Ch. 441: Chapter 441-450
Chapter 441 Ars Goetia Mercenary Group [Part 2]
"Ars Goetia Mercenary Group?" the Commander of the Fortress frowned as he looked at the smiling Half-Elf, who was seated across his table. "I've never heard of you guys."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Lux replied. "Now, you have heard of us."
The Commander narrowed his eyes but didn't comment. He had already had a good look at the Half-Elf's entourage, and although they were all in their teenage years, all of them were already Grade A Apostles and above, which was already considered decent for members of a Mercenary Group.
"So, you wish to offer your services to us for a good amount of money, right?" the Commander asked.
"Of course." Lux nodded. "Everyone needs money, especially a Mercenary Group. We need to eat and buy equipment, after all."
The Commander agreed with Lux's words and took out a scroll to form a contract. "Hmm… very well. Let's talk about the price. If you are able to take out the enemy's commanders, all of you will receive a hundred thousand gold coins. How about it?"
Lux leaned back on his chair before crossing his arms over his chest.
"200,000 Gold coins," Lux replied.
"150,000," the Commander proposed.
"Okay, that is acceptable," Lux nodded. "You have a deal."
The commander then made a draft and made Lux sign it.
Naturally, the Half-Elf didn't sign it right away. He made sure to read every word to make sure that he understood the content of the contract before signing it.
According to the contract, Lux and his Mercenary Group would only get their rewards after the Commanders were killed, or they had won the campaign against the Yelan Army.
Those were the two conditions written there, and seeing that the conditions were acceptable, the Half-Elf signed it before passing it back to the Commander.
Suddenly, Lux heard a notification sound. A second later, several rows of text appeared in front of him, informing him about his mission.
—---------------
< Ding! >
< The Mission, War of Lions has been accepted! >
< War of the Lions >
Mission Rating: S
The war between the Ammar Kingdom and the Yelan Kingdom has escalated after the Ammar Kingdom's defeat a year ago.
After failing to conquer the adjacent Kingdom, the Gnomes' and their allies' morale had been boosted, prompting them to mount a counterattack. Due to their momentum, they were able to push the Ammar Kingdom back and even managed to conquer a few border towns along the way.
The Ammar Kingdom had always been the conquerors, so their latest defeat forced their King to issue a draft order to summon every able-bodied man to fight for their kingdom.
The Dwarves have also amassed a great number of weapons and armors for the battle that could break out at any moment.
< Mission Objectives >
– Kill the Two Yelan Army Generals, Watson and Sherlock.
– Destroy the Yelan Main Headquarters and capture their flag.
< Rewards >
– Each member will receive 150,000 Gold Coins
– Each member will receive one random Mythical Equipment
< Bonus Rewards >
– Bonus rewards can be obtained depending on your performance on the battlefield. Great rewards await those who managed to excel in this military campaign.
—---------------
'So this time, we are their enemies,' Lux thought as he looked at the information of the mission in front of him.
After shaking hands with the Commander, Lux and his group were immediately ordered to march to the front lines.
Since they were a Mercenary Group, they were given free reign as to how they would fight on the battlefield. The only condition the Commander asked, which both sides agreed upon, was that Lux's Mercenary group would not do anything to get in the army's way.
"Did you guys also receive a quest after I passed the contract to the Commander?" Lux asked when his group was a good distance away from the fortress.
"Yes!" Cai replied in a heartbeat. "Do we really have to kill Watson and Sherlock? Those guys are good people. I don't want to hurt them."
Lux sighed because he shared the same opinion as Cai. He then glanced at Keane, who also nodded his head, informing him that he received the quest as well.
"How about you, Malcolm?" Lux asked. "Did you get the quest?"
Malcolm nodded, which confirmed the Half-Elf's suspicion.
Anyone that is in the same party as me gets a quest. It seems that this wasn't just my imagination.
"This is weird. I've never gotten this kind of quest before," Henrietta commented. "Usually, I only get quests from the Adventurer's Guild. This is the first time I've received a quest in this manner. Nero, have you ever gotten something like this in the past?"
"Just once," Nero replied. "It was when I fought against an Abyssal Creature."
Henrietta suddenly remembered the conversation he had with one of her older brothers about quest notifications that would appear at random times.
Although it wasn't unheard of, it was quite rare, which made her wonder what conditions triggered such events.
"This is my third time receiving something like this." Malcolm decided to share some information regarding the special quest that had appeared in front of him. "I received the first quest when my father took me to an A-Ranked Dungeon to teach me how to fight one of the Bosses there.
"Since then, I've been looking for ways to trigger a similar event because the rewards from the mission would go directly inside your personal inventory."
Everyone that had a Soul Book had their own personal inventory inside it.
The space wasn't that big, only allowing up to twenty items to be stored, but it was decent enough storage if one didn't have the money to buy storage bags or storage rings.
"Is that so…" Henrietta nodded her head in understanding. "It seems like we got lucky this time. Not only will we get 150,000 Gold Coins, we will also get a Mythical Equipment. The Bonus Rewards depending on our performance is also good. I wonder what we will get when we finish this mission?"
Due to the conversation, Lux realized that he was not the only one who received these random quests from time to time. However, compared to others, his chance of triggering them was higher because he didn't have the Leveling Feature that Elysians and Solaians had.
Lux rented six wooden wagons to accommodate his Mercenary Group, which was composed of less than forty members.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he was a little excited about commanding a sizable force, which was comprised of elite members from the young generation.
All of the people with him were talented individuals in their own right, and Lux believed that if he were to know what they were capable of, he would be able to assign them to various tasks, which would make the mission easier.
'I need to have a talk with them once we arrive at our destination,' Lux thought. 'Although they might be reluctant to tell me what their abilities are, I can use the fact that we are being observed to make them comply.'
The Half-Elf closed his eyes and began to ponder what his next move should be. Right now, he had accepted the quest to kill the two Generals who had a connection with him in the past.
Truth be told, he wasn't looking forward to doing the job, so he planned to see what the current situation of the war was before making his final decision.
Chapter 442 Fine, You’re The Boss
Three days later, Lux's group finally arrived at the forefront of the battlefield.
The first thing they did was to report to the Grand General who was in charge of the campaign in order to drive the Yelan Army off its borders, and reclaim the lands that had been taken from them.
Truth be told, this was the greatest humiliation that the Ammar Kingdom had suffered ever since it had conquered two of its neighbors some years past.
The King of the Ammar Kingdom even vowed that as soon as the Yelan Kingdom fell into his hands, he would declare the birth of the Ammar Empire, uniting all the lands that surrounded its borders.
"So, you are a Mercenary Group," the Great General, who seemed to be in his early forties, scanned the faces of the teenagers in front of him and snorted. "All of you still smell like breast milk. Are you sure you are qualified to be on the battlefield? How about you lads just become part of our Logistic Team and help us carry the supplies on the battlefield.
"The ladies on the other hand can become the bed warmers of the other Generals to ensure that they are in top condition. Of course, if you'd like to warm my bed, I would be more than happy to receive you girls."
Henrietta, as well as the five other ladies that belonged to the Storm Dragon Guild, Skystead Alliance, and Xynnar War Pact, all frowned after hearing the General's words.
They could tell that the Great General was very serious, which proved that he wasn't taking them seriously.
Lux understood why the General was acting as arrogant as he was, because the man talking to them now was a High-Ranker.
'At least Rank A or Rank S,' Lux mused as he gazed at the silver-eyed man with platinum blonde hair in front of him.
Standing behind the Great General were also two other Rankers, who seemed to be his close aides. Although their rank was lower than the Great General, the Half-Elf assumed that their ranks were somewhere between Rank C and Rank A, making them very formidable fighters.
