The blue vortex spit Elias out into a sprawling, subterranean cavern. The air was frigid, carrying the distinct, metallic scent of old blood and rusted armor. High above, glowing blue moss clung to the stalactites, casting long, eerie shadows across the stone floor.
Elias stood at the entrance of a massive, ruined stone corridor.
[You have entered the 'Dungeon of Echoes' (Hidden).] [Quest Triggered: Clear the Dungeon.]
Objective: Eliminate the Dungeon Master.
Reward: Artifact 'Heart of the Abyss', +5 Level Up.
Elias checked his surroundings. In his past life, a massive guild had discovered this dungeon by accident two weeks after the outbreak. They lost forty men clearing it, but the Guild Master who claimed the 'Heart of the Abyss' became a legend.
This time, the treasure belonged to the shadows.
Clank... Clank... Clank...
The heavy, rhythmic sound of metal striking stone echoed down the dark corridor.
Elias didn't draw a weapon. He simply stood with his hands in his pockets. "Come out, Iron."
From the shadow cast by Elias's own feet, thick black smoke erupted like a geyser. It expanded and solidified, forming the massive, three-meter-tall figure of the Elite Hobgoblin Chieftain. Its electric-blue eyes flared to life in the darkness, and it held its shadowy battleaxe with both hands.
"Summon the rest," Elias added.
Three smaller, but equally menacing Shadow Orcs rose from the ground, flanking Iron like loyal foot soldiers.
From the darkness of the corridor emerged the dungeon's guardians. They were Skeleton Knights—undead warriors clad in decaying, rusted plate armor, wielding jagged broadswords. Their eye sockets glowed with a sickly green light. There were at least fifteen of them marching in perfect, terrifying synchronization.
[Skeleton Knight (Lv. 10)] [Skeleton Knight (Lv. 10)]
They were four levels higher than Elias, but he only smiled. "Undead facing a Necromancer? How ironic."
The Skeleton Knights spotted the intruders and broke into a charge, their rusty armor clattering loudly.
"Iron, break their formation. The rest of you, clean up," Elias ordered.
Iron let out a silent, shadowy roar and charged forward like a runaway freight train. The sheer size difference was comical. Iron swung his massive battleaxe horizontally.
CRASH!
The shadowy axe slammed into the front line of Skeleton Knights, instantly shattering three of them into a shower of white bone fragments and rusted metal.
The remaining skeletons tried to counterattack, thrusting their swords at Iron's legs. The blades pierced the shadow, but because Iron had no physical organs, he simply ignored the attacks, raising his foot and stomping another skeleton into dust.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the three Shadow Orcs lunged into the fray. They were feral, using their superior agility to dodge the slow, methodical swings of the undead knights, tearing off skeletal skulls with their bare hands.
Elias watched the slaughter, leaning against the cold cave wall. He didn't need to lift a finger. His mana was constantly draining to sustain the shadows, but it was a negligible amount.
Within three minutes, all fifteen Skeleton Knights lay in pieces on the ground.
[You have killed a Skeleton Knight.] [You have killed a Skeleton Knight...] [You have leveled up!]
"Good work," Elias said, walking among the shattered bones.
The green light in the skeletons' eye sockets had faded. But to Elias, the corpses were glowing with that familiar, dark blue smoke.
"Extract."
The shadows violently pulled themselves from the bone fragments. The dark smoke coalesced, forming into five towering figures clad in pitch-black, shadowy plate armor, holding longswords.
[Extraction Successful!] [Shadow Knight (Lv. 10) has joined your legion.] x5
Elias grinned. "Cancel the Orcs."
The three Shadow Orcs instantly dissolved back into pure mana. Elias was limited by his level; he could currently only maintain ten shadows at a time. He didn't need weak Orcs taking up space when he could have heavily armored Level 10 Knights.
With five Shadow Knights and Iron taking point, Elias walked deeper into the dungeon.
For the next two hours, it was a one-sided massacre.
Any Skeleton Knight that appeared was instantly swarmed by Elias's elite squad. Whenever a shadow fell, it would simply regenerate using Elias's mana. Whenever Elias killed a group, he would extract the strongest among them, constantly upgrading his army with higher-level Knights.
By the time he reached the massive, iron-wrought doors at the end of the dungeon, Elias was Level 12. His army consisted of nine Level 12 Shadow Knights and one Level 15 Elite Hobgoblin Chieftain.
He had essentially become a walking guild.
Elias pushed open the heavy iron doors.
Inside was a vast, circular throne room. Sitting upon a throne of skulls was a massive, hulking figure. It wore pristine, silver armor that glowed with dark magic, and it held a massive claymore that pulsed with a crimson aura.
[Dungeon Master: The Death Knight Commander (Lv. 20 - Boss)]
The Death Knight slowly stood up, its crimson eyes locking onto Elias. The air in the room grew heavy, suffocating. This was a monster that could easily wipe out an entire platoon of heavily armed soldiers.
Elias didn't flinch. He slowly drew the steel crowbar from his Spatial Ring.
"Iron," Elias said softly. "You take the left. Knights, surround him. I'll take the head."
The shadows surged forward, and the true battle for the Heart of the Abyss began.