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Chapter 2: The Tauren's Technique
After learning that we were willing to help him retrieve the lost hammer, Ding Ding Xiao Ge perked up instantly, no longer complaining about being "so tired he could collapse." According to Fairy Dropped Face First—the elven druid girl—we’d need to circle the massive shaft’s walkways roughly a dozen times to reach the bottom. Along the way, we’d face repeated attacks from skeleton warriors. At the very base of the shaft, besides hordes of regular skeletons, there was also a boss-level undead creature guarding the area.
The greatest fear isn’t what’s terrifying—it’s the unknown. Just moments ago, staring into the seemingly endless abyss of this cavern, our hearts had been heavy with uncertainty and dread. Now, however, we were itching to get moving—undeterred by the prospect of facing an army of unseen undead killers.
Though not overly wide, the walkway allowed two people to move comfortably side by side. Millionfold and I led the group, our thick armor and sturdy builds ready to absorb any initial blows. Behind us trailed Nocturne in B-flat Minor, the gnome bard, and Fairy Dropped Face First, both prepared to provide support whenever needed. As for Ding Ding Xiao Ge, the orc warlock, he hung far back, ensuring we wouldn’t have to worry about protecting him during combat.
On our second lap around the walkway, three gaunt figures finally emerged from the shadows. Tattered cloth draped their skeletal frames, and they wielded hefty picks and hammers. Each step sent a rattling cascade of bone fragments echoing through the cavern. Though still upright, their movements were stiff and mechanical, devoid of the fluidity or elasticity one would expect from living beings.
We approached cautiously until the torchlight illuminated them at a distance of about ten paces. Just as the druid girl had described, these were humanoid constructs of bleached white bones. Deep, hollow voids occupied where eyes should have been, yet when those empty sockets swept over you, an eerie chill ran down your spine—as if some malevolent force watched you from afar.
"Ah!" The sight of them made Fairy Dropped Face First gasp, clutching tightly onto Millionfold’s arm while burying her face against his chest. Her voice trembled as she murmured, "Those things again... they’re so scary..."
A woman’s fragility has always been fuel for a man’s courage. Despite his own lips turning pale with fear, Millionfold gently patted the elf girl’s shoulder and tried to reassure her with a shaky voice: "There’s nothing to be afraid of. They’re just level twelve skeletons. Relax... uh, ow, ow, OW! Don’t grip so hard—you’re making me bleed!"
Comforted by Millionfold’s words, Fairy Dropped Face First seemed less frightened—but I doubted she’d feel quite so reassured if she opened her eyes and saw the tauren warrior’s legs quivering like leaves in a storm.
Though eyeless, the three skeletons detected our presence. Lurching forward with jerky motions, their weapons swung wildly as jawbones clacked together in what sounded almost like muffled cries. As they charged, shards of brittle bone flew off their bodies. One still bore remnants of rotting flesh on its arm, covered in pus-oozing brownish lesions.
Clang! My shield blocked a heavy hammer blow aimed at my head, and without hesitation, I thrust my sword toward its chest. This maneuver—a technique honed through countless battles—wasn’t flashy but effective, combining offense and defense seamlessly. It had served me well against beasts and bandits alike.
But this time, something went wrong.
Instead of the satisfying resistance of piercing flesh, my blade slid cleanly through gaps in its ribcage, meeting no resistance.
"Don’t stab," Nocturne called out from behind me. "These are skeleton monsters. Thrust accuracy is reduced by thirty percent, and damage drops seventy percent. Slash them—use your sword!"
Nocturne’s advice clicked immediately. Without retracting my blade, I swung it sideways, slicing cleanly through one of its ribs. A clear "-18" floated above its head.
Once I adjusted my tactics, these menacing undead proved less formidable than they appeared. My serrated-edged longsword bit savagely into their brittle bones, grinding them into dust with each swing. The rasping sound reminded me of sawing through wood—an oddly satisfying sensation.
Despite being level twelve, these skeletons weren’t particularly strong. Compared to the swarms of bats we’d faced earlier, they were slow and clumsy. Though tougher than most foes, defeating them was only a matter of time.
Millionfold’s massive wooden pole proved even more effective against the skeletons. Bludgeoning weapons dealt twenty percent extra damage to such foes. With every powerful swing, his enemies suffered new losses. By now, I noticed one skeleton wielding a pickaxe had lost its left arm, and its right foot was reduced to splinters. Soon enough, Millionfold hurled the last skeleton off the walkway and into the abyss below before leaning against the wall, panting heavily.
