Seeing the berserk Burt being slapped away like a fly made Michael almost trip over the Corpse of a Ghoul on the ground.
Luckily for him, Aybdah caught him before that happened.
[Are you okay? What happened?](Aybdah)
"Thanks. A 5-meter-tall Boss just slapped away Burt. He's been knocked out."
[What!?](Aybdah)
[Is he okay?](Christine)
Hearing the concern in the woman's voice, Michael shook his head slightly, thinking that Burt might actually stand a chance.
"I saw it through the senses of my Skeletons. As we speak, I'm having my minions protect him until we make it there. The situation is not good, though. I don't think we can take out that monster."
[Then, we're dead meat, aren't we?](Aybdah)
[Five meters tall. He can't get in.](Christine)
Seeing Christine hit the nail on the head, Michael nodded.
"That's why we need to draw the Boss's attention while we rescue Burt and retreat into the cave."
[Sounds like a plan. What do we need to do?](Aybdah)
"Well, Christine and myself will attack the nearby Ghouls, including the Boss, to draw their attention. I want you to grab Burt and retreat to the cave. After that, I'll use my Skeleton Warriors to stall for time until we make it back."
[Should we drink the Stamina Potions?](Aybdah)
"Not yet. If you can still hold on, don't. Drink it once you feel that you'll fall over because of how tired you are."
Seeing both of them nod in acquiescence, Michael rushed forward, casually finishing the wounded Ghouls left on the passage.
Seeing the carnage Burt left behind, he couldn't help but wonder what sort of scene would unfold if a Barbarian like Gonk would drink one.
"We're almost at the exit of the passage. Get ready! Aybdah, you'll find Burt on the right side. My Skeletons are protecting him as we speak."
Noticing the low Life Points of his minions, Michael quickly used Raise Skeletons, healing and buffing them.
"We'll focus on the Boss, Christine. All your arrows, aim them at it. I'll deal with the minion Ghouls near it."
[Got it!](Aybdah)
[Mhm.](Christine)
When they reached the start of the passage, the night vision blessing allowed them to see a literal sea of Ghouls shrieking.
To say that the visual impact was intimidating would be an understatement. Even Michael, who managed to catch a glimpse through the senses of his minions, wasn't mentally prepared for such a terrifying picture.
"Get moving! We can't stay out here for too long!"
As expected, Michael's shout woke up the two party members from their dazed selves but also drew the attention of most enemies to himself, including the Boss.
Seeing Aybdah become invisible and the footsteps on the snow heading toward Burt, Michael took a deep breath and yelled again.
"One minute, Aybdah! That's the best we can give you! Christine, stay at the passage's entrance and retreat immediately after Aybdah returns. Cover my blindspots temporarily. With how many Ghouls there are, it's not a good idea for you to draw the attention of the Boss."
[Okay.](Christine)
Taking another deep breath, Michael instantly threw a blob of Blight in the densest packed area, followed by waves of Bone Splinters.
As they made their way through the passage previously, Michael finally saw two skills that could potentially save his life in this situation. To be more exact, one could save HIS life and one that MIGHT save the lives of all of them.
[ Blood Mist
Macabre | Blood
-------------------
Cooldown: [24] seconds
Lucky Hit: 9% chance
Disperse into Bloody Mist and become immune for 3 seconds. Your movement speed is reduced by 20%, and you periodically deal 2% damage to enemies and Heal for [0.5%] of your Maximum Life. ]
The Ghouls kept jumping at him as he recalled the skills, but a swing of the scythe and a couple of Bone Splinters would deal with them pretty fast.
Also, Christine would pretty much insta-kill every Ghoul she would headshot, leaving enough space around Michael to move around.
The second skill could also become a lifesaver in this 'crowded' situation.
[ Corpse Explosion
Corpse | Corruption
--------------------
Lucky Hit: 40% chance
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Detonate a Corpse, dealing [50%] damage to surrounding enemies. ]
It was here! The skill he had waited for so long finally arrived. The total damage it dealt wasn't particularly great, as he wasn't exactly sure what that 50% was out of, but he decidedly ignored that as the Corpses on the ground were aplenty.
