NOVEL NEXT Chapter 111: For the Horde
Time passed, the seasons changed, and the walls of Moonshadow Valley continued to rise, inching closer to their intended height.
Since the beast tide, the Black Forest had been peaceful, and the Stoneheart Horde had entered a period of rapid growth.
Everything was progressing.
As time passed, not only did the Stoneheart Horde progress, but so did Orion.
By consuming various low-grade magical plants collected by his tribe in the Black Forest, as well as a few mid-grade magical plants—some of which were traded from Aerin—Orion's attributes had increased significantly.
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[Name: Orion]
[Race: Giant]
[Level: Alpha]
[Strength: 1725/5000 (+3650)]
[Agility: 1480/5000 (+224)]
[Intelligence: 1525/5000 (+200)]
[Constitution: 2225/5000 (+200)]
[Resistance: 20% (against all negative states)]
[Title: Survivor]
[Skills: Advanced Trident Mastery, Intermediate Beast Taming, Intermediate Resistance Skin, etc.]
- [Advanced Trident Mastery]: Base attack damage +40%, weak point hit damage +100%, chance to inflict bleeding and healing prohibition on hit, low chance to instantly kill bleeding enemies.
- [Titan's Rage (Bloodline Skill)]: A transformation skill mastered only by top giants, doubling size and all attributes when transformed into an Ancient Titan. The effect lasts until stamina is exhausted. This skill can grow, current effect is 10x. Read latest chapters at empire
- [Shadowstep]: Increases agility by 50%, attack speed by 20% upon use, each use has a chance to permanently increase agility by 1 point.
- [Berserk Aura]: Activating the Berserk Aura sends you and nearby allies into a frenzy, increasing health, reducing pain, and negating curse effects.
- [Titan's Heart]: Giants with the Titan's Heart gain an additional 2x strength.
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Consuming magical plants and potions had boosted Orion's attributes by over 200 points in each category, but he was still far from reaching his maximum potential.
Sitting in his tent, Orion stared at his attribute screen, feeling a sense of realization.
Before reaching Alpha-level, his growth had been rapid. But now, after advancing to Alpha-level, the pace of improvement had slowed considerably—too slow for someone as power-hungry as Orion.
"Slow progress means there's a process to it."
"The other survivors must be facing the same issue, maybe even worse than me."
"From the goods listed on the Survivor's Platform, it's clear that Alpha-level survivors are rare."
"That means most people are stuck at hero-level."
"Could it be that the real gap between the strong and the weak starts at Alpha-level?"
"I've faced Lord Gareth once. How much of her strength did she actually use?"
"I suspect… Legendary-level is far more powerful than I imagined."
As his strength grew, Orion became less blindly confident.
The Titan's Rage skill, which multiplied his attributes tenfold, now seemed to him like a mere stacking of numbers, without a corresponding increase in quality.
"It seems that when facing Legendary-level opponents, it's better to avoid them."
"Sometimes, survival is the greatest victory."
Orion ended his contemplation, pulling his cock out of Lilith's vagina. Lysinthia immediately opened her mouth and used her tongue to clean off the fluids.
The two women then helped Orion dress, and he stepped out of the tent.
Outside, the giant guards on duty today were Beyn and Torba.
Beside them, two wolves the size of cows sat obediently. Once mere pups, they had grown significantly over the past half year and were now intimidating enough to be used for show.
Orion tossed each of the wolves a Pet Pill, petting their heads as he asked Beyn and Torba.
"Has the hunting team returned?"
Beyn responded in a deep voice.
"Chieftain, Elder Thundar and Elder Earthshaker returned to Moonshadow Valley early this morning."
Orion nodded and, without saying more, headed toward the wall for his daily inspection.
Climbing the wall, Orion spotted Prophet Onyx, who was overseeing the construction of the towers.
"Prophet, how's it going?"
"Chieftain, you're here!"
Prophet Onyx bowed respectfully before pointing to the towers ahead.
"Chieftain, there are only four towers left to complete. In no more than seven days, the wall will be finished."
Prophet Onyx was visibly excited. The walls and towers had been built under his supervision, and watching them rise filled him with a deep sense of accomplishment.
"Good, very good. You've done well, Prophet."
Orion was equally pleased. The completion of the wall meant that Moonshadow Valley would officially become Blackstone Town.
And the establishment of Blackstone Town marked the first step in Orion's plan for development—a crucial step.
With the wall as their defense, the Stoneheart Horde would face far less pressure from dark creatures and future beast tides.
Prophet Onyx accompanied Orion as they inspected the wall. Before leaving, Orion reminded him.
"Prophet, don't forget the council meeting at noon. Don't be late."
Prophet Onyx nodded, acknowledging the reminder.
Returning to his tent, Orion found that Lilith and Lysinthia had prepared a feast for him.
"My dear Orion, come look! Your little spider has entered hibernation!"
Orion walked into the tent's side chamber, where a wooden box held the Spider Queen, now the size of a watermelon. He smiled with satisfaction.
"It looks good. It's about to advance."
The Spider Queen had been weak when it first hatched, so weak that even a chicken could have killed it.
In fact, when it first emerged, it didn't even have the strength of a Standard-level beast.
But after months of careful feeding, Orion's Spider Queen was now ready to advance to Standard-level.
Orion closed the box, ensuring the Spider Queen stayed warm.
Then, he turned to Lilith and gave her a reminder.
"Prepare some food. You'll be joining the council meeting later."
"Of course, my dear."
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At noon, Orion's tent was filled with food, and the council members had all gathered.
Orion raised his hand, signaling for silence.
The atmosphere grew quiet, and no one spoke.
It wasn't until a cool breeze blew through the tent's entrance that Orion finally broke the silence.
"Do you feel it?"
"The summers in the Black Forest are always so short. The cold winds have arrived. Winter is coming."
The tent remained silent, but the elders' eyes flickered with fear and anxiety.
However, when they looked at Orion, seated at the head of the table, flanked by Rendall and Onyx, their fear began to dissipate.
This year's dark beast tides would be defended by two Alpha-level warriors and one near-Alpha-level warrior, which gave the tribe a sense of security.
"The beasts of the Black Forest have migrated south. In recent days, we've had to make several trips into the forest just to hunt enough prey."
The speaker was Elder of Combat Thundar, who, along with Earthshaker, was responsible for leading the hunting teams.
He knew the forest's current state better than anyone.
"We have enough food. Put the hunting on hold for now."
Orion's gaze swept across the room as he spoke in a commanding tone.
"Now, we need to prepare for the dark beast tides and make arrangements for next year's Myriad Races Invasion."
Orion took a sip of his black rye beer before continuing.
"We need to stockpile burning oils, crossbow bolts, throwing weapons, spikes, leather armor, and other supplies. From now on, we must gather as much as possible."
"And don't forget firestones. During the long nights, I want Blackstone Town to remain lit, and I want our people to stay warm."
"Starting this year, I want to ensure that our people never feel the cold again, and never fear the darkness."
"Can I count on you all to help me achieve this?"
Orion's voice was firm and resolute as he laid out his vision, his eyes locking onto each of his council members.
"For the horde!"
"For the Chieftain!"
"We will defend our home with our lives!"
"No sacrifice is too great!"
The elders' blood was ignited by Orion's words, their spirits burning with fervor.