The party moved forward through the stone corridor. Torchlight flickered on the walls. Sand crunched under their feet. The air grew colder as they went deeper into the ruins.
TankBoss stopped at the entrance to the next chamber. He looked inside carefully before entering.
"Second room," TankBoss said in party chat. "Four archers, two mages. Kill mages first. Their fire spells hurt."
Jin-woo positioned himself near the entrance. He could see into the room. Four Skeleton Archers stood on raised platforms along the walls, two on each side. Two Skeleton Mages stood in the center of the room. The mages wore tattered black robes. They held wooden staffs with glowing red crystals.
Jin-woo used Inspect on one of the mages.
Skeleton Mage
Level 30
HP: 900/900
The mages had less health than warriors but dealt more damage. Their fire spells could hit the entire party if they were grouped together.
TankBoss counted down. "Pull in 3... 2... 1..."
TankBoss charged into the room. He ran directly at the two mages. He used Battle Shout. Both mages turned toward him. The four archers also activated. Arrows flew from the platforms.
TankBoss's shield blocked two arrows. Two other arrows hit his armor. 43 damage. 47 damage. His health dropped to 830.
The first Skeleton Mage raised its staff. A fireball began forming at the tip of the staff. The spell took three seconds to cast. The fireball grew larger as the mage channeled the spell.
Jin-woo and ShadowStep rushed toward the mages. They needed to interrupt the spell before it finished casting.
Jin-woo reached the first mage. He activated Blood Rage. Red energy surrounded his body. His attack damage increased by 35%.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash immediately. His Berserker's Cleaver struck three times in rapid succession.
First slash hit the mage's torso. 312 damage. The mage's casting was interrupted. The fireball disappeared.
Second slash hit the mage's skull. 298 damage. Bones cracked. The mage's health dropped to 290.
Third slash hit the mage's spine. 280 damage. The mage's health dropped to 10.
Total damage from Frenzied Slash: 890 damage. The mage was nearly dead.
Jin-woo used a normal attack. 98 damage. The Skeleton Mage's health dropped to zero. Its bones collapsed to the floor. The red crystal in its staff went dark.
ShadowStep was fighting the second mage. He had dealt about 400 damage with backstabs. The second mage's health was at 500.
The second mage finished casting its spell. "Flame Wave!" The mage's staff glowed bright red. A wave of fire spread out from the mage in all directions.
The fire wave hit everyone in the room. Jin-woo took 127 damage. His health dropped from 610 to 483. ShadowStep took 134 damage. TankBoss took 89 damage because of his high armor. IceWitch took 156 damage. HolyHands took 141 damage.
HolyHands cast a group heal immediately. "Divine Light!" Golden light spread across the room. Everyone's health increased by 100.
Jin-woo's health restored to 583. He continued attacking the second mage. Power Strike. The charged attack hit for 421 damage boosted by Blood Rage. The second mage's health dropped to 79.
IceWitch cast Ice Spear. Three ice projectiles flew through the air. All three hit the second mage. 287 damage. 294 damage. 289 damage. The second mage died. Its bones shattered into pieces.
Both mages were dead. The four archers remained.
The archers were easier to deal with. They only used ranged attacks. They could not cast area spells like the mages.
TankBoss pulled aggro from all four archers. Arrows flew at him constantly. His shield blocked most of them. HolyHands kept him healed.
Jin-woo and ShadowStep climbed up to the platforms where the archers stood. Each platform was three meters high. Jin-woo climbed up the left side. ShadowStep climbed up the right side.
Jin-woo reached the first archer. He used Whirlwind Strike. The spinning attack hit the archer for 467 damage. The archer's health dropped from 1,000 to 533.
The archer tried to shoot Jin-woo at close range. Jin-woo grabbed the bow and pushed it aside. The arrow fired and missed. Jin-woo used Power Strike. 398 damage. The archer died.
Jin-woo jumped down from the platform and climbed up to where the second archer stood. This archer was already damaged by IceWitch's spells. Its health was at 380.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. Three hits. 289 damage. 301 damage. 294 damage. The second archer died before the third hit even landed. The combo was overkill.
ShadowStep killed the two archers on the right side using similar tactics. All four archers were dead within ninety seconds after the mages fell.
The room was clear. Combat ended.
Loot appeared on the ground. TankBoss checked it.