With another wave of his hands, he used Raise Skeletons and noticed how Aybdah made it near Burt and was raising him on his shoulders. Poor Shaman Warrior was knocked out cold.
Ordering his minions to 'escort' Aybdah to the entrance of the narrow passage, Michael looked at the final active skill he could unlock at the moment.
[ Bone Prison
Macabre | Bone
--------------------
Cooldown: [18] seconds
Unearth a prison of bones with [75] Life points surrounding the target for 6 seconds. ]
The skill could undoubtedly become a lifesaver in this situation, but for a Boss 'blessed with innate strength,' Michael wasn't sure if the newly minted skill would hold it down long enough.
Therefore, the only option would be Corpse Explosion... for multiple reasons.
[Michael, I made it back with Burt.](Aybdah)
"Good! Retreat fast into the cave and feed him a Healing Potion. Check to see if there are any obvious wounds."
[You?](Christine)
"Both you and I would stick around for a little longer."
Looking at his experience bar that was 80% full, Michael gritted his teeth and ordered.
"You can fire freely. No need to save up Resources. Just try to kill as many as you possibly can."
[Level up?](Christine)
"Mhm. If I can level up, I might be able to increase our survival chances."
[Okay.](Christine)
"I'll have the Skeleton Warriors frontline. We'll attack from behind, just like in the cave. If the Boss makes a move on us, we'll instantly retreat. Got it?"
[Mhm.](Christine)
Looking at the colossal Ghoul, which stood about twenty meters from their current location, Michael couldn't help but shudder at the fact that poor Burt was sent flying pretty much the same distance.
Hopefully, his Stone Skin new skill was enough to keep him alive. And even if he was alive, hopefully, his battle strength wouldn't be affected.
[How far are you from leveling up?](Christine)
"I'm at 2256/2820. I should level up in a bit. What's your Resource status?"
[40% left.](Christine)
Hearing her words, Michael grimaced and kept throwing Blight and Bone Splinters at the never-ending stream of Ghouls.
Unfortunately for him, the Boss didn't seem agreeable to this plan and decided to step up to the scene himself.
"Fuck! The Boss is making a move. Christine, retreat further in the passage!"
[You?](Christine)
"I'm almost there. I can't retreat yet. Go on, I'll be right behind you."
[...okay.](Christine)
Hearing the reluctance in her voice, Michael smirked. It seemed that his new teammates grew rather fond of his Necromancer self.
'2620/2820. I'm 200 experience points away. I can't retreat yet, so I can only stall for time. I'll have the Skeletons draw the attention of the Boss.'
Ordering Pathfinder to sacrifice himself first, he watched as the poor bastard charged at the 5-meter-tall monstrosity, only to be stomped as soon as he reached foot level.
Fortunately, the Boss wasted another few seconds to properly grind him into dust by stomping twice on its bones, giving Michael and the other goons enough time to keep slaughtering the weaklings nearby.
Seeing his experience reach almost 100%, Michael charged in the densest pack of Ghouls and spammed a Blight and continuous Bone Splinters, finally reaching Level 8.
"Finally!"
Just as he leveled up, the air around him displaced, killing and pushing away all the Ghouls in a three-meter radius.
With a quick hand movement, he used Raise Skeletons to revive Pathfinder and quickly retreated toward the entrance of the narrow passage.
His Skeleton Warriors were bringing up the rear, slashing away at the incoming Ghouls.
However, the Boss was already on the move, rushing toward him. Taking no more time to deliberate, he added a Skill Point into Corpse Explosion.
Instantly, he equipped the skill into his Skill Slots. His vision also changed immediately after as a red glow now surrounded the corpses of the dead Ghouls on the ground.
"Since you're already in range, let's see if you are flammable, you huge pile of shit!"
The immense explosion he was expecting didn't occur, though, as only a small Corpse next to the Boss's feet exploded, giving him pause for a brief moment.
Seeing the unexpected occurrence, the Boss looked confusedly at Michael while Michael stared back similarly.
"Fuck! So that's why there's no goddamn cooldown on the skill! It's a single fucking target!"
Panicking, Michael started focusing on all the Corpses in his vision and began detonating them one by one in quick succession.
