Changing Strategies

Zhang Yang struggled to his feet. To his surprise, he did not immediately recruit more soldiers. Instead, he ordered the remaining few soldiers to gather whatever usable weapons and leather armor they could find, then silently left the bloody battlefield. After walking several hundred meters, he found a massive boulder, sat down beside it, and activated Level One Concealment.

This trait was fairly safe to some extent, but its cost was exorbitant—one point of energy per minute. It was truly too expensive to sustain.

But Zhang Yang needed it now. He needed time, and he needed a safe place to relax. Even with a powerful C+ soul, he truly could not endure one bloody slaughter after another.

This really was not a game.

It was only after a full five minutes that Zhang Yang somewhat recovered.

"I wonder whether my current situation is the same as those 821 former village chiefs, or whether I've already embarked on the road to ultimate destruction?"

With a self-mocking smile, Zhang Yang began to formally examine the gains from the previous battle.

"How much is a complete Level 5 Red Eagle Demon Soul worth?"

The instant that thought crossed his mind, the Golden Scales appeared again. On one side lay the Red Eagle Demon Soul; on the other were a full 500 points of energy—enough for Zhang Yang to establish his village.

But his gaze did not linger there. It swept downward instead.

"Use a complete demon soul to cultivate powerful warriors. Currently possesses one Level 5 Red Eagle Demon Soul, which can cultivate five Elite Spearmen/Archers/Sword and Shield Soldiers."

"Note: Soldiers who personally killed the Red Eagle will have their cultivation success rate increased by 30%."

"Note: A complete Red Eagle Demon Soul will increase the cultivation success rate by 20%."

"Note: A Level 5 Red Eagle Demon Soul will grant a 100% chance to enhance an elite soldier's weapon."

"Note: Using a higher-level, more complete demon soul has a certain chance to further enhance troops with compatible affinities, causing Battle Runes to appear on a part of their bodies."

"Cultivating five elite soldiers requires 50 points of energy, 50 units of Red Eagle Demon blood, and 50 Red Eagle feathers. Base success rate: 60%. Every additional 5 points of energy increases the success rate of an individual soldier by 10%."

--

"Use a complete demon soul to increase the strength of the Village Building Order holder. Currently possesses one Level 5 Red Eagle Demon Soul. Upon use, one attribute will randomly increase by one level, and one Red Eagle Demon talent will be randomly acquired. There is also a certain chance for compatible Battle Runes to appear."

"Requires 50 points of energy, 50 units of Red Eagle Demon blood, and 50 Red Eagle feathers. Success rate: 100%."

--

"So, which should I choose?"

Zhang Yang hesitated. Five Elite Spearmen, Elite Archers, or Elite Sword and Shield Soldiers were immensely tempting. If he had five elites, he could crush Azure Wolf Demons with an overwhelming advantage, fight Black Bear Demons head-on, then kill Red Eagle Demons after paying a certain price.

But if it merely doubled one of his attributes, even with one random talent and a chance at Battle Runes, that translated into combat power equivalent to only a few ordinary soldiers.

It seemed terribly uneconomical.

However, only complete demon souls could strengthen the Village Building Order holder. Incomplete demon souls did not offer that option, so Zhang Yang had to consider the chances of complete demon souls dropping.

Besides, if he chose the former, he would have to spend 100 energy points in total. If he chose the latter, he would need only 50.

These thoughts flowed swiftly through his mind, but Zhang Yang did not make a decision because of them. Instead, he muttered to himself, "Before me, there were 981 bound village chiefs. Some of them must have encountered situations similar to mine. Then how I choose isn't important. I have to figure out how they chose, and why they failed afterward."

"Furthermore, looking over the three battles I've just experienced, the demons encountered in each one were of a higher level than the last. Is that a coincidence? I clearly had an Elite Spearman capable of fighting an Azure Wolf head-on, yet a Level 2 Bear Demon suddenly appeared and killed my Elite Spearman."

"If I had been able to preserve that Elite Spearman, then when I encountered the Level 5 Eagle Demon afterward, my Elite Archer might not have needed to die."

"And now, I've clearly fought and killed three demons, including a Level 5 Eagle Demon. I've clearly gained a great deal, yet the strength in my hands hasn't increased in the slightest. The extra energy might all be drained again the next time I encounter a demon, forming a vicious cycle."

"That is only a hypothesis. Maybe the next thing I encounter will be a Level 1 Azure Wolf Demon. But things aren't that simple. Among those 981 former village chiefs, there must have been people smarter than me. And honestly, I'm not necessarily all that smart either. My ideas and choices cannot escape the logical framework of an ordinary person's thinking. That means there's a high chance I'll become the 982nd village chief to die."

"If I want to survive, I first need to break free from this damned vicious cycle. Whether it's a coincidence or some supernatural force interfering, my next choice will be crucial. It may determine whether I ultimately live or die."

Zhang Yang closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them again. "If I search my heart and ignore those factors, if I don't think about the 981 dead village chiefs, I would definitely choose the second option and strengthen myself first. That is a temptation no one can avoid. Especially since it is still far from nightfall, there are so many monsters in the forest, and I can simply keep fighting with large numbers of ordinary soldiers. But complete demon souls capable of improving my own strength are rare."

"But I cannot represent everyone. Perhaps many village chiefs chose the first option. Then why did they all ultimately die? Perhaps the answer is that even if they had five, or even more elite soldiers, the demons that appeared would only grow stronger and stronger. No matter how hard you worked or developed, you could never keep pace with those powerful demons. So it all returns to the starting point—this damned Fantasy World."

With a bitter smile, Zhang Yang's gaze gradually hardened. Everything he had just considered was hypothetical and might not be correct, but it gave him another line of thought. At the very least, he had now made his choice and knew what to do next.

