The first wave of zombies stumbled toward William with jerky, unnatural movements. Their health bars glowed a sickly green above their rotting heads.
[Zombie Shopper - Level 12]
[HP: 800/800]
Eight hundred HP. With his current attack power, William estimated three to four hits per zombie. Against fifteen of them, this would normally be suicide for a solo player.
But William wasn't a normal player.
He activated Quick Strike and lunged forward, his sword a silver blur. The blade cleaved through the first zombie's neck, nearly decapitating it.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[QUICK STRIKE ACTIVATED!]
[DAMAGE: 156]
[ZOMBIE SHOPPER HP: 644/800]
The zombie kept coming. That was the problem with undead, they didn't feel pain or get staggered by normal attacks. You had to destroy them completely.
William flowed into his next attack, using Dodge Roll to slip between two grasping zombies. His enhanced Agility made him untouchable. He spun and activated Power Slash, his blade glowing with crimson energy.
[POWER SLASH ACTIVATED!]
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 273]
[ZOMBIE SHOPPER HP: 371/800]
Another slash finished it off.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: ZOMBIE SHOPPER - LEVEL 12]
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: ROTTED FLESH ×10,000]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: TATTERED CLOTH ×10,000]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: BRONZE COINS ×500,000]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: UNCOMMON ITEM - BOOTS OF SWIFT MOVEMENT]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,200,000 (120 × 10,000)]
The experience flooded into him, but no level up yet. The experience curve was getting steeper, but that was fine. William knew from the game that Level 16 to 17 required 3,000,000 experience.
The remaining zombies closed in, forming a shambling circle around him. William grinned. Perfect positioning.
He charged through the gap between two zombies, his sword flashing. Slash. Dodge. Roll. Strike. His movements were a deadly dance, each action flowing seamlessly into the next. Years of playing Infinite Descent had burned these patterns into his muscle memory.
The game had become reality, but the combat mechanics remained the same. Attack patterns. Dodge windows. Critical hit zones. William exploited them all.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: ZOMBIE SHOPPER - LEVEL 12]
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,200,000]
[LEVEL UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 17!]
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: ZOMBIE SHOPPER - LEVEL 12]
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: RARE ITEM - AMULET OF MINOR REGENERATION]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,200,000]
The notifications kept rolling in as William carved through the horde. His inventory was filling up with crafting materials, coins, and equipment. Most of it was trash tier or common, but occasionally his 100% drop rate yielded something valuable.
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: EPIC ITEM - GAUNTLETS OF CRUSHING STRENGTH]
[EFFECT: +15 Strength, +10% Critical Hit Chance]
William immediately equipped them, feeling the power surge through his arms. His Strength jumped from 44 to 59.
Five minutes later, the last zombie fell.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: ZOMBIE SHOPPER - LEVEL 12]
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,200,000]
[LEVEL UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 18!]
William stood among the dissolving corpses, barely winded. His HP was still at 420/420, he hadn't taken a single hit. The zombies had been too slow and predictable.
He allocated his new stat points immediately. Ten into Strength, five into Agility, five into Intelligence. He had been neglecting Intelligence, but MP was becoming a limiting factor. His skills cost significant mana, and running out mid-fight could be fatal.
[STRENGTH: 59 → 69]
[AGILITY: 45 → 50]
[INTELLIGENCE: 12 → 17]
[MP: 200/200 → 240/240]
A roar echoed through the mall's twisted corridors. The Corrupted Security Guards had noticed him.
Eight of them emerged from the darkness, moving faster and more coordinated than the zombies. They wore the tattered remains of security uniforms, but their skin had turned grey and their eyes glowed with malevolent red light. Each one carried a weapon, batons that crackled with dark energy.
[Corrupted Security Guard - Level 13]
[HP: 1,100/1,100]
These would be tougher. Higher HP, better AI, ranged attacks. In the game, Corrupted Security Guards could stun players with their batons and call for reinforcements.
The first guard raised its baton and fired a bolt of dark energy. William activated Dodge Roll, the projectile sizzling past where he had been standing. The bolt hit a pillar behind him, leaving a smoking crater.
That was fast. And deadly accurate.
William charged forward instead of back. In Infinite Descent, ranged enemies were vulnerable up close. Their attack patterns prioritized distance, making them predictable in melee range.
He reached the first guard in three seconds. Power Slash.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[POWER SLASH ACTIVATED!]
