Slowly advancing with his Skeletons, Michael noticed the corridor turn left.
Without vision around the said corner, he had Pathfinder move forward and scout it out.
As no enemies were spotted in the minion's field of 'view,' Michael and the Goons quickly followed.
"Are those iron gates? It's a strange thing to have in an ossuary. Not that I visited many, to begin with."
Smiling foolishly while trying to ignore the increased groans in the distance, Michael scanned the way ahead and realized that there were also strange iron bars acting like fences/windows on the sides of this corridor.
The light wasn't strong enough to show what was there, but it made him feel unsafe nevertheless.
"Well, the only way's ahead, I guess."
Just as he was about to send his scout to his probable death again, the iron doors at the end of the corridor opened, and a huge lumbering corpse moved forward.
It looked like a person, yet it was too tall and wide for that to be the case. In Michael's mind, it looked like a Hulk that sported an enormous beer belly.
"Of course, they're green as well... I'm pretty sure there were no gamma radiations involved, though."
[ Bloated Corpsefiend (Minion) - Level 16
*Explode - Upon death, the body detonates, inflicting major damage in a small area. ]
Unfortunately, the Corpsefiend didn't give Michael any time to complain or curse as it started sprinting toward him.
Seeing the small mountain charge so suddenly threw the Necromancer off. Still, he immediately reacted by having his Reapers engage the enemy and use a Bone Prison to stop the tall fatty.
"What the fuck!? There's another!?"
Just as the first was stopped at the entrance, another green fatty appeared behind it, alongside some normal walking corpses.
[ Shambling Corpse (Minion) - Level 15 ]
With two Corpsefiends and six Shambling Corpses, Michael didn't hesitate to 'open fire' on the enemies, starting with the trapped fatty.
A ball of Blight hit the trapped enemy, dealing 13 points of damage. Due to the enhancement of Blight, the Reapers started swinging much faster, dealing almost immediately with the first green fatty.
Just as the monster was about to topple over, it released an unwilling roar and decided to take its killers with it, setting itself 'ablaze.'
Well, rather than ablaze, with a 'splosh' explosion sound and disgusting green bits sent everywhere, a small cloud of green gas ignited and sent the Reapers tumbling back.
"They only lost about 15% of their Life points with that explosion, so it shouldn't be too scary. My own also reached 180 after leveling up, so even if I'm being caught off guard, I shouldn't get killed by it."
The remaining Corpsefiend and the Shambling Corpses were quickly dispatched as well, as they decided it was a good idea to fight inside the area affected by Michael's Corpse Explosion.
Even if they preferred a different battlefield, they had to pass the Reapers first. The Corpsefiend decided to charge once more, and to its credit, it easily managed to topple down Goons 2 and 4 while headed for Michael.
Unfortunately for it, the Necromancer had already peppered it with enough Bone Splinters for it to die midway. Its destructive explosion did nothing as he repositioned himself further behind the fighting minions.
With more gold collected and the enemies killed, the MAP was opened, hoping to see the layout of this Dungeon.
"Fuck me sideways! This looks like a goddamn maze!"
Seeing the twisted corridors and many rooms ahead pissed off the Necromancer, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
He could only wonder in silence how the fuck did the nobles managed to dig these many chambers in a damned mountain, thinking they might be the grandchildren of Dwarfs.
The corridor he was sitting in served as the entrance. From the end of it, there were two iron gates further ahead, and then that opened into another room with three of the said gates, after which the underground chambers continued South, then West, and then hell knows where.
With a defeated expression, Michael remembered when he played dungeon crawler games back on Earth and decided to explore it in full anyway.
"No disgusting cocoons left behind, no rock left unturned, no monsters left alive! Mhm! That sounds pretty awesome if I can say so myself."
Ten minutes later, he barely advanced two more chambers, but he cleared up at least 20 more cocoons, a swathe of Shambling Corpses, and three more Bloated Corpsefiends.
The exploration with the direction 'straight ahead' ended, and it was time to move South through the corridor.
