Chapter 204 - Groups (8)

Even before Luke's group could reach the first shelter, they noticed that something was weird in the distance. There was this massive curtain of smoke spreading around the area, and for Luke, that was the sign of a single thing… an enormous battle. Even if they fly high in the sky, they would be noticed, so Luke told Rina to park the ice castle on the other side of a small mountain and then proceeded to approach. It was time to be cautious since they didn't know about the situation ahead.

Even without seeing things from a close distance, the group found signs of many massive battles in the area. Burned down forests, decertified fields… sea of monsters bodies. The overlords were going all out with their battle. Rina didn't say that in such a region, there were magic resources, but it seemed that they had been found. In any case, while watching her world being destroyed from so up close, all the sadness that Rina had in her face vanished and gave place to anger.

"It is quite shocking that the other elves didn't notice this…" Amanda said while frowning.

"We only traveled for ten hours in that ice castle, but on foot, it would take more than a week… of course relay messages about this wouldn't reach the other regions," Luke said. "Regardless, too many monsters are being summoned here… Rina, how much mana or coins are necessary to summon those creatures using our red crystal?" 

"The specters need twenty thousand mana points, and the frozen mammoths need fifteen," Rina replied.

It seemed like a big number, but considering their level of power… Rina told him when they obtained the crystal that they would come already at level one hundred. In any case, a single being couldn't possible have enough mana recovery to create an army of creatures that powerful, not even the overlords Luke already defeated. So, these new ones are probably using the sacrificed souls of their original monsters. Luke wondered if the replicas could also be sacrificed in order for the crystal to gain more mana over time… it didn't seem like something ethical to do. Still, it certainly was a good method to gain power…

The group approached the battlefield that was covered in smoke and managed to get pretty close without being found. Eventually, they heard many explosions and the sounds of monsters roaring. Eventually, they saw an army of lion-like monsters and some spider-like creatures facing each other.

Chimera- Lv 286

HP: 2565/ 2565

MP: 2125/2125

SP: 1456/1456

STR: 658

SPE: 533

INT: 489

END: 477

RES: 463

FOC: 900

Free points: 00

Gold Coins: 00

Active Skills: Poisonous Bite Lv 10, Charge Lv 10, Body Slam Lv 10,

Spells: Poisonous Arrow Lv 10, Fly Lv 10, Fire Breath Lv 10

Passive: Fire Resistance Lv 10, Cold Resistance Lv 10, Wind Resistance Lv 10, Earth Resistance Lv 10, Poison Resistance Lv 10, Electric Resistance Lv 10, 

After seeing the first group, Luke realized that they really were. The chimera had lion heads and legs, the torso of an eagle, and the tail in the shape of a snake. It was quite the weird creature, and it looked fearsome as hell.

Arachnid Warrior - Lv 279

HP: 2565/ 2565

MP: 1219/1219

SP: 2100/2100

STR: 867

SPE: 300

INT: 250

END: 430

RES: 430

FOC: 700

Free points: 00

Gold Coins: 00

Active Skills: Sonic Blade Lv 10

Spells: Frozen Enchantment Lv 10, Fire Enchantment Lv 10

Passive: Swordsmanship Lv 10, Fire Resistance Lv 10, Cold Resistance Lv 10, Wind Resistance Lv 10, Earth Resistance Lv 10, Poison Resistance Lv 10, Electric Resistance Lv 10, 

The second group was arachnids warriors, while their half body was of a giant spider, their torso was quite humanoid, and they had four arms, and each of those was holding short swords. Immediately, Luke decided to retreat since their numbers were too massive, even though many already were on the ground dead, on both sides. Despite that, Luke caught the sight of some monsters carrying gear back to their backlines…

In any case, both creatures were pretty strong. Even with the help of others, Luke couldn't see them winning a direct battle. It would be better to challenge the overlords and decrease their source of power, but if the minions were that strong, how much stronger would the overlords be?

"Let's check the other shelters in other directions, are you okay with that, Rina?" Luke asked.

"It can't be helped…" Rina said while biting her lips, already imagining the worse.

They returned to the ice castle, and then Rina proceeded to change directions. To avoid being detected, she decided to take a roundabout route toward the next shelter… thanks to that, they arrived in the area after five hours, even though the distance could be traveled in just one. Unfortunately, they found the same thing again… a battlefield.

"I would say that this isn't a coincidence," Richter said.

"The overlords able to summon this many powerful creatures should be pretty powerful themselves…" Rachel said while frowning. "Are those resources you mentioned before that valuable?"

"There is a possibility that they are searching for information about the whereabouts of our queen and they want her power to themselves," Luthi explained.

"Yeah, say more… make her feel even worse," Luke said.

"That wasn't my intention…" Luthi said.

"They want to brainwash her?" Celia asked.

"Something like that…" Luthi replied.

It wasn't a good idea to bring that topic when the group had a lot more women than men. Most of them, aside from Rina and Shalia, didn't know how terrible the methods the overlords used to obtain power could be, and there was no need to put such dark thoughts in their heads.

Nevertheless, at that point in time, it was already obvious that the elves of that area had been killed or captured, so their plan of action had to change… they had thought that the real troublesome enemies were in the south, but the truth was much harsher.