Chapter 4, Skeleton Soldier_1
Through the lush green forest.
Ahead is a flat prairie where on the grass lay scattered, gnawed animal bones.
Over twenty Prairie Wolves are lazily sprawled out on the grass, basking in the sun.
Several of them bear visible scars, their still wet wounds staining the grass in a dark red hue.
Behind the pack of wolves is a natural cave entrance.
The cave inside is dim and unclear.
Based on former experiences with beast lairs, there should be beasts inside, possibly a small BOSS.
Fang Hao hides in the bushes, watching the pack of wolves from a distance.
He feels an indescribable heaviness in his heart. If he didn't possess the ability to amplify by a hundred times.
Like other Lords, only having five farmers.
Facing these Prairie Wolves, could he survive?
Probably very difficult, truly very difficult.
"Surround them, then launch an attack together." He instructed the skeletons.
However, the skeleton army remained indifferent, showing no expression or response.
"Okay, go, kill all, spare none." Fang Hao said helplessly.
Clatter!
The skeleton army charged out from the bushes, wielding their weapons and running towards the pack of wolves.
There was no need for any tactical deployment, the number of skeletons was too many. They formed a semi-circle naturally during their charge, enclosing the wolves and the cave within.
The sudden appearance of the skeleton army startled the pack of wolves.
But it didn't give the wolves a chance to respond.
The fight had already commenced.
Despite their ferocity, the Prairie Wolves were vastly outnumbered.
Facing nearly a thousand skeletons, they seemed extremely vulnerable.
With a single clash, they were drowned in the sea of skeletons.
In the blink of an eye, over twenty Prairie Wolves were killed by chaotic axes.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, a pair of lustre green eyes lit up, like flickering ghost fires.
A formidable Prairie Wolf King walked out angrily.
It stood at the entrance of the cave, roaring loudly.
Aroo——oo!!
[Prairie Wolf King (Level 2)]
[Skills: Bite, Pounce.]
However, the next moment, when it saw the dense skeleton army in front of the cave, the roaring abruptly ceased.
Crack, crack!
Turning their heads, the skeletons stared collectively at the Wolf King.
The next second, they all poured into the dark cave, followed by the sounds of battle and crying.
Several minutes later.
The skeletons that went into the cave all walked out again.
A few of the skeletons carried the Wolf King's corpse and a wooden treasure chest.
Thump!
With a dull sound, they threw the treasure chest directly in front of Fang Hao.
"You're not stupid!"
Knowing to bring out the treasure chest and deliver it to Fang Hao showed some intelligence.
But the skeletons carrying the treasure chest turned around and left, presenting their back to him.
The chest opened.
[Obtained: Level 1 Barracks Blueprint, Common Wooden Shield Blueprint (White).]
The two blueprints turned into light and entered the Book of Lords.
Although few, they were still ordinary blueprints.
Yet Fang Hao couldn't help but feel elated.
With the blueprint of the barracks, if he was able to build it, he would be able to recruit soldiers.
Thus increasing his security.
"Okay, take all the dropped items, carry all these wolf corpses, let's return to our territory." Fang Hao shouted.
The skeletons, two by two, lifted the wolf carcasses overhead, following Fang Hao back to the territory.
...
Returning to the territory.
The skeletons threw the extra tools into the warehouse, and placed the wolf carcasses on the empty ground.
They then turned around and went back out to work.
Although the intelligence of the skeletons was low, their diligence and industriousness in not eating or drinking was really not bad.
[Level 1 Warcraft Prairie Wolf *24, do you wish to slaughter?]
Confirm slaughter!
[Slaughter complete, obtained Meat 9600, Beast Skin 480, Beast Bone 360.]
[Level 2 Warcraft Prairie Wolf King, do you wish to slaughter?]
Fang Hao clicked confirm continuously.
[Slaughter complete, obtained Meat 800, Beast Skin 50, Beast Bone 40.]
After the slaughter, the bodies stacked on the open ground turned into light and flew into the warehouse.
In the warehouse, the storage amount of meat exceeded all the other resources.
Even if he was a big eater, he still couldn't eat so much meat.
With the issue of the wolf carcasses resolved, next was to build the barracks.
[Level 1 Barracks Blueprint (Burial Grounds): Required resources, Wood 300, Stone 500, Rope 60.]
Undead faction buildings don't use much wood.
They consume more stone.
Having chosen a location, he started constructing the barracks.
With a flash of light, the barracks were built at the burial grounds.
[Level 1 Burial Grounds]
[Recruiting: Skeleton Soldier]
[Skeleton Soldier: White Bone 300.]
(Note: You can recruit faction soldiers in this building, higher building levels can unlock new solder types and higher tiers.)
[Upgrade materials required: Wood 500, Stone 720, Leather 80, Rope 240, Shadowstone 5.]
The burials grounds were larger in comparison to the underground cemetery.
The underground cemetery resembled a graveyard.
The Burial Grounds, on the other hand, was more like a mass grave.
The recruitment condition surprisingly required 300 Beast Bones.
