Lord-tier Magical Beast

Werewolves are hunters of the night; this naturally Transcendent subhuman race possesses an exceptional talent for "Dark Perception."

This makes their perception at night ridiculously strong.

After hearing Bazel's words, Rein dared not be careless and woke up Karl and Tuster.

Then, just to be on the safe side, he sprinkled the droppings of High-tier Demonic Beast, which he had acquired at a high price, around the tent, and also placed some insect repellent.

This is a necessary measure to prevent "Beast Tide".

Bazel was somewhat dismissive of Rein's cautiousness.

"You don't need to worry too much, kid. Mechanical City are the best way to defend against magical beasts. With these three 'ghoul' Mechanical City, even if a few Fifth-tier Magical Beast come, they won't necessarily come out on top. Besides, I'm here too."

He was confident that even if something unexpected happened, he could protect Rein's safety.

"Yes, it's better to be prepared."

Rein wasn't worried about himself, because Bazel would definitely do everything he could to protect him.

But this legend is a bodyguard, not a nanny, and Rein has no right to demand that he protect others.

He was worried that something might happen to Karl and his grandson Tuster.

In case of a Beast Tide attack, it's always good to be prepared.

The Tuster father and son did not discover Bazel's presence.

Seeing how carefully Rein had arranged things, they realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Will the Beast Tide be severe tonight?" Tuster asked.

Rein nodded. "Yes. High-tier Demonic Beast will definitely come. The Mechanical City might not be a big problem, but the ground camps are a different story."

After all, the ground camp only had one steel wall blocking it, and no one could guarantee that it would be able to stop the Beast Tide.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Grandpa Tuster, if a real battle breaks out, I'm a doctor, and I'll probably be drafted to the city walls to provide battlefield first aid. You all need to be careful then, watch out for flying monsters attacking the camp, and poisonous insects."

Hearing this, Tuster laughed and said, "Rein, you can rest assured. Although this old body of mine is about to die, I'm not so weak that a few magical beasts can take my life."

The old man spoke with an air of inexplicable confidence, which startled Rein.

The monsters in the "Plague Marsh" are no joke. Even Third Tier- or Fourth Tier Transcendent can't guarantee their survival. Where does the old man get his confidence from?

If these words had come from Bazel air, Bazel wouldn't have been surprised at all, but this was a patient who relied on Mechanical Arm to walk.

Is the old man serious?

Seemingly sensing Rein's confusion, Tuster's wise eyes gleamed, and he smiled slightly, saying, "A true mechanic isn't just a craftsman who hides in a factory hammering and tinkering. The power of machinery is no less than any Transcendent ability."

"."

Rein still seemed somewhat skeptical.

Mechanics are a bunch of guys obsessed with "external object research," physically weak like mages. Their role is similar to that of a doctor, a support-oriented logistical profession.

They did create some powerful mechanical equipment, but weren't those all meant to serve other Extraordinary Profession?

For example, melee-focused Mechanical Skeleton, various firearms and ammunition for the Gunslinger class, and the Mechanical City.

Tuster smiled and said nothing more.

At this moment, Karl, who was standing to the side, said with a serious expression, "Brother Rein, don't worry, I will take good care of Grandpa!"

He paused, then gave me a 'I'll tell you a little secret' look and said, "I have a heavy-duty 'Raccoon Mechanical Combat Suit,' it's super powerful!"

"."

Rein had already given up hope on Karl's aesthetic sense.

Judging from the name, it doesn't sound like anything too cool.

Moreover, Karl hasn't awakened his Transcendent yet, so he probably doesn't quite understand the concept of "powerful".

But then he noticed that little Karl was wearing a strange suit of mechanical armor. It was covered with many incomprehensible mechanical devices: springs, bearings, gears, hydraulic transmissions, and some oddly placed empty sockets.

Uh... this looks like it's a mechanical inner garment used to hang some external armor?

Rein wanted to ask a few more questions,

Before they could exchange more words, the attack alarm for the "Plague Base" went off.

Waaah... waaah... waaah.

Flares were fired into the sky, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.

War announcements also blared throughout the base over the loudspeaker.

"Attention Hunters! A massive 'Beast Tide' has been detected around the base. All personnel are on high alert!"

"Repeat it again."

"."

In just a few breaths, countless excited hunters emerged from the tents in the open space of the base.