"Whew... Those things looked horrifying, but they didn’t scare me—not one bit," he declared, patting his chest dramatically. But then his gaze shifted to the elven girl standing behind him.
Fairy Dropped Face First stared at him with wide, admiring eyes, her expression soft and dreamy.
In an instant, Millionfold transformed his demeanor. Leaning casually against the wall, he hooked his thumb lazily on his belt, crossed one hoof over the other, and tapped the ground with his front hoof. Adopting a carefree swagger, he spoke in a rich, resonant tone that dripped with poetic flair: "No matter how high their level, no matter how terrifying their appearance, all shall crumble beneath my merciless strikes..."
Turning to the elf girl with paternal concern, he added, "Scared? Are you hurt?"
She gazed at him mutely, shaking her head slightly.
The burly tauren grinned, effortlessly hoisting his giant pole onto his shoulder—a display that accentuated the sinewy muscles of his arms. A gust of air stirred his mane, lending him an aura of rugged charm. "The battles ahead will be more dangerous. Stay behind me, and you’ll have nothing to fear!"
With that, he raised his hand in a dramatic gesture, shouting enthusiastically like a leader rallying troops: "Let’s push forward!"
Without waiting for us, he strode boldly ahead, leaving behind a towering silhouette brimming with confidence. Fairy Dropped Face First followed without sparing us a glance.
"Merciless strikes? Crumbling to dust? Since when did this guy become a poet?" I quipped to Nocturne beside me.
"What a dated pickup line! That style went out of fashion decades ago. These days, muscleheads don’t stand a chance!" Nocturne sneered at Millionfold’s retreating figure, spitting disdainfully—or perhaps jealously—onto the ground.
"...You...are...just...jealous...because...you...don’t...have...muscles..." came Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s delayed response from behind us.
I couldn’t agree more.
As we continued walking and chatting leisurely...
"Hey! You’re just gonna leave me to die? Hurry up and save me—I can’t hold them off much longer!"
Millionfold’s panicked cries echoed once again from ahead...
---
After countless loops around the walkway and dispatching over thirty skeleton warriors, we finally reached the penultimate level. From here, we could see the bottom of the shaft.
It was a flat, man-made clearing surrounded by walls carved with several caves. Dozens of grotesque skeletons wandered aimlessly within. Among them stood a short but stocky skeleton near the entrance of one cave, wielding a massive battle-ax and clad in battered metal armor distinctly different from the others. Above its head hovered a bright name: Undead Robert Wilanster.
"The hammer’s over there..." Fairy Dropped Face First pointed to a less crowded corner of the shaft.
Following her finger, we spotted a colossal iron hammer half-buried in the dirt. Its size rivaled a blacksmith’s anvil, adorned with intricate engravings glowing faintly red—a sign of latent magical power.
"Whoa, look at all those skeletons down there! Maybe we should retreat while we can," Millionfold peered down nervously, his pessimism fully on display.
"Not necessarily..." Nocturne studied the layout carefully. "Their numbers aren’t concentrated. If we lure them out slowly, we can take them down one by one."
Millionfold scoffed under his breath, muttering, "My gut tells me this is risky. We might end up wiped out..."
Fairy Dropped Face First quickly chimed in, siding with Millionfold: "There are too many enemies. It’s too dangerous. Let’s retreat for now..."
To everyone’s surprise, her words seemed to ignite a fire in Millionfold. His cowardice vanished as he declared confidently: "Nonsense! As long as we proceed steadily and methodically, wiping out these skeletons won’t be a problem!"
"Tch, that’s exactly what I said!" Nocturne muttered bitterly under his breath.
"But... Last time we came, those adventurers were higher-leveled than you. Wouldn’t it be too risky for you?" Fairy Dropped Face First hesitated, addressing Millionfold.
Her caution backfired spectacularly. Millionfold straightened up, puffing out his chest. "So what if they’re a few levels higher? Levels aren’t everything! Skillful techniques can make up for any gap. Nothing in this shaft can stop me! Haha... HAHA... HAHAHA!"
His laughter, however, was dry and forced, trembling slightly—a stark contrast to his bold words.
"Skillful techniques? I fail to see anything impressive about his playstyle..." Nocturne whispered sarcastically beside us, watching Millionfold boast shamelessly in front of the elf girl.
After a moment, Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s classic commentary drifted to our ears:
"He... drinks health potions... very smoothly. No one... can match... his skill..."
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