Stranded

Li Shaolin inexplicably leveled up again, feeling quite puzzled himself. Seeing everyone resting, he took out the Book of the Dead and gently opened it. Sure enough, the character inside had reached level 6, with 2 unspent skill points remaining. Beneath the pristine white skull icon, the numbers 2/2 were clearly displayed. It seemed those two Skeleton Warriors had indeed been fighting Kobolds inside. But what he couldn't figure out was how two level 1 Skeleton Warriors, barely as strong as a single Forest Wolf, could last so long and even kill enough Kobolds to level him up.

"Huh, what's this?" On the first page of his Book of the Dead, in the personal description section, besides the Summon Skeleton and Fangs skills, there was now an extra skill: Detection (can detect target's level and type). It looked like some kind of perception magic. Whatever, he'd allocate skill points first.

Turning to the second page, he saw that the level 6 spells had lit up, shifting from blood-red to gray, indicating they were available to learn. After a moment's hesitation, Li Shaolin clicked on Clay Golem—after all, in Diablo 2, that thing could really tank—and put the other point into Skeleton Mastery. Though he couldn't see what was happening in the mine, the fact that those two skeletons had held out so long without being shattered meant reinforcing them should be promising.

Seeing that it was getting dark and feeling sufficiently rested, everyone got up and packed their gear. The Dwarf Warrior Biter adjusted the formation slightly, putting himself and Jack at the front to tank, the magic classes in the middle, and the female warrior along with Li Shaolin at the rear. After all, Li Shaolin hadn't acted like a mage in the previous fight, instead engaging in melee, so he was naturally assigned a hybrid magic-and-physical role. Li Shaolin silently sneered at the big guy but didn't refuse—at least he had a warrior with him; he was just backup, and only if absolutely necessary would he have to tank.

The group moved forward slowly. With such a strong lineup, one or two stray Kobolds were taken out by the powerful ranged firepower before they could even cry out, allowing them to easily pass through the tunnel outside the mine and reach the spot where they'd been ambushed earlier. There were no Kobolds left now, only corpses scattered everywhere—it seemed the Kobolds that had fled hadn't returned. Biter made a cautious gesture to Jack, and they continued on.

After walking a bit further, the view suddenly opened up. A vast Mine Hall lay before them, with a few old minecarts parked in the middle, wooden scaffolding propped against the walls, and a downward passage in the center of the hall's ceiling, apparently used for hoisting ore in the past. Li Shaolin couldn't help but marvel inwardly: civilization had developed quite a bit here, even using elevator principles. Several tunnels branched off from the hall in different directions. Just then, a "clang, clang" sound echoed through the mine.

Listening carefully, it came from a side tunnel nearby. Jack made a detection gesture to the Rogue Mogaban, who nodded and Stealthed over. In no time, he returned and whispered, "There are over 20 Kobold Miners digging a vein in there. Should we?" He made a chopping motion with his hand.

"Is it big in there?" Biter asked.

Mogaban thought for a moment. "The entrance is about three people wide. It's a bit roomier inside."

"Alright, Jack and I will hold the entrance, and the rest of you attack from range. Let them suffocate in there," Biter said slowly.

You sneaky dwarf, too vicious—another round of silent disdain from Li Shaolin.

Jack and Biter raised their shields, leaving just enough of a gap for magic to pass through. The sizzling sound of Fireball burning through the air started, and the Warlock began casting Shadow Bolt. Naturally, Li Shaolin readied his Fangs, holding them in his hand as two sharp teeth spun and danced between his fingers, ready to fire. Finally, Moni finished channeling her Fireball, and with a roar, it smashed into the mine tunnel. Right behind it, a skull wrapped in dark energy followed—the Warlock's Shadow Bolt—its faintly visible jaw opening wide, letting out a ghostly shriek like a vengeful spirit, utterly eerie. With two "whoosh" sounds, Li Shaolin's Fangs flew in after them, and the Dwarf Hunter raised his musket, firing "bang, bang."

