Mike pushed through the front line, cutting down skeletons one after another.

Bones shattered and fell apart as his sword moved without pause.

Behind him, Lily focused on the mages.

She raised her staff and fired water bolts one by one, hitting the skeleton mages before they could finish their spells.

Each hit knocked them backward and broke their staffs.

A skeleton warrior tried to rush Lily from the side.

Mike noticed it at once.

He stepped back, swung his sword, and cut it down before it could reach her.

"Thanks," Lily said.

"Stay close," Mike replied.

The skeleton captain moved in, spinning its rusted spear and attacking with quick thrusts.

Mike blocked the first strike and stepped back to avoid the second.

The captain was faster than the others and didn't give him much time to react.

Lily aimed at the captain and cast a water bind spell.

Streams of water wrapped around the spear, slowing its movement.

"That's my chance," Mike said.

He rushed forward and struck the captain's arm, breaking it at the elbow.

The spear fell to the ground.

The captain tried to step back, but Mike didn't let it escape.

He swung once more, cutting through its neck.

The skeleton captain collapsed into pieces.

With their leader gone, the remaining skeletons fell apart quickly.

A few tried to run, but Lily finished them off with water bolts.

Soon, the hill was quiet again.

Lily lowered her staff.

"That went well."

Mike nodded. "Yeah. This area is almost clear now."

He looked around the graveyard.

"We should check for drops before moving on."

Lily smiled. "Good idea."

They searched the area carefully, checking the ground where the skeletons had fallen.

After a few minutes, Lily sighed.

"Nothing again."

Mike crouched and picked up a few faintly glowing crystals.

"Just undead cores."

Lily frowned. "No weapons. No armor. Not even materials."

Mike stood up.

"Well, the drop rate is low in Rank 0 dungeons. We expected this."

Lily nodded. "True. At least the cores still sell."

Mike stored the cores away.

"Yeah. They'll be useful later."

They didn't waste any more time.

Together, they moved on, leaving the empty graveyard behind and heading toward the next area.

As they walked, the land grew darker, and the graveyards appeared closer together than before.

"This place really doesn't want us to relax," Lily said.

Mike smiled slightly.

"Good. That means we're going the right way."

They moved through another graveyard, then another, fighting skeletons the same way as before.

Each time, they checked the ground.

Each time, there was nothing.

After the third area, Mike cut down the last skeleton and stopped.

"Alright, let's see," he said.

They searched the area slowly.

Then Lily suddenly stopped.

"Mike… I think there's something here."

She pointed at the ground near a broken tombstone.

Mike walked over and picked it up.

It was a rusted iron sword.

The blade was dull and covered in old stains, and the handle was worn down from age. It clearly wasn't anything special.

Lily tilted her head. "Uncommon?"

Mike checked its information.

"Yeah. Uncommon grade," he said. "But it has a passive skill."

Lily leaned closer. "What kind?"

"Poison," Mike replied. "Each strike has a chance to inflict poison if it hits the target's body."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "That's actually not bad."

Mike nodded. "Yeah. For early stages, poison damage adds up."

He looked at the sword again, then stored it away.

"Not amazing," he said, "but it's our first real drop."

Lily smiled. "See? Going deeper was worth it."

Mike looked ahead, where more graveyards waited in the darkness.

"Let's keep going," he said.

They continued moving forward, clearing a few more skeletons along the way.

Soon, the land ahead opened into a wide, dark area.

At the center stood a large, broken altar surrounded by cracked pillars and piles of bones.

Lily slowed down.

"This feels different."

Mike nodded. "Yeah. That should be the boss area."

A cold presence filled the air.

Above the altar, dark energy swirled, and a tall figure floated there—

a Skeleton Death Mage, its robe torn and its staff glowing with dark magic.

But it wasn't alone.

Near the edge of the area, torches were lit and people were resting.

Marcus and the nineteen members who followed him were already there.

They were sitting, checking gear, and discussing something.

It looked like they were preparing for the final fight.

Lily sighed quietly.

"We're late. He's already here."

Mike shrugged.

"It's not like we were planning to fight the boss anyway."

Lily looked at the Skeleton Death Mage, then back at Mike.

"With just the two of us, it's not safe."

Mike nodded.

"Yeah. This boss isn't something to rush."

He could fight it—he knew that.

But this wasn't the time.

He needed to keep his trump cards hidden.

"Let's watch for now," Mike said calmly.

Lily agreed.

"Yeah. Better to see how they handle it."

The two of them stayed back, observing Marcus's group as they prepared to challenge the Skeleton Death Mage.

They stayed at a distance, watching quietly.

Marcus stood near the front of his group, giving orders with confidence.

Two people checked their weapons, while others drank potions or adjusted their armor.

"The boss is a Skeleton Death Mage," Marcus said loudly.

"It will summon minions and use dark magic. Stay in formation."

Several people nodded, looking nervous but excited.

Lily leaned toward Mike.

"He sounds confident."

Mike replied calmly, "Confidence is easy when you haven't started the fight yet."

Soon, Marcus raised his hand.

"Alright! Move in!"

His team walked toward the altar together.

As they crossed an invisible line, the dark energy above the altar reacted.

The Skeleton Death Mage lifted its staff.

A loud, cold sound echoed through the area.

Bones on the ground began to shake.

Skeleton warriors rose from the piles around the altar, pulling themselves together piece by piece.

"Here they come!" someone shouted.

Marcus stepped forward and activated his holy skill.

Golden light spread from his body, burning several skeletons at once.

"Hold the line!" he ordered.

His team engaged the skeletons.

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