Loot: Charred Bones x8, Mage Staff Fragment (crafting material, 40 silver), Quiver of Arrows (40 arrows, 2 silver total)
The mage staff fragment was set to Greed. IceWitch won the roll. The arrows went to ShadowStep since he was the only one who could use them.
"Good burst on those mages," TankBoss said. "Let's keep moving. Mini-boss is next."
The party healed up and checked their supplies. Jin-woo's health potions were at 5 remaining. His Blood Rage had ended and was now on cooldown for 60 seconds.
They entered the next corridor. This one was shorter, only ten meters long. At the end was a large chamber with high ceilings. The chamber was circular and made of carved stone blocks.
In the center of the chamber stood a massive statue. The statue was four meters tall. It was made of dark gray stone. It depicted a warrior in ancient armor holding a large stone sword. The statue's eyes were closed.
TankBoss stopped at the entrance. "That's the Ancient Guardian. Mini-boss. 15,000 HP. Uses Stone Skin ability. When he activates it, stop attacking and wait it out. Don't waste your cooldowns on Stone Skin."
Jin-woo understood. Stone Skin would reduce damage. Using powerful abilities during Stone Skin would be inefficient.
The party entered the chamber. When they got within five meters of the statue, its eyes opened. Red light glowed in the carved eye sockets. The statue moved. Stone ground against stone. The Ancient Guardian stepped forward.
Jin-woo used Inspect.
Ancient Guardian
Level 32 (Mini-Boss)
HP: 15,000/15,000
TankBoss charged forward. He used Battle Shout to pull aggro. The Ancient Guardian turned toward him. The Guardian raised its stone sword. The sword was massive, over two meters long.
The Guardian swung downward. TankBoss blocked with his shield. The impact was heavy. TankBoss slid back one meter. 112 damage. His health dropped to 808.
Jin-woo and ShadowStep attacked from the sides. Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. Three hits landed on the Guardian's stone body. 243 damage. 237 damage. 241 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 14,279.
The damage was lower than usual. The Guardian's stone body had high defense.
ShadowStep used Backstab from behind. Critical hit. 512 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 13,767.
IceWitch cast Ice Spear. Three projectiles hit the Guardian. 287 damage. 294 damage. 289 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 12,897.
The Guardian fought for twenty seconds. It swung its stone sword at TankBoss repeatedly. Each hit dealt 100-120 damage. HolyHands kept TankBoss healed.
Then the Guardian stopped attacking. It raised its stone sword above its head. Gray energy surrounded its body. The stone became darker and harder-looking.
"Stone Skin!" TankBoss shouted. "Stop attacking!"
Jin-woo stopped immediately. He backed away from the Guardian. ShadowStep also stopped. IceWitch stopped casting.
The Stone Skin buff appeared under the Guardian's health bar. Duration: 10 seconds.
The Guardian's defense increased dramatically during Stone Skin. Any damage dealt would be reduced by 50%.
TankBoss held aggro but did not attack. He just blocked the Guardian's slow attacks. The party waited.
Ten seconds passed. The gray energy around the Guardian faded. Stone Skin ended.
"Burst now!" TankBoss said.
Jin-woo activated Blood Rage. He used Frenzied Slash. Three hits. 318 damage. 311 damage. 324 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 11,944.
ShadowStep used a skill called "Eviscerate." His daggers glowed red. He stabbed the Guardian's back repeatedly. Five rapid strikes. Total damage: 1,287. The Guardian's health dropped to 10,657.
IceWitch cast a channeled spell called "Blizzard." Ice and snow swirled around the Guardian. The spell dealt damage over time. 150 damage per second for 6 seconds. Total: 900 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 9,757.
Jin-woo used Power Strike. 456 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 9,301.
The Guardian's health was now below 70%. It used Stone Skin again. Gray energy surrounded its body.
"Stop!" TankBoss shouted.
The party stopped attacking and waited. Ten seconds. Stone Skin ended.
"Burst!"
The cycle repeated. Attack for twenty seconds. Wait during Stone Skin for ten seconds. Attack again.
Jin-woo's rotation during the burst windows: Frenzied Slash, Power Strike, Whirlwind Strike, normal attacks. He used Blood Rage every time it came off cooldown.
His mind focused on the pattern. Attack. Wait. Attack. Wait. Count cooldowns. Watch the boss health bar. Watch his own health bar.
Jin-woo thought about the money while fighting. This dungeon run would probably earn him 15-20 gold split five ways. That was 3-4 gold per person, or $300-400. For two to three hours of work. That was $100-150 per hour.
