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[Prompt! You have killed Ghoul! Exp gain 35,500]
[Prompt! You obtained Rotten Flesh!]
[Prompt! You obtained Rotten Claw!]
[Prompt! You obtained 20,000 copper coins!]
Ignoring the series of prompts, Gabriel remarked, "That was fast!"
"It could have been even quicker if [Light Hurricane] had zero cooldown," he mused aloud.
Without hesitation, Gabriel reached into his backpack and retrieved a small vial filled with glowing blue liquid—a mana potion. He drank it in one swift gulp, feeling the cool liquid slide down his throat and settle in his stomach. As the potion began to restore his mana, he scanned his surroundings, his sharp eyes vigilant for any potential threats.
Once his mana was fully replenished, Gabriel set off in a random direction, his footsteps carrying him toward the unknown. He walked for what felt like hours, his senses heightened, listening intently for any sounds that might indicate danger. Suddenly, he heard a low growl. Before he could react, two Ghouls leapt out from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malevolent intent.
Gabriel responded instantly, drawing his staff and engaging the Ghouls in battle. His magic sliced through the air with deadly precision, each strike hitting its mark. Moments later, the Ghouls lay dead at his feet, their bodies disintegrating into dust.
Continuing on his journey, Gabriel encountered more enemies—Fallen Knights, their armor clanking ominously as they approached. Once again, he fought with unparalleled skill, his mastery of magic and combat awareness unmatched. When the battle ended, Gabriel checked his experience bar, his heart lifting with satisfaction as he saw it had risen to 370,821.
"A little bit more," Gabriel murmured, noting that he needed just 12,200 more experience points to level up. He was confident that he would achieve his goal soon.
After the intense battle against the Fallen Knights, Gabriel glanced at his watch to ensure he was still within his self-imposed time limit. "An hour and a half," he muttered, watching the seconds tick by.
With renewed energy, he rushed forward, leaving the Valley of the Fallen behind and entering the eerie, ominous Corpses Valley. This time, he decided to stay for the remainder of his time limit.
As he surveyed his surroundings, Gabriel was met with an endless sea of tombs. The graveyard was eerily silent, save for the sound of his footsteps echoing through the still air.
As he ventured deeper into one of the areas, an unsettling vibration filled the air.
Suddenly, all the tombs around him began to shake violently, the covers cracking open as skeletal arms started to claw their way to the surface. Heads popped out of the graves, and legs kicked frantically as if trying to escape the earth's grasp.
Gabriel stood stunned, struggling to make sense of the chaos unfolding before him. It was as if he were witnessing an apocalypse in real-time.
As he checked the status of the undead rising before him, Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. Initially, he had feared that a sea of Ghouls was emerging from the tombs, but he quickly realized these were an inferior version—Zombies. While they bore a resemblance to Ghouls, their flesh was less decayed and their presence less menacing.
In Gabriel's world, zombies were depicted as terrifying creatures—reanimated corpses devoid of any humanity, driven only by the instinct to feed on the living. Here, however, the history of the undead was different. According to the lore, these zombies were once ordinary citizens, transformed into mindless monsters by the Corpse King when a city of 100 million people was sucked into this mysterious realm. Using the abundance of undead energy, the Corpse King had turned these unfortunate souls into zombies.
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[Name: Zombies]
[Health Points: 150,000/150,000]
[Mana: 3,500/3,500]
[Physical Attack: 10,200–11,750]
[Defense: 1,500]
[Rank: Bronze Stage ★★★★★]
[Skills: Corpse Devour, Infectious Bite, Rotten Claw, Corpse Call]
[Description: These creatures were once citizens of the Azeal Empire. Due to the Corpse King's dark magic, they were transformed into zombies—a failed experiment that led to the creation of Ghouls. Unlike Ghouls, zombies tend to attack in massive groups, dismembering their opponents with sheer numbers.]
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Just as Gabriel was about to unleash his magic, one of the zombies—seemingly the leader—began using its skill, [Corpse Call].
