The three Dungeons near the city he had previously rescued a goat from were at a distance sufficiently close to permit clearing and continuing further without wasting too much time.
After a quick glance at the intel he got from the City Guards, if everything goes well, he should clear them within four to five hours.
[ Dungeon: Shifting City (Level 50+)
Description: These ruins were once a refuge for the people of Qara-Yisu. ]
[ Dungeon: Palid Delve (Level 50+)
Description: Cannibals guard a dark power in the crumbling mines. ]
[ Dungeon: Betrayer's Row (Level 50+)
Description: The twisted remains of a town driven mad by envy. ]
Before starting another wave of monster massacre, he returned to the Hidden Overlook on horseback and saw the pissed-off Wanderers grouping up to clear the Dungeon.
Before using the Waypoint to travel to Farobru and wrap the Side Quest and his previously declared mission, he contacted Beatrice, who confirmed that the Dungeon would become permanent.
To keep it under control, over twenty teams of five well-grouped Wanderers of different levels started clearing it.
That way, they would be able to ensure no Dungeon Break since there were plenty of cannibals outside Guulrahn as it was.
Mentally wishing the Wanderers the best of luck, he teleported to Farobru.
He was surprised to see a large cart of lumber being transported as he made his way to the two girls' house, and he quickly asked the Sanctuary to investigate the situation.
[ Fresh Lumber
Scosglen's lumber fetches a hefty price in the desert. ]
Realizing this cart's final destination should be Kehjustan, Michael smiled while being proud of the changes he had made to the continent's economy just by proposing to build the roads.
Stopping by the local equipment merchant, he dropped all the Rare items on the man - even if his inventory wasn't yet full but only about 75% - making another 213,954 gold coins from the trade.
Checking his balance, he was already at 2,408,022, almost halfway to his goal for a new house.
The local Blacksmith was relatively poor and only offered 4 Rawhides, 2 Veiled Crystals, and 2 Coiling Wards in exchange for the two Legendary items in his possession (the boots and the gloves).
Since he couldn't use the damned 'cloud of bats' skill, Michael ended up salvaging that pair and sticking with his current boots temporarily.
Reaching Oyuun's and Zolaya's house, he found the duo leisurely drinking tea in the yard, happily greeting the Necromancer.
After exchanging pleasantries and having lunch with the two women—sandwiches he had made a while back occupying space in his inventory—he handed over the letter to Zolaya when Oyuun went to replenish their tea kettle.
After reading it, Zolaya shook her head and returned the letter to him.
[She was always sensitive to things like that. *Sigh* You have no idea how grateful we are to you and that old goat Lorath. Thanks to you two, we can make a fresh start in a relatively peaceful place like Farobru. As for the past... it has no place in our lives anymore.](Zolaya)
After promising to bring his girlfriends over since the duo couldn't travel to Kyovashad instead, Michael tilted his head in confusion at the strange looks he was getting.
Being told that both women were Wanderers, with Zolaya being Level 42 and Oyuun Level 28, the Necromancer immediately invited the duo for dinner sometime.
Obviously, Oyuun was still recovering, so it might take some time until she's comfortable traveling and meeting new people, but it was in the plan for the near future.
Waving the girls goodbye and finding the location of his Quest Maker, he located Yeshi, a man he remembered from his first visit to this farming town.
From what he remembered, the man was one of the wealthier members of this community, mostly due to his vast farming lands.
"Hello, sir. Are you Erdene's father?"
[Heh. Did that boy finally grow a conscience and decide to send word back to his family?](Yeshi)
"...I'm sorry for your loss, sir."
The man's face changed when he realized his son died, but changed again to fear and alarm after seeing what Michael took out.
[Is that... are you mad!? If someone were to see you with that... there are already rumors of secret cannibals hiding in towns.](Yeshi)
"What?"
