[ Dungeon Event joined - Cursed Shrine
Objective: Slay as many enemy waves as you can before the time runs out (5 minutes)
*Mastery: Defeat 5 waves (0/5). ]
Seeing the number of summoning circles surrounding the Shrine increasing without showing a sign of stopping any time soon, the Necromancer shifted gears.
Based on his accumulated experience fighting demons in the Nightmare Dungeon, he knew he first needed to escape the encirclement.
The issue was that he had to clear five waves successfully if he wanted to get the highest clearance for this Event, and the next wave would occur only after the first one was obliterated.
"Meaning I can only stand my ground? But the issue is, how do I clear an area this big with summoned monsters all over the place?"
Seeing the monsters turn out to be undead, Michael sighed in relief and charged with his minions.
First, he would kill at least four to five undead to create Corpses and then use Corpse Explosion to fill the entire area around the Shrine with miasma.
With the undead Skeletons' low Life Points, the first wave was cleared without using any skills. Why? Because the Blastwave blessing was still active.
Similar to how the air was displaced upon leveling up, a smaller-scale sonic boom occurred every three to four seconds, allowing the Necromancer to calmly move in a circle and demolish a large number of monsters without any real difficulty.
Within forty seconds after the monsters were summoned, the first wave fell. Following that, Michael calmly stacked Corpse Explosion four or five times once a monster appeared in a specific area and watched them die while trying to get closer to the center of the encirclement.
On average, a wave would be cleared within thirty seconds, so once the time was up, he successfully got rid of eight waves, increasing his experience considerably.
[ Dungeon Event complete - Cursed Shrine
Reward 1: 43,270 experience points
Reward 2: 2,120 gold coins
Reward 3: Resplendant Chest. ]
Adding the experience gained clearing demons in the Dungeon so far, he was approaching the 50% mark of his current level.
"735,838/1,763,640. Good! Based on this, I can tell how fast I'll level up once I activate the Mother's Blessing emblem and properly focus on clearing Dungeons tomorrow."
Approaching the chest and opening it, he collected 5 Angelbreaths, 7 Rawhides, 7 Bundled Herbs, 7 Iron Chunks, a pair of Rare Highland boots, and a Legendary shield.
Leaving the crappy Rare boots he would sell, Michael compared the two shields, hoping for a decent replacement to his current one.
[ Coldbringer's Bone Shield
Legendary Shield
575 +20 Item Power (x4 upgrades)
Legacy Item
-----------------
446 Armor
* 53% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* + 80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* + 212 Thorns
------------------
^ +13 to All stats (enhanced by Legacy)
* +6.5% Basic Attack Speed
* +9.8% Healing Received
* +4.6% Lucky Hit Chance
Legendary Aspect: Every 8 seconds, your Skeleton Mages cast a blizzard that deals 360 Cold damage and continuously chills enemies for 8% over the duration of 6 seconds. (Necromancer only)
+8 Life on Kill (Skull Socketed) ]
[ Bone Shield of Shielding Storm
Legendary Shield
578 Item Power
-----------------
446 Armor
* 53% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* + 80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* + 140 Thorns
------------------
* +70 Maximum Life
* +1 Essence on Kill
* 3.5% Damage Reduction
Legendary Aspect: Each time Bone Storm damages an enemy, gain a Barrier equal to 3% of your Base Life for 10 seconds. (Necromancer only) ]
Initially, he decided to sell the shield since it had absolutely crappy Affixes, but he was stunned upon noticing that all his currently equipped items gained a 'Legacy' description them.
Furthermore, there was the Bone Storm aspect, which might come in handy later on, so he decided to extract it instead.
Wondering why the hell is the Sanctuary making this many changes without letting its 'users' know what's going on, the Necromancer finally located the second Grinning Fiend.
It was hiding in the deepest parts of the labyrinth, to the point where Michael would have to spend another hour returning to the Boss Room he had previously seen.
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[ Kazad, the Grinning Fiend (Elite) - Level 52
*Hellbound: Summons three Hellbinders that latch chains on enemy targets in a five-meter radius.
