Stark stood his ground as the undead monsters closed in on him, their ghastly forms illuminated by the eerie blue fire of the skull torches. The mist twisted and turned around them, creating a surreal and ominous atmosphere in the corridor.
And when they got close enough… Stark was able to see all the undead monsters: skeletons with rusted armor and jagged swords, ghouls with decaying flesh and glowing red eyes, ghosts with pale figures, their mouths open as if ready to suck Stark’s soul, and even a massive zombie with rotting limbs dragging behind it.
They moved in a slow but coordinated manner, their intention clear as they advanced towards Stark.
“GROAOR!”
“Klklkl…”
“Ooooou…”
They were taking slow steps, but the more they approached, the more Stark could see their disgusting bodies and faces.
And also… he noticed just how many of them there were.
From the ground, ceiling, walls, from all around Stark, there were at least fifty of those monsters.
Of course, their sheer number meant that they weren’t even that strong, thus giving less EXP per monster, but it didn’t matter since it would be really easy to be overwhelmed.
“Perception!”
…
[Name: Skeleton Warrior]
[Level: 90]
[HP: 50000]
[Skills: Critical Strike, Bone Shatter, Shield Bash, Skeletal Body, Undead…]
…
[Name: Undead Ghoul]
[Level: 93]
[HP: 70000]
[Skills: Feast of Flesh, Decay Aura, Shadow Crawl, Fly, Undead…]
…
[Name: Trial Ghost]
[Level: 92]
[HP: 58000]
[Skills: Ghostly Wail, Soul Drain, Phantasmal Form, Ethereal Touch, Undead…]
…
None of these monsters were truly strong, one attack from Stark probably enough to destroy them all, plus they didn’t have that many skills compared to other monsters in the trial.
Which meant that it was truly all about the numbers, and while Stark analyzed them, a dozen more monsters appeared, their numbers rising after each second.
There was a single monster stood out from the rest though: the giant zombie.
…
[Name: Undead Elite Zombie (ELITE)]
[Level: 110]
[HP: 400000]
[Strength: 4873]
[Stamina: 7281]
[Speed: 1492]
[Defense: 3910]
[Skills: Raging Smash, Corpse Explosion, Decay, Flesh Feast, Diseased Bite, Undead Control (MYTHICAL), Rotting Grasp, Undead Regeneration, Hulking Presence, The Ultimate Zombie…]
…
Not only was this zombie the bigger out of them, easily towering over Stark and being almost as big as the [Elite Guard] from the fourth sublevel, but it was also the strongest monster Stark encountered yet, even more so than the other elite.
His stamina was extremely high for some reason, while the rest of his stats were still good, but still below those of the other elite guard.
All in all… this monster was powerful.
The Undead Elite Zombie’s skin was a sickly green, with patches of flesh hanging loose from its body. One of its eyes was missing, leaving only a hollow socket that seemed to glare at Stark with malevolent intent. Its jaw hung agape, revealing rows of jagged, broken teeth that dripped with black ichor.
It didn’t have any kind of weapon, just its bare hands slowly advancing toward Stark, carrying a bunch of corpses that were put together likes chains, it was a disgusting sight.
“GROAOROA~” it roared, but by its tone, it didn’t seem like it was talking to Stark… but to the monsters?
And as expected, the moment the elite roared, the monsters suddenly stopped in their slow rush, completely surrounding Stark.
“…”
“=)”
But… Stark wasn’t scared, and neither was his clone.
Why, you might ask? Why would Stark not be at least worried of dying by those monsters and maybe even turning into of them, even though there were at least 80 of them around him now?
Was it because he could revive himself twice? Or because he truly believed he could come out on top against all the odds?
Well… no… the real answer was… [Crimson Purification]!
It was the basic legendary skill he got from [Domination] absorbing [Exorcist] and merging them both into one.
But… wasn’t this sublevel called the [Undead Realm], and weren’t all those enemies somewhat related to undead beings…?
If that is the case… then… isn’t [Exorcist] in its perfect element?
And so… without wasting time, Stark’s aura grew as he kept smiling: none of these monsters could put a dent on him.
“…?” the zombie was the controlling all the monsters tilted its ugly head, confused as to why the human was so vividly smiling.
But after a few seconds, it decided that it was over and that they should get rid of him quickly.
And so…
“GROAORK!” he roared again, and all the monsters suddenly rushed at Stark, leaving their slow approach from before and now actually running.
But… this was futile.
“CRIMSON PURIFICATION!” Stark shouted.
[Description: A divine ability that eradicates evil and impurities from the surrounding area, dealing massive damage to demonic and cursed enemies while increasing the Holy aura, making you stronger against these types of foes. However, it has no effect on other types of enemies.]
A blinding light erupted from Stark’s body, enveloping the entire corridor in a radiant glow. The undead monsters screeched and wailed as they were consumed by the purifying flames, their forms disintegrating into ash before vanishing completely.
This skill was extremely powerful against undead, able to weaken those that are very strong, but completely annihilate the ones too weak to tank the power of the holy aura.
And so just like that, EVERY monster beside the elite zombie disappeared, the floor of the hallway now filled with deep gray ashes, which were previously the monsters that wanted to eliminate him.
“Gro…arork…” even the giant zombie seemed to have been weakened, forced to get on its knees as a small part of its head had evaporated from the holy aura.
“-173819!” this was the damage it had received from this attack, completely destroying its control over the monsters as it had lost all its minions because of the holy aura coming out of Stark’s body.
“I feel like a true saint now,” Stark smiled as he took a step toward the giant zombie.
“Gr…” the zombie looked down on the floor, its expression darkening as it saw the ashes of its comrades/minions, and then… “GROOAKRK~”
It suddenly got up again, retrieving its full form, and although its now half-destroyed face wasn’t restored, it did make it much creepier than before as its sole yellow pupil looked at the human who dared to attack it like this.
“GROAOOOOROA~” it roared again, also taking a giant step toward Stark, making the ground around him shake.
And so just like that, Stark was forced to fight another elite monster even though he just wanted to reach the exit.
But… this was an opportunity to test out [Exorcist] while also getting stronger, so why the fuck not?
“COME AT ME, ZOMBIE,” Stark didn’t back down as he saw the zombie rush at him.