"Your offer is good, but I am afraid we have to pass," Lux replied with a smile. "We are mercenaries, so if we die on the battlefield, that only means that we lack the abilities to survive. I would appreciate it if you didn't mock our resolve to fight in this war."
The Great General snorted, but judging with how he looked at the Half-Elf, he seemed to be satisfied with Lux's answer.
"Very well." The Great General who goes by the name, Rafael Watts, gave the members of Lux's Mercenary Group a side-long glance before shifting his attention back to the Half-Elf. "Since you want to prove yourselves in battle, I will give you a chance."
The Great General made a gesture for the Half-Elf and his group to follow him at the large table where the map of the battlefield was laid out.
Several wooden pieces, representing the various units of the Ammar and Yelan Armies, were scattered in different places.
"Right now, we have four battlefields," Great General Rafael said. "The battle in the Forest, which was led by General Revon, the Mountain battlefield led by General Herodes, the battle in the Plains led by General Gideon, and the Marshland Battle led by General Phobus."
The Great General pointed at the different places on the map and told the Half-Elf about the number of soldiers, as well as the number of mercenary groups that had joined each battlefield.
"As you may already know, the Ammar Kingdom is bigger than the Yelan Kingdom," Great General Rafael stated. "Because of this, we decided to fight them on four fronts, thinning out their manpower, and allowing us to break past their defenses. However, these bastards have proved to be quite tenacious, and managed to hold their strongholds against our relentless assault.
"Right now, this is a battle of attrition, so every small victory on the battlefield is important. They have the geographical advantage, but we have the advantage in numbers. As long as one of our Generals is able to break past their defenses, their entire formation will crumble, and all of them will be routed out."
Lux didn't say anything and simply listened to what the Great General was saying.
He wanted to know everything about the battlefield, so he committed all the information that was shared to him and his Mercenary Group to memory.
"Do you have any questions?" Great General Rafael asked.
Lux nodded as he scanned the different battlefields on the map.
"Among these locations, which one has the highest chance of a breakthrough?" Lux asked, which made the corner of Great General Rafael's lips rise slightly.
"Here," Great General Rafael replied as he pointed at the Marshlands. "Unlike the other battlefields, they don't have as firm a foothold in the marshes, and the fog that rises up during the early morning, and late evening reduces the visibility by a good margin. It will be very easy for a small elite unit to navigate in the marshland, taking them by surprise."
Lux narrowed his eyes as he looked at the estimated number of troops of the Yelan Empire in the marshes.
According to the report, the Yelan Kingdom has placed at least 50,000 to 100,000 troops in the Marshlands to defend against the Ammar Kingdom's advance.
The Ammar Army stationed there, which was led by General Phobus, was 60,000 strong, posing a great danger to the defenders due to the extremely low visibility during certain times of the day.
"Understood." Lux looked at the Marshland with a determined gaze. "We will go to this battlefield."
Great General Rafael nodded his head as he took out a letter of recommendation from his drawer, and wrote the name of Lux's Mercenary group, Ars Goetia, in it before stamping it with his seal.
This scroll would serve as Lux's and his Mercenary Group's documents, allowing them to pass through the several checkpoints along the way.
When they were a good distance away from the Main Headquarters of the Ammar Kingdom, Henrietta patted Lux's shoulder and gave him a curious gaze.
"Why did you choose the Marshland?" Henrietta asked. "The numbers that the Great General gave us weren't verified, so there might be more enemy troops stationed there. Fighting in the marshland is also difficult because it would slow our advance. Did you decide to choose this because the Great General subtly urged you to choose this location?"
Lux smiled after hearing Henrietta's inquiry. What she asked were all valid questions, but for now, he didn't have any intention of telling her anything.
In the end, the Half-Elf only told her that it would be a surprise, which made Henrietta shake her head helplessly.
"Fine, you're the boss," Henrietta said. "I'll just wait and see this 'surprise' that you are talking about."
The red-headed teenager only chuckled as he looked at the scenery, while they rode the wagons headed towards the Marshland.
There was something he wanted to try, and he didn't know if it would succeed. However, if it did, he might be able to break the current stalemate of the war, and help his "Allies" win one of the battlefields that was currently suffering from a stalemate.
Half a day later, they arrived at their destination, just in time to hear the sound of explosions caused by the spells that were being unleashed across the battlefield.
"Both sides are just using long range attacks," Einar said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess I can understand why they are doing this. The one who crosses the marshland will be at a disadvantage and will become sitting ducks."
Lux nodded in agreement to Einar's words. The marshland did pose a hurdle against land units who would be susceptible to spells, arrows, and cannon fire from the opposing party.
"Strange, why aren't they using flying mounts to attack from the sky?" Henrietta mused as she looked at the dozens of hippogriffs that were lazing around on the Ammar Army's Main Camp in the Marshlands.
"Maybe they are afraid that they will be shot down from the air?" Cai answered with a doubtful expression.
Lux ordered everyone to just observe the battle for the time being. He didn't want to approach the General in command while the skirmish was happening, because he was afraid that it would leave a bad impression.
Since that was the case, he just opened his Soul Book and checked the map, and examined it properly.
He was looking for possible routes that he could take in order to cross to the other side, and scout the true number of troops that the Yelan Army had.
Right now, he needed all the information he could get.
He had a hunch that Watson's and Sherlock's Ranks were no different from the Great General's, whom they had just met, which would prove to be vital in the plan that was slowly hatching inside his head.
Chapter 443 Big Game Hunters
Three hours later, the battle finally stopped as both armies retreated to their respective strongholds in order to rest.
The Half-Elf waited for one more hour before he, and the others reported to General Phobus, telling him of their intention to join the war.
"Rafael sent all of you here?" General Phobux asked as he eyed Lux while eating his meal.
"Yes, General," Lux replied.
Lux was about to say more, but stopped because he saw the sudden change in General Phobus' expression, which made the words he was about to say stay inside his chest.
"That bastard! He is belittling me!"
General Phobus cursed out loud, which made Lux and the others feel as if General Phobus was displeased that more people had been sent to him by the Great General in order to help him fight his war.
"Fine, since you're already here, make yourselves useful," General Phobus said before placing the fork and knife in his hands aside. "Hunt some game for the army. Having more people means more mouths to feed. Go, and make sure that you, and your mercenary group, earn your keep."
The General shooed Lux and his group away with his hands, making them leave the General's tent while wishing that the General would choke on the food he was eating.
"That bastard! How dare he treat us like this?!" Malcolm said through gritted teeth. Clearly, he was very annoyed about how they were being treated by the General, who was currently having no success in his campaign.
"Calm down," Lux said as his finger poked something in the air, making everyone hear a familiar notification sound inside their head.
—-------
< Ding! >
< You have accepted the Sub-Quest Big Game Hunters! >
< Big Game Hunters >
Rating: B
– The War between The Ammar Kingdom and Yelan Kingdom is being fought on four battlefields. Currently, the supplies of the Marshland front are dwindling at a rapid pace because of the reinforcements that Great General Rafael has been sending to support General Phobus' campaign.
– In the eyes of others, this may seem like a responsible superior sending aid to his subordinate. However, is that really the case?
General Phobus believes that Great General Raphael was purposely sabotaging his campaign by making things difficult for him. However, since he has no proof about his assumptions, he is forced to endure and not voice his irritation to their commanding General.
– Help General Phobus by replenishing the food supplies of his army. Take note that the bigger the size of the game you bring to the camp, the better the rewards you will receive.
< Rewards >
– Dependent upon the quality, quantity, and size of the Beasts that you bring back to the Camp.