[DAMAGE: 312]
[CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD HP: 788/1,100]
The guard swung its baton in a wide arc. William ducked under it and drove his sword up through the creature's ribcage.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 89]
[CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD HP: 699/1,100]
Two more slashes and it fell.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD - LEVEL 13]
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: CORRUPTED BATON ×10,000]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: SECURITY BADGE ×10,000]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: BRONZE COINS ×800,000]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: RARE ITEM - CLOAK OF SHADOWS]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: SKILL BOOK - SHADOW STEP (EPIC)]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,500,000]
William's eyes widened at the skill book drop. Shadow Step was an Epic-tier movement skill, one of the best mobility options in the early game. He quickly absorbed it while dodging another energy bolt.
[YOU HAVE LEARNED: SHADOW STEP]
[RANK: EPIC]
[COST: 40 MP]
[EFFECT: Instantly teleport up to 15 meters to any visible location. Grants 2 seconds of invisibility.]
[COOLDOWN: 20 seconds]
Perfect. Now he had a true escape option.
The remaining seven guards surrounded him, coordinating their attacks. Energy bolts came from three directions simultaneously. William activated Shadow Step.
The world blurred. One moment he was in the center of the kill zone, the next he was behind the guards, completely invisible. They spun around in confusion, searching for him.
William didn't waste the opportunity. He activated Quick Strike and drove his blade through the nearest guard's spine.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[BACKSTAB BONUS: +100% DAMAGE]
[QUICK STRIKE ACTIVATED!]
[DAMAGE: 624]
[CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD HP: 476/1,100]
The invisibility broke, but William had already began moving. Dodge Roll. Power Slash. Another guard fell.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD - LEVEL 13]
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: LEGENDARY ITEM - RING OF ARCANE POWER]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,500,000]
The fight became a blur of violence. William's enhanced stats and skill synergy made him nearly unstoppable. Every time the guards thought they had him cornered, Shadow Step let him escape. Every time they tried to create distance, his high Agility closed the gap.
One by one, they fell.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD - LEVEL 13]
[LEVEL UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 19!]
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD - LEVEL 13]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED: EPIC ITEM - CRIMSON BLADE]
[DAMAGE: 65-82]
[EFFECT: Attacks have 15% chance to cause bleeding (50 damage over 5 seconds)]
William immediately equipped the Crimson Blade and the Ring of Arcane Power. His MP jumped to 290, and his damage output increased significantly.
The last two guards tried to flee, but William was faster. Shadow Step put him in their path. Power Slash cleaved through both of them in one devastating arc.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN: CORRUPTED SECURITY GUARD - LEVEL 13] x2
[10,000× BONUS REWARDS ACTIVATED!]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 3,000,000]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 21!]
Silence fell over the dungeon. William stood alone in the corrupted mall, surrounded by dissolving corpses and piles of loot that had materialized from his 10,000× multiplier.
He checked his status, unable to suppress a grin.
[WILLIAM CROSS]
[LEVEL: 21]
[HP: 540/540]
[MP: 290/290]
[STRENGTH: 84 (+15 from Gauntlets)]
[AGILITY: 65 (+8 from Ring, +10 from Boots)]
[VITALITY: 33]
[INTELLIGENCE: 22 (+15 from Ring)]
[UNSPENT STAT POINTS: 15]
[EQUIPMENT]
[WEAPON: CRIMSON BLADE (EPIC)]
[HEAD: NONE]
[CHEST: NONE]
[HANDS: GAUNTLETS OF CRUSHING STRENGTH (EPIC)]
[LEGS: NONE]
[FEET: BOOTS OF SWIFT MOVEMENT (UNCOMMON)]
[ACCESSORIES: RING OF SWIFT STRIKES (RARE), RING OF ARCANE POWER (LEGENDARY), AMULET OF MINOR REGENERATION (RARE)]
[SKILLS]
[QUICK STRIKE (UNCOMMON)]
[DODGE ROLL (COMMON)]
[POWER SLASH (RARE)]
[SHADOW STEP (EPIC)]
[BRONZE COINS: 4,800,000]
Level 21. In less than an hour since the merge, he had gone from Level 1 to 21. Most players would be lucky to hit Level 5 in that time. And he still had the dungeon boss to kill.
A deep, resonant growl echoed through the mall. The temperature dropped noticeably. William's breath misted in the air.
The boss had awakened.
From the darkness at the far end of the mall, something massive moved. Red eyes glowed like burning coals. Heavy footsteps shook the ground with each step.
