Chapter 17: Clash In The Death Zone
The Skeleton Knight was abnormally tall, every part of its body covered by the protective shell of thick metal armor. Only the helmet bore any openings that could be struck through.
The hilt of its greatsword was adorned in gold, the same true for the colossal shield it carried.
"Ridiculous..." Leonard murmured.
What defined a Death Zone within a dungeon was the presence of monsters whose levels exceeded the dungeon’s entry threshold.
That meant that from this point on, the party of three would be facing enemies far beyond their league. Even the smallest mistake could easily prove fatal.
"Get ready." Arabella drew her bowstring back, eager to strike before the monster noticed them.
With a nod, Leonard glanced at his system interface. He invested the free attribute points he had saved and left the evolution points untouched, since he had too few to afford any upgrades.
Name: Leonard
Level: 3 [Experience: 0/300]
Bloodline: Primordial
Vitality: 15
Strength: 17 → 20
Agility: 16
Endurance: 18
Magic: 12 → 14
Mana: 120 → 140
Skills: Lightning Strike
Attribute Points: 5 → 0
Evolution Points: 10
Traits: Accelerated Manaflow, Hardened Physique, Devoted Summons
Titles: Lumberjack
Considering that the enemies from now on would be unbelievably tough, he chose to invest most of his points into strength, hoping to break through their defenses, and put two points into magic to increase his mana.
"Wait!" His eyes shrank as he raised a hand, signaling Arabella not to fire.
He glanced at Winston.
"Do you have any food?" He asked.
"Y—Yes! I always keep some in reserve!" Winston declared, starting to hurriedly rummage through his backpack.
"Food at a time like this?" Arabella wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, wondering if her teammates had gone mad.
"Just eat!" Leonard insisted, holding a chocolate muffin in front of her face.
She frowned, yet obliged. Brushing a strand of hair to the side, she took a small bite right out of Leonard’s hand.
"What?!" She whispered in astonishment.
[Vitality has been buffed by 5 points for the next 2 hours!]
[Strength has been buffed by 5 points for the next 2 hours!]
[Agility has been buffed by 5 points for the next 2 hours!]
[Endurance has been buffed by 5 points for the next 2 hours!]
Every trace of Winston’s food was devoured instantly. They didn’t leave even a single crumb behind.
"This was all I had." He said, slightly regretful that he hadn’t packed a larger lunch.
"What sorcery is this?!" Arabella stared at her buffed attributes in bewilderment. "How did eating a few desserts increase my stats as if I had undergone several level-ups?"
"This is his magic." Leonard grinned, patting Winston on the shoulder.
Arabella blinked slowly, then nodded with a determined expression.
"Then we mustn’t linger! While we’re still under the effects of the buff, we must find a way to escape at all costs!" She said.
Leonard agreed with her assessment. Without holding anything back, he summoned Joker.
Since Leonard had reached Level 3, Joker was able to assume the form of a ghoul. One benefit of doing so was that the monster possessed claws, which served as built-in weapons, arming Joker for the battle ahead.
Rather than summoning him right next to them, Leonard did so behind the Skeleton Knight. The monster immediately spotted the summon and turned its back on the party, charging toward Joker.
"Move while it’s distracted!" He urged.
Arabella wondered for a second how Leonard possessed a summon while still lacking a class, but she didn’t dwell on the issue and fired.
Her arrow flew with incredible accuracy and found its way into its back, slipping between the metal plates of the Skeleton Knight.
Simultaneously, Leonard flanked the creature from the right while Winston came in from the left.
"Let’s see if this will turn out better than last time." Leonard murmured, activating Lightning Strike.
With his Strength upgraded and buffed to 25 points and then further amplified by 210%, it exceeded the 50-point mark!
The double-headed axe trailed forward, carrying a force unbefitting of a mere Level 3, and crashed into the Skeleton Knight’s sword, both sides equal in strength!
However, while this was simply the natural exertion of the monster’s power, Leonard had to use everything at his disposal just to match the creature blow for blow.
Even with his mana pool increased to 140, he couldn’t utilize his Rare Skill a lot of times while sustaining Joker.
Winston struck, knowing that targeting the shield was a lost cause. He aimed his hammer straight into the creature’s leg.
The armor might have been tough, but if the bone hidden beneath were to fracture from the blunt impact, it would lead them to victory.
Joker didn’t linger, leaping high. His body wrapped around the Skeleton Knight’s helmet, using the ghoul’s claws to target the openings within it.
Letting out another arrow, Arabella aimed for the neck.
Realizing it was ambushed and surrounded on all sides, the skeleton chose to focus on each adversary individually, its attention fixing on Winston.
Without hesitation, its giant figure rammed into the man’s shield, overwhelming him and sending him toppling to the ground.
Not giving him time to rest, the monster raised its sword high, about to attack with such force it would shatter his armor and kill him on the spot.
"Winston!" For a moment, Leonard saw red. Repositioning, he used his skill to halt the downward slash.
The veins in his body bulged, and he gritted his teeth. With trembling hands, he managed to stop the strike, but it took everything out of him.
Finally, Joker pulled off the creature’s helmet, exposing its skull.
Arabella didn’t miss the opportunity and fired.
[You contributed to the defeat of a Level 12 Skeleton Knight, a Rare Mini-Boss exclusive to the Death Zone!]
[All gained experience and Evolution Points have been doubled!]
[You have gained 180 Experience!]
[In recognition of your exceptional achievement, you have been granted 300 Evolution Points!]
All it took was a single battle for Leonard to move past the halfway point of Level 3.
Taking a deep breath, he stretched out his hand toward Winston.
"You alright?"
Winston smiled and took his hand. "Yeah, thanks."
The party examined the slain Skeleton Knight. They took the valuable jewelry and left its equipment behind, as it was too heavy to be used properly.
Continuing forward, they soon encountered a large network of interconnecting passages that stretched farther than they could see.
"Exploring them all would take too long. By then the food buff would vanish, and I don’t think we have a chance against another Skeleton Knight without it." Leonard remarked grimly.
"Do you see this?" Arabella’s sharp perception allowed her to notice a left-behind backpack to the side.
Leonard moved closer to investigate it, being mindful of potential traps.
"This..." His eyes narrowed. "The backpack was left behind by an awakener who had fallen here before us. From the look of it, there are inscriptions inside!"
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