—--------
"Did you all receive it?" Lux asked after he finished reading the information of the quest.
Earlier, when the General ordered them to bring some game to their camp, the Half-Elf heard a notification in his head, as several rows of text appeared in front of him, asking him if he would accept the mission called Big Game Hunters.
Since he didn't know if the others would receive it, he decided to wait until they had exited the General's tent before accepting the quest.
Everyone looked at Lux in surprise, which confirmed his guess that everyone in his team would receive the same quest he had as long as they were in the same party as him.
"For now, we should take this opportunity to get some rewards," Lux stated. "The leaders of each faction will lead their members to hunt. However, we are not familiar with the beasts that roam these lands. Make sure to take caution, and don't fight Monsters that surpass your current ranks. I want to finish this mission with as many members as possible."
Everyone nodded their heads and began to discuss where they would hunt their prey. For a brief moment, Lux thought that he could see a bit of excitement in their faces because the unknown rewards they would get from completing this mission had piqued their curiosity.
Naturally, Cai, Keane, Einar, Val, and Xander, didn't leave Lux's side and waited for him to give his orders.
The Half-Elf herded his group to a corner of the camp, while looking at the map in his Soul Book.
Currently, there were green, red, and yellow dots on his map. The green ones were allies, the red ones were enemies, and the yellow dots were neutral entities.
Seeing that some of these yellow dots were alone, or traveled in groups, the Half-Elf assumed that they were Monsters.
This discovery actually surprised Lux because he thought that all the Monsters in the area would have already escaped due to the war that was being held in their territories.
After taking a closer look, the Half-Elf discovered that some of the yellow dots on the map were located in the rivers, which meant that they were River Monsters, who used the waterways to travel around the marshlands.
But, since they were close to the battlefield, their numbers were quite few.
'Maybe these Monsters are Rank 5 Alpha Monsters or above,' Lux thought. 'They could even be Field or Wandering World Bosses.'
Lux looked at the sun above the sky and calculated how many hours it would take before it set. Since it was still early, he decided to hunt some monsters first and complete the Sub-Quest, while waiting for the opportune moment to initiate his plan.
—--------
Outside of the Domain of the Fallen…
'Not bad, this Half-Elf is more capable than we thought,' Aron mused after seeing Lux's current performance.
Unlike the other factions, Lux, Cai, Keane, Einar, Val, and Xander, refused the artifacts that would allow others to see what was happening in their surroundings.
For them, this wasn't compulsory, and it also breached their privacy. They also didn't want others to see how they operated alongside Lux, which made the Half-Elf applaud them in his heart.
However, since the other factions were being ordered by their superiors, they had no choice but to wear the artifacts, and allow all of their actions to be scrutinized by the people watching the projections in the outside world.
Lux understood this, so he assigned the different factions to hunt their own game, which the other teenagers believed to be a sound decision.
What they didn't know was that the Half-Elf had planned this all along, so he could do things without worrying about the others minding his business.
—--------
Back in the Marshlands…
When Lux and his friends were safely far from the Army Camp, as well as the other members of his "Mercenary Group", the Half-Elf summoned Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, and Asmodeus.
He also summoned a dozen of his Skeleton Gang Bangers and told them the plan he had in mind.
After hearing his plan, his Named Creatures, as well as his Skeleton Summons moved into action.
Cai chuckled after hearing Lux's true motive, which made it give the Half-Elf two thumbs up in its heart.
Truth be told, Cai, Keane, Einar, Val, and Xander, were quite worried about the details of their main mission, but they didn't voice it out loud because it might make the other factions look down on them.
Now that they understood that Lux was on the same page as them, they were able to breathe a little easier knowing that the Half-Elf already had a plan in mind.
"Let's go hunt us some Big Game," Lux said with a smile. "I want to see what kind of rewards this mission will give us."
Everyone nodded their heads enthusiastically as they climbed onto their mounts and followed the Half-Elf.
They didn't plan to hunt near the Marshlands because they didn't want to provoke the Yelan Army, who was guarding the border, and start a misunderstanding that they didn't want to happen.
Chapter 444 Shared Rewards
General Phobus nodded his head in satisfaction as he looked at the monsters that Lux's Mercenary group had dumped near the warehouse, waiting to be dismantled.
They were running out of food to be rationed to the army, and most of the time, he had to send his men to look for beasts to kill in the surroundings to serve as their food supply.
"At least you proved that you're qualified to be here," General Phobus said as he looked at the Deimos-Ranked Monster Alligator that Malcolm's party had shown him.
All of them were Initiates and were given the best equipment by their Kingdom, which allowed them to fight against any Deimos-Ranked Monsters they encountered on the expedition.
The beast was at least six-meters long, and its skin was quite popular among adventurers because of its toughness, which was used by blacksmiths to craft light-weight leather armor.
Henrietta's Team, on the other hand, (Six Kingdom Faction), managed to defeat a Rank 5 Field Boss Monster known as the Rainbow-Colored Anaconda, which was seven-meters long.
Just like the alligator skin, the Anaconda's skin was quite popular to merchants due to its exquisite coloration and quality.
The members of the Xynnar War Pact brought back a Rank 5 Alpha Monster that was called Crowned Egret.
Although its rank was lower than what the Skystead Alliance and Six Kingdoms brought to the encampment, General Phobus and the dismantlers were very happy to see the dead creature.
Aside from its white feathers, which could be used to make fashionable cloaks, its meat was the most delicious among the Monsters within the Marshlands.
Unfortunately, it could fly, which made hunting it very difficult.
Nero's team brought down two Ruthless Minks which were Rank 5 Alpha Monsters, making them the only team that brought two Monsters back to the camp.
Lux's party on the other hand, presented a Rank 5 Alpha Diving Beetle, which made General Phobus, the dismantlers and Malcolm look at him in disdain.
Henrietta, on the other hand, hid behind the Half-Elf, finding bugs completely disgusting.
Truth be told, the meat of the Diving Beetle was edible. However, its taste wasn't the best. Some of the soldiers in the camp even jokingly said that they would only eat the meat of Diving Beetles as a last resort.
"... Good work all of you," General Phobus said as he looked at the monsters that Lux's Mercenary group had brought him. "I now officially acknowledge all of you as part of my campaign's mercenary troops. Go and rest. I will discuss more with all of you tomorrow."
General Phobus left the dismantling area and returned to his tent, leaving Lux and the others behind.
A moment later, all of them received a notification inside their heads as rows of text appeared in front of them.
—-------
< Ding! >
< Sub-Quest Big Game Hunters Completed! >
< Rewards >
– You have acquired Black-scaled Terror Alligator Beast Core (Deimos Rank)
– You have acquired Rainbow-Colored Anaconda Beast Core (Rank 5 Field Boss)
– You have acquired Mad Eager Beaver Beast Core (Rank 5 Field Boss)
– You have acquired Giant Dread Raccoon Beast Core (Rank 5 Field Boss)
– You have acquired Crowned Egret Beast Core (Rank 5 Alpha Monster)
– You have acquired two Ruthless Mink Beast Cores (Rank 5 Alpha Monster)
– You have acquired Bramble Diving Beetle Beast Core (Rank 5 Alpha Monster)
—-------
'Cai, and Keane, what did the two of you get?' Lux asked through their Guild Chat because he wanted to know if everyone got the same rewards when their mission was completed.
The Boar, and Swordsman gave their report, which confirmed Lux's suspicion.
'I had a feeling that it would be like this,' Lux thought. 'But the similarities were only in the Sub Quests. They didn't get the same rewards as I did when we did the Main Quest in the previous two Dungeons.'
