Blackbone Encampment.
The goblin chieftain, Maggot-Eye, was meticulously planning his next move against Miracle City.
The human main city was not something he could touch for now.
But reclaiming Red Claw Village and Redstone Mountain Mine would not be too difficult.
Even so, with the bitter lesson he had learned in the fight against the Blackbone Clan, Maggot‑Eye had become far more cautious. Instead of launching another offensive, he focused his energy on ordering his subordinates to fortify the encampment.
He intended to fully establish a stable defensive position before attempting any probing attack to guarantee absolute safety.
Suddenly.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Heavy footsteps shook the ground.
Two Tank Zombies appeared at the front of the encampment. They were none other than Miracle City's own Rampaging Chocobo and White Crane Hermit. With their monstrous strength, they tore apart the half‑finished spike fence with their bare hands.
Pig King, in his Charger form, roared, "Brothers, with me! Wipe out these filthy darkspawn!"
With that shout, he charged.
At terrifying speed, he smashed directly into the stunned goblin warriors.
Blackstone Hammer King bellowed, "You idiots dare occupy Miracle City territory? I'm going to smash your guts out today!"
More than a dozen contracted workers sprinted at the front to draw fire. Behind them surged one hundred eighty black‑armored explosive‑resistant zombie soldiers. The unstoppable momentum of their assault left the goblins dumbstruck.
"Archers! Fire!"
"Hurry, release the arrows!"
The dark goblins finally regained their senses.
Poison‑tipped arrows shot forth in waves.
Mixed among them were deadly throwing spears.
These attacks, however, were nowhere near enough to seriously injure the thick‑skinned Tanks or the high‑speed Chargers. Even the standard explosive‑resistant zombies could endure multiple hits thanks to their gear.
Once the two Tanks and three Chargers crashed through the encampment gate together, one hundred eighty zombie soldiers surged in like a tidal wave.
The dark goblins were caught completely unprepared. Many were knocked into the air, smashed to pulp by Tanks, or torn apart. In mere moments, the goblin line collapsed with heavy casualties.
The Miracle City forces advanced with unstoppable vigor.
The adventurers were practically roaring with adrenaline.
Even Maggot‑Eye found himself stunned by the sight.
He, the greatest general of the Dark City, prided himself on caution.
But he had never expected the humans' offensive to be this fast, this fierce.
A newly‑built subterranean settlement possessed so many elite fighters? Where had these people even come from? This was completely outside Maggot‑Eye's understanding of the human domain.
Having many soldiers was one thing.
But their strength? Terrifying.
Tank fighters White Crane Hermit and Rampaging Chocobo alone were tearing through the goblin ranks as if no obstacles existed. Rampaging Chocobo even grabbed a goblin warrior with one hand and swung him like a living mace.
Five‑Star Monsters.
They were absolutely Five‑Star monsters.
Their power was roughly equivalent to a peak First‑Tier combatant.
Even as the strongest general under the Dark City Lord, Maggot‑Eye doubted he could take on both of them at once.
"Retreat!"
The situation was spiraling.
Immediate withdrawal!
Maggot‑Eye gathered his personal guards and attempted to retreat, only to be blocked by a pale, slender figure.
The newcomer was none other than the Witch Zombie, Tsukikage Sayuki.
"Running already? Too easy."
Sayuki let out a sharp, piercing scream and dashed into the darkspawn ranks with lightning speed. Her clawed hands ripped down five or six goblins almost instantly, tearing open throats or piercing hearts with single deadly strikes.
So fast.
A true First‑Tier Five‑Star fighter.
Just how many top‑tier humans were there?
Maggot‑Eye's expression darkened as Sayuki closed in.
A goblin spellcaster stepped forward. He had finished chanting and immediately unleashed his magic.
"Slow!"
A heavy invisible force descended.
Sayuki's movements noticeably slowed, yet she still lunged toward Maggot‑Eye, intending to kill him before the adventurers reached him.
Clang!
Her claws clashed against a blade.
Five deep scratches appeared on Maggot‑Eye's sword.
"You can block that? Not bad."
Realizing he was the leader, Sayuki unleashed a more ferocious assault, hoping to be the first to claim this enemy commander's head.
Claws and steel clashed.
Sparks flew.
Maggot‑Eye indeed lived up to his title as Dark City's strongest general beneath its lord.
Though he was pressured and on the defensive, he was clearly waiting for an opportunity.
"Slow!"
The goblin spellcaster cast the spell again.
Sayuki's speed dropped again. Inevitably, she exposed an opening.