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[Corpse Call: With a bone-chilling roar, the creature summons nearby zombies to join it in battle. The call is so powerful that it can be heard from far away, instantly drawing the attention of any undead within earshot. Those who respond to the call are imbued with an otherworldly power, enhancing their attacks by an additional 10%.]
Mana Cost: 500
Cooldown: 20 Seconds
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The zombie's eyes glowed red as it let out a piercing screech, causing the other zombies to become frenzied, surging toward Gabriel with newfound speed.
As they heard the call, the zombies seemed to be infused with an unidentifiable energy. What had been a sluggish, slow-moving horde suddenly became a frenzied mob, charging at Gabriel with terrifying speed. The transformation was astonishing, and it was clear that something powerful was at work.
Despite the chaotic scene, Gabriel remained calm and focused. His eyes gleamed with fierce determination as he prepared for what was to come. He activated all his available buffs, calling upon [Goddess Blessing], [Tail Wind], and [Blessing of the Ocean] to boost his MATK, speed, agility, and other vital stats.
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[Shield] Experience Effect: Block damage up to 5.7 times the HP of the caster!
[AttackUp] Experience Effect: MATK increased!**
[Immunity] Experience Effect: Immune to negative status effects!
[SpeedUp] Experience Effect: Speed increased by 30%!
[ArmorUp] Experience Effect: Defense increased by 30%!
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Gabriel moved with extraordinary grace and agility, skillfully dodging every attack from the ravenous horde of zombies. He evaded their clawing hands, snapping jaws, and charging bodies with ease, using his heightened speed and reflexes to stay one step ahead of their relentless onslaught.
As he waited for the [Corpse Call] effect to wear off, Gabriel readied himself for his counterattack. He knew that once the zombies were gathered together, he could unleash his powerful [Curse Totem (☯️)] and deal devastating damage to the entire horde.
Despite his incredible skills, the sheer number of zombies began to take its toll on Gabriel. The overwhelming force of the horde started to strain his abilities, and he could no longer move with the same fluid grace as before.
Recognizing the growing challenge, Gabriel quickly assessed the situation and decided to use his unique abilities—[Demon Curse (☯️)] and [Darkness Grip (☯️)]—to turn the tide. With skillful precision, he unleashed a series of debuffs on all the zombies around him, weakening them and slowing their movements. The cursed aura emanating from Gabriel was so potent that even the undead felt its effects. He retained the [Shield] buff for himself.
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[AttackDown] Experience Effect: PATK decreased!
[Silent] Experience Effect: Enemies cannot use skills!
[SpeedDown] Experience Effect: Speed decreased by 30%!
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Next, Gabriel summoned his [Curse Totem (☯️)] with a loud explosion that reverberated through the battlefield. As he watched, a sea of floating numbers—28,339 in all—indicated the massive AOE damage he had inflicted on the zombies.
The explosion sent the zombies standing at the epicenter flying into the air like ragdolls. Gabriel took a deep breath, relieved to have a brief moment of respite. He stood his ground, his eyes fixed on the remaining undead creatures. He knew he needed to wait for the totem's damage-over-time (DoT) effect to finish off the rest of the horde.
It didn't take long for the magical totem to do its work. Within seconds, a spectral wave of energy surged from the totem, dealing 31,031 damage to each zombie. Their health drained rapidly until they all collapsed, lifeless and defeated. Gabriel watched with grim satisfaction as the last of the zombies fell to the ground, their bodies reduced to nothing more than rotting corpses.
As he surveyed the once-crowded battlefield, a sense of relief washed over him. Just minutes ago, the area had been swarming with undead, their decayed bodies and soulless eyes adding to the already oppressive atmosphere. Now, thanks to his relentless efforts, the area was finally cleared. The air, still thick with a lingering grey aura, felt significantly lighter. The eerie silence that followed was oddly comforting, as if the absence of the undead had lifted a heavy burden from the place.
As Gabriel took a moment to catch his breath, a series of notifications sounded, and his body was suddenly enveloped in a golden light, signifying that he had leveled up.