After clearing the Gate of Death and Gate of War, Lux received the keys that would allow him to go to the Legendary Kingdoms of Agartha and Espoir Frieden.
When he received these rewards, Cai and the others were in the same party as he was, but neither of them had gotten the keys that were directly sent to his inventory.
While the Half-Elf was deep in thought, the other members of his Mercenary Guild looked at their rewards in shock, not expecting to receive the Beast Cores of the Monsters that everyone else had killed as a reward.
Truth be told, none of them had removed the Beast Cores from the Monsters they had slain because this was what Lux had ordered them to do before they went their separate ways. He did this to see how General Phobus would react to the Monsters that they had caught with their Beast Cores still intact inside their bodies.
Seeing that the General was satisfied with their offerings, Lux assumed that he did the right thing, which left a good impression on the General who commanded the Marshland Campaign.
Malcolm approached Lux and asked him the question that was in everyone's mind.
"Did you…" Malcolm didn't need to continue the sentence, fearing that it might be overheard by the people in the camp.
However, it was enough for Lux to understand what he was going to ask.
"Yes," Lux said with a mischievous smile. "Keep it as our secret, okay?"
Everyone, except Lux's team members, gave the Half-Elf a complicated look. Originally, they ridiculed him because the only thing his group defeated was a Diving Beetle, which didn't hold much value.
However, after seeing the rewards from their quest, they saw other entries that weren't supposed to be there.
All of them were prodigies of the young generation, so they instantly understood that the Half-Elf didn't present all the Monsters that his group had hunted down in the Marshlands.
The Mad Eager Beaver as well as the Giant Dread Raccoon were both Rank 5 Field Boss Monsters. If they were to add the Bramble Diving Beetle, which was a Rank 5 Monster, Lux's group had hunted three Monsters, and two of them were Field Bosses!
Although they felt like they had been cheated, they were more than happy to receive the Beast Cores of the Monster that everyone hunted.
For them, this kind of reward was very rare because high-ranking Beast Cores were immediately sent to their Guilds' Treasuries, which could then be used as a reward for outstanding members who had made great contributions to their guild.
Everyone thought of the same thing, and that was to keep the rewards for themselves.
Lux's team, on the other hand, didn't have a problem because, for them, these rewards naturally belonged to them.
Chapter 445 The Path Of Ascension [Part 1]
Several hours later, Lux went back to his tent to rest after he finished eating dinner.
The day had been quite exhausting, but he was still satisfied with the result.
He took the eight Beast Cores that he received out of his inventory and put seven of them on the ground.
Eiko didn't approach them and simply gnawed on the eighth Beast Core that was now inside her mouth.
The Half-Elf had told the baby slime that he planned to absorb the seven Beast Cores for himself so that he could gain new skills.
Eiko didn't have a problem with this because she had the ability to copy her Papa's skills anytime she wanted.
Since Nero's team had captured two Ruthless Minks, he didn't mind giving Eiko the other one, allowing the latter to also gain something from their earlier expedition.
Also, with the help of the Mythical Guild's Guild Buffs, which allowed a 100% chance to learn skills from a Beast Core, Lux was quite excited to get new skills after not absorbing any Beast Cores for a long time.
The Black-Scaled Terror Alligator gave Lux the skill Water Ball, which could be upgraded to the skill, Hydro Ball.
The Rainbow-Colored Anaconda gave him the skill Water Steps, which could be upgraded to Water Strider.
The Mad Eager Beaver Beast Core gave him the skill Water Blast, which could be upgraded to Aqua Blast.
The Giant Dread Raccoon gave him the unique title Scavenger, which was immediately upgraded to Elite Scavenger because it was a passive skill instead of an active skill.
The Crowned Egret Beast Core gave him the skill Improved Vision, which could be upgraded to Perfect Vision.
The Ruthless Mink gave him the skill, Ruthless Pounce, which could be upgraded to Ruthless Assault.
Lastly, the Bramble Diving Beetle gave him the skill, Dive, which could be upgraded to Long Dive.
The Half-Elf was quite satisfied with the skills that he gained after consuming the Beast Core, while increasing his stats at the same time.
Then something unexpected happened. The Half-Elf's heartbeat rose as a surge of power washed over his body.
The Free Stat Points he received after absorbing the Beast Core was 2,000, pushing his combined stats to 5,090, allowing him to break through to the Initiate Rank.
Just as the Half-Elf was enjoying the afterglow of the warm feeling that washed over his body, he heard the sound of a notification inside his head, as rows of text appeared in front of him.
—---------
< Congratulations! You have now reached the Initiate Rank! >
< Necromancer Job Class is now ready for an upgrade! >
< Choose one of the three options for your Job Class Upgrade! >
– Summoner of the Abyss
– Lord of the Dead
– Blight Monarch
—-------------
The Half-Elf's eyes widened in shock. He didn't anticipate getting a job upgrade as soon as he stepped into the Initiate Rank.
He thought that his Job Class would only reach the next stage after becoming a Ranker, which was the normal standard for the job professions in Solais and Elysium.
However, since he could feel the pain in his waist after pinching himself, the Half-Elf was sure that he wasn't dreaming.
He then read the information of the three Job Classes to better understand them, so that he could make a better decision in choosing his next Job Upgrade.
—--------------
< Summoner of the Abyss >
"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster. And if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
– Able to tap into the power of the void and summon Abyssal Creatures.
– The Rank of Abyssal Monsters summoned will always be equal to the rank of the Summoner.
– In extremely rare cases, the Summoner might summon an Abyssal Creature whose rank surpasses him by a grade. If this happens, there is a very high chance that the Abyssal Monster he summoned will not listen to him.
– Any Abyssal Monsters that answer your summons will not have a Beast Core, so you won't get anything from killing them.
—--------------
< Lord of the Dead >
"When there's no more room in Hell, the Dead will walk the earth."
– A Necromancer that specializes in summoning Undead, as well as taking control of other types of Undead.
– Strengthens any Undead minion that belongs to your army and raises their capabilities to their Max Potential.
– Will gain a plethora of curses that weaken foes by draining their health, mana, and stamina.
– Has a very high chance of being able to Tame any Undead Creature equal to, or lower than, your current Rank. You may choose to make them a member of your Necromancer Covenant or make them a Commander of your Animated Undead Legion.
—---------
< Blight Monarch >
"Let chaos storm! Let cloud shapes swarm! I wait for form!"
– A Necromancer that focuses on curses, inflicting ailments, diseases, as well as summoning a contagion of Blight insects and Plague Rats that spread diseases to everything they bite.
– Blight Monarchs can Tame deadly Insects equal to or lower than their current Rank.
– It is possible to tame the Queen of a Colony, but the chance of this happening is very low, with the exception of you having two or three Ranks above it.
– The Blight Monarch can transform his entire body into a swarm of blight insects and attack. Any insects that die will regenerate after a time.
– It is said that the only way to kill a Blight Monarch is to kill all of the insects that appear when his body transforms into a swarm. If even one of these insects lives, the Blight Necromancer will be able to revive himself again after he has built his own colony, forming a new swarm.
– This profession overcomes their foes through sheer numbers and is the bane of all those who specialize in Martial Combat.
– Only elemental spells with a wide area of effect can effectively destroy the swarm summoned by the Blight Monarch.
—--------------
The Half-Elf's expression was serious as he read the three professions that were available to him. He had to choose carefully.
All of them had their own special attributes, making the red-headed teenager think thoroughly about what path he wished to take for his ascension.
Chapter 446 Guardian Of Souls [Part 1]
'Summoner of the Abyss… I might have gotten this profession because I acquired the skill, Abyss Touch,' Lux mused as he read the description of the Job Professions that had become available to him for the second time.
