Some of the Bloodhound mercenaries were stronger. They worked together to injure the Spirit Souls and nearly managed to kill some of the men well. But the mercenaries had yet to advance to Tier-2. The leaders had already been given the missions required to complete their advancement, but they had yet to fulfill all requirements.
Zayn made use of that. He and his Spirit Souls were all at the 2nd Tier, with Zayn’s Wisdom, Energy, and Perception already being at the higher end of Tier-2. The network of thorny roots was enough to restrain close to half of the Bloodhound mercenaries while the rest slowed down as they tore through the roots. They were distracted and fell victim to the Spirit Souls’ onslaught and the sudden attacks of the remaining Golden Age members.
It was only a matter of time, but all that was left of the Bloodhound Mercenaries were their corpses and some of their beloved Cards.
“That was less entertaining than expected,” Zayn grumbled, releasing his control of the surrounding roots. He shook his body lightly and smiled at the remaining Golden Age members, who were covered in sweat, blood, and parts of internal organs. It looked like some of them fought a bit wilder than the Champion Spirit, which was undoubtedly difficult.
“You guys had fun?” He asked, throwing a glance at his notifications.
Spirit Soul has slain 142 Players.
+89 Soul Essences.
Spirit Soul has slain 85 Players.
+43 Soul Essences.
Spirit Soul has slain 9 Players.
+3 Soul Essences.
Spirit Soul has slain 111 Players.
+52 Soul Essences.
Spirit Soul has slain 48 Players.
+26 Soul Essences.
You have slain 79 Players.
+31 Soul Essences.
The Woodwaker Deer Spirit didn’t kill many Players but ensured the other Spirit Souls could fight without holding back. The other Spirit Souls survived because of the Woodwaker Deer.
He gained many Soul Essences, but the Players didn’t drop any Card Shards. That wasn’t uncommon given that most of them were Player killers and thus marked by Forgotten Lands’ system. One or multiple Cards of their Heart Deck must have dropped upon dying. That was the system’s reward for killing Player killers.
It was pretty good.
Zayn recalled the Spirit Souls and clasped in his hands, “Let’s strip those fuckers naked!”
Elveriun and three other men shouted at the top of their lungs before jumping into action while Storm Monarch and Erik stared blankly at him.
“What?” Zayn asked with an innocent smile, “Do you not like money or better Cards?”
Erik’s lips parted to say something, but he shut them and turned around to join the others. The Bloodhound Mercenaries came to hunt them down. They would have taken their equipment and Cards as well. So why should they leave their belongings untouched?
They weren’t samaritans, and stripping the Bloodhound Mercenaries naked would also make things easier for them in the future. First, they were about to earn a fortune from their Ranked Armaments, the unranked armaments, and the dropped Cards upon selling them. Second, the Bloodhound Mercenaries and other mercenary groups would think twice before attacking the Golden Age Guild again. Third, it wasn't very comfortable to be stripped naked like that.
Of course, the system prevented anyone from going full nude for safety measures and to protect minors, which was funny since the whole purpose of Forgotten Lands was to initiate the end of mankind as it existed. Either way, the system prevented nudity, meaning that ‘stripped naked’ wasn’t exactly possible. Everyone was still wearing their underwear after everything that could be removed had been removed.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Zayn watched everyone with a satisfactory smile, but he scrunched his nose when he noticed something odd.
“Nicolas? Percy? What are you guys doing here?”
Nicolas waved his arm, a vibrant smile on his lips, “Hey Zayn, we were a little bored and decided to join the others. The mission in Mistwood was intense, but we got great video material. Do you remember telling us to record more of the guild’s movements? We did that.”
“We record the fight against the Bloodhound Mercenaries as well!” Percy exclaimed in excitement, pointing at the drone humming mid-air.
“It has been a while since people saw you in a video. This fight will change everything!” Niclas joined his younger brother’s excitement. They laughed heartily while Zayn pressed his lips together.
Percy and Nicolas had been busy recording a wide variety of videos revolving around the Golden Age, the Guild’s Workshop, the members, the Dragon Lair Gym, Class Advancement Missions, A Guide for Spyro, and the other cities, and so on. However, there had been little content made by Zayn directly since he was busy with the bureaucracy of owning a Workshop with more than 1,000 well-paid members outside Forgotten Lands – fortunately, they managed to hire an accountant and a proper manager for all of this now –, and the stuff inside Forgotten Lands.
Zayn had been busy hunting Regional Bosses, researching some things about his Soul Lord Class, Golden Age’s infrastructure, and much more.
The subscribers of his channel demanded to see him again. And, at last, they were given what they demanded!
“We recorded everything. Your dive into the masses and how you wreaked havoc with your golden guys! That will be amazing. It will look like I’ve cut it straight out of a movie once I’m done editing!” Percy roared happily.
“Your power is already crazy with all those roots tearing the Bloodhound mercenaries apart, but these Spirits, or whatever you call them, they’re so freaking powerful as well.” Nicolas nodded, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, “This will earn us a fortune!”
Zayn nodded, glad to see his brothers like this.
Once his brothers calmed down a little, the others finished collecting everything. The Cards were given to Zayn, who noticed something interesting. A synergy of some Cards and a Card Set he’d nearly forgotten.
“I should be able to procure this rather easily,” He tilted his head, staring at the mass of more than 600 Cards, “All I need is time. But is it worth it?”
Zayn recalled someone who’d used the same Card Set, and he nodded his head. It was a no-brainer. The Card Set would change everything if he’d procured it before Forgotten Lands closed.
He turned to Erik with a smile.
“How many Epic Card Shards did you guys manage to procure?”
**
Completing everything Zayn had planned to squeeze into his already crammed schedule was difficult, and the worst part was that it took longer than expected. But at last, after a few weeks passed, Zayn was done.
His Foundation increased significantly, and his Spirit Souls were maxed out, gaining an additional power surge.
[Foundation Orbit]
[Star of Vitality – Basic 220/1000] [+10%] [+9%]
[Star of Strength– Basic 230/1000] [+10%] [+9%]
[Star of Agility – Basic 350/1000] [+10%] [+9%]
[Star of Dexterity – Basic 200/1000] [+10%] [+9%]
[Star of Spirit– Basic 1500/10,000] [+10%]
—
Spirit Soul — Magma Goblin Champion – 1824/1824 (Expand)
Spirit Soul – Miniature Roc — 2419/2419 (Expand)
Spirit Soul — Magma Goblin Shaman – 2069/2069 (Expand)
Spirit Soul – Colossus Pyro Slime – 1941/1941 (Expand)
Spirit Soul – Woodwaker Deer – 1555/1555 (Expand)
His Foundation and the Foundations of his Spirit Souls weren’t the only things that changed. Zayn focused on his Heart Deck and the Cards he needed for what would come.
Unfortunately, the things awaiting him weren’t all that pleasant. A mindless grind of Card Shards and Cards from a particular type of monsters awaited him. Thinking back to the time he spent grinding, Zayn felt disgusted. The most disgusting was his meager drop rate for the Cards he needed, and how high his drop rate was for Cards he didn’t need.
Fortunately, Zayn had the Golden Age members by his side. They suffered alongside him.
He wasn’t alone. That was the only thing that kept him sane in the territory of the Kobolds, Orcs, Trolls, and Berserkers.