The dim, eerie light of the dungeon’s fifth floor flickered as Alex extended his hands forward, focusing his mind and summoning his undead minions.
A familiar surge of mana pulsed through him, but this time it felt heavier, more demanding.
His eyes narrowed as the energy coalesced into the form of five skeletons.
Yet, something felt different.
Instead of the usual set of skeletal warriors he was accustomed to, a towering figure emerged amidst the familiar quartet.
[-7000 Mana.]
The mana drain bit into him, but the sight before him made the cost worth it.
Standing among the four lesser skeletons was a new creation—a greater skeleton.
This wasn’t just a slightly more powerful version of his regular summons; this was something else entirely.
At nearly twice the height of its comrades, it wielded a massive bone sword that radiated dark energy.
Its bones were thicker, reinforced with an ethereal glow that suggested immense durability.
A glowing panel materialized in front of Alex, displaying the creature’s stats:
…
[Greater Skeleton]
[HP: 15,000]
[All other stats are set at 3,000.]
…
Alex’s eyes widened at the sheer bulk of its health and the balanced attributes across the board.
Unlike his other skeletons that mirrored his own stats, this greater skeleton had its own defined power.
This thing was a tank!
He couldn’t help but smirk.
But just as he was admiring his creation, another panel popped up in front of him.
[Equipment Slot #1: Weapon]
“Huh?” Alex blinked.
[You can currently equip your ‘greater skeletons’ with weapons you extract.]
“Incredible!” he muttered to himself, grinning.
This meant that all the weapons he had no use for wouldn’t just be sold off for cheap.
Now, they could serve a higher purpose—equipping his ever-growing undead army.
An army. Yes, he thought.
Slowly, but surely, he was building something greater than just a few minions.
With a greater skeleton leading the charge, his forces could dominate these floors.
Would it be possible to send them while he isn’t even there?
He barely had time to revel in the possibilities when the air in the cavern shifted.
A low rumble echoed through the walls, and a wave of heat brushed against his face.
The Goblin Warlord was still here, after all!
Clad in spiked armor and wielding a colossal war axe.
Its red eyes burned with malevolence, and a guttural growl rumbled from its throat.
…
[Goblin Warlord]
[Level: 60]
[Tier 3 Elite Boss]
[HP: 100,000]
…
Alex grinned as the panel displayed the warlord’s stats. “This’ll be fun.”
It was stronger than the [Death Revenant] and [Undead King]!
It was also the first tier 3 boss that Alex was about to actually fight, since the monster inside [Undead Land] had been taken care of by Alphox.
With a flick of his wrist, his undead minions surged forward, led by the greater skeleton.
The Goblin Warlord let out a roar, raising its axe high before charging at Alex’s army.
The ground trembled beneath its massive strides.
Alex reacted quickly, summoning a searing ball of flame in his hand. “Grand Fireball!”
The blazing sphere shot forward, colliding with the goblin’s chest and exploding in a burst of fiery energy.
-6569!
The Goblin Warlord staggered back, its chest scorched, but it barely seemed fazed.
With a snarl, it swung its axe, cleaving through two of Alex’s lesser skeletons in a single strike, reducing them to bone shards.
-10,389!
-11,381!
True damage!
It ignored their defense using its axe!
Alex needed to be careful, as he actually had only slightly more HP than the skeletons.
“Alright, big guy. Let’s see how you handle this,” Alex muttered under his breath, focusing on his greater skeleton.
“Attack!” Alex commanded, and his hulking undead warrior charged forward, meeting the warlord head-on.
Bone met steel as the greater skeleton’s bone sword clashed against the goblin’s war axe.
The two titans locked in a brutal struggle, neither giving an inch.
The Warlord had 3500 points in strength, slightly superior to the greater skeleton, but regardless, the skeleton held on!
Alex knew he couldn’t just rely on his undead.
He needed to wear the warlord down fast.
He extended his staff, summoning a shard of blood-red energy, “Crimson Shard!”
The shard shot forward like a bullet, embedding itself in the Goblin Warlord’s side.
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The warlord roared in pain but continued swinging its axe.
The greater skeleton managed to parry the attack but was knocked back by the force.
-8738
Alex’s mind raced.
The warlord’s endurance was impressive, but if he could keep chipping away at it with ranged attacks, he might stand a chance.
He summoned another spell—this one more volatile.
“Inferno Tempest!”
A wave of scorching fire engulfed the warlord, causing it to roar in fury as flames licked its armored form.
-4797!
The damage wasn’t enough to finish it, but it weakened its defenses.
The greater skeleton seized the moment, plunging its bone sword deep into the warlord’s gut.
-3,000!
The Goblin Warlord staggered, its movements growing sluggish.
Alex saw his opportunity, and so he let go of his staff while grabbing his [Poison Bear Dagger], then rushed toward the warlord.
Seeing the human get close instead of letting his army attack, the Warlord smiled.
‘It’s my win!’ it thought as it raised its axe, ready to strike.
But Alex was ready.
“Now!” Alex commanded, and the greater skeleton swung its sword in a wide arc, cleaving into the warlord’s neck.
[Weakness hit, dealing 300% of damage!]
-9000!
Then Alex began to slash the warlord repeatedly from below using [Powerful Slash].
Soon enough, it fell.
[Goblin Warlord defeated.]
[You have gained 5,382 experience points!]
[Extraction Talent Activated.]
…
[Goblin Warlord’s Axe (Epic)]
[Description: grants +500 Strength to the wielder.]
[+1 Skill Point]
[+5 Strength Attribute]
Alex approached the fallen warlord and examined the massive war axe.
He smiled. “This will do nicely.”
[You have extracted “Goblin Warlord’s Axe”.]
Taking the weapon in hand, he immediately slid it to his greater skeleton.
And a panel appeared in front of him.
[Do you want to give ‘Goblin Warlord’s Axe’ to your “Greater Skeletons”?]
Without hesitation, Alex selected ‘Yes.’
The bone sword in his greater skeleton’s hand dissolved into dust, replaced by the enormous war axe.
The sight of his undead minion wielding such a powerful weapon sent a thrill through him.
“Perfect,” he whispered.
With the warlord defeated, Alex retrieved a key from the goblin’s remains—his ticket to the next floor.
[You have defeated the Goblin Warlord, granting you “Floor 6-10 Dungeon Key”]
He turned to the trapdoor ahead, inserting the key, and heard the heavy clunk of the lock disengaging.
But just as he was about to descend, a message appeared.
[StarPillow: Did you manage to escape the dragon’s grasp?]
He stopped in his tracks, then let out a quick smile before answering.
[FateBreaker: You could say that. It agreed to stay with me.]
He barely had time to hit send before a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
“Don’t push your luck, human,” the dragon’s voice growled as it materialized beside him, its enormous form towering over him.
“When am I getting my next maxed-out crystal shard, by the way?” the dragon asked, impatient.
Alex scratched his chin. “Maybe later?”
“Mhm, well, it better happen.”
“Maybe once you start helping out.”
“I’m already helping you by not killing you.”
“Can you both shut up?” The Undead King appeared above them, his ethereal form radiating power. “Meeting that damned Undead Lord fired me up. I need to get stronger.”
“…”
“Oh, by the way, Alex,” the Undead King turned his gaze to the boy.
‘None of them calls me master, the disrespect!’ Alex thought, but quickly moved on.
“Yes?”
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“If you want to get stronger fast, I may have a way,” the King smiled as he pressed his hands together, and a dark energy began to surrounded them all, “Let’s see if I’m strong enough to do this now…”