'As for Blight Monarch, I have no idea how this profession became available to me,' Lux thought as he looked at the third profession that was presented to him. 'Is it because I spent some time with the ants and mosquitoes back in Leaf Village?'
The Half-Elf knew that both of these Job Classes had their own unique specialties, but after giving it some thought, he found more cons in them than pros.
First off, the Summoner of the Abyss allowed him to summon Monsters from the Abyss.
Although these Monsters would only be of the same Rank as him, they were still Abyssal Monsters, and they had powerful skills that ignored the defenses of their enemies.
But the chance of summoning a higher-ranked Abyssal Monster was a gamble. There was a chance that the Monster wouldn't listen to him and might even attack him.
The only time Lux saw Abyssal Monsters was when they fought one to defend Whitebridge City, and when he fought alongside Bedivere and the Dinosaur Monster. During that time, he felt so powerless against it because its stats were way off the charts.
Because of that experience, Lux was able to understand why everyone took the matters related to Abyssal Monsters seriously. They were a threat that could easily wipe out entire towns if left unchecked.
The other factor that made Lux very hesitant to choose the Abyssal Summoner was due to how the people around him would react.
Abyssal Monsters weren't seen on a positive note, and if people knew that he could summon them anytime and anywhere, they might treat Lux as a threat to the peace, sending experts to eliminate him before he could cause future trouble.
As for Blight Monarch, just looking at the description made his skin itchy. Just imagining his body suddenly turning into a swarm of insects while making love to Iris made him shudder.
Also, he felt that he would lose something very important to him if he chose this Job Class, which made him even more hesitant to choose it compared to the Abyssal Summoner.
Although he could see how dominating this Job Class could be when raised to the next stage, he knew that he would not choose it unless it was a last resort.
"I guess Lord of the Dead is the safest choice," Lux muttered as he looked at the second listed profession that was available to him.
After reading its information several times, the Half-Elf was sure that this Job Class was the most appropriate for him to use at this point in time.
Not only did it increase the overall strength of his Undead Army, it would also allow him to Tame Undead Monsters that were not part of his army.
The Necromancer Job Class was a rare profession, and not many people had it. Even though not many thought highly of it, it was a profession that was accepted by many.
Vera even told Lux that in one of the Kingdoms she had traveled through in Elysium, they had a Necromancer as their Guardian, protecting them from the invasion of their neighboring kingdoms, who were eyeing their Domain.
After making his decision, the Half-Elf chose the Lord of the Dead Job Class.
—-------
< You have chosen to upgrade your Job Class to Lord of the Dead. >
< Are you sure of your choice? >
< Yes / No >
—-------
Lux decisively chose Yes, making several rows of text appear in front of him.
< Congratulations! >
< Your Job Class has been upgraded to Lord of the Dead! >
< Job Specific Skills Unlocked! >
—-------------
– You learned the skill, Tame Undead.
– Due to the effect of Skill Evolution [EX], Tame Undead has been upgraded to "Tame Undead [EX]".
—-------------
– You learned the skill, Death Ward.
– Due to the effect of Skill Evolution [EX], Death Ward has been upgraded to "Death Turret".
—-------------
– You learned the skill Turn Undead.
– Due to the effect of Skill Evolution [EX], Turn Undead has been upgraded to "Turn Undead [EX]".
—-------------
– You learned the skill, Summon Flame Skull
– Due to the effect of Skill Evolution [EX], Summon Flame Skull has been upgraded to a Named Creature.
– Please choose a name for your Flame Skull.
—-------------
"Flame Skull?" Lux blinked as he saw the new Summon he received after changing his profession to the Lord of the Dead.
Using his Elysium Compendium, he searched for the monster's name and read its information.
—-------------
< Flame Skull >
– A very rare type of Undead that is born from a spellcaster's dead body.
– These fiery, human-sized skulls float in the air and illuminate their surroundings like that of a torch.
– Unlike a Lich or a Skeleton Mage, whose entire body has been reanimated, Flame Skulls only retain their heads. But don't be deceived by their appearance, these flaming skulls are very proficient spell casters and can teleport short distances during battle.
– Depending on the color of the flame, the Flame Skull can generate different kinds of elemental magic.
– The most common color of the flame emitted by Flame Skulls is reddish orange. These Flame Skulls specialize in Fire Spells, like Fire Balls, Fire Lance, Fire Wall, Fire Shield, and Fire Spray.
– It is possible to acquire Flame Skulls that specialize in two or more Elemental Affinities, making them versatile and deadly spellcasters that serve their Master.
—-------------
After understanding what Flame Skulls were, Lux began to think of a good name that he could give it.
For him, giving names to his Named Creatures was a very important thing. He had seen many instances where children disliked the names that were given to them by their parents due to their whims because it made them suffer for the rest of their life.
Although his Summons were Undead, that didn't mean that he could just randomly choose a name for them.
'Skully might be a good name?' Lux thought. 'No. It's too generic. Also, does it have a gender? Ishtar is a girl, and the rest of my Summons are all guys. Should I pick a gender neutral name instead just to be on the safe side?'
After thinking for a long time, Lux couldn't think of a good name for his Flame Skull, so he decided to ask for a second opinion.
"Eiko, help me pick a name for our new friend," Lux said as he explained what a Flame Skull was to his baby slime.
The baby slime was a very intelligent creature, so Lux was feeling quite hopeful about the name that she would think of.
'Come to think about it, this is the first time I asked Eiko to help me pick a name,' Lux mused as he looked at the baby slime, who seemed to be deep in thought.
Eiko closed her eyes as she pondered what a good name might be. This lasted for half a minute before the baby slime looked at her Papa with a smile on her face.
"Boom Boom!"
"..."
"Let's think of a better name, okay?"
"Pa!"
The Half-Elf could only smile bitterly at his baby slime's name recommendation. Clearly, Glee had become a bad influence to Eiko, which led the latter to share her explosive hobby with her friends.
Chapter 447 Guardian Of Souls [Part 2]
An hour passed as the Half-Elf kept on thinking about what name to give his Flame Skull, but no matter what he did, no fitting name came to him.
"Welp, there's no harm in giving this a try," Lux thought. "Summon Flame Skull!"
Immediately a Skull immolating blue flames appeared in front of him.
"Um, this might be a bit sudden, but can you talk?" Lux asked.
The Flame Skull moved closer to the Half-Elf before looking at him in disdain.
"Duh!" the Flame Skull replied. "Of course I can talk. Do you think I'm one of those lowly Undead that have Low IQ? Why did you summon me, Master? Are we going to burn things?"
"No burning," Lux ordered. "Also, I summoned you because I am having a hard time thinking of a name for you. Do you have any recommendations?"
The Flame Skull tilted itself to the right as if Lux's question jogged a faint memory inside his head.
"Weird, I believe I had a name once…, but I can't seem to remember it," the Flame Skull muttered as it hovered in the air. "Well, I guess since I forgot about it, it isn't important. Let's see, a name huh… Hmmm…"
After several minutes, the Flame Skull approached Lux as if trying to fight off something inside its head.
"T-There is a name that seems to always appear in my head when I think of a name for myself," the Flame Skull said. "The word is not complete and I can only think of the word Laz."
"A name with Laz?" Lux rubbed his chin as he pondered the words that the Flame Skull told him. 'Should I call him Legolaz? But that won't fit him because he isn't carrying a bow…'
The Flame Skull simply hovered a meter away from Lux as it waited for its Master to give it a name.
