"It sounds like some kind of mutation occurred. Could it really have been caused by radiation from the Witchcraft Energy that leaked out of Chalk Country?"
Roy secretly pondered this as he glanced around.
"Let's go take a look!"
The others couldn't help resisting the idea.
But Roy had considered that even Tigro and the others had managed to escape alive, so they should be able to do the same.
They just had to be more careful.
Besides, he wasn't relying on his own martial strength or Casting Ability, but on the Mirage Orb Sailen carried.
After asking about the general situation, he led everyone onward along the beach and had Sailen activate the Enchanted Item's function in advance.
Sure enough, near a crescent-shaped bay, they successfully detected a large gathering of mermen. They were moving upstream along a river that flowed into the sea.
The mermen's weapons were crude, mostly primitive tools such as fish-bone spears and stone spears. Yet nearly all of them were equipped with weapons, forming a true army of monsters.
Elite Warriors gathered among them. Mermen of all sizes carried dried meat and dried water plants, while their variously colored scales reflected the afterglow of the sun, casting a shimmering rainbow of light.
"Their numbers are still increasing!
It looks like the nearby Merman Tribes have also been summoned!"
Renion said in shock.
"Could a Merman King be about to be born?"
Roy nodded secretly. "Mermen are typical tribal monsters. They have no civilization and little intelligence...
But this time, they've displayed a certain degree of intelligence. They can even march in formation.
There's a very high chance that a monster above the level of a chieftain is leading them.
A monster of this level has completely broken through the biological limitations of ordinary mermen as a lower species and embarked on the path of evolution!"
"It must have obtained a treasure from the Great Wind Land Hills..."
"This is an existence similar to us mortals embarking on the Supernatural Path!"
The others hadn't wasted their general knowledge classes.
After realizing this, they each spoke excitedly.
As low-level monsters, mermen had far greater innate limitations than humans. Moreover, they had no civilization, making it difficult to pass down knowledge and skills.
Thus, the only two ways to begin the path of evolution were fortuitous encounters and mutation.
For example, obtaining something that had fallen out of Chalk Country!
"However, it probably hasn't reached the level of a Merman King yet. At the very least, that lightning-casting merman shaman you encountered wasn't one!"
After coming back to his senses, Roy lowered his voice and said this to everyone.
"How can you be so certain?"
"It's simple. Chad, Tigro, you're both still alive!"
"That's true." Aimo muttered quietly, "But it still has to be at least Lord-level..."
Roy continued analyzing. "Judging by their appearance, they seem to be gathering a large force to attack some place.
You weren't being pursued. You simply happened to run into them by bad luck.
This is a once-in-a-thousand-years perfect opportunity! If we hunt their rearguard, we can get quite a few Fish Pearls and complete several missions!
And if there really is a war between monsters ahead, we might even be able to take advantage of the aftermath when both sides suffer heavy losses and profit from it!"
"This... can this really work?"
Everyone was stunned after hearing him.
"Isn't this a little too risky?"
"Is it really that risky? Not necessarily.
Low-level monsters aren't very intelligent. Even if there's a Lord, or even a hero, surpassing the chieftain level, it will amount to nothing more than a huge wave of monsters charging in for a head-on clash.
Moreover, the battle lines often stretch for dozens of kilometers. They'll be unable to watch both ends, giving us plenty of opportunities to strike.
If we decisively seize this opportunity, we really might make a huge windfall!"
Roy analyzed the situation calmly.
Hearing this, the others gradually shifted from their initial fear and hesitation to excitement.
Not long afterward, everyone appeared on a nearby highland and conducted a rough reconnaissance of the enemy situation around the beach and river.
The information they gathered was exhilarating.
"They really are migrating while marching!"
"From the looks of it, they intend to head east along the river all the way to the Core Area of the Great Wind Land Hills!"
"If that's the case, then the mermen we're seeing now... have actually fallen several hours behind?"
"Moreover, after we kill them, traces such as blood in the water will only flow downstream. The main force upstream won't notice!"
As they spoke excitedly, Roy gradually came up with a plan.
"Let's wait until that powerful monster has gone farther away...
Then we'll follow the river upstream and hunt them all the way until we encounter a force too large for us to handle. Then we'll withdraw!"
As they discussed their plan, night gradually fell.
Roy glanced around. Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, while the wounded had temporarily applied ointment and finished resting. He began issuing orders.
"Sailen, stay in the rear. You, Andov, Nia, and Aimo will guard the horses. Also, keep an eye out for flag signals or bonfires and provide support at any time..."
"Renion, Chad, and Shan Lu will form one team. Tigro and Thomas will make up another small team. I'll form a team by myself...
Act according to the signals!"
"Yes, Senior Roy!"
The Seven Towers Alliance had risen through plunder and planar colonization. The adventurous spirit and tacit rules originating from the Age of the Star Sea had long since become deeply rooted in everyone's hearts.
Although Roy had never been a chieftain, he had studied this world's history and knew that the two crucial points were "getting the work done" and "dividing the spoils."
When ordering people to "get the work done," the mission objectives and indicators of progress had to be made clear.
Only then could a leader inspire convincing authority.
After assigning the missions, he had to inspect and supervise their progress in stages and offer guidance. However, he didn't need to micromanage them, nor did he have the time or energy for that.
Not long afterward, everyone followed their orders, circled around to the upstream area, and launched a surprise attack.
Roy didn't rush to act. Instead, he stood guard on a nearby highland.
Watching as the two teams ambushed and easily dealt with the Elite Warriors, he waited until they had dug out the Fish Pearls before taking out a small luminous stone and infusing it with Mental Strength to send the agreed-upon signal...
In the distant night, another light flickered. Sailen was replying.
"Go!"
Roy collected the Fish Pearls that Renion and the others had handed over, then hurried toward Sailen and the others.
Not long afterward, everyone repeated the same process and ambushed several more merman squads upstream. At last, they encountered a merman shaman who knew how to cast spells.
Roy stepped forward, red light flickering in his eyes. "Everyone, move aside. I'll deal with it!"
The ordinary mermen posed little threat, and he didn't even spare them a glance. His invisible aura spread out, shaking their minds and making them hesitate in fear.
The occasional one that dared to attack was forcibly blocked by the power of his divine sense!
Immediately afterward, his hair grew explosively long and whipped about fiercely as if alive, blocking the attacks from behind.
Cutting through every obstacle and advancing as if no one stood in his way, he charged into the formation and faced the shaman directly.
"..."
"Animation!"
The iron chain was thrown out. In an instant, it wrapped around the opponent like a python, binding it tightly.
The merman shaman, who had been casting a spell, was interrupted and became completely unable to move.
Roy drew his sword and stabbed fiercely, finishing it off.
Everyone surged forward, charging through and routing the ordinary mermen, completely securing their victory.
Before you continue