In the Necromancer's eyes, this reaction was... odd. The brief grief he saw in the father's eyes disappeared entirely when he saw the sack and realized its contents.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
As for his dead son, he no longer appeared to be of concern. More worrying in his eyes were the rumors that might occur if others saw the sack.
Storing it back in his inventory with a strange look, Michael looked quizzically at Yeshi.
[Take it outside the walls; south of there, there's a little prayer shrine. Bury it deep so the predators don't get to it.](Yeshi)
'Huh... 'it'? Damn.'
Leaving the uncaring man behind, he understood while the poor son left his family and didn't keep in contact.
[ Side Quest update - What Remains
Objective: Bury Erdene's Remains
Description: Erdene's father is afraid someone will see the remains and think there's a cannibal in town. He wants you to bury it outside the walls. ]
The location wasn't too far away, but there were five bandits who 'claimed' that spot as their 'hideout,' even if there was nowhere to hide inside.
So, Michael made six graves and buried everyone in front of a small shrine, ensuring each body would remain at least four meters underground.
[ Side Quest update - What Remains
Objective: Speak with Yeshi
Description: You've buried the remains. You should tell Erdene's father. ]
Curios to see what else was there to say, he returned to Farobru since he would have to take the Waypoint to Qara-Yisu anyway.
He found the man sitting in the same spot, leaning on the wooden fence, looking into the distance.
"Erdene is laid to rest."
[Good. Good. *Sigh* That boy. He never should have gone to Guulrahn. I wanted him to take over the farm, but he had dreams of making it big.](Yeshi)
"..."
[I'm sorry, stranger. You must have better things to do with your time than hear of a parent's disappointment in their child. Thank you for returning him to me.](Yeshi)
It was obvious the man was suffering from the loss but didn't know how to act or show it.
Shaking his head inwardly, he couldn't help but remember what one of his psychology major friends told him back on Earth.
'Communication is key in all and any type of relationship, huh? Ultimately, neither Erdene nor Yoshi knew how to communicate, which led to this whole mess.'
Still, it wasn't his place to meddle, especially now that things took such a grim turn.
[ Side Quest complete - What Remains
Reward 1: 17,424 experience points
Reward 2: 2,200 gold coins
Reward 3: Leather Cache. ]
When he called Aylin to tell her about Zolaya and Oyuun and check how she felt about having them over for lunch or dinner sometime, he realized she was also in the middle of clearing a Dungeon.
Due to her high level, there were few she could party with, so she was soloing again.
However, judging by how leisurely she was conversing and the thumping sounds made after the monsters were either swatted or kicked away, she should be handling herself pretty well.
Laughing, he asked why she was there, and apparently, she had to redo all the Dungeons she had already cleared before for the Region Progress.
With the Altars of Lilith 'collected' the day prior, when the Necromancer started his Dungeon raids, Helen was now at her ninth Dungeon cleared in Fractured Peaks.
After hearing the number and checking the time, Michael felt his brain capacity wasn't sufficient to comprehend what was going on, so he asked instead.
[Huh? Oh, that. I am focusing only on the objectives given by the Dungeon Quest. Once finished, I clear the Boss and move on. I can clear most in thirty minutes or less, depending on the type of Dungeon Quest I get. The 'Slay all Enemies' is one of the worst in terms of time consumption.](Helen)
"..."
Wishing her good luck and hanging up to talk with someone less toxic to his fragile ego, Michael spent fifteen minutes on the 'phone' with Mina as he made his way to Palid Delve, the first Dungeon he was targeting.
The Priestess was joining a team of Veterans on the same level as her to clear Dungeons and earn Renown points, but she wasn't needed too much and was pretty much carried.
[ Dungeon Quest issued - Palid Delve
Objective: Slay all enemies in the Salt Mines. ]
Holding back his urge to swear, Michael continued talking with the petite beauty as he ordered his minions to clear the demons.
The frenzied Carvers popped up again in his view, making for a funny sight as Quarterback kicked them as if they were balls on a soccer field.