"I got it!" Lux said as he eyed the Flame Skull who seemed to be deep in thought. "I will name you Lazarus."
"Laz…Lazarus," the Flame Skull muttered. "Yes… this is fine."
The Flame Skull suddenly glowed brightly as the blue flames covering him burned brighter, emitting a light similar to a light-bulb instead of a torch.
(Editor Notes: Tch! you missed the chance to name it Lazada!)
—-------------
< Lazarus >
"I'm Half Alive, but I feel mostly Dead."
– Named Great Flame Skull
– Guardian of Souls
– Rating: S
– Progress ( 0 / 20,000)
Health: 50,000 / 50,000
Mana: 300,000 / 300,000
Strength: 100
Intelligence: 1,000
Vitality: 500
Agility: 450
Dexterity: 450
Unique Spell: Cold Flames - Ray attack of Fire and Ice Magic
– Lazarus can use this spell even if he doesn't have any Mana.
Fire Spells: Fireball, Fire Shield, Firebolt, Fire Wall, Scorching Ray, Fire Spray, Fire Storm, and Light
Ice Spells: Ray of Frost, Icicle Spear, Ice Wall, Cone of Cold, Ice Shield, Ice Storm, and Ice Prison
Active Skill: Blink, Invisibility
Passive Skill: Levitate
Special Ability: Cold Fire
– Increases resistance to Fire and Ice Spells by 80%.
—-------------
– Lazarus is your sixth Named Creature and has been bestowed the title of Guardian of Souls.
– This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve.
< Guardian of Souls >
– Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you.
– All attacks made by Lazarus will deal Cold Flame damage over time.
– Enemies under the effect of Cold Flame will have their resistances to fire and ice spells decreased by 30%.
– As someone who bears the title, Guardian of Souls, Lazarus can communicate with soul-type Monsters, including Wraiths, Banshees, Specters and Ghosts.
– When you use Beast Cores to upgrade your Named Creature, its effects will be multiplied by 50%.
—----------
"I look forward to working with you from now on, Lazarus," Lux said as he looked at the Great Flame Skull, who had evolved after being named.
"Same here, Master," Lazarus replied. "Same here…"
Eiko, who finally saw her Papa's new friend, greeted Lazarus with a smile.
"A baby Slime, huh? And quite a powerful one," Lazarus stated as he flew beside Eiko, who fearlessly approached it and nudged the Great Flame Skull's head with her own.
"And bold as well," Lazarus commented as he nudged Eiko back with his head, making the baby Slime giggle.
Although the flames that burned around his skull could harm others, those whom Lux treated as allies would not be burned by Lazarus' flames.
Eiko instinctively knew that she wouldn't get hurt by the flames that coated the Great Flame Skull's head, so she fearlessly decided to try touching Lazarus to understand what he was like.
"Boom Boom!"
"Oh? So you also like burning things? Great! I have a comrade who understands how to enjoy life."
"Boom!"
"Yes, little one. Boom!"
Lux scratched his head. It seemed that even if Glee was away, Eiko had found another comrade who shared her new hobby.
"It's getting late. I'm going to sleep now," Lux said before yawning. "Let's sleep, Eiko."
"Pa!" Eiko happily laid on the soft pillow right beside Lux's head and yawned.
"Master, I'll keep watch for tonight," Lazarus proposed. "Don't worry, I can make myself turn invisible as long as I don't move. I'm very good at guarding stuff… I think I was guarding something when I died…"
The Half-Elf pretended that he didn't hear what Lazarus had just said. Someone saying that he would guard him but died during a guard duty didn't make him feel safe.
Even so, since they were inside the Army Camp, he believed that he didn't have to worry about his safety.
Lazarus was a Rank 4 Monster, so even though he died in the past during guard duty, his ability as a Great Flame Skull was the real deal.
Even if an Initiate were to enter his tent, they would find themselves faced with a monster, whose sneak attack and spell casting abilities were enough to make them feel a world of pain if they were caught unprepared.
Several minutes later, the glowing embers in Lazarus' eyes intensified for a brief moment as he looked at the sleeping Half-Elf who had become his Master.
Although his memories of the past were vague, he had a feeling that as long as he traveled with Lux, these faint images inside his burning head would eventually find their missing pieces, allowing everything to fall into place.
"Goodnight, Master," Lazarus said softly before turning invisible.
Although he no longer had a body, he could still dream.
Dreams of his past life about a career that ended sooner than planned because of the betrayal of his comrades, whom he had trusted with his life.
Chapter 448 Tampering With The Quest Objectives
While the Half-Elf slept, his Named Creatures were hard at work, completing the mission that he had entrusted to them.
Diablo, Ishtar, and Asmodeus waded across the marshlands under the cover of darkness.
The glowing embers of their eyes within their eye sockets were the only things that anyone could see.
As per their Master's orders, they positioned themselves between the Ammar Kingdom's Encampment and where the Yelan Army had built their defenses.
The Half-Elf ordered them to make their way to the Yelan Camp two hours before midnight to allow the darkness of the night to hide their movement.
When they were only a thousand meters from their destination, they no longer hid themselves and walked leisurely towards the Yelan Camp.
All three of them were wearing a black robe with a hood in order to hide their faces. As Undeads, they didn't need much light to see in their surroundings. They could clearly see the heat that emanated from the living, even from afar, allowing them to pinpoint their location even in the darkness.
Diablo held a white flag in his hand, and raised it high in the air. The one thing they didn't want was to make the Yelan Soldiers start a bombardment of magical spells, forcing them to leave before they could finish their mission.
When they were only five hundred meters from their destination, they heard a humming sound, and immediately stopped walking.
A few seconds later, an arrow embedded itself on the ground, just a meter away from Diablo's feet.
"They have finally decided to greet us," Ishtar said as she looked at the arrow on the ground.
Truth be told, she was tempted to take the arrow, and fire it back at the one who shot it. But, she knew that doing so would just make things complicated, so she stayed her hand, and behaved like her Master ordered her to.
Diablo kept the white flag raised in the air and didn't move from his spot. He simply waited for someone from the Yelan Camp to meet them because they didn't want to create any misunderstandings.
Ten minutes later, they saw dozens of soldiers on horseback, running in their direction.
All of them were carrying weapons and, according to Diablo's estimate, half of them were Initiates, while the other half were Grade C to Grade A Apostles.
The one riding at the center gave a more powerful vibe, which made Diablo assume that he was someone important because he was giving off the aura of a Ranker.
"Are you guests, or are you pests?" the Ranker who sat on horseback asked after he, and his troops, stopped a dozen meters away from the three black-robed individuals that came to visit their camp this late at night.
"Friends," Diablo replied. "I came here on behalf of my Master. I don't know if you know of him, but his name is Lux Von Kaizer."
"Lux Von Kaizer?" the middle-aged man on horseback arched an eyebrow after hearing Lux's name. "I have heard of him, but most of the things I heard are not good. According to the reports, he is a Necromancer that used Corpse Explosion to annihilate the Ammarian Bastards who dared to invade our Western Borders. Are you saying that he sent you here to meet me?"
"Yes, and No," Diablo replied. "I came here to meet with the Commanding Officer of the Yelan Army stationed in this part, hoping that the one in charge was either Watson or Sherlock."
"I am the General stationed here. The two you seek are the Great Generals who are commanding the army at the Central Plains," the General of the Yelan Army replied. "If you plan to meet them then you came to the wrong place."
The General's words were calm and collected, which made Lux's three Named Creatures have a good impression of him.
"Then, can you pass this letter to one of them?" Diablo asked as he took a sealed letter out of his storage ring. "This letter contains important information, and if possible, I want to hear their reply as soon as possible."