Better than most jobs. Better than what he could make with his computer science degree even if he had gotten hired. Entry level software developer salary was maybe $60,000 per year. That was about $30 per hour before taxes.
Jin-woo was making $100-150 per hour doing this. No resume needed. No interview. No office politics. Just combat skill and time investment.
"If I can keep this up, I'll clear all my debt in two months," Jin-woo thought. "Then I'll be free. No more collections calls. No more anxiety about rent. I can actually save money."
The Ancient Guardian's health dropped below 30%. It used Stone Skin for the third time.
The party waited again. Ten seconds. Stone Skin ended. Final burst phase.
Jin-woo used everything. Blood Rage active. Frenzied Slash. Power Strike. Whirlwind Strike. Normal attacks between cooldowns.
ShadowStep used all his high-damage abilities. IceWitch cast everything she had. The Guardian's health dropped rapidly.
5,000 HP. 4,000 HP. 3,000 HP. 2,000 HP. 1,000 HP.
Jin-woo used Power Strike one final time. 423 damage. The Guardian's health dropped to 187.
IceWitch cast Ice Bolt. 203 damage. The Ancient Guardian's health dropped to zero.
The stone body froze. Cracks spread across the Guardian's entire form. The statue shattered into hundreds of pieces. Stone fragments scattered across the chamber floor.
Combat ended. Total fight time: 3 minutes 17 seconds.
A notification appeared.
Ancient Guardian Defeated!
A loot chest appeared where the Guardian had stood. The chest was made of dark wood with iron bands. TankBoss opened it.
Loot: Gold Coins x47, Guardian's Girdle (Uncommon Belt), Stone Core Fragment (crafting material, 80 silver)
TankBoss shared the loot information in party chat. The gold was split automatically. Each person received 9 gold and 40 silver.
The Guardian's Girdle was set to Need. The item description appeared.
Guardian's Girdle
Quality: Uncommon
Level Requirement: 28
Vitality: +8
Defense: +15
Effect: Reduce damage taken from physical attacks by 3%
TankBoss, Jin-woo, and HolyHands all clicked Need. They could all use the belt. IceWitch and ShadowStep clicked Greed because they could not equip it.
The rolls appeared:
TankBoss: 94 Jin: 67 HolyHands: 43
TankBoss won. The belt went into his inventory. He equipped it immediately.
The stone core fragment was set to Greed. ShadowStep won the roll with 81.
"Good work," TankBoss said. "Final boss is next. Take a five-minute break. Use potions and food buffs if you have them."
Jin-woo checked his supplies. He had 3 health potions remaining. He bought a food buff from his inventory. "Roasted Meat" gave +10 Strength for 30 minutes. He consumed it. His Strength increased to 152 temporarily.
The party rested for five minutes. Then they moved forward to the final chamber.
The corridor leading to the boss room was longer than the others. Twenty meters. The walls had elaborate carvings showing ancient battles. The torchlight cast shadows that moved across the carvings.
At the end of the corridor was a massive doorway. The door was three times the height of a player character. It was made of dark metal with glowing red runes carved into it.
TankBoss stopped before the door. "Final boss. Lich Lord Kazar. Level 35 with 35,000 HP. He summons skeleton adds during the fight. Kill the adds fast or they overwhelm us. When he casts 'Death Bolt,' interrupt him. If Death Bolt finishes casting, someone dies. Everyone understand?"
"Yes," Jin-woo typed.
"Understood," ShadowStep said.
"Ready," IceWitch said.
"I'll keep everyone alive," HolyHands said.
TankBoss pushed the door open. The metal door swung inward with a deep grinding sound. Beyond the door was the largest chamber Jin-woo had seen in the dungeon.
The room was circular and massive. The ceiling was fifteen meters high. Stone pillars lined the walls. In the center of the room was a raised platform. On the platform stood a skeletal figure wearing black and purple robes.
The Lich Lord.
The Lich Lord was tall and thin. Its skeleton was pale white bone. The robes flowed around it even though there was no wind. It held a staff made of twisted black wood. At the top of the staff was a skull with green light glowing in its eye sockets.
The Lich Lord's own eyes glowed with the same green light. It turned toward the party as they entered.
"Foolish mortals," the Lich Lord said. Its voice echoed through the chamber. "You dare disturb my rest?"
Jin-woo used Inspect.
Lich Lord Kazar
Level 35 (Boss)
HP: 35,000/35,000
The boss fight was about to begin.