*Vampiric: Each successful hit on an enemy heals you for 125% of the damage dealt.
*Suppressor: Create a fifteen-meter range force field that blocks the use of spells and prevents ranged attacks.
*Electrified Obelisks: Summons six Electrified Obelisks that send electric currents from one to another in a straight line. ]
Once again, his impression of the previously disgusting modifier combinations for Elites was refreshed.
Using the hellbinders to lock him and his minions in place, the damned Elite would summon his obelisks next.
Since Blood Mist was apparently considered a 'spell'-type skill, the Necromancer suffered tremendously under the incredibly overpowered combo.
Having used four of his six Healing Potions, he finally took down Kazad, though not without any repercussions.
The Elite used a lance and successfully pierced through Michael's abdomen once, leaving behind a wound that, even after four consecutive potions, had yet to fully heal.
As for the rest of the cuts and bruises, they could be ignored.
"*Sigh* This can't continue any longer. If this was a Boss with similar skills, I might've died. The only reason I won was because I outlasted the Elite. If it had the same number of Life Points that a Boss would, there's no way in Hell I can beat it. But, no matter how I look at it, this should be the best skill build at my current level."
After a ten-minute break, the wound on his abdomen was fully closed, and the Necromancer realized that he indeed had a weakness in his current fighting strategy.
The minions.
"Ultimately, if their damage was higher, they could've destroyed their hellbinders faster and then jumped the demon. Unfortunately, both their Life Points and their damage are sorely lacking compared to the monsters I'm dealing with. If this keeps up, won't they be useless after I advance to World Tier 3 Difficulty?"
Watching a flight of ascending stairs lead back to an area close to the Boss Room form out of thin air over what seemed to be a void below, Michael rolled his eyes at the dramatic 'presentation' and wondered if he should take the long way back.
Still, seeing the half-destroyed statue of an angel, which was also lacking its head, helped him confirm that it should be Inarius. Not because it lacked its head but because of the shape of its wings.
[ Dungeon Quest updated - Grinning Labyrinth
Objective: Travel to the Grinning Chamber. ]
Feeling slightly tired, Michael decided to take the stairs after having both Pathfinder and Quarterback try them out.
"Speaking of which, could you guys hover over the 'abyss' under the stairs?"
Turning his attention to his Cold Mages to distract himself from the possibility of falling to his death, the Necromancer curiously regarded his Accountants.
They were hovering over flat ground, and that was their only method of 'transport.'
Doesn't that mean they could fly over the 'void' below?
Giving an order to one of them to try it out, he watched the Cold Mage loyally follow his orders and 'step' off the stairs, only to fall at high speeds into the darkness.
Coughing awkwardly as the other minions looked at him, Michael quickly returned in front of the Boss Room, where he found a Corpse to resummon his fallen comrade.
Deciding to further experiment to see exactly how these minions of his function, he first stopped to take a 'bath' in the Healing Well after filling his potions.
While taking off his equipment in a Dungeon wasn't advisable since danger might strike when he least expected it, it wasn't a problem for him. He dipped in after using a Cleaning Marble and taking off his shoes.
After all, there must still be lines one mustn't cross. What if Inarius gets pissed seeing him step in with his shoes on in the well?
It was similar to having someone you invited to your place come in without taking their muddy shoes off, leaving dirty footprints all over your living room.
He soaked in the healing liquid for about ten minutes until he felt his body return to normal. There were drawbacks to doing this, but they would go away after a good night's sleep.
There was a big difference between soaking yourself in Healing Potion and drinking it in large quantities.
Putting his shoes back on, he confidently entered the Boss Room.
[ Dungeon Quest updated - Grinning Labyrinth
Objective: Defeat the Scourge of the Land. ]
Seeing such a generic Boss appear, Michael was at somewhat of a loss. He expected something along the lines of a 'Grinning Horror,' or 'The Grinning Duke,' or 'The Killing Joke' to appear.
Fortunately, since he had already faced this Boss multiple times in the past and was already familiar with its attack pattern, the Necromancer quickly cleared the Dungeon and was surprised for the n-th time today.
"A portal, huh?"