Just when the conversation turned more pleasant, and he completely forgot about Helen smashing Dungeons at high speed, a loud sniff and a growling voice echoed loud enough for Mina to hear.
[*SNIFF* Aaaaah! Fresh meat!](The Butcher)
Unconsciously, a large grin appeared on the Necromancer's face. Looking at the Corpses surrounding him and the small army of minions he didn't have before made Michael curious just how much of a difference these months in between made.
Hearing the loud footsteps charging his way, he soothed Mina's worries by telling her he would flee if things got bad. He hung up after promising to call her back immediately after he escaped.
Looking in front, he saw a large three-meter red demon charging at him.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! It seems the little Priestess doesn't believe I can fuck you up."
[Hahaha! *Swoosh*](The Butcher)
Using Evade to move out of the way of the hook thrown from over a hundred meters away, Michael calmly watched as the Butcher pulled on the chain and tried to hook him.
Moving more to the right to evade the returning weapon, he looked at the grinning fiend.
"What bullshit is that!? How does it make sense to throw it from over a hundred meters away, and the chain is still attached to the hook? I still have eyes, you know? The chain is barely two meters around your damned fat waist."
Instead of answering, the Butcher realized he was close enough and roared as he launched himself at the enemy.
Unfortunately for it, Quarterback tackled him mid-air, prompting both lumbering bodies to fall to the ground.
The rest of the minions immediately acted as well, swarming the dazed demon.
Michael immediately threw a cast of Decrepify and Corpse Tendrils, though, obviously, the Butcher grabbed the vines with his bare hands and ripped them apart.
Laughing maliciously, the demon smacked the Golem in the face and kicked the Reapers away as he charged at their owner.
Not in a rush to escape, Michael avoided the hook thrown once again and then deflected the cleaver with his scythe.
'What ridiculous strength. I also don't have my shield to block hits anymore, so I must take a different approach.'
Repeating his previous strategy, he exploded a couple of Corpses, filling the space with miasma.
Probably remembering how things went down last time, a loud roar escaped the Butcher's mouth, catching his enemies off guard.
Furthermore, a red barrier covered its body, significantly decreasing the damage Corpse Explosion was dealing.
With his right hand still empty, the demon reached and caught the Necromancer's head. Before Michael could react, he saw the bastard's face approaching his and immediately felt his nose caving in as immense pain flooded his receptors.
Through the tears impeding his vision, he saw the cleaver descending again, so he immediately used Blood Mist, moving behind the Butcher while his minions retook agro.
Of course, Quarterback had to use his taunt, and only then did Michael have a bit of time to drink a Healing Potion and cast four Raise Skeletons in a row.
With the Reapers replenished and a Skeleton Priest temporarily summoned to 'bless' the battlefield, a more frenzied attack began.
Not wanting to slow down the offense, Michael renewed the Decrepify curse on the demon as he joined in attacking in melee range with his Reap.
Even with the Reapers attacking and the Golem suffering severe damage, the Corpses on the ground couldn't keep up with the expenditure.
Fortunately, it wasn't all bad, as the Butcher's Life Points decreased under 40% already.
However, as if gone berserk, another loud cry stunned the minions and Michael, giving the bastard enough time to fling the hook at the Necromancer.
Hit directly in the chest, the impact sent him flying four to five meters.
Luckily for him, the hook hit him squarely and didn't find anything to 'grab,' infuriating the Butcher even further.
When its Life Points dropped to 25%, it directly ignored everything around it, including Quarterback's taunt, and only hacked at Michael.
The poor Necromancer kept running left and right, dodging when he could and parrying when he couldn't.
At the same time, he had to react and counterattack with Reap every time the cooldown for the Corpse generation passed while keeping a constant look on his surroundings, how many Corpses were left, how many Corpse Explosions were active, and affecting the bastard, as well as the general situation of his minions.
It was hard, but barely doable!