"Oh? Wolf Cavalry, and a hidden branch at that?"
Shen Xing was a bit surprised. He glanced at the Warg beneath Blood Roar, and his mind started buzzing with ideas.
’It seems the evolutionary paths for each Soldier Type in this world aren’t fixed.’
’I used Sacrificial Evolution on Hellish Roar, awakening him as an Agile Type Beastman Fighter.’
’Blood Roar formed a pact with his mount, activating the hidden evolutionary path: Wolf Cavalry.’
’In other words, every Soldier Type has countless evolutionary paths, which means countless possibilities.’
’Could I use this trait to cultivate specific Soldier Types for certain roles?’
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Xing pulled his thoughts back to the two evolutionary branches before him.
’This doesn’t even require any thought. I already have Hellish Roar for the front lines; another Beastman Warrior wouldn’t make much of a difference.’
So, he decisively chose the second option.
BZZZT—
A red light instantly flared, completely engulfing the man and the wolf.
Within the light, Blood Roar’s body began to change rapidly.
His limbs grew sturdier, as if all his strength was concentrating in his arms and legs.
The Iron Axe in his hand also lengthened rapidly, its handle reaching an astonishing one and a half meters.
Even more miraculously, the Warg beneath him also gained some equipment.
A leather saddle and stirrups appeared on its back, and a Wolf Fang Necklace hung around its neck.
[Evolution successful! ’Blood Roar’s’ Potential has been raised to Elite ★, and his class has advanced to Wolf Cavalry!]
[Attribute increase from this evolution: All Attributes +10%]
[Weapon: ’Beastman Iron Axe (Green)’ → ’Beastman Long-Handled Axe (Blue)’]
[Awakened Skills: Riding Mastery, Wolf Charge!]
...
’He activated two skills at once! A hidden branch is really something else!’
Shen Xing was in a great mood. He eagerly opened Blood Roar’s attribute panel to check the details of the two new skills.
[Riding Mastery]
[Skill Effect: While mounted, a Wolf Cavalry’s movement speed is increased by 25%, and their evasion is increased by 25%.]
[Note: True cavalrymen are one with their mounts in mind and body.]
...
[Wolf Charge]
[Skill Effect: Locks onto a target and initiates a high-speed charge, dealing piercing damage to enemies along the path (a distance of Agility x2 meters) and knocking them back.Can charge 3 consecutive times. The interval between charges cannot exceed 5 seconds, or the skill will enter cooldown.Cooldown: 45*3 seconds.]
[Note: The Wolf Cavalry ride! Taste my blade!]
...
’What powerful skills! Especially the second one, Wolf Charge. It’s insane!’
’Not only does it have a super long-range dash, but it can even be used three times in a row!’
’If I build an entire Wolf Cavalry Squad, won’t they just steamroll the entire field?’
Shen Xing pictured the scene and couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation.
Of course, cultivating such a special Soldier Type wouldn’t be easy.
You’d need to find a Warg first, then develop enough rapport with it, and finally help it evolve. There were too many conditions.
So, for now, he could only dream.
Meanwhile, the now-evolved Blood Roar rode out on his transformed gray wolf.
Feeling the surging power within him, he looked over at Hellish Roar, his fighting spirit soaring, eager for a challenge.
Shen Xing’s expression turned odd.
’This guy just broke through to the Elite Level, and he’s already planning to challenge the big boss?’
’How very like a Beastman.’
Beastmen revere the strong, but they also love to challenge them.
As long as they defeat a Beastman stronger than themselves, they can raise their status within the tribe and display their own power.
This wasn’t infighting, but simply their nature.
Faced with Blood Roar’s provocation, Hellish Roar didn’t respond. He just snorted and looked away.
Blood Roar looked a little unconvinced, but without the Lord’s permission, he didn’t dare make any presumptuous moves.
Shen Xing smiled and shook his head. The two Beastmen had completely different personalities.
If they really were to fight, however, Blood Roar would most likely get beaten to a pulp by Hellish Roar.
’Never mind the one-star difference in their levels.’
’After being boosted by Sacrificial Evolution twice, Hellish Roar’s Agility Attribute is a full 20 points higher than other Elites of the same Tier.’
’Even a highly mobile Wolf Cavalry would probably not even be able to touch the nimble Hellish Roar.’
Besides, Shen Xing planned to continue concentrating his resources on developing Hellish Roar.
After all, the gap between star levels in this game was huge. Even the difference between a One-Star Elite and a Two-Star Elite was like the difference between a kindergartener and a third-grader.
Therefore, focusing on upgrading a single Soldier Type was the most cost-effective strategy.
The Sickness Village nearby was a constant threat. He had to raise his combat power as quickly as possible and then raze it to the ground!
’Hmph, I won’t tolerate a threat right on my doorstep.’
’With my world-shaking wisdom and my unyielding effort—Sacrificial Evolution, give me some points!’
[Use Talent Ability: Sacrificial Evolution to raise ’Hellish Roar’s’ Potential to Elite ★★★?]
[This process requires the sacrifice of: Agility *20]
...
’Huh? 10 Agility has become 20. Does the required attribute sacrifice increase as a Soldier Type’s Potential rises?’
Shen Xing mused.
’But this isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s a fantastic thing!’
’Who cares how many attributes need to be sacrificed? What does that have to do with my 0 Agility?’
Shen Xing actually wished it would sacrifice even more.
After all, these sacrificed attributes would be permanently added to the Soldier Type!
So, he unhesitatingly clicked ’Confirm’.
This time, the power didn’t even seem to bother searching his body.
It transformed directly into a ball of red light and landed on Hellish Roar.