The result was surprisingly good, as the weaklings kept dying, giving him more and more fuel for other explosions.
It took another two minutes of continuous detonations, and Michael actually leveled up again due to the continuous slaughter.
"Damn! I reached Level 9!"
He quickly added the new Skill Point into Blood Mist and moved it to his Skill Slots.
Including this one, he had already five out of six Skill Slots used.
Just as he was pondering, the huge Boss decided to leap at his enemy, probably enraged by the slaughter he had caused.
Unsurprisingly, the passage was too narrow and blocked the idiotic Boss's way to revenge.
"Dumb dog! Do you think I'm stupid enough to... What the fuck!?"
Unable to react in time, Michael saw the Boss pry a massive rock from the cliff and throw it at him.
With no space to dodge and already physically and mentally exhausted, Michael instinctively used Blood Mist and backed away.
The feeling of having your body disintegrate into mist was... unexpectedly interesting.
Having a huge-ass rock pass through your misty body wasn't that pleasant though.
"Fortunately, this narrow passage isn't straight; otherwise, my party members might be killed by the sudden appearance of a huge rock hurtling through the air."
Just as Michael was retreating, he felt his connection to all four of his minions being severed.
"It seems like the Boss decided to take out his anger on my Skeletons. Unfortunately for him..."
With four successive Raise Skeletons, all four minions were up and running again, covering his retreat.
The bloody mist began consolidating again, forming the body of the Necromancer once again.
"That's a feeling it would take a long time to get used to. Fortunately, I no longer have a direct line of vision to the Boss, meaning it can't pelt me with more rocks. Damn, I'm so fucking tired..."
Leaving the goons and Pathfinder to guard the entrance to the cave, Michael walked next to the remaining three members of his party and collapsed on the ground near them.
Seeing Burt alive and kicking was a huge relief.
"Glad to see you're alright. It seems that your new skill is rather useful. Hmm? What's wrong?"
Michael felt weirded out by the strange glances the trio was giving him. Even the Monk appeared baffled.
[I'm Level 12.](Christine)
[I also somehow reached 11...](Burt)
[I'm at Level 9! Damn, man! What exactly did you do out there? Did you kill the Boss?](Aybdah)
"What? Don't be ridiculous. I just massacred the Ghouls a little bit. I got a very handy new skill and managed to put it to good use. But still... three more levels? It seems you've gained the most from our little trip here, Aybdah."
Laughing with the party members, Michael felt somewhat nervous, as the Ghouls had yet to attack his minions.
Nevertheless, the party rested and recovered as much as possible before the impending attack started again.
About ten minutes later, though, a shocking sound was heard.
*SHRIEK*
A more powerful and deep shriek made the cave vibrate to the point where it felt like a mini-earthquake.
[The Boss.](Christine)
"Mhm... but it sounds different than the Elite's shriek."
[The Elite shriek was filled with anger and confidence. This should be the Boss. It sounds like it's scared.](Burt)
[Huh!? How can you tell?](Aybdah)
[It's a shamanic thing. My Class is more entuned to the spirits and emotions in general. It makes it easier to communicate non-verbally.](Burt)
Hearing the explanation, Michael raised an eyebrow and had Pathfinder head out to scout the situation.
When the Skeleton Warrior got outside, Michael was surprised to see over twenty people rushing inside the sea of Ghouls like wolves into a flock of sheep.
"I think it's the rescue party!"
[Finally...](Burt)
[*Sigh* Good. We can finally make it out alive.](Aybdah)
[Are you sure?](Christine)
"Mhm. Over twenty people. They are fully geared, killing the Ghouls as if they are chickens. Hmm..."
Seeing Michael go silent, the four people turned nervous. Could it be that something went wrong!?
"Christine, what's your current Resource Pool like?"
[12%.](Christine)
"Do any of you still have a Resource Potion left?"
[I have one.](Christine)
[What do you want to do?](Burt)
"What's the maximum you can charge an arrow to?"
[100%.](Christine)
"Drink the potion and start doing that."
[Why?](Christine)
"I want to try killing the Boss now that the major pressure given by the minion Ghouls is taken care of by the guards."
[[[What!?]]]