This barrage threw the tunnel into chaos. Under the firelight, Kobold Miners surged out frantically, but just as Biter had predicted, the narrow entrance only allowed two Kobolds through at a time, and they were blocked by the two gatekeepers, unable to escape! After the earlier recovery, the ranged casters' mana was nearly full, enough for over a dozen spells each. Moni's Fireball was the deadliest, its splash damage igniting the wooden tools inside, and soon the tunnel was filled with wails and screams. Li Shaolin felt a pang of guilt—after all, as a transmigrator, he'd been a law-abiding citizen in his past life, never committing such arson and murder. It was hard to watch. But Kobolds, though they had the word "man" in their name, were vastly different from humans, which helped balance his conscience.

Within ten minutes, most of the Kobolds in the side tunnel were dead or dying, the survivors too wounded to even stand. Jack and Biter entered first, followed by the others.

Inside, they found a side chamber about 60 square meters. Small minecarts were piled with copper ore, most of them burned, with residual flames still smoldering and thick smoke swirling, accompanied by the smell of roasting meat. Li Shaolin's stomach churned, and with a "blech," he bent over and vomited. Jack frowned and said, "Let's all go out and rest. We'll come back for the loot once the smoke clears." The others nodded, as the stench was indeed unbearable.

They slowly retreated, but just as they emerged, a sudden "boom" sent a Fireball straight at Jack, who was in the lead! Jack quickly raised his shield to block, sparks flying. Looking up, they saw a dense crowd of Kobolds surging from afar, armed with Mining Picks, wooden clubs, and a few holding Wooden Staves—clearly the source of the Fireball. Jack shouted, "Not good! Everyone retreat!" The group bolted for the exit. Fortunately, the Kobolds were short and slow, so after a frantic escape, they made it out of the mine. Jack looked back and asked, "Hey, where's Li Shaolin?"

As for Li Shaolin, he was still bent over vomiting and hadn't noticed Jack and the others retreating. When he finally straightened up, he saw a horde of Kobolds chasing after them—hundreds, at a glance. Startled, he ducked back into the side tunnel. Soon, he heard faint howls from outside, suggesting some Kobolds were coming to check the side tunnel.

"God, why me? How am I supposed to handle this alone?" Li Shaolin lamented. With his Fangs, he might kill two or three Kobolds, but if there were four or more, he'd have to run. From the sounds outside, he estimated seven or eight. "I heard Kobolds eat corpses too. I won't even get a proper burial! And I've only been transmigrated for two days—haven't even enjoyed any special services!" the fool thought miserably.

Checking his skills, he suddenly remembered he was level 6. Li Shaolin quickly used Summon Clay Golem on the soft earth. The soil churned, and a golem the size of a Dwarf slowly rose from the ground, bracing itself with clay-like hands. About a meter tall, with a thick, sturdy chest that looked tough. "Sigh, I'm counting on you. Don't let me down! Wait!" Li Shaolin stared and saw a row of red text above the golem's head: Clay Golem Level 6. "Isn't it supposed to be summoned at level 1? Could it be like pets in World of Warcraft, matching the owner's level? I wonder how strong it is?" Then he felt a faint soul-link—not from the golem, but a familiar sensation from the two Skeleton Warriors!

"Oooh," two Kobolds staggered in. The Clay Golem swung a massive fist, and with a "thud," it slammed into the first one's chest. Two "crack" sounds of breaking bones followed, and the Kobold's eyes went wide as green blood spewed from its mouth before it collapsed limply. The other Kobold's Mining Pick struck the Clay Golem! "Pfft," the sharp tip sank halfway in, but the golem seemed unfazed, swinging its right fist to smash the Kobold's head, sending brains splattering across its body. The golem casually pulled out the pick, and the wound slowly healed as earth flowed back into place.

"So broken!" Li Shaolin was stunned. Two Kobolds taken out in two hits by the Clay Golem. Suddenly, with the golem in hand, he felt invincible, straightening his back and lifting his head—though he didn't dare charge out to slaughter, since he had no idea how many Kobolds were outside. If the golem couldn't hold, his life was over. Just then, sounds of fighting came from outside. "Could Jack and the others have come back for me?" Li Shaolin hurried around to look, only to see green blood splattering as two dusty Skeleton Warriors, their soul-fires blazing brightly in the dark mine like hellish emissaries, swung their green-stained Bone Blades in a flurry of cuts!