Then it emerged into the light.
The Mall Walker was a nightmare made flesh. It stood twelve feet tall, its body a grotesque fusion of human and monster. Pale, bloated flesh stretched over an impossibly large frame. Its arms dragged along the ground, tipped with claws the size of machetes. And its face... what remained of it bore the twisted remnants of human features, frozen in an expression of eternal agony.
[THE MALL WALKER - LEVEL 20]
[DUNGEON BOSS]
[HP: 15,000/15,000]
[ELITE MONSTER]
Fifteen thousand HP. More than ten times what the security guards had. And as an Elite monster, it would have special abilities, higher resistances, and could potentially one-shot William if he made a mistake.
This would be his first real test.
The Mall Walker's eyes locked onto William. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of broken teeth, and it released a roar that shook the entire building.
[THE MALL WALKER HAS DETECTED YOU]
[BOSS FIGHT INITIATED]
[YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE DUNGEON UNTIL THE BOSS IS DEFEATED OR YOU DIE]
A barrier of purple energy sealed the exits. William was locked in.
He allocated his stat points, ten into Strength, five into Agility, and drew his Crimson Blade.
The Mall Walker charged, impossibly fast for something so large. Its massive claws carved through concrete as it closed the distance.
William activated Shadow Step, teleporting fifteen meters to the side. The boss's attack missed, pulverizing the spot where he'd been standing. The impact created a small crater.
[THE MALL WALKER USED: CRUSHING BLOW]
[DAMAGE: 0 (MISSED)]
William circled around the boss's flank and activated Power Slash, aiming for its exposed leg.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[POWER SLASH ACTIVATED!]
[DAMAGE: 418]
[THE MALL WALKER HP: 14,582/15,000]
The boss barely flinched. Four hundred damage was significant, but against fifteen thousand HP, it was a bucket in the ocean. This would be a war of attrition.
The Mall Walker spun with shocking agility and backhanded William. He tried to dodge, but the attack was too fast.
[YOU HAVE BEEN HIT]
[DAMAGE: 180]
[HP: 360/540]
William flew backward, crashing into a pillar. Pain exploded through his ribs. The Amulet of Minor Regeneration activated, slowly restoring his HP, but that single hit had taken a third of his health.
He couldn't afford to get hit again.
The boss charged again. William rolled to the side and slashed at its leg as it passed.
[HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 112]
[BLEEDING APPLIED: 50 DAMAGE PER SECOND FOR 5 SECONDS]
The Crimson Blade's bleeding effect activated. It wasn't much, but every bit helped.
For the next five minutes, William danced around the Mall Walker, chipping away at its health. He used Shadow Step to avoid its devastating attacks, Quick Strike to maximize damage during openings, and Power Slash whenever it came off cooldown.
The boss had three main attack patterns: Crushing Blow (a powerful overhead smash), Sweeping Claws (a wide horizontal attack), and Charge (a bull rush that could pin him against a wall). William had fought similar bosses hundreds of times in the game. He knew the patterns and the timing.
But knowing and executing were different things. This wasn't a mobile game where lag could be forgiven. Here, a single mistake meant death.
[THE MALL WALKER HP: 10,234/15,000]
Halfway there. William's MP was at 110/290. He'd been burning through it with his skills. His HP had been hit twice more, dropping to 280/540, but the regeneration amulet was keeping him alive.
The Mall Walker suddenly stopped moving. Its body began to glow with sickly green light.
[WARNING: THE MALL WALKER IS ENRAGED]
[ALL STATS INCREASED BY 50%]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: NECROTIC BURST]
"Shit," William muttered.
The boss's speed and damage had just jumped significantly. This was the phase two mechanic, all Elite bosses had one.
The Mall Walker raised both arms and slammed them into the ground. Green energy exploded outward in a wave.
[NECROTIC BURST]
William activated Shadow Step, teleporting behind a pillar. The wave of energy passed by, missing him by inches. Where it touched, concrete dissolved into black sludge.
That would have killed him instantly.
The boss was faster now, more aggressive. Its attacks came in rapid succession, giving William barely any time to counter. He focused purely on defense, using Dodge Roll and Shadow Step on cooldown to stay alive.
His MP dropped to 30. Not enough for another Shadow Step.
The Mall Walker's claw caught him in the shoulder.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 340]
[HP: -60/540]
William's vision went red. A notification appeared.
[YOU HAVE DIED]