NOVEL NEXT Ch. 29
A few minutes ago,
Ria let out a sigh of relief upon witnessing Zyrus’s fight. She had some doubts before, but now she couldn’t help but acknowledge his decision-making skills.
His core tactic had remained the same. He would kill a dozen enemies at once to instill shock and fear in their minds, and when their formation was disrupted because of that, he would charge at the leader.
It was by no means a foolproof plan, but as long as there was a significant gap between their individual HP, this had a very good chance of success.
“And he was right about them as well,” Ria muttered as she looked at the defending camp leader. After witnessing Zyrus’s might, the goateed man knew that something was amiss in their fight. How had they held on for so long if the enemy leader was such a monster?
He ordered his mages to get ready to launch a counterattack, but it was too late.
Under Ria's earlier command the melee attackers had stopped their offense altogether. At the same time, some players from their group discarded their swords and took out wooden staffs and crystal balls from the inventory.
Booom
Shwwwa
Before the defenders had a chance to react, they found swaths of fireballs and ice shards above their heads. They could do nothing but watch as death rained down from the twilight sky.
Ria snickered as she saw the other enemy mages trying to deflect the elemental spells in a fluster. The smell of scorched flesh and white fog had permeated through the whole area. From the start, the mages that stayed behind were nothing but a ruse. And that wasn’t all…
“Don’t panic! Their surprise attack won’t last long. Archers get ready, it’s a perfect opportunity to kill those undefended mages!”
“B-Boss look out!”
“Wha-”
Swish
A hail of arrows pierced the goateed man and the two mages who were nearby. The poor man was dead without figuring out that the ‘real’ mages were also a distraction.
Zyrus’s archers were already engaged in mid-range combat. In the short window of time where everyone was focused on the mages, they had rushed close to the camp boundary by using the fog as cover.
“Retreat!” Ria commanded in a somber tone as she looked at the players ahead. The ones responsible for protecting the archers were grievously wounded in the rush. The fog had no effect on those who had seen the archers move from a close distance.
In order to get the archers as close to the enemy camp as possible, they used their bodies as meat shields. It was thanks to them that they defeated the opposing camp with only a dozen casualties.
…
Zyrus closed his Crown Hunt tab after confirming that an additional 100 players were added to his army. It would be a different scenario if it were any other species, but it was easy to subdue a low-level clan of goblins.
The necklace on his neck wasn’t just a mere equipment for goblins. It was the symbol of their clan, an item that held their deepest faith and beliefs.
[Bone necklace Totem (Common)]
A crude totem made by the goblin shaman.
Effect: MP +2
Under his command the goblin riders were already surrounding the whole campsite. They weren’t mindless brutes despite their current behavior. Once upon a time they also had an advanced civilization, yet now, they were reduced to this state.
‘The fate of humanity was no different…’
“What do you plan to do with them?” Ria walked over and pointed at the defending camp, making Zyrus refocus on the present.
“Have they surrendered?”
“…Kind of,”
“…”
“They want one of their own to be the next leader; otherwise they’ll fight us to the end.”
“Heh,” Zyrus scoffed as he looked at the players. Both sides had nervous expressions on their faces as they awaited his response.
Some were worried about their survival while others were plotting to get a better position. Some things were unchangeable even if one swam backward on the river of time.
“So, what’ll you do?” Ria asked with a curious expression.
“Do I look like someone who goes back on his word?”
“How would I know?” She retorted to ease up the mood, but from her expression, her answer was obviously ‘Yes.’
“In any case, it seems they need some mental training.”
“What?”
Zyrus strolled ahead followed by Ria who was giving him a perplexed look. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes he once did.
“QUIET.” His deep roar jolted awake the players who were whispering amongst themselves. At this moment their hearts were beating faster compared to when they were fighting. Neither the humans nor the surviving goblins riders dared to move an inch.
