Chapter 132: Skeleton Warriors (part 2)

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Skeleton Warriors (part 2)

"Gil, are you hurt?" she shouted.

"I’m fine! Just a little tired!"

"Don’t push yourself! Stay behind the barrier until we get there!"

Ragnar glanced at the surrounding undead.

He had to admit that these adventurers were better coordinated than he had initially expected. Each of them understood their responsibilities, and they weren’t wasting their skills recklessly.

Brom maintained the frontline, Darian dealt with the enemies attempting to break through, and Seraphina used her speed to eliminate isolated targets. Meanwhile, the two mages provided offensive and defensive support.

Their formation was far from perfect, but it was effective enough to handle this number of enemies.

Still, the Skeleton Warriors were proving to be more troublesome than ordinary skeletons.

One of them suddenly charged through the flames, its armor glowing faintly with magical energy. It raised its sword and swung toward Ragnar’s head.

Ragnar tilted his body slightly.

The sword passed just above his shoulder.

He then struck the creature’s knee with his chipped blade, causing its leg to collapse. Before it could recover, he delivered another strike to its skull.

The Skeleton Warrior fell apart.

However, another one immediately took its place.

"Tch! There are too many!" Darian cursed.

He was beginning to breathe heavily. His Power Strike had consumed a considerable amount of stamina, and the number of enemies showed no sign of decreasing.

Brom’s barrier was also nearing its limit.

"Everyone, fall back!" Venn shouted. "We need to regroup!"

"Understood!"

Seraphina quickly retreated toward Brom, while Darian positioned himself beside the Guardian.

Liora continued firing smaller fire spells to keep the Skeleton Warriors at a distance.

Ragnar also moved toward them, making sure to maintain the appearance of someone who had barely escaped being overwhelmed.

Once everyone had regrouped, Brom raised his shield again.

"Is everyone all right?"

"I’m fine," Seraphina answered.

"Same here," Darian replied, wiping sweat from his forehead. "But those armored skeletons are a lot tougher than I expected."

Liora lowered her staff slightly.

"I’ve already used quite a bit of mana. I can still fight, but I won’t be able to cast another large-scale spell immediately."

Venn looked toward Ragnar.

"Gil? Are you injured?"

Ragnar shook his head.

"I’m fine. I managed to avoid most of their attacks."

Venn let out a relieved breath.

"Good. I was worried when I saw you surrounded like that. Those Skeleton Warriors aren’t opponents you should underestimate."

"I noticed."

Darian glanced at Ragnar and gave him an approving nod.

"Still, you did pretty well holding them off. Most Level 15 adventurers would’ve been in serious trouble if they were surrounded like that."

Ragnar smiled faintly.

"I was lucky."

Lucky?

If Ragnar had wanted to, he could have wiped out the entire group of Skeleton Warriors with a single swing.

But he merely nodded and allowed Darian to believe whatever he wanted.

Venn turned her attention toward the cemetery.

The remaining Skeleton Warriors were still approaching, although the flames had temporarily slowed their advance. Behind them, more ordinary skeletons were beginning to gather.

She frowned.

"We need to reconsider our approach. If we continue fighting in the open, we’ll eventually be surrounded again."

Brom nodded.

"Agreed. We should find a narrow passage between the tombstones and force them to approach us from the front. That way, I can block their attacks while the others deal with them."

"That’s a good idea," Seraphina said. "We should also avoid using too many skills at once. We don’t know how many more are hiding deeper inside."

Liora looked toward the approaching undead.

"Then let’s move before they surround us again."

Venn nodded before turning toward everyone.

"All right. Stay close to one another. This time, we fight together and don’t let anyone get separated."

Ragnar listened quietly.

He had originally intended to experience a dungeon expedition without interfering too much. However, he hadn’t expected the group to encounter a swarm of Skeleton Warriors so early.

Looking at the approaching undead, he couldn’t help but feel a little amused.

’It seems I underestimated how troublesome this area could be for ordinary adventurers.’

The group quickly put their new plan into action.

Instead of fighting in the open, they retreated toward a narrow passage between several large tombstones. The space was just wide enough for two people to stand side by side, making it difficult for the undead to surround them.

Brom positioned himself at the front, raising his large shield to block the incoming attacks. Darian stood beside him, ready to strike down anything that managed to get past the Guardian. Seraphina remained slightly behind them, waiting for opportunities to attack exposed enemies.

Meanwhile, Venn and Liora stood farther back, preparing their spells. Ragnar stayed near the two mages, occasionally stepping forward whenever a skeleton managed to slip through their formation.

Their new strategy proved considerably more effective.

The Skeleton Warriors could no longer attack from multiple directions. Instead, they were forced to approach through the narrow passage, where Brom’s shield prevented them from advancing easily.

"Keep them coming!" Brom shouted, bracing himself as several Skeleton Warriors slammed their weapons against his shield. "I can hold them here!"

"Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the ones that get past you!" Darian replied.

His longsword flashed as he struck a skeleton attempting to move around Brom’s side. Seraphina followed with a quick thrust, piercing another undead creature’s skull before retreating to avoid an incoming spear.

Behind them, Liora continued launching fire spells.

"Fireball!"

A blazing projectile flew over Brom’s shoulder and exploded among the approaching skeletons. The flames engulfed several of them, causing their reinforced bones to crack and collapse.

Venn supported the group by reinforcing their defenses and occasionally using wind magic to push back enemies that threatened to overwhelm them.

The battle continued without interruption.

Although the adventurers had managed to gain control of the situation, the number of undead was still troublesome. Every time they destroyed several Skeleton Warriors, more appeared from between the gravestones.

Their stamina and mana were gradually being depleted.

Darian was the first to complain.

"How many of these things are there?! I’ve already destroyed so many, but they just keep coming!"

"Stop complaining and keep swinging!" Seraphina replied, cutting down another skeleton.

"I’m not complaining! I’m simply asking a reasonable question!"

"Then ask it after we’re done!"

Brom laughed despite the situation.