Chapter 89: Pre-battle Preparations

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Pre-battle Preparations

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Just as planned, about three or four hours later, Bone Forest’s forces withdrew by half.

With the exception of Bone Forest himself—who was personally leading some thirty-odd Skeleton Warriors and five formidable Elite Skeleton Warriors to hold fast to the crucial front line—the Skeletons of all other unit types withdrew in an orderly fashion.

They brought back a heavy haul of spoils from the battle.

Over four hundred Kobold corpses were piled densely in an open area of the graveyard, still reeking of blood and the stench of beasts.

A careful count revealed thirty-five Kobold Warlocks, forty-six Kobold Warriors, and over three hundred ordinary Kobold soldiers.

Gu Su had a very clear plan for these fresh Kobold corpses.

The Kobold Warlocks would all be thrown into Grave Pit Number Three, dedicated to conversion into Magic Skeletons.

The Kobold Warriors would be sent to the Level 2 Grave Pit Number One to be converted into thick-skinned Walking Dead.

The remaining ordinary Kobold corpses would first be used to replenish the casualties each squad had suffered in the battle. Only after all the squads were back to full strength would the rest be used as materials for his Soul Summoning Ceremony.

After all this sorting and accounting, the number of ordinary Kobold corpses actually available for the Soul Summoning Ceremony was only around three hundred—a bit less than Gu Su had initially estimated.

However, all of their weapons and equipment were recovered. Bone Forest and his forces had even brought back all of their balloons, not leaving a single one behind.

This was actually a good thing for Gu Su.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being unable to equip the newly summoned Ordinary Skeletons with temporary weapons.

After completing this round of the Soul Summoning Technique, Gu Su made a rather frustrating discovery.

The Experience required to level up the Soul Summoning Technique had suddenly skyrocketed from the previous 100 and 200 all the way to 800.

This steep increase left Gu Su speechless, and he couldn’t help but complain to himself.

’How did the Experience requirement jump so fast? Is this system deliberately trying to stop me from leveling up the Soul Summoning Technique?’

Of course, Gu Su’s Luck wasn’t very good this time around. During this Soul Summoning Ceremony, all of the special Undead—which had a mere one percent chance of appearing—turned out to be Corpse Witches.

What left him most speechless was that not a single one of these newly created Corpse Witches possessed any new Magic Skills. They were identical to the ones he’d summoned before, with only Poison Gas Bomb, Alchemy - Poison, and Herbalism - Poison.

’I wonder if they were all trained in the same batch.’

On the other hand, the new Magic Skeleton and Walking Dead Minions that emerged from the Gravepiles during this time made Gu Su’s eyes light up with interest.

Unlike some of the previous Minions who leaned toward support and coordination, these three new ones were all genuine combat types. Each had a specific focus, perfectly filling the gaps in his Undead Team’s combat strength.

[Flame Bone (Level 1, Summoned Creature, Minion): Experience (0/200), Attack 2, Defense 1, Life 13, Talent: Directional Explosion]

Flame Bone carried a small, red, triangular flag on his back. A cluster of dancing bone-fire was clearly outlined in black on its surface, swaying gently in the wind and faintly exuding a searing, intimidating aura. On one corner of the flag, the numbers "25/25" were clearly visible.

His case was unusual. He couldn’t cast any Magic himself, but he possessed an extremely potent ability to augment the Magic Series.

Directional Explosion involved designating a direction, which would then enhance the power of all Magic cast toward it.

As long as he was present, the power of the Magic cast by all the Magic Skeletons under his command would double, making him a true force multiplier for the Magic Corps.

[Stone Fist (Level 1, Summoned Creature, Minion): Experience (0/200), Attack 1, Defense 2, Life 15, Talent: Stone Skin Technique]

A gray, triangular Battle Banner was planted prominently on Stone Fist’s back. On its surface, a heavy Stone Shield was outlined in black, its texture clear. As it swayed in the wind, it conveyed a sense of solid stability.

His Attributes spoke for themselves; one could guess his core function just from his name.

Walking Dead already possessed Defense and Life far superior to that of Ordinary Skeletons. Now, equipped with heavy shields and buffed by the Stone Skin Technique, they had a double layer of protection. Under this combined defense, ordinary physical attacks and Low Tier Magic might not even be able to break through. They were an indispensable mainstay in defensive engagements.

[Plague Corpse (Level 1, Summoned Creature, Minion): Experience (0/200), Attack 1, Defense 2, Life 15, Talent: Corpse Poison]

A dark green, triangular Battle Banner was stuck in Plague Corpse’s back, its surface bearing the black outline of a swirling wisp of Corpse Poison fog that exuded a sinister, bizarre chill.

He was clearly a purely front-line combat Walking Dead with ferocious power. His only shortcoming was his rather slow movement speed.

Even so, he could still be considered a hidden trump card on the battlefield.

He didn’t need any complex battle tactics. As long as he could hold his ground on the battlefield and avoid being destroyed, the Corpse Poison emanating from his body would continuously corrode surrounding enemies, imperceptibly chipping away at their combat strength and Morale.

It was safe to say that the addition of these three Minions was a massive boost to Gu Su’s combat power.

But Gu Su also understood that among the three, probably only Flame Bone could be sent into the fray. The other two likely couldn’t leave the Graveyard Demon.

After all, the current situation was clearly a race against time.

If he were to dispatch the Walking Dead, they probably wouldn’t even reach the Kobold lair by the next morning.

In a battle situation this volatile, every minute and every second could lead to a different outcome.

So, grumbling aside, Gu Su didn’t delay the war effort in the slightest.

After settling all the Soul Summoning matters, he didn’t waste time with unnecessary questions. He simply waved his hand and ordered the entire Skeleton Team to set out for the battlefield immediately.

Even the Ordinary Skeletons without a Minion to lead them took up the Long Spears they were temporarily assigned, formed neat ranks, and marched with the main force to bolster their numbers and fighting strength.

In the end, Gu Su even gritted his teeth and sent the two newly summoned Corpse Witches to join the battle.

One could say that for this crucial battle—the one that would decide the ultimate fate of the Kobold forces—Gu Su had already thrown in every ounce of power he could currently muster, sending every last available Undead soldier to the battlefield.

If he still couldn’t secure a victory after going all-out like this, then there was truly no point in him prolonging this war.

For a long time to come, he feared he wouldn’t be able to assemble such a powerful and fully-manned Undead Team again.

Only after he had dispatched all the troops did Gu Su turn his attention to the remaining Walking Dead.

With no battle to fight at the moment, all the Walking Dead had been sent to the basement to get things organized.