Global Necromantic Specialist

Marsh had come to a clear realization.

The biggest weakness of the skeleton army, with him at its core, was himself.

If a powerful enemy were to appear and focus their attacks on him, disregarding his skeleton warriors, the situation could quickly become dangerous.

Damage transfer, the ability Marsh relied on to redirect the damage he received to his summoned creatures, was not a panacea. While useful, it had its limitations. Marsh knew now that he needed to find a way to strengthen his defenses and address this weakness.

As the Goblin King's massive body was torn apart, blood poured down like a torrential rain. The giant creature, standing at over six meters tall, now had skeleton warriors clinging to its shoulders, back, chest, and even its head. The sight was almost surreal.

Suddenly, a radiant light erupted from the Goblin King's body. It jumped into the air violently before crashing heavily back to the ground. With an earth-shattering roar, the shockwave sent all the skeleton warriors flying off its body. Even those on the ground were knocked back by the force of the blast.

Skill: Shockback!

The Goblin King's eyes glowed ominously, and it opened its massive mouth wide, unleashing a stream of fire. The flames scorched the skeleton warriors, burning through them with terrifying intensity. Marsh could feel the vitality of the four skeleton warriors rapidly draining, and they were on the brink of death.

In a split second, Marsh made the decision to recall the four skeleton warriors to the summoning space.

The flames continued to pour from the Goblin King's mouth, preventing any remaining skeleton warriors from getting close. Marsh knew that this onslaught had to be stopped—he couldn't allow the Goblin King to continue unleashing its powerful attacks.

"His skills need to be interrupted," Marsh thought, quickly preparing his own counterattack.

A flame appeared in the palm of his hand as Marsh prepared to use his signature skill.

Soul Flame!

The ethereal flame shot forward, landing silently on the Goblin King's head. Immediately, the Goblin King let out a blood-curdling scream, and its flame attack was interrupted. The fire ceased instantly, giving Marsh's skeleton warriors an opening to re-enter the fray.

The Soul Flame was particularly effective. Unlike regular fire, it was a spiritual attack that ignored physical defenses. Its damage was based on the caster's mental strength and skill level. Marsh's spiritual power may have been only 400, and his skill level was 11, but after the 20-fold increase from his various enhancements, the Soul Flame's attack power was formidable.

The skeleton warriors regrouped quickly and surrounded the Goblin King once more. They attacked with renewed desperation, taking full advantage of the brief lull in the battle.

Marsh continued to unleash Soul Flames on the Goblin King, each blast preventing it from using its powerful skills. For a minute, the battle raged on, and eventually, the Goblin King collapsed to the ground, defeated.

[Kill the King of Goblins, Experience +40,000]

[Obtain a Bronze-Level Weapon: The Dagger of the Goblin King]

[Obtain Bronze-Level Armor: Robe of Knowledge]

[Obtain the Crystal Nucleus of the Goblin King]

As the system notifications flashed on the screen, Marsh's body was bathed in the light of an upgrade. He had finally reached level 12.

It had only taken a little over an hour to clear the Nightmare-level dungeon by himself, which had allowed him to level up by more than one level. The efficiency was beyond his expectations.

Marsh quickly checked the loot.

[Goblin King's Dagger: Bronze Level, Strength +10, Dexterity +10, Assassin skills increased by 3%, available after level 12]

[Knowledge Robe: Bronze-level Armor, Spirit +10, Constitution +10, reduces cooldown time of mage skills by 5%, available after level 12]

While the dagger wasn't useful to Marsh, he knew it could be sold for a decent price back in town.

His profession was a necromancer, which meant he was technically classified as a mage, though his skills were quite different from those of other mages. The cooldown reduction on mage skills didn't benefit him at all since his necromancer abilities didn't have cooldowns. Still, the bonus to his spirit and constitution was worth considering.

"Adding 10 points to spirit and physical fitness isn't too bad," Marsh thought, noting the immediate benefits of the Knowledge Robe. The robe would enhance his mental power and resilience, both of which would help him in future battles.

After all, it was only level 12 equipment, so the requirements weren't too demanding. Marsh put on the robe of knowledge, feeling the increase to his spirit and physique. It was a small but useful improvement.

In addition to the gear, there was also the crystal nucleus of the Goblin King.

This crystal nucleus was larger than those from lower-level monsters and had a brilliant ruby-red hue. When Marsh held it in his hand, he could feel warmth emanating from it. Clearly, this was no ordinary item.

The crystal nucleus could be exchanged for 100,000 gold coins at the exchange, which Marsh found quite surprising. The value of this item was greater than that of both pieces of equipment combined.

Marsh couldn't help but feel pleased with his haul. It wasn't just the material rewards; the experience gained from this dungeon had been invaluable. He had learned a great deal about his weaknesses and how to compensate for them.

His mental power was fully restored after the upgrade. Marsh immediately summoned four skeleton warriors, as his summoning skill had now reached level 12. The new requirement was 110 points of spiritual power, but with his current 510 points, he could still only summon four at a time.

The skeleton warriors he summoned were now bronze-tier, with each of them boasting a staggering 3800 points in their four-dimensional attributes. His army had grown considerably, and with 60 warriors now at his disposal, Marsh felt a surge of confidence.

With a satisfied nod, Marsh walked toward the dungeon exit. As he emerged, he was immediately the center of attention. His skeleton warriors, standing tall and imposing, caught the eyes of everyone nearby. Their cold, eerie appearance was enough to make even the bravest adventurers hesitate.

"He's out," someone muttered in surprise.

"I didn't expect him to make it out alive."

"Could it be that he really just soloed the dungeon?"

There were whispers everywhere, as the crowd marveled at Marsh's achievement. A few people even speculated on the rarity of soloing a dungeon, considering the dangers involved.

"Look at his clothes," someone else noted. "Is that a robe of knowledge?"

"Yeah, it's the robe of knowledge!"

The realization that Marsh was not only alive but had also managed to clear the dungeon on his own made the onlookers' heads spin. It was a feat few could ever hope to achieve.

Marsh paid no mind to the attention. The dungeon was now on a cooldown period, preventing any further entry for the next 12 hours. With his objectives for the moment completed, Marsh had no desire to farm wild monsters. The experience from fighting dungeons was far more rewarding.

The 12-hour cooldown was the perfect opportunity for him to meditate and restore his mental energy, as well as to reflect on his experience in the dungeon.

Marsh found a quiet spot away from the crowd and sat down. One of his skeleton warriors stood guard beside him, silently keeping watch.

This dungeon run had been significant in many ways. It not only gave him material rewards but also helped him identify his weaknesses. He had learned the value of using his skills effectively—how to interrupt an enemy's abilities and how to harness the full potential of his Soul Flame.

Marsh reflected on everything he had learned, mentally reviewing his gains and losses. This was only the beginning, and he knew that he would continue to grow stronger.

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