A group of people was carefully advancing when suddenly a chilling chittering sound came from up ahead.
A horde of goblins, weapons in hand, charged at them with wild cries.
Seeing this scene, a wave of excitement rushed through the group of Heroes.
“Haha, finally, we got some mobs spawning!”
“Fellows, let’s charge!”
“Why are there only trashy goblins? Isn’t the one living here supposed to be a Goblin Dark Lord? Can so many of us even share such small rewards?”
In an instant, everyone charged forward, their swords slashing wildly at the goblins.
As the lowest level monsters, goblins were no match for these well-equipped Heroes.
If it weren’t for the narrow passage restricting the fighting capabilities of most Heroes, the goblins would have been slain even faster.
“Charge!”
“Wipe them out!” …
At the back of the team, Zachary observed the advancing group with a cold gaze.
Goblin after goblin fell into puddles of blood, yet the casualties among the Heroes remained extremely low.
“Is this so-called Dark Lord worth anything? Why does it keep sending goblins to die?” 𝑜𝗏𝓛xt.𝗰𝒐𝑚
Such a weak Dark Lord could not meet his original expectations.
“Wait, something’s not right…”
A shocked cry suddenly echoed from the team of Heroes that were in the midst of the fight.
A gigantic goblin leaped out, cutting a Hero in half with a single blow.
“What’s up with this goblin? An elite mob?”
No one paid attention to his cry.
From the darkness, apart from goblins, a Wraith emerged.
“Be careful, don’t underestimate even a Goblin Dark Lord. Form up, spread out a bit, let’s clean up these cannon fodders first!”
After a moment of confusion, the group of Heroes regained their calm.
Warriors formed the front line, archers and mages stood at the back unleashing their attacks.
With their coordinated firepower, they soon carved out a new path.
Having paid the price of six casualties, the group of Heroes reached the end of the dungeon passage, standing before a massive stone door.
“The Dark Lord should be behind this. Brothers, charge!” A burly bearded warrior took the lead, pushing open the door in front of him.
Beyond the door was a vast, dark space.
The group of Heroes lit torches and carefully entered.
“Is this some kind of hall?” a Hero said uncertainly, looking down at the floor beneath him.
Zachary, following at the end of the group, entered with contempt for this weak Dark Lord in his heart.
He originally planned to wear down these overly “excess” Heroes with this Dark Lord, but to his surprise, this Dark Lord proved to be so useless.
“I didn’t come all this way for nothing. I guess I’ll just reluctantly take this useless Dark Lord’s head.” Zachary sneered, drawing his long sword and moving to the front of the team.
“Dark Lord is right ahead. Everyone knows what reward we get for slaying the Dark Lord. Follow me, let’s charge!”
As the group of Heroes yelled and charged, a loud booming sound echoed from the dark space.
Several spears shot out from the darkness, piercing through several Heroes’ chests.
“Spearmen, warriors raise your shields!” Zachary quickly shouted.
A few warriors raised their shields and stood at the front of the team.
However, from the darkness, heavy footsteps echoed, and large Divine Dragon Warriors emerged.
Their muscular bodies under the light of the fire created a strong oppressive vibe.
The sturdy oak shields in the hands of the frontline warriors were like paper in front of these monsters, easily cleaved in half.
Wham!
A loud noise echoed from the sky, a huge shadow whooshed down, instantly plunging into the midst of the Heroes.
“What is this monster?”
As Baymax swooped down, the Hero’s formation was instantly shattered.
At the same time, countless monsters surged out from the darkness.
Divine Dragon Warriors, like the sharpest spear, instantly pierced through the entire team, turning the upcoming battle into a one-sided slaughter…
With a pale face, Zachary was running away in a frenzy.
From the moment the Divine Dragon Warriors appeared, he sensed something bad and chose to flee instantly.
He finally managed to escape to the large door from which they had entered, using all his strength to push it open and then shut it again.
Feeling insecure, he used his long sword as a latch, stabbing it into the center of the stone door.
“This damn dungeon, this damn Dark Lord…”
“I never want to set foot in this hellish place again in my life!”
Scrambling and rolling, he ran towards the tunnel, only for his heart to skip a beat suddenly.