Surprisingly enough, he didn't encounter anything for a while but immediately found trouble once he reached the point where the corridor turned West.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
An iron gate was all that stood between himself and two tall Elites.
[ Orsova Rimeclaw (Elite) - Level 17
*Frozen - A member of the nobility who died in the harsh winter. Its attacks now carry the coldness of ice. ]
[ Lucas Doomspawn (Elite) - Level 17
*Teleport - Relocate to a location of your choosing within a ten-meter radius. ]
"Block the gate!"
Unable to hold himself back due to his fright, Michael yelled at the Reapers to block the small passage. Just as the minions and a ball of Blight hit through the iron bars, Orsova Rimeclaw managed to open the door and engage the Reapers.
This Elite was a Revenant that stood over two meters tall and had a similarly long claymore. The weapon slashed with an overhead chop at the first enemy in its path, and upon contact, Goon No. 2 was immediately encased in a thin layer of ice.
It took the minion two seconds to get itself out of the frozen status, but its remaining friends slashed at the monster many times in the meantime.
"Hehe! It looks like picking the Reapers was the correct choice, after all. Explode, you fucker!"
As there were already three corpses around Orsova Rimeclaw, Michael used Corpse Explosion twice in succession and a Raise Skeleton to heal and boost his minions.
Before he could celebrate the over 40 damage being dealt continuously to the enemy, a shadow entered his field of vision, and the second Elite joined the fight.
Lucas Doomspawn was a Vampire, hovering above the ground like a particular ex-Boss turned Elite who left a deep trauma in the young Necromancer's mind.
Remembering the ranged attacks he had no way of dodging or blocking previously in the Event, Michael quickly brought his new shield in front of his chest just in time to block an attack.
Seemingly unsatisfied with the result of its attack, Lucas Doomspawn threw another three dark blobs at Michael, forcing the latter back with each blocked shot.
Pointing with his wand at the Elite his Reapers were facing, he shot another Bligtht at it while also exploding another Corpse formed nearby through the slicing done by his minions.
As a pair of fists can't deal with four hands, much less eight of them wielding scythes, Orsova Rimeclaw quickly fell to the unrelenting attacks of the Skeletons, while Lucas Doomspawn followed right after.
Michael quickly grabbed the gold coins and the three item boxes, had his minions guard the iron gates, and simply sat on the cold Dungeon floor.
Putting his shield away, he shook and rotated his left hand from the shoulder, trying to relieve the stress placed on it through the continuous impacts received from the Elite's magic attacks.
To make matters even more problematic, once Lucas Doomspawn reached half its Life, it started randomly teleporting around with every two hits it would take.
"I had to run around and chase that fucker for over five minutes! Fuck's sake! That's completely unbalanced for such a low-leveled Wanderer such as myself."
Looking in his Inventory at the three blue item boxes, his annoyance was somewhat pacified as he quickly opened them, faster than a child on Christmas Eve.
[ Wise Outsider's Pants
Magic Pants
139 Item Power
--------------------
139 Armor (+39 compared with the currently slotted item)
* +8 Intelligence ]
As he had no intention of letting many enemies get close and personal with him, Michael quickly exchanged the pair he was currently wearing with the new one.
[ Evasive Strider's Leggings
Magic Pants
111 Item Power
--------------------
111 Armor
* 1.0% Dodge Chance ]
"That was another good hit. I'm starting to feel uneasy about this Quest. Whenever my luck is good, bad shit happens. *Sigh* Let's see what's in the other boxes."
[ Harmonius Helm
Magic Helm
132 Item Power
--------------------
165 Armor
* +3 to All Stats ]
Seeing the new 'gift,' Michael inhaled the ossuary's stale air deeply and wondered what he would face later on if he even gained this sort of good item.
"I was missing a headpiece, so this came just in time. It looks like a crown rather than a helm, though..."
Looking at the headpiece with four spikes pointing toward the ceiling and the skull decorating the tallest spike, Michael sighed and put it on.