“This is the first and the last time I’ll ask this, Do. You. Surrender?” Zyrus asked in a calm tone, unlike the earlier deafening roar.
This did nothing to ease their fears as they were even more afraid of him. But even after sensing the silent rage, there were still some who didn’t let go of their ambitions.
“We only-”
“Shut up. Those who agree can go back, you have one minute.” Cutting the speech of a young man, Zyrus pointed his spear towards his troops. He didn’t mind his subordinates having ambition, but rules had to be followed. And his words were the rules.
Those who failed to realize this fact didn’t deserve to wage wars under his name.
“Will this work?” Ria asked with a frown. She understood his intentions. Without a figurative head, how many would dare to stand against him? It was an effective strategy, but what if a lot of players refused regardless?
“Doesn’t matter. It’d be better if they become more primitive and don’t scheme on my back in the future.” Zyrus answered in a cold tone as his vertical pupils glanced at the fifty-three players who stood without moving an inch.
Ria didn’t need her Clairvoyance to envision the massacre that would soon unfold.
“Would you look at that! We’ve got some brave warriors here,”
Zyrus praised the players after a minute of suffocating silence. None of the remaining players moved a muscle. They knew that without their allegiance the monster could only have an empty crown.
However, they had overlooked a very crucial detail.
“What a pity… I don’t need brave warriors. I need soldiers who obey my commands.”
“You’re strong, but do you think you can enslave us by force?” the youth from before spoke in a defiant tone.
“Do you think I’d allow you to incite others?” Zyrus scoffed after throwing out his javelin.
WHIISH
“kuh-”
-200
Exp +400
“I don’t care about your dignity and ambitions. From the moment you lost, your lives belong to me and me alone.” Zyrus stated the cruel truth while glaring at the remaining players.
He didn’t care about their reactions. His goal was clear, and he would achieve that by any means possible.
ROOAR
Zyrus growled at the hundred goblin riders who were standing at the camp’s periphery.
“Kikiki”
“Awooo”
They didn’t need any more instructions. In the span of a couple of seconds, they surrounded the players who had refused to surrender.
“What do you-”
“Kill them all.”
It was an extreme method, but it had its advantages. The sanctuary treated humans and monsters in the same way.
Both can level up and get rewards by killing other species. From a neutral perspective, leveling up a squad of goblin riders would be much more helpful than some opportunistic players.
Awoooo
The wolves ran in circles while the goblins rained down arrows at the players. They used their shields and swords to defend and counterattack, but that was futile. The wolves were faster than them whereas the goblins’ arrows were piercing through the tiniest opening in their formation.
“Stop this madness!”
“W-we surrender-”
Zyrus looked on with an emotionless gaze as the players fell one by one. Death was mercy to those who didn’t value their life. Many had come to their senses after a few arrows were riddled in their body, but what was the point in that? Injured people required resources and time to heal up. Only a benevolent and stupid leader would accept their surrender.
Zyrus was neither.
Uninterested in the ongoing slaughter, he walked away after ordering the wolves to deal with the players. Despite them being ordinary beasts akin to cats and dogs, they had a chance to be recognized as monsters after killing others.
Zyrus leaned on a half-burned tree and looked at the system message he had received a while ago. The smell of fire and blood mixed with dying screams didn’t faze him at all. You get used to it once you spend a few centuries on battlefields.
[You have met the necessary requirement to activate the special ability]
[You can obtain one of the Goblin’s special traits]
[Obtained traits: 0/10]
Note: This ability can be used once every 20 levels.
Note: The traits will be granted at random and they will be modified to suit your race.
Note: The obtained traits can be developed further via race evolution.
He didn’t plan on using the talent. He was curious about its usage, but he didn’t want to get something useless like the goblins’ reproduction trait.
“I’d advise you save it for now.”
“Look who’s here,” Zyrus raised a brow at Aurora who had popped out of nowhere. He was looking forward to having a proper conversation with her, but her face made it apparent that she wasn’t here for idle chatter.