"If you ask me, whoever killed the ARES Guild squad is a dead man walking. Especially if it was Tobias's brother."
Gareth Stoneheart gripped his sword tightly as their party ventured deeper into the Crimson Gate Dungeon. The veteran warrior's scarred face bore the marks of decades spent surviving encounters that had claimed the lives of lesser hunters.
Leon tried to keep his voice casual, but a chill ran down his spine. "Just how strong were those ARES hunters, anyway?"
Gareth was about to respond when six scarred orcs erupted from the shadows. These massive green-skinned brutes wielded crude axes and spiked clubs, their yellow eyes blazing with predatory hunger. Battle roars echoed off the cavern walls as they charged.
"Formation!" Gareth bellowed.
The party snapped into action, their movements synchronized from countless battles. Gareth raised his tower shield, activating a taunt skill that magically compelled the orcs to focus on him. His boots locked into a defensive stance as three orcs converged on his position.
Elise flanked left, her staff crackling with frost magic. She unleashed frostbolts that struck two orcs squarely in the chest, ice crystals spreading across their bodies and slowing their charge. Steam rose where the superheated orc flesh met the magical cold.
Leon positioned his warrior zombie to intercept an orc trying to break formation. Spectral hands locked around the creature's throat, lifting it off the ground before slamming it down with bone-crushing force. The impact cracked the stone beneath the orc's skull.
[XP +15]
[Zombie Combat Experience +8]
Leon took his place behind the front line, drawing his Voidreaper. The weapon hummed with contained power as he channeled Dark Mana through its firing mechanisms. His first shot shattered an orc's tusks, the creature reeling backward with green blood streaming from its mouth.
Kael Swiftstrike, their ranged specialist, drew his composite bow with fluid precision. Enhanced arrows whistled through the air, one pinning an orc's wrist to the cavern wall. The creature thrashed against the restraint, unable to free its weapon hand.
Mira Lightbringer held her position in the group's center, her healing magic forming protective wards around Gareth. Golden light pulsed as she channeled energy to patch wounds the moment they appeared.
The fight devolved into brutal close-quarters chaos. Mud and blood mixed on the cavern floor, while spell energy crackled between combatants and steel rang against steel.
An orc broke past Gareth's guard, swinging its massive club toward Elise's exposed flank. Leon's zombie reacted instantly, hurling a broken sword like a javelin. The blade punched through the orc's neck, severing its spine with surgical precision.
[XP +18]
[Zombie Combat Experience +12]
Gareth's shield cracked under a devastating overhead blow. The orc's spiked club bit deep into the reinforced steel, threatening to split the barrier completely. Elise's ice magic froze the weapon mid-swing, crystallizing metal and orc flesh together.
Leon seized the opportunity. His Voidreaper barked once, the Dark Mana-enhanced round tearing through the frozen orc's chest cavity. Ribs exploded outward as the creature collapsed.
[XP +16]
[Dark Mana Mastery +3]
The last orc went berserk, its wounds driving it into a mindless fury. It charged at Mira with desperate violence, claws extended to tear through the healer's robes.
Leon and Elise responded in perfect synchronization. Her freezing blast caught the orc's legs while Leon's point-blank mana shot shattered its skull. The creature dropped just inches from Mira.
[XP +14]
[Team Coordination Bonus +5]
Silence returned to the cavern, broken only by their labored breathing. The team exchanged quick nods of mutual respect, each recognizing the competence of their companions.
"Not bad," Gareth grinned at Leon. "Your zombie fights smarter than most humans."
Leon's system interface flickered with accumulated experience and skill improvements. The integration of Dark Mana was progressing faster than he had anticipated.
───────[COMBAT SUMMARY]────────
Total XP Gained: +63
Dark Mana Mastery: Level 3
Zombie Command Efficiency: +15%
The group shared mana potions and emergency bandages. Gareth's shield needed field repairs, which Kael addressed with a spare bowstring and Mira's metal-bonding magic. Everyone bore minor cuts and bruises, but nothing serious enough to halt their mission.
"Mid-boss chamber ahead," Gareth announced, consulting a dungeon map. "Stay sharp. Trolls are nastier than orcs."