If it hadn't been for the recent defeat of the wolf pack, the bones wouldn't have been enough.
Similarly, someone else in the in-game chat had obtained an item called a 'Soul Crystal'.
It was hard to obtain and was an item used to summon troops.
Its function was the same as that of his own White Bones.
He immediately chose to recruit.
After all, they needed to be summoned sooner or later. The sooner they were summoned, the sooner they could work, and the faster his territory could develop.
[The hundredfold multiplier has been triggered, successfully recruiting 101 Skeleton Soldiers.]
A burly skeleton emerged from the underground barracks.
Multiple rays of light descended around it, representing the additional 100 Skeleton Soldiers that had been amplified.
Skeleton Soldier (Tier 1)
[Faction: Undead]
[Racial Traits: Undead, Hollow Skeleton, Light Weakness.]
[Skills: Shield Bash]
[Innate Abilities: Basic Combat Mastery, Basic Swordsmanship Mastery, Basic Shield Mastery.]
[Undead]: This unit is already dead and cannot have morale or emotions. At the same time, it is immune to poison, diseases, blindness, and mind-affecting magic.
[Hollow Skeleton]: There is no fatal weakness.
[Light Weakness]: Light magic inflicted on this unit has a 20% damage bonus.
[Shield Bash]: (Requires Shield) Smashes the enemy with a shield, causing blunt damage and a chance to stun the target.
(Note: The skeleton soldiers lifting their weapons, their angular bone arms raised high, they have some combat power, but they're still fragile and can't withstand the enemy's continuous attacks.)
...
The Skeleton Soldiers were slightly bigger than the Skeleton Laborers and weren't just bare white bones.
Instead, they wore tattered cloths on their upper bodies that fluttered in the breeze like a bunch of mop shreds.
To be honest.
The newly joined combat units did not give Fang Hao much surprise.
The first three abilities were the same as those of the Skeleton Laborers, with an additional Shield Bash skill added at the end.
It also required a shield to be effective.
Right, today's acquired blueprints were of the shield type.
He immediately opened the crafting page in the Book of Lords.
[Wooden Shield: 3 wood, 2 hemp ropes.]
Craft!
[Hundredfold multiplier activated, successfully crafted 101 Wooden Shields.]
A pile of wooden shields appeared beside him.
"Alright, everyone pick up a wooden shield and a stone axe," Fang Hao commanded.
The Skeleton Soldiers stepped forward, each one picking up equipment.
"Your mission is to patrol the territory and ensure that the Skeleton Laborers can work normally. Then, gather prey," Fang Hao pointed.
The Skeleton Soldiers received the order and turned to leave.
The territory was still in the newbie protection phase.
As long as they were within the territory, they wouldn't be attacked by any beasts or enemies.
So, as long as they huddled up, there would be no danger.
On the contrary, those Skeleton Laborers needed some protection in case of another beast attack.
That would disturb their normal work.
After issuing all the instructions, the sky gradually darkened.
Hunger rumbles reminded him that he, after all, was still human.
He hadn't eaten anything all day.
There were flintstones inside the Lord's wooden house.
He lit a fire, roughly chopped the meat into chunks with his stone axe, stuck them on wooden skewers, and roasted them over the fire.
Immediately, the enticing smell of roasting meat filled the air.
While waiting for the meat to cook thoroughly, he opened the chat channel out of boredom.
Without a mobile phone, this became his only form of entertainment.
"Who has food? I'm so weak from hunger. Please, give me something to eat."
"I'm starving too, but I don't dare to go out. Who can help me?"
"Who knows how to go back, I'll wire you 5 million instantly if I can go back."
"Wake up, person above! You better face the reality now!"
"Exchanging supplies for food. The loyalty of my farmers is dropping. If I don't give them food, I'm afraid they will eat me. Anyone who has food, I'll exchange supplies for food."
"Online begging for food, I'm the campus belle from the film academy."
...
Huh?
You can exchange supplies?
The food behind him was indeed a bit excessive.
Rather than waiting for it to spoil, it would be better to exchange it for foods he needed.
Action followed thought.
After looking into it, he found out how to exchange items on the Book of Lords.
[Trader: Fang Hao]
[Registered Item: Meat]
[Quantity: 1000 units.]
[Requirement for 1 unit: 50 units of wood, 40 units of stone, 5 units of iron ore (any one of them).]
(Note: If You have any special items, you can private message to increase food quantity.)
...
No sooner had he posted the information than the chat channel exploded.
"Holy crap, someone listed meat, and it's 1000 units."
"Boss is incredible... Boss, do you need a leg strap?"
"Fang Hao? Is it the Fang Hao who first upgraded his main city? Wow, it really is him."
"Damn it, Fang Hao had such a lucky start."
"That's blatant extortion. A unit of meat costs so many supplies. Are you even human?"
"Boss, I have a gold tooth. Does it count as a special resource? If you want it, I'll break it off right away and give it to you."
"Save your yellow teeth to ward off mosquitoes, the person above. Boss Fang Hao, I have a gold chain. Can I exchange it for two units of food with you?"
"Save your gold chain to hang yourself!"