Chapter 62 - 56: Taking Stock of the Spoils, Breakthrough

Chapter 62: Chapter 56: Taking Stock of the Spoils, Breakthrough

A dozen or so minutes later.

The two forces gradually went their separate ways, each returning to their own territory.

The orange glow of a Campfire carved out a space in the Fog, revealing rows of small wooden cabins.

The Beastmen, fresh from a major battle, stepped into the firelight and subconsciously relaxed.

Just then, Blood Roar walked over to Shen Xing and handed him the pack from his back. "Boss, this is for you."

"What’s this?"

"It’s the loot we collected by the river. We thought it’d be better to give it to you after we got back," Blood Roar replied.

Shen Xing paused for a moment, then it clicked. "You’re a clever one, aren’t you?"

The situation had been chaotic. Although Shen Xing had told the Beastmen to sweep the battlefield, no one had remembered this loot.

By waiting until they returned to the territory to hand it over, Blood Roar ensured they wouldn’t have to split it with Xia Wanyin.

’Damn it, who said Beastmen weren’t cunning? These guys are full of schemes.’

Of course, Xia Wanyin probably wouldn’t have cared about this stuff anyway.

"Alright, give it to me."

"Yes, Boss!" Blood Roar gave a goofy grin and handed over the pack.

[You have obtained: Soul Stone x152]

[You have obtained: Vinar Silver Coins x234]

[You have obtained: Broken Ordinary Soul x57]

[You have obtained: Shattered Elite Soul x16]

[You have obtained: Glowing Boss Soul x1]

[You have obtained: Black Water Axe (Purple) x1]

...

Shen Xing narrowed his eyes as the list of loot flashed before him.

’Well, well. An intact Boss Soul and a Purple-Quality great axe.’

Clearly, both of these items must have dropped from slaying that Boss Level Naga Combat Puppet.

The rewards for taking down a Boss Level creature were indeed high.

Shen Xing pulled his thoughts back to the present and looked around behind him.

After the great battle, many of his soldiers were injured, and the cold corpses of two Beastmen lay nearby.

"Have you tallied our casualties?" he asked Hellish Roar, who was standing to the side.

"Yes," Hellish Roar replied in a low voice. "In this battle, twelve Beastmen were wounded and two were killed in action."

"Two Skeleton Archers were also hit by the enemy’s Black Water Bombs during the melee and fell apart on the spot."

Shen Xing nodded slightly, not particularly surprised.

In fact, the numbers were far lower than he had expected.

After all, they had taken down over two hundred enemies, including many Elite Level creatures and two major Boss Level powerhouses.

In contrast, they had only lost two Beastmen and two Skeleton Archers. A casualty ratio of 50:1 was quite astonishing.

The main reason was that Xia Wanyin’s Light Elf legion had taken a lot of the pressure off them.

Furthermore, the destructive power of the Inferior Demon bombing squad was terrifying; one wave had wiped out dozens of Naga.

Otherwise, their casualties would have been much higher.

Of course, Xia Wanyin had also lost several Light Elf swordsmen on her side.

But given her wealth, it was probably a painless loss for her.

"I see. Give our fallen brothers a proper burial."

Shen Xing nodded and gave his orders. "Also, distribute the Moon Spring Water to the other wounded Beastmen so they can recover quickly."

"Yes, Lord!"

Hellish Roar immediately took his orders, then led some men to carry the bodies to an empty plot of land west of the territory, preparing to bury them there.

The faces of the other Beastmen showed no fear or depression. On the contrary, each one was filled with fighting spirit.

For them, death in battle was not something to be feared, but a supreme honor.

Every Beastman considered dying on the battlefield to be their ultimate fate.

Shen Xing wheeled himself over to the Campfire alone, ready to inspect the loot dropped by the Boss Level Naga.

With a flash of light from his right hand, a fist-sized Soul appeared, emitting a dazzling glow.

[Glowing Boss Soul]

[Type: Advancement Item]

[Effect: Allows one Elite★★★ Soldier Type to advance to Boss Level, or allows a Boss Level creature to increase its star rating.

Success Rate: 50% (Elite → Boss★), 45% (Boss★ → Boss★★), 40% (Boss★★ → Boss★★★)]

...

Just like the Souls he had obtained before, this was an item that allowed a Soldier Type to break through its Potential limit and advance again.

The difference was that upon reaching the Boss level, the Success Rate for breakthroughs was even lower.

Moreover, as a unit’s Potential continued to increase, the Success Rate would continue to drop.

The soldier system of this world was like a pyramid: the higher a creature’s Potential, the higher its position, and the fewer of them there were.

The number of ordinary Soldier Types was enormous, but not even one in ten thousand could break through to the next stage.

This further highlighted just how heaven-defying [Sacrificial Evolution] was.

After all, not only could it help a soldier transform with a 100% success rate, but it could also break through their Potential’s upper limit. It was simply outrageous.

’With this Talent, I could evolve even a regular goblin into the King of Goblins!’

The corners of Shen Xing’s mouth turned up slightly as he stored the Soul in his inventory.

Next, he took out the second piece of loot: the Rare-Quality War Axe.

It was incredibly heavy in his hand, easily over a hundred pounds.

The entire weapon was jet-black. The handle was bone-chillingly cold to the touch, and the axe blade shimmered with a watery light.