BZZZT—
The red light flashed, enveloping Hellish Roar’s tall figure.
His muscles bulged and compressed, and his bones crackled and popped.
Blue war tattoos emerged on the muscles of his back, and a totem-like mark resembling a wolf’s claw appeared between his eyebrows.
A steady, heavy, yet explosive aura burst forth!
[Evolution successful! ’Hellish Roar’s’ Potential has been raised to Elite ★★★!]
[Attribute increase from this evolution: Power +15, Spirit +11, Agility +32 (Extra +20), Constitution +14]
[Awakened Skill: Slaying]
[Awakened Talent: Tribe’s Soul]
...
Shen Xing: "!!!"
He stared at the notification in front of him, stunned once again.
’What is with today?’
’Blood Roar just broke through to Elite and activated two major skills, and now Hellish Roar immediately activates two major abilities?’
’And compared to Blood Roar’s, these awakened abilities seem even more incredible!’
’After all, one of them is a rare Talent.’
This was the first Soldier Type in Shen Xing’s territory to possess a Talent.
Filled with anticipation, he quickly checked its attributes.
[Slaying: Unleash a full-power strike, dealing massive single-target damage to an enemy.If the target is injured, there is a chance to ignore its defense and execute it directly.Cooldown: 15 seconds]
...
[Tribe’s Soul]
[Talent Effect: Increases own learning speed by 30%, Charm +10.When Hellish Roar is on the field, all Beastmen gain increased morale and a temporary +1 Level (cannot exceed the Tier limit)]
...
’An execute on wounded targets and a level-up for everyone... I’m shocked.’
Shen Xing was astonished; these two abilities were a huge surprise.
No need to elaborate on the first one, Slaying. The fact that it had a chance to kill an enemy outright was proof enough of its power.
The Talent Ability that followed was even more ridiculous.
It was practically a mobile Aura. As long as he was present, the power and morale of all Beastmen would get a boost!
"Lord."
Hellish Roar walked over with a steady gait and bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you for cultivating me. I have become stronger."
"You’ve done well." Shen Xing nodded slightly, his eyes filled with appreciation.
Meanwhile, Blood Roar stared fixedly at him, his fighting spirit gradually receding.
It seemed he knew the gap between them was now too great and was preparing to lie low for a while before challenging for the top spot again.
"Hellish Roar, get the other Beastmen ready. We’re going out to explore in a bit," Shen Xing ordered.
"Yes, great Lord!" Hellish Roar replied respectfully and went to assemble the Beastmen.
Then, he turned his head back to look at the Campfire in the center of his territory.
[Campfire: Level 2]
[Campfire Effect: Increases the temperature in a 50-meter diameter area and dispels the Fog.]
[Materials required for upgrade: Soul Stone *20, Vinar Silver Coins *20, Black Crystal *5]
[Note: This is the fire of your territory’s survival. Be careful not to let it go out.]
...
’To upgrade the Campfire further, I’ll need a material called Black Crystal.’
’And defensive buildings like the Arrow Tower also need Black Iron and Black Crystal to get to Level 2.’
Shen Xing pondered for a moment, his gaze shifting to two green dots on his mini-map. Those were the Crystal Tower and Black Iron Ore Vein he had previously captured.
Fortunately, three days had passed since he captured the Crystal Tower, and it hadn’t been targeted by any monsters, producing a total of 12 units of Black Crystal for him.
That was more than enough to upgrade the Campfire.
As for the Black Iron Ore Vein, he currently had no miners in his territory, so it had been left untouched.
’Next, I need to go explore the wilderness, capture more Crystal Towers, and find a way to recruit some workers.’
Shen Xing secretly formulated a plan and then invested the resources to upgrade the Campfire.
[Upgrade in progress. Estimated time: 13 hours, 27 minutes...]
...
Next, he opened his right hand. A floating orb of light appeared, containing a stark white, humanoid skeleton.
It was the Two-Star Unit Nest that Qin Lang had given him today: Skeleton Archers.
’It’s really amazing. Things from the game can be brought into reality, and things from reality can be transferred into the game,’ Shen Xing marveled inwardly.
But, as mentioned before, in the early stages of the game, there was only one chance per day to transfer items back and forth.
[Place Unit Nest: Skeleton Archer Camp (Normal ★★)?]
(Note: This placement requires at least 21 square meters of open space.)
"Yes."
The orb of light in his hand spun again and landed next to the Beastmen’s wooden house, transforming into a potter’s field scattered with white bones and remains.
[Skeleton Archer Camp]
[Level: Normal ★★]
[Recruitable Soldier Type: Skeleton Archers (Normal ★★)]
[Recruitment requirements: Soul Stone *10, Dusk Fire *10]
[Upgrade requirements: Soul Stone *180, Vinar Silver Coins *150, Black Crystal *20]
...
’Since this isn’t my starting territory, there’s no free first recruitment. That’s understandable.’
’But what on earth is this Dusk Fire?’
Shen Xing wondered as he stared at the last unfamiliar material.
As usual, he opened the official forums and searched for related information, quickly understanding what it was.
This Dusk Fire, like Black Crystal, came from a resource point in the wild.
He needed to find a Dusk Sacrificial Tower and light it to begin periodically producing this material.
’This material seems pretty important, too. Not only can it be used as Soul Fire for recruiting creatures, but it can also be used to refill the Horse Lantern’s oil in the wild, extending exploration time.’
’On top of that, you can crush it during battle to set yourself on fire, clearing abnormal states.’
’All in all, it has many uses.’
After some analysis, Shen Xing had a plan.
’It’s time to start a new day of exploration! For the Kemonomimi... no, I mean, to make the territory bigger and stronger!’