Not to mention the extra 165 Armor, an increase of 3 points in each main attribute was always welcomed.
Hoping the last item wasn't anything extraordinary, or he might be forced to turn tail and run, Michael opened it after some deliberation.
[ Sanctified Leather Doublet
Magic Chest Armor
141 Item Power
--------------------
247 Armor
* 6.0% Shadow Resistance ]
The tunic he was wearing now was slightly worse in comparison.
[ Harmonius Strider's Tunic
Item Type: Magic Chest Armor
112 Item Power
--------------------
196 Armor
* +3 to All Stats ]
As he gained the same amount of stats from his helm, Michael quickly swapped the tunic for the doublet, further bolstering his total armor by 260 points.
Also, thanks to the nice pair of pants he found earlier, he also gained an extra 8 points in Intelligence.
"Helen and Zivek weren't wrong at all. I just changed three pieces of equipment this fast and gained a new one. Growing this fast and steady doesn't feel bad at all."
With enough rest for his mind and body, Michael continued clearing room after room, leaving Shambling Corpses, Bloated Corpsefiends, and many Plague Maggots behind.
One of the Corpsefiends even gifted him a blue item box besides the usual gold coins.
[ Fundamental Broadsword
Magic Sword
156 Item Power
-----------------
75 Damage Per Second
* [55 - 83] Damage per Hit
* 1.10 Attacks per Second (Fast Weapon)
* +2.5% Critical Strike Damage
-----------------
* +6.5% Basic Skill Damage ]
It wasn't a bad sword, but it couldn't be compared to his Rare wand. Rather than the sword, Michael was more interested in the strange construct occupying the middle of the corridor.
[ Blast Wave Shrine ]
Without any further description than this, it didn't take the young Necromancer long to remember that not only Lilith decided to mess with the realm, but Inarius also.
After pondering for a moment and trying to imagine what this blessing would do once activated, Michael decided that it was best to check it first.
He touched the small obelisk and infused his Essence in it. A bright light enveloped Michael immediately after as the shrine's description changed.
[ Arcane Power Brings Destruction
*You periodically damage nearby enemies. ]
As if to prove this statement, the air around his body was pushed away similarly to the level-up process, but slightly more aggressive.
Smiling widely, Michael ran ahead at top speed with his minions, planning to make the most of this blessing.
He first encountered a room almost chock-full of Ghouls and Plague Maggots, disgustingly devouring some corpses that didn't return to life once imbued with the demonic energy the Sanctuary mentioned.
Grinning wickedly, Michael bypassed his Reapers and jumped into the middle of the room, crushing two Ghouls under his new boots. Just as the victims were about to screech in complaint, the Blast Wave activated and sent everything around him in a five-meter radius flying.
Without waiting for his minions to clear the room, Michael quickly used Corpse Explosion over fifteen times, covering the entire place in a dense black fog.
It was also the first time Michael stepped inside his Corpse Explosion after upgrading it to deal Shadow damage, but he didn't feel, smell, or touch anything.
He could see it, but it didn't affect his other senses.
"Hehe! That's good! Onto the next one!"
Unfortunately for him, just as he opened the iron gate to the next room, while his minions cleared some injured stragglers he left behind, a long red blade descended on him as if punishment of the Heavens.
Without any time to think, Michael activated Blood Mist and quickly retreated behind his minions as another Blast Wave minced the remaining Plague Maggots into dust.
The Necromancer watched in horror as a humanoid creature over three meters tall bent over so he could use the open gate.
The monster waved its hand after it entered, and from behind it, three Bloated Corpsefiends charged at Michael.
[ Lord Avitus (Elite) - Level 17
*Vampiric - Heals for a certain amount of the damage it inflicts.
*Explosive - After death, it will detonate its body and soul to deal explosive damage to a large area.
*Shadow Enchanted - Every attack deals extra Shadow damage.
*Plaguebearer - Curses a small area. The inflicted zone will apply an infected status to those stepping through it, dealing 50 damage per second. ]
The Quest target was here!