Now!
Maggot‑Eye's single eye gleamed. His blade surged with power as he unleashed a whirling strike several times faster than before, its blade‑arc slicing across Sayuki's neck.
Combat Technique: Whirlwind Slash.
The strike was too swift, too sharp.
A red line opened across Sayuki's throat. "Careless… irritating…"
Though unwilling, she had to admit defeat. This goblin was indeed far stronger than most she had encountered.
Sayuki fell, decapitated. But her death fulfilled its purpose. She had bought enough time to prevent Maggot‑Eye from organizing a retreat.
The zombie army had already encircled the goblins.
The darkspawn now had almost no chance of escape.
"Not good!"
Panic washed across Maggot‑Eye's face.
He abandoned all other concerns.
Gathering his few remaining guards, he attempted a last desperate breakout.
But just as he made his move, a towering figure stepped into his path. The newcomer had an ugly face, exposed gums, a black trench coat, and a massive flamethrower.
It was the Stalker controlled by Kanzaki Ren.
"Go."
"Kill him."
They hadn't even fought yet.
But Maggot‑Eye sensed overwhelming danger from this being.
He ordered his guards to strike first.
The goblins hadn't even reached the Stalker before a torrent of blazing high‑pressure flames swept over them, incinerating them into screaming fireballs.
What magic was this?
The destructive force was nearly Second‑Tier.
It annihilated his elite guards instantly.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
Though horrified, Maggot‑Eye wasted no chance. He seized the instant when the flames subsided and struck the Stalker with his technique.
Spellcasters were strong offensively but weak defensively.
This was his only chance.
But before his strike could fully manifest, several tentacles burst from the Stalker's massive body. They wrapped around Maggot‑Eye with crushing strength, restraining him instantly.
"You're too weak."
Kanzaki Ren spoke with chilling calm.
"No!"
In utter terror, Maggot‑Eye watched as Ren aimed the flamethrower at him. The high‑pressure flames engulfed him in an instant, burning him into a lump of charred coal.
A Second‑Tier unit destroying a First‑Tier fighter.
Complete domination.
Ren wasn't finished.
The remaining goblins had been herded into one area by the adventurers.
Ren advanced, unleashing sweeping torrents of fire. Screams filled the battlefield as dark goblins burned alive, rolling helplessly across the ground.
Satisfying.
Utterly satisfying.
This wasn't a battle.
Ren felt like he was exterminating pests.
The difference in strength was simply too vast.
Within minutes, it was over.
All 201 goblins were dead.
Miracle City's losses were minor in comparison. Because contracted workers had charged first, they bore the most casualties, losing five including Tsukikage Sayuki. The mercenaries lost fifteen.
Contracted workers cost nothing to replace.
So for the price of fifteen basic soul fragments, they had wiped out two hundred goblins from Dark City and killed its strongest commander. It was a definitive victory.
"We won!"
"That felt amazing!"
"What a fight!"
"The Stalker's power is insane!"
"That flamethrower is ridiculous!"
"When I reach Second Tier, I'm absolutely contracting a Stalker!"
They quickly cleaned the battlefield.
To prevent revival.
The goblin corpses were immediately destroyed.
[You have incinerated a darkspawn corpse. Soulstone +10.]
[You have incinerated a darkspawn corpse. Soulstone +1.]
[…]
[You have incinerated a darkspawn corpse. Soulstone +2, Spirit +1.]
Total Soulstones gained: 585.
Then they salvaged goblin equipment.
[You recycled "Goblin Warblade." Tier‑One Material Essence +7.]
[You recycled "Goblin Staff." Tier‑One Material Essence +4.]
[You recycled "Goblin Leather Armor." Tier‑One Material Essence +1.]
[…]
A total of 620 items.
They yielded 1,684 units of Material Essence.
A tremendous haul.
Miracle City's material stores had been depleted to zero.
This income was perfectly timed.
Now the territory had ample resources once again.
Construction and development could advance to the next stage.
"Lord! Lord!" Rampaging Chocobo ran over, her body covered in blood and small wounds. "I crushed at least thirteen goblins myself!"
"Not bad."
Ren distributed double rewards to the adventurers.
Then he asked, "Want to kill more darkspawn? Earn even more contribution?"
Everyone froze.
Wind‑Sleeper asked, "There are more dark goblins nearby?"
Ren answered calmly, "Not around here. But Dark City is full of them."
What?
Dark City.
The crowd erupted.
The lord couldn't possibly be planning to strike the darkspawn capital itself.