Chapter 25: Two-Star Monster Tide Incoming! The Second Siege Battle!

John confirmed without hesitation.

"Deduct the resources. Learn Frostfall."

[Stone -5000, Iron Ore -5000, Gold Coin -15000 deducted. Skill "Frostfall" has been acquired!]

A wave of coldness seeped into his arm.

A faint ice-blue magic formation appeared on the center of his palm.

The reason John chose this skill was simple.

With it, he could combine large-scale freezing effects with his undead army’s encirclement tactics, clearing groups of enemies more efficiently while also restricting high-mobility charging monsters.

His monster-clearing efficiency would increase significantly.

[Ding—]

[The first-clear rewards have condensed at the dungeon core altar. Please proceed to the altar and claim them.]

[Warning: The dungeon space will be destroyed soon. Remaining time: 51 minutes. Rewards not claimed within the designated time will be erased along with the dungeon.]

"I was so focused on this that I almost forgot!"

John quickly closed the skill tree and hurried toward the place where the dead tree had originally taken root.

At this moment, five metal treasure chests emitting deep purple light floated in the center of the black stone platform.

John placed his hand on the chests.

"Open all."

[You opened Epic Equipment Treasure Chest x2]

[Obtained: Epic Weapon Selection Chest x2!]

[Obtained: Blood God Apostle Set (Common Armor Four-Piece Set) x1!]

[Obtained: Unit Iron Armor Cloak x150, Cavalry Piercing Horse Armor x150!]

Two selection chests shot into the air.

Inside the light screen were various weapon categories:

swords, spears, blades, shields, staffs, and more.

John ignored everything else and directly selected the staff category.

[You obtained: Whisper of Decay (Epic Staff)]

[Magic Attack: +1200]

[Trait 1: Spell Casting Time Reduced by 30%]

[Trait 2: Spell Damage Increased by an Additional 40%]

Immediately afterward, John looked at the second treasure chest.

Then he glanced at Ophelia standing quietly beside him.

The dragon-bone rapier she currently used was merely a companion weapon and had no additional attributes.

Besides, John only had one hero right now.

If he didn’t choose her, who else would he choose?

Therefore, without hesitation, John swiped across the treasure interface and selected a sword.

[You obtained: Dragon Fang (Epic)]

[Physical Attack: +1800]

[Trait 1: Attacks inflict Dragonflame Burn, dealing continuous damage for 5 seconds. Burn damage ignores 50% of defense.]

[Trait 2: Deals an additional 10% suppression damage against divine races and divine creatures.]

John pulled the sword out of the air and tossed it over.

Ophelia raised her hand and caught the hilt perfectly.

She casually swung the sword once, creating a beautiful arc.

A hint of satisfaction appeared on her normally cold face.

"Thank you for granting me this blade, Lord."

John waved his hand.

Then he took out the crimson armor set.

[Blood God Apostle Set (Common Grade · Four-Piece Set)]

[Equipment Slots: Chest Armor, Gloves, Leg Armor, Boots]

[Base Attributes: Total HP +2000, Physical Defense +100, Magic Resistance +100]

[Set Effect 1: Blood God’s Protection — When attacked, there is a 20% chance to generate a blood shield equal to 20% of maximum HP for 10 seconds.]

[Set Effect 2: Bloodthirst Frenzy — All attacks performed by the lord and all units under his command gain 15% full lifesteal.]

"Not bad."

Although the quality was average.

The lifesteal passive alone made it worthwhile.

John immediately equipped it.

The worn leather armor on his body transformed into light and disappeared.

Dark crimson armor wrapped tightly around his chest and limbs, flowing with faint red energy.

As for the remaining unit equipment—

If this had happened before, John would have had to worry about inventory space.

But now there was no need to consider that at all.

"Store."

John waved his hand.

The mountain of unit equipment piled on the ground instantly turned into white light and was absorbed into the legion space.

Immediately afterward, he looked toward the 150 Undead Dark Knights ahead.

"All units return."

The moment his words fell, a black spatial crack suddenly appeared in the air.

One hundred and fifty undead warhorses stepped into the rift one after another.

In less than two seconds, only John and Ophelia remained standing on the ruined streets.

John exhaled and habitually opened the system clock.

The moment he saw it, he froze.

[Godfall Battlefield Standard Time: 21:57:12]

[Time Remaining Until Second Day Monster Siege Begins: 02:02:48]

"Two hours left?!"

John’s eyes widened.

He had traveled an enormous distance from Ancient Dragon Battlefield.

Far more than three hundred kilometers.

And tonight was the second monster siege.

The strength and quantity of monsters would definitely increase by more than double compared to the first night.

"We have to return immediately!"

John immediately looked at the dragon girl beside him.

"Ophelia, transform."

John ordered.

"Return to the territory at maximum speed."

Ophelia did not waste any words.

Purple flames instantly erupted beneath her feet.

Boom!

A hundred-meter-long crystal-purple dragon spread its massive wings, covering the sky above the altar.

"Roar!"

The dragon’s roar scattered the surrounding dark clouds.

John leapt onto the dragon’s back.

The enormous dragon body suddenly pushed downward.

Using the recoil force, it shot into the sky and tore through the dungeon entrance barrier, flying at terrifying speed toward the direction of the Misty Wasteland.

...

Misty Wasteland — Region Dark-0914

Lead-gray clouds pressed heavily overhead.

The cold northern wind swept across the wasteland, causing the wooden fences surrounding the territory to creak constantly.

In the open area at the center of the territory, fifty-eight native villagers—men, women, and children—huddled together.

Gru wore a torn sheepskin coat and repeatedly looked toward the empty horizon.

A middle-aged woman with a pale, malnourished face hugged her trembling child and cried out.

"Gru... Lord John still hasn’t returned? The terrifying roars outside are getting closer and closer..."

"I don’t know."

Gru stared anxiously at the sky.

Cold sweat continued to drip from his forehead.

Above them, the massive blood-red system countdown banner continued ticking mercilessly.

[00:01:15]

[00:01:14]

[00:01:13]

One minute remained.

Inside the territory, only 1,500 Undead Spearmen and 100 Undead Sentinels stood in formation at the front.

Without the lord’s mental connection and tactical control, low-tier undead units possessed extremely limited intelligence.

They only retained the most basic command:

Defend the territory.

Even if enemies approached directly in front of them, unless they entered their attack range, they would never actively take a single step forward.

The natives looked at these emotionless soldiers.

The fear in their eyes grew stronger.

"Could something have happened to Lord John...?"

"The depths of the wasteland are filled with monsters that eat humans. Even if he is some powerful god, being trapped alone out there..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Gru suddenly raised his wooden staff and slammed it into the muddy ground in front of the man.

Mud splashed everywhere.

"Lord John is the savior sent from heaven! If he dies, we will disappear together with this territory core!"

Everyone understood.

Without their lord, these dozens of powerless refugees had no chance against a monster tide.

They had thought they had finally escaped their endless wandering across the wasteland.

They had finally found a protector for humanity.

But who could have expected disaster to arrive so soon?

The countdown entered its final three seconds.

[00:00:03]

[00:00:02]

[00:00:01]

[00:00:00!]

[The Second Night Monster Siege Battle has officially begun!]

[Monster Tier This Round: Two-Star!]

[Monster Tide Size: 100 Units!]