Not long after.
At Black Wind Pass.
Qi Ji Territory's forces stood ready for battle.
The adventurers could barely hide their mingled anticipation and unease.
"This is my first time fighting a Dark Lord!"
"I'm so nervous! This is exciting!"
"I wonder how many they'll bring."
"We're well prepared, and we've got the Lord backing us. Nothing to worry about."
"Exactly!"
"Death means nothing. If you don't like it, fight!"
"Damn it, why are they taking so long? This is killing me!"
"Could those Dark Race bastards be too scared to come?"
"..."
They waited for a full three hours.
The adventurers were beginning to lose their patience.
Then, news suddenly arrived from the scouts ahead.
"They're here!"
"The Dark Race Troops are approaching!"
"Holy shit! There are so many! Everyone, get ready!"
Dark City's army finally arrived as expected, like a massive black python invading the gorge. There were at least eight hundred of them by estimate—more than twice the strength of Qi Ji Territory's forces!
Their leader was none other than Bloodthroat, the Dark Lord.
This Dark Goblin Lord had not underestimated his enemy.
Although Gloomy City was merely a First Order Dungeon tucked away in an insignificant corner of the Eternal Night Great Forest,
it had existed for forty or fifty years and possessed considerable foundations and scale.
There were still nearly two thousand Dark Race inhabitants in Gloomy City.
Of those, only around one thousand two or three hundred were able-bodied fighters.
Bloodthroat himself was at the mid-stage of the Second Order.
He was roughly between Second Order Two-Star and Three-Star.
He had originally commanded seven Goblin chieftains, each equivalent to a First Rank Five-Star monster. However, only five remained now, as Maggot Eye and Black Bone had already died in battle.
Besides that,
there were