"You're right. Even if you are a Necromancer, you still need some preparations." Theresa nodded, speaking her mind freely.
"Since you already have a class, it is not as urgent for you to rush for a class…"
She wrapped it up with a suggestion that actually made sense.
"I think it is better if I rush to level ten and obtain a class as soon as possible!"
Damien had to give her credit—this was the smart play. If he didn't already have the [Corrupted Divine Saint] class, he'd be doing the exact same thing.
But since he started with a class already, he could focus on other goals in these catacombs.
"I remember that the [Great Scythe] weapon is somewhere in this catacombs… Its attributes and passive is extremely helpful for my fighting style."
The real question was whether it was worth burning precious early-game time helping some random stranger level up.
Quickly, Damien figured it was worth the gamble.
If he was level 10 right now, unlikely. Higher level meant less exp from common monsters.
But he was only level 2— perfect time for this kind of grinding.
"Do you have a weapon?" he asked out of nowhere, startling Theresa.
She looked down at her empty hands, then at the skeleton clutching its pathetic pebble.
The whole situation was pretty ridiculous when you thought about it.
With no choice, she crouched down and grabbed another one of those useless rocks on the ground.
[Small pebble: Useless piece of rock. What more do you need to know?]
Rating: Common★
Strength Required: 1
Attack Power: 3
Damien had to smirk watching this uppercity lady wielding a pebble as her only weapon. Not that he could complain though, since his first kill was using a pebble.
She caught him staring and shot him a look that could kill.
"No comment," he said, then got [Bone 1] move upfront.
Once he looked away, Theresa let out a deep sighed of resignation.
They moved through the catacombs at a decent pace, staying alert for movement in the ground or sounds bouncing off the walls.
The only light came from those tiny gems stuck in the passage walls.
Some areas were too dark to risk, forcing detours. At the same time, the lack of proper lighting made everything take way longer than it should.
"Stop," Damien whispered, and Theresa froze.
"What is it?" she asked, but the look on his face shut her up real quick.
Damien pointed toward the other side of the wall. [Bone 1] stopped and waited for orders like a good summon.
"Protect me," he whispered to Theresa.
His purple eyes lit up with that familiar glow and she got the message immediately.
"Okay, I will let you know when you are in danger."
Even with her watching his back, Damien stayed on guard as he took direct control of [Bone 1].
[Ding! You have taken control of your summons.]
[-2 Mana per second.]
Through [Bone 1]'s vision, he spotted three skeletons lounging against the passage wall.
One was holding a busted sword.
Seeing this, the blue flames in [Bone 1] sockets flickered.
"Skeleton Warrior!"
In [Nebula Online], monsters had classes just like players. Regular skeleton was bottom tier.
Warrior, archer, mage—these were its evolution path.
Classed monsters hit harder, had skills, and generally made your life hell. Just like how a classed player could wreck an unspecialized newbie.
'Controlling summons burns mana constantly... Take too long and I'll hit [Mana Exhaustion]. That's a death sentence down here.'
He had to move fast. Damien controlled [Bone 1] to target one of the regular skeletons first.
The plan was simple: eliminate one target to reduce the numbers, let [Bone 1] tank the second with Theresa's support, while draw the aggro from the skeleton warrior.
It was not that he wanted to fight the warrior himself and play hero, but trusting Theresa with it was stupid.
Damien had just met this uppercity, without grasping her skills, he couldn't let her take the initiative.
If she died, he'd be burdened fighting three-on-one.
After formulating his plans, Damien split his focus to explain the strategy. It was better to get everyone on the same page than expect her to read his mind.
"Okay," Theresa nodded, though she looked worried. "Are you sure you can stall the skeleton warrior yourself?"
Even at level 10, Necromancers were squishy as slime balls. Going toe-to-toe with a warrior-class mob in melee was asking for trouble, especially for mage.
But Damien was confident.
"Trust me," he said, putting his attention back on [Bone 1].
He moved the skeleton carefully toward one of the mobs leaning against the wall. The target looked confused seeing another skeleton approach.
"Kuk Kuk?"
Then [Bone 1] started bashing its skull in with the pebble.
[Ding! Your summon has attacked.]
[Ding! Critical hit, dealing x2 damage.]
[-16 damage.]
[Ding! Your attack [Stunned] skeleton x1 for five second.]
The other two skeletons woke up fast. Seeing their buddy getting jumped, they roar in rage.
[Ding! Your summon has been attacked!]
[-13 hp.]
The damage numbers flashed, but Damien kept [Bone 1] swinging. Same technique he used to beat down his own summon earlier.
At this moment, he relinquished his control of [Bone 1] and sprinted toward the Skeleton Warrior.
While that happened, he commanded Theresa to began attacking the first skeleton in quick succession.
"Hurry, Theresa!" he called out, afraid that his own skeleton would lose too much hp if she moved too slow.
[Bone 1] kept hammering away like a machine, no emotions, just raw violence.
"Kuk! Kuk! Kuk!"
[-5 damage.]
[-9 damage.]
With 20 agility, Damien moved fast. Way faster than his old frailed undercity body should have been able to manage.
"Kkuk Kkuk Kku?!"
The Skeleton Warrior turned to face him but couldn't react in time to his speed.
Bang!
[Ding! You have attacked Skeleton Warrior x1.]
[Ding! Critical hit, dealing x2 damage.]
[-21 damage.]
[Ding! Skeleton Warrior x1 is [Stunned] for two second!]
Much shorter stun duration, but Damien had expected that. Higher level mobs had better resistance.
'Next hit!' He swung the pebble at the warrior's wrist bone.
Bang!
The sound of stone cracking bone echoed through the passage.
[Ding! Critical Hit, x2 damage.]
[Ding! You have hit the weak point of Skeleton Warrior x1.]
[Ding! Skeleton Warrior [Disarmed] for four seconds!]