Graveyard Area

After a flash of light, Momonga and the others were teleported into a gloomy corridor. Before them lay a typical underground tomb. The areas lit by magical lamps were the only places not shrouded in darkness.

However, this wasn't their first time encountering a dungeon like this, so no one felt nervous. Momonga had a special skill that let him see through darkness, but he didn't spot any companions besides the ones with him.

"Phew, that's a relief. I thought we'd be split up and teleported to different places."

"A-Ken, if it really were as you say, this dungeon would be even harder to clear. A squishy class could be stuck here without waiting for their teammates to come to the rescue. We might as well give up."

"Uh, maybe that lousy development team really would do something like that."

"Yeah, I agree with Bukubukuchagama. Sometimes I really feel like the developers are just plain nasty."

The group continued their banter as they began preparing. There was plenty to do. Take the tank, for instance: Bukubukuchagama needed to activate skills with long durations or use items to apply buffs.

Momonga gazed into the darkness ahead and quietly used the skill "Undead Detection." Uh, the place is crawling with undead. I'd better share the information first.

He immediately cast a spell, and the locations of a large number of undead appeared in everyone's field of vision. Bukubukuchagama stared at the screen full of undead and complained.

"I suspected as much, but this place really is full of undead. Drawing their aggro is going to be a pain."

In the game Yggdrasil, when players first encountered monsters, the monsters would attack whoever they disliked. However, they assigned much higher aggro to players who could deal high damage, had powerful healing abilities, could cast buffs, or use taunt skills.

What's more, every monster in Yggdrasil had an aggro calculation system. Its aggro toward you would decrease when it attacked you, so its aggro shifted constantly throughout a battle.

For a tank to precisely control aggro and protect their teammates behind them was no simple task. On top of that, monsters like golems and undead were completely immune to mind control.

So against these monsters, tanks had to use special skills.

The six of them advanced slowly, with Bukubukuchagama leading the way. Relying on her powerful defensive skills and sturdy armor, she drew the undead's attention. Every block carried tremendous force, knocking back any undead that came close.

Momonga continued casting spells from the rear. Streaks of dark light shot from his hands, striking the undead and dealing area-of-effect damage.

Under the impact of the magic, the undead shattered, then dissolved into wisps of black smoke.

Nishikienrai darted nimbly through the monsters. The dagger in his hand gleamed coldly, and every strike landed precisely on an undead's weak point, delivering a lethal blow.

Yewuzi focused on supporting her teammates, continuously casting various buffs on them and making them even stronger.

Ulbert walked slowly behind the others. As the World Disaster, all his skills consumed enormous amounts of MP, so he could only conserve as much as possible before the boss fight.

As the battle continued, an hour passed.

At last, thanks to the group's combined efforts, the undead were wiped out, and the team successfully cleared the area.

Looking at the door in front of them, Bukubukuchagama asked:

"Which way should we go now?"

"I checked the area carefully. There aren't any hidden doors or anything like that."

"Then we've got no choice but to move forward. I wonder what kind of undead are waiting beyond the door."

Momonga used "Undead Detection" and found only four red dots behind the door. If the undead inside were the same level as the ones outside, there was nothing to worry about.

But they didn't know the enemies' levels. There might even be monsters other than undead. Nishikienrai and Takemikazuchi readied their weapons, while Bukubukuchagama took up her two large shields and moved to the front.

Bukubukuchagama wasn't equipped with a weapon because her slime race had very little physical strength, making it unsuited to close combat. However, the race had naturally high defense. If a slime wanted to deal physical damage, it needed to choose a class like assassin.

Bukubukuchagama just wanted to give it a try, and she wasn't using any special defensive skills. Momonga said:

"Then, as we agreed beforehand, Bukubukuchagama will be in charge."

"Got it!"

Momonga was currently filling a different role and needed to keep an eye on his companions at all times. He wouldn't be able to lead the others properly during the rest of the dungeon, so they could only hand command over to Bukubukuchagama, their tank.

"Let's stick to our usual formation. Nishikienrai, are there any traps here?"

"Definitely not."

"Okay, I'm going in. Momonga and Yewuzi, please buff everyone."

As the two of them cast various buffs one after another, Ulbert said enviously from nearby:

"I'm jealous that you can learn so many spells, Momonga. The number of spells you can learn really is the key to a magic class."

"Is it? I think firepower is what matters most for a magic class. I'm jealous of how much firepower you have, Ulbert."

"Physical attacks can deal as much damage as I do. I think the real strength of a magic class lies in its versatility."

"Not necessarily. Until your MP runs out, the damage a magic class can deal is on a whole different level from physical attacks."

"All right, everyone's buffed."

"Okay, I'm opening the door."

Everyone nodded. Bukubukuchagama dragged her sluggish, sticky body over to the door and opened it, then immediately retreated. The instant it opened, four undead charged out like an avalanche, but there were no other monsters behind them.

The undead had decaying, deadwood-like skin covered in lividity, and wore tattered clothes. Their hands had also become strange, sharp, spike-like appendages.

The undead's names appeared in Momonga's field of vision. Judging by their names, they were lower-level than the group. A moment later, their levels appeared too.

"They're only level eighty-three."

"Hey, if that's all they are, there's no need to trouble the rest of you."

"Okay, then A-Ken and I will handle them."

Takemikazuchi and Nishikienrai exchanged smiles and charged forward.

Takemikazuchi swung his long sword, the blade cutting through the air with a fierce whistle as he brought it down on one of the undead.

The undead tried to block with its sharp hands, but the force of the sword cleaved its arms off and split its body in two.

Nishikienrai moved like a ghost, weaving between the undead.

His dagger was like a venomous snake's fangs. Each thrust struck an undead's weak point with pinpoint precision. One undead tried to pounce on him, but he easily sidestepped it. Then he swept his dagger across its throat, and it collapsed to the ground.

The two remaining undead launched a frenzied attack, trying to make one last stand.

But Takemikazuchi and Nishikienrai worked together seamlessly. Takemikazuchi used his long sword to block the undead's attacks, while Nishikienrai seized the opportunity to strike from the side.

It wasn't long before all four undead lay on the ground, dissolving into pools of foul-smelling blood.

Takemikazuchi snorted in disdain.

"That's it? That was way too easy."

Nishikienrai smiled and put away his dagger.

"Indeed. They were no match for us."

The group watched the two of them win with ease, their faces relaxing into smiles. Bukubukuchagama said:

"Let's keep moving and see what's ahead."

Everyone nodded and crossed the threshold, pressing on into the unknown.