As Alex strode through the poison-filled forest, the dense fog barely slowed his undead army.
His undead cleared away the creatures in their path, eliminating anything that dared to cross them.
Alex merely watched, conserving his mana and energy for the true opponent that awaited him.
The lesser monsters fell one by one, their toxic blood absorbed into the ground, leaving a faint, sickly-green glow along the forest floor.
[Extraction talent activated; +73 strength, +48 vitality, +4 Skill Points, x7 Poison Grenades.]
[Poison Grenade: Launch at enemy to deal high-level poison effect instantly.]
Alex thought it could be useful, so he grabbed lots of them.
Finally, after around an hour of that, Alex reached a clearing, wide and circular.
Instinctively, he knew this was it—the heart of the secret realm.
Before him loomed a massive creature oozing from the ground, a semi-translucent mass of virulent, dark-green slime that seemed to pulsate with every passing second.
A putrid fog drifted up from its surface as if the beast itself were a living, breathing poison cloud.
[Source of Poison – Legendary Level Boss – Tier 4]
[Level: 100]
[HP: 350,000]
[Skills: Slime Body, Poison Call, Source of Poison, Toxic Wave, Engulf…]
The boss shifted, its form twisting and writhing.
Without hesitation, Alex’s undead army took formation, standing in silence, awaiting his command.
He pointed at two [Grand Skeletons], ordering them forward.
The other skeletons flanked from the sides, while the Spectral Wraith, almost invisible in the poison mist, hovered behind, waiting to strike.
Alex knew he would have to fight strategically if he wanted to avoid exhausting his resources.
“[Stone Fortress]!” he called out, raising a sturdy barrier in front of his forces.
The solid stone barrier absorbed a wave of dark-green projectiles spat out by the slime, reducing the impact completely as the boss couldn’t break through.
The [Source of Poison] writhed in response, its bulbous form letting out a deep, vibrating growl.
Alex raised a hand, casting [Meteoric Blaze] toward the boss.
A sphere of flaming energy rocketed from his staff, smashing into the slime’s center.
Flames erupted, searing the surface of the creature, causing it to ripple and emit a thick, toxic smoke.
-32,330!
His skeletons rushed forward, weapons raised, hacking at the boss with no hesitation.
The Grand Skeletons and Bony Knight took the lead, delivering heavy blows to the slime’s base.
But the [Source of Poison] retaliated, its body extending outward to engulf several skeletons whole.
They dissolved in seconds within the acidic mass, their bones corroding into nothingness.
A murky voice echoed from the boss, cold and mocking.
“Foolish human… Do you think you can stop me?”
“Yeah, I think I can,” Alex shrugged, unbothered.
Crimson Spike!
A red spike burst from the ground, and Alex sent it toward the creature, driving deep into its slimy mass.
He kept casting, each spell chipping away at the boss’s health bit by bit, leaving trails of sickly black liquid oozing from the wounds.
But then, sensing Alex’s strength, the slime let out a powerful tremor that shook the entire clearing.
[Poison Call]
The air pulsed, and a loud rumble echoed throughout the forest.
“Huh?” the ground beneath Alex’s feet trembled.
It was as if thousands of feet were hitting the ground at the same time.
And in less than a few seconds, he realized that his theory had been right.
‘Let’s see you defeat everything in this forest, pathetic human,’ the slime smiled.
From every corner, the forest answered, and a seemingly endless swarm of monsters emerged from the trees.
Poisonous wolves with venomous fangs, serpents dripping with deadly toxin, and venom insects with wings flooded into the clearing, surrounding Alex and his undead on all sides.
Alex’s grip tightened.
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Hundreds if not thousands of monsters poured in, their yellowed eyes fixed on him, thirsting for blood.
“Aura of Death,” he commanded, activating his undead’s most potent boost.
An eerie dark aura radiated from his figure, seeping into his undead army, turning their bones darker, and their eyes glowed with a renewed intensity.
[+100% Strength, +200% Defense]
“Let’s do this, everyone,” he said calmly, signaling his army forward.
The clearing exploded into chaos.
Undead and poison beasts clashed.
The skeletons swung their weapons, each strike landing with twice the force, scattering the smaller monsters that attacked in waves.
Alex weaved spells without pause, his [Meteoric Blaze] and [Fire Vortex] incinerating entire lines of enemies.
[Rending Slash] followed, cleaving through beasts that managed to get close.
To Alex’s side, a Grand Skeleton fell, overrun by venomous wolves that had latched onto its bones, gnawing and corroding its frame.
Alex retaliated with [Thunderclap Bolt], sending lightning crackling through the wolves, and their charred bodies collapsed at his feet.
The [Source of Poison] itself grew more frantic, enraged as it saw its poison-beast minions falling.
It unleashed a massive wave of toxic sludge, which surged across the ground like a slow-moving flood.
Stone Fortress!
Alex’s barrier rose just in time, blocking the wave.
The Spectral Wraith, floating just above the sludge, darted in, its ethereal claws swiping at the boss, tearing chunks of poisonous slime with each strike.
But the [Source of Poison] lashed back, and the wraith dissipated in the onslaught, fading into the mist.
Despite the losses, Alex’s forces held their ground.
He stepped forward, casting [Fire Vortex] in a wide arc.
A swirling inferno ignited, engulfing the wave of poison creatures that charged him.
Flames roared and crackled, consuming beasts in its blaze, clearing a path toward the [Source of Poison].
The boss seemed to tremble as its army dwindled, a ripple passing through its form.
Knowing it was time, Alex gathered all his strength and shouted.
Rock Crash!
A massive stone materialized above his head, crashing down onto the slime’s form.
The impact sent shockwaves through its body, leaving a dent as poisonous fluids spilled out in all directions. Its health bar finally began to approach critical levels.
[Source of Poison has been stunned.]
“Pathetic human…!” the boss seethed, struggling to reform.
“Your reign ends here,” Alex stated calmly, his hand alight with dark energy.
Holding his dagger in his hands, he dashed toward the monster, ready to end it all.
“Shadow Strike!”
SLASH!
-30,190!
The battlefield grew silent as the slime’s body crumbled.
His undead army took care of the alive monsters, the majority running away as they knew they didn’t stand a chance.
Ding!
[You have slain “Source of Poison” and gained 2,832 experience points.]
[You have cleared the Source of Poison Secret Realm with an SSS-Rating!]
Alex exhaled, feeling the familiar surge of leveling up.
He knew such a high rating meant something extraordinary.
[You have leveled up to level 61!]
With all these monsters he killed, it was obvious he would level up at least once.
[Unparalleled Mage has gained the following perk: All mana cost for skills and summoning reduced by 50%.]
He smirked.
This perk alone was worth the trouble.
The enhancement would give him unparalleled efficiency in battle.
[Your “Apprentice Assassin” class has evolved to “Assassin of Wrath”]
No perks, though.
And finally.
[Your “Apprentice Undead Lord” title has evolved to “Powerful Necromancer”]
Ding!
[You have proven your worth, human.]
[You will receive a reward worthy of that title.]
A dark, twisted relic appeared in his hands, glowing faintly.
[Relic of the Forsaken (Passive Artifact)]
[Effect: You will start gaining 1000 Mana Points per second while this artifact is active.]
[Note: it is always active, as it is stored inside of your system.]
Alex gazed down at his new reward, a faint grin forming.
With this, mana would never be a problem anymore.