"I'm going to sell that Red Eagle heart."

Zhang Yang muttered inwardly. Instantly, the Golden Scales emerged. On one side was the Red Eagle's heart; on the other were a mere 50 points of energy.

That was unexpected, but Zhang Yang did not hesitate. He chose to sell it immediately. Under the current circumstances, aside from his own soul and demon souls, he could sell anything.

Unfortunately, no other items appeared on the Golden Scales, including the demon blood, demon meat, feathers, wolf fangs, bear fangs, and so on. Their quality was probably insufficient.

Zhang Yang now had 195 energy points. He first recruited one Sword and Shield Soldier, then one Spearman, and finally selected the three Longbowmen left over from the previous battle.

These were the elite soldiers he intended to cultivate and enhance. The reason he chose three Longbowmen was that Zhang Yang believed the Red Eagle Demon Soul would be more compatible with that troop type.

Following the cultivation requirements, he ordered the five soldiers to stand separately, each carrying their weapons, then selected demon soul enhancement.

In that instant, 100 energy points were deducted. Five beams of white light shot from the Fantasy Village Building Order and enveloped the five soldiers. But in the next second, something unexpected happened: three faint red lights, almost too dim to see, emerged and landed separately upon the three Longbowmen. Clearly, the hidden condition of affinity compatibility had been triggered.

Zhang Yang was overjoyed. Any extra increase in strength was profit. Perhaps it could win them final victory in a fierce battle.

Five minutes soon passed, and the cultivation and enhancement of the five elite soldiers was complete.

The Elite Sword and Shield Soldier and Elite Spearman were normal, but the three Elite Archers each had three faint Crimson Eagle Feather Battle Runes appear on their bodies.

Judging from their attributes, the Elite Archer whose Crimson Eagle Feather Battle Runes appeared between his eyes gained Precision Boost.

The Elite Archer whose Crimson Eagle Feather Battle Runes appeared between his hands gained an enhancement to Gravity Shot.

The final Elite Archer had Crimson Eagle Feather Battle Runes appear on his feet, granting Movement Agility Boost.

The Village Building Order did not display the specific values of these boosts, and Zhang Yang did not care. After examining their enhanced weapons, he deactivated Level One Concealment and activated Level One Vision.

Within those ten seconds of vision, he saw eight yellow points of light representing danger within a one-kilometer radius. There were no green points, nor were there any red points representing extreme danger.

"Go here!"

Zhang Yang marked the nearest yellow point. He intended to take the initiative.

The combat strength of five elite soldiers was enough to rival one hundred ordinary soldiers, while their smaller numbers allowed them to remain far more concealed.

In fact, every time Zhang Yang advanced one hundred meters, he would activate Level One Stealth, then activate Level One Vision, so that he could precisely detect the movements of dangerous targets around him.

That was the most valuable use for those precious energy points, rather than spending them on recruiting ordinary soldiers.

Not only were they of little use, their excessive numbers would also attract attacks from aerial demons.

Walking and stopping, stopping and walking, Zhang Yang was cautious this time—extremely cautious—because he wanted to reduce his chances of making mistakes.

Finally, around ten minutes later, after correcting their route four times, Zhang Yang led the five elite soldiers into an ambush ahead of the target light point. By then, simply activating Level One Stealth and Level One Vision had already consumed 45 energy points.

But to Zhang Yang, it was all worth it.

Half a minute later, a black demon resembling a leopard, though three times larger, appeared a hundred meters ahead of Zhang Yang. With Level One Stealth active, the demon noticed nothing, yet it remained alert as it lightly leaped from tree to tree.

Zhang Yang was somewhat uneasy at this point, because he had no way to estimate the demon's strength. Seeing it leap onto a tree more than fifty meters away and prepare to head in another direction, he gritted his teeth and gave the order to attack.

In an instant, the three Elite Archers raised their enhanced longbows and drew them into full moons. The moment the bowstrings thundered, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—nine feathered arrows left streaking afterimages in the air as they chased the wind.

This was the skill only Elite Archers could master: Wind Chasing Triple Shot.

In the blink of an eye, all nine arrows struck the demon, sinking at least ten centimeters into its flesh. There was no faking that this time. The pain made the demon howl, and with one leap it shot more than ten meters into the air, landing on a higher tree. Then it pounced in their direction like a bolt of black lightning.

Zhang Yang could not even see it clearly. He only knew things were bad, because the demon was too fast. Furthermore, the power of the Elite Archers' Wind Chasing Triple Shot was still too weak; it had failed to inflict massive damage on the target in an instant.

Without another word, he activated Level One Protection. The white barrier had barely lit up when the demon pounced from fifty meters away to right before them. With a bang, the Level One Protection barrier shook violently. It was only a hair away from shattering.

But that tiny margin saved Zhang Yang and the others' lives.

At that instant, the Elite Spearman roared and thrust his enhanced spear like lightning. Seizing the moment when the demon was knocked back, he drove it straight through the creature's throat.

At the same time, the Elite Sword and Shield Soldier stepped forward with his shield, protecting the Elite Spearman's flank.

In the very next instant, the demon's dying claw came slapping down.

With a crack, the enhanced shield shattered outright. The recoil even knocked the Elite Sword and Shield Soldier back several steps.

But the Elite Spearman's life was preserved.

The entire process had ended in only a few instants. Zhang Yang stood dumbfounded for a long time before coming back to himself, only to find that cold sweat had once again soaked his entire body.

That was close—far too close!

If there had been even the slightest flaw in the coordination of these five elite soldiers—no, including himself, the coordination of all six of them—the ones left without even intact corpses would have been them.

And against a demon with such terrifying speed, even recruiting a hundred soldiers would have been completely useless.