A Necromancer's Guide to Clearing a Game Like Tower
Chapter 75: Floor 10: First Points II
Team Zero entered an old shopping street where broken storefronts lined both sides and ran into a pack of demonic hounds.
"SNARL! SNARL! SNARL!"
The hounds looked like dogs twisted by demonic energy until they barely resembled anything natural. They had thin bodies covered in patchy fur that fell out in clumps, long claws that scraped concrete when they moved, split jaws that showed too many teeth in rows, and red saliva that dripped when they growled.
Five of them spread across the street while blocking the path forward in a loose pack formation.
The pack leader was larger than the others with darker fur and scars across its face. It lowered its head while watching Team Zero with yellow eyes.
"GRRRROOOOWL!"
James sent the dire wolf forward without hesitation because undead did not feel fear.
The reanimated wolf charged into the pack and crashed into two hounds from the side. The living hounds scattered immediately because their pack instincts told them something was fundamentally wrong with the dead wolf that smelled like rot and moved without breathing.
The ogre blocked part of the street so the pack could not scatter completely. Its massive body cut off their escape route toward the alleys.
Team Zero used the opening when the pack formation broke.
Finn killed the first hound with a clean strike through its neck when it tried to circle around the ogre.
[DEMONIC HOUND SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 35]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 2]
James used Necro Blast on the second when it tried to run past the ogre from the other side.
The black energy hit it mid-run and necrotic rot spread across its body.
"YELP!"
[DEMONIC HOUND SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 35]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 2]
The dire wolf tore into the third hound with jaws that crushed bone when it tried to attack from behind.
[DEMONIC HOUND SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 35]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 2]
The pack leader tried to rally the remaining two hounds with a howl, but Finn was already moving toward it.
The remaining two hounds died within seconds when Team Zero pressed the advantage.
[DEMONIC HOUND SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 35]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 2]
[DEMONIC HOUND SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 35]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 2]
[TEAM ZERO TOTAL POINTS: 18]
The fight lasted less than a minute because Team Zero had adjusted to working with the contracted undead instead of treating them like separate allies.
They kept moving without stopping to celebrate eighteen points.
Team Zero moved through an overgrown road between broken buildings when movement flashed above them.
"SCREEEECH!"
Two armored mantises dropped from walls and trees.
The mantises were based on praying mantises but human-sized with hard shells that looked like armor plating. Their blade-like arms ended in sharp points that could cut through flesh. They moved with fast jumping movements that made them hard to track.
One mantis landed on a car roof.
The other landed on a broken wall.
Both attacked at once while jumping toward Team Zero from different angles.
The ogre swung at the first mantis, but the creature jumped away before the hit connected. The ogre was strong, but the mantises were too fast.
The dire wolf pressured the second mantis down from the wall when it lunged and forced the creature to jump sideways instead of attacking.
James saw the opening when the second mantis was mid-air. He fired Necro Blast and hit it directly.
[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]
[MANA COST: 10]
The mantis fell and died before hitting the ground.
[ARMORED MANTIS SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 65]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 5]
Finn killed the first mantis when it tried to jump again. His weapon caught it between jumps when it could not dodge.
[ARMORED MANTIS SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 65]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 5]
[TEAM ZERO TOTAL POINTS: 28]
The fight showed the limit of the ogre. It was strong and could block paths, but fast enemies could avoid it completely.
As Team Zero moved deeper into City D, a swarm of demonic bats burst from a broken office building.
"SCREEE! SCREEE! SCREEE!"
The bats were small and fast with torn wings, sharp teeth, infected claws, and high-pitched screeches that echoed between buildings. They attacked from windows and rooftops in numbers.
Dozens of them filled the air.
The ogre was almost useless because the bats stayed airborne. James did not waste mana on single low-value targets.
Team Zero cleared enough of the swarm to gain points, then kept moving before more gathered.
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[DEMONIC BAT SLAIN]
[EXP GAINED: 15]
[POINTS ACQUIRED: 1]
[TEAM ZERO TOTAL POINTS: 36]
The section was quick. It showed variety and score gain without dragging into a long battle.
The ranking board updated again.
[MIDTERM RANKING BOARD]
[1ST PLACE: TEAM AUREL — 71 POINTS]
[2ND PLACE: TEAM VERA — 54 POINTS]
[3RD PLACE: TEAM KAISER — 43 POINTS]
[4TH PLACE: TEAM ZERO — 36 POINTS]
[5TH PLACE: TEAM ORLEN — 33 POINTS]
Team Zero had climbed to fourth place, but they were still outside the top three.
They were close enough to compete, but not close enough to relax.
James understood the problem clearly. "Normal monsters are not enough. The top teams are reaching higher-value beasts faster because they know the city."
Finn checked the map while looking for areas they had not explored yet. "We need to look for a high-value target."
The pressure was rising, but neither of them panicked.
They were adjusting.
Team Zero reached the area near a collapsed mall.
The entrance was blocked by broken concrete, thick vines, damaged cars, and old signs that hung at wrong angles. The ground had deep drag marks carved into asphalt. Several beast corpses nearby had been half-eaten and left to rot.
Something large was inside.
The signs pointed to a stronger monster. The tracks were too heavy for anything small. The drag marks showed something with a tail or long body. The half-eaten corpses meant the creature was territorial and killed anything that came close.
The ranking board jumped again for one of the top teams.
[1ST PLACE: TEAM AUREL — 89 POINTS]
That proved it.
High-value targets were the key to reaching the top three. Normal hunting was too slow.
James understood that Team Zero could not rely on map knowledge like the academy students. They needed to read the environment and take calculated risks instead.
Finn looked at the collapsed mall entrance. "We enter and find whatever is inside."
Team Zero prepared and moved toward the blocked entrance.
The sound of something heavy shifting came from deep inside the collapsed structure.
"GRRRROOOOWWWWL..."
Something growled inside the collapsed mall.