Diablo made a gesture of "Please take it" to the General, and the latter ordered one of his men to take the letter from Diablo's hand.
After using some special magic to check if the letter was rigged with any kind of dangerous spells, chemicals, or form of poison, the soldier then handed the letter to his General, which the latter accepted.
"Before I consider taking this letter to our Great Generals, would the three of you remove the hoods covering your heads?" the General asked. "I want to get a better look at your faces."
Diablo nodded and took off the hood covering his head.
The Yelan Soldiers gasped when they saw the Death Knight's true form. They had heard about Lux from the stories that were passed around by their fellow soldiers, but they didn't have the opportunity to see him or his Skeletons up close and personal.
Ishtar and Asmodeus also removed their hoods, showing their true forms to the General who wanted to confirm if they were telling the truth or not.
"Your names?" the General asked.
"Diablo."
"Ishtar."
"Asmodeus."
The General nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Your names match the Named Creatures serving under the one who calls himself Lux Von Kaizer," the General stated. "As for whether I will believe you will depend on your answer to my questions. For now, follow me."
"G-General? Are we taking them to our camp?" the General's close aide asked in disbelief.
"Don't worry," the General replied. "If they do anything stupid, I'll immediately dispose of them. There's no need to be alarmed. Also… I am very curious to know more about the Half-Elf that helped Watson and Sherlock drive the Ammarians off our lands."
For Diablo, Ishtar, and Asmodeus, this was the ideal situation. If they could talk more with the commanding officer of the camp, and have their letter sent to Watson and Sherlock, the chances of keeping the worst case scenario from happening was high.
If possible, Lux didn't want to fight against his old comrades, despite the mission that was given to him.
He was trying to experiment with something, and if it worked then he would have more leeway in the future when it came to the sudden quests that appeared out of nowhere.
—------
Morning the next day…
Lux woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.
The first thing he did was to wash his face before lightly rubbing Eiko's head, telling her to wake up.
The baby Slime sleepily opened her eyes before yawning. In the end, the Half-Elf picked Eiko up and placed her on the top of his head, allowing her to continue to sleep, while he looked for something to eat.
However, before leaving the tent, Lazarus suddenly appeared in front of his face, almost giving the Half-Elf a heart attack.
"D-Don't do that, Lazarus," Lux said as he patted his chest in order to calm his heart. "Do you plan to give me a heart attack?"
"I'm sorry, Master," Lazarus replied. "I'll keep that in mind next time. I came here to give you a report about what happened while you slept."
"Okay," Lux replied after regaining his composure. "Did something happen last night?"
Lazarus nodded. "There were several people who peeked through the tent to check if you were sleeping or not. One was Cai, the other was Henrietta, and the third one was Malcolm. They just peered at you from a distance then, after seeing that you were asleep, they left without doing anything else."
Lux blinked because he didn't expect that people would come looking for him in the middle of the night.
"Thank you," Lux stated. "I'll talk to them later and ask them if they need me for anything. Thank you for your hard work."
"I live to serve you, Master," Lazarus replied. "Should I continue to guard here, or should I follow you around? I can remain invisible, while I'm with you."
Lux firmly shook his head because he thought that this was a bad idea. Although ordinary people wouldn't be able to see Lazarus, the General Phobus might.
The Generals of the Ammar Kingdom had heard news from the survivors that the one who attacked them was a Necromancer. If General Phobus saw Lazarus, he might connect the dots and become suspicious of Lux, jeopardizing their mission.
Lux explained his worries to Lazarus, and the Great Flame Skull nodded his head in understanding.
"I understand," Lazarus stated. "Just call me again if you need me, Master."
"Thank you, Lazarus. I'll ask you to guard me again tonight."
"It will be my pleasure."
The Half-Elf unsummoned Lazarus just before he left the tent in order to look for something to eat.
An hour later, the Half-Elf received some good news from Diablo, stating that his letter was now on its way to the Central Plains where Watson and Sherlock were stationed.
'I just hope my assumptions are correct,' Lux thought as he sighed in his heart.
He didn't know if the quests he received could be tampered with, but if the possibility existed, he was more than willing to give it a try in order to not burn the bridges that he had built some time ago.
While he was deep in thought, he saw Cai, Keane, Xander, and Henrietta eating together, so the Half-Elf headed in their direction.
To his surprise, Cai, Keane, Xander, and Henrietta had also broken through the Initiate Rank, just like him, which proved that they had also absorbed the Beast Cores that they received as rewards from their last mission.
'Finally, I have two more strong fighters in my Guild,' Lux thought as he greeted the four people with a smile.
He hoped that his other Guild Members would be able to raise their ranks also, so that all of them could work together in order to protect their Guild from those who would try to overturn it in the future.
Chapter 449 A Fake General [Part 1]
Explosions could be heard everywhere in the Marshlands as the two parties unleashed a barrage of spells against each other.
Lux and his Mercenary Group didn't participate and only observed the battle from a distance using telescopes.
General Phobus had told the Half-Elf that he could act in any manner that he liked as long as it didn't jeopardize their military operation.
In order to better understand how the skirmish was being conducted in the Marshlands, Lux decided to observe for now.
The Ammarian Soldiers were assembled into a unique formation where those who specialized in creating barriers served as the Vanguard.
They would hold their shields up for an extended period of time while the other spellcasters would hold their spells at the ready.
The moment a side didn't have any magical spells flying towards them, the barrier would be taken down, and it would be their turn to unleash a barrage of spells on the Yelan Defenders.
Lux wasn't familiar with this kind of fighting style, but seeing that the Ammar Army was able to advance little by little towards the Yelan Camp, he could tell that this strategy had its merits.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but that all changed when the Ammarian Soldiers were less than 500 meters away from the Yelan Camp.
When half of the army had managed to pass through a certain point, loud explosions erupted from the ground, taking the Ammarian Soldiers by surprise.
Panic immediately spread among the soldiers, destroying their formation.
It was at this moment when the Half-Elf heard a rumbling sound in the distance.
Thousands of light cavalry from the Yelan Army charged towards the Ammarian Army Soldiers, who had fallen into disorder, and started a massacre.
While this was happening, spells flew over these mounted soldiers and landed at the very rear of the Ammarian Formation, killing those who tried to flee.
"They got them good," Lux muttered as he looked at the slaughter that was happening on the battlefield.
He wasn't too proficient with war, and this exchange between the two armies taught him a lot. Fortunately, General Phobus' Vice General was quick to act, and immediately ordered their cavalry to advance, engaging the Yelan Cavalry with their superior force, while their infantry retreated.
Thousands of soldiers died that day, but the Yelan Army still managed to kill more than the Ammarians did.
It was a brutal clash, dyeing the water that flowed in the marshland red with the blood of the people that died.
After half an hour, both sides pulled their soldiers back, only leaving the thousands of dead bodies behind.
"With that many corpses, you can easily wipe out the Yelan Army using that same trick you did back then," Malcolm commented as he gave Lux a sidelong glance. "Why don't we ask General Phobus to gather the bodies, so that you can use them later on?"
The others who heard Malcolm's words didn't understand what he was talking about.
However, Lux's friends fully understood what the leader of the Skystead Alliance meant.
If Lux used his skill, Corpse Explosion [EX], and detonated all the dead people, a chain reaction would occur, which could easily wipe out thousands of soldiers in a matter of seconds.
Lux only shook his head after hearing Malcolm's proposal.
"Now is not the right time," Lux replied. "I'm still waiting for something to happen."
"Something to happen?" Malcolm arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Sorry, but I'll keep it a secret for now," Lux stated. "However, the General on the side of the Yelan Army is good. Who would have thought that he had placed remote mines under the marshlands. This must be some kind of Gnome Technology."
