"Take them," Kael said after only a moment's thought. "But don't stray too far. If you see something you can't handle, you run. Your lives come first. Water and rations—enough for the day."
There was a time when he'd never let anyone leave the barrier. Back then, his "army" was barely a handful of professionals; losing even one could have crippled him.
Now? Ten soldiers. Small, but disciplined enough to hunt safely—so long as they didn't stumble into a Bronze-tier monster. Every fight outside meant more strength, for them... and for him.
Bai Yi and her nine companions set off, packs heavy with water skins and roasted meat, fading into the desert haze.
Kael stayed behind the shimmering dome, confident the city was safe. Without them courting death, nothing could breach the protective barrier.
Still, his mind raced through possibilities. If they found new monsters… maybe new soldier types would appear. Different weapons. Different skills.
The day passed in a steady rhythm of corpses and loot. Lizards slain, spoils stripped, recruitment books fed into the Gate. Each time the vortex spat out a fresh warrior, Kael sent them straight back into the hunt.
By dusk, his forces had grown at an almost absurd pace.
He bit into a strip of roasted meat when it hit him—a sudden surge through muscle and mind. His personal status blinked before his eyes:
Strength: Black Iron, Intermediate
Finally. The grin spreading across his face was wild.
Then he saw it. Beyond the barrier, the air thickened and darkened—a crawling scarlet fog swallowing the desert whole.
The system's voice cut through the tension:
[Warning!][When night falls, scarlet fog will blanket most of the High Continent. Fog monsters' power will increase by 500%. They will hunt without mercy. Only those inside the protective barrier will survive. Recall all troops immediately.]
Kael didn't waste a breath. Bai Yi. Now.
The World Channel was already in chaos—Lords begging to return, cursing the night, mourning before the battle even began. He ignored them. His eyes stayed locked on the desert.
Shapes emerged from the blood-red haze. Not ten returning soldiers… forty-six.
Thirty-six fresh recruits pulled from today's spoils. No other Lord could dream of numbers like that at this stage.
"My Lord," Bai Yi reported, "all returned alive. Seven lightly wounded."
He ordered them to rest, noting how efficiently she delegated medics and raised tents. But something felt off. No lizard corpses accompanied them.
Bai Yi explained: they'd hunted the area dry before stumbling upon six strangers—not monsters, but foreign. Locked in battle with four Lizards, taking losses. When they spotted Kael's troops, they abandoned their dead and vanished.
Two soldiers dragged one of the abandoned bodies forward.
The thing was alien. Silver-white skin. Limbs too slender. A grotesquely large head. Lifeless black eyes staring into nothing. Its neck was torn open.
The system confirmed it:
[Subject of Lord Potts][Loot: 2x Mist Cores, 1x Racial Skill Book – Mental Manipulation (0.01%), 1x White Platinum Racial Talent Sphere (0.0001%)]
Kael's pulse quickened.
A skill to control minds… and a Talent Sphere of near-mythic rarity.
From the corpse of a dead alien Lord's soldier.
He closed his fist slowly, eyes narrowing on the scarlet fog outside.
So… this game isn't just me versus the monsters anymore.