Just holding it, he could feel a palpable, menacing aura wash over him.

[Black Water Axe]

[Quality: Purple (Rare)]

[Equipment Level: Level 9]

[Equipment Attributes: Power +10, attacks have a 30% Armor Piercing effect.]

[Equipment Effect: Black Water Waves (When continuously attacking the same enemy, each attack increases the Power of the next by 10%, stacking up to a maximum of 50%.)]

(Note: Feel the power of water!)

...

’Consecutive attacks increase Power, up to a maximum of 50%?’

’If I give this axe to Hellish Roar, he’ll be unbeatable in a one-on-one fight.’

However, it was a Level 9 piece of equipment, and Hellish Roar couldn’t equip it yet.

But that was fine. He was only one level away and would meet the requirement soon.

After checking the rewards, Shen Xing distributed the Soul Stones as usual, letting all the soldiers in his territory absorb them.

Using Soul Stones to level up soldier types was never a waste.

After all, these initial soldier types didn’t require many Soul Stones before Level 5, and the stat gains per level were significant, making it very cost-effective.

After Level 5, however, that changed. Not only did the required Soul Stones multiply, but the leveling speed also slowed down.

That’s why most Lords focused their resources on cultivating one or two main soldier types.

Other soldiers were left as they were after reaching Level 5, serving as cannon fodder or to activate Bonds.

Next, he spent 80 Soul Stones, 100 Vinar Silver Coins, and 20 units of Black Crystal to continue upgrading the Campfire.

After finishing these tasks, Grand Lord Shen exited the game, and his vision shifted.

"Phew... What an eventful day."

Shen Xing stared at the ceiling above him and sighed. "Seeing as I’ve worked so hard, I should reward myself a little."

Just as he was about to open an app, a call came in. The caller ID showed "Zhou Zheng."

Shen Xing froze. ’Why is he calling me at this hour?’

He figured it was probably about the Foggy Void Realm opening early, so he answered the call.

"Captain Zhou, what’s up?"

"Ah, Shen Xing. Your names have been submitted."

Zhou Zheng’s casual voice came through the phone. "Someone will come to pick you up the day after tomorrow in the morning. You’ll all enter the Void Realm together then."

He paused, then sighed, his tone a bit emotional. "This early opening of the Void Realm is indeed sudden. I know you haven’t been in the game long and that there’s a big gap between you and the strongest group of Novice Lords."

"But that’s life. It’s always full of uncertainty; not everything can go according to plan."

"Don’t get discouraged or down about it. Just do your best."

"When the next opportunity comes, I’ll try to get you spots for other Void Realms."

Shen Xing was taken aback, not expecting him to say so much.

Clearly, Zhou Zheng was worried they’d be demoralized by the news and had called specifically to console them.

"Okay, I understand, Captain Zhou. Thanks for your concern," he replied with a smile.

"No problem. Perform well. I have high hopes for you guys."

After hanging up, Shen Xing leaned against the headboard, lost in thought.

’The day after tomorrow, I’ll be entering the Void Realm to compete against the top Novice Lords in all of Jiang City.’

’By my calculations, Hellish Roar should reach Level 9 tomorrow.’

’Which means... I should be able to get him to break through to Boss Level before the Void Realm opens.’

Besides, Hellish Roar was no ordinary soldier.

Shen Xing had poured so many resources into this Beastman. His Talent was extremely high, and he had even awakened two heaven-defying Talents of his own.

Even at the Elite Level, he could challenge and defeat Boss Level creatures.

Once he transformed again, he could probably claim to be invincible below Tier Two, and capable of taking any Tier Two enemy down with him.

Shen Xing chuckled to himself at the thought, a sense of anticipation building within him.

He got up to make a midnight snack, browsed the forums for a while, and then went to sleep.

「Meanwhile, in the Land of Mist.」

As night fell, a thick black Fog swirled around the village, yet it couldn’t encroach even an inch into the firelight’s range.

In the center of the village, the Level 4 Campfire blazed, radiating warmth.

It was now late at night.

Aside from a few Beastmen and Skeleton Archers on patrol, all the other soldiers were resting.

Soldiers weren’t machines; they couldn’t work twenty-four hours a day without a break.

Even Skeleton Soldiers, often called perpetual motion machines, needed to absorb Soul Fragments to replenish their Soul Fire.

If they worked for too long, they would develop problems like osteoporosis and wear and tear.

On a large boulder at the village entrance, Hellish Roar sat cross-legged with several black Soul Stones placed before him.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of confusion flickering in his brass-colored beastly pupils.

He had heard a faint splash, as if some creature had jumped into the well.

He glanced at the well on the southern side of the territory, then at the quiet Arrow Tower.

After a moment of thought, he closed his eyes again and continued absorbing the Soul Stones.

「The next day, at dawn.」

The darkness in the Land of Mist gradually receded, and the churning Fog faded from inky black to a grayish-white.

Hellish Roar, having absorbed Soul Stones all night, slowly opened his eyes.

He looked around, that same hint of confusion flashing in his eyes again.

He felt that the territory had undergone some subtle changes. It seemed cleaner, as if someone had swept through.

Just then, Hellish Roar suddenly felt a warm current rise from his abdomen and spread rapidly throughout his body.

A sense of brimming Power surged through him, wiping away all his fatigue.

"I’ve successfully reached Level 9."