They advanced through winding passages illuminated by phosphorescent moss. The cavern opened into a vast chamber dominated by crystal formations that cast an eerie green light across the rough stone walls.
A hulking troll blocked their path. Twice the height of the orcs, its hide resembled granite more than flesh. Stone-like warts covered its massive frame, each pulsing with internal heat. Its yellow eyes fixed on the intruders with primitive cunning.
"Formation alpha," Gareth commanded.
He and Leon's zombie advanced together, drawing the troll's attention with coordinated taunts. The creature's massive fist swept down in a crushing overhead blow, cracking the stone beneath their feet. Gareth's shield absorbed most of the impact, while the zombie's spectral armor dispersed the remainder.
Elise circled the chamber's perimeter, pelting the troll's knees with concentrated frost magic. Ice formed around its joints, limiting mobility as the creature struggled to pivot.
Kael aimed for the eyes, his enhanced arrows seeking the few vulnerable spots in the troll's armored hide. Most shots bounced off harmlessly, but one found the gap between wart clusters on its forehead.
Leon fired precise bursts at the exposed flesh around the troll's ankles and belly. The Voidreaper's penetrating rounds opened wounds that leaked steaming ichor onto the cavern floor.
[XP +12]
[XP +10]
[Zombie Tanking Experience +15]
Mira split her attention between healing Gareth's accumulating damage and launching light-based attacks at the troll's wounds. Her magic seared the corrupted flesh wherever it made contact.
The troll quickly adapted to their tactics. It grabbed a chunk of fallen stone and hurled it with devastating force. Leon's zombie intercepted the missile, its spectral bones cracking under the impact, but it managed to lock its arms around the troll's extended leg.
The grapple exposed the creature's throat for a crucial moment.
"Now!" Gareth shouted.
Leon's shot punched through the troll's windpipe. Elise's immobilization hex locked its limbs in place. Mira channeled her remaining mana into a focused vitality drain, pulling the last spark of life from the massive body.
The troll crashed forward, shuddering once before going still.
[XP +89]
[Mid-Boss Defeated Bonus +25]
[Team Leadership Experience +10]
Leon felt a surge of power as his accumulated experience pushed him past the threshold for another level advancement. The system recalibrated his capabilities, flooding him with newfound strength.
───────[LEVEL UP]──────────
Leon Graves: Level 11 → 12
Health: 220 → 240
Mana: 380 → 420
Available Stat Points: 75 → 80
The party gathered around the troll's corpse to collect their loot. The troll's hide could be crafted into armor that resisted physical damage, while its blood served as an alchemical reagent for strength enhancement potions. Even the stone warts held value as spell components.
Gareth divided the spoils equitably, ensuring each team member received materials worth a substantial amount of silver. Leon pocketed several blood vials and a section of undamaged hide.
"Not bad for new blood," Gareth said, wiping sweat from his brow. "You two work well together."
Leon and Elise exchanged glances, both aware of how much their coordination had improved during the fight. They anticipated each other's tactical decisions.
As the team moved toward the dungeon exit, their spirits remained high despite exhaustion. Completing a D-rank mission meant significant reputation gains and access to higher-tier missions.
Leon checked his zombie's condition through their mental link. The warrior sustained damage during the troll fight, but there was nothing that wouldn't regenerate with time. Its combat protocols were evolving rapidly through practical experience.
Kael led the way through the return passages, his ranger training allowing him to navigate in the dim crystal light. Mira maintained healing auras to speed their recovery, while Gareth kept watch for stragglers or territorial monsters drawn by the scent of blood.
The dungeon felt different now, conquered rather than threatening. This psychological shift marked them as successful hunters, instilling confidence from proving themselves against real danger.
They were perhaps fifty meters from the exit when a sound shattered their sense of accomplishment.
A ragged, terrified shout echoed from deeper within the unexplored sections of the dungeon. The voice carried absolute panic, the fear that stripped away human dignity.
"RUN!"
The word bounced off the stone walls, growing distorted but no less urgent with each echo. Someone was in desperate trouble in the depths of the dungeon.
The team froze instantly. Weapons appeared in hands that had been relaxed just moments before. Eyes scanned the shadows, which suddenly seemed threatening again.
Whatever had generated that scream was something far worse than orcs or trolls.