A blue portal opened, and judging from the words Estuar, it hinted to the Wanderer that he would be taken outside the Dungeon once he entered it.
First, he collected his loot, which included three Rare item boxes and a Legendary one, which he immediately opened.
It was an amulet, though, the one he currently had was much better.
[ Undying Necklace
Legendary Amulet
558 + 20 Item Power (x4 upgrades)
Legacy Item
-----------------
* +20.2% Resistance to All Elements
------------------
* +7.8% Damage
* +14.7% Ultimate Skill Damage
* +13.3% Total Armor
* +1 Rank to All Corpse Skills
Legendary Aspect: When you cast a skill, you heal for 2.6% of your Life Points. Double this bonus while below 50% Life Points.
+170 Armor (Skull slotted) ]
[ Chain of Occult Dominion
Legendary Amulet
583 Item Power
-----------------
* +15.0% Resistance to All Elements
------------------
* +4.3% Movement Speed
* +5.0% Attack Speed
* +1 to Terror (Necromancer Only)
Legendary Aspect: Your maximum number of Skeletal Warriors and Skeletal Mages is increased by 3. ]
Once more, he decided to sell the trashy item until he saw the Legendary Aspect. This time, he even did a double take.
"Not only Skeletal Warriors, or Skeletal Mages, but both!? Doesn't that mean seven Reapers and six Cold Mages!? *Sigh* This Sanctuary keeps pushing me toward a minion build!"
Grinning to thank the master of the labyrinth for his grace, the Necromancer stepped into the portal and found himself back at its entrance.
From there, he stepped through the thin film segregating reality and this enclosed space, immediately experiencing the same dizziness and discomfort that occurs during teleportation.
Wondering if it was because of two consecutive 'warps,' he walked in front of Orgai and handed him the Quest Items.
"I retrieved the offerings."
[Yes. Yes! The Grinning One guides all to a fortune who are worthy. I will speak of your strength... eh, when the time is right, heh. Now *COUGH* place the offerings on the stones, hm hm. Ogai will have gifts long overdue, hm!](Orgai)
The initial desire to explain the nature of this deity to the pitiful 'creature' evaporated after seeing his greedy and selfish nature.
Even if he knew this was to be expected and that by acting this way and continuing with the ritual, Orgai might suffer, the Necromancer decided to let nature take its course.
[ Side Quest update - Hubris Smiles Back
Objective: Place the offerings on the Ritual Stones (0/5)
Description: Orgai has requested you set up the Grinning One's offerings around him so that he may earn the ancient entity's attention.
It's time to see if Orgai will finally receive his audience with the Grinning One. ]
Reading the Quest's description, Michael realized the grand finale was a forgone conclusion.
Seeing five Ritual Stones shine surrounding Orgai on all sides, he carefully had his Pathfinder place the offerings. After all, safety comes first.
Once the 'offerings' were placed on the stone, the small satchel burst, and whatever was inside turned into bloodmist.
The disgusting and foul red liquid appeared to seep into the stone as if something was greedily drinking it.
Then... silence.
Until Orgai excitedly shouted, his voice spreading out through the night air.
[I hear it! The Old One speaks to me!](Orgai)
"...what does it say?"
[Mmm, yes! Orgai wishes for all. Is worthy of all!](Orgai)
'Well... that can't be good.'
Michael warily looked over the proceedings, retreating a couple of steps in case Orgai got possessed and had to fight another demon.
[Eh, gifts beyond time. Gifts beyond... f-flesh?](Orgai)
'Here it comes.'
[A-and this is... good?](Orgai)
The junkie's voice dropped, and all that could be heard around him were sinister mutterings.
Words that made no sense nor sounded like your everyday language.
[Price? W-what price?](Orgai)
"..."
Then, before Michael or Orgai could react, the man's body appeared to have exploded into this mist, though it was only because all blood was drained out of the poor delusional man's body.
He died before he could utter a word further.
[ Side Quest complete - Hubris Smiles Back
Reward 1: 34,144 experience points
Reward 2: 2,650 gold coins
Reward 3: Random Cache. ]