Alex opened his World Map, his finger hovering over the entrance to the fifth floor of the Dark Dungeon. "I'm going to teleport us there."
"Wait, are you sure about this?" Alice asked, looking slightly nervous. "What if it's really dangerous?"
"It will be, but we'll manage. I'll make sure you're safe," Alex reassured her, and with a deep breath, he confirmed the teleportation.
In an instant, they were standing at the entrance of the fifth floor of the Dark Dungeon, a foreboding atmosphere hanging in the air.
The reason why he didn't immediately teleport to the tenth is because he knew Alice would get scared and overwhelmed, meaning he needed to get her levels up little by little to ensure she was strong enough.
"Alright, let's go," he said, urging Alice forward. "Just stick close to me, and be careful."
"Got it," Alice replied, her expression a mix of determination and anxiety.
The dungeon loomed ahead, dark and mysterious, with an eerie glow illuminating the narrow passageways.
Alex could feel the pulse of danger throbbing within the walls, but he was ready.
He glanced at Alice, who was gripping her Bow of the Ice Queen tightly.
It didn't take long for them to meet the first batch of monsters: dozens of [Dungeons Goblins] appeared, all at level 50.
Usually, his skeletons would take care of them, but this time he decided to do it himself.
He dashed toward the first one and without hesitating swung his [Whispers of Shadows] dagger.
"Shadow Strike!"
30,297! (4619 + 1500 + 6000 = 12119 x 2.5 = 30297)
Instantly, three of the goblins were killed as the swing left a trail of shadows.
"W-WOW?!" Alice was astonished!
He had dealt over 30,000 damage!
How do you do so much damage?" Alice asked, her eyes wide.
"Heh, just luck I guess," Alex shrugged, trying to remain humble despite his obvious skill.
The Dungeon Goblins only had 15,000 HP, so it was clear overkill.
"Star Shot!" Alice tried her luck too.
-1384!
She dealt damage, but being at level 26 meant that the goblins were twice her level.
"Don't worry; you'll get stronger as we go!" Alex encouraged, moving forward.
They continued to clear the rooms, Alex easily dispatching goblins while Alice took potshots with her bow.
As they progressed through the floor, they faced more waves of enemies.
Each encounter helped Alice gain experience, slowly building her confidence and skill.
And eventually, they reached the stairway leading down to the fifth floor.
Alex glanced at Alice, excitement mixing with caution in his eyes. "This floor is going to be different. We'll face the Goblin Warlord at the end. Are you ready?"
She nodded, her grip tightening around her Bow of the Ice Queen. "Let's do this."
The floor was dimly lit, and the ground was littered with the remnants of past battles.
As they moved cautiously, the sound of rustling echoed from the shadows.
Suddenly, the Goblin Warlord appeared, towering over them, dressed in battle-worn armor and flanked by several elite goblin warriors.
Its menacing aura was palpable.
[Goblin Warlord NB+]
[Level: 60]
[Tier 3 Elite Boss]
[HP: 150,000]
[Skills: War Cry, Goblin Charge, Rampaging Fury]
[Skills: Rock Smash, Smaller Golems Summoning, Earthen Fortify]
The battle began as the golem summoned ten [Smaller Golems] again, each one with 100,000 HP.
"Alright, let's see how easy this is gonna be now," Alex smiled, his staff in one hand and his new dagger in the other, his undead army marching forward.
Explosive Fireball!
A ball of fire began to gather at the tip of his staff, but suddenly, it stopped.
"Huh?"
[You have run out of mana!]
[MP: 734/62,270]
"Damn."
Alex immediately grabbed one of his [High-Quality Mana Potions] from his backpack and drank it while his undead stalled for time.
Ding!
[+20,000 MP]
"Explosive Fireball!" He tried again, and this time, the fireball launched, hitting the golem.
-13,027!
His damage was impressive!
"M-My turn," Alice, hiding behind him, tried to do the same with her bow.
Star Shot!
-121!
"Damn..."
But she did almost no damage.
Alex rushed in with his [Whispers of Shadows], closing the distance and taking care of the golem by repeatedly slashing at it using [Rending Slash] to deal 13,893 damage per attack.
His strength had reached this high, even with its high physical resistance!
In less than one minute, the golem fell, crumbling to the ground.
"Alright," he smiled, extracting a second [Dungeon Golem Core].
Ding!
[You have defeated 'Dungeon Golem lv100', gained 10,500 experience points!]
[You have defeated x10 'Smaller Golems lv100', gained 8,400 experience points!]
This allowed him to level up once more, to level 55.
Alice, on the other hand, got surrounded by golden light three times, meaning three level-ups!
In a few hours, she had gone from being a level 26 Tier 1 player to now being a level 46 Tier 2 player!
And she could only thank Alex for that!
After their hard-fought victories, Alex headed toward the door that opened the [Spider Nest] section of the [Dark Dungeon].
He had really easily gone through all these floors, even monsters at level 100 not being a problem for him and his army of undead.
But it didn't mean the [Spider Nest] wouldn't be difficult to go through.
If he wanted to complete the [SS-Level Hidden Quest] he got out of nowhere and save the [Beast Clan Princess] at the 20th floor, he would need to prepare.
From beyond this door, every single monster would be a tier 4 powerhouse.
But with renewed determination, Alex pushed forward.
[Do you want to use Spider Nest Key?]
"Yes."