The Valley of Death's terrain was much more complicated than Lux had originally expected. It had marshlands, forests, and uneven terrains, which made it difficult to navigate.
Since they already had an idea about what they were going to face, the three factions that were led by Lux, Einar, and Vall scoured the surrounding areas to check its every nook and cranny.
Several hours later, they met at the make-shift camp they had set up and told each other their findings.
"Just as we expected, there are no animals or any other forms of life aside from the flora in the surroundings," Einar said as he used a branch to draw on the ground. "In the Northeast, there is a marshland. Some of the areas are relatively deep, but at most, it would only reach up to our chests."
Vall, who also held a branch in his hand, drew something on the Southwest corner of the map.
"I traveled to the outskirts of the Valley of Death to check if I would incite any reactions from the Undead," Vall stated. "However, the Skeleton Army didn't make a move to intercept me, and simply stayed where they were. Thanks to that, I was able to travel to the other side and see what lay beyond that point."
"Unfortunately, just as Einar said earlier, I only saw a forest, a marshland, and uneven terrain. I didn't see any living creatures. Even the buzzing of insects was non-existent."
Lux sighed in his heart. Since there was nothing that could be found along the outskirts of the Dungeon, it meant that they had no choice but to head towards the center, which was protected by hordes of Undead whose weakest Monster was Rank 4.
Einar and Vall both had frowns on their faces. They just couldn't think of a way to deal with the vast hordes of Undead to get to the center of the Valley of Death, where they believed the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant was hiding.
"So, what's the plan?" Einar asked.
"Should you even be asking that?" Vall snorted. "Since there is no other way but to go forward, we will have no choice but to go forward."
Lux, who was still staring at the map drawn on the ground, remained calm, which surprised the two teenagers who were with him.
"Actually, this isn't as bad as you think it is," Lux said after a few minutes of silence. "Although it will take us a long time to achieve it, I believe that we will be able to overcome the Hordes of Monsters. However, in order for that to happen, I will need both of your full cooperation."
Einar arched an eyebrow as he gazed at the Half-Elf, who seemed to have formulated a plan in his head.
"You have my attention," Vall commented. "As for my cooperation, let me hear you out first."
Einar nodded his head in agreement. Although he didn't mind charging into a horde of Undead to directly smash them to pieces, he needed to know if his effort would pay off in the end.
"Trust me," Lux said. "Even if it takes a day, or two, as long as we reach a certain milestone, even if we faced the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant, I have the confidence to kill it."
Einar and Vall glanced at Lux. The Half-Elf's words sounded quite confident that they were persuaded to feel like he might be able to make it a reality.
The appearance of Asmodeus, who had managed to tame a Rank 5 Field Monster, made everyone view the red-headed teenager in a new light.
Since they had already come this far, they decided that they would first see if Lux could back up his words. Naturally, the Half-Elf knew what Einar and Vall were thinking.
He decided not to say anything and let his actions do the talking for him.
"Okay, now, let us start our strategy meeting for clearing this dungeon floor," Lux said with a serious expression on his face.
A few hours later.
The Valley of Death trembled as countless Undead rose up from their slumber and attacked Orion, as well as four Rock Golems that were supporting it.
The Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King had also joined the fray, decimating any Undead that was withing its Obsidian Sword's range.
Diablo, Ishtar, Asmodeus, the Skeleton Fighters, and Skeleton Grand Archers fought with everything they had, which contrasted against Lux, who was cooking stew on the cliff, as he overlooked the battle.
The Barbarians led by Einar, and the warriors led by Vall, also joined the battle.
Cai and Keane led the members of the Rowan Tribe to join the fight.
Their strategy was like this: the Rock Golems would lure the Monsters to the outskirts of the battlefield, where they would be gangbanged by everyone. Lux's role was to stay at the highest vantage point of the battlefield, so he could immediately warn everyone if the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant appeared.
Lux didn't divulge the secret of Diablo's skills to anyone. He had tested it out earlier, and he was pleased to learn that, when the Rank 4 Skeletons died, the passive skill in Diablo's armor activated and increased his attack and defense by five.
The Half-Elf planned a long and gruesome battle, allowing Diablo's attack to reach a level where even a Pseudo-Deimos Ranked Monster would feel a sh*t load of pain every time it received even a single blow from his Named Creature.
Diablo's attacks had the Ethereal Element, which meant that it would deal true damage to anything it hit, regardless of how high its defense was. Back then, Lux thought that this was a pretty nice thing because he didn't fully understand how this skill worked.
However, after fighting strong Bosses, he finally realized how deadly Diablo's attacks were because they ignored all kinds of defenses and allowed him to deal a severe blow to his enemies once his attack and defense reached a certain threshold.
If Diablo's attack reached six digits, even an opponent with Millions of HP would not be able to brush off the Skeleton Rider's attacks, which was one of Lux's trump cards in battle.
'I'm sure that they will also realize it later,' Lux thought. 'But as long as I don't say anything, Einar's and Vall's suspicions will just remain as suspicions.'
Blood Fervor was a broken ability, so Lux didn't plan to tell anyone that his Skeleton Rider possessed it. As long as he kept mum, even if someone asked, they would just leave with more questions instead of less.
Just as the Half-Elf expected, the Undead ultimately overwhelmed the defenders, forcing them to retreat. Orion and the Rock Golems covered the retreat of the teenagers before shattering into rubble.
The Skeleton Fighters also died in battle, and only Diablo remained on the battlefield with half of its Health Points still intact. Its lifesteal ability wasn't working, so it was unable to regain its Health Points in a prolonged battle.
This proved that the Death Tyrant was monitoring the battle as well. This monster had the power to negate any healing and recovery abilities, which made it a very tough opponent to fight during expeditions.
Lux had already expected this outcome, so he wasn't worried. He just ordered Diablo to retreat to the farthest place in the map, near the Forest. The moment his Health Points started regenerating, it meant that he had gotten out of the range of the Death Tyrant's abilities.
Whenever Diablo's health fully recovered, the Half-Elf would once again summon his minions for another round of battle.
An hour passed…
Two hours passed…
More hours passed…
Einar had been hacking their enemies non-stop and his shoulders had started to turn numb. The War Axe in his hand also became very heavy, making him exert more effort with every strike.
Even Vall had taken on his human form because he couldn't keep up his transformation for long periods of time. They had already been fighting for several hours, and they were nearing their limit.
Fighting a Rank 4 Monster wasn't an easy thing. Although the Rock Golems were only luring dozens at a time, it still took a toll on their bodies.
In the end, the teenagers left the battlefield completely, to let all of them rest and recover their strength. Only the Undead remained, and they continued to attack their enemies one by one, further increasing Diablo's attack power.
Suddenly, Lux saw something red flash at the center of the Valley of Death.
"So, you finally aren't able to keep still, huh?" Lux sneered at the Giant Skull whose deadly eyes were now gazing in his direction.
Although the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant had made its appearance, it didn't move from where it hovered. Instead, it kept on summoning more Undead Soldiers to fight for it, making the sneer on the Half-Elf's face widen.
Lux knew that if the Death Tyrant didn't make a move soon, Diablo's strength would finally reach six digits, making him a formidable foe to both the living and the dead.
