Chapter 32: Chapter 32 The Southern Beastman in Action
Muras, what did you call us here for? Although we are not enemies, our relationship isn't exactly good either.
Hao Si roared at Muras, his body bristling with quivering spikes. In fact, these spike-like cloaks were not real cloaks but naturally grew from his body.
Hao Si was a member of a rare species among the Beastmen, the Arrow Pigman, all of whom naturally had spikes.
This race was naturally skilled archers with very strong ranged capabilities, decent in close combat. If it weren't for their poor reproduction abilities and a scarcity of strong individuals, they wouldn't be a minority race.
Muras looked at Hao Si and the eye-catching Ganier next to him and said, "If I've asked you both here, I won't let you come for nothing. We've really run into big trouble this time."
"Ha, another foreign race again? How strong are they this time, and what's in it for us?"
Hao Si wouldn't indulge the other party; not too long ago, Muas had been an outsider too.
But he defeated the former overlord of the plains, and before others could respond, he had occupied the grasslands. Although the grasslands were not as rich as forests, for the Beastmen, this was a land of plenty.
If he could occupy the grasslands, Hao Si was confident he could elevate his tribe's strength by a notch within a few years.
"Hao Si, I'm not kidding this time. In the northern forest area, a large number of Undead Creatures have emerged. Upon my reconnaissance, there are at least ten thousand Skull Soldiers wandering there."
"That many Skull Soldiers, no wonder there have been Goblins escaping to our side recently."
Goblins were a particularly brutal species that picked on the weak and feared the strong, posing a serious and challenging threat to inherently weaker races like Humans.
But for the Beastmen, these Goblins were nothing more than an addition to their meals.
The Goblins' exodus didn't concern them but instead seemed like a minor inconvenience.
"Could there only be that many Skull Soldiers? It wouldn't be good to make a fuss over nothing," Ganier spoke up.
"No, it's not just those. Those Skull Soldiers are clearly patrolling, and though there are no high-level Undead or other kinds, they refuse to leave the forest."
The other two furrowed their brows in thought. It was clear the Undead were acting under orders from a higher authority. Among the Undead, a strict hierarchy wasn't just talk; it was absolute.
If there were higher-ups, it meant these Undead weren't simple.
"So, I'm asking you to join me in wiping out these Undead. If we let them grow unchallenged, until they increase in numbers, we won't be able to handle them."
Undead Creatures were terrifying in that, as long as they kept killing, they could keep increasing their numbers.
The best method to deal with them was to amass a concentrated force and wipe them out in one go.
Beastmen didn't have many effective means to control the Undead.
"How many troops do you plan to send?" Hao Si's voice cooled as he questioned Muras. Their Arrow Pigman population was too small; they had to take responsibility for their tribe and couldn't afford a substantial loss just to deal with an enemy.
If it came down to it, they could simply migrate, which was a frequent practice for the Beastmen.
If the All Heavens Hunting Ground wasn't so dangerous, the territory they could roam would have been vast.
Muras had already made up his mind and said outright, "Our Werewolf Clan can dispatch fifty thousand Wolf Riders, including four hundred of Black Iron level and just me at the Bronze level. We'll commit our entire force."
Wolf Riders made up the entire military strength of the Werewolf Clan, unafraid of defeat.
If they lost, he was confident he could lead his people to flee, leaving this place.
"Alright, since you have made such a commitment, we will give it our all."
Hao Si spoke only after seeing Ganier nod, "Our main force can dispatch seventy thousand, with six hundred at the Black Iron level and just me at the Bronze level."
Muras scoffed inwardly; who didn't know the Arrow Pigmen were best at hiding? Their forces were definitely not limited to what was mentioned.
But the mentioned forces likely accounted for over two-thirds of their tribe. Just having one Bronze level individual was sufficient—if that wasn't enough to face those Undead, adding a bit more would be futile.
"We have a bit more in terms of troop numbers, we can commit a hundred thousand, but with less at the Black Iron level, only five hundred, and count myself as one Bronze," said the Lizardmen, whose lineage was weaker, making breakthroughs challenging.
At that moment, a Wolf Rider suddenly rushed over.
"Report to the leader, the number of Skull Soldiers in the forest has suddenly increased. After our investigation, their numbers are likely to exceed one hundred thousand."
"It seems those Undead have noticed our presence, perhaps thinking about expanding."
Muras's brow furrowed; an increase in military strength to such an extent in a short time might mean the Undead's forces were even more than he had anticipated. They didn't think they'd lose; their own forces were substantial, their Combat Power even stronger.
Their biggest concern was the potential for a pyrrhic victory.
They detested battles that yielded no benefits, but fighting was the only option. They weren't Undead that could use Corpses to enhance their strength; to be honest, they really didn't want to face them head-on.
"How many Black Iron level Undead are there?"
"None have been discovered yet; either the enemy doesn't have any, or they are concealed."
Muras looked up: "There's no time to lose; we need to act quickly and crush them. They're growing too fast. If they exhaust the Goblin corpses, we're likely next."
"We'll get ready right away." At this, even Hao Si became vigilant.
He wanted to preserve his strength, sure, but not at the cost of massive losses in one battle.
The group quickly left to prepare, unaware that a Skeleton skull on the ground was watching them. Once they left, the skull's eyes briefly glowed, and it carefully moved across the ground using its teeth.
While the Beastmen were discussing, Fang Jie discovered a new problem.
"Everyone, I've realized that those Functional Buildings aren't exclusive to us. I've given up the Territory, but I found a market in the Human city, and through it, I can use the Market Trade capabilities again."
"Really? I didn't expect that to exist."
"Is there any specialty product on your side, the Human city should have some good stuff, right?"
"Tell us how things are developing there, or maybe we can help you develop it first, and then you can compensate us."
Fang Jie was also wide-eyed; with such developments, maybe one day they could even trade with the natives of this world, which was very possible.