Having spent years hunting in the wilderness, they had developed an exceptionally high level of alertness. At the first sound, they would quickly prepare for battle.

"Hahaha, those barbarians really fell for it! Looks like we're in for a good hunt and some contribution points tonight!"

"I'd heard from other bases that this kind of positional warfare was basically free money, but I never thought we'd be so lucky this time."

"Let's go, brothers, grab your weapons and get on the wall!"

"."

When the "Beast Tide" attacked the camp, the hunters did not see it as a bad thing; instead, they excitedly rushed up the city wall.

Meanwhile, the "Enforcement Team" dressed in white Mage Robe began to appear in the camp one after another.

These mages would check the "deserters" in the camp, and if they found that the deserters were not logistics professionals and had not reached the city wall within the specified time, they would be executed on the spot!

Rein didn't dare linger in the tent. "Grandpa Tuster, Karl, please be careful. I'm going now."

Tuster: "Rein, take care of yourself. Don't worry, this old man will take care of himself."

Karl: "I'll take good care of Grandpa too!"

Rein was the kind of person who just went through the motions and wasn't in a hurry to make a contribution, so he slowly climbed up the steel wall.

When they reached the city wall, the first wave of Beast Tide had not yet approached. The visibility outside the camp was only one or two thousand meters, and no one could see how many monsters were deep in the swamp.

"Open the door! Open the door now!"

"Let us in quickly."

At this moment, those scouts, who were probably sent out to scout earlier, turned pale with fright and ran back from afar.

"Hahaha, look how scared these guys are. I wonder how many monsters and barbarians are in the mist."

"Hopefully more will come, otherwise the firepower of the three Mechanical City will cover them out, and we won't get any benefit."

"."

Watching their fellow hunters being chased and running wildly on the ground, the hunters on the city wall burst into laughter.

Holding a musket, smoking a cigarette, chatting and joking, they were quite relaxed.

At this time,

The scouts outside the city wall ran closer and shouted loudly.

"Beast Tide! It's Lord-tier Magical Beast!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Before long, a colossal creature, over two hundred meters tall, slowly emerged from the mist and approached.

At that moment, Bazel quietly appeared beside Rein.

"Huh? A Lord-tier monster has appeared!"

The legendary figure let out a soft exclamation and clicked his tongue. "A very rare elemental monster! Tsk tsk, quite a few people in the camp are going to die tonight."

Despite this, Bazel's face showed little seriousness, only a hint of schadenfreude.

Seeing that even the big shots were so calm, Rein didn't feel any need to panic, but he was still a little curious. "Lord-tier?"

This is something that can only be found in the Magical Beast Encyclopedia.

"Lord-tier" magical beasts are even higher than Beast King tier.

A hunter roams the wasteland and might never encounter a single living "Lord-tier" magical beast in their entire life. Those who do appear are mostly dead.

The appearance of a monster of this caliber means that all the magical beasts within a radius of tens of kilometers will likely be driven away.

This Beast Tide seems to be quite large.

"Dispel the fog!"

"Flare!"

Two more commands were given, and the view suddenly opened up.

This allowed everyone on the wall to clearly see the enormous monster.

This is a monster that looks like a mud fountain and a mountain.

Rein recognized the thing, his eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "The Swamp Lord?"

"[Swamp Lord]: The ultimate evolution of the 'Mud Monster,' a fifth-tier Lord-tier creature with a lifespan of 300-2000 years. Calling it a magical beast is an understatement; it's more accurately described as an elemental monster, possessing almost 100% condensed magic cores. It inhabits swampy areas rich in water and earth elements."

—Warcraft Magical Beast Encyclopedia

This thing is very troublesome for Transcendent.

The monster was covered in wet, flowing mud. Although it was a physical entity, it was almost 100% immune to physical damage. Even magical damage could not cause much real harm unless the hundred-meter-thick layer of mud around its body was broken.

As long as its body touches the earth, it can draw upon a continuous source of earth Elemental Power.

Almost "Immortal Body"!

This was also the first time Rein had ever seen a Lord-tier monster. He asked curiously, "Senior Bazel, I read in the Magical Beast Encyclopedia that there are Lord-tier monsters. It says that their strength is roughly equivalent to the 'Top Ten Legendary Demon Hunters' among humans. Could you defeat one when you were at your peak?"

Your statement is too one-sided.