An overwhelming sense of terror enveloped him instantly.
At the end of the corridor stood a tall youth.
Zachary felt a chill run down his spine, the world shrinking until only those cold vertical pupils remained.
“Who… who are you?”
Zachary’s voice trembled.
Hearing this, Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.
“Ah… you can call me… the Dark Lord?”
The worst assumption in Zachary’s heart was confirmed.
He swallowed, involuntarily taking a step back.
But then he laughed at himself – he was on enemy territory now.
Even if he ran, where could he go?
Racking his brain for options, Zachary’s mind was racing.
He had a great life ahead of him and didn’t want to die here so pathetically.
“Dark… Dark Lord… spare my life, please! I swear I’ll serve you forever, I’ll be your loyal servant!” Zachary knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing.
In the face of life and death, dignity meant nothing to him.
“I don’t seem to have any reason to let you live.” Ethan eyed Zachary.
He was average in strength and certainly not a delicate beauty.
Taking him in would just waste food…
Killing him seemed like the simplest solution.
Zachary gulped.
He could clearly feel the killing intent radiating from the Dark Lord…
He couldn’t offer anything to spare his life, could he?
Wait… there was something!
Just like grasping a lifeline, Zachary quickly blurted out, “Fountain of Life! I’m willing to offer you the Fountain of Life!”
“Oh?” Ethan retracted his claws slowly.
If this guy had spoken a moment later, he would have been beheaded.
Seeing the Dark Lord’s killing intent subside, Zachary began to explain rapidly, “Dark Lord, you must’ve realized by now, most of our party who came for the raid were Treants. We come from a Treant village not far from here. And our method of birth is different from typical humans; we’re born from the Fountain of Life.”
“Treants are tough and durable, with naturally amazing defensive capabilities. From birth, they have access to a variety of wood magic. Unlike us Heroes, many Treants born from the Fountain of Life have simple minds and are very loyal. With a little training, you can have a new army that is fiercely loyal!”
“Unlike your strong soldiers, Treants don’t need food. They only need sunlight each day. As long as they’re in a forest, you have an endless supply of soldiers!”
“Now, most of the Heroes in our village have come with me, leaving it vulnerable. The strongest left is the Treant elder.”
“That Treant is a rare beauty. Don’t you want to try something new, Dark Lord? If you accept, I’m willing to be your henchman, personally capturing that bitch for you!”
Although the Hero in front of him was a scoundrel, Ethan had to admit, his proposal was enticing.
“Tell me more about this village of yours. Your value will determine whether you can live and how well you can live.” Ethan’s indifferent voice rang out.
Zachary swallowed nervously, and began to detail his explanation.
The Treant village was not far from here, a newbie village for Heroes.
Only Heroes who chose the Treant race were born here, and the village was protected by a barrier twenty-four hours a day.
The Treants had a special innate skill.
Whenever the day arrived, the strength of the Treants would be enhanced, especially under sunlight.
Their attributes could even double.
But when night fell, they would be in a state of weakness, with all their attributes reduced by 50%.
“Had your dungeon not been devoid of sunlight, our team would’ve had a chance to fight,” Zachary bitterly chuckled.
A team of over a hundred, he thought they could easily have swept through this dungeon.
To cause more casualties, he had even deliberately given up many conditions favorable to Treants, like sunlight, soil, trees…
But regretting these things now was useless.
Having chosen to surrender, Zachary quickly corrected his attitude and proactively started planning for Ethan.
“Lord Dark Lord, our Treant village’s elder is named Eluna, the strongest NPC in our village. Her strength should be at B-rank, but at night, her attributes are greatly reduced, maybe not even at C-rank.”
“As everyone knows, these Treant NPCs are quite simple… or you could say kind. I’m willing to lead you there, go back to the village and ask Eluna for help. Given the kind nature of the Treants, she probably won’t refuse.”
“This way, the village’s strongest defense – the barrier – becomes useless. You can also fight them at night, ensuring your victory with one strike! What do you think of my proposal?”
Zachary looked at Ethan earnestly, like a hunting dog begging its master with a wagging tail.
[Ding! Congratulations on taming a Hero! Hero Loyalty: 50%]
“Very well, I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
Ethan gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.
…