There was also one thing that surprised Lux. He thought that Eiko would look excited after seeing the Remote Mines exploding in the battlefield.
However, the baby Slime's expression was calm, as she had recently learned how to properly use the Blast Bomb [EX] skill that she currently possessed.
Eiko could freely detonate the Blast Bombs or make them detonate upon impact. This gave this skill a certain degree of flexibility, allowing the baby Slime to attack and set a trap for her enemies at will.
An hour later, an angry General Phobus chastised his captains for their inability to react in time when the Yelan Army charged at them during their moment of confusion.
If not for the fact that he had sent reinforcements right away, the ten-thousand strong Vanguard would have been wiped out completely.
Out of the ten thousand soldiers, only a third of them remained.
Although this skirmish lasted for only about an hour, the Ammarian Army still suffered a great loss of manpower, which made General Phobus very furious.
The next day, the General thought of another strategy, but each and every time, he was thwarted by the opposing General, lowering the morale of his army, and making Lux understand why the Great General of the Ammarian Kingdom, General Rafael Watts, had sent them to reinforce the Marshland Camp in order to replenish the troops that were constantly being lost in the territorial battle.
'According to Diablo, the General of the Yelan Army stationed in this part of the battlefield is a middle-aged man named, Fahad Durnham,' Lux thought as he watched the retreating Ammarian Army, who had suffered another loss from the Yelan General's hand. 'It seems that he is winning this battle of attrition.'
After three days of consecutive defeats, General Phobus summoned Lux to his tent and asked the Half-Elf a very important question.
"Why aren't you participating in the battle?!" General Phobus growled as soon as Lux entered his tent. "Aren't you supposed to be a Mercenary Group working for us? Why are you and your group slacking off? If you just came here to spectate, all of you should just pack up and go home!"
The Half-Elf had already expected that he would receive this kind of greeting, so he ordered everyone to not accompany him and remain at their temporary accommodations inside the Ammarian Encampment.
Lux knew that the Ambassadors and other representatives of the other Factions, who were watching the progress through their scrying artifacts in the entrance of the Domain of the Fallen were also getting impatient about the lack of progress in their mission.
For the past three days, Lux had simply observed and done nothing, making Malcolm, Nero, and Enlil, the Elven Prince, feel as if they were just wasting their time.
Lux looked at the angry General in front of him and smiled internally.
"We have participated in many campaigns before, but this is the first time we are fighting in the Marshlands," Lux replied in a calm manner. "As you can see, our numbers are few, so I don't want them to participate in the skirmish without sufficient understanding of the terrain as well as the capabilities of our enemies. After observing the battle for three days, I've come to realize that the opposing General is a very formidable foe."
"Are you telling me that I'm inferior to him?" General Phobus asked, and his voice reeked of killing intent.
Lux knew that if he gave the wrong answer, the General might attack him in order to vent out his frustration.
having considered this, he made sure to choose his words wisely, so that the person in front of him would not strangle him to death.
Chapter 450 A Fake General [Part 2]
"You're not inferior to him, Sir," Lux replied. "He was just able to take advantage of the terrain and set traps beforehand. His style of fighting is very cowardly. Because of this, your army has suffered great losses."
"That's right!" General Phobus slammed his fist on the table, breaking it apart. "The bastard only relies on these dirty tricks in order to chip away my forces! If he faced me head-on like a real man, the one who would be getting trashed would be him!"
"It is as you say, General. The Enemy is simply playing dirty like a street rat. This kind of strategy in my eyes is simply pathetic."
"Right! That's right! Finally, someone who understands me!"
Lux once again laughed in his heart as he looked at the General in front of him.
After observing for three days, he finally understood what kind of person General Phobus was, and it made him want to leave the Ammarian Camp as soon as possible.
In Solais and Elysium, they called Rankers with High Ranks and no substance Fake Rankers.
These were people who only relied on their family background to raise their ranks by buying Beast Cores to boost their stats.
This practice was quite common among the nobility, as well as the members of the Royal Family.
Such practice was frowned upon in Wildgarde Stronghold, and other places in the Six Kingdoms.
This was also why Gerald had set a rule that parents and relatives of the children, who had passed the Trial to enter Elysium, were not allowed to give the children Beast Cores to temporarily raise their ranks.
The reason was because this would give them a mindset that as long as their rank was high, they could easily overpower the Monsters around them as long as they had higher stats.
This kind of thinking prevented the children from honing their skills at an early age and simply rely on the stat boosts they receive from Beast Cores, making it so they lacked true battle experience.
Even if they became Rankers, they would be the first to die if they were to fight people of the same Rank as them.
In Lux's eyes, not only was General Phobus a Fake Ranker, he was also a fake General.
After having casual chats with the soldiers in the Ammarian Camp, the Half-Elf found out that General Phobus was born into a family of Generals that served the Ammar Kingdom since it was founded.
Because of this, they would always have one General on active duty and, this time, it was General Phobus' turn to represent their family.
Perhaps, understanding that the General, who was still in his early thirties, lacked the aptitude, his family sent him an aide that was proficient in warfare, who acted as his adviser and right hand man.
This man was the one who advised General Phobus about the military strategies that he used in the previous battles like setting up barriers as they advanced. However, as soon as something went wrong, the General would immediately lose his composure and issue the wrong commands.
If not for the fact that the Vice General whom his family had ordered to accompany him had been there, the losses they would have gained would have be much higher than the ones they had now.
"General, I propose that we let our soldiers rest tomorrow so that they can recover their strength," Lux proposed. "The Morale of the army is low due to the underhanded tactics that the enemy is using. Letting them fight in this condition will just increase our losses."
General Phobus nodded. "I know that even if you don't tell me. Just make sure that you and your Mercenary Group participate the next time my army advances to the enemy camp."
"Yes, Sir!" Lux replied as he pressed his right fist over his chest as a sign of acknowledgement.
When the Half-Elf exited the tent, he noticed that the Vice General, who was busy talking to some of their military officers, glanced in his direction.
A few seconds later, the Vice General gave Lux a brief nod, and the Half-Elf returned the greeting.
After that, Lux walked back to his camp where his members were waiting for him.
As he walked away, he could feel the man's gaze on his back, but Lux didn't make any attempts to let the other party know that he had sensed his scrutinizing gaze.
'He's starting to take notice of me,' Lux thought. 'Although I managed to delay the next battle for a day, I just hope that I receive a reply before we are ordered to join the assault on the Yelan Camp.'
Although he was given free reign to do whatever he wanted to do on the battlefield, this freedom could easily be revoked if General Phobus gave them the order to join them in their next battle.
At that point, Lux would have to show some impressive results, or else General Phobus would really do something reckless, like attacking him or his Mercenary Group because he deemed them to be useless.
Even though General Phobus was a Fake Ranker, his Vice General was the real deal.
One wrong move and the careful plan that he had set in motion would burn to ashes.
Fortunately, an hour before midnight, Lux received a report from Diablo, telling him that he should come to the Yelan Camp and personally talk to the commanding general.
Because of this, the Half-Elf left the camp under the cover of Darkness and used the Boots of Teleportation to teleport directly to where Diablo was.
The Boots of Teleportation was a Pseudo-Legendary artifact and was one of the rewards he obtained in Keoza's Dungeon.
This artifact allowed him to teleport directly to an ally, up to five miles from his location.
Since the Death Knight had told him that he could come, it meant that there was a positive response to the letter that he had sent to his two acquaintances, who were commanding the Main Army of the Yellan Kingdom, in the Great Plains.