Marsh was taken aback as the ground trembled beneath him. His skeleton warriors quickly formed a shield-like defense in front of him, standing firm like ancient guardians. The air was filled with the fiery glow of descending fireballs, resembling meteorites falling from the sky. The fireballs struck the skeleton warriors with immense force, creating brilliant explosions that lit up the battlefield.
Marsh was well aware of his own weaknesses. His physique was far too weak to withstand such a heavy blow, and any strong attack would transfer a large amount of damage to his skeleton warriors. This could result in devastating harm to his summoned allies.
However, if the skeleton warriors were taking the brunt of the damage, the outcome would be entirely different. Thanks to their formidable defense and robust physical strength, they could endure such hits with ease, almost ignoring the damage altogether.
Marsh stood behind his skeleton warriors, his gaze sharp and focused as he watched the Ferin Orc team approach. A group of Ferin Orc mages stood in the rear, their wands raised to unleash a relentless storm of fireballs. At the same time, a large number of Ferin Orc warriors rushed forward, brandishing their weapons, eager to engage in close combat.
The monsters had appeared without any warning, an ambush that could have caught someone off guard.
A smirk formed on Marsh's face. No matter how they appeared, he had no intention of waiting passively for them to refresh. The mage monsters kept casting their fiery spells from behind, the rain of fire never relenting.
To ensure his own safety, Marsh gave a mental command for 10 skeletons to form a defensive barrier to shield him from the mages' attacks. Meanwhile, he released 10 more skeletons to engage the Ferin Orc warriors directly.
"Skill!" Marsh ordered in his mind.
At his command, the skeleton warriors' hands glowed with a brilliant red light.
Furious Blow!
With the skeleton warriors' strength reaching an incredible 5000, their attack power was now doubled. The Ferin Orc warriors, once charging forward with confidence, were quickly overwhelmed.
One by one, the orc warriors fell, their numbers rapidly dwindling under the assault.
Marsh's palm began to glow as well, and with a loud roar, he triggered Corpse Explosion.
The blast spread in all directions, turning the remaining Ferin Orc warriors into mere corpses, falling like grains of rice being cut. In just a few seconds, the hundred-strong Ferin Orc force was completely wiped out.
The points on Marsh's interface surged, jumping from 8605 to 14605 in a matter of seconds—a staggering increase of 6000 points. In less than ten seconds, Marsh had defeated 120 monsters.
The examiners in the control room were left stunned.
"This guy has group attack skills!" one of them exclaimed.
"His profession is truly extraordinary. His single-target skills were already impressive, but now, his area-of-effect abilities are just as devastating."
"Not only are his skills overpowered, but his summoned creatures are just as powerful."
"I believe this profession might surpass even legendary classes. It's comparable to those few professions that are revered."
Another examiner, more cautious, countered, "I wouldn't say that just yet. His level is still low, and we need to see how he progresses."
Being strong at lower levels doesn't necessarily mean one will be as powerful at higher levels. Some professions become much more powerful at later stages, especially once they unlock certain key abilities.
There are other professions that seem weak until a war breaks out. At that point, their abilities become indispensable, capable of turning the tide of battle.
Marsh, however, was unaware of the examiners' thoughts. He stood in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by the bones of the fallen orcs, and prepared himself for the next wave.
Just then, a deep roar echoed through the land. The earth shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. The corpses scattered across the battlefield vanished, swallowed by the ground itself.
An invisible force seemed to emanate from the earth, and the air around Marsh grew thick with the stench of decay. The overwhelming scent of death filled his nose, as if the very atmosphere was suffused with the smell of rotting corpses. It was revolting.
The sky darkened, casting an ominous shadow over the battlefield. The oppressive aura weighed heavily on Marsh's chest, making it hard to breathe.
"This is the second stage," Marsh muttered to himself.
He found the oppressive atmosphere oddly comforting, as though it didn't bother him at all. Perhaps his profession was more attuned to death and decay than most others. The air thick with death didn't unsettle him like it would have for others. The increasing stench, however, did not sit well with him.
As the tremors subsided, Marsh kept his guard up, his skeleton warriors surrounding him in a protective formation. His senses were on high alert, and he remained vigilant as the seconds ticked by.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed around him.
"They're coming," Marsh thought, preparing himself mentally.
In an instant, a large number of monsters materialized around him. They appeared from every direction, moving in groups of five to form smaller squads.
[Ferin Orc Fighter]
[Level: 16]
[Ferin Orc Archer]
[Level: 16]
Each team had a ratio of 3 fighters to 2 archers. Both the fighters and archers were level 16, and there were at least 40 teams surrounding Marsh.
From his perspective, it looked as though he was completely surrounded.
The monsters' level had increased by one, jumping from level 15 to level 16. But that wasn't all. Their numbers had also doubled, making the second stage far more challenging than the first.
Marsh was unfazed. To him, level 16 monsters were just an inconvenience. Even without using Corpse Explosion, he could easily hack through these enemies with just 20 skeleton warriors. It would take some time, but it wasn't a real challenge.
What really caught Marsh's attention was something else.
"Given the increase in difficulty, other professions will struggle to pass the second stage," Marsh thought.
"Even if they do manage to break through, it will take a considerable amount of time."
In Marsh's eyes, the first stage had been relatively easy. Most professionals could have cleared it with just a little effort.
But the second stage was a different beast. The monsters had increased in level and number, and with the addition of archers—who were natural enemies of mages—the difficulty had increased exponentially.
This shift would prove to be a major challenge for most mage classes, as the archers could quickly exploit their weaknesses from a distance.
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