The graveyard behind them slowly faded into darkness as Marcus and his group descended the cracked stone staircase.
Each step echoed through the dungeon like distant thunder.
The air grew colder.
Heavier.
Marcus rolled his shoulders as they walked.
The fight on the first floor had been rough.
Forty undead soldiers that fought with real battlefield coordination.
Not mindless monsters.
Trained units.
He had learned quickly that if they made a mistake, someone could easily die.
But now they had something new.
Marcus glanced at the stack of cards in his hand.
Skeleton warriors.
Skeleton archers.
Skeleton mages.
Skeleton priests.
Dozens of them.
His 100% drop rate was starting to feel borderline ridiculous.
Lyrielle walked beside him quietly.
"My lord, should we continue immediately?"
Marcus shook his head.
"Nah."
"We're resting first."
The wolves sat down immediately.
The arachne leaned against the cavern walls.
Marcus pulled out some food from his inventory and tossed pieces toward the group.
The smell of roasted meat quickly filled the narrow staircase chamber.
Even undead battles burned energy.
Thirty minutes passed quietly.
The dungeon remained eerily silent.
Finally Marcus stood.
"Alright."
He stretched.
"Round two."
They stepped off the final stair.
The Second Floor
The environment changed immediately.
Marcus blinked.
"Well… that's different."
The cemetery was gone.
Instead they stood inside a massive underground cavern.
Jagged rock walls surrounded them.
Stalactites hung from the ceiling like stone daggers.
Faint blue flames burned inside iron braziers placed along rough stone paths.
The dungeon floor was uneven and cracked.
Shadows danced across the cavern as the ghostly fire flickered.
Marcus glanced around slowly.
"Feels more like a cave system."
Lyrielle nodded.
"It may favor ambushes."
The system window appeared again.
Dungeon Floor 2
Enemy Type: Undead Legion
Enemies Remaining: 40
Enemy Formation:
• Skeleton Warrior ×1
• Skeleton Knight ×1
• Skeleton Archer ×1
• Skeleton Mage ×1
• Skeleton Priest ×1
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh."
Lyrielle studied the information.
"The formation changed."
Marcus nodded.
"Yeah."
He pointed forward.
Across the cavern floor several patrol groups moved between rock formations.
Just like the first floor.
Five undead per group.
But there was one key difference.
The Skeleton Knight.
Marcus focused on one of them.
The knight skeleton was much larger than the warriors.
Heavy black armor covered its bones.
A massive rusted greatsword dragged behind it.
Each step echoed loudly.
Marcus scratched his chin.
"That thing looks annoying."
Lyrielle nodded.
"Likely the frontline anchor."
Marcus thought for a moment.
Then he snapped his fingers.
"Oh."
Lyrielle tilted her head.
"My lord?"
Marcus pulled several cards from his inventory.
"Time for an upgrade."
He held up four identical cards.
Unit Card – Skeleton Priest
Rank: C
Marcus grinned.
"Let's see if this works."
He activated them.
Four glowing circles appeared on the cavern floor.
Bones assembled themselves in seconds.
Four skeleton priests rose from the ground.
Their empty eye sockets glowed faintly blue.
Each carried a crooked staff.
Marcus smiled widely.
"Congratulations."
"You guys are our new healers."
Lyrielle blinked.
"My lord… you are deploying them already?"
Marcus shrugged.
"Why not?"
He gestured toward the wolves.
"They took the most damage upstairs."
Then he turned to the skeleton priests.
"Follow them."
The priests silently moved toward the wolf demi-humans.
Their staffs began glowing faintly.
Golden healing light spread across the wolves.
The wounds from earlier battles began closing.
Marcus watched with interest.
"Oh yeah."
"This is nice."
Lyrielle smiled slightly.
"A healer greatly increases battlefield endurance."
Marcus nodded.
"Yeah."
Then he cracked his knuckles.
"Alright."
"Let's test this new formation."
The Second Floor Battle
The first group spotted them quickly.
The skeleton knight stepped forward.
CLANG.
Its massive sword slammed into the ground.
The rest of the undead formed up behind it.
Marcus grinned.
"Okay big guy."
"Wolves take the knight."
The wolf alpha charged immediately.
Steel collided with steel.
The skeleton knight swung its massive blade in a brutal arc.
The wolf barely dodged.
The ground cracked where the blade struck.
Marcus winced.
"Yeah that thing hurts."
Behind the knight, the skeleton mage began chanting.
The skeleton priest raised its staff.
But Lyrielle was already moving.
Two arrows flew in quick succession.
THUNK.
The enemy priest collapsed instantly.
The skeleton mage tried to cast.
One of the arachne dropped from the cavern ceiling.
Her spear punched through its skull.
Meanwhile the wolf alpha and the skeleton knight were locked in a brutal duel.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
The knight swung again.
The wolf warrior took a glancing hit across the shoulder.
Bone and armor scraped loudly.
But then—
Golden light flowed from behind him.
One of Marcus's skeleton priests raised its staff.
The wound closed instantly.
Marcus blinked.
"Oh that's really useful."
The wolf alpha grinned.
He lunged forward.
His blade stabbed through the knight's rib cage.
The skeleton knight collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Marcus clapped once.
"Nice!"
The remaining skeletons fell seconds later.
Then—
Light burst from their bodies.
Cards dropped everywhere.
Marcus walked forward and started collecting them.
Skeleton Warrior Card.
Skeleton Knight Card.
Skeleton Archer Card.
Skeleton Mage Card.
Skeleton Priest Card.
But there was something new.
Marcus picked up another glowing card.
His eyes widened slightly.
Skill Card – Bone Shield
Rank: C
Class: Priest
Marcus blinked.
"Oh?"
He picked up another.
Skill Card – Fire Bolt
Rank: C
Class: Mage
Another card.
Skill Card – Power Slash
Rank: C
Class: Knight
Marcus started laughing.
"Okay."
"Now we're talking."
Lyrielle tilted her head.
"My lord?"
Marcus held up the cards.
"They're dropping skills now too."
Lyrielle's violet eyes widened slightly.
"That is extremely rare."
Marcus grinned.
"Not with my luck."
Then he looked across the cavern.
Seven more patrol groups remained.
Thirty-five undead.
Marcus rolled his shoulders.
His skeleton priests were already healing minor injuries.
The wolves looked stronger than before.
The arachne moved easily through the cavern shadows.
Marcus smiled.
"Let's farm this place."
And the hunt across the second floor of the dungeon began.