A Formidable Army, All Forces Advance! (Continued)
The next day was his sixth day in the game.
Shen Xing stood before the burial ground at the center of his territory and willed a command.
[Consume Soul Stone ×60, Vinar Silver Coin ×60, fire of the afterglow ×60 to recruit skeleton archer ×6?]
"Yes."
When he confirmed, the materials in his inventory were consumed automatically.
On the ground, a mass of bones began to roll, fitting themselves together.
In the blink of an eye, six deathly pale skeleton archers carrying simple wooden bows on their backs came clattering out of the burial ground.
[Skeleton archer] [Level: 1] [Potential: Common ★★] [Attributes: Strength 6, spirit 4, agility 8, constitution 4] [Skill: Dark Arrow (Concentrates the power of darkness to fire an energy arrow that deals piercing damage to an enemy.)] [Talent: None] [Bond: Skeleton archer (inactive)]
"As expected of a two-star starting unit. They come with a skill right off the bat, and it's an energy attack."
Shen Xing was very pleased, not only because the unit was ranged, but also because its skill was extremely convenient and practical.
They attacked by concentrating energy into arrows, which meant that, unlike other archers, they didn't need to be supplied with a large number of arrows before battle.
Otherwise, given the territory's current conditions, he wouldn't have been able to make them at all.
Of course, they were only level 1 at the moment, and just a few skeletons. Their attack power wasn't high, and their defense wasn't strong either.
Still, they were more than enough to provide some extra damage from the rear.
"My lord, I have something to report to you."
Hellscream approached with steady strides, the blue mark between his brows radiating a halo of wisdom.
"What is it?" Shen Xing noticed that his bearing seemed different from before.
"Your teachings yesterday benefited me greatly."
Hellscream replied earnestly, "I also realized that I was still too impulsive. I gained a little strength and stopped taking my enemies seriously."
"After spending the night thinking and reflecting, I improved the skills I had mastered and comprehended a new skill form."
"Oh? A new skill form?" Shen Xing's interest was piqued. "Show me."
"Yes!"
Hellscream nodded and stepped back some distance.
He took a deep breath, and the moment he gripped his battle-axe, his bearing changed abruptly.
He became more elusive and insubstantial, to the point where his presence could no longer be felt.
"Whoosh..."
A gentle breeze blew past, and he vanished from where he stood.
Yes, he had vanished, without the slightest warning.
Immediately afterward, Hellscream suddenly appeared beside a massive black boulder dozens of meters away.
He raised his double-bladed axe high, then brought it down in a seemingly calm motion.
At first, the boulder appeared unchanged.
The next second.
"Boom!!!"
An earth-shattering explosion rang out. The boulder seemed to burst apart from within, sending countless fragments flying in every direction!
Shen Xing: "Σ(⊙▽⊙"a!"
A moment later, Hellscream put away his battle-axe and returned to his lord's side.
"Is that the new skill form you comprehended?" Shen Xing asked, his face full of amazement.
"Yes." Hellscream replied earnestly, "I believed my previous fighting style was too direct, making it easy for enemies to see through my movements."
"So I improved the way I exert force with Wind Walk, allowing me to conceal myself."
"Then, with the power of wind enhancing me, I layer it with Earth-Splitting Slam, concentrating the force of the blow at a single point before releasing it all at once."
"That way, I can strike without the slightest disturbance, revealing its power only after the attack lands."
Shen Xing gave him a long look and said slowly, "Hellscream, you know, you might be a genius."
"A genius..." Hellscream paused, then replied humbly, "No, I am foolish. It is because you taught me well, my lord."
"If not for your teachings yesterday, I might never have understood these things in my entire life!"
"Good, good, good! You can be taught!"
Shen Xing laughed heartily, very pleased with his reply.
Hellscream's enlightenment was an unexpected delight, and it raised the odds of victory he had estimated at ten out of ten yesterday even further.
Now he was confident enough to take down Plague Village!
"Everyone, assemble."
At Shen Xing's command, the doors of the wooden houses were pushed open, and green-skinned figures emerged.
They came to the village entrance and lined up neatly in two rows.
At present, the territory had twenty-three combat units in total.
Besides the six skeleton archers, Shen Xing had also recruited five orc infantrymen over the past few days.
Among them.
There were two elite ★★★ orcs, Hellscream and Gorehowl.
Three common ★★★ orc infantrymen: Da Hou, Er Hou, and San Hou.
Five common ★★ orcs and five common ★ orcs.
With the six newly recruited two-star archers added in, the entire territory looked like a formidable force!
"Warriors, take up your weapons and prepare for battle!" Shen Xing raised an arm and shouted from his wheelchair.
"Waaaaagh!!"
The orcs raised their battle-axes high, fierce fighting spirit blazing in their eyes!
The skeleton archers behind them also raised their bows, their jaws opening and closing repeatedly with the crisp clatter of bone against bone.
As skeletons, they didn't know what was happening, but they couldn't go wrong shouting along.
Just then, Gorehowl rode forward on his warg and asked expectantly, "Boss, can you take me along this time?"
Shen Xing glanced at him, knowing that the fellow had been stuck guarding home all this time and was nearly going stir-crazy.
"All right, I'll take you with us this time. Remember to do well."
"Thank you, boss!"
Gorehowl nodded excitedly. "Rest assured, I'll be the warrior who kills the most enemies!"
Shen Xing nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to another orc in the crowd. "Da Hou, come here."
"Yes, boss!"
An orc with an especially muscular upper body and several scars on his shoulders stepped out of the ranks.
Under Da Hou's expectant gaze, Shen Xing raised his right hand, and a beam of red light entered his body.
"Hum~"
Within the light, Da Hou rapidly grew taller, and the muscles of his upper body became even more massive.
[Advancement successful! 'Da Hou' has successfully broken through to elite ★, and his class has advanced to orc warrior!] [Attributes gained from this breakthrough: All attributes +10%, agility +10] [Skill activated: Charged Heavy Strike!]
"Da Hou, I'm assigning you four orcs and two archers to guard the territory," Shen Xing instructed solemnly.
Although the troops he left with Da Hou were all one-star units, together with the arrow tower, which had already reached level 2, they would have no trouble dealing with attacks by ordinary monsters.
"Yes, I'll defend the territory's safety with my life!" Da Hou pounded his chest.
Next, Shen Xing upgraded the lantern to level 3.
[Lantern] [Level: 3] [Effect: Light turns orange-yellow, dispelling fog within a 25-meter radius and providing illumination] [Continuous burn time: 3.5 hours] [Upgrade requirements: Level 4 campfire, Soul Stone ×20, black crystal ×20]
The orange-yellow light spread out, illuminating a vast expanse of fog and revealing the black earth.
"Not bad. The level 3 lantern is a big improvement. Its lighting range has reached 50 meters."
"Visibility has increased a lot this time."
Once everything was ready, Shen Xing led ten orcs and four skeleton archers into the fog.
Gorehowl, the wolf rider, took the lead at the very front of the group.
Hellscream led the orcs, guarding their lord's side.
Four skeletons followed behind, clattering as they walked.
Half an hour later.
The group stopped on a small slope.
Shen Xing was held on an orc's shoulders as he gazed into the distance at the village standing alone in the fog, radiating an evil aura.
Figures moved dimly about, and ancient chanting reached his ears from time to time.
After observing for a while, he made a rough count of the enemies.
Not counting the monsters hidden inside the wooden houses, there were fifty or sixty figures throughout the village.