As night fell, Lin ventured into the dungeon for the fourth time. This time, the number of skeleton warriors had increased to 76. After clearing the dungeon three times previously, Lin had mastered it completely. Upon entering the dungeon this time, a brand new idea popped into his mind.
"Let's give it a try. If it works, I can use this strategy in other dungeons too." Acting on his thought, all the skeleton warriors surged into the mine like a tidal wave. Instead of engaging the mobs, they drew the attention of a large number of monsters and kept moving deeper into the dungeon.
This resulted in a bizarre scene within the dungeon. A vast number of skeleton warriors led the charge, followed by a swarm of goblin monsters, with Lin himself trailing behind, wearing a smile.
Once the skeleton warriors reached the Bronze level, the maximum distance between them and Lin had expanded to 1000 meters. Lin merely had to stay within this range to maintain control.
Leading nearly a hundred monsters, the group charged towards the location of the Mine Wolf King. The arrival of the skeleton warriors also roused the Mine Wolf King, who started attacking them. However, the skeleton warriors ignored it and continued forward until all the trailing monsters caught up.
Under Lin's command, the skeleton warriors started to close in, forcing the monsters into an ever-tighter group. Lin, meanwhile, had already positioned himself at the entrance of the mine.
Suddenly, the skeleton warriors launched their attack, instantly killing one of the goblin mine guards. The corpse was then tossed high into the air.
"Boom!" Lin, who had been waiting for this moment, triggered the Corpse Explosion skill. The resulting explosion shook the entire mine, sending rocks tumbling down from the walls. Goblin mine guards fell in droves as Lin's skill notifications began flooding in, too fast for him to keep track.
With new corpses continually being created, Lin repeatedly used Corpse Explosion, unleashing it ten times in succession. Each massive detonation seemed to shave a layer off the dungeon's very foundation.
The Mine Wolf King, which hadn't even had the chance to retreat back into the tunnels, was directly killed in the blast. The gates then opened automatically, releasing scores of Mine Ferocious Wolves.
"Continue, pull everything to the pit," Lin ordered, leading his skeleton warriors towards the pit, home to the Goblin King and more monsters. As they ventured into the pit, the group behind swelled to over 200 monsters, creating a crushing tide of bodies around the Goblin King, who looked on bewilderedly.
"I'm back," Lin announced as he descended. The skeleton warriors halted their advance and turned to face their foes. With a series of commands, Lin initiated a massacre, starting with the instant execution of a Mine Ferocious Wolf. Its body, hurled into the air, was the fuse for another round of Corpse Explosions.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The blasts echoed, threatening to collapse the mine. Experience points skyrocketed, and Lin's inventory filled with loot. Before the Goblin King could even stand, it was overwhelmed by successive explosions, dying more pitifully but more swiftly than before.
Lin offered a consoling thought to the fallen king, "I'll be back three more times. You're used to dying anyway, killed daily by adventurers. At least death by my hand is quicker, less agonizing."
After slaying the Goblin King again and leaving the dungeon, Lin found the area around the dungeon entrance unusually quiet. He gleaned from overheard conversations that the Dynasty Guild had visited, clearly leaving without the information they sought.
Choosing not to wander off, Lin settled in a quiet spot for meditation. His skeleton warriors had grown in number and strength, now towering over even the nightmare-level dungeon bosses in might.
While meditating, Lin received a signal from his skeleton warriors: someone was approaching.