The Terror of the Lurker

The Keren Kingdom king's decree was issued, prompting Morton and the soldiers from the two surrounding territories to assemble immediately. By the time the nine-thousand-strong army had gathered, ten days had already passed.

On the road from Morton's main city to the Smoke Mining Area, Robert, clad in heavy armor, furrowed his brows. He turned to the middle-aged man beside him, who was wearing silver chainmail, and said, "General Dieter, can we increase our marching speed? It has already been ten days. My daughter was snatched away by those magical beasts ten days ago, and I am deeply worried for her safety... She is my only heir..."

Dieter, the general leading the Caernarfon troops, possessed strength at the peak of the fourth rank. Having achieved the glorious feat of slaying a fifth-rank first-level golden fighter, he was hailed as the silver warrior closest to a golden fighter in the Keren Kingdom. At this moment, he curled his lips in disdain. "City Lord Robert, according to your description, those magical beasts are cruel, bloodthirsty, and violent by nature. To put it bluntly, after ten days, your daughter has likely already returned to the heavens... No, don't get angry yet. In this operation, as long as we capture the leader of these emerging magical beasts, it will be a great merit. When the time comes, His Majesty the King's reward will certainly be generous. As a city lord, once you return and work diligently, are you afraid you won't have another heir? Hahaha..."

Robert's face turned grim. As a city lord and a count, even if Dieter was a peak fourth-rank silver warrior, he was expected to treat Robert with courtesy. However, the recent rebellion by Hiller had turned Robert into a laughingstock throughout the Keren Kingdom, causing his prestige to plummet. Now, even Dieter dared to speak to him in such a manner.

Robert clenched his fists, yet he dared not vent his anger. His Majesty the King had ordered the three territories to assemble nine thousand soldiers. Logically, each territory should have contributed three thousand, but due to Hiller's betrayal, four thousand troops had defected directly. Morton's military strength was severely depleted, and they could only scrape together two thousand soldiers. It was only after Dieter arrived with four thousand troops that Morton's predicament was resolved. Therefore, even though he held high status and was a city lord, he had to endure it!

Over sixty miles of terrain, the army had only covered twenty miles in half a day. However, per Dieter's orders, a full five hundred scouts had thoroughly scouted the surroundings of the mining area. As for the situation inside the mining area, the scouts were completely helpless; no matter how they attempted to infiltrate, they would have their chests or skulls pierced directly by sharp spikes!

When the news reached the main army, Robert's expression was grave. "I have met this Ye Luo. Although he appears young, he is very steady in his actions. I do not believe he would leave the area outside the mining site completely undefended!"

Dieter, however, held a completely different view. He rested his hands on the hilt of his broadsword. "Magical beasts are, after all, just magical beasts. City Lord Robert, are you still expecting a group of magical beasts to build defensive fortifications and construct massive castles like we do to repel enemies? In my opinion, the beast leader's approach is quite logical. The memory crystal also showed that they only have a thousand or so beasts. If I were them, I certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to deploy my army on the plains to fight an enemy nine times our size; I would hide them in the winding mine tunnels instead!"

Robert was left speechless by this, unable to offer a rebuttal.

Dieter smiled triumphantly. "Therefore, starting tomorrow, our army can advance rapidly to reach a point five miles from the mining area. On the third day, we will launch a full-scale assault on the mining area!"

"If those magical beasts are all hiding underground, what method should we use to defeat them? Their speed is as fast as ghosts, and sending soldiers into the mine shafts will likely result in heavy losses!" Robert asked, puzzled.

A confident glow appeared on Dieter's face, and his dark skin seemed to brighten under this radiance. "Enter the mine shafts? City Lord Robert, I am now starting to wonder how you managed to sit in the position of city lord. The mine shafts are winding, and the internal space is narrow. Fighting inside the tunnels would only cause our army to suffer heavy losses. Hmph, if these rats like digging holes so much, then we will simply flatten the entire mining area! City Lord Robert, what do you think of my idea?"

Robert narrowed his eyes. "As expected of General Dieter, I am impressed!"

"Hahaha..."

Filled with ambition and dreaming of capturing the beast leader to present to the kingdom for a grand reward, Dieter's good mood lasted until noon the next day!

When the army was ten miles from the mining area, ten three-meter-tall earth spikes shot into the sky, impaling thirteen soldiers and lifting them into the air!

"Enemy attack!! Enemy attack!!!" The rapidly marching formation stopped immediately. The soldiers drew their weapons and gripped their shields in unison, yet these spikes, coming from below, rendered their defenses useless!

"Whoosh!" "Splurt!" "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Following that, the ground beneath their feet seemed to come alive as massive earth spikes emerged from the earth one after another! The armor they wore, which seemed to provide such immense security, was as fragile as paper in the face of these giant spikes. Every time a spike appeared, one or even two people were inevitably pierced through!

"Mages, mages! Damn it, where is Tom? Didn't he tell me there were no defenses on the edge of the enemy's mining area? Damn it, mages, cast magic to protect the army immediately!" Dieter's mood plummeted from heaven to hell in an instant. These intermittent spikes didn't appear in large numbers—only about ten at a time—but the constant piercing caused a hundred casualties in just one minute. They hadn't even seen the enemy's shadow, which was a devastating blow to the army's morale.

More than twenty mages rushed to the front line, especially the six earth-element mages. They closed their eyes to sense the magical fluctuations in the ground, but... one minute later...

The third-rank mage Lushute opened his eyes, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He asked his companion beside him, "How is it? Did you sense anything?"

His companion opened his eyes and gave a bitter smile. "No, there isn't a shred of earth-element magical fluctuation. This is not magic; it cannot be magic! Quickly report to the General..."

"Splurt!" Before the mage could turn around, a sharp spike suddenly erupted from beneath his feet. Without any warning, it pierced straight through his chest. In Lushute's eyes, his companion, who had been alive just a moment ago, now had his eyes wide open, spitting blood as he was lifted into the air by the massive spike in his chest!

The spike retracted into the ground, and his companion was dead beyond a doubt.

A shiver ran through his body, and Lushute ran toward Dieter as fast as he could, shouting as he ran, "General, General! We didn't sense any earth-element fluctuations at all. These spikes are definitely not earth magic!"

Dieter's eyes were wide as saucers, and the soldiers' screams continued to echo one after another!

"If this isn't magic, then what is it? What could it be!!!" Dieter roared in anger.

Lushute's mind flashed with a sudden inspiration. "Could it be an attack launched by some magical beasts hiding underground?"

The words made Dieter realize the truth instantly. "Highly likely. Damn it, we truly underestimated these magical beasts. Pass my order: mages are to use magic to solidify the ground, and the army is to advance rapidly! I don't believe these magical beasts can set ambushes across the entire ten-kilometer radius of the mining area!"