Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 68: Increasing Warriors
To Yu Gangbo, the Bear Goblins, Goblin Cavalry, and that "massive" Goblin Corps would have been a veritable death sentence.
But for Li Ziyu, with his thousands of Skeleton Undead and elite Skeleton Warrior squads, the several hundred goblins couldn’t withstand a single blow and were eliminated with considerable ease.
After chasing them for a full three kilometers, the Skeleton Undead only reluctantly returned at the summons of their impatient City Lord, cleaning up the battlefield along the way.
’Goblins were basically paupers. Their weapons were a motley collection, but few were usable. I’ll collect them and see if I can salvage anything, maybe get some materials out of them. The corpses are the main prize, anyway.’
In the aftermath of the battle, the Undead had lost nearly two hundred of their number, most of whom had their skulls inadvertently smashed by Bear Goblins, causing their Soul Fire to dissipate. The goblins, on the other hand, left behind over five hundred corpses. If the rest hadn’t run so fast, they would have died too. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Li Ziyu had considered using the Mobile Fortress to give chase, but one look at the scorching sun in the sky made him give up the idea.
’Under this blazing sun, how much Soul Energy would a pursuit even cost?’
’Goblins are inherently idiotic creatures; the Soul Energy they provide is about the same as a Wild Beast’s. If I took the Mobile Fortress to chase them, I probably wouldn’t even recover the Soul Energy I’d spend. Better to just forget it.’
The Undead grew weaker during the day. To ensure victory, Li Ziyu had already consumed a considerable amount of Soul Energy to replenish them, allowing them to fight in peak condition.
The Undead returned in a great procession, dragging goblin corpses and clutching assorted salvaged weapons.
When the goblins began to flee, the Minotaurs had run out of the Treasure-Hunting Catman’s Mobile Fortress to the edge of the platform to watch the show. Now, seeing the Undead return, they erupted in cheers. These skeletons they once feared had given them an immense sense of security after defeating the goblins.
A Skeleton Undead at the front glanced at the cheering Minotaurs and scratched its head, unable to understand what they were yelling about, before continuing to drag the corpse forward.
「Inside the Castle Main Tower.」
A goblin corpse was tossed before the White Bone Throne. The clothes it wore were much finer than those of the other goblins, and it even had a "crown" of dead twigs on its head. He must have been a big shot among the invaders, killed by a High Level Skeleton Warrior.
Corpses and equipment were continuously hauled into the main tower and piled up, filling the air with a nauseating stench of blood and rot. The smell made Liu Xingxing cough violently. He clamped his hands over his nose and mouth, desperately missing the days of face masks.
[Decomposed goblin +1, obtained Skeleton *1 unit, goblin ears *1 pair, Soul Energy *40 units]
[Decomposed Sharp-toothed Earth Dog, obtained Skeleton *1 unit, Sharp-toothed Earth Dog pelt *1, Soul Energy *20 units]
[Decomposed elite goblin +1, obtained Skeleton *2 units, elite goblin ears *1 pair, Soul Energy *50 units]
...
The creatures Li Ziyu had previously guessed were Bear Goblins were referred to as "elite goblins" by the system during decomposition. The materials they yielded were a bit more than what a normal goblin provided.
As the system worked continuously, the pile of corpses in the main tower steadily shrank. Although the smell was still foul, it was much better than the tear-inducing situation from before, and Li Ziyu could finally think straight.
This battle made him realize the advantages of the Skeleton Warriors. They were indeed very different from the Skeleton Undead. ’They actually know how to use their heads. That’s great.’
The Skeleton Undead could deal with creatures like the elite goblins by swarming them with sheer numbers, but the losses would be heavy. For the Skeleton Warriors, however, handling them was much easier.
’No losses is a profit!’
Realizing the benefits, Li Ziyu’s mind started turning. ’The Undead Race relies on numbers. I don’t even have a hundred Skeleton Warriors yet. The count is clearly insufficient; I need to increase it.’
With over five hundred goblin corpses, plus the previous ones and the Sharp-toothed Earth Dog corpses, the Soul Energy harvest this time was around 27,000—enough to support a wave of Skeleton Warrior expansion.
One good thing about Skeleton Warriors was that whether it was a Basic Skeleton Warrior, an Intermediate Skeleton Warrior, or a High Level Skeleton Warrior, training one cost a flat one hundred Soul Energy; the only difference was the cost of their equipment.
27,000 units of Soul Energy meant over two hundred and seventy Skeleton Warriors.
He would add one hundred and sixty Low Level Skeleton Warriors, bringing their total to two hundred; add sixty Intermediate Skeleton Warriors, bringing their total to eighty; and add forty High Level Skeleton Warriors, bringing their total to fifty.
’Yes, that sounds good.’ frёewebnoѵēl.com
Li Ziyu would have liked to make all his Skeleton Warriors High Level, but the problem was their high upkeep. The upkeep for one High Level Skeleton Warrior was roughly equal to seven Skeleton Undead, while an Intermediate Skeleton Warrior was about equal to two Skeleton Undead.
At this stage, he still needed to expand his numbers. The quantity of Skeleton Undead was what truly determined his combat strength. Any surplus corpses should, of course, be prioritized for increasing the number of Skeleton Undead.
’You have to take all aspects into account.’
Li Ziyu had the system start creating the troops. The remaining Skeletons were used to summon more Skeleton Undead. At the same time, the Tomb of the Dead also needed an infusion of Soul Energy—every little bit helps, and it would generate a hundred Undead per day.
With everything arranged, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Li Ziyu yawned, shooed Liu Xingxing out of the main tower, and had the fortress enter Hibernation Mode.
’Dammit, I just wanted to get some proper sleep, and they had to come and bother me.’
The fortress sank into the ground. Within the Darkness, Li Ziyu closed his eyes in peace, let out a soft snore, and fell asleep once more.
...
The day’s battle had left Liu Xingxing deeply shaken. Reflecting on the words Li Ziyu had said to him, he thought, ’Holy shit, that was priceless advice!’
’This world is cruel. The weak really are slaughtered. There are no laws to protect them. Weakness is the original sin.’
’To survive, you have to become strong enough.’
His fists slowly clenched, and his gaze turned resolute. He made up his mind... he had to cling to the Boss’s coattails and follow him without wavering!
’Making it on my own is impossible,’ he thought. ’Relying on those two Treasure Hunting Catmen, I’d be lucky not to starve. If we ran into anything remotely powerful, we’d have to run for our lives like scalded dogs.’
’It’s better to follow the Boss. There’s security.’
Liu Xingxing turned to look at the Minotaurs. They seemed ecstatic, boisterously cheering and laughing with great joy.
Minotaurs were lovers of peace, but that’s all it was—a preference. It didn’t mean they wouldn’t fight back when attacked, and it certainly didn’t mean they were willing to be bullied.
They had been apprehensive about joining the Undead, feeling a sense of dread about the future. After all, nowhere in their history did it say the Undead were steadfast Allies. The Tabu Tribe was setting a precedent.
But today’s battle gave them confidence. They had witnessed the power of the Undead.
So many goblins, yet the Undead had chased them down and beaten them, even bringing back so many corpses. If the Tabu Tribe had encountered them, their losses would have been immense. In contrast, the Undead seemed to have suffered no major losses at all.
This was strength!
Only by following a powerful tribe could they live more comfortably. Of course they were excited.
