fell after killing the second Elite, bumming the poor Necromancer. With nowhere to vent, he massacred over ten more Fallen before reaching a second Healing Well.
Confident that this one was different than the previous one he had used, Michael looked at the corridor leading to the third underground floor, which was undoubtedly the Boss room.
How did he know? Because of the intensified creepy feeling. If it weren't for the Quest prompting him to get his ass moving, he would've turned and left already.
He walked down the stairs carefully, and the system updated its entries, almost making him trip.
[ Quest update - Darkness Within
Description: Enter the Chamber of Calling and inspect the decapitated Priest. ]
"Do what to whom and where!?"
Seeing the world 'decapitated' already sent shivers down Michael's spine. Not to mention that this Boss room was called The Chamber of Calling. He was about to see another summoning ritual for sure!
Still, he had to go through with it since the Quest was almost over, and SURELY, nothing the level of Lilith would pop up in a small-ass entry Dungeon...
Walking out of the corridor and into the small room, he almost turned away when small lights suddenly shone, showing the insides.
Lots of candles illuminated five strange diagrams drawn with blood and entrails surrounding a headless corpse in the middle of the floor.
Taking an unsteady step forward, Michael noticed blood being drawn from the corpse and instantly drew another bigger diagram on the ground, quickly connecting with the other five.
Without hesitation, Michael retreated towards the entrance and had his minions block before him. Much to his annoyance, a barrier blocked his path out of the Chamber of Calling.
"Motherfucker! What the fuck is that!?"
A blood portal opened in the ceiling, and a hulking monstrosity fell through it.
The system immediately identified the new addition to the now-closed room.
[ X'Fal, The Scarred Baron (Boss) - Level 9 ]
The Boss was at least four meters tall and looked like a freaking body-building minotaur. His horns were long, and the spiked club in his hands was even longer.
A roar followed his descent, and Michael was almost swept off his feet due to the combination of pressure and ghastly wind created by the roar.
The club crashed on the floor, and the entire Dungeon seemed to tremble as a sadistic grin was on the creature's face.