The heavy iron doors of the boss chamber groaned open. Revealing a cavernous hall dominated by a throne made of fused human ribcages.
Sitting upon the throne was the Crypt Lord.
A Lich—skeletal creature floating a few inches off the ground. Draped in tattered purple robes that shimmered with necrotic enchantments. In its bony hand, it held a staff topped with a glowing green skull.
[Boss: Crypt Lord Mal'Gazar]
[Level: 25 (Lord Tier)]
[HP: 50,000 / 50,000]
[Skills: Raise Dead, Necrotic Bolt, Soul Drain.]
"Intruders..." the Lich hissed. Its voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once. It stood up. Green flames erupted in its empty eye sockets. "You dare disturb my slumber? Your bones will serve as the foundation for my new empire!"
Valerie stepped back. The sheer pressure of a Level 25 Boss making her knees buckle. The level difference caused a [Fear] debuff to appear on her status bar.
"Grog!" Sebastian barked.
"For the gold!" Grog yelled. Charging forward with suicidal bravery programmed into his code.
The Lich laughed. A dry, rattling sound. It raised a finger.
"Rot."
A bolt of black energy struck Grog.
[-2,500!]
Grog didn't even get to swing his mace. His health bar vanished instantly. His body turned grey. Then crumbled into dust. His armor clattering to the floor.
"One hit..." Valerie whispered. Her face pale. "He did 2,500 damage in one hit. I have 600 HP."
"Pathetic," the Crypt Lord sneered. It raised its staff. "Rise, my minions! Feast!"
The ground of the chamber began to rumble. Hundreds of skeletal hands punched through the stone floor. Warriors, archers, mages—an entire legion of undead began to crawl out of the earth.
[System Warning: Boss has activated 'Legion of the Damned'. Summoning 100 Elite Skeletons.]
"It's over," Valerie said. Stepping back toward the door. "We need to run. We can't fight a hundred elites and a boss!"
Sebastian stood his ground. Looked at the spawning army with an expression of boredom.
"A hundred?" he muttered. "Quality over quantity, Lich."
He activated the skill he'd just dumped 50,000 Skill Points into.
[Skill: Mirror Image] -> [Doppelganger] -> [Shadow Clone] -> [Army of One (Forbidden Tier)].
"Arise."
The air around Sebastian distorted violently. Space itself seemed to fold and replicate.
One Sebastian stepped out of his body. Then another. Another.
In the span of three seconds, ten identical copies of "Zero" stood in a phalanx formation.
These weren't simple illusions that vanished upon being hit. Solid constructs formed from condensed mana and shadow matter.
════════════════════════════
[Skill: Army of One]
Type: Forbidden / Summoning
Effect: Creates 10 Clones of the user.
Clone Stats: 100% of User's Stats.
Clone Duration: 60 Seconds.
Special: Clones can cast any spell the User knows.
════════════════════════════
Valerie's jaw dropped. "What... what class are you?!"
The Crypt Lord paused in its summoning. Its green eye-flames flickering with confusion. "Illusion magic? Tricks will not save you!"
"Tricks?" The real Sebastian, standing in the center, smiled. "This isn't a trick. This is a firing squad."
He pointed at the Lich.
"Target locked. All units... Solar Flare."
The ten clones raised their hands in unison.
The mana in the room plummeted. The necrotic fog was instantly burned away as ten miniature suns materialized in the palms of the clones.
The Lich shrieked. It sensed the energy. Holy Fire—the bane of the undead. There wasn't just one source. Ten sources of Forbidden-tier magic charging up simultaneously.
"Wait! No!" The Crypt Lord raised a magical barrier of bone and shadow. "Shield of the Damned!"
"Fire," Sebastian commanded.
SNAP.
Ten fingers snapped at once.
The world went white.
No sound at first. Just pure, blinding luminance. The ten Solar Flares merged into a single, catastrophic beam of destruction that engulfed the entire throne room.
The one hundred skeleton elites that had just spawned? Vaporized instantly.
The Shield of the Damned? Shattered like glass.
The Crypt Lord?
"IMPOSSIBLEEEEE!"
The scream was cut short as the Lich was consumed by the thermal radiance of a star. The temperature in the dungeon spiked to 4,000 degrees. The stone walls melted. The air turned into plasma.
Valerie shielded her eyes. Screaming as the heat wave washed over her. Triggering her own passive fire resistance just to survive the ambient temperature.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The explosions chained together. Shaking the entire mountain range outside.
[Ding! You have killed Crypt Lord Mal'Gazar (Level 25).]
[Ding! Overkill Bonus! EXP +500%.]
[Ding! You have wiped out the Legion of the Damned. EXP +50,000.]
The light faded slowly. Leaving behind a room glowing red with heat. The throne was gone. The floor was a lake of molten lava.
In the center of the destruction, a single item hovered. Protected by the boss drop mechanics.
Sebastian dismissed his clones. They faded into smoke.
He walked across the cooling lava. His boots hissing. Protected by a mana barrier.
He reached out. Grabbed the loot.
A ring made of black metal with a spatial gem embedded in it.
A book bound in human skin.
[Item: Ring of Space (Unique)]
[Effect: Inventory Space +500 Slots. Reduces weight of all items by 100%.]
[Item: Grimoire of Souls (Legendary)]
[Class Requirement: Necromancer / Warlock / Drifter]
[Effect: Allows the user to harvest souls from fallen enemies to power Necromantic spells without mana cost.]
"Perfect," Sebastian said. Sliding the ring onto his finger. He felt his inventory expand infinitely.
He tossed a smaller item to Valerie. Still cowering near the door.
"Catch."
She fumbled. Caught it. A [Staff of the Dead]. Rare-grade item dropped by the boss.
"For your trouble," Sebastian said.
Valerie looked at the staff. Then at the melted room. Then at Sebastian.
"You..." she swallowed hard. "You summoned ten copies... and they all cast a Forbidden Spell. That shouldn't be possible. The mana cost alone..."
"I told you," Sebastian walked past her. Heading for the exit teleporter that had appeared. "I don't play by the rules."
"Where are you going?" Valerie called out. Running to catch up.
"Outside," Sebastian said. His eyes narrowing. "To deal with the welcoming committee."
He checked his map. Several dozen red dots were gathering at the dungeon entrance.
"Baron_K is here," Sebastian noted. "He brought friends."