Bazel listened with a strange expression, then shook his head and said, "Even Transcendent abilities have their counters. There's no absolute rule that a fifth-tier being can definitely defeat another fifth-tier being. When faced with an ability counter, even a difference of one or two major tiers can lead to a victory over someone of a higher tier."

Rein didn't quite understand.

Bazel pointed to the Swamp Lord in the distance and said, "Elemental creatures like this are the best counter to Transcendent like us who rely on physical attacks."

He paused, then continued, "Similarly, it's virtually impossible for me to kill this [Swamp Lord] alone, but it poses absolutely no threat to me either. This thing usually hides in the swamp, moves slowly, and its attack methods are not strong. Although it's a 'Lord-tier' monster, it poses limited threat to High-tier Extraordinary. Against some Fourth Tier or fifth-tier magic-based Transcendent, its attack methods would be more effective."

"Oh, I see."

Upon hearing this, Rein finally understood something.

Bazel clicked his tongue and said, "Those barbarians are quite clever. With this monster blocking their way, the cannons of the Mechanical City are already seventy or eighty percent destroyed."

Upon hearing this, Rein exclaimed, "Oh? Then isn't the base very dangerous?"

The triangular layout of this "Plague Base" is ingenious. No matter which direction the Beast Tide comes from, it will be covered by the firepower of at least two Mechanical City.

But that Mud Monster, one of its heads could probably block the firepower of an entire Mechanical City.

This would create a large blind spot for artillery coverage.

Moreover, the city wall they were standing on was only fifty meters high, while the [Swamp Lord] was over two hundred meters tall.

"The situation isn't that bad."

Bazel shook his head and said, "You haven't witnessed the true power of the 'City of Radiance.' Besides these Mechanical City, those Mage Corps are the real terrifying war-reaping machines! Taking it down isn't impossible. However, the casualties will be considerable."

But the scale of this Beast Tide exceeded expectations.

Even so, there wasn't much chaos inside the "Plague Base".

The war horns sounded, and everyone took their place and performed their duties.

The first round of artillery fire had already blasted into the darkness, creating a dazzling display of fire.

The cannon fire hit the Swamp Lord, producing a few harmless mud bubbles that instantly vanished. Physical attacks were practically useless against this elemental monster.

It slowly approached the base, shielded by hundreds of cannons, with a shadowy, indistinct horde of monsters trailing behind it.

"Fire Magic, prepare to cast!"

"Fire Oil Sprayer, ready!"

"First Tier mages begin chanting when monsters enter within 1000 meters; Second Tier mages within 700 meters; and Third Tier 400 meters."

"Artillery delay 10 seconds!"

"."

The hunters of "City of Radiance" have developed a set of skilled methods for dealing with magical beasts. On the Mechanical City, a Mage Corps is preparing to chant spells.

They were also waiting, waiting for the monster to get closer before unleashing a collective Fire Magic.

Once the Mud Monster is burned dry, it can be shattered into pieces with just a few shots.

This is the power of a large team; even a "Lord-tier" monster would have no chance against it!

But suddenly,

"Wrong!"

Just as the Swamp Lord approached the base, Bazel seemed to sense something.

His expression suddenly turned serious. Looking at the thick fog behind the Mud Monster, his pupils contracted sharply. "There's another 'Lord-tier' magical beast!"

Rein: "???"

After carefully sensing it for a moment, Bazel confirmed his judgment.

At this moment, the relaxed expression on his face finally disappeared, and his brows furrowed slightly. "Someone cast a spell to cloud my senses. It seems that High Priest among the barbarians has made his move."

After a pause, the legendary figure murmured, "Two 'Lord-tier' magical beasts will likely bring over a hundred thousand magical beasts with them to attack the city. The scale of this 'Beast Tide' will probably far exceed our expectations."

Rein was startled. "Huh? Can the base hold them off?"

"With High Priest involved, it's clear they came prepared. If it were just a monster siege, the three Mechanical City wouldn't be too difficult to defend, but the camps below are likely to suffer."

Bazel suddenly reverted to his "none of my business" attitude, saying, "But what does it matter to us whether we can stop them or not? At worst, I'll just take you and run away."

Upon hearing this, Rein was startled.

This ground camp houses tens of thousands of hunters; now, the ground will likely be littered with corpses.

It will be available for purchase